Saturday Word: Bothy (belated)

[theidolhands.livejournal.com]

bo•thy [ˈbɒθɪ/]:
origin: [1560] Scottish; possibly bothan= hut

noun
Ask most people what their "dream home" is and they usually say something like a mansion, castle, or perhaps a nice double-decker with a white picked fence. Nothing wrong with those, but my preference has always been for something a might humbler....something like a "bothy" or a small Scottish cottage (found also in Wales, North England, and Ireland); a mountain retreat.

Bothies have a long history of being the hut where servants might live and currently serve as cabins where hikers & travelers are welcome to stay for free! The cabins rely on individuals to clean and leave the place enjoyable for the next weary soul. Alas, this trust is often abused. So a group of volunteers who scrub out toilets, remove garbage, and air out foul smells serve an invaluable purpose.

As a bonus, this particular volunteer & hiker is also imminently quotable:

"For the very existence of a bothy is a defiant subversion of the dog-eat-dog world of business and politics. Maintaining a place of refuge and shelter in the wilderness, open and free for all people to come together as strangers and share each other’s company as friends, to help one-another and share tales and experiences, is a proud assertion and reminder of humanity in a world where humanity too often seems in danger of being overwhelmed by fear and greed." - cairngormwanderer

Monday words: sapid, vapid

[ersatz-read.livejournal.com]

sapid (săp′ĭd), adj.
1.  a. Affecting the organs of taste; possessing flavor
     b.  having a strong agreeable flavor,
2. Agreeable to the mind.

Etymology:  1600s, from Latin sapidus, savory, and sapere, to taste

vapid (văp′ĭd, vā′pĭd), adj.
1.  Lacking liveliness, animation, or force; dull.
2. Lacking taste or flavor.

Etymology:  1600s, from Latin vapidus, flat tasting, and vappa, stale wine.

Such words take me back to my college days, and discussions of designing codes where errors are easy to detect and correct.  Sapid' and 'vapid', while meaning very different things, can be confused through just a single typo or a little static.  Bad code, no cookie.

Oh, and...although I don't always get around to replying to comments on these posts, I do always read (and appreciate) them.  The reason I don't reply is because lately I've only been online (outside of work) one day a week - so by the time I get back to your comment, people have moved on.  If it's a question, I'll try to do better and at least respond to those.  Thanks!