February 2nd, 2007Einstein’s Riddle
Now that blogger has fixed its comments, here’s a riddle for you, it’s a difficult one, but if you take your time (and lots of scratch paper) you can figure it out. I’ll post the answer on Sunday (EDIT: After, of course, I annouce the victory of da Bears at the Superbowl).
EDIT: To up the ante, I will send the victor a prize — a decorated and filled matchbox (my new, current, crafting obsession. And no, not filled with matches — mini goodies!).
There are 5 houses in 5 different colors in a row. In each house lives a person with a different nationality. The 5 owners drink a certain type of beverage, smoke a certain brand of cigar, and keep a certain pet. No owners have the same pet, smoke the same brand of cigar, or drink the same beverage. Other facts:
1. The Brit lives in the red house.
2. The Swede keeps dogs as pets.
3. The Dane drinks tea.
4. The green house is on the immediate left of the white house.
5. The green house’s owner drinks coffee.
6. The owner who smokes Pall Mall rears birds.
7. The owner of the yellow house smokes Dunhill.
8. The owner living in the center house drinks milk.
9. The Norwegian lives in the first house.
10. The owner who smokes Blends lives next to the one who keeps cats.
11. The owner who keeps the horse lives next to the one who smokes Dunhill.
12. The owner who smokes Bluemasters drinks beer.
13. The German smokes Prince.
14. The Norwegian lives next to the blue house.
15. The owner who smokes Blends lives next to the one who drinks water.
The question is: WHO OWNS THE FISH?
Update (Spoilers in white font — highlight to see)
Hints:
Chelsea, my über smart niece (who I’m calling as the winner); Dan, the plus-one; and Sonja, the friend; have all answered the riddle correctly.
I’ve had one incorrect email response and one incorrect in-person response — both were of the opinion that the Norwegian owns the fish. The Norwegian does not own the fish.



February 2nd, 2007 at 5:53 pm
I’ve done this riddle before but can’t for the life of me remember….
I’ll work on it. Sunday, huh? Can I get an extension? hehe!
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February 2nd, 2007 at 6:59 pm
Sure, I’ll post the answers in a white font so that you have to highlight the text to read it! I remember doing this one in high school, I sat down yesterday and did it and only got a few things wrong.
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February 2nd, 2007 at 9:14 pm
can I guess?? can I guess?? is it the molester who lives down the street?heehee I have no clue!
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February 2nd, 2007 at 10:13 pm
OH! I just saw your comments on my last TT so I wanted to respond to them here- I didn’t know I didn’t have to put the entire blogroll to participate in TTs so thanks for letting me know…shows how much I pay attention. AND on quitting smoking hmmm-that’s a hard one. I had sort of a mental game with myself going there-I actually kept cigarettes in the house because I told myself ‘I’m giving myself permission to smoke, I’m just choosing not to’ It sounds dumb-I know that but it worked for me. I ate ALOT of sunflower seeds too-I was never really a heavy smoker so it was easy. Try the gum maybe, it worked for my father-in-law…
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February 3rd, 2007 at 2:25 pm
Someone’s fighting the smoking demon? :|
*sigh*
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February 3rd, 2007 at 2:56 pm
I never smoked, but my mom did. She finally quit with the help of Wellbutrin. Good luck!
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February 3rd, 2007 at 3:07 pm
Yeah, my mom smoked, too. She quit when doctors removed her right lung and a cancerous growth. She didn’t smoke for another seven months or so. That’s when lung cancer killed her.
Hence my desire to quit.
Sorry to be so blunt, but that’s how it happened.
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February 3rd, 2007 at 10:14 pm
Oh Courtney, I’m so sorry. Such a terrible thing, losing your mom, and cancer is such a sad way to go.
My mom died of cancer too. Hers was ovarian that morphed into something they’d never seen before.
I got sick a couple of years later, the doctors did a full hysterectomy and also found and removed 22# of tumors.
You are in my thoughts and prayers dear girl. I know you can do this!
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February 6th, 2007 at 6:06 pm
WHOOHOOO, I finally got on your blog again!!
I did this puzzle a looong time ago. I don’t have the time now, but I think Z and I will do it together. Thanks!
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February 15th, 2007 at 8:20 am
I’m so sorry, Courtney.
My Mom has been battling stage 1 small cell lung cancer for 2.5 years now. Two rounds. First one responded well to chemo and radiation. Round 2 proved more than her body could bear and was discontinued. This past week we found out it has metasticized (sp?) in the liver. It doesn’t look good. I will likely spend a certain amount of time up north in Canada this year. *sigh*
Again, I’m so sorry, Courtney.
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