Submitted by Sebastian Beckwith, founder of In Pursuit of Tea, a company dedicated to "exploring remote regions to supply the finest artisanal teas."

Fire	Moldy
Steam	Yeasty
Wither	Sour
Roast	Sweet
Oxidize	Floral
Ferment	Fruity
Flush	Spicy
Skiff	Savory
Steep	Citric
Infuse	Caramel
Strain	Nutty
Earthy	Vegetal
Barn	Burnt
Mushroom	Smoky

As a reader, the first garden that meant anything to me was The Secret Garden written by Frances Hodgson Burnett. It was more than magical, it was deeply mysterious: locked up and hidden behind a stone wall with overgrown trees that reached for the sky.

It was the first mystery I'd ever heard read to me and opened up a floodgate of questions. Why was the garden locked? Why wasn't the lord of the manor ever home? What was the very secret hinted at in the title?

And so began my love of mysteries, forever intertwining suspense and gardens for me.

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This entry comes from an outstanding blog called Gangrey that describes itself as "prolonging the slow death of newspapers." It highlights great writing from papers across the country. This entry appeared on 07/26/05:

Just how many stories ARE there? Got in the mail in a package from Amazon.com a big fat book called The Seven Basic Plots. In it a dorky British guy named Christopher Booker says that's how many stories there are.

1. Rebirth
2. Tragedy
3. Comedy
4. The Quest
5. Voyage and Return
6. Rags to Riches
7. Overcoming the Monster

That's it.

Discuss.

Check out this lesson plan that uses the Visual Thesaurus. It was graciously submitted by Gina Peebles, a high school english teacher at the Continuous Learning Center in Camden, South Carolina. She calls it "Caught'ya." (Thank you, Gina!)

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Gina Peebles teaches English at the Continuous Learning Center in Camden, South Carolina. It's an alternative school for problem students expelled from the district's junior high and high schools. Gina's a "core academic" teacher, the only English instructor at the school. She works with fifty students and teaches many different levels, often in the same classroom. Gina has to get creative to get through to these challenging students. So she puts technology - and the Visual Thesaurus - to work in her classroom in innovative ways. She explains how.

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Starting today you'll notice a big change on our subscriber homepage: A new magazine dedicated to people passionate about words -- people like you! In the coming weeks we'll post features about writing, teaching, learning, creating -- and much more. We hope you enjoy our new look.

We also want to hear from you: Please let us know what you think. And if you're interested in contributing, please let us know, too.

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250 years ago this month, on May 15th 1756, the tipping point in widespread European conflict came when England declared war on France and her allies, marking the official beginning of what came to be called the Seven Years' War. In commemoration, the Lounge has gone massively rococo with mock Chippendale furniture, and secured perukes for all the gentlemen and ruffs for the ladies. The Visual Thesaurus is celebrating by collecting together and examine all things seven.  Continue reading...