Snow, cold, ice, blizzard, skating, polar vortex et al -are words that we automatically associate with winter.  Yet, there are a number of winter words you, like me, likely never heard of.  They are some pretty weird, obscure  words I came across, I thought would be fun to share.  Here goes.
 
Apricity: the warmth of the sun in winter.  Apricity appears to have entered our language in 1623, when Henry Cockeram recorded (or possibly invented) it for his own dictionary. Apricity, obviously,  never quite caught on, and will not be found in any modern dictionary aside from the Oxford English Dictionary.
 
Hiemal: of or relating to winter. If you are tired of describing things as wintry, you can instead say that they are hiemal, hibernal, winterish, or brumal.
 
Subnivean: situated or occurring under the snow.  The simplest way to describe this word is to imagine a car in January or February after a big snow storm. 
 
Another word dealing with snow, of similar origins, is niveous, which means “of or relating to snow: resembling snow (as in whiteness): snowy".
 
Psychrophilic: thriving at a relatively low temperature.  Psychrophilic was not coined in order to describe someone who prefers that the temperature of your home or office be freezing; this adjective is generally used to refer to bacteria or similar organisms. An organism (or partner) that thrives in a low temperature is a psychrophile.

Skijoring: a winter sport in which a person wearing skis is drawn over snow or ice by a horse or vehicle.  Skijoring sounds a bit like the ill-advised sport inebriated folks engage in, when they attach some skis or a sled to the back of a pick-up truck and drive until one of the participants meets with a tree. Such activities may indeed qualify as skijoring, but the sport is also a fairly old pastime in certain Northern European countries.  “Skijoring is what they call it in Norway and it is the most popular outdoor sport in the land of the midnight sun.” The Oregon Daily Journal, February 6, 1904.”
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Sitzmark: a depression left in the snow by a skier falling backward.  There are actually a dearth of words which describe doing things poorly.  In light of this, words such as sitzmark, which refers explicitly to the dent or hole left in the snow by a skier’s butt are worth a mention.
 
Piblokto:  a condition among the Inuit that is characterized by attacks of disturbed behavior (as screaming and crying) and that occurs chiefly in winter.  No one is entirely certain what causes piblokto (and some scholars in recent decades have expressed doubts that it actually exists at all), but it sure sounds like a nasty way to spend the winter.
 
It seems to me that many days of apricity would help mitigate some of the bleakness of winter.  I so hope that the current brumal conditions have not caused any of you to suffer from piblokto.  Don’t despair.  Spring is only 66 days away.

​Comments are welcomed.

This is a story of events that smacks of the Twilight Zone.  Before beginning, let me apologize for it’s length.  The background and details are necessary to get the full picture of this uninvited adventure.  Here’s what happened.
 
One of the many services of the Red Cross is providing transportation for people with a disability, physical limitation, and/or seniors.  Being vision impaired, I have used this service for several years.  With an upcoming 1:20 dentist appointment, I booked a ride.  My pick up was to be between 12:45 and 1:00.  Also critical to this story is that the day was going to be my first venture down 35 stairs in 3 months as I was recovering from a fracture.  I was not yet cleared to come back up the stairs so I arranged for a non-emergency patient transport to pick me up at the dentist at 3:00 for the return home. 
 
I easily and happily made it down the stairs at 12:45, sat just inside the door to wait for my ride.  One o’clock came and went.  I phoned Red Cross to check on my ride as it was closing in on my appointment time.    The driver was on his way and should be here very shortly.  I phoned the dentist to let them know I would be late.  Not cool, but she would still see me.  One thirty came and went.  Phoned again and now the driver would be here in 5 minutes.  I knew his location and no way would he be here in 5 minutes.  I finally showed up at the dentist at 2:00.  She took me right in.
 
The patient transport showed up at 2:15 (45 min. early).  The exam wasn’t quite finished.  They decided not to wait and were going to send another crew to be there for 3:00.
 
Here’s where things get bogged down and bizarre.  I took up residence in the waiting room about 2:30.  When 3:00 came and went I phoned the transport company.  I was shocked to hear it would be another hour before they could get me.  They blamed it on poor weather conditions.  The roads were not great.  Seems the drivers were even less great.    Around 4:30 I was feeling rather peckish not having had anything to drink or eat since noon.  I also phoned the company yet again and, guess what, the would be another 50 minutes.  Déjà vu all over again. 
 
The dentist office would be closing before long and it was also their Christmas celebration.  I felt terrible that I might be holding up their exit.  Their office is in a self-contained building which meant I had no place to go except out on the street.
 
I will spare you the unbelievable further details and cut to the chase  .  During the final hour of waiting, the dental staff went out and got me a sandwich and made me a wonderful cup of tea for which my blood sugar was most grateful.  As 6:00 was approaching everyone in the building was ready to go out but insisted they were fine to wait with me.  My dentist even plied me with chocolates.  Gotta love it.  The transport finally showed up and I arrived home at twenty minutes to 7:00.
 
There are two morals to this story.
 
One:  There truly are far worse things to endure than sitting in a dentist office for over 4 hours waiting for a ride home.   What else is there to do in a waiting room anyway?  Have dinner, of course.
 
Two: Gratitude makes everything better.  The kindness, caring,  generosity and accommodation of everyone in the building was truly heart felt.  (And a little chocolate never hurts.)

Comments are welcomed. 

We’ve likely heard all the clichés about New Year’s, making resolutions,  breaking resolutions, how to make and not break resolutions, etc.  I am not going to add to the list.  Besides we can always Google that stuff any time.  Instead, I will just wish all of you the best possible year to come and leave you with the following:
 
“May Light always surround you;
Hope kindle and rebound you.
May your Hurts turn to Healing;
Your Heart embrace Feeling.
May Wounds become Wisdom;
Every Kindness a Prism.
May Laughter infect you;
Your Passion resurrect you.
May Goodness inspire
your Deepest Desires.
Through all that you Reach For,
May your arms Never Tire.” D. Simone

Comments are welcomed.

Let’s talk miracles.  Tis the season, after all.  Let’s begin with the wonderful thing about miracles which is that they happen.  Where do they happen?  When do they happen? To whom do they happen?  I believe they can happen anywhere anytime to anyone.  It’s a matter of perspective, belief and noticing.  Some would say that miracles are happening all around us, all the time.  What could those miracles be?

We might think of miracles in the Biblical sense.  That could include survival when death seemed imminent or a certainty, for example.  We often hear about such situations on the news.  Or we might hear about something that was an impossibility becoming a reality. 
 
Then  there are the miracles in nature.  A walk through a forest or climbing a mountain could inspire awe.    How does all the flora and fauna know what to do from season to season? Said flora and fauna  did not appear on the planet with instruction manuals.  Even we, as human beings, can be considered miraculous creations.  Our physical make-up alone is wonderous.   George Bernard Shaw once said that life itself is the miracle of all miracles.
 
It is all how we choose to view everything in and around us.  Here are some quotes that speak to it much better than I.
 
All is a miracle. The stupendous order of nature, the revolution of a hundred millions of worlds around a million of stars, the activity of light, the life of all animals, all are grand and perpetual miracles. Francois Voltaire
 
Miracles happen every day. Not just in remote country villages or at holy sites halfway across the globe, but here, in our own lives. Deepak Chopra
 
Miracles seldom occur in the lives of those who do not consider them possible. There could be a miracle waiting for you this minute. Please make room for it in your thinking. Neale Donald Walsch
 
There you have it.  What miracle might we stumble upon today?  It’s there for the noticing.
 
Wishing you peace, joy and good health for the holidays and coming year.

Comments are welcomed.