Blue or Rose?

Some obliging hydrangeas found in my travels around Cleveland. If Picasso had painted these, would they have been considered part of the "blue" or "rose" periods? Of course, had Picasso painted them, would they be identifiable as hydrangeas in the first place?

Not a pressing question, but in this hot Cleveland weather, one's mind does wander.

Congratulations to the Winners

You are good! We had three correct answers long before the deadline. Sting and his wife, actress Trudie Styler, portrayed Robert and Clara Schumann in a concert and theater production entitled "Twin Spirits," last week in New York. The production also featured six musicians, including baritone Nathan Gunn and pianist Jeremy Denk, both of whom have performed in the Cleveland area in recent months.

Congratulations to our trio of winners: Calvin Hwang and Harold Wagner of Cleveland Heights, and Mike Kyner of Akron, all of whom have won CDs from the WCLV Prize Closet.

Watch this blog for more contests, and tune in to WCLV's "Queen of the Morn" Monday through Friday from 6 to 10 a.m. on WCLV 104.9 & wclv.com

Fireworks "Snaps"

Tuesday morning at WCLV is like the day after a holiday at every other employer. People ask "What did you do on your day off?" This is what I did.

Why don't we use the term "snapshots" anymore?

More Fireworks

Another view of the Shaker Heights fireworks Sunday night.

Wait Until Dark

This was the view from the lawn at Shaker Middle School last night. We lugged lawn chairs, blankets, and snacks to the annual fireworks display, but got there far too early. So we talked until the sun exited stage right and and the show began.

Guess the Classical Couple

Recently in New York, Sting appeared in a dramatic concert in which he portrayed a well-known classical composer. His wife, Trudie Styler, played the composer's spouse. Identify the composer and the wife.

E-mail your answers to "queenofthemorn@gmail.com." Include your name and mailing address in addition to your e-mail address. You have until 12 noon Eastern Time Thursday, July 8. The first three people who get it right on or before the deadline will win a CD from the WCLV Prize Closet. One answer per person, please. Prizes are not exchangable.

The winners will be notified by e-mail and the CDs will be mailed to them. The answer and the winners will be posted on this blog.

Good luck!

A Puzzlement

In morning drive radio, not only do you condense eight hours of work into your four-hour shift, but after your shift, you've got four more hours of work to complete.

To avoid crashing and burning, you've got to take lots of breaks. So often, though, you default to surfing the Internet. That can numb your mind and your wrists.

Here's my old-fashioned, energy-efficient way of taking a break without compromising your carpal tunnels: Take a Jigsaw Puzzle to Work.

Find a vacant desk or table with plenty of light. Dump a jigsaw puzzle on the table. Voila! Instant focus.

How co-workers attack and solve a puzzle reveals a lot. Some people work on the edges first. Some match up colors and shapes.

WCLV's president, Robert Conrad, took this photo of your slacker morning announcer taking a break after a recent morning drive shift. The puzzle is a Charles Rennie Mackintosh painting reduced to 1,000 infuriatingly tiny puzzle pieces.