BY VERONICA VOLK

LIFE PEACE OF MIND

Kathleen Gansemer uses mindfulness to help balance the demands of caring for her aging parents. Gansemer uses breathing exercises to incorporate mindfulness into her nature walks.

PHOTO BY MAX SCHULTE

WHEN ‘OM’ CAN HELP YOU TAKE CARE OF MOM

Meditation, mindfulness are useful tools for caregivers

BY BETH ADAMS @BETHADAMS20 BADAMS@WXXI.ORG

Kathie Gansemer concentrates on her breath first. Slow, steady breaths.

Then, perhaps, she recites an inspirational quote or a poem to set the mood. One of her favorites is from the 13th-century Persian poet, Rumi. It encourages the reader to welcome even the most disturbing thoughts and emotions as a potential means to clear the way for an unexpected delight.

Then, focus.

Meditation has become an integral part of Gansemer’s life since she became the primary caregiver to her parents four years ago, when she moved them from Pennsylvania to an independent senior community a few miles from her Penfield home.

Her 93-year-old father has suffered two strokes and brain cancer. Her 89-year-old mother has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. She is in contact with them every day, managing their health care and taking them to medical appointments, doing their grocery shopping, and running errands for them.

“There are different draws on me at times that can be pretty intense in terms of caregiving,” Gansemer, 62, said.

Sometimes, she said, their health crises coincide with the needs of another family member with mental illness who also relies on Gansemer for help. “That, literally, is almost next to impossible to handle,” she said.

Caregiving can be a moving experience. But it can also take an emotional and physical toll on even the most resilient caregivers, whose needs are often overlooked by a healthcare system focused on patients.

A 2018 study from the Alzheimer’s Association found that as many as 40 percent of caregivers reported symptoms of depression, and other research shows that the immune system can be weakened by the stress of caregiving, leaving caregivers vulnerable to illness.

But Gansemer, a Xerox retiree whose physical pursuits include playing paddle tennis and taking long bike rides, has found meditation helps her cope. She is not alone.

Research has shown that simple

daily meditation reduces the stress level of people who care for those stricken by Alzheimer’s. Gansemer discovered meditation when she started practicing yoga. Soon, she was meditating every day. “It calms you down, evens you out, centers you, so you’re not as reactive,” Gansemer explained.

‘WHO ARE THE MOST STRESSED PEOPLE ON THE PLANET?’

Numerous studies have shown the multiple benefits of meditation. But in 2012, Dr. Helen Lavretsky, a professor of psychiatry at UCLA, examined whether meditation could help caregivers in particular, specifically those tending to loved ones with Alzheimer’s or dementia. She thought they would be the perfect population to study.

“I said,” Lavretsky explained, “‘Who are the most stressed people on the planet?’”

In the randomized study, one group of caretakers for people with dementia was told to do a guided chanting meditation for 11 minutes each day for eight weeks.

Compared to a control group of caretakers, who simply listened to relaxing music while lying or sitting down, the meditation group showed improved mood, resilience, and cognitive performance, along with changes in neurological biomarkers of aging.

“We found that 64 genes changed their expression,” Lavretsky said. “Forty-five of them were responsible for inflammation. Nineteen genes were responsible for antiviral activity.”

Inflammation of the immune system can contribute to a multitude of chronic health problems. The takeaway for caregivers: It doesn’t take much time or effort to reduce the effects of stress.

Even slowing down breathing to four to six breaths a minute is known to calm the central nervous system, Lavretsky said.

“Blood pressure drops, heart rate drops, and a sense of calm comes in,” she added. “I ask patients to do that for three to five minutes and maybe have quiet music along with it.”

That kind of slow and steady breathing is how Gansemer focuses during her meditation sessions. When it comes to self-care, Gansemer ranks the ritual right behind her daily exercise program and carving out personal time for herself.

“I wouldn’t be the same person if I wasn’t meditating. I’d probably be a lot more amped up, hyped up at times,” she said with a laugh. “I’m a pretty energetic person, and sometimes I need to bring that down a few notches.”

Kathie Gansemer, center, and her parents, Richard and Ruth Roush. PHOTO PROVIDED

MEDITATION VS. MINDFULNESS

Gansemer sometimes takes meditative walks. Another name for this is “mindfulness,” or “mindful movement,” which has been shown to have some of the same benefits as meditation.

A 2018 Penn State study, for example, found that while students reported less stress when walking, they experienced even less anxiety and fewer negative thoughts when they combined walking with a focus on their breathing and surroundings.

The terms “meditation” and “mindfulness” are sometimes used interchangeably, but there are distinctions between the two.

Meditation generally refers to a formal practice.

Mindfulness can be described as a way of living. A person can be mindful — that is, immersed in the current moment — while doing just about anything, like washing dishes or walking.

“I think the word ‘mindfulness’ can sometimes put out a welcome mat that is accessible and enticing, perhaps not inherently or by projection, associated with religious practice that a person might not be connected with,” said Harrison Blum, director of religious and spiritual life at Amherst College in Massachusetts.

He has put a lot of thought into making Buddhist meditation and secular mindfulness training accessible to people regardless of their religious, racial, or socioeconomic status.

In 2014, Blum launched his Mindfulness Allies project at a community center serving low-income residents, mostly people of color, in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

“In the first night, when I asked people why they chose to come to that class,” he recalled, “two out of the eight people broke down crying, talking about how challenging their lives were.”

Blum said one woman told him she had wanted to learn meditation for years, but she could never get to a class at the Buddhist center just a half-mile away because she couldn’t afford to pay someone to babysit her children.

Moving a meditation class to where people are, rather than asking them to come to a Buddhist center, might also help people overcome other potential roadblocks, Blum said.

“A secular or Christian person going into a Buddhist center may be a bridge too far,” he added. “But a Buddhist teacher partnering with and having the sensitivities needed to work with and teach from a community center with a different population can be, perhaps, a way to make accessible teaching across some of those cultural barriers.”

Access to training has not been a problem for Lisa Thompson of Rochester, who cares for her parents. “I’ve tried a little bit of meditation,” she said, “I think that mindfulness is more of my thing.”

Thompson’s parents moved into her home three years ago when her father, who is in his mid-80s, began losing his sight.

“I’m originally from Jamaica, and in our culture, you take care of old family members,” she said.

She shares caregiving duties with her three sisters, so she doesn’t feel overwhelmed. But Thompson handles day-to-day tasks for her parents such as shopping, filling prescriptions, and helping them with anything else they need.

Thompson learned about mindfulness at a retreat at Keuka College, where she works.

“It really has changed my life,” said Thompson, who believes she is more patient and understanding and has a better sense of self.

Her definition of mindfulness is being present in everything she does, from her daily exercise routine to conversations with her parents.

“So often, my mind will stray,” she said. “It will drift off, and I will catch myself and bring myself back. And so on a constant basis, I’m working to stay present.”

TECHNOLOGY CAN HELP

If time and access are barriers to learning and practicing meditation, apps are an option for those who have a computer or a smartphone.

A number of apps can be downloaded for free, including Care for Caregivers, an app offered by the Garrison Institute.

It features brief videos of guided meditations, some of which are led by world-renowned meditation

teacher and best-selling author Sharon Salzberg. In one of the videos, she describes how practicing mindfulness by focusing on body movements is probably the easiest way to overcome excessive worry and rumination.

“If we are just walking down the corridor, rather than being lost in a fantasy about what is coming next, feel your feet touching the ground,” she says. “Feel your body moving through space, something like that, and you’ll find that it’s a very different day.”

Apps like these are among the tools that Katie Badeau recommends to the stressed and burned-out people she works with as a caregiver coordinator at the Western New York chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association.

Caregiver support group meetings have moved online during the coronavirus pandemic, and she said not all caregivers are tech-savvy or even interested in a virtual meeting.

So Badeau tries to educate them on, say, what a simple deep breathing exercise can do to relax and center them.

“You know, if you’re stressed enough, sometimes you’re willing to try anything,” she said. “Our options are limited here, we’re stuck at home, give it a shot.”

There is a stigma for caregivers around seeking support and admitting they sometimes need help, too, Badeau said.

Indeed, Thompson said she used to feel guilty about taking time off. But she learned that if she reserves every Saturday just for herself, it makes her a better caretaker for her parents.

Her advice to other caregivers: “Take the time that you need, because if you’re not well, then those around you won’t be able to get the support they need from you.”

Includes reporting by WBFO reporter Nick Lippa.

This story was produced through the New York & Michigan Solutions Journalism Collaborative, a partnership of news organizations and universities dedicated to rigorous and compelling reporting about successful responses to social problems. The group is supported by the Solutions Journalism Network.

The collaborative’s first series, Invisible Army: Caregivers on the Front Lines, focuses on potential solutions to challenges facing caregivers of older adults.

LIFE WHAT ALE'S ME

ILLUSTRATION BY JACOB WALSH

IT’S ONLY A MATTER OF TIME BEFORE CANNABIS CRAFT BEVERAGES HIT NEW YORK

BY GINO FANELLI @GINOFANELLI GFANELLI@ROCHESTER-CITYNEWS.COM

In 1779, Benjamin Franklin wrote in a letter that rain falling on vineyards that will one day bear grapes to make wine was proof that God loves us.

Like many Founding Fathers, Franklin enjoyed a drink. He was also a prominent hemp farmer, whose pioneering newspapers were printed on hemp paper. He probably wrote that letter about rain and wine and God on hemp parchment.

Where am I going with this? Alcohol and cannabis are about as American of a pairing as apple pie and ice cream, peanut butter and jam, and Cheech and Chong. New York is on the cusp of legalizing the recreational use of marijuana, which raises the prospect of a marriage between the local cannabis and craft beverage markets.

The Food and Drug Administration still prohibits cannabis-laced alcoholic drinks, but that hasn’t stopped booze makers from . . . experimenting.

In other states where pot is legal, craft breweries are pumping out new drinks that ditch the alcohol but add the cannabis. Closer to home, Constellation Brands has invested more than $4 billion in Canopy Growth, a Canadian cannabis company. Two years ago, the company put out its first beverage, a flavored sparkling water infused with CBD, called “Quatreau.”

Paul Leone, executive director of the New York State Brewers Association, said a new cannabis market, including cannabis beverages, could benefit the state’s craft scene. He would like to see the industry mirror the 2013 Farm Brewery law, which helped usher in a craft beer boom.

“It’s long overdue for this to be legal in New York state, and it is an agricultural product,” Leone said.

In 2018, California’s Lagunitas Brewing Company launched Hi-Fi Hops, an IPA-inspired, non-alcoholic beer that comes laced with either 10 milligrams of THC, or 5 milligrams THC and 5 milligrams CBD.

Likewise, in March, Shipyard Brewing Company in Portland, Maine, launched Pumpkinhead THC Elixir, a non-alcoholic pumpkin ale with 5 milligrams of THC, in collaboration with Novel Beverage of Scarborough, Maine.

“It’s an alternative product for adults, and that can be an alternative to drinking alcohol, but it also can be an alternative for smoking cannabis,” said Matt Hawes, founder and CEO of Novel Beverage. “It’s a new delivery method that is very socially acceptable, it’s very comfortable to us, it doesn’t have these known health disadvantages like smoking may have, and they’re dosed to be approachable, so a wide-range of consumers can enjoy them.”

While Pumpkinhead will only be available in Maine due to federal restrictions on transporting THC products over state lines, Hawes is hoping to be able to form contracts in other states where cannabis is legal to produce it and similar offerings on a broader scale.

“We do have a plan to make an expansion into New York when that becomes an opportunity to us,” Hawes said.

Katharina Jackson, a bartender at Lux Lounge and Swan Dive, has long used cannabis to treat chronic pain. The practice has led her to experiment with CBD- and THC-infused cocktails. Her favorite was an Old Fashioned, made with Wild Turkey 101 and a dose of CBD-infused coconut oil.

Her approach is not as much making a drink that guarantees a cross-faded experience, but to complement cocktails with the unique flavor notes of cannabis. “I try to think about not so much a drink that gets you high, but one that incorporates the flavors appropriately,” Jackson said.

It is a premise she believes could serve as a whole new market. Different mocktails could be used to complement the flavors of different cannabis strains, all set in a new variety of taprooms focused on buds instead of suds.

“You can taste a flight of different ones, and have it be more interesting than a ginger CBD, THC tonic,” Jackson said. “It has different flavors, different herbs, different textures. These beverages can be just as interesting as craft cocktails.”

DRINK (AND SMOKE*) THIS NOW:

*We aren’t suggesting you do anything still technically illegal. No, no, no. We wouldn’t do THAT! All we’re saying is if you’re gonna smoke your favorite strain of weed with a beer, you ought to know how to do it right.

NOTE: Be responsible; alcohol and THC react differently for everyone.

Skunk Black IPA from Three Heads Brewing/Sour Diesel:

A legacy strain of weed common on New York streets for decades, Sour Diesel imparts skunky, slightly earthy tones reminiscent of its petroleum namesake. Skunk Black IPA packs a punch of similarly aromatic floral hops and a subdued kiss of roasted malt tucked away on the back-end.

Stay Out of Malibu! from Aurora Brewing Company/Strawberry Cough:

Strawberry Cough is a relatively intense strain, known for both its pronounced perfume of fresh berries and profoundly uplifting effect. It’s a perfect marriage with Stay Out of Malibu!, a decadent Berliner Weiss laced with layers of Earl Grey tea, cardamom, and pomegranate. Ideal for relaxing in the nice, quiet little beach community in your head.

Grodziskie from Young Lion Brewing/ Gorilla Glue:

Grodziskie, also known as Grätzer, is a barely extant style of beer lovingly referred to as “Polish champagne.” Smoked malt adds a note of campfire to the finish of this low-alcohol wheat ale, akin to the more common German Rauchbier. This odd, easy-going beer pairs well with Gorilla Glue, a high-octane hybrid strain known for its heavy relaxation qualities.

Griddle Cakes from Rohrbach Brewing/ OG Kush

A surreal time in pre-pandemic 2020 had me drinking two different blueberry pancake beers in the same week. Griddle Cakes has since become a staple beer of mine. A lovely ménage of berries and maple pairs well with OG Kush, a strain perfectly suited for a lazy Sunday brunch.

ABOUT TOWN

Activism

2021 Gentrification Conference. April 9-10. 540WMain, 540westmain.org “Resisting Gentrification: Then & Now” Registration required; scholarships available.

Asian Matters: Standing with Rochester’s Asian American

Communities. Sun., April 11, 5:30-6:30 p.m. Registration required. endhateroc. org/asian-matters. RYCL Youth Climate Summit 2021. Wed., April 14, 9 a.m.-noon. Livestream, online. Rochester Youth Climate Leaders. Registration required rycl.org. Trail Keepers: El Camino. Thu., April 15, 3-5 p.m. Conkey Corner Park, 92 Conkey Ave 256-2130. geneseelandtrust.org.

Lectures

16th Annual Reshaping Rochester

Lecture Series. Wed., April 28, noon. Mitchell Silver, NYC Parks Commissioner on the public realm. cdcrochester.org. History of Rochester Parks. Thu., April 22, 6 p.m. Virtual Central Library. Registration is required libraryweb.org. In Focus Talk. Fri., April 9, 1 p.m. Clara Auclair: Treasures of the Francis Doublier Collection Virtual George Eastman Museum. Registration required. $10 suggested. eastman.org.

Joseph Fischel: Gay Rights for Cows,

or the Extinction of Sodomy Law. Tue., April 6, 4:45 p.m. Livestream, online. UR Rainbow Lecture sbai@rochester.edu.

Julie Hanlon Rubio: The Search for Common Ground, Community &

Belonging in a Polarized World. Thu., April 15, 7 p.m. Nazareth College 3892731. Nina Allender: Suffrage Cartoonist. Wed., April 14, 7 p.m. Registration required genevahistoricalsociety.com.

Noal Cohen: My Perspective on Jazz in

Rochester from 1955-1961. Thu., April 8, 7 p.m. Livestream, online. Pittsford Community Library. Registration required libraryweb.org.

One Person, No Vote: How Voter Suppression is Destroying Our

Democracy. Thu., April 8, 10 a.m.-12:15 p.m. Carol Anderson, keynote of RIT’s Moving Forward: Suffrage, Past, Present & Future, followed by panel discussion, “Legacies of the 19th Amendment: The Struggle Still Continues” Registration required: susan.gawlowicz@rit.edu. Quajay Donnell: Public Art Matters. Wed., April 14, 7 p.m. Pittsford Community Library. Registration required. libraryweb.org.

Racist Policy & Resistance in

Rochester. Tue., April 13, 7 p.m. Penfield Public Library. Registration required libraryweb.org.

Rochester’s Rich History: Rochester’s

District Steam Heating System. Sat., April 17, 1-2:30 p.m. Virtual Central Library. Registration required calendar. libraryweb.org. Save the Frogs Day. Sun., April 25, 1-2 p.m. Michael Horton. afroghouse.org.

The Story Behind the Most Famous

Songs of the Erie Canal. Tue., April 20, 7 p.m. Livestream, online. Fairport Public Library 223-9091.

Literary Events & Discussions

Akimbo Books Pop-Up. April 9-10, 12-4 p.m. South Wedge. Apr 9: Surface Salon, 661 South Ave; Apr 10: John’s Tex-Mex, 426 South Ave 851-2932. Blackfriars Book Club. Thursdays, 7 p.m Through Apr 29. Titles revealed previous Fridays blackfriars.org/#bt-book-club. Books Sandwiched In. Tuesdays Virtual Central Library, online. Reviews posted weekly calendar.libraryweb.org. The Changemakers Book Club. Fri., April 23, 6 p.m. Apr 23: KaeLyn Rich’s “Girls Resist!: A Guide to Activism, Leadership, and Starting a Revolution.” Part of the RMSC exhibit, The Changemakers: Rochester Women Who Changed the World $15. rmsc.org. Pages with Purpose. Thu., April 8, 7 p.m. senecaparkzoo.org Patricia Chapple Wright’s “For the Love of Lemurs: My Life in the Wilds of Madagascar” Registration required. Rochester Jewish Book Festival. Sun., April 11, 2 p.m., Thu., April 15, 8 p.m. and Sun., April 25, 8 p.m. Livestream, online. $6-$11. rjbf.org.

Kids Events

Fairies, Trolls, & Gnomes. Sat., April 17, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. and Sun., April 18, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Strong National Museum of Play, 1 Manhattan Sq. (museumofplay. org) $18/$23. National Sense of Smell Day. Fri., April 23, 12-4 p.m. Lyell Branch, Rochester Public Library, 956 Lyell Ave. 428-8218. Sensory Friendly Sunday. Sun., April 25, 4:30-7:30 p.m. Strong National Museum of Play, 1 Manhattan Sq. (museumofplay. org) $18.

Recreation

Getting Back On Your Bike: An

Introduction to Cycling in Rochester. Sat., April 24, 1-2 p.m. Virtual Central Library, online. Registration required libraryweb.org.

Life in a Forest Puddle: A Look into

Vernal Pools. April 9-10, 1-2:15 p.m. Sterling Nature Center, 15380 Jenzvold Rd Sterling Apr 10, 3-3:30pm: FB Live @ sterlingnaturecenter (315) 947-6143. Mushroom & Moss Walk. Sun., April 18, 10 a.m. Letchworth State Park, 1 Letchworth State Park . Castile Registration required 493-3682. Spring’s First Butterflies Walk. Sat., April 10, 1 p.m. Letchworth State Park, 1 Letchworth State Park . Castile Registration required 493-3682.

Special Events

Annual Yom HaShoah Commemoration. Wed., April 7, 7 p.m. & Thu., April 8, 12-3 & 7 p.m. Local Holocaust survivors & keynote Rachael Cerrotti tell their stories jewishrochester.org. Be a Kid Again: Adult Hours. Fri., April 9, 5:30-8 p.m. Strong National Museum of Play, 1 Manhattan Sq. (museumofplay. org) $15/$20. Community Garage Sales. Sun., April 18, 7 a.m.-1 p.m. and Sun., April 25, 7 a.m.1 p.m. Rochester Public Market, 280 N. Union St. 428-6907. cityofrochester.gov/ garagesales. axomhome.com 661 south ave

LIFE GREEN DAY

ACROSS

1. Nerf darts or water balloons, e.g. 5. Morbid word in a nursery rhyme 10. Metal collected and sold for recycling 15. Tilt 19. Silly quarrel 20. Roman goddess of flowering plants 21. “Don’t be _____!” 22. TV character credited to Ronnie Howard 23. Diner side 25. “Ground up” political movement 27. Facilitates 28. Not so much as 30. Discards casually 31. Ewes’ mates 34. German “you” 35. Christmas in Florence 38. Drains 41. Author whose 19th century books inspired many 20th and 21st century film adaptations 43. Counting everything 44. Dampen 47. Expert 48. Measurement for a farmer or a realtor 49. “Love Actually” or “What Men Want”, e.g. 51. Places to buy ready-toassemble furniture 53. Words sung before “be” or “go” 55. HS diploma alternative 57. Surprise action by a group of criminals, or police 58. Convention center? 59. Statistic used to calculate batting average 60. Moody rock genre 61. Garfield’s romantic interest 63. River of Hesse 64. Motifs 66. Body part often confused with the uvula 68. Extend, as a subscription or vows 70. Pizzeria owner in “Do the Right Thing” 71. Light at a rave, maybe 73. Surreptitious 75. Laugh syllable 78. Like samba, rumba, and mambo 80. New moniker given to Jacob in Genesis 82. Ferris Bueller’s girlfriend 84. Breezy sign-off online 86. Missing, as at the start of a party 88. Dallas sch. 90. Penguins’ predators 91. Deadhead, stereotypically 93. _____ Tesfaye, a.k.a. The Weeknd 94. Imbibe gradually 95. Former U.N. Ambassador Haley 96. International Brotherhood of Teamsters, e.g. 97. Elasticized corset 99. Parts of a set 101. One in Berlin 102. Word before and after eat 103. Material for uniforms 105. The I of ICP 107. Containers for 5-Across 108. Anheuser-Busch subsidiary 109. Puppy’s bite 110. Condemn 112. Westernmost county of Texas 115. What you might try to do when buying a car 118. Clooney role 122. Trademarked pest control device 125. R&B star with 80 million album sales 128. Like an engine when waiting at an intersection 129. Make a harsh noise 130. Voice of Fredricksen in “Up” 131. Writes in a wrong crossword answer, say 132. Require 133. “Hop on Pop” writer 134. “_____ in arms” (oftrepeated phrase of 2021) 135. Arabian and Mediterranean, e.g.

PUZZLE BY S.J. AUSTIN & J. REYNOLDS

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Across 10 11 12 13 14 1 2 3 415 16 17 18 5 6 7 8 9 1. Word that follows 19 20 21 the start of each 22 14 15 starred answer 17 18 23 24 25 5. On the ocean 26 10. "...hear ___ 20 21 27 28 29 drop" 30 23 24 14. Pound of poetry 31 32 33 34 15. Tips 35 36 37 28 29 30 38 39 40 41 42 43 16. Russo of "Outbreak" 34 35 36 37 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 17. Chop ___ 51 52 41 42 18. *** Edward 53 54 55 56 57 Teach, 58 44 45 familiarly 47 48 59 60 61 20. Asia's ___ Sea 62 63 21. Dark time for 51 64 65 66 67 poets 68 69 58 59 60 22. Lets up 70 71 72 73 74 23. Many four-doors 64 75 76 77 65 66 25. Billionaire Bill 78 79 80 81 28. The Braves, on 82 83 68 69 84 85 86 87 scoreboards 30. Middle of many 88 89 90 71 72 91 92 93 94 31. German names "Go on ..." 95 63. Rough breathing 7. 96 97 98 99 34. March 17 100 64. *** Place for 101 8. honoree, for miscellaneous 9. 102 103 104 105 106 short 107 stuff 10 38. Close to closed 67. Baja's opposite 11 108 109 40. Mine, in 110 111 68. "If all ___ fails 12 Marseiille ..." 13 112 113 114 115 116 41. 117 *** Cold 69. Vow taker 118 119 120 121 19 comfort 70. Farm sounds 24 122 123 124 125 44. Ones born before 126 127 71. Beliefs 26 128 129 130 45. Virgos Jessica of "Dark 131 72. 73. Common thing? "Green Gables" 27 29 132 133 134 46. Angel" "___ Johnny!" 135 girl 31 32 47. Hosp. areas Down 33 48. ___ Jeanne d'Arc 1. Tablelands 34 49. Stimpy's cartoon 2. Blue shade pal 3. "___ you loud and 35 51. Some college clear" 36 students 4. Eric Clapton love 37 53. Greets song 39 nonverbally 5. Optimally 40 58. Popular typeface 6. Mah-jongg piece 61. Gallery display

Answers to this puzzle can be found on page 25

DOWN

1. The only Black man to win singles titles at Wimbledon, the US Open, and the Australian Open 2. Movie rating grp. 3. Physics measure often confused with weight 4. The “al” of “et al” 5. Continent for DRC 6. _____ Mo 7. Moan like a dog 8. Given name of “Mr. Cub” 9. More prone to backtalk 10. Droops 11. Arthritis or asthma 12. Stephen of “Interview with the Vampire” 13. “_____ gratia artis”, MGM motto 14. Part of USPS 15. Like lips that sink ships, idiomatically 16. Big moments for the NYSE 17. Place for a monument 18. Thomas Hardy heroine 24. Org. that began welcoming girls in 2019 26. Fingers with a mustache? 29. Mujeres con esposos 32. Bub 33. Jolt of power 36. Positive battery terminal 37. Hat for a Scot 38. Sounds from a food fight 39. Queen of Soul, familiarly 40. Portly swine sometimes raised as a pet 42. Appear that way 44. Tool known as a whipper snipper in Australia 45. Roof overhang 46. Russian emperor 48. Declare 50. Oscar winner Tomei 52. One of six for a bee? 54. Cartesian conclusion 56. California band joined by Michael McDonald in 1977 58. Computer enthusiasts 62. Grp. that filed for bankruptcy after being charged with fraud in January 65. Subway entrance 67. Prepared to lay 69. Hose 72. Molecular “messenger” in several COVID vaccines 74. Twain’s burial town 76. Skywalker who turned to the dark side 77. Pine secretions 79. T-Bonz brand 81. Laughing (in the aisles) 83. Brother of Dori and Nori in “The Hobbit” 84. Underwhelming sound 85. One-time Yankee Martinez 87. Pollute 89. Turn on its head 92. Common way to be paid for a Craigslist deal 97. Supermodel played by Angelina 98. Conundrums 100. Mattress irritant? 104. Thermonuclear weapons, for short 106. Play in a puddle 107. Sam, Tom, and Ben 108. Spiked 111. Gang with pitchforks, maybe 112. Environmental activist Brockovich 113. Prospector’s strike 114. “_____ Tourist” (Jim Gaffigan special) 116. Sierra Nevada products 117. Cube creator Rubik 119. Yeats’s land 120. Taj Mahal city 121. Leader of The Untouchables 123. Cry at a futbol match 124. Letter following sigma 126. And still 127. Some SAT takers