puzzle 78: "a few times i've been around that track"

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last chance to hit up the tip jar for the bonus puzzles from this decorative gourd season (decorative gourds not included). as always, thanks to those who've donated so far. and, speaking of donations, the inkubator has smashed its target and, hopefully, will smash the patriarchy. it's not too late to get in on it, and i highly recommend doing so.

apologies for the relative lateness of this puzzle; had a few others that, for various reasons, haven't fully cooperated yet. here's hoping i can wrangle them into shape here in the next few weeks. meanwhile, this one's pretty straightforward, but which i made harder on myself by stacking the theme entries for absolutely no reason at all, and then dropping down to seventy words. but there's some nice bonuses in this puzzle, and i think you'll enjoy it.

puzzle 77: "bare necessities (freestyle 80)"

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first things first, an announcement from laura braunstein + tracy bennett. they're launching the inkubator: crossword puzzles by women. among many other things, the goal is to publish more women, and they plan on being an ongoing twice-monthly subscription service. the kickstarter just went live today, and you should back it as soon as you can.

in other news, erik agard was on jeopardy! friday; if you missed his show (or want to watch it again), here's a link.

also, the tip jar is still open; as always, thanks to those who've donated so far (and received two bonus puzzles).

as for this puzzle: the two seed entries (both ten letters) have been on my list for awhile; the grid itself was built both for aesthetics but also for flexibility, giving multiple spots to put the seeds. it turns out putting them vertically in the middle worked best; my hunch is that the middle would have been hard to fill in anyway, given the number of long entries going into it. soseeding on the top and bottom, or down the sides, meant that i would have had to build around two seeds *and* get those to work, while seeding down the middle allowed me to fill around that and spill into the corners without as much difficulty.

anyways, i think it came out pretty well; here's hoping you enjoy it too.

puzzle 76: "plus fours"

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this theme started with the clue for the last theme entry, and then i realized the first theme entry was the same length. then, for once, i ignored the urge to stack them in a freestyle, and instead went for a low word count with a minimal theme. the black square placement, especially in the upper left, didn't help too much, but i'm pleased with how this turned out.

a reminder that the tip jar is still open. thanks to everybody who's donated so far; if you haven't, there's still a chance to get two bonus puzzles.

puzzle 75: "hot tea (freestyle 59)"

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three quarters of a way to a century, and i honestly didn't realize it until i put the number in. it's the part of the semester where everything is getting busier. but it's also the part of the semester where the leaves are changing colors and it's getting nice and crisp out and all that jazz.

so a freestyle, then, which i thought came out well, and which i find aesthetically pleasing. and if you're so inclined and would like to tip your constructor, i'll send you my thanks. i'll also send not one, but two, bonus puzzles—one a straight freestyle, the other with a bit of a mini-theme but still very much a freestyle.

(edited to add: the original file, which was also the file sent via email, was missing the clue at 48 down, which is "topic currently being discussed. it should now be fixed above. mea culpa.)