A Puzzle Solved

A few months ago we started to get emails about our crossword from some unhappy puzzlers. 

“It’s impossible!” one person wrote. 

I thought that person was a bit hysterical and maybe just frustrated. But then more complaints trickled in. I kept making notes to myself to try it and see if it really was too difficult, but could never get to it. I used to do them religiously before falling asleep over the course of a week, but that habit ended a little less than four years ago, not surprisingly coinciding with the birth of my first child. 

Finally a few weeks ago I was ordering a beer at Peach Barn when the bartender pointed to me while in conversation with a couple of patrons. 

“It’s you! Is it actually possible to do this crossword?” one of the patrons said, the bartender having just ratted me out as an owner of the paper. 

“Well, I guess there might be something to this after all,” I replied. 

And the next day I reached out to Myles Mellor, the creator of our crosswords, who called me the next morning. 

“Well, your readers are astute,” he said, chuckling. “I sent you the wrong batch of crosswords!”

So kudos to our readers and puzzlers, who are so attuned to the level of the puzzle. And thanks to Mr. Mellor, who quickly sent us some new puzzles that we started printing two issues ago. We hope you’re finding them more enjoyable, and a slight bit less challenging. 

Thanks for keeping an eye on us.