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The first crossword puzzle I ever made ended up melting.
I live in Toronto, and each winter, I build a skating rink in my backyard for my three daughters and me. After it snows, the rink is like a giant Etch-A-Sketch. Using a shovel, hockey stick, and my boots, I've carved numerous designs in the snow, including Snoopy, the Mona ("Snowna") Lisa, and my hometown Chicago Blackhawks' logo.
While solving a crossword puzzle a few years ago, a light bulb went off, and I had the idea to make a rink-sized winter-themed crossword puzzle. I enjoyed constructing that puzzle, which led me to create others, including this regular-sized one. Fortunately, you don't need a hockey stick to solve it. I'm happy to be done making crosswords that melt (though I still couldn't help also make a Wordle — "Snowdle" — on the rink last winter).
I'm so grateful to my wonderful wife and kids for their encouragement (and tolerance) of my creative projects. Solving and making puzzles is fun, but the enigmas who I live with are the most fun of all.