Bob Stepno

But I did sing in a high school hootenanny, way back when that was a thing. Maybe that helped me focus.

Connections
Puzzle #1007
🟪🟪🟪🟪
🟦🟦🟦🟦
🟩🟩🟩🟩
🟨🟨🟨🟨

Back to getting fives, but still beat the wordlebot
Wordle 1,729 5/6*

⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜
⬜⬜⬜⬜🟩
⬜🟨🟨⬜🟩
⬜🟨⬜🟩🟩
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

Thanks! These have been with me for about 20 years, most often just about once a month, but sometimes flare up. Before that I had the headache and nausea kind so I don't complain much.

One of my two Facebook Connections friends got the blue line first (!), while the other started with the rainbow of red herrings, followed by two purple and gold lines before wrapping up in 7!

But I did go to bed before doing connections

Connections
Puzzle #1006
🟪🟪🟪🟪
🟨🟨🟨🟨
🟩🟩🟩🟩
🟦🟦🟦🟦

There goes my resolution to get to bed earlier, and my attempt to set a personal record for number of consecutive fives.
And my recent record of consecutive days without one of my painless ocular migraines, because one started while I was typing this. 😞

Wordle 1,728 3/6*

🟩⬜⬜⬜🟨
🟩🟨🟩🟩⬜
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

Yep, should have gone to bed.

Connections
Puzzle #1005
🟩🟦🟦🟦
🟨🟨🟨🟨
🟩🟩🟪🟩
🟩🟩🟩🟩
🟪🟪🟪🟪
🟦🟦🟦🟦

Should have gone to bed. How many fives does this in a row? Grumble. Wordle 1,727 5/6*

🟨🟨⬜🟨⬜
🟩🟨🟩⬜⬜
🟩⬜🟩🟩🟩
🟩⬜🟩🟩🟩
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

Haven't had the lovely rainbow of red herrings start word in weeks, but getting purple next kept my score at 90.
Connections
Puzzle #1004
🟨🟪🟩🟦
🟪🟪🟪🟪
🟨🟨🟨🟨
🟩🟩🟩🟩
🟦🟦🟦🟦

Looks like I'm Marching in fives...
Wordle 1,726 5/6*

⬜⬜⬜⬜🟨
🟨⬜⬜🟨⬜
⬜🟩⬜🟩🟩
⬜🟩⬜🟩🟩
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

America Is an Oil Exporter. Why Does a Mideast War Raise U.S. Gas Prices?

For all of us asking this question, here is more than a one word answer...

www.nytimes.com/2026/03/10/b...

With seven University names among the 16 words, this was a school of multicolored herrings, especially for a former newspaper reporter on the "higher education" beat who has been on five of those campuses and attended one. Did okay, though.
Connections
Puzzle #1003
🟨🟨🟩🟨
🟪🟪🟪🟪
🟨🟨🟨🟨
🟩🟩🟩🟩
🟦🟦🟦🟦

Wordlebot said they were only two possibilities after my second word. I found two others. Oh well. They were good on the SATs.
Wordle 1,725 5/6*

🟩⬜🟨⬜⬜
🟩🟨⬜🟨⬜
🟩⬜⬜🟩🟩
🟩⬜⬜🟩🟩
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

I sped through this one too... But thought green would have been blue or purple. Definitely too old for one of the purple categories today.
Connections
Puzzle #1002
🟩🟩🟩🟩
🟨🟨🟨🟨
🟦🟦🟦🟦
🟪🟪🟪🟪

Fast. I did it fast. Started with the name of a fish.
Wordle 1,724 4/6*
🟨⬜⬜⬜⬜
🟨🟨🟨⬜⬜
⬜🟩🟩🟩⬜
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

This was terrible in a wonderful way. Notice which two letters I had first! I'm amazed I didn't come up with the right answer on the third line, because I spent so much time in one!
Wordle 1,723 6/6*

⬜🟨🟨⬜⬜
⬜⬜🟨⬜🟩
🟩⬜⬜⬜🟩
🟩🟩⬜⬜🟩
🟩🟩⬜⬜🟩
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

Waited until breakfast to do the puzzles today, but kept the radio on (listening to NPR) and did these one at a time without looking over the whole puzzle and realizing that I *knew* the four blue terms, instead of poking purple unknowns.

Connections
Puzzle #999
🟩🟩🟩🟩
🟨🟨🟨🟨
🟦🟪🟪🟪
🟪🟪🟪🟦
🟪🟪🟪🟪
🟦🟦🟦🟦

Only solace is that I had it in seven, and so did the wordlebot*

Wordle 1,721 X/6*

⬜⬜⬜🟨⬜
⬜🟩⬜⬜⬜
⬜🟩⬜🟩🟩
⬜🟩🟩🟩🟩
⬜🟩🟩🟩🟩
⬜🟩🟩🟩🟩

I made fairly straightforward work of a fairly straightforward Connections game.
Connections
Puzzle #998
🟩🟩🟩🟩
🟦🟦🟦🟦
🟨🟨🟨🟨
🟪🟪🟪🟪

Good start but susceptible to the one letter rhymes. I didn't use them all though.
Wordle 1,720 4/6*

🟩⬜⬜⬜🟨
🟩⬜🟩🟩🟩
🟩⬜🟩🟩🟩
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

I didn't see that rainbow red herring until I was checking my results. I thought it was a more clever "connection" than the solid-color ones today. 😀

This one went by pretty fast. Connections
Puzzle #997
🟨🟨🟨🟨
🟩🟩🟩🟩
🟦🟦🟦🟦
🟪🟪🟪🟪

Another fourday... and my third and fourth words had something in common, which was interesting

Wordle 1,719 4/6*

⬜⬜⬜🟨⬜
⬜🟩⬜⬜🟨
⬜🟩🟩⬜🟩
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

Yes! First reverse rainbow in a month or two.
Connections
Puzzle #996
🟪🟪🟪🟪
🟦🟦🟦🟦
🟩🟩🟩🟩
🟨🟨🟨🟨

Skill 99/99
Uniqueness 1 in 28

After the two yesterday, this was disappointing... but then I found out I'd beaten the wordlebot ... would that improve my confidence for connection?
Wordle 1,718 4/6*

⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜
⬜🟨⬜⬜🟨
🟩⬜⬜🟩⬜
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

The bot said I had four possibilities after that lucky first word... but only the least pleasant of them came to mind. Hmm. 😉

extra points for symmetry and poetry

The Blue Line seemed too easy to put first. 😞
Connections
Puzzle #995
🟨🟨🟨🟨
🟦🟦🟦🟦
🟩🟩🟩🟩
🟪🟪🟪🟪

I waited until after breakfast. Wordle 1,717 2/6*

⬜⬜🟩🟩🟩
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

Over the other puzzle, I did make the most common mistake of the day, but also got purple first ..
Connections
Puzzle #993
🟪🟪🟪🟪
🟦🟩🟩🟩
🟨🟨🟨🟨
🟩🟩🟩🟩
🟦🟦🟦🟦