Howdy, Word Nerds! If you’re wondering where my posts have gone, it’s called a busy life on several fronts. So, sue me–I took a brief vacation from writing!

Last week’s WOW was caparison. Merriam-Webster Online says there are 2 definitions:

1. a :  an ornamental covering for a horse b :  decorative trappings and harness

2. rich clothing :  adornment

Quite clearly none of my horse owner friends read this blog! Of course, the fact that I rarely (if ever) reference horse stuff here has absolutely nothing to do with that.

This week’s WOW is cybrarian. Here are my guesses for cybrarian:

cybrarian: (sī-ˈbrer-ē-ən) 1. an employee of a circular library 2. a cyberspace librarian 3. Marion the Libarian’s and Harold Hill’s son, Cy.

What’s your guess for cybrarian? Post a comment below to let me know the REAL definition.

Wednesday’s Post: Logging Miles…

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Howdy, Word Nerds! Last week I chose to salute the 4th of July. So, we need to go back two weeks to Beltane. According to Merriam-Webster Online, Beltane is: the Celtic May Day festival. Remind me of that next May.

Today’s WOW (Word of the Week) really is caparison. No, I didn’t misspell it.

Here are my guesses for caparison:

caparison: (kə-ˈper-ə-sən) 1. a comparison of capes 2. a comparison of Cape Hatteras to Cape Cod 3. a comparison of capitals 4. being stuck on comparisons of words that begin with “ca”

What’s do you think caparison means? Your guess deserves “center stage”, so leave a guess below!

Wednesday’s Post: More Log Rhythms!

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Happy 4th of July, everyone! Happy 240th Birthday, America!

We interrupt my normal Monday posts for a word we all say we know. However, I think that on this special day, it’s smart to remind ourselves what we’re celebrating.

Because our founding fathers (and mothers!) gave us freedom of speech, it’s easy to state how dissatisfied we are with our country currently. There’s a lot of evidence to suggest that we need to change some things about our country. In doing that we often begin to question whether or not our founding principles are still valid.

I suggest they are still as valid today as they were 240 years ago. We still need to guard against tyranny by another regime far, far away from our borders. We still need to keep our government in check when it gets excessive. We still need to allow people to worship whoever and however they like. We still need to promote the general welfare. Is that easily accomplished?

Of course not. It wasn’t 240 years ago, either. People died defending these rights. Friends. Family members. Children. People lost homes and farms and businesses. It was chaos.

But out of chaos came something truly unusual and beautiful. Respecting others and defending this grand experiment we call a democracy.

So, it bears repeating the Merriam-Webster’s Online definition of patriotism:

patriotism: (ˈpā-trē-ə-ˌti-zəm) love for or devotion to one’s country

Despite the rancor of this year’s politics, patriotism is still in the top 10% of popularity for English words. Perhaps even more interesting are some of the synonyms and antonyms for patriotism:

Synonyms: constancy, faithfulness, loyalty, steadfastness, passion

Antonyms: desertion, falseness, treachery

Let’s strive for a few of those synonyms this day and every day especially as we elect a new President this year. The world could use a little constancy, faith, loyalty, steadfastness, and passion.

Be safe!

Wednesday’s Post: More news from Solitude...

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U.S. Flags

Today marks the 238th anniversary of the start of a new country as declared by 56 white men. Not an exactly “equal before the law” kind of start for us Americans today. But, we had to start somewhere and so, the people who could do something about “taxation without representation” decided to speak for a scattered, unorganized mess of 13 small colonies. They were educated men, by-and-large, and knew there were little funds to sustain a ragtag group of farmers and merchants who wished to die trying to establish more freedom for themselves and their families.

Most of those 56 men died without their families by their sides. Most died penniless. Most lost their homes. And yet, despite all of the above inequities, that unlikely few established some pretty far-fetched ideas for their time that remain with us today.

Throughout our history the odds have been stacked against our success. We’re not a homogeneous group. We have a huge variety of “mutt-type” pedigrees from distant lands. We often bicker with each other loudly, to the point of destroying each other. We make a ton of huge mistakes. Our leaders are not exactly “Exhibit A” of moral leadership, often having to make very difficult decisions in very difficult times.

Who else would choose a slave owner to draft a declaration about freedom? Who else would pick a log-splitting wrestler to free slaves and end a vicious war? Who else would pick some guy in a wheelchair to lead a country out of great poverty and despair? Who else would consider that same wheelchair guy a great leader against a foe bent on annihilating 6,000,000 people merely because they weren’t “pure” enough? Who else would put a Massachusetts Irish Catholic in office to bring equality to African Americans? Who else would count on a former Hollywood star to lead the country out of sky-high inflation and unemployment and to help end Communism’s reign on 2 continents? Who else would elect an African American to office less than 50 years after crosses were burned in Mississippi?

Only the USA. We may not be at our best these days, but that’s exactly when you had better expect us to get our collective dander up and do something about it. Why? Because we believe in silly things like life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. We believe that each of us is just as valuable as the person standing next to us, even if we don’t like that person very much. We believe that you don’t have to come from privilege to become a champion. We believe that hard work and creativity should be rewarded, not thwarted. We believe in sticking together to do the impossible when the chips are down.

That is what we have done. That is what we do. That is what will help us solve our current problems yet again. So today, as you’re eating that hot dog, savoring that watermelon, binge-eating on that corn on the cob and munching on your flag-decorated dessert…and as you’re oohing and aahing over those fireworks, smile at the person next to you. Smile at someone you don’t even know. And remind yourself that your fellow Americans have died for you…the ones who never knew you and the ones who did.

And one more thing, pull out those smart phones and mark your calendar for the first Tuesday in November and make a date with yourself to vote that day, no matter what. 56 white men will smile down at you for doing what they were not allowed to do 238 years ago today.

Monday’s Post: WOW Time!

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