There’s some online discussion regarding whether or not novalunosis is a “real” word, but there’s no disagreement about the feeling of looking up in wonderment at the night sky.
Is Earth the only inhabited planet? With the vastness of the unexplored cosmos, is it even possible to think we are the only living, breathing, sentient creatures?
It’s an overwhelming feeling; novalunosis, but it can spark deep thoughts and conversations about infinity and the cosmos.
“The Cosmos is all that is or was or ever will be. Our feeblest contemplations of the Cosmos stir us; there is a tingling in the spine, a catch in the voice, a faint sensation, as if a distant memory, of falling from a height. We know we are approaching the greatest of mysteries.” — Carl Sagan
“There is a garden in every childhood, an enchanted place, where colors are brighter, the air is softer, and the morning more fragrant than ever again.”
Quote by Elizabeth Lawrence Art by Jessie Willcox Smith (1863 – 1935) Curated from Ravenous Butterflies
I love to snerdle, I just didn’t know there was a specific word to describe it.
From the 18th century, snerdle means to wrap up cozily in bed beneath the covers and hold off the day for a little longer, just like my kitty daughter, Bandit. She knew all about snerdling, that’s for sure.
This word has been showing up everywhere so I needed to discover what’s it all about.
Hygge is a Danish word and concept that means creating a warm atmosphere and the enjoyment of simple pleasures..
The warm glow of candlelight is hygge; a mug of ginger tea is hygge; fresh sheets still warm out of the dryer is hygge.
It means creating a world of restorative self care and well-being, especially being outdoors in nature, to deeply feel the beauty of a sunset, not to merely look, but to see.
For me, spending time with the Angels is the ultimate hygge, especially if we’re at the beach or when we bake or read together, or when I’m lucky enough to spot a dolphin or a whale. Or a coyote.
It also means mindful appreciation of cozy socks when it’s cold.
Right now hygge is watching the torrential rain through the window; grateful for being indoors, warm and dry.
According to the Oxford English Dictionary, “rizz” is the word of the year for 2023.
I can’t imagine how I managed to get through almost this entire year and only learn about it NOW, but I’m not a teen and not on TikTok, which I believe is where it originally came from.
“Rizz is a colloquial word, defined as style, charm, or attractiveness; the ability to attract a romantic partner” according to the Oxford University Press, to flirt with a degree of charm, to “rizz up”.
As for the word’s etymology, OUP says it’s believed to have been taken from the middle of “charisma,” much like “fridge” derives from refrigerator.
I reckon it’s akin to having “game” in the old days; chatty repartee with a certain amount of flirtatious banter, at least that’s how I’d describe it.
You either have it–or you don’t, it’s that simple.
Think of Joey in Friends, when “How you doin” is ALL he needed to say…total rizz!
Now that it’s turning cold (not here, it’s seventy degrees right now) it made me think of that specific feeling of the warmth of the winter sun on your face. The word that describes this phenomenon is apricity.
You can be absolutely freezing, but when that glorious ray of sunshine finds you, it’s uplifting, hopeful, and calming. However brief, to bask in an unexpected but significant gleam of winter sunlight is a wonderful and restorative feeling.
We close our eyes, lift our faces toward the sun, and those moments of apricity warm the spirit as well as our body, and we yearn for more.
We finally had rain AND thunder! In the middle of a downpour, I absolutely forgot how to turn on my windshield wipers. I had to pull over and search for the owner’s manual to figure it out. That’s exactly how long it’s been since we had sky water! From last night to this morning, there was more than an inch of rain. More is on the way.
For some reason, it seems like a Cream kind of day, and I can’t exactly explain why I feel like this…
Ulysses, also known as Odysseus, is a character of Greek mythology. Homer wrote The Odyssey about Odysseus, king of Ithaca, who wanders for ten years (although the action of the poem covers only the final six weeks) trying to get home after the Trojan War.
When the original Angel Boy was young enough for nightly bedtime stories, we read The Odyssey to him (truth!) and think, in some small way, that it helped to encourage his professorial and writing talents.
Tales of Brave Ulysses
You thought the leaden winter Would bring you down forever But you rode upon a steamer To the violence of the sun
And the colours of the sea Bind your eyes with trembling mermaids And you touch the distant beaches With tales of brave Ulysses How his naked ears were tortured By the sirens sweetly singing For the sparkling waves are calling you To kiss their white laced lips
And you see a girl’s brown body Dancing through the turquoise And her footprints make you follow Where the sky loves the sea And when your fingers find her She drowns you in her body Carving deep blue ripples In the tissues of your mind
Tiny purple fishes Run laughing through your fingers And you want to take her with you To the hard land of the winter
Her name is Aphrodite And she rides a crimson shell And you know you cannot leave her For you touched the distant sands With tales of brave Ulysses How his naked ears were tortured By the sirens sweetly singing
Tiny purple fishes Run laughing through your fingers And you want to take her with you To the hard land of the winter
Background: The lyrics are inspired by Homer’s Odyssey, an account of the adventures undertaken by Ulysses. This can be seen in the song’s reference to “naked ears … tortured by the sirens sweetly singing,” an event from Homer’s epic. When interviewed on the episode of the VH1 show, Classic Albums, which featured Disraeli Gears, lyricist Martin Sharp explained that he had recently returned from Ibiza, which was the source of many of the images in the song (e.g. “tiny purple fishes run laughing through her fingers”) and the general feeling of having left an idyll to return to “the hard lands of the winter” https://www.lyricinterpretations.com/cream/tales-of-brave-ulysses
“As long as Man continues to be the ruthless destroyer of lower living beings, he will never know health or peace. For as long as men massacre animals, they will kill each other. Indeed, he who sows the seed of murder and pain cannot reap joy and love.”
In other words, don’t kill or eat animals. Be kind. Be VEGAN.
Adventitious: associated with something by chance rather than as an integral part; extrinsic.
I didn’t realize until I checked the photo that all of those seagulls were lined up because my eyes were only focused on the waves. The gulls were an unexpected happenstance.
The term “line up” is usually associated with a row of surfers in a spot where they anticipate a good wave break, in their attempt to catch that elusive best ride of the surf sesh.
Enchanted Seashells by Princess Rosebud 