Riddle #22: The Hats

You are a prisoner and you are totally blind. The warden takes you and three others into a room and tells you that each of you will have the opportunity to be set free. He puts a blindfold on the other two prisoners (no need to put one on you), and makes this announcement:



"I have three white hats and two red hats. I will place a hat on each of your heads and remove the blindfold. If you can tell me what color hat is on YOUR OWN head, then you will be set free. However, if you are incorrect, then you will be executed."



He places a hat on each of your heads and removes the blindfolds. The first prisoner looks at you and the second prisoner and says, "I cannot tell what color hat is on my head." The second prisoner looks at you and the first prisoner and says, "I cannot tell what color hat is on my head."



You think about it for a minute and then, even though you are blind, you correctly deduce what color hat is on your own head. What color hat is it and how did you figure it out?



NOTE: The correct answer has been guessed. To read it, see the comments section.

Lateral Thinking Puzzlers by Paul Sloane has lots of classic riddles, clues and answers. Click here to order it.

Riddle #21: Her husband

This one should be fairly easy.

A woman shoots her husband; then she holds him under water for five minutes; and finally she hangs him. But five minutes later the two of them go out to dinner and have a wonderful evening. How is this possible?

NOTE: This riddle has been guessed. I told you it was easy. To see the answer, read the comments.

Just a heads up: There will be no riddle next week.

Lateral Thinking Puzzlers by Paul Sloane has lots of classic riddles, clues and answers. Click here to order it.

3rd of July Party!

The third of July is a much bigger holiday for us than the fourth of July. It started with the block parties in our old neighborhood. When we moved to our present house, we discovered that our dead-end street was a perfect place to blow up things, and so we decided to host a fireworks party on the third of July. It has taken on a life of its own, and our friends plan their holiday around it. This year we had a total of 47 people at our house! This photo shows the young women.

My pyromaniac husband had a "blast" (pun intended) shooting off things with the young men.

When I say everyone came, I mean EVERYONE! We even invited Kent, our favorite grocery clerk, AND HE CAME! He always makes my day when I ask him how he is and he replies: "Magnificently marvelous and elevating to higher plateaus of euphoria at warp speed."

Some of the guests were happy to stay inside, away from the noise and mosquitoes.

The young men set to work blowing up things, while the rest of us watched.

A summer walk

Recently the girls and I took a walk on East Campus. We found this little scene next to the tractor museum. (No sarcastic comments about our exciting Nebraska attractions, please.) I just love hollyhocks. They remind me of my childhood, and I'm glad to see more and more of them around town. I thought the colors looked great next to the stucco building and beside the stump.

Monica had discovered a nature trail there a few weeks ago, and she wanted to show us. I'm continually amazed at the way we discover great hidden places right near our home. It's hard to imagine that this is right in the middle of the city.