WWOOF and Triumph

The triumph first: I finished a New York Times Magazine crossword puzzle! Well, almost -- there are two squares that I couldn't figure out... but close enough. Only a handful of you out there know how momentous this occasion is for me. Now go watch the best documentary ever made, Wordplay.

And check out the theme of this puzzle, "Initial Offerings." Each themed clue is the name of someone famous, followed by some other name or thing that onomatopoetically spells out the initials of the famous person. Examples: Quentin Tarantino Cutie (Q.T.); Samuel Adams Essay (S.A.); Max Ernst Emmy (M.E.). Brilliant! I will never, ever get sick of this.

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I took some pictures of my Wednesday WWOOF farm today, an experience that is getting better by the week. My German is definitely improving (sehr gut!), I'm spending some quality time with the hosses, and learning some great French vocab (brouette: wheelbarrow; crottin: manure). There is another WWOOFeuse there at the moment, a trilingual Swiss girl named Julia who loves when I read aloud German children's books. As much as I regret the decision of not sleeping in almost regularly, my farm Wednesdays are always worth it. I'm going to miss the place a little.

The dogs! Scott and Connor

 The stable

 The Vosges...

 Julia and one of the babies

lookin gross in my old glasses... curious baby horse