Word-Wednesday for February 4, 2026

And here is the Wannaskan Almanac with Word-Wednesday for February 4, 2026, the fifth Wednesday of the year, the seventh Wednesday of winter, the first Wednesday of February, and the thirty-fifth day of the year, with three-hundred thirty days remaining. Brought to you by Bead Gypsy Studio’s 20% off leather bracelets Happy Valentine’s Day Sale, where you can register to WIN A GIFT BASKET: 101 Main Avenue North, downtown Roseau.

Wannaska Phenology Update for February 4, 2026
Groundhogs
Having just recelebrated Groundhog Day on Monday, today we tip our phenological cap to the very same, Marmota monax, akakojiishi in Anishinaabe, also known as the woodchuck, a rodent of the family Sciuridae, belonging to the group of large ground squirrels known as marmots. Other common names for the groundhog include chuck, wood-chuck, groundpig, whistle-pig, whistler, thickwood badger, Canada marmot, monax, moonack, weenusk, red monk, land beaver and, among French Canadians in eastern Canada, siffleux. The etymology of the name woodchuck is unrelated to wood nor any sense of chucking. It stems from an Algonquian (possibly Narragansett) name for the animal, wuchak. The similarity between the words has led to the popular tongue-twister:

How much wood would a woodchuck chuck
if a woodchuck could chuck wood?
A woodchuck would chuck all the wood he could
if a woodchuck could chuck wood!

Minnesota groundhogs, also known as woodchucks, are hibernating underground in their burrows and their internal clocks will not awaken them until near the end of March, not on Groundhog Day, Feb. 2. A curled-up hibernating woodchuck’s body temperature may fall as low as 38°F from a normal close to 100°F; they breathe once every six minutes, and their heartbeat is about five percent of normal. Winter will be with us for a while longer yet.

February 4 Fickle Pickle Wednesday Menu Special: Potato Dumpling


February 4 Nordhem Wednesday Lunch: Updated daily, occasionally.


Earth/Moon Almanac for February 4, 2026
Sunrise: 7:50am; Sunset: 5:20pm; 3minutes, 7 seconds more daylight today
Moonrise: 9:08pm; Moonset: 8:59am, waning gibbous, 92% illuminated.


Temperature Almanac for February 4, 2026
                Average            Record              Today
High             16                      45                     20
Low              -6                    -43                     19

In Memory of a Happy Day in February
by Anne Bronte

Blessed be Thou for all the joy
My soul has felt today!
O let its memory stay with me
And never pass away! 
I was alone, for those I loved
Were far away from me,
The sun shone on the withered grass,
The wind blew fresh and free. 

Was it the smile of early spring
That made my bosom glow?
'Twas sweet, but neither sun nor wind
Could raise my spirit so. 

Was it some feeling of delight,
All vague and undefined?
No, 'twas a rapture deep and strong,
Expanding in the mind! 

Was it a sanguine view of life
And all its transient bliss­-
A hope of bright prosperity?
O no, it was not this! 

It was a glimpse of truth divine
Unto my spirit given
Illumined by a ray of light
That shone direct from heaven! 

I felt there was a God on high
By whom all things were made.
I saw His wisdom and his power
In all his works displayed. 

But most throughout the moral world
I saw his glory shine;
I saw His wisdom infinite,
His mercy all divine. 

Deep secrets of his providence
In darkness long concealed
Were brought to my delighted eyes
And graciously revealed. 

But while I wondered and adored
His wisdom so divine,
I did not tremble at his power,
I felt that God was mine. 

I knew that my Redeemer lived,
I did not fear to die;
Full sure that I should rise again
To immortality. 

I longed to view that bliss divine
Which eye hath never seen,
To see the glories of his face
Without the veil between.

February 4 Celebrations from National Day Calendar

• National Sweater Day
• National Hemp Day
• National Girls and Women in Sports Day
• National Homemade Soup Day
• National Create a Vacuum Day
• National Thank a Mail Carrier Day
• Medjool Date Day
• Rosa Parks Day
• World Cancer Day
• International Day of Human Fraternity

February 4 Word Pun
Sven’s really excited to begin his new amateur autopsy club.
Wednesday is open Mike night.


February 4 Word Riddle
What is black when it’s clean and white when it’s dirty?*


February 4 The Devil’s Dictionary Word-Pram
IGNORAMUS, n., A person unacquainted with certain kinds of knowledge familiar to yourself, and having certain other kinds that you know nothing about.

    Dumble was an ignoramus,
    Mumble was for learning famous.
    Mumble said one day to Dumble:
    "Ignorance should be more humble.
    Not a spark have you of knowledge
    That was got in any college."
    Dumble said to Mumble: "Truly
    You're self-satisfied unduly.
    Of things in college I'm denied
    A knowledge—you of all beside."
                    —Borelli


February 4 Etymology Word of the Week
February
/FEB-rə-we-rē/ n., the second month of the year, in the northern hemisphere usually considered the last month of winter, from late 14th century, ultimately from Latin februarius mensis "month of purification," from februare "to purify," from februa "purifications, expiatory rites" (plural of februum "means of purification, expiatory offerings"), which is of uncertain origin, said to be a Sabine word. De Vaan says from Proto-Italic f(w)esro-, from a Proto-Indo-European word meaning "the smoking" or "the burning" (thus possibly connected with fume (n.)). The sense then could be either purification by smoke or a burnt offering. The last month of the ancient (pre-450 B.C.E.) Roman calendar, so named in reference to the Roman feast of purification, held on the ides of the month. The Old English name for it was solmonað, which is said to mean "mud month." English first borrowed the Roman name from Old French Feverier, which yielded Middle English Feverer, Feoverel, etc. (circa 1200) before the 14th century respelling to conform to Latin.


February 4 Historic Events, Literary or Otherwise, from On This Day

• 1794 French National Convention proclaims abolition of slavery.
• 1849 University of Wisconsin begins in 1 room with 20 students.
• 1859 One of the oldest known copies of the Bible, "The Codex Sinaiticus" (Sinai Bible), is seen in Egypt by Constantin von Tischendorf, who takes the manuscript home.
• 1877 Ludwig Minkus' ballet La Bayadère, choreographed by Marius Petipa premieres.
• 1880 Steele MacKay's play Hazel Kirke premieres.
• 1893 Riccardo Drigo's ballet La Flûte Magique premieres.
• 1904 John Millington Synge's play Well of Saints premieres.
• 1922 First part of Katherine Mansfield's short story The Garden Party appears in the Saturday Westminster Gazette.
• 1943 Bertolt Brecht's play The Good Person of Szechwan premieres.
• 1944 Jean Anouilh's play Antigone premieres.
• 1973 Comic strip Hagar The Horrible by Dik Browne debuts.

February 4 Author/Artist/Character Birthdays, from On This Day

• 1494 Francois Rabelais, French satirist.
• 1524 Luis de Camões, Portuguese poet.
• 1549 Eustache du Caurroy, French Renaissance composer.
• 1581 Daniel Selich, German court composer.
• 1646 Hans Erasmus Aßmann Abschatz, German poet.
• 1677 Johann Ludwig Bach, German violinist and composer.
• 1688 Pierre de Marivaux, French playwright and novelist.
• 1693 George Lillo, English dramatist.
• 1740 Carl Michael Bellman, Swedish songwriter, composer, musician, and poet.
• 1751 Blas de Laserna, Spanish composer.
• 1758 Pierre-Gabriel Gardel, French ballet dancer and choreographer.
• 1799 Joao Batista da Silva Leitao de Almeida Garret, Portuguese poet, playwright.
• 1805 William Harrison Ainsworth, English writer.
• 1808 Josef Kajetán Tyl, Czech playwright, writer.
• 1848 Jean Aicard, French playwright and poet.
• 1849 Jean Richepin, French poet and writer.
• 1875 Raymond Moulaert, Belgian pianist and composer.
• 1876 Victor Vreuls, Belgian composer and musician.
• 1881 Fernand Léger, French painter, sculptor.
• 1892 E. J. Pratt, Canadian poet.
• 1892 Ugo Betti, Italian playwright.
• 1893 Bernard Rogers, American composer.
• 1895 Annie Romein-Verschoor, Dutch author.
• 1896 Friedrich Glauser, German-language Swiss writer.
• 1900 Jacques Prévert, French poet.
• 1903 Edwin Denby, American dance poet.
• 1904 MacKinlay Kantor, American novelist.
• 1904 Predrag Milošević, Serbian pianist, conductor, composer.
• 1906 Letitia Dunbar-Harrison, Irish librarian.
• 1910 Uys Krige, South African playwright and novelist.
• 1913 Rosa Parks, American civil rights activist who refused to give up her seat on a bus to a white passenger.
• 1914 Alfred Andersch, German writer.
• 1916 Colin Morris, British playwright.
• 1916 David Vassall Cox, British composer.
• 1916 Gavin Ewart, English poet.
• 1921 Betty Friedan, American writer.
• 1925 Jutta Hipp, German-American jazz pianist and composer.
• 1925 Russell Hoban, American author.
• 1926 John Hearne, Jamaican novelist.
• 1930 Borislav Pekić, Serbian writer.
• 1934 Jouko Linjama, Finnish organist and composer .
• 1935 Martti Talvela, Finnish operatic bass.
• 1936 Daan van Golden, Dutch sculptor.
• 1939 Jacques Charlier, Belgian artist and sculptor.
• 1948 Robert Coover, American writer.
• 1958 Tomasz Pacyński, Polish science fiction writer.
• 1958 Werner Schwab, Austrian playwright and artist.
• 1959 Tsitsi Dangarembga, Zimbabwean writer and playwright.
• 1960 Siobhan Dowd, British-Irish writer
• 1961 Stewart O'Nan, American author.

Words-I-Looked-Up-This-Week Writer's Challenge 
Write a story or pram from the following words:

• botryoidal: /bah-tree-OY-duhl/ adj., resembling a bunch of grapes.
• chilblain: /CHIL-blān/ n., a painful, itching swelling on the skin, typically on a hand or foot, caused by poor circulation in the skin when exposed to cold.
• epilimnion: /ep-ə-im-nē-ən/ n., the upper layer of water in a stratified lake.
• exauctorate: /eks-AWK-ter-it/ v., to deprive of authority; to depose or oust from office; to dismiss from service; to deprive of a benefice; to discharge.
• februate: /FEB-roo-ayt/ v., to purify, cleanse, or rejuvenate, particularly in a ritual or ceremonial context.
• Imbolc: /IM-blk/ n., an ancient Celtic festival associated with the goddess Brigit, held on Feb 1 or 2 to mark the beginning of spring. It is also celebrated by modern pagans.
• nefandous: /nuh-FAN-duhss/ adj., not to be spoken of, unmentionable; abominable, atrocious.
• ogdoad: /ÄG-də-wäd/ n., a group or set of eight.
• roneo: /RŌ-nē-ō/ n., a historical stencil-based duplicating machine, similar to a mimeograph, used to make copies of documents by pressing ink through a stencil onto paper, and also to the process or the copies themselves.
• snoozle: /snü-zəl/ v., to nuzzle, cuddle.

February 4, 2026 Word-Wednesday Feature
grace
/ɡrās/ n., simple elegance or refinement of movement; courteous goodwill, from late 12th century, "God's unmerited favor, love, or help," from Old French grace "pardon, divine grace, mercy; favor, thanks; elegance, virtue" (12th century, Modern French grâce), from Latin gratia "favor, esteem, regard; pleasing quality, good will, gratitude" (source of Italian grazia, Spanish gracia; in Church use translating Greek kharisma), from gratus "pleasing, agreeable" (reconstructed in Watkins to be from a suffixed form of Proto-Indo-European root gwere- "to favor"). The sense of "virtue" is attested by early 14th century, that of "beauty of form or movement, pleasing quality" by mid-14th century. In the classical sense, "one of the three sister goddesses (Latin Gratiæ, Greek Kharites), bestowers of beauty and charm," it is in English by 1579 in Spenser. Grace feels like a physical, emotional, spiritual refreshment when embodied by another person. Those who feel and manifest gratitude just seem to move more easily through life's difficulties. Word-Wednesday staff feel grateful to be able to share some words of grace with you this week.

Grace is a kind of movable beauty.

Johann Friedrich von Schiller

Grace has been defined, the outward expression of the inward harmony of the soul.

William Hazlitt

That word—grace,/In an ungracious mouth, is but profane.

William Shakespeare, the Duke of York speaking, in King Richard II

A good grace is to the body what good sense is to the mind.

François, Duc de La Rochefoucauld

Imagine being born with Gene Kelly’s grace and Grace Kelly’s genes.

Andy Lee

Gardening is an instrument of grace.

May Sarton

No spring, nor summer beauty hath such grace,
As I have seen in one autumnal face.

John Donne

When grace is joined with wrinkles, it is adorable. There is an unspeakable dawn in happy old age.

Victor Hugo

High station in life is earned by the gallantry with which appalling experiences are survived with grace.

Tennessee Williams

Grace fills empty spaces, but it can only enter where there is a void to receive it, and it is grace itself which makes this void.

Simone Weil

I do not at all understand the mystery of grace—only that it meets us where we are but does not leave us where it found us.

Anne Lamott

You can have the other words—chance, luck, coincidence, serendipity. I’ll take grace. I don’t know what it is exactly, but I’ll take it.

Mary Oliver

From A Year with Rilke, February 4 Entry
Neighbors, from The Book of Hours I, 6

You, God, who live next door:
If at times, through the long night, I trouble you
with my urgent knocking—
this is why: I hear you breathe so seldom.
I know you're all alone in that room.
If you should be thirsty, there's no one
to get you a glass of water.
I wait listening, always. Just give me a sign!
I'm right here.

As it happens, the wall between us
is very thin. Why couldn't a cry
from one of us
break it down? It would crumble
easily,
it would barely make a sound.

Old Man in Sorrow

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.






*A blackboard.