Word-Wednesday for April 20, 2022

And here is the Wannaskan Almanac with Word-Wednesday, April 20, 2022, the sixteenth Wednesday of the year, the fifth Wednesday of spring, and the 110th day of the year, with 255 days remaining.


Wannaska Nature Update for April 20, 2022
We have more open water, and the Trumpeter Swan, Cygnus buccinator, a regular breeding resident widely distributed throughout the state but most common in the east-central, north-central, and northwestern regions, is moving in to Wannaska.

April 20 Nordhem Lunch:
OVEN FRIED CHICKEN DINNER
    w/Mashed Potatoes & Gravy
MONTE CRISTO
    w/Mac Salad
VEGETABLE BEEF SOUP
    w/Choice of Sandwich

Earth/Moon Almanac for April 20, 2022
Sunrise: 6:23am; Sunset: 8:22pm; 3 minutes, 22 seconds more daylight today
Moonrise: 12:40am; Moonset: 8:36am, waning gibbous, 83% illuminated.


Temperature Almanac for April 20, 2022
                Average            Record              Today
High             50                     86                     44
Low              27                      14                     34


April 20 Celebrations from National Day Calendar

• National Cheddar Fries Day
• National Lima Bean Respect Day
• National Look Alike Day
• National Pineapple Upside Down Cake Day
• National Banana Day

April 20 Word Riddle
How does a hippie polygamist count his wives?*


April 20 Word Pun
Sven vas shopping at SuperVon ven he comes across an old lady in a veelchair, almost in tears.
"Vat's da matter?" asks Sven.
"Oh," sobs the old lady. "I vant to have a look at da frozen puddings but, as you can see, dere are tree steps down into the chiller cabinets!"
"No problem," says Sven, lifting her onto his back. "I'll take you."
Sven strolls trough da chiller cabinets vith da old lady on his back. She selects several puddings and puts dem in da basket dat Sven is carrying for her. At da other end, da old lady's husband is vaiting vit her veelchair.
"I'd really like to thank you," says da old lady as Sven sets her back down in da chair, "but I don't even know who you are!"
Sven yust smiles and vaves as he valks off to da sausage aisle.
"I vas really vorried about you," said da old lady's husband as Sven turned da corner. "Vat have you been doing?"
"I've been trough the desserts on a Norse vit no name!"


April 20 Roseau Times-Region Want Ad:
ONE-LEGGED transvestite seeking bald dwarf with goat. Must have own cricket-bat, handcuffs, and unicycle. No weirdos, please! 218-555-3807.


April 20 Etymology Word of the Week
From the scatological level of the Hierarchy of Humor:

April 20 Notable Historic Events, Literary or Otherwise, from On This Day

• 295 Eighth recorded perihelion passage of Halley's Comet.
• 1611 First known performance of Shakespeare's tragedy Macbeth at the Globe Theatre, London.
• 1715 Nicholas Rowe's play The Tragedy of Lady Jane Grey premieres in London.
• 1736 French mathematician Pierre Louis Maupertuis begins Lapland expedition to measure latitude and shape of the earth, joined by fellow scientists Anders Celsius, Charles Etienne Louis Camus, Alexis Clairaut, and Pierre-Charles Le Monnier.
• 1785 Thomas Warton appointed British Poet Laureate by King George III.
• 1903 Seventh Boston Marathon won by Irishman John Lorden in 2:41:29.8.
• 1910 Halley's Comet passes 29th recorded perihelion.

April 20 Author/Artist/Character Birthdays, from On This Day

• 1727 Josef Jáchym Redelmayer, Czech painter.
• 1748 Georg Michael Telemann, German composer.
• 1850 Daniel Chester French, American sculptor.
• 1857 Hermann Bang, Danish writer,.
• 1879 Robert Lynd, Irish writer and critic.
• 1893 Joan Miró, Spanish painter and sculptor.
• 1894 Martinus Nijhoff, Dutch poet.
• 1908 Lionel Hampton, American jazz vibraphone player, pianist, drummer.
• 1912 Soewarsih Djojopoespito, Indonesian writer.
• 1923 Tito Puente, American mambo and Latin jazz bandleader.
• 1937 George Takei, Sulu.
• 1939 Peter S. Beagle, American novelist and screenwriter.
• 1943 Ian Watson, British sci-fi author.
• 1950 Steve Erickson, American novelist.
• 1951 Luther Vandross, American soul singer, songwriter.
• 1956 Barnard Arnold “Barney” Gumble, The Simpsons.

Words-I-Looked-Up-This-Week Writer's Challenge
Make a single sentence (or poem or pram) from the following words:

• drachma: /ˈdräk-mə/ n., a former monetary unit of Greece, notionally equal to 100 lepta, replaced in 2002 by the euro.
• expatiate: /ik-ˈspā-SHē-ˌāt/ v., speak or write at length or in detail.
• froufrou: /ˈfro͞o-fro͞o/ n., a rustling noise made by someone walking in a dress; frills or other ornamentation, particularly of women's clothes.
• haphephobia: /haf-uh—FOH-bee-uh/ n., an extreme fear or dislike of touching or being touched.
• lethiferous: /leh-THIH-fuhr-uhs/ adj., deadly, lethal; bringing death or destruction.
• opsimathy: /ɑp-ˈsɪm-ə-θi/ n., learning conducted or acquired late in life.
• pishadoo: /‘pēsh-ə-dū/ n., Italian slang, term for toilet or bathroom.
• redound: /rə-ˈdound/ v., contribute greatly to (a person’s credit or honor); come back upon; rebound on.
• skookum: /ˈsko͝ok-əm/ n., (of a person or animal) strong, brave, or impressive.
• yeet: /yēt/ v., slang, to throw, especially used to emphasize forcefulness and lack of concern for that which is being thrown.

April 20, 2022 Word-Wednesday Feature

Four the first time in as many Wednesdays, the weather is beautiful outside as I write this post rather than storming, so I want to go outside and play. I want the same for you; so today Word-Wednesday leaves you with a brief word-play exercise to complete before you go outside to play, too. Answers can be found at the end of the post.

#1

man

board

 

#2

sand

 

#3

stand

I

 

#4

wear

long

 

#5

 r

roads

 a

 d

 s

 

#6

cycle

cycle

cycle

 

#7

on

level

 

#8

0

M.D.

Ph.D.

B.S.

 

#9

dice

dice

 

#10

ground

feet

feet

feet

feet

feet

feet

 

#11

ecnalg

 

#12

mind

matter

 

#13

death/life

 

#14

|r|e|a|d|i|n|g|

 

#15

↓town

 

#16

she's/herself

 

From A Year with Rilke, April 20 Entry
Springtimes Have Needed You, from First Duino Elegy

Springtimes have needed you.
And there are stars expecting you to notice them.
From out of the past, a wave rises to meet you
the way the strains of a violin
come through an open window
just as you walk by.

As if it were all by design.
But are you the one designing it?

 

 Bulb Fields by Vincent van Gogh

Be better than yesterday,
learn a new word today,
try to stay out of trouble - at least until tomorrow,
and write when you have the time.




*one Mrs. Hippie, two Mrs. Hippie, three Mrs. Hippie…

 

#1: man overboard

#2: sandbox

#3: I understand

#4: long underwear

#5: crossroads

#6: tricycle

#7: on the level

#8: zero degrees

#9: pair of dice

#10: six feet underground

#11: backwards glance

#12: mind over matter

#13: life after death

#14: reading between the lines

#15: downtown

#16: she's beside herself