Ferment /ˌfərmənˈt/ Verb to undergo the process by which sugars are broken down into alcohol, lactic acid, or carbon dioxide As I travel through life, I gather experiences that lie imprinted on the deepest strata of memory, and there they ferment, are transformed, and sometimes rise to the surface and sprout like strange plants from other worlds. Isabel Allende (1942-)

Paramount /ˈperəˌmount/ Adjective of vital importance How paramount the future is to the present when one is surrounded by children. Charles Darwin (1809-1882)

Arid /ˈerəd/ Adjective dried, parched, dusty The will to win… the will to achieve…goes dry and arid without continuous renewal. Vince Lombardi (1913-1917)

Wisdom /ˈwizdəm/ Noun noun 1. knowledge and understanding of what is proper or reasonable Patience is the companion of wisdom. Saint Augustine (354-430) 2. understanding, insight The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing. Socrates (470 BC – 390 BC) 3. the quality of having experience, knowledge, and good judgment A loving heart is the truest wisdom. Charles Dickens (1812-1870)

National /ˈnaSHən(ə)l,ˈnaSHn(ə)l/ Adjective of or pertaining to a country A national language is a band of national union. Noah Webster (1758-1843)

Melancholy /ˈmel(ə)nˌkälē/ Adjective/Noun adjective having a feeling of deep sadness A melancholy-looking man, he had the appearance of one who has searched for the leak in life’s gas-pipe with a lighted candle. The Man Upstairs and Other Stories (1914), by P.G. Wodehouse (1881-1975) noun a feeling of deep sadness All changes, even the most longed for, have their melancholy; for what we leave behind... Read More

Oxymoron /ˌäksəˈmôrˌän/ Noun a figure of speech combining two opposite or antithetical terms A cautious creative is an oxymoron. George Lois (1931-2022)

Formation /fôrˈmāSHən/ Noun 1. a creation, the process of being formed Education has for its object the formation of character. Herbert Spencer (1820-1903) 2. an arrangement of something In the right formation, the lifting power of many wings can achieve twice the distance of any bird flying alone. Anonymous

Anonymous /əˈnänəməs/ Noun of unknown name There is no duty we so much underrate as the duty of being happy – by being happy we sow anonymous benefits upon the world. Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894)