LEARNING NEW WORDS

The season is switching to fall and cooling us down with a wonderful rain that has cleared the air of many of the particulates caused by the forest fires in many areas of B.C. Mother Earth is having a struggle trying to cool down Planet Earth, perhaps hoping that we will all begin to realize how badly we have been treating her with all the pollution we send into the air that makes breathing difficult for many. If each one of us does what is possible within our area of expertise, she is grateful.

Many of our young people are stepping up to the plate to bat a home run to help meet the challenge. Those of us who were children of the thirties depression now have much to learn with scientific words and other changes in our language. To keep up with it all, I accept the challenge of this new learning and tune into the Saturday noon CBC science radio program hosted by Bob McDonald. At 10:30 am another CBC radio program called “Go” brings to light new words that the dictionary has not yet found space to print - beyond my ken to understand. My suggestion is to ask one of your children or grandchildren. This morning the “Go” program had some new words to contemplate. I e-mailed my son for help since my grandson is away on holidays. Ken is usually helpful about new words in the scientific area, but his answer regarding some new words sometimes come through in convoluted incomprehensible scientific formulas. Have I remembered to mention that he received the Gold Medal as top student the year he graduated from the University of Victoria when he received his BSC degree. Perhaps I should save those questions for when my son and his wife, Lin, roll their wheels up the beautiful coastal highway to visit their son Luke, his wife Stephanie, the grandchildren and the rest of us here in Vernon.