Pam Webb

Word Nerds: Spring Forth

As third winter silently adds to the already burdened snowscape, I look at my calendar and notice Spring is almost ten days away. It will take a bit of doing to get my front yard free of snow. In good faith I have bought a Costco 100 count bag of bulbs. The instructions indicate I can plant in April. The countdown begins…

Vernal: of or relating to spring. Oh, yes, bring on the vernal.

Raillery: good-humored; banter. I will definitely be in good humor once the snow melts.

Indite: to compose or write, as a poem. Wordsworth knew all about composing poems about spring.

Guerdon: a reward, recompense, or requital. Spring is undoubtedly a reward for toughing out winter.

Baksheesh: a tip, present, or gratuity. See “guerdon.”

Tisane: herb-flavored tea. Hercule Poiret sure liked his daily tisane.

Osculatory: the act of kissing. Spring does bring out the osculatory.

De novo: anew; afresh; from the beginning. Spring is a reset of the seasons.

Pensee: a reflection or thought. I have definitely been in a pensee state of mind about how long winter has been lasting this year.

Brume: mist; fog. There will be some brume as the warm weather (it’s hoped) starts to melt that dratted snow.

Sitzmark: the sunken area from when a skier falls backward in the snow. Not to be confused with making a snow angel (and farewell to sitzmarks as the snow melts).

Trachle: an exhausting effort, especially walking or working. Yeah, like my walking trail after five inches of snow have covered it up–giving my Sorels a good workout this year mucking through the snow.

Jouissance: pleasure; enjoyment. And when the grass once again appears, and the robins return, I will express jouissance that winter has passed.