Every morning for the past 15 years, our dog has been anxious to go for her morning constitutional. Whether we are in Boise or McCall she chases the ball and brings it back over and over. This past week she has been limping after her walks to the point where she could barely walk. On top of the athletic injury she has been very lethargic. Karen and I were very concerned with her well being and honestly with our own emotional state. It would be a tremendous loss for us. Yes, I am talking about our dog!! After a few days of mostly sleeping- this afternoon she rallied, her energy back along with her appetite she headed to the lake with the ball in her mouth and pep in her step. The point of the story, you sometimes don’t know what you have got until it is gone or threatened. I suggest you take the time to reach out to those who play an important role in this ongoing drama called life. I will keep you posted on Mmma’s progress.
I do inform myself with different news sources. I give Fox News a wide berth generally but occasionally it seems they take a shot reporting something close to the truth. I have to say even they are having some trouble spinning the Orange POW’s behavior in a positive way. POTUS is a prisoner of his own war. Things keep cycling out of control and he has a very weak group of people in his Cabinet. Iran is not co-operating by just surrendering and they appear to have a better handle on the art of the deal than the Wanker and his minions. I started this thought based on an idiom that is in common usage. ‘That guy is a piece of work’ has literal and colloquial meaning. It describes a person “who is exceptionally complicated, difficult, eccentric, or notably unpleasant to deal with—someone who exhibits strong, often abrasive character flaws.” Turns out the words idiot, and idiom are etymologically related to an Ancient Greek root word idios. I am convinced the Orange Cockwomble is truly the living example of a piece of work.
I enjoy word games, my father loved to go through the Reader’s Digest word definitions at the dinner table with his boys. Two years in Mrs. Miller’ Latin class in High School forced me to understand the root words prevalent in our current English language. Each day after I find out if the Yankee’ won or lost last nights game I do several mini cross word puzzles and finish with the NYTimes Wordle. There was a time when I was a competitive Scrabble player and learned a few real words to use those critical last tiles.
This week dictionary scoop updated my three letter word inventory. Here are a few of their list that really don’t seem like real words. Cwm is pronounced “Koom” and it refers to a deep, steep walled valley, often carved by glaciers. In Britain, you might hear the word Yob, as a loud mouthed drunk is thrown out of a bar, it is Cockney slang—boy spelled backwards. Before a mature newt crawls onto land, it is called a Eft, it is tiny bright colored creature. I could go on but will conclude with Ulu, a traditional Inuit curved blade, perfect for chopping, skinning, or cutting a child’s hair. Because of the household use the word translates to “women’s knife.”
They say it may snow this week end in McCall. I am reading with trepidation the potential impacts of the Super El Nino. Fires are already raging in Utah and across our country. The temperature hit a record 112 in France. Climate change is real and alternative energy is our only viable option. How many heat domes and wildfires will it take to wake us up? Please get involved, your voice matters. Mike