Appreciation of apricity

Single digit temperatures last week had me seeking some warmth.

The sun, while it didn't do a whole lot to bring the temperature above freezing, was enough to warm up these walkers.
I could even feel slight heat as the sun shone on my dark-colored jeans.

The goats actually enjoyed some time outside their shed despite the frigid weather.

They basked in the sunshine inside their pen. We have termed this behavior "solar-goating," and jokingly say it is how they recharge.

However, it would seem like there is actually a term for the warmth of the sun in winter, apricity.

Sponsor: Click ad for details on this program that starts March 11, 2021

The website, www.merriam-webster.com, has an awesome article on the subject titled "Apricity and Other Rare Wintry Words." There were other words on the site I would have loved to write about, but it would be hard to do so without copying the whole article.

Nonetheless as I and the animals appreciated the apricity, it didn't bode well for some fancy frost formations.

I have found the trick to getting these icy creations is to trek out on a frigid morning right as the sun is getting above the trees.
We had set out a little late that morning, so I only found a few frosty figures that were still safe from the sun's warmth.

However even as I attempted to capture some photos, the slightest breeze was sending some of crystals to their doom.

Some of the best frost formations were over an open stream where rising water vapor overnight created leaf-like shapes on small branches. I marveled at their beauty while I tried not to fall into the icy waters.

"Apricity appears to have entered our language in 1623, when Henry Cockeram recorded (or possibly invented) it for his dictionary The English Dictionary; or, An Interpreter of Hard English Words. Despite the fact that it is a delightful word for a delightful thing it never quite caught on, and will not be found in any modern dictionary aside from the Oxford English Dictionary," the post stated.

While it seems apricity never really caught on, the term snowbirds, which was also mentioned in the article, seems to have found a place in recent language.

This is a term I am familiar with as it refers northerners who winter in the south. However, it mentioned an alternate definition as "one who uses cocaine," which I had never heard of before and will likely not use it as such a phase.

While the crystal creations lived on through photos, they had disappeared by the time the gang and I went on our afternoon walk. That's just the nature of things 'round here.

Sponsor