Word Creek, 

where words flow in many directions. 

Today the flow is Northward, to the Great White North, otherwise known as CANADA.

Words of the day:

Today Word Creek presents several words of the day. These words are Canadianisms.

My expertise comes from having been born in Canada, and living there until I was 16. I do return occasionally, but Florida always calls me back, especially when it gets so darn chilly!

To begin with, let me introduce to you, the mighty....

GARBURATOR- sounds like a superhero doesn't it?

A garburator is that noisy thing connected to your sink where you dump all your peelings. You may know it as a garbage disposal.

Next up, an extremely important word to know if you are visiting the Great White North and imbibing in some Molson Canadian, or Labbatts Blue, (they are beers, by the way) or simply some Allen's Apple Juice.

WASHROOM-no, it's not a place to do laundry.

A washroom to a Canadian is what you may call a restroom or a bathroom. You attend to your personal business, then you wash your hands. You see? Washroom, makes sense to me.

There is a hair accessory that I have always referred to as an-

ELASTIC- I have been teased about that being what holds up your underwear!

You may call it a hair band or a rubber band, but to a Canadian an elastic is what you use to hold up your ponytail.

There is one Canadianism that causes some tee-heeing among Americans....

RUBBER-I learned about rubbers at a young age, even before beginning Kindergarten.

To a Canadian a rubber has nothing to do with girl meets boy. A rubber is an eraser, you rub it across the pencil mark you wish to erase. Every Canadian child has a rubber in their pencil case.

With the weather becoming cooler, you may want to purchase a-

TOQUE-pronounced tuke. 

A toque is a knit cap, often with a pom pom on the top and a hockey team's emblem on the front.

When you go out into a Canadian winter, don't forget to take your toque!

I'm going to finish with a big one. Many non Canadians already know this one, and love to tease a Canadian about it-

EH-rhymes with bay. 

Eh is used at the end of a sentence, as in- How's it goin' eh? Or, How about those Leafs eh? (Toronto Maple Leafs)

I hope you have enjoyed this lesson in the lexicon of Canada, or shall I say- Lexi-Canadian?

Book Recommendation of the day:

In honour (Canadian spelling) of Lexi-Canadian Day, the book I'm recommending today is:

Never Cry Wolf by Farley Mowat, originally published in 1963 by McClelland and Stewart. (If you've seen the movie, please don't use that as an excuse not to read the book. The book is far superior.)

Never Cry Wolf is the true story of Mowat, a Canadian writer and environmentalist, sent to study wolves, in hope that he will prove wolves are killing cattle when food became scarce in winter. Ranchers wanted Carte Blanche to kill wolves in the name of protecting their livestock.  

Mowat discovered that the wolves were not turning to livestock when food became scarce, but another completely unexpected source.

 Because of his findings, special interest groups had Mowat banned from entering the United States and speaking about what he had discovered.

Never Cry Wolf is a beautiful story showing the complex social aspects of wolves and how they express love for one another.  

I believe there is a spirituality within all animals, and Never Cry Wolf is one of the reasons I became a vegetarian.

Thanks for stopping by Word Creek,
and if you live in a place to where Canadian Snowbirds flock, make them feel at home.
Share a little Lexi-Canadian with them.

So long for now eh,
Bonn

Word Creek, where words flow in many directions.

Word of the day:

concur- while not the most challenging word for an adult vocabulary, there is a reason why I love the word concur, and why I am choosing it as my first word of the day.  It has a little something to do with Leonardo DiCaprio in the 2002 film Catch Me If You Can, and a couple of precious third grade reading "tutees".

The definition, according to Random House Webster's School and Office Dictionary: 1. to agree. 2. to work together. 3. to occur at the same time.

How many words can you create from the letters in concur?

I came up with ten. (yes, I'm a word nerd)

The- "Do you concur?" scene in Catch Me If You Can (check it out on youtube) has DiCaprio's character passing himself off as a Doctor. He uses concur to make himself appear authentic, superior, and in control. 

The highlighting of this word stayed with me, and since watching the film, concur has become one of my favorite words.

Years later, while working as a reading tutor for third graders, I introduced concur to the kids. I thought it would be fun for the kids to learn this little gem, but I had no idea the effect it would have on them.

The following week, I was happily surprised at the excitement two of the girls showed over learning this new word. They had proudly shared their new knowledge with their teacher, and demonstrated to me how to use the word in a wonderfully silly manner, using rather high brow voices. 

I could see it gave them a real confidence boost and it's been a wonderful memory for me. 

Book recommendation of the day:

Hamlet's Dresser, Simon & Schuster 2002, by Bob Smith.

This memoir is sweet and sad, with a dusting of humor. 

In early childhood, Bob Smith became the chief caregiver to an extremely handicapped sister. It was a time when such children were not welcomed with an understanding heart by society.

Heartbreak over having such a child made Bob's father emotionally absent and saw his mother become an extremely depressed woman who couldn't cope without leaning on her young son.

At the age of ten, Shakespeare became a light in the darkness of Bob's challenging childhood. It eventually swept him into the theatre where he worked with stars such as Katherine Hepburn and Bert Lahr (the Cowardly Lion from Wizard of Oz).

In later years, because of his great love for his grandmother, Bob was drawn to senior citizens. He brought joy to these lonely seniors with the Shakespeare he had fallen in love with.

Thanks for visiting Word Creek.

Ciao for now,

Bonn