A puzzling milestone

This morning, I finished the 75th and final puzzle in a book of NY Times Sunday crossword puzzles, which accompanied me on many travels during this most unusual year. Our niece and her husband sent the book to us in Loma Linda after our son was seriously injured last March.

The crossword book, along with five thoughtfully presharpened pencils, was included in a "care package" of books, activities and snacks to help us fill the time at our son's bedside. It also became an occasional notebook, when a doctor, nurse or visitor arrived. On the page for Puzzle 29, my wife jotted a number of questions for us to ask about Will's impending transfer to a rehab center. Inside the back cover, I jotted the cell phone number of his company commander, who had come to visit, and a few notes about Will's progress.

As it turned out, the first 43 of the 75 puzzles were completed in Loma Linda. Eventually, the five pencils lost their points, so I bought a small and surprisingly effective pencil sharpener at the Loma Linda University student store. The 44th puzzle was the transition one, completed in part as Leslie drove the two of us along Interstate 15 from San Diego back to Loma Linda, after we delivered Will to the naval hospital in SD. That puzzle was ultimately completed after we returned to Sacramento.

That's where I finished most of the rest. But Puzzle 48 was completed in SD in June, during a visit to Will. Four or five were finished during summertime trips to the cabin in Strawberry. I finished one and started another during our Thanksgiving weekend trip to my sister's house in Santa Rosa. By the time we went to visit Will in Twentynine Palms before New Year's, I was on Puzzles 71 and 72.

Now it's time to start on a new book of crosswords, thoughtfully provided by the daughter at Christmas. But I think I'll hold onto this completed book for a while longer.