puzzle #95: mrow! (midi)

no-skips november day 5

In 2021, I attempted to post a new crossword everyday in an event I dubbed “NaCroWriMo.” Unfortunately, I was not able to complete this event and, as a result, I have carried that shame ever since. That is until this month.

For every day in November this year, I’m posting a new crossword puzzle in an endeavour I’m now calling “No-Skips November.” Some of these puzzles are themeless, some are themed, some were even constructed before November, but it doesn’t matter: I’m not skipping a single day on this blog. I’m posting a new crossword. Every day. For a month.

This is also an effort to drive subscriptions to my Patreon, which is the best way to support me directly! My Patreon ensures that I’m able to sustain myself financially during months with less puzzle work, so I can spend more time making the puzzles you enjoy. Subscribers get a new themeless puzzle every week, and Inner Circle members typically get an extra 3-4 puzzles per month.

I’m back and reporting once again from the Toronto Public Library. I have great news: I’ve befriended a cat! He came meowing at my window last night, and when I let him in, all he wanted to do was drink water and get snuggles. I let him back out last night assuming he would find his way home, and then this morning he came back! Me and my friend Arthur have named him Stan (like Grunkle Stan from “Gravity Falls”), and we’re currently trying to figure out who this kitty belongs to. In the meantime, he’s a great cuddler, and a very *thorsty* boi.

Way too coincidentally, the original puzzle anecdote I had drafted for today is *also* about cats. Wild, huh? Here’s what I wrote:

Whenever I find myself uninspired to write crossword puzzles, there’s one thing that reliably gets me out of that slump: cats.

I love cats so much. I grew up with two black-and-white cats: Cutie and Grant. I lived with an orange cat named Pumpkin at my last apartment. I wrote a puzzle pack themed around cats! I even have a “Cat Alphabet Chart” dish cloth that I bought intending to use, but then hung up on my wall because I like it too much to stain it. (Slightly tangential, but CAT ALPHABET CHART is the result of weaving CATALPA, HRT, and BETCHA together. This is the sort of useless information you get from idly staring at your wall for too long.)

At some of my lowest moments, a cat has been there to tell me I’m worthy of love. At times when I’ve felt incredibly alone, a cat has been there to cuddle.

BRB, tearing up because of how timely this is 😭

I’d like to think that the cat-related entries in my grids evoke memories of beloved pets for other people, too. This one’s for the cats! Enjoy :3

This one’s for Stan :3

As for this puzzle specifically, I just have to shout out Chris Adams for his help with the 14-Down clue. He’s a math guy, y’all! He knows this stuff.