Building my Vocabulary

Image from colourlovers.com; artist not credited

I'm in the homestretch in the preparations for my docent training and I'm getting excited about heading to the studio.  I have an idea that really wants to come to life, but I'm working through the color scheme.  I know the quilt must include purple but beyond that, I haven't made a decision.  Shall I go with all cool colors?  A tertiary scheme?  A complementary scheme?  Maybe I'll fling fabric about the studio to figure out what works best.  But, being me, I've also been consulting my color guide for ideas.  Did you know the circular organization of the colors is credited to Sir Isaac Newton, back in the early 1700s?  I'd forgotten that Newton was interested in light and wavelengths, and had split sunlight into bands of color using a prism while still a young university student in 1665.  I realized I may have to do a bit more reading to refresh my memory and (re-)build my color and science vocabulary.

I've also realized I have a way to go before I have the command of the English language that I strive for.   I love books. I love the way they smell and the heft in my hand.  I love to fan the edges of the pages.  However, I never anticipated how much I would also love my Kindle.  I can read during my middle-of-the-night insomnia without waking my husband.  And, I love the dictionary that's literally at my fingertips.  The vocabulary builder tracks all the words for which I've solicited a definition.  I looked at the list today and rediscovered some words that I'm hoping to use in a sentence someday.  Here are a few; perhaps you already know them:

susurrations: whispering, murmuring, or rustling, such as the susurrations of the stream

moue: a pouting expression used to convey annoyance or distaste

oubliette: a secret dungeon with access only though a trapdoor in its ceiling

ocarina: a small egg-shaped wind instrument with a mouthpiece and holes for the fingers.  Also called  SWEET POTATO

12-hole Zelda tenor ocarina

I had no idea this instrument was still in production.  It might be fun to learn to play a sweet potato shaped like a Star Trek phaser....