SAY WHAT!?

It was dubbed the “Second Honeymoon”. And of course, like any old married couple, without children or dog around we did what you’d expect, we played Scrabble.

The tiles were all arranged perfectly on my tile holder, I had a word, ‘at’ all lined up. TLW (The Little Woman) went first.

TLW: “This is going to make you challenge me, but I think this is really a word.”

Me: “Really!”

TLW spells out the word with her tiles, slowly placing each one with deliberation and slow methodical movements, while watching me out of the corners of her eyes.

F-R-O-N-D

TLW: “Frond!”

Me: “What?!”

TLW: “Frond” I think it means something to do with big or feathery.

Me: “You don’t mean Flume, do you?”

TLW: “I’d say we check it on the dictionary in the laptop.

Off we both go, TLW leading the way. We call up the dictionary on the laptop and sure enough:
“Origin: 1745–55; < L frond- (s. of frōns) branch, bough, foliage
–noun Botany.
1. an often large, finely divided leaf, esp. as applied to the ferns and certain palms.
2. a leaf like expansion not differentiated into stem and foliage, as in lichens.”

Smugly with the emphasis on the ‘ugly’ of smugly, she says: “I read a lot, and after all: I DID graduate Seton Hall!”

But does she leave it at that? Noooooo.

A little later: V-I-S

Me: What the hell is a “vis???”

TLW: “Oh, you know, “vis-à-vis.”

Me: (Under my breath) Oh Yeah, vis-a-vis this.

TLW: “Let’s go to the dictionary. I’m almost sure it is a word.”

“Vis; Croatian island in the Adriatic Sea, the outermost major island of the Dalmatian archipelago. Its highest point is Mount Hum, at 1,926 feet (587 m). Its climate and vegetation are Mediterranean and subtropical, with palms, Mediterranean pines, citrus, eucalyptus, cacti, and early vegetables. Fishing and canning are economically important. Wine making is also important, and Vis has a long history of fine wines.”

And I’m having a long history of feeling like a red haired mule: beaten. I'm surprised there are no "Fronds" in the description!

Tomorrow: Some chickens come home to roost.