I started writing fiction in the early '70s, eventually even getting a few things published but always overwhelmed by day-to-day responsibilities. In retirement I got some encouragement from my children (now grandmas & grandpas themselves) to resume that first love of story-telling. Needing to monetize, I cast about for something to earn at, as I 'Yearned' and came up with Sudoku. I learned the rules, tried it out, and wrote a tutorial (for those who, like me, didn't think they could DO it.) I found that I evaluated the basics pretty much as the YouTube experts had done. I do enjoy the curation, design and publishing more than doing the puzzles -- but still enjoy the logic challenge occasionally as well even though many of the advanced problems still elude me...

I was born during the time when self-sufficiency and preparedness were still valued in this country. The Great Depression and the Second Great World War reaffirmed the wisdom of the kitchen garden and well-stocked workshop where repairs of household items, big and small, could be undertaken as needed and the Consumer (throw-away) Economy failed to flourish. I did not need a pandemic or a general insurrection to know that I feel safer with my food storage plans in place and my array of hand tools (many of them hand-made as well) at the ready. Preparing for a "Doom's-Day Scenario" is ridiculous in my eyes: that implies no one will survive, so what's to "prep" for? --But the skills I learned as a toddler, teen and adult will let me survive when others are struggling to do so and thrive by comparison when times get tough again, as they always seem to do.

I've undertaken the "easy" part, first -- education and entertainment when it is best to stay indoors. The self-sufficiency part is changing with new discoveries and technologies. But quick romps through the Old Ways may one day be needed for daily functioning again, and home-grown, healthy food, picked at its prime, will always sit easy in my plate. No need for a tornado or flood or -- God forbid, an enemy attack -- to enjoy the bounty our world offers!

Fewer clues to start

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Length

May 2020 Very Hard Sudoku 50 Printable