Nature will make a liar out of you

As we moseyed to the el yesterday, monshu remarked that it was beginning to feel "like early winter". I told him it didn't feel like winter to me because I couldn't see my breath and he conceded that "late fall" was probably more accurate. By late that evening, it didn't even feel like that. I hardly needed a jacket going home last night and today I could do without it entirely: 63°F (17°C)!

While looking up some of Garcia Marquez' "crazy jungle Spanish" (to quote a contributor to mollpeartree's journal; expect more on that shortly) the other day, I came across the word entretiempo for the time between summer and winter. Literally, "between time". This feels like between time to me. I guess I'm still disoriented from the vacation, but I find it hard to believe that Holiday Season is fast approaching, no matter how many businesses are hanging wreaths and playing carols already. (I briefly considered boycotting all proponents of Christmas Creep, but quickly realised to make this plan work I would've had to lay in supplies in advance.)

In tree news, there are still maples in stunning colour right now and some which have barely started to change. The crabapples in the park are gorgeous and the Bradford pears along Berwyn and Thorndale are turning a rich purple-red. Staggering aside, it's been a good fall for tree display overall and I'm glad monshu got his new camera in time to capture a few snaps.

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So I'm going to revive that thing I do where I post words I've recently learned in my free-time reading in a vain attempt to convince myself that the amount I know is still growing rather than shrinking a bit more with the death of each sclerotic braincell. Most of you will want to skip these, but I imagine there may be a few Spanish-learners who will take this as an opportunity to quiz themselves.

These are all from García Márquez' Vivir para contarla with the exception of a few happy discoveries from trips to the dictionary.

a rastras
a secas
afinar
alisio
asombro
atar
barranco
desafinado
entrepierna
entretiempo
esbelto
estorbo
herradumbre
índole
liquilique (Exhibit A for Crazy Jungle Spanish)
majadero
mala leche
malanga (Exhibit B)
mercedora
mercedorcito
mercer
ordeñar
oropel
palurdo
pargo (en los restaurantes lugareños se dice huachinango)
pandilla
pelambre
pesadilla
pesadumbre
pesar
ráfaga
remanso
resabio
resaca
retinto
servidumbre
trepar
ventarrón