Some Worlds are Ruddier than others.....and I should know.......

rubicund - adjective:
Inclining to redness; ruddy; red.

Rubicund from his cocktail, big, broad, lustrous with power, he exuded what Walter Pater called the "charm of an exquisite character, felt in some way to be inseparable from his person."
-- Edmund Morris, Dutch: A Memoir of Ronald Reagan

This word has special meaning for me.........Today was a beautiful autumn day in Vancouver and we went down to the littoral for a walk - the sun was shining and I became instantly rubicund from the experience. I have always had a ruddy disposition - big round red cheeks - the kind that are endearing (sort of) in a young child, but embarassing in an adult. Last year while I was visiting in Kansas, the redness was joined by roving bumps and severe itchiness. The redness magnified to hyper-rubicundness. Yep - it was rosacea. So - the next time you see the word rubicund, you can think of me. This word did make me wonder about the word "rubicon" - was the river red?