Welcome to HighNotes, brought to you by the Evanston Symphony for the senior members of our community who must of necessity isolate more because of COVID-!9. The current pandemic has also affected all of us here at the ESO, and we understand full well the frustration of not being able to celebrate holidays with family or make music with friends or go holiday-shopping in a real store.

We certainly miss performing for our loyal audiences, especially this month when we would have had our annual festive Holiday Concert Musical Notes and Activities for Seniors at ETHS with perennial favorites like “Sleigh Ride,” ballet selections from the Evanston Symphony Orchestra from The Nutcracker, the ESO Holiday Concert Gospel Choir led by the Reverend Ken Cherry - and maybe even tap-dancing reindeer! However, since we can’t invite you to an in-person concert this Holidays of Light! 2 year, we’ll present one to you in these pages and in links to videos and recordings that show off the orchestra and the music. An Evanston Symphony Holiday Concert 4 HighNotes always has articles on a specific musical theme plus a variety of puzzles and some really bad jokes and puns. For this Sleigh Ride; Music for ; issue we want to “Light up the Holidays!” - which seems appropri- Christmas Choral Works; ate for winter in general and December in particular, when we try to brighten the long darkness with the wondrous lights of Diwali, The Nutcracker; Traditional Carols; Hanukkah, Christmas and Kwanzaa. So, pour a big mug or Christmas Pops; Gospel; Hallelujah or glass of your favorite beverage, put on your Chorus; and Christmas Sing-Along warmest (virtual) hat, mittens and scarf, and sit back and enjoy this wonderfully Meet The Reverend Ken Cherry! 8 bright and fes- tive tive music! A Christmas Far From Home 10

Bygones, Puzzles, Vol. 1, No. 6 HighNotes December 2020 Editor ...... Kelly Brest van Kempen Jokes & Other Amusements 12 Technical Advisor...... David Ellis Puzzle & Maze Checkers ………………………….., Addison, Ryan, Calli, Ciara & Gus December 2020 HighNotes© - Copyright 2020 - ESOA (except for original authors’ copyrights) ESOA makes no claim to copyrights held by others and uses such materials for educational purposes only under the “fair use” exception to copyright law.

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All human beings need light to thrive, so in winter we tend to punc- C hristmas always falls on December 25 in the modern tuate our lives with holidays that focus on light. After Halloween, the calendar and is the day Christians celebrate the birth of Celtic festival celebrated with light from bonfires (and tricks and Jesus “on a cold winter’s night.” The star symbolizes the treats!); come other major fall and winter "holidays of light.” light that shone over Bethlehem and served as a guide for Diwali is a festival of lights on the Indian subcontinent, the Three Kings. As Christianity spread around the world, it usually lasting five days and celebrated between mid- borrowed many customs from local cultures. For example, the October and mid-November in our calendar year. One of Christmas tree began in Germany with an evergreen tree (a sign of the most popular festivals in India, Diwali symbolizes the life in the dead of winter) decorated first with apples (Adam and spiritual "victory of light over darkness, good over evil, and know- Eve), later with glass balls, stars and candles. The Christmas tree ledge over ignorance." Hindu Diwali has its basis in specific events went to Britain with King George III’s German mother, then came to in Hindu religious history, but Diwali is also celebrated by Jains, the US with early British and German settlers. The Three Kings’ Sikhs and certain Buddhists; each mark their own religious events, gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh are the basis for the giving of but have similar customs. A Indian friend in Kansas describes her gifts, as is St. Nicholas Day on December 6 – but now it all gets family’s celebration like this: “In our home we light small tea lights rolled up into one! As for St. Nick himself, our Santa Claus comes called “Diyas” to symbolize light over dark and good over evil. We from the Clement Moore poem we know as ‘Twas the Night Before sometimes light sparklers outside if the weather is nice. Christmas. Moore’s inspiration for the description of Saint (In India there are major fireworks displays.) Our family Nicholas was a local Dutch handyman with “a round face dress in new traditional Indian outfits, gather with and a little round belly.” Moore originated many of the family and friends and enjoy an endless table of food.” features that are still linked with today’s Santa Claus (Sinterklaas in Dutch), such as a sleigh, and borrowed Hanukkah is the eight-day Festival of Lights that is other aspects, such as stockings and the use of reindeer. usually in December and celebrates an ancient miracle: After the Jews, under the leadership of Judas Macab- KwanzAa comes from a Swahili expression meaning baeus, defeated invaders that had desecrated the “First Fruits.” This spiritual holiday is based on ancient in about 160 BCE, they set to work cleansing African harvest festivals and celebrates ideals such as the temple. However, they needed oil for the re-dedication and to family life and unity. The holiday was created by African observe Sukkot, a holiday they had been forbidden to celebrate. Americans in the early 1960s and is celebrated from December 26 Unfortunately, there was only one day’s worth of oil for one lamp, to January 1, when millions of Black Americans dress in special so a runner was sent to find more. Much to everyone’s surprise, clothes, decorate their homes with fruits and vegetables, and have when the runner returned with more oil eight days later, the lamp a special candle-lighting ceremony centered on a candle-holder was still burning – hence the eight days of the Festival of Lights. called a kinara. The kinara holds seven candles, each representing Beginning at sundown each day, Jews light a candle in a special a specific principle to follow in life. Each night of the holiday, the holder called a menorah to commemorate this miracle. Food is family lights a candle and discusses one of the seven plentiful during Hanukkah, notably potato pancakes called principles: unity; self-determination; collective work . Gifts are exchanged and kids play a special game and responsibility; cooperative economics; purpose; with a four-sided top called a to win treats - creativity; and faith, all vital to a good life. chocolate coins, candy, nuts, or raisins.

2X 3 partway down and blow into the trumpet while shaking it!). And Every December, the Evanston Symphony Orchestra joins forces there’s also a hobby horse that pops up from the back row of the with our holiday partners, the North Shore Choral ESO at just the right time! Society, the Evanston Children’s Choir, the Evanston Dance Ensemble, and our very own ESO Holiday Music for Hanukkah. Since Hanukkah usually comes before Concert Gospel Choir to bring a festive holiday Christmas, music for that lovely Festival of Lights is next. Over the concert to our community. But the 2020 pan- past 30 years, the ESO has performed a number of medleys of demic has unfortunately prevented us from traditional Hanukkah songs, including Blessings for Hanukkah; Who participating in many of our treasured holiday Will Light the Narrow Candles?; Little Top, Spin, Spin, Spin; For the activities and traditions. So, the best the ESO can offer Miracles; Rock of Ages; and of course, I Have a Little Dreidel. you this December is a “virtual” Holiday Concert. We’ll talk about Another favorite because of its feel is Hanukkah, Oh some of the music here and then give you the links to either the Hanukkah, which gives all the holiday details in song: ESO, another orchestra, or one of our partner groups performing Hanukkah, Oh, Hanukkah And while we are playing the pieces of music. So, as we said on our welcome page “pour a Let's light the menorah The candles are burning low big mug or glass of your favorite beverage, put on your warmest Let's have a party One for each night, (virtual) hat, scarf and mittens, and sit back and enjoy this wonder- We'll all dance the They shed a sweet light fully bright and festive music!” Gather 'round the table, To remind us of days long ago We’ll give you a treat One for each night, A dreidel to play with They shed a sweet light Sleigh Ride Our virtual concert . And latkes to eat To remind us of days long ago absolutely must open with this fun piece of music by Leroy Anderson, which has been part of every ESO In the category of major choral works is George Frideric Handel’s Holiday Concert for the past 30 Judas Maccabaeus, with its triumphant march Hail the Conquering years! We gave a bio on Anderson in October when we high- Comes, which tells the story of the great events that led to the lighted his “Typewriter” piece, so here’s a brief re-cap: He was a creation of Hanukkah. classical pianist, a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Harvard, and a WWII intelligence officer who spoke nine languages, including Christmas Choral Works. We’ll start off the Christmas portion Icelandic, but is best known today as someone composer and of the concert with another major choral work. While we provide Boston Pops maestro John Williams calls "one of the great links to several of these works on the links page, we’ll American masters of light orchestral music." Sleigh just mention our all-time favorite here: Randol Alan Ride is indeed one of these light orchestral works Bass’s Gloria! It’s sung in Latin, but you don’t need to and is great fun, especially with its jaunty rhythm and understand Latin to appreciate this musical work. From its sounds of a whip cracking and a horse neighing! We’ll the opening triumphant “Gloria!” of the angels and the give you a link to Anderson and his own orchestra playing herald trumpets to the lovely, soft of the young the piece and another to a short video from the ESO where mother singing to her baby, the Christmas story is told in principal trumpet Don Cagen explains how he makes that wonderful music. The ESO has performed this lovely choral work very horsey sound on his instrument. (Hold all three valves three times in the past 15 years, most recently in 2019.

4X 5 The Nutcracker. The first performance of Gospel music is the wonderfully exuberant style of hymn-singing Tchaikovsky’s ballet, The Nutcracker, was in St. that evolved in the predominantly African-American churches, and Petersburg, Russia, in 1892, but wasn’t very well 2015 saw the first appearance of the Evanston Symphony Holiday received by local critics, who panned the dancing as Gospel Choir under the direction of the Rev. Ken “insipid.” The music fared better and the short suite Cherry. (See page 8!) This group of singers from that Tchaikovsky arranged from the ballet music has several Evanston churches has delighted remained very popular. In fact, since the 1950s, when audiences with Jesus, What a Wonderfulx Maria Tallchief, the exquisite Native American balle- Child; Oh, What a Pretty Little Baby; Silent rina who later became artistic director of the Chicago City Ballet, Night, and Stand By Me. In addition, the group danced the role of the Sugar Plum Fairy, the ballet has been the has performed a special version of the glorious Hallelujah Chorus. most performed ballet in the country during the holidays – and a Hallelujah Chorus. major money-maker for dance companies! At each ESO Holiday George Frideric Handel, who composed Concert, the orchestra is joined by the young dancers of Evanston both Judas Maccabaeus and The Messiah, was born in Germany in 1685, took up residence in London in 1712, and became a natur- Dance Ensemble in the popular Waltz of the Flowers, Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy, and the Chinese, Russian and Arabian Dances. alized British subject in 1727. By 1741 his reputation was evident And, as a change from Tchaikovsky, sometimes we’re also treated from the honors he had received, including a pension from the court to the delights of tap-dancing reindeer! of King George II, the title of “Composer of Musick for the Chapel Royal,” and – rare for a living person – his statue in a huge park. Traditional Carols are those songs with a religious theme The first performance of The Messiah in London was in 1743, that celebrate the events around the birth of Jesus: O Come, All Ye which brings us to the Hallelujah Chorus, that part of the work that Faithful; Silent Night; Away in a Manger; O Little Town of has become associated with Christmas. Here in America, a country Bethlehem; Hark, the Herald Angels Sing; Angels We that even didn’t exist in 1743, we stand for the Hallelujah Chorus. Have Heard on High; We Three Kings and so many Why? Because, as the story goes, King George II was at the others. And, there are so many different interpretations! performance and was so moved by the music that he stood – and For Joy to the World, would you prefer Whitney Houston, when the monarch stands, everybody stands! Truth be told, there’s Pentatonix, a Gospel choir or the Mormon Tabernacle Choir? no record that this actually happened, but the story has created a custom and now, almost 180 years later, we still follow it! Popular Christmas Songs are those songs about the non- For the past few years, the ESO Holiday Concert has included two religious traditions that have sprouted up around Christmas: Frosty performances of the Hallelujah Chorus. First is the traditional the Snowman and Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer are two version, sung by the North Shore Choral Society, then comes the songs kids love. For adults, there’s The Christmas Song (better Christmas Sing-Along followed by all of the choruses singing the known as, “Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire”) and, of course, Quincy Jones version from the 1992 Grammy-winning White Christmas. Then there are some favorites Handel's Messiah: A Soulful Celebration, with the from theatre and film: We Need a Little Christmas, ESO Holiday Gospel Choir setting the tone. Such first sung in the Broadway musical Mame by the absolute joy! immortal Angela Lansbury, and the exuberant Merry Christmas, Merry Christmas! from the movie Home Christmas Sing-Along. A visit from “that jolly old Alone 2. And there are thousands more! elf” who leads the audience in singing! Happy Holidays!

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“I’m from the South Side of Chicago -- just like When asked why people are drawn to this congregation of 300 Bad, Bad Leroy Brown!” said the Reverend and what makes it special, Pastor Cherry's immediate response Kenneth Cherry with his huge, infectious laugh. was, "Love. It's a very powerful, loving congregation. A strong Unlike the protagonist of Jim Croce’s 1973 hit, congregation is where people love one another." however, Ken Cherry was certainly not “the It also comes as no surprise that Christ Temple baddest man in the whole damned town!” His has a strong gospel choir. When asked what parents, his church, his school and his love of drew him to gospel music, Pastor Cherry replied gospel music were the mainstays of his life th "The passion - and you can make any gospel growing up in Beautiful Zion Missionary Baptist Church at 64 song your own. You listen to a song and you and Loomis was the church home of the Cherry family: mother, start saying to yourself ‘If I were singing this, I’d father and six children. add something here and do that a bit differently.’ Ken’s aunt was the choir director at Beautiful Zion and from the age Five people can start out with the same song of five he travelled everywhere with the choir, describing himself as and you'll end up with five completely different the choir’s “mascot.” Beautiful Zion was certainly a center of gospel interpretations, but it's still the same music in Chicago. Ken’s aunt and one of her friends were gospel song." The Christ Temple Choir joins responsible for recording the gospel hymn "I'll Make it Alright" with with members of the choirs of Evanston’s Faith the Beautiful Zion Choir, also in 1973; it became the first gospel Temple Missionary Baptist Church and First Church of God to form hymn ever to make it on to the R&B charts as a best-seller. Despite a gospel choir that has been performing with the ESO at its annual his musical background, Pastor Cherry describes himself as the holiday concert since 2015. The choir’s rendition of the glorious "Michael Jackson" of his family. Why? Because, like the legendary Hallelujah Chorus from Quincy Jones’ "Handel's Messiah: A Soulful late pop singer, he is the only one in his family who does not play Celebration" is an audience favorite! an instrument! His brothers play drums and keyboard and his sister Just south of Christ Temple Missionary Baptist Church is the plays clarinet, but Pastor Cherry’s instrument is his voice, whether Fleetwood-Jourdain Community Center, where Ken Cherry is the singing or preaching. director. Fleetwood-Jourdain offers a huge array of services to the Ken first heard the call to the ministry in the Missionary Baptist community, including after-school programs for kids, Wednesday Church when he was 11 and at age 12 gave his first sermon lunch for seniors, sports, a superb community theatre- even roller- before his congregation, which promptly granted him a license to skating. It is this last that is a special love of Ken Cherry. When preach. This call was a surprise to no one, however. "My fifth asked if he had any hobbies he immediately said "Roller-skating!" great-grandfather established a church right out of slavery, and "Four wheels or blades?" we asked. there have been preachers in my family for five generations," he said. It was also a given that music would be part of his ministry. "Definitely four wheels!" he exclaimed. "Blades are for He sang with the classical choir in high school and later with a long distance. Four wheels are for flair and style!" barbershop quartet and, while still a teen, attended classes at the And that pretty much sums up the Reverend Kenneth Chicago Baptist Institute. He is currently pastor at Christ Temple Cherry: a man who loves his family, his church, his Missionary Baptist Church on Emerson St. in Evanston.XXXXXX music and his community - and serves them all with flair and style!

X8 9 The day after Christmas, we locked up the house and took off for a visit We were married the day after Christmas, so my husband and I to the south of the country for a few didn’t celebrate our first Christmas together as a married couple days to celebrate our first anniver- until 364 days later. Much to our surprise, that first Christmas found sary. My husband is an architect and us back in Tunisia, the North African country where we had met as his main project as a Peace Corps Peace Corps Volunteers a few years earlier. Tunisia is a lovely Volunteer was designing a new place with lovely people. However, it’s a Muslim mosque for a little town about 100 country, so an American-style Christmas was miles south of where we were living. going to be more of a challenge than usual. The So, we drove south, inspected the Tunisians had some leftover secular Christmas finished mosque and were delighted traditions dating from their days as a French protect- with the workmanship, then spent a torate, the most notable being “Baba Noel,” a man in few days visiting some very inter- a red suit and white beard who would go ho-ho-ho- esting Roman ruins. ing around in the souks, the traditional markets in the old walled city, and pass out candy to children. However, that was When we got back, however, the first thing I noticed as I rounded about it - which meant some creativity was called for. the corner of the garden toward the front door was a broken silver wishbone, its red ribbon untied and dirty, lying on the walk in front of Those rolls of aluminum foil that are the mainstay the window, which we’d left shuttered but was now open. Thieves of grade school holiday craft projects weren’t had come during our absence, pulled open the shutter, broken the available in Tunis, so for a month or so before glass, and reached through the window bars to help themselves. Christmas we saved the shiny tinfoil wrappings We rushed inside to see what was missing and discovered that the from chocolate bars and other items. We strung was limited to what was closest to the window - in this beads and small wrapped candies in garlands and case, our Christmas tree. Almost all of our handmade ornaments interesting shapes, made ornaments and paper chains from were gone or irreparably damaged. I was heartbroken. colored paper, and even saved a few wishbones that we painted silver and adorned with red bows on top. The biggest challenge, But then we noticed that the little aqua blue though, was the . I went looking in the souks and found some and silver angel was still on top of the tree, aqua blue velvet and traditional Tunisian silver braid in a shop. away from even the longest arm that could When I got home, I made a cardboard cone then stitched the reach through the window, perched there velvet over it and trimmed it with the silver proclaiming her message. At that moment, braid. The hoarded silver chocolate wrap- I realized that whoever needed to resort to pers provided head, hands, wings and a taking something so devoid of commercial book. Our house was too small for a real value as handmade Christmas ornaments tree, but we managed to get a large must have been very desperate indeed, juniper branch and prop it in the corner of our and I was acutely aware of how very fortunate we were. As for the living/dining room so that it wouldn’t fall over. Then we angel, we brought her home with us and has graced a branch decorated it and put our homemade angel on top. It was our very on every one of our Christmas trees for the past 50 years, a first Christmas tree. And it was perfect. continuing reminder of our many blessings. KBvK

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Holiday and other winter traditions from the past! Who remembers Potatoes seem to be part of every major holiday meal, tinsel-draped Christmas trees? Star reflectors? Garlands of paper so here are three recipes for bright celebrations in December. snowflakes or mercury glass beads? How about an electric train? Latkes for Hanukkah: Peel and grate 2 large baking potatoes and (We still have an American Flyer from 1950 in our attic!) And sled- ½ small onion (or chop 2 scallions); let drain for 10 minutes. In a ding! Down the hill – or the street - on a Flexible Flyer or a Snow bowl, combine potatoes and onions with 1 large egg, 3 TBSP flour. King! And if we couldn’t afford a sled, we’d borrow a neighbor’s Heat 3 TBSP schmaltz, oil or butter in a heavy pan until hot. Drop in garbage can lid – until we got caught, that is… And let’s not forget potato mixture by the tablespoonful, but don’t crowd. Bubbe’s latkes - Yum! (“Bubbe” is Yiddish for “Grandmother.”) Fry until golden brown. Serve with sour cream and applesauce. Serves 2. (NOTE: If you use bacon grease, they are no longer Jewish latkes; they are now Polish placki…)

Potato Pancakes (leftover Christmas mashed): Fry 3 slices of bacon until crisp. Crumble and set aside. Chop 1 small onion and 1 stalk celery. Add 2 TBSP butter to bacon grease in pan; medium heat. Add onion, celery and ¼ tsp minced garlic until tender and lightly browned. Transfer vegetables and bacon to large bowl. Stir in 1¼ C mashed potatoes,1 cup shredded American cheese, ¾ C all- purpose flour; 1 egg, slightly beaten; ¼ tsp prepared yellow mustard; ⅛ tsp ground black pepper and dash of hot sauce (opt.). Heat 1-2 TBSP oil in a clean skillet on medium heat. Drop in spoonfuls of potato mixture, flattening slightly, and fry patties until golden brown on both sides, 5 to 7 minutes. Serve with sour cream.

Maple-Bourbon Mashed Sweet Potatoes for Kwanzaa/Anytime: Peel 2 lbs sweet potatoes and 2 lbs Yukon Gold potatoes; cut into 1” pieces. Put potatoes in a 6-quart slow cooker with 2 C reduced- sodium chicken broth. Cover and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours or on high for 4 to 5 hours. Use a slotted spoon to transfer vegetables to a large bowl, reserving cooking liquid. Mash until smooth, adding cooking liquid if needed to mash. Add ¾ C applesauce, 2 TBSP butter (cut up), 2 TBSP maple syrup, 1-2 TBSP bourbon, and ½ tsp salt. Mash until light and fluffy. Sprinkle with 4 slices crisp- cooked bacon before serving.

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Some important HighNotes are hidden in this puzzle! can you 1. ______is a major holiday in India. find them? Remember: Words can go up, down, across, OR 2. There are three major holidays in December. First comes diagonally, AND backwards or forwards - 8 directions in all! And, can you find “OZ” at least 21 times? ______, the Jewish Festival of Lights, when families light candles in a holder called a D R E I D E L H A C E A ______for 8 nights, kids Z O G Z O P A R H D D A play a game with a ______. H N O Z Z R A R I I R Z and everyone eats Bubbe’s ______! A A S Z O N I R W Z U N 3. ______is always L I P N I S H A R P M A on December 25 and its symbol is a ______. L P E K T G L Z Z O Z W 4. The third major family holiday in December is E M L M I I E O B O T K ______, an African- L O A E H A N D E L Z S American celebration founded on 7 principles U S L Z O Y R R E H C O symbolized by candles in a ______. J S N U T C R A C K E R 5. The ESO’s Holiday ______Choir is A Z O H A K K U N A H Z directed by the Rev. Ken ______H O S E K T A L S T A R 6. Every ESO Holiday MUST have Leroy Anderson’s

______on the

program plus the ______Can you find at least 12 four- Chorus from ______’s Messiah (twice!) and letter words, 9 five-letter words and 3 six-letter words dances from The ______! using the center letter 7. A zoo in England has rude ______! (“T”) in each word? 8. Find these hidden instruments: Piano Drum Oboe Harp (It’s OK to repeat letters.) Adapted from the New York Times

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The Washington Post, “WaPo” for short, is famous for is its We made a new friend, a woman who was the stereotype of a little annual “neologisms” contest where people make up new words old lady – gray hair, orthopedic shoes, a cane – the works. As we following some simple rules: (A) Take an existing word and give it were getting to know one another, we asked what type of work she a new meaning OR (B) Take an existing word and add, subtract or did. “I’m a C.O.P.!” she exclaimed. “Really?” we said carefully. “A change a single letter and give it a new meaning. Here are some police officer...?” No,” she replied, “ I’m a C-O-P: a Certified Old of the winners over the years. The first and second fall into the (A) Person! And I love it!” Then she gave a hearty laugh and of course category while the rest follow rule (B): we had to join in because that’s one of the best parts of being up in years, isn’t it? – The ability to feel comfortable in ourselves and to Flabbergasted (adj.): appalled at how much have a good laugh – even if a body part complains upon occasion. weight you’ve gained. So here are some more good laughs just for us C.O.P.s! Balderdash (n.): a rapidly receding hairline. I’ve decided that old age is when you still have Bozone (n.): The substance surrounding stupid something on the ball, but are just too tired to people that stops bright ideas from penetrating. bounce it. Sarchasm (n.): The gulf between the author of sarcastic wit and the person who doesn't get it. Age 60 might be the new 40, but 9:00 pm is Karmageddon (n.): It’s like, when everybody is sending off all the new midnight… these really, really bad vibes, right? And then, like, the Earth explodes and it’s, like, a total bummer. Eventually you’ll reach a point when you stop lying about your age and start bragging about it. Suckotash (n.): a dish consisting of corn, lima beans and tofu. Some people try to turn back their "odometers." Not me. I want people to know why I look like this. Flatulance (n.): emergency vehicle I've traveled a long way, a lot of the roads weren’t that picks you up after you are run paved, and I hit a lot of potholes! over by a steam roller.

Inoculatte (v.): to take coffee intra- Aging has slowed us down but it hasn’t shut us up… venously when you’re running late. …Which brings us to this wonderful plaque we saw in the kitchen of the First Congregational Church in Evanston: The Perfect “This is 2020” Brain Teaser! You walk into a room. Two dogs, four horses, one giraffe and a duck are lying on the bed enjoying a drink. Three chickens are flying over two chairs while trying to call room service. How many legs are on the ground?

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Most years we can look fondly back on some of the good times This story has nothing to do with music or 2020 and regret some of the bad times, but 2020 has been an exception. or holidays, but we couldn’t resist sharing it! 2020 has been weird. There’s just no other word for it! So, with The folks at the Lincolnshire Wildlife Centre in weird as a guidepost, let’s try to laugh our way to January 1. 2021 England have had to separate five grey African with some of these funnies! parrots that arrived there this August. It seems

that all five birds can swear like the proverbial sailor, which would

not have been a big problem if there hadn’t been five of them in the same space: when one of them said something naughty and got a reaction from the crowd, the other four would chime in. The staff at the center said that it was one thing when adults were laughing, but quite another thing when kids were hearing this language. So, just like a pack of rowdy kids at school, , Eric, Tyson, Jade, and Elsie were each sent to one of five separate sections of the zoo. According to the zoo’s CEO, the five parrots were spread around so that they don't "set each other off." However, he does have one big concern:”I'm hoping they learn different words within the colonies in those sections — but if they teach the others bad language and I end up with 250 swearing birds, I don't know what we'll do!”

CLUES: Diwali, Hanukkah, Menorah, Dreidel, Latkes, Christmas, Star, Kwanzaa, Kinara, Gospel, Cherry, Sleigh Ride, Hallelujah, Handel, Nutcracker, Parrots

12 Words @ 4 letters each: Into, Mint, Mitt, Omit, Otic, Unit, Unto, Mott, Mutt, Tint, Toit, Tout 2020 Brain Teaser 7 Words @ 5 letters each: 1 Bed = 4 Count, Cutin, Mount, Muton, 2 Chairs = 8 Notum, Ontic, Tinct, Tonic, Tunic You = 2 3 Words @ 6 letters each: Total = 14 Mutton, Commit, Motion

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