A Navy veteran recalls hearing the Southern expression fat lighter from his wife’s family in Troy, Alabama. It denotes an old, resin-rich pine wood that becomes highly flammable as it ages. Fat lighter is prized as kindling and often called fat...
A man who takes daily walks in the woods of upstate New York wants a word for the whooshing of the pines high above their heads. The hosts suggest the Latin-based word susurration, although they might also have suggested soughing. This is part of a...
park v.— «Trim branches six feet from the ground. This practice, known as “parking” a tree, prevents ground fires from igniting leaves or needles on higher tree limbs.» —“Busy day for San Joaquin Valley firefighters” by Emilie Raguso Modesto...

