Word-Wednesday for September 9, 2026

And here is the Wannaskan Almanac with Word-Wednesday for September 9, 2026, the thirty-sixth Wednesday of the year, the twelfth Wednesday of summer, the second Wednesday of September, and the two-hundred fifty-second day of the year, with one-hundred thirteen days remaining.


Wannaska Phenology Update for September 9, 2026
Monarch Butterfly
Danaus plexippus — memengwaa, in Anishinaabe — can still be seen around Wannaska, but they will soon be heading south. In 1874, entomologist Samuel Hubbard Scudder suggested naming the butterfly "The Monarch", citing its large size and the notion that it "rules a vast domain" as the basis for the name, which he preferred to William D'Urban's "Storm Fritillary" and Philip Henry Gosse's "Archippus."

Danaus (Ancient Greek Δαναός), was a great-grandson of Zeus and a mythical king in Egypt or Libya, who founded Argos. Plexippus (Πλήξιππος) was one of the fifty sons of Aegyptus, the twin brother of Danaus. Any person discovering a new species gets to come up with a Latin name, so be creative. Like many other Lepidoptera, Monarch butterflies obtain moisture and minerals from damp soil, wet gravel, and other organic matter — a behavior known as mud-puddling or poo-puddling — depending on the landing site. Those still hanging around for nectar are enjoying the wild asters and spotted knapweed.

photo by Teresa McDonnell

September 9 Fickle Pickle Wednesday Menu Special: Potato Dumpling


September 9 Nordhem Wednesday Lunch: Closed until further notice.


Earth/Moon Almanac for September 9, 2026
Sunrise: 6:52am; Sunset: 7:51pm; 3 minutes, 31 seconds less daylight today
Moonrise: 4:51am; Moonset: 7:12pm, waning crescent, 2% illuminated.


Temperature Almanac for September 9, 2026
                Average            Record              Today
High             69                     90                     71
Low              47                      17                      47

Fall, Leaves, Fall
by Emily Brontë

Fall, leaves, fall; die, flowers, away;
Lengthen night and shorten day;
Every leaf speaks bliss to me
Fluttering from the autumn tree.
I shall smile when wreaths of snow
Blossom where the rose should grow;
I shall sing when night’s decay
Ushers in a drearier day.

September 9 Celebrations from National Day Calendar

• National Wiener Schnitzel Day
• National Grilled Chicken Day
• Feast Day of Ciarán of Clonmacnoise
• International Buy-a-Priest-a-Beer Day

September 9 Word Pun
Sven just sprang out of bed and started making himself pancakes. This probably explains why he was tossing in his sleep.


September 9 Word Riddle
What do you call a floating dog?*


September 9 The Devil’s Dictionary Word-Pram
BARK, n., The song of the dog.

    "My bark is on the wave," all writers quote.
    "Mine too," says the retriever, "is afloat."


September 9 Etymology Word of the Week
bliss
/blis/ n., complete and perfect happiness or supreme joy, from Old English blis, also bliðs "bliss, merriment, happiness, grace, favor," from Proto-Germanic blithsjo (source also of Old Saxon blidsea, blizza), from blithiz "gentle, kind" (see blithe) + -tjo noun suffix. Originally mostly of earthly happiness, in later Old English of spiritual joy, perfect felicity, the joy of heaven. It has been influenced by unrelated bless. 


September 9 Historic Events, Literary or Otherwise, from On This Day

• 1817 Alexander Twilight, likely the first African American to graduate from a US college, receives a BA degree from Middlebury College.
• 1836 Ralph Waldo Emerson publishes his influential essay Nature.
• 1839 English scientist and astronomer John Herschel takes the first glass plate photograph.
• 1892 Edward Emerson Barnard at Lick Observatory discovers Amalthea, Jupiter's fifth moon.
• 1908 Orville Wright makes the first hour-long airplane flight, lasting 62 minutes and 15 seconds.

September 9 Author/Artist/Character Birthdays, from On This Day

• 1583 Girolamo Frescobaldi, Italian Baroque composer.
• 1618 Joan Cererols, Catalan musician, composer.
• 1664 Johann Christoph Pez, German Baroque composer.
• 1687 Jean-Baptiste-Maurice Quinault, French composer.
• 1731 Francisco Javier Clavijero, Mexican writer.
• 1752 Johann Friedrich Christmann, German composer.
• 1778 Clemens Brentano, German poet and author.
• 1823 James Lewis Farley, Irish writer.
• 1828 Leo Tolstoy, Russian writer.
• 1834 Joseph Henry Shorthouse, English writer.
• 1840 Gentil Theodoor Antheunis, Flemish poet.
• 1850 Harishchandra, Indian poet.
• 1850 Leopoldo Miguez, Brazilian composer.
• 1865 Edwin H. Lemare, British organist and composer.
• 1868 Mary Austin, American nature writer.
• 1872 Delilah Beasley, American author.
• 1872  Josef Stránský, Czech composer.
• 1872 Edward Burlingame Hill, American composer.
• 1877 Jesús Castillo, Guatemalan composer.
• 1878 Adelaide Crapsey, American poet.
• 1885 Miriam Licette [Lycett], British operatic soprano.
• 1885 Clare Sheridan, English sculptor and author.
• 1892 Bruno Stürmer, German composer.
• 1896 Fritz Reutter, German composer.
• 1899 Brassaï [Gyula Halász], Hungarian-French artist.
• 1899 Louis Cheslock, British-born American violinist, composer.
• 1900 James Hilton, English novelist.
• 1903 Phyllis Whitney, American mystery writer.
• 1903 Edward Upward, English author.
• 1905 Vytautas Bacevičius [Bacewicz], Lithuanian avant garde composer.
• 1908 Cesare Pavese, Italian writer.
• 1911 Paul Goodman, American poet.
• 1922 Hoyt Curtin, American composer.
• 1922 Mildred Pitts Walter, American teacher and children's book author.
• 1928 Sol LeWitt, American sculptor.
• 1929 Aleksei Maslennikov, Russian tenor.
• 1930 Paolo Castaldi, Italian composer and essay writer.
• 1931 Ivan Klima [Kauders], Czech novelist.
• 1934 Sonia Sanchez, American playwright and poet.
• 1935 Gopal Baratham, Singaporean author.
• 1936 Augustinus Franz Kropfreiter, Austrian organist and composer.
• 1938 Don Hogan Charles, American photographer.
• 1941 Karin von Aroldingen, German ballet dancer.
• 1942 Linda Gregg, American poet.
• 1944 Olga de Haas, Dutch ballerina.
• 1946 Bruce Palmer, Canadian bassist.
• 1946 Christopher Francis Palmer, British composer.
• 1947 David Rosenboom, American composer.
• 1947 T. M. Wright, American author, poet, and illustrator.
• 1959 Éric Serra, French musician and composer.
• 1960 Kimberly Willis Holt, American author.

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

• bonhomie: /bon-uh-MEE/ n., a cheerful, easygoing friendliness and good nature, especially in social interaction.
• gowp: /gowp/ v., of the heart, blood, etc.: to beat or pulse rapidly or strongly, esp. as a result of intense activity or emotion; to pound, to race; to palpitate.
• howff: /howf/ n., a favorite meeting place, haunt, or pub, as well as a familiar shelter, home, or refuge.
• importunate: /im-PÔRCH-(ə)-nət/ adj., persistent, especially to the point of annoyance or intrusion.
• moxie: /MOK-see/ n., force of character, determination, courage, or spirited confidence, especially when facing challenges or adversity.
• skíth: /skeeh/ v., IRISH, to rest.
• spurtle: / SPUR-tl / n., a traditional Scottish wooden kitchen tool shaped like a rod or dowel, used primarily to stir porridge, soups, and stews without forming lumps.
• virtu: /vur-TOO/ n., a love of, or informed appreciation for, fine art, antiques, curiosities, and other objects of cultural or artistic interest; especially a cultivated enthusiasm for collecting such things.
• vog: /väg/ n., smog or haze contianing volcanic dust and gases.
• volta: /VOHL-tuh/ n., a sudden turn of thought, mood, or argument in a poem, especially a sonnet.

September 9, 2026 Word-Wednesday Feature
epostracism
/eh-PAHS-truh-siz-um/ n., skipping stones, from ep- (from Greek epi-) a prefix meaning "upon," "over," or "across"; and -ostracism, from the Greek word óstrakon (ὄστρακον), which translates to a broken piece of pottery, an oyster shell, or a hard shell. In 1585, scholar John Higgins recorded the Latinized form epostracismus in his polyglot dictionary, Nomenclator. He defined it as a game where you throw an oyster shell or stone across the water and count the skips before it sinks. He noted that the common English phrase for it back then was "duck and drake". 1676: Elisha Coles included the anglicized version epostracism in his English dictionary, describing it with the chaotic phrase: "Duck and a drake and a white penny cake with an oyster shell on the water." Just imagine the fun that Finn McCool's author would have with this one.

But skipping stones on a surface of water is also called dapping, skimming, skiffing, skliffing, skiting, lobster cutting, Mizu Kiri, and water cutting, depending on one's country of origin. Some people call the activity throwing a sandwich, or letting the frogs out. 

One comprehensive lexicon includes formal definitions for word-loving stone skippers everywhere, which includes:

• Agnew: A stone that hits a person, Judge or bystander.
• Brown liquor rule: See, high commissioner for details.
• Clear the bucket: Shoot the last stones of a six-stone set.
• Gerplunking (or Geplunking, eastern): Children’s form of stone skipping. Dropping rock into water with resulting sound “gerplunk.” Earlier included in tournament but never successfully scored.
• Mor-far-soster-bror: Norwegian, for stone skipping; i.e. Mother, father, sister, brother. Norwegians aim to make a score of four, “nelja,” which is a mystic number.
• Pitty-pat: (hyphen added) short skips at end of run with light water showing between.
• Plink: A clean cut skip, usually at head of a run; heavy water shows between hops.
• Plonk: A stone that sinks on first hit of run.
• Run: A single stone skip sequence, generally composed of pitty-pats and plinkers.
• Skronker: A stone that never hits water.
• Smorgas: Swedish for stone skip, as in smorgasbord, i.e., sandwiches.
• Smut: Danish word for stone skip.
• Unicorn hunters: The MISS&GC is a scion of this organization, Lake Superior state college founded and based, but worldwide in membership. Of which the woods-runner is the recognized official quarterly journal.

From A Year with Rilke, September 9 Entry
When Doubt Serves, from Furnborg, Jonsered, Sweden, November 4, 1904, Letters to a Young Poet

Doubt can serve you well, if you train it. It must become a way of knowing, a good critic. Every time doubt wants to spoil something for you, ask *why* it finds something ugly and demand proofs. Thus tested by you, doubt may become bewildered and embarrassed, even aggressive. But don't give in, demand reasons and be persistent and attentive every single time, and the day will come when, instead of a destroyer, he will become one of your best servants—perhaps one of the most intelligent of those who help you build your life.

The Age of Bronze
August Rodin

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 good buoy.