A Tribute to abra a collection of her comments

[LLapp]

"Did you ever stop to taste a carrot? Not just eat it, but taste it? You can't taste the beauty and energy of the earth in a Twinkie." — Astrid Alauda

montyb on 2013-06-03 01:06:49
Carrot cake Twinkie?

bansaisequoia on 2013-08-20 00:49:13
Brilliant idea, monty! We'll fill the carrot cake twinkies with cream cheese frosting and make million$!

skoogie2 on 2013-11-15 15:27:59
Oh my gosh! I want a carrot cake twinkie!

abra on 2014-02-26 14:57:20
I'll just eat the frosting. I don't want to taste all that carrot cake, Earth energy.

marnita on 2015-06-09 18:51:04
I don't care for Twinkies, but I could definitely go for Monty and Bansai's carrot cake version!

abra on 2016-03-30 09:24:02
I only eat carrots, if they're cut the right way. Three or four inch cross cut pieces for stew, cut length wise with pot roast, julienned for soup, grated for salad, never, ever diced in anything. There are no exceptions to the rules. Well there's one exception, if I'm a guest, eating someone else's cooking. In that case, I will try to discreetly mash them with my fork.

[LLapp]

"Few of us write great novels; all of us live them." — Mignon McLaughlin

marnita
June 5, 2016, 7:00 pm
Mine doesn't seem to have a very consistent plot.

abra
July 11, 2017, 5:33 pm
Oooh, I had such a hard time with this one. I kind of doubt that anyone is waiting to read Being Abra.

abra
August 6, 2017, 1:25 pm
Maybe more like a Little Golden Book.

phthelen
August 14, 2017, 3:27 pm
I eagerly await seeing it on the shelves, abra.

[montyb]

"Sir, you have but two topics, yourself and me. I am sick of both. "
— Samuel Johnson

abra
July 28, 2016, 5:46 pm
Imagine, Sam got sick of hearing someone else speak.

LLapp
August 10, 2016, 4:57 pm
Haha!

hrossa
June 15, 2022, 1:13 pm
This is quite the put-down, though! Sometimes I admire something well done, that I wouldn't be able to do myself.

[LLapp]

"Sometimes I think my life would make a great TV movie. It even has the part where they say, 'Stand by. We are experiencing temporary difficulties.'" — Robert Brault

abra
July 24, 2014, 3:19 pm
Remember, when that used to happen frequently? My son was reading by about 3 1/2 one day I saw him standing right in front of the tv, because it said "please stand by".

LLapp
March 11, 2015, 6:56 am
Abra, that's adorable.

[Eureka]

"Dodging and burning are steps to take care of mistakes God made in establishing tonal relationships."

— Ansel Adams


kb83
July 12, 2017, 10:25 am
...Learning something new is one of my favorite parts of this website. I am honored to be among some brilliant folks here-- bansai, Llapp, universalmom, montyb, abra, marnita, maradnu, and many, many, many others. Thanks to all for making this an amazingly fun and interesting website.


abra
November 18, 2019, 6:09 pm
OMgosh, I was included with the smart people. Thank you kb83.

[LLapp]

"You can tell how long a couple has been married by whether they are on their first, second or third bottle of Tabasco."
— Bruce Bye

abra
June 23, 2016, 6:22 pm
LLapp, sometimes I picture you with one of those little bells, (the kind like they used to have on hotel desks) You type out the error, and then ring the bell. Probably too many cryptos today, but do you have one of those little bells? I like the picture.
abra
August 19, 2016, 9:31 am
I hope that didn't sound mean. I didn't mean it to be mean. Just a silly thought that popped into my head.

Awwww....Of course it didn't sound mean. I love this image. And yes, I do have one of those bells!

[chriscrojam]

"You can tell how long a couple has been married by whether they are on their first, second or third bottle of Tabasco."
— Bruce Bye


abra
January 12, 2013, 6:48 pm
We don't use Tobasco, (use Texas Pete) but if we did, we'd probably be on about our 80th bottle.
Unwinding_at_The_F
September 12, 2013, 8:03 am
If he was talking about the hot sauce, the word is "Tabasco".
abra
November 25, 2014, 3:28 pm
Woops, I copied it from the quote, but I can see your correct. Tobasco, doesn't look right, and I have the red underline.
LLapp
July 17, 2015, 5:52 pm
SPELLING ERROR: It's "TABASCO" -- that first vowel should be A (not O).
abra
June 23, 2016, 6:22 pm
LLapp, sometimes I picture you with one of those little bells, (the kind like they used to have on hotel desks) You type out the error, and then ring the bell. Probably too many cryptos today, but do you have one of those little bells? I like the picture.
abra
August 19, 2016, 9:31 am
I hope that didn't sound mean. I didn't mean it to be mean. Just a silly thought that popped into my head.

[LLapp]

"Mother is the name for God in the lips and hearts of little children." — William M. Thackeray

abra
December 19, 2015, 3:02 pm
Honestly, my son still thinks I'm a tiny bit god-like. He's a wonderful son.

[LLapp]

"A man doesn't plant a tree for himself. He plants it for posterity." — Alexander Smith

abra
January 15, 2020, 7:48 pm
My daughter-in-law gave me a magnolia tree for Mothers' Day a long time ago. For years it looked like it was planted for posterity, but then it took off. I think it's probably 25 or 30 feet high now.

[hrossa]

"Character is another thing that is formed in youth and reformed in marriage. " — Unattributed

seastar228
January 6, 2018, 9:18 pm
I was informed by my ex that after getting married it is not necessary to say, "Thank you" anymore. I guess that his first 2 wives didn't agree with that either.

abra
November 10, 2022, 2:23 am
Ah, didn't Ryan O' Neal say that in Love Story? "Love means never having to say ''thank you''?

[LLapp]

"Creativity involves breaking out of established patterns in order to look at things in a different way."
— Edward De Bono (born 19 May 1933, in Malta)

universalmom
September 30, 2014, 11:35 am
Malta... Not that many people are from there!

Fudi
August 2, 2019, 5:14 pm
I went to Malta on my honeymoon. I highly recommend going to Malta - completely beautiful ... like a fairytale. (Though I'm very sad that the azure window is no longer there .... )

LLapp
May 11, 2020, 2:44 am
MALTA? You went to Malta on your honeymoon?! I went to Sea Isle City.

Fudi
February 10, 2021, 5:31 pm
Sea Isle City is nice too.

abra
August 4, 2022, 2:29 am
When I got married, I refused to get on an airplane. I was determined that I would never go on a bridge over the Mississippi. We went to a resort that was a couple of hours from home. It was a great place. It burned down a long time ago. It was nice too. LOL.

[Synonymous]

I just had to print this one, it’s classic abra:

"The soul should always stand ajar, ready to welcome the ecstatic experience."
— Emily Dickinson

Comments on this Puzzle:

Barnabas
May 28, 2012, 3:10 pm
I think the 7% success rate is probably due to solvers trying to figure out where their mistake is when they have filled in "afar" and not being able to come up with "ajar"
lolpoop
July 21, 2012, 6:04 pm
true dat, i almost made that mistake myself.
abra
July 25, 2012, 3:51 am
I tried afar first.
wvwoman
October 16, 2012, 4:57 am
i also had 'afar'--luckily there were only a few letters only used once, making it easy to find and correct the error.
abra
September 29, 2013, 10:43 am
I didn't remember this one and I tried AFAR first again, but knew immediately that it must be AJAR. Which seems like kind of a weird thing to say.
kb83
April 3, 2014, 7:56 am
in the context of the whole saying, it has to be "ajar".
MrsLew
December 13, 2014, 5:44 am
count me in with the 'afar' folks
abra
December 29, 2014, 7:44 am
Again, I tried AFAR. Ugh!
abra
February 13, 2015, 2:38 pm
I should have it tattooed on my eylids. AJAR!
abra
May 31, 2015, 10:07 am
Apparently, I'm never going to remember AJAR.
LLapp
July 1, 2015, 10:09 am
Me too. And I think "ajar" is a beautiful word here.
wolf
August 27, 2015, 1:46 pm
When is a bottle NOT a bottle? When it's a jar!
marnita
January 3, 2016, 7:54 am
I tried afar too, even though it makes no sense.
marnita
May 12, 2016, 4:19 pm
And here I am again, same problem. I wonder what it will take to get me to remember this.
SippyGurl
November 22, 2016, 10:00 pm
yah, afar
abra
July 21, 2017, 12:13 pm
I've been here SO many times and each time I've tried AFAR first. I think I'm beyond hope. At least it's easy to figure out the mistake.
abra
August 24, 2017, 5:46 pm
OMgosh, I remembered AJAR. When is a door not a door? When it's ajar.
746tiger
January 5, 2018, 3:39 am
At least her soul was ajar, if not her door. She stood rather afar, didn't she?
fishbum
March 30, 2018, 9:05 am
I don't hold much trust in the stats. From the comments above it would seem with only a little perseverance this was solvable.
marnita
May 17, 2018, 1:31 pm
I STILL didn't remember it!
MadDoctor
June 2, 2018, 2:40 pm
Congratulations Abra. It only took you 7 attempts to get 'AJAR". I've only made the same mistake once, I think. I would remember the comments if I'd read them. The same puzzle, seven times in five years. Does that mean you spend too much time doing Cryptograms?
LLapp
July 9, 2019, 4:51 am
Too much time doing cryptograms??? Well I never. Where's the bouncer?
mohamm1
August 20, 2019, 12:41 am
I feel a draft...
letfreedomring
August 24, 2019, 6:47 pm
@MadDoctor, Abra has had this quote seven times and seven times she solved it and commented. What is your point?
mmfs83
October 2, 2019, 5:43 pm
Afar, I thought only doors were ajar.
Disturbed1
July 10, 2020, 12:31 pm
I, for one, am glad abra "spends too much time" doing cryptos. I don't always agree with her views, but I find her comments insightful and respectful.
DrCryptell
October 22, 2021, 3:04 am
I stood ajar and then afar. It was bizarre to stand ajar. A door's ajar, a person - nar. I'd sooner go into a bar Or even alight upon a star, But stand ajar? I say har har! NEVER NEVER
LLapp
March 7, 2022, 4:40 pm
For those confused by Emily's word choice: She's likening a person's soul (or spirit, or mental attitude; any of these would work) to a house with a door. She's implying that the door of that house may be open or shut to the possibility of uplifting joy, and she's suggesting that you take an in-between, moderate approach -- that you leave your door neither wide open nor tight shut, but just ajar, so that you can remain soundly in this everyday world but always with an opening to welcome the sunshine of joy. (But she said ALL of that just 12 words! That's poetry, man.)
kb83
April 10, 2022, 12:04 am
When is a door not a door?
DrCryptell
May 16, 2022, 4:18 am
kb83 asks: When is a door not a door? Answer: When it's afar.



ADD YOUR COMMENTS:

[LLapp]

"For the sense of smell, almost more than any other, has the power to recall memories, and it is a pity that you use it so little." — Rachel Carson

abra
July 27, 2019, 3:03 am
When I think about the sixties there is a smell (no not that smell). It took a long time for me to identify it, but it was hair spray. The sixties smelled like hair spray, and Cover-Girl to me. Sorry about that hair spray, Rachel.

[LLapp]

"Grandmother-grandchild relationships are simple. Grandmas are short on criticism and long on love." — Unattributed

abra
December 1, 2013, 11:04 am
I LOVE my guys.

GramBow
July 30, 2014, 10:39 am
Grandchildren are the crowning glory of the aged Proverbs 17:6

oddcouple
February 24, 2017, 10:36 pm
I loved my Grandma and Grandpa. Here's a poem I recited for their 50th anniversary-"A boy needs a Grandma to spoil him a bit, One with time one her hands who will sit, In an old rocking chair that shivers and squeaks, And listens to words that little boys speak". On request I repeated it for the 60th anniversary, although I was a grown adult by then. Thought maybe some grandmas out there might appreciate it.

NotTooOld
February 23, 2018, 11:36 am
My grandma was my most favorite person in the whole world. What would I have done without her?

abra
June 29, 2018, 5:53 pm
oddcouple, it's quite wonderful. We've just had our 50th anniversary. I love my grandsons so much. Thanks for sharing that.

[LLapp]

"Science has always been too dignified to invent a good backscratcher." — Don Marquis

abra on 2015-03-20 16:11:52
We had one, but we lost it. Where does one go to buy a new backscratcher? Where could ours possibly have disappeared to? I think it must have been in the couch we sent to the Salvation Army. Otherwise, it would have popped up again.

darkyr on 2017-03-24 06:11:58
I went to the Salvation Army to buy a couch, came home with an outstanding backscratcher. Nothing in my science textbooks prepared me for the surprise.

abra on 2017-10-29 18:49:12
darkyr, you're welcome.