kith.

[kith] noun acquaintances, friends, neighbors, or the like; persons living in thesame general locality and forming a more or less cohesive group. kindred. a group of people living in the same area and forming a culture witha common language, customs, economy, etc., usually endogamous. Pal has a cutie pie kith named Lizzy. She’s a chihuahua terrier mix and Pal thinks she’s perfect. He doesn’t “play it cool” well; he’s a lot like his mom. So he dives in and overwhelms Lizzy. She snaps at him. He backs away briefly and then most likely thinks,Continue reading “kith.”

aesthete.

[es-theet or, esp. British, ees-] noun a person who has or professes to have refined sensitivity toward the beauties of art or nature. a person who affects great love of art, music, poetry, etc., and indifference to practical matters. Are my sensitivities refined? I don’t know. But they are extreme sensitivities toward nature and the vast Idaho wilderness. On August 19th, I’ll have lived in Ketchum for a year. The tears whilst hiking have decreased since Autumn, thank goodness. I was a messy aesthete. Now myContinue reading “aesthete.”

towser.

[tou-zer] noun a big dog. Informal. a big, hearty person, especially one who is very energetic. One of my favorite people sent me an email with today’s word of the day and this note: “I am sure that Dictionary.com is reading Beth of Fresh Air….I had to laugh when I saw this!” I guess I have a bit to say about a certain big dog. A girlContinue reading “towser.”

wafflestompers.

[wof–uh l-stom-perz] Plural noun ankle boots with ridged soles, used especially for hiking. I feel very lucky to now have many people in my life who will strap on their wafflestompers and go on an adventure with me and my polar bear. About halfway through the hike, they start brainstorming about what they want for brunch. Waffles hopefully. Some place where breakfast is servedContinue reading “wafflestompers.”

cognomen.

noun, plural cognomens, cognomina [kog-nom–uh-nuh]  1. a surname. 2. any name, especially a nickname. On our way up a mountain, Pal pranced up to a tiny five-year-old gal. She squealed, “He’s the biggest dog I’ve ever seen!” His nose touched hers. She giggled and put her little hand on his huge head. I beamed like a proudContinue reading “cognomen.”