May is a wonderful month. The weather is warm but not yet too hot. There’s so many great things to celebrate starting with the first and going always through the end of the month. So let’s hop right to it, shall we? Here’s your May Calendar of Special Days.
May

1.  National Foster Care Day, May Day, Law Day, National Loyalty Day, National Mother Goose Day, School Principals’ Day.
2. National Truffle Day (Chocolate or the mushroom kind?).
3. National Textiles Day, National Garden Meditating Day, National Lumpy Rug Day, National Paranormal Day, National Specially-Abled Pets Day, National Two Different Colored Shoes Day.
4. Bird Day, National Candied Orange Peel Day, National Orange Juice Day, National Star Wars Day, National Space Day, National Weather Observers Day, School Lunch Hero Day, National Renewal Day.
5. National Astronaut Day, National Silence The Shame Day, National Cartoonists Day, Cinco De Mayo, Join Hands Day, National Bombshells’ Day, National Totally Chipotle Day, National Scrapbook Day, National Train Day, National Start Seeing Monarchs Day. (Whew! That’s a lot of things to celebrate in just 24 hours!)
6. National Beverage Day, National Crepe Suzette Day, National Nurses Day, National Lemonade Day.
7. National Barrier Day, National packaging Design Day, National Paste-Up Day.
8. National Coconut Cream Pie Day, National Have a Coke Day, National Student Nurse Day, National Teacher Appreciation Day.
9. National Sleepover Day, National Lost Sock Memorial Day (RIP), National School Nurse Day, National Bike To School Day.
10. National Clean Up Your Room Day.
11. National Eat What You Want Day, National Twilight Zone Day, National Provider Appreciation Day.
12. National Dog (frog, too?) Mom’s Day, National Limerick Day, National Odometer Day, National Archery Day, National Birth Mother’s Day.
13. National Frog Jumping Day (!!), Mother’s Day, National Apple Pie Day.
14. National Buttermilk Biscuit Day, National Dance Like A Chicken Day, National Underground America Day.
15. National Chocolate Chip Day, Peace Officers Memorial Day.
16. National Juice Slush Day, National Biographer’s Day, National Love A Tree Day, National Sea Monkey Day.
17. National Graduation Tassel Day, National Cherry Cobbler Day, National Pack Rat Day.
18. National No Dirty Dishes Day, National Visit Your Relatives Day, National Bike To Work Day, National Endangered Species Day, National Pizza Party Day, NASCAR Day.
19. National May Ray Day, National Learn To Swim Day.
20. National Rescue Dog Day, National Be A Millionaire Day, National Pick Strawberries Day, National Take Your Parents To The Playground Day.
21. National American Red Cross Founder’s Day, National Memo Day, National Waitstaff Day.
22. National Solitaire Day, National Buy A Musical Instrument Day, National Maritime Day.
23. National Lucky Penny Day, National Taffy Day, Emergency Medical Services For Children Day.
24. National Scavenger Hunt Day, Brothers Day, Red Nose Day.
25. National Brown-Bag It Day, National Missing Children’s Day, National Tap Dance Day, Towel Day, National Don’t Fry Day, National Heat Awareness Day.
26. National Blueberry Cheesecake Day. (Or make this a celebratory day of your own choosing!)
27. National Cellophane Tape Day, National Grape Popsicle Day.
28. Memorial Day (US), National Hamburger Day.
29. National Paperclip Day.
30. National Creativity Day, National Hole In My Bucket Day, National Water A Flower Day (Just not with the aforementioned bucket…), National Senior Health And Fitness Day.
31. National Autonomous Vehicle Day, National Save Your Hearing Day, National Speak In Sentences Day.

What did I tell you? Isn't May a wonderful month? There are some really awesome days to celebrate. National Frog Jumping Day is definitely going to be at the top of my list. After I've given my choices a little thought, I'm hopping off to the party store to gather all my supplies. I wish you a wonderful month ahead and don't forget to check back for my June Calendar of Special Days. As always, I wish everyone 
​                                                                        Peace.
                       

​The weekend is finally here! And I’m really excited because this weekend my plans include roller skating with my little brother Quigley and a few of his friends. I enjoy hanging out with them and we always have a great time, no matter what we do.
Roller skating is, as you probably know, traveling over surfaces with small wheels that are attached to your flippers, or foot as the case might be. And while it is considered a recreational activity, it can be used as a means of transportation. In the United States, and many other countries as well, traditional roller skating was popular between the years of 1935 and the early 1960’s. Then, in the 1970’s, when polyurethane wheels were invented and combined with the popular disco music of the day, a new craze was born. Indoor roller rinks became the popular hangout for kids and teens. This was the new rage until the 1990’s when in-line roller skating moved back outside.
But 1935 wasn’t the beginning of roller skates. In fact, the first recorded use was much earlier…1743 when a pair of roller skates was used on stage in a London play. The investor of those early skates is unknown. The first recorded invention of a roller skate was in 1760. They were designed by John Joseph Merlin. These primitive skates were the inline variety and had two small metal wheels. In 1818, roller skates were seen on the ballet stage in Berlin, Germany. In 1823, Robert John Tyres patented the first pair of roller skates. They were called the Rolito. These skates each had five wheels in a row that were attached to a shoe or boot. By 1857, roller skating had become so popular that two roller rinks were opened in London; The Strand and Floral Hall.  From the mid-1800’s through the mid-1900’s many improvements were made and skates kept improving. “During the late 1980s and early 1990s, the Rollerblade-branded skates became so successful that they inspired many other companies to create similar inline skates, and the inline design became more popular than the traditional quads (two set of two wheels side-by-side in the front and two side-by-side sets in the rear). The Rollerblade skates became synonymous in the minds of many with "inline skates" and skating, so much so that many people came to call any form of skating "Rollerblading," thus making it a generic term for roller skating“
There are different types of roller skating, many of which are just like ice skating; figures, dance, and freestyle. Competitive roller skating can be done as singles, pairs, or groups. And let’s not forget speed skating, roller hockey, and roller derby. Who knew there was so much to learn about this seemingly simple activity?
Quigley, his friends, and I will go to the “Swamp Thing”  roller rink on Saturday as the DJ spins some of the latest tunes. Afterwards, we’ll go out for ice cream and a little bro-bonding time. These weekend activities with family are what make life really special. I hope that whatever your plans include this weekend, you’ll have the opportunity to spend some quality time just hangin’ out with your family. I invite you join me back here on Monday…provided I don’t wind up with any broken bones!
Until then, I wish you a safe and peaceful weekend.

​One of my favorite things to eat isn’t bugs, as you might expect. Although I do love those, I am inclined to favor grilled fruits and vegetables. I know, I know…odd for a frog, but that’s just me. I wondered about gilling and barbeque so I spent a little time researching the history and I found some interesting facts. With May just around the corner and backyard cookouts and family fun in full swing, I thought I’d use today’s blog  and give you some fun BBQ facts.
Since the advent of mankind, humans have been cooking their food over an open flame. And, not surprisingly, nearly every country, including Land of Lily Pad, has some developed their own version of barbeque. We don’t know who was the first to invent it nor do we know when the first barbeque happened. There are, however, several countries and cultures where modern-day barbeque probably got its roots. The two biggest influences will be 19th-century America with her cowboys, and the Caribbean Islands. Two places that seem worlds apart.
Trail hands working their way across America’s western frontier were given daily rations of not the greatest cuts of meat. Cowboys, being the clever and resourceful breed they are, learned that slow roasting could vastly improve stringy cuts of beef like brisket. They soon found that other cuts of meat like pork butt, pork ribs, beef ribs, venison, and goat also were improved with five to seven hours of slow cooking. Barbeque has become so wildly popular that several regions of the US vie for the title of Best barbeque; Kansas City vs. Texas vs. Low Country (the area along the coast of South Carolina).
Even though Americans take their BBQ very seriously, that doesn’t mean they invented it. The Arawakan Indians of the West Indian island of Hispaniola have slow-roasted meats on a grill they call a barbacoa for over 300 years! Barbacoa is just a short linguistic “hop” to the word barbeque. But let’s not stop there. Some same the word barbeque comes from Medieval France, “stemming from the Old Anglo-Norman word barbeque a contraction of the old-French expression ‘barbe-à-queue,’ or, ‘from the beard to the tail,’ referring to how a whole animal was speared before being cooked, spit-style, over a fire.” But this is all conjecture, as no one is really certain of the origin of the word.
And if deciding who and when barbeque first occurred wasn’t a challenging enough, we also have to decide on wood or charcoal. For many centuries, wood was the preferred method of slow-roasting meat. Even today most barbeque aficionados still prefer using wood. The type of wood used imparts its own particular flavor into the meat; mesquite, hickory,  pecan, apple, and oak to name just a few. Ellsworth B. A. Zwoyer of Pennsylvania is responsible for making the lives of backyard barbequers easier. In 1897, Mr. Zwoyer patented a design for charcoal briquettes and even managed to build a few factories to produce them prior to World War I.  If you prefer to grill using charcoal briquettes, you now know who to thank!
Whether you’re a carnivore or a vegetarian, backyard grilling has something to offer you. One of the tastiest items to grill is fresh fruit; peaches and pineapple do especially well when cooked over a flame. Heck, I’ve even heard of some folks grilling heads of Romaine lettuce! Famous celebrity chef Gordon Ramsey might beg to differ on that point, but like I always say, “To each their own.” If you haven’t tried grilling with wood yet, you may want to give it try this summer. And vice-versa for all you wood-loving backyard grillers. Using charcoal briquettes can be a new, and faster, adventure.
I invite you back tomorrow but, as always, until then I wish you
                                                                               Peace. 

I've been exceptionally busy these past few weeks and I don't know where the time has gone. It seems that I just wake up and it's already time to go to bed. But with everything I've had to do, it seems like I've gotten nothing accomplished. When I woke up this morning and realized that it was already Wednesday, the day my wise teacher The Dharma Frog comes for my weekly lesson, I was happy that I had prepared and frozen a few breakfast meals a couple of weeks ago. There had been no time to shop and there was little food in the fridge or pantry. I hopped out bed, got something delicious out of the freezer, turned the oven, got the tea kettle going, and by the time I'd done my morning ablutions, Dharma was already here. 
"Good morning, Tadpole. It's a lovely day, my young friend, but I must say you look a bit frazzled." "Well, Dharma, to tell you the truth, I have been running myself a bit ragged lately. Does it show?" "Dharma smiled and replied, "Yes, Irwin. You're looking a bit haggard. I think this might be the perfect topic for our lesson today. A frog's candle that burns twice as bright, burns half as long." About then, the timer went off on my oven. I pulled out the nicely warmed breakfast, poured out tea, and as we sat to down eat, my lesson began.
"Son, do you understand what I'm trying to tell you? Your friends the humans might say something like 'Rome wasn't built in a day' or 'Slow and steady wins the race.' They often use the classic Hare and Tortoise fable to illustrate the point. But instead of a rabbit, it could just as well have been a frog."
As we ate, Dharma explained to me that rushing around, trying to do too much, often accomplishes less. And the work we do put out isn't always our best quality. There are times in our lives, certainly, where we find we need to hurry a bit more. Humans like to talk about the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, for example, but rushing all the time is a good way to burn oneself out. Whether it's studying too much, working long hours at the job, or spending too much time at the gym trying to achieve the perfect body, we may see temporary gains but in the long-run, we often wind up feeling fatigued and wasted. When we don't intersperse relaxation and joy into our daily activities, life passes us by. The simple pleasure of "stopping to smell the roses" is what makes our time here on Earth pleasurable. But we miss out on these things when we rush to accomplish too much too quickly.
Working slowly and deliberately, taking the time to enjoy each task will not only get us to the finish line but we'll arrive there feeling less stressed and more refreshed....just like the tortoise. As for the hare, sure he had time to take a nap but in the end, his rushing to get ahead of the tortoise didn't get him the win he was so sure he'd achieve. Whatever difficulties we have in life and whatever hurdles we face, we can still finish as big winners by taking the time necessary to enjoy the journey, learn from our mistakes, and to see our obstacles as opportunities rather than hindrances, each of us will be happier, more productive, and probably accomplish more than we ever thought we could. Rome wasn't built in a day. If it was, the Colosseum, Spanish Steps, and the Roman Forum wouldn't still be will us today. I'll take quality over quantity any day!
Dharma hung around this morning and helped me clean up. As we were washing the dishes, he asked me if I would promise him that I'd spend more time relaxing. I agreed. I know I often try to do too much and then I feel rushed and tired. As soon as he left, I put my usual morning routine on hold and called my mom. I made plans to spend some quality time this weekend hangin' out with my younger brother, and enjoying the love and companionship of my parents. Life is good when you slow down and take a little time to enjoy the simple pleasures. The hurried frog would well to hop beside his turtle friend rather than try to get ahead.
I hope to see you back here tomorrow. Until then, I wish you
​                                                                      Peace.

Little Quigley came home from school yesterday and proudly announced that he was going to play the fiddle. Mom, of course, was shocked, as was I when I heard about it. Quigley has never, to my knowledge, ever expressed any interest in playing music, much less wanting a violin! I sat down with my little brother and asked him if he knew anything about violins. He looked at me strangely and asked about the violin. I explained that "violin" was the real name for a fiddle. He looked shocked, then a little disappointed; I could sense he was just now connecting the fiddle/violin to classical music which he hasn't yet developed a taste for. So we had a chat about the history of the beautiful and noble violin.
It's not known if the violin was inspired by the Byzantine lyra (similar to the lyre, the bowed Medieval instrument called the rebec, or the stringed instrument of the Renaissance period called the lira de braccio. What we do know is that the earliest version of the violin emerged in Italy in the early 1500's. Andrea Amati is credited with its creation.  
Amati lived in Cremona, Italy where he apprenticed as a lute maker. By 1525, he had become a master instrument maker. The prominent Medici family commissioned him to make them an instrument similar to the lute but easier to play.  "He standardized the basic form, shape, size, materials, and method of construction of the violin. His designs gave the modern violin family its look today but had vast differences. The early violins had a shorter, thicker, and less angled neck. The fingerboard was shorter, the bridge was flatter, and the strings were made of gut." Catherine Medici, Regent of France, purchased at least 14 of these early violins. They are still in existence today. 
During the 17th an 18th centuries, the "art of violin making" reached its peak. The Italians Antonio Stradivari, Giuseppe Guarneri, as well as the Austrian Jacob Stainer are the most noted violin makers of this period. Stradivari is probably the best known among lay people. It's interesting to note that Stradivari was an apprentice to Nicolo Amati, Andrea Amati's grandson. In 2012, a Guarneri violin sold at auction for $16 million and in 2011, a Stradivari sold for  $15.9 million.
At first, the violin was not a popular instrument and was actually considered to be of low-status...an instrument of the common people. Composers of the 1600's featured the violin in his operas and the popularity of the instrument began to rise. The violins' prestige continued to soar during the Baroque period when major composers began dedicating time to writing pieces for the violin.
Fast-forward to the mid-1800's and once lowly violin was now enjoying a vital place in musical ensembles. In the hands of virtuoso violinists during the 19th century, the beautiful violin continued to gain fame and popularity. In the 20th century, notable violinists like Itzhak Perlman and Issac Stern brought a love of the violin to the masses. Fiddlin' John Carson, an American old-time fiddler and singer recorded what is believed to be the first country music song featuring vocals and lyrics. The use of the fiddle in American folk music dates back, however, to the early settlers who found that the small viol family of instruments were both portable and rugged.
After explaining the brief history of the violin to my little brother, I asked him if he was still as eager to play the fiddle? After mulling over my question for a moment or two, Quigley, Jr. decided that the fiddle was still a "pretty cool" instrument. So Mom, and Dad, I suggest you get yourself some extra-sturdy earplugs. You're gonna need 'em for awhile.
Tomorrow is, of course, Wednesday and that means Dharma will be here for my weekly lesson. I hope you'll stop by and see what he has in store for me. Until then, I wish you all
                                                                    Peace.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Earth Day. As we do each year, my parents, little brother, and I planted trees; one for each of us. We work hard in Land of Lily Pad to preserve, protect, and respect our home. I hope more humans will quickly see the need to do the same...before it's too late to save our planet. The frogs of Lily Pad can't do it alone.
Now, on to my Monday blog.
There's a part of the world that most of us have little reason to pay attention to. It doesn't often make the news and is pretty remote from most places. Where is it? It's Oceania, a region located in the South Pacific Ocean. It's comprised of many different islands that cover more than 3.3 million square miles (8.5 million sq. km). These islands and groups of islands are both countries and dependencies...territories of other foreign nations. There are 14 countries that comprise Oceania...the largest one is Australia which is not just a country but also a continent. The smallest one is Nauru. But like all landmasses, these islands constantly change and do have some small risk of disappearing entirely due to rising sea levels. How many of the other 12 countries can you name? (I have to say here that I could name only a few.) Here's the list of the 14, ranging in size from the largest to the smallest.
1.  Australia - Area: 2,988,901 square miles (7,741,220 sq km) Population: 23,232,413
2. Papua New Guinea - Area: 178,703 square miles (462,840 sq km) Population: 6,909,701. Ulawun, one of Papua New Guinea's volcanoes, has been deemed a Decade Volcano by the International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth's Interior (IAVCEI). Decade volcanoes are those that are historically destructive and close to populated areas, so they merit intensive study, according to the IAVCEI.
3.  New Zealand - Area: 103,363 square miles (267,710 sq km) Population: 4,510,327. The larger island of New Zealand, South Island, is the 14th largest island in the world. North Island, though, is where about 75 percent of the population lives.
4.  Solomon Islands - Area: 11,157 square miles (28,896 sq km) Population: 647,581.The Solomon Islands contain more than 1,000 islands in the archipelago, and some of the nastiest ​fighting of World War II occurred there.
5.  Fiji - Area: 7,055 square miles (18,274 sq km) Population: 920,938. Fiji has some of the best climate found anywhere in the world; average high temperatures there range from 80 to 89 F, and lows span 65 to 75 F. 
6.  Vanuatu - Area: 4,706 square miles (12,189 sq km) Population: 282,814. Sixty-five of Vanuatu's 80 islands are inhabited, and about 75 percent of the population lives in rural areas.
​7. Samoa - Area: 1,093 square miles (2,831 sq km) Population: 200,108.  Western Samoa gained its independence in 1962, the first in Polynesia to do so in the 20th century. The country officially dropped "Western" from its name in 1997.
8.  Kiribati - Area: 313 square miles (811 sq km) Population: 108,145. Kiribati used to be called The Gilbert Islands when it was under the dominion of the British. Upon its full independence in 1979 (it had been granted self-rule in 1971), the country changed its name.  
9. Tonga - Area: 288 square miles (747 sq km) Population: 106,479. Tonga was devastated by Tropical Cyclone Gita, a category 4 hurricane, the biggest storm ever to hit it, in February 2018. The country is home to about 106,000 people on 45 of 171 islands. Early estimates suggested that 75 percent of homes in the capital (population about 25,000) were destroyed. 
10.  Federated States of Micronesia - Area: 271 square miles (702 sq km) Population: 104,196.  Micronesia's archipelago has four main groups among its 607 islands. Most people live ​in the coastal areas of the high islands; the mountainous interiors are largely uninhabited. 
11.  Palau -Area: 177 square miles (459 sq km) Population: 21,431. The Palau coral reefs are under study for their ability to withstand ocean acidification caused by climate change.
12.  Marshall Islands - Area: 70 square miles (181 sq km) Population: 74,539. The Marshall Islands contain historically significant World War II battlegrounds, and Bikini and Enewetak islands are where atomic bomb testing took place in the 1940s and 1950s.
13.  Tuvalu - 10 square miles (26 sq km) Population: 11,052.Rain catchment and wells provide the low-elevation island's only potable water.  
14.  Nauru - Area: 8 square miles (21 sq km) Population: 11,359. Extensive mining of phosphate has made 90 percent of Nauru unsuited to agriculture.
While the whole world is starting to feel the effects of climate change, the Oceania islands are very vulnerable. Eventually, entire islands can be consumed by rising sea levels. But it's more than just slowly rising water. Flooding and higher tides can cause saltwater to seep into freshwater aquifers causing a lack of drinking water and can adversely affect agriculture. Flooding will destroy homes as was evident in the February tropical cyclone that nearly wiped out the capital of Tonga.
Australia, New Zealand, and Fiji are popular with tourists, but the entire area of Oceania is a bountiful region filled with beautiful landscapes that are home to many species of animals.
​You are all invited back here tomorrow. Until then, I wish you
                                                                         Peace.

​Briney, Amanda. "Discover Oceania's 14 Countries by Area." ThoughtCo, Apr. 16, 2018, thoughtco.com/oceania-countries-size-4159351.

I love Earth Day. I look forward to it all year long. It's a day where we can all pay just a little closer attention to this beautiful planet that we call home. Earth sustains and nurtures us, just like every good mother does. But what I like best about her is that she doesn't love one group of her children more than any of the others. It doesn't matter who you are, what you look like, or even what you believe, she loves you just the same. I dare say she even loves the climate change naysayers.  I've written a great deal, through these past few years, about Mother Nature and why we need to protect her. This year I thought it would be fun to do something a little different. So I've assembled a few interesting facts that you may not know,
1.  Earth isn't flat, but it isn't perfect round either. The variation in size is way too small to be seen in pictures of Earth taken from space so it looks nice and perfectly round. But it really isn't.
2.  The days are getting longer. No, not just because it's spring, although that is true. When the earth was formed about 4.6 billion years ago, the days were approximately 6 hours long. By 620 million years ago, days had increased to 21.9 hours. Today, the average day is about 24 hours long. That means that every 100 years, days gain 1.7 milliseconds. Sorry, but it won't be enough to help with your busy schedule!
3.  Earth's gravity isn't uniform.  If earth were a perfect sphere, the gravitational pull would be the same everywhere. But since the earth's surface is bumpy, and with water flow, ice drifts, and movement of the tectonic plates beneath the Earth's crust all lead to changes in gravitational pull. This causes gravity to be stronger in places like the Himalayas and, conversely, dips in the land caused by glaciers millennia ago, cause the gravity to be somewhat less strong.
4.  A whopping 96.5% of all water on Earth lies in our four oceans. At any given time, though, 0.001% of water is floating above us in the atmosphere. If all that water fell at once, the entire planet would receive only 1 inch of rain!
5.  Most freshwater is in ice. Only 3.5% of Earth's water is freshwater with few dissolved salts.  Over 68% of our freshwater is locked up in ice and glaciers. Another 30% is in groundwater.
​6.  Some water may have come from comets.  The rocky material that formed Earth contained some water but that doesn't account for all the water we see today. Comets are made mostly of water ice and it's entirely possible that these comets made regular "water deliveries" to Earth. it would have taken a lot of comets to fill our oceans but  comets could well have made big contributions. Thanks, guys!
7.  Coral reefs are busy underwater ecosystems. Some humans call them the "rainforests of the sea." Corals look like rocks but they are actually animals. They have hard calcium carbonate skeletons, just like clams.  And they form a base for lots of other animals to live. Corals reefs are beautiful and very fragile; they are easily affected by pollution.
8.  Freshwater ecosystems have rare species.  Ponds, lakes, streams, and rivers are home to lots of species that can't live in salt water. many kinds of frogs (like yours truly), fish, insects, and other microscopic organisms such as amoebas, call these places home. And did you know that in Asia and South America these freshwater ecosystems are home to a rare breed of river dolphins? In North America, you'll find otters, and beavers call freshwater home in both North America as well as Europe. Australia has platypuses. All these rare and lovely creatures rely on freshwater to survive.
9.  Boreal forests are home to lots of trees. Much of North America, Europe, and Asia is considered temperate...not too hot and not too cold, with distinct seasons. They lie between the Arctic and the subtropics so the climate makes this region the perfect place for many different kinds of trees. Pine, spruce and larch stay green all year and have needles instead of leaves. Bears, porcupines, and even eagles call these forests home.
10. Half of the world's species live in tropical rainforests.  The tropical rainforests near the equator are always warm and wet. These key ingredients are needed for lush plants and trees. half of all the world's species call these forests home. That makes for a busy ecosystem! Many of these creatures can only be found in these tropical rainforests...and nowhere else on earth. Did you know that plants in these tropical rainforests produce 40% of Earth's oxygen?
I hope you enjoyed these Earth Day facts. Every April 22 those humans (and all other critters) who are passionate about restoring and preserving the Earth's health come together to celebrate Earth Day. The very first one was celebrated in the United States in 1970. Today, the Earth Day movement has spread across the world and it is now known as International Earth Day. It has grown into the largest secular observance in world, reaching more than 1 billion people annually.
I'm proud to be a part of the celebration and do what i can to help protect our planet. I hope you'll join me this year and participate in an Earth Day event near you.
Happy Earth Day, everyone! See you back here on Monday.
                                                                 Peace.

The other day, I heard my little brother Quigley say something that made me smile. He was taking about being an "escape goat" for some bullies in his school. I was, of course, very concerned that other young froglets might be bothering my little bro, but what I was smiling about was his use of the term "escape" goat. It's the exact same thing I said when I was his age. We're so alike in many ways and very different in others. That made me think that looking into the origin and meaning of the word scapegoat might be kind of fun. After a little research, I found a few interesting facts that I'll share with you.
The definition of a scapegoat is, "anyone who is blamed for the wrongdoings, mistakes, or faults of others, especially for reasons of expediency." Expediency means convenient or practical...being in the right place at the wrong time. Sociologists have documented that scapegoating "often occurs between groups when a society is plagued by long-term economic problems or when resources are scarce," This fact is so common throughout human history that "scapegoat theory" was developed as a way to understand conflicts between groups. And, unfortunately, it still holds true today. 
The term scapegoat is biblical in its origin, coming from the Book of Leviticus. it is said that a goat was sent was sent into the desert carrying the sins of the community. The Hebrew term "azazel"  translates into "sender away of sins." Originally, a scapegoat was a person or animal who absorbed the sins of others and carried them away for the person(s) who actually committed them. There are four different ways scapegoating takes place, or scapegoats are created.
1.   One-on-one. This is where one person blames another for something they or someone else did. This is the most among children who will, traditionally, seek to avoid the shame of disappointing their parents and thus avoid the punishment that will follow, They will blame a sibling or friend for their misdeed.
2.  One-on-group. This happens when a person blames a group for something that happened. This form of scapegoating most often "reflects racial, ethnic, religious, or anti-immigrant biases." We see this in the workplace, sports teams, and within our own communities. 
3.  One-on-one in groups. This occurs when a group of individuals blames someone else for a problem they didn't cause. This was the cause with Quigley, Jr.  Another example might be when a black person gets promoted over a white person at work and all the whites feel that the black person was receiving preferential treatment because of his color.
And lastly,
4.  Group-on-group. This often happens in gang "turf wars."  it is also very common within political and economic groups (the classic us versus them). It can also "manifest itself across lines of race, ethnicity, religion, or national origin." 
Scapegoating is prevalent today. We read about in the news all the time. It is becoming increasingly common in political circles for one group to blame another group for the ills of the entire country. No one ever wants to accept any blame for what happened.
I'm happy to say that we managed to get Little Quigley's problem taken care of. He's no longer being scapegoated by the bullies in his school. Quigley also knows that an "escape goat" is something that doesn't really exist. Unless you're riding one in an attempt to flee. In which case you're probably going to get caught anyway; goats aren't known for their for being speedy.
                                                                     Peace.

​Crossman, Ashley. "Definition of Scapegoat, Scapegoating, and Scapegoat Theory." ThoughtCo, Apr. 8, 2018, thoughtco.com/scapegoat-definition-3026572.

I really didn't want to get up this morning. For some reason, I'm kind of tired. But, it is Wednesday and that meant my teacher and mentor, The Dharma frog would be here and I needed to get up and breakfast prepared. I'd seen a new recipe that sounded good so I figured today was as good a day as any to try it. As I was preparing it, I put the tea on to brew. I set the table and hoped that Dharma would like this new breakfast concoction. His opinion means a great deal to me.
After we arrived, and we exchanged our greetings, we sat down to our meal. "This looks wonderful, Irwin! Is it a new recipe?" "Yes, Sir," I replied, "But you probably won't like it." "Why do you say that Tadpole? Don't I always like the food you prepare?" I thought about it, then answered, "Yes, you do like my cooking, but this is a little weird and I'm quite sure you won't like it. But that's okay. I can prepare you something else....I have a backup plan." Dharma took a bite and smiled. "This is actually quite good. But I'm sensing that you're being cynical this morning. That's not your usual your nature. This might be a good subject for our lesson today. Inside every cynical frog, there is a disappointed realist. Do you understand what I'm getting at?" I thought about it, scratched my chin a little, then responded, "I know that a realist is someone who takes a situation at face value, then acts accordingly. So if someone is a disappointment realist that I guess it means that the situation didn't turn out as they expected. Am I close?"
Dharma agreed. Well, in part anyway. He explained to me that a cynic or cynicism always contains the presence of negativity. When given the choice, a cynical frog or human will always pick doubt or disbelief. And they'll always try to discredit what happened, even if there's no logical reason to. They already have their mind made up that things will go wrong before waiting for the event to unfold and then reaching a logical conclusion.  "Son, I read your blog yesterday about kindness and it made me think, Most of the same tips you gave for being kind are the same tips or rules for becoming less cynical. That's not a coincidence. Kindness means being open to others while cynicism means being closed off. The world today can seem like it's spinning off its axis and that can make even the most compassionate among us look at life in a far more cynical way"
I hadn't thought about it that way, but it made sense. Dharma proceeded to give me these helpful rules for lessening cynicism and opening the door for optimism.
1.  Recognize the problem. We can't change until we recognize the problem. Some folks can drift through their entire lives without realizing what miserable old coots they are. So if you've already recognized and accepted that you have a problem in this area, congratulations! You've already completed the first step toward change.
​2.  Recognize each cynical thought. Once you recognize that you can be a bit of a cynic, use mindfulness and pay attention each time a cynical thought pops into your head. The idea here is to become more conscious of your thoughts. When you do, you can easily identify which ones are the problems and then choose to think something different.
3.  Use logic. Logic is a wonderful tool and one that is underutilized. Ninety-nine percent of our depression, anxiety, hatred, dread, and negativity can be wiped out with logic. If you debate your cynicism using logic, your negativity won't have much of a fighting chance!
4.  Choose to be an optimist. Being positive makes life better. Every good thing in life comes from making a positive decision. remember that. Negativity breeds negativity. Think positively and the sun will pop off from behind those dark clouds.
5.  Focus on the good qualities of others. Frogs and humans alike have loads of good qualities. So why bother to hunt for, then focus on, the few one ones? Everybody's got good attributes. Doesn't it make sense to put your attention on them? Why go looking for reasons to be gloomy?
"Irwin, cynical humans...frogs, too...generally have a poorer quality of life with an unpleasant job, few friends, and a non-existent social life. This type of "black hole" existence can all be changed. But it requires action and the desire and courage to change. Only we can make those changes. No one else can do this for us." 
After Dharma left, as I cleaned up my kitchen, I thought about what he'd said. Generally, I'm not a cynical frog, and I know I don't want to become one. So I will begin to watch my negative thinking. And when I have one, like this morning, I know that I can make the choice to change it into one that's positive and more hopeful. And isn't having a positive life a lot better than always thinking the worst? Until tomorrow, Dharma and I wish everyone
                                                             Peace, love, and positivity.

Rudeness is rampant in the 21st century. Long gone are the days when civility was a commonplace occurrence. I know I catch myself doing and saying things that I later regret; things I know came across as rude and unkind. I wanted to find a way to become a better version of my froggy self. I found many articles on the subject but one stuck out in my mind. And it seemed pretty easy to do. So, today, I'm sharing with you what I've learned about showing more kindness toward others.
Most of us know that what we put out there in the universe is pretty much what we get back. It's called Karma or "what goes around comes around."  It's pretty easy to show love and kindness to those who are closest to us. But it's not always easy to show kindness to strangers...especially the ones who've just irritated the heck out of us. Here are five simple reminders to help us all be better humans and better frogs.
1.  Reserve judgment.  Learn to keep an open mind. Don't hang on so tightly to the things you know. Be willing and open to listening to points of view that are different. We can't always be right, no matter how much we want to me. So loosen up and let others be right once in awhile.
2.  Give others a chance to talk. Why is it that we always want to tell everybody everything we know but never offer them the same courtesy?  We can "surprise and delight" others by keeping an open mind and a closed mouth.  One simple version of a random act of kindness could be to simply listen. it doesn't cost anything yet its value is limitless.  What do I mean by listening? using both ears and engaging your brain; really hearing what they say. And no matter how tempting it may be to break in and express your opinion...or to simply correct the...DON'T. Don't make this about you.
3.  Be honest. Being kind means being honest. Honestly doesn't have to equal being snarky or mean. Don't give short answers like good or fine. And the one I really dislike is the "very lonely "k"...as if typing or saying "okay" is way too time-consuming. It's been suggested that when someone asks for our opinion or asks us a question that we need to do them the favor of giving an honest reply. This means giving them a proper answer. It can mean being vulnerable. And it means elaborating a little. You needn't "spill your guts" but do go into some detail. Going a little deeper can make the other person feel valued and not like they wasted your time. Remember, you may want someone to take the time to answer a question for you some day; what goes around comes around.
4.  Be selfless.  I know that I get cranky and a bit selfish when I'm hungry. For others, it can happen when they're tired or stressed out. These times are the perfect opportunity for you (and for me) to see just how our actions have an influence on others.  All this takes is to put yourself in the other person's shoes. Then, after seeing things from their perspective, learn to act from a place that's more universal....a place like love or compassion. And finally,
5. turn your attention outward. Instead of focusing on me, me, me...try focusing on the beautiful and often-unnoticed qualities of others. Don't be shy about complimenting the inside beauty you see in others. Congratulate them on their achievements and don't mention your own...I know it's hard, but you can do it! mention their kindness, their compassion, how well they listen or the sound advice they give. There's always something honestly good we can say.
The gift of kindness that you offer a stranger is a gift of kindness you offer the world. Kindness and compassion are traits that we pass on. When someone is kind or helpful to us, we are far more likely to show kindness to someone else. That's a scientific fact. And that is something to really celebrate! Being kind doesn't have to take a lot of effort. It's really pretty simple. And when you start being kinder, others become kinder to you. And that makes life so much better for everyone.
                                                                    Peace.