June is here and that means school's out (or almost) and the kids will be looking for things to do. Summer is the time for outdoor family fun; swimming, picnics, backyard bar-b-ques, and long, leisurely naps under the shade of your favorite tree. June is also the month when we honor all the dads on Fathers Day. But if all these activities aren't enough, June also offers a wealth of fun, quirky, and just plain weird days that you can celebrate. Just take a look at the June Calendar of Special Days.
June, 2018
1. Nail Polish Day, Olive Day, National Go Barefoot Day, National Penpal Day, National Heimlich Maneuver Day, National Say Something Nice Day, National Leave The Office Early Day.
2. National Black Bear Day, National Bubba Day, National Prairie Day, national Rocky Road Day (I LOVE ice cream).
3. National Repeat Day, National Egg Day, National Cancer Survivor's Day, National Chocolate Macaroon Day.
4.  National Old Maids Day, National SAFE Day (This is a very important day...especially now), National Cheese Day (I wonder if that's a holiday in France? If it isn't, it needs to be).  5.  National Veggie Burger Day, National Gingerbread Day (Is it me, or is this holiday in totally the wrong month???) 
6.  National Eyewear Day, D-Day, National Higher Education Day, National Drive-In Movie Day, National Yo-Yo Day, National Running Day, National Gardening Exercise Day.
7.  National Boone Day, National Chocolate Ice Cream Day (I do love ice cream!), National VCR Day.
8.  National Best Friends Day, National Upsy Daisy Day.
9.  National Earl Day, National Donald Duck Day, National Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie Day (Pie is good...especially with ice cream!).
10. National Ballpoint Pen Day, National Black Cow Day (they're made with, you know...), National Herbs And Spices Day, National Iced Tea Day, National Children's Day.
11. National Making Life Beautiful Day, National Corn On The Cob Day.
12. National Loving Day, National Red Rose Day, National Call Your Doctor Day.
13. National Random Acts of Light Day, National Kitchen Klutzes of America Day, National Weed Your Garden Day.
​14. Army Birthday, National Flag Day, International Bath Day, National Pop Goes The Weasel Day, National Strawberry Shortcake Day (It doesn't involve any ice cream but I still like it!).
15. National Take Back The Lunch Break Day, National Smile Power Day, Nature Photography Day, National Flipper Day...oops! I mean National Flip Flop Day.
16. National Fudge Day. Not much else going on so why not make up your own Special Day?
17. Global Garbage Man Day, National Eat Your Vegetables Day, Father's Day.
18. National Go Fishing Day, National Splurge Day.
19. National FreeBSD, National Watch Day, Juneteenth, National Garfield The Cat Day.
20. National Hike With A Geek Day, National Eagle Day, National Ice Cram Soda Day (I'm not sayin' nothin').
21. National Sea Shell Day - First Day Of Summer, National Selfie Day, Go Skateboarding Day, National Daylight Appreciation Day, National Peaches 'N' Cream Day, National Dump The Pump Day.
22. National Take Your Dog To Work Day, National Onion Rings Day.
23. National Hydration Day, National Pink Day
24. Not much on the agenda for this day so go ahead and think up your own weird and wonderful thing to celebrate!
25. National Leon Day, National Strawberry Parfait Day.
​26. National Beautician's Day, National Chocolate Pudding Day.
27. National Sunglasses Day, National Parchment Day, National PTSD Awareness Day, National Orange Blossom Day.
28. National Paul Bunyan Day, National Bomb Pop Day, National Handshake Day.
29. National Camera Day, National Waffle Iron Day.
30. National OOTD Day (for those of you fashionistas out there), National Meteor Watch Day, Social Media Day.
​Is this a bunch of great stuff to celebrate, or what? I know I've made a list of my favorite special days for June. So, now, I'm hopping off to the party store as I do each moth, to gather all my supplies. Then I'll stop off at my local market and pick up plenty of, you guess it, ice cream! I hope you'll check back at the end of June for the July calendar.
                                   Wishing you Peace and plenty of Ice Cream!

I haven't been sleeping well for a couple of nights now. I am disturbed by a lot of the world news I see on the TV.  Since I couldn't sleep, I got up and had a large breakfast prepared and the table set when Dharma arrived for my weekly life lesson.
As I was pouring his tea, I casually mentioned my troubling few days. "Dharma, I don't understand all that's going on in the world. It seems to me that most of the politicians in the news are saying one thing but are doing something else quite different. How can that be? Don't these officials get elected based, in large part, on their beliefs and values? If so, then why don't their constituents get more concerned when they do something that's so contrary to what they say?" "Irwin, my boy, you make a very good point. But many humans act that way. And a few frogs too, of course. But it seems for humans that there is some sense that the world operates on two different levels: 'Do as I say, not as I do.' But I can you, Tadpole, that's not how it really is. A frog's beliefs don't make him a better frog - his behavior does. And, I do believe, Son, that this is also true for humans." 
As always, I wanted to know more about how to be a better frog and Dharma was happy to oblige. To make this easier on you, I will give you the gist of his lesson today and will swap out human for frog. Okay, here we go. According to my wise teacher, there is a growing gap between humans moral values and their actions but that it is possible to deduce that difference by increasing one's propensity for moral action.
Humans can have a darker side to their character, This is evidence of this almost daily. There are lots of good humans. We all see evidence of this, too, but sometimes the good and heartwarming news stories get buried in the back pages or are  simply not told at all. Why is it then that some humans are good and some not so much? This is the question I posed for Dharma. His response was a bit shocking. He said that every human has good and bad in them; it's not a question of either/or. Sometimes human act morally and sometimes they don't; it's often based on who they are and what is going on around them. Humans aren't apt to help a "damsel in distress" if they are with a stranger who doesn't help first. And, I found out, that 30% of the human population on any given day will lie if they think they can get away with it. There are many studies out there that show humans are capable of doing some pretty awful things to one another if given the opportunity or the command from an authority figure. But this blog is about how to become better. So let's jump into that.
Having increased empathy has been shown to greatly influence the impact humans have on helping someone in need. Studies reveal that having empathy with a total stranger, listening to their story and feeling some of what they are experiencing, will increase the chances (76%) that they will offer to help. Those that don't listen to the story and empathize with the stranger had only a 37% chance of offering help.  As for the damsel in distress scenario, the odds of help jumped to 70%, if the person was alone vs being with someone who didn't offer help. That's huge! This clearly shows that our situation and those we are with dramatically influence our action. Dharma offered a strategy to reduce our own "character gap", that is the difference from who we should be and how we tend to be...with can be a mixed bag of good and not.
We know that empathy plays a huge part in our behavior but there are others things we can do, too. One of those is to emulate a moral role model. We can't just admire them, though. They must be able to motivate and inspire us to emulate them. What's nice is that research shows that these moral role models can be real or fictional, from history or present-day. The only requirement is that we act like them. For me, my moral role model is Dharma Frog. In my mind, there is no one better, wiser, or kinder than he.
The next item on the strategy list is to use moral reminders. The idea here is to begin each day with your personal moral reminder. For some, it might be The Ten Commandments. For others, it might be a Code of Conduct from their school or club. Again, it doesn't matter, as long as you stop to think about it when a moral action is required of you; cheating on a test, taking credit for work you didn't do, or lying to cover up something you know is wrong. I  like to use my mothers ten rules on How to Behave in the Swamp. Moral reminders keep us on track. The more we use them the sooner they become second-nature to us. The last item on Dharma's strategy list is to learn about yourself. he tells me that means being open and honest with yourself. "Learning more about the feelings, emotions, and desires that could be obstacles to virtue can also help reduce the character gap. Once we gain this deeper self-awareness, we can work on trying to curb and correct their influence."  An example of this would be eliminating your embarrassment of getting involved in someone else's situation. In fact, Dharma explained, it can fear of helping out when we are in a group of unresponsive people.  Fear that can be related to taunting, bullying, or engaging in an action that is different from what the group is doing. One study shows that in the presence of an emergency and one unresponsive stranger, only 25% of the study participants jumped in to help. But another group who attended a lecture on the psychology of groups and helping came across that very same emergency situation 42.5% of the participants jumped in to offer aid.
As Dharma prepared to leave, he summed up this week's lesson by saying that the character gap is real and for many of us, both frogs and human, that gap can be large. The good news is, that the gap isn't insurmountable.  If we all follow Dharma's simple strategy we can strengthen our moral character "and rise to the occasion when moral action is required,"
This old world needs for all us to be on our best behavior at all times. I hope this rather lengthy blog can help make us all who want and need to be. And not just when it suits us, but all the time.
                                                                    Peace.

The holiday weekend is behind us and if you're like me, you may have overdone it on the fun factor. After a sedentary winter, it's easy to overdo the exercise once the warmer weather hits. When we are young, we think our energy will last forever, but as we age we slowly learn that the human body (and frog's too) aren't machines and they do eventually wear out. We lose energy and the things we enjoy doing aren't easy for us anymore. But what if we could have lifelong energy? Suppose that we could maintain more of our youthful zest long into our senior years? That'd be great, wouldn't it?
Experts are now telling us that it is possible to keep up our energy levels for a longer period of time IF we spend a little time as we go along, doing a few simple things. Here's what they suggest.
1.  Abandon your sedentary habits. For many, that's easier said than done.  But physical activity benefits the body; the more you exercise the more your body has to gain. The biggest issue is convincing yourself to get off the couch and start moving. Of course, if you have health issues, you always need to contact your doctor before beginning any exercise routine, no matter how basic it might seem! If you're not a gym rat, and playing sports isn't your thing, there are still ways you can get physical activity and have a bit of fun at the same time. Walking, hiking, doing yoga, dancing, and just moving in general. If you spend a great deal of time in front of the computer or TV, set your Fit Bit or alarm to go off every hour,  Then, get up and just move. dance around, do some yoga poses, walk outside and get your mail...anything works. The point is to move for 10 minutes. This activates messages to your brain that you are no longer at rest.
2.  Try new and fun exercise routines. Personally, I hate exercising. But I do like to hop and swim. If the exercises you used to do just don't do it for you any longer, then it's time to find something new and fresh. If you're older, you may not be able to do the exercises of your past. The internet is full of ideas and videos of exercises for people of all ages and physical conditions. Many don't require any special equipment. Still need a boost? Don't  forget your portable music player; iPod, MP3 player, etc. If you're using a treadmill, try listening to an audiobook in place of watching TV.
​3.  Build psychological resilience. According to Dr. Chopra, "Human beings are coal-fired engines. Feeding you more fuel doesn't lead to more energy, and often produces just the opposite, since the digestive process takes energy away from your muscles. Human beings move around to work, play, explore, and express ourselves. These things are psychological and having a relish for them during an entire lifetime requires psychological resistance." Here's what that means.  Even the most active and engaged among us have setbacks and daily frustrations. What makes them different? They know how to bounce back. They don't give up, plop down in front of the TV, and quit trying. So, really, resilience means not getting stuck in a rut. Life cannot unfold in any meaningful way when we're stuck in old grievances, self-judgement, bad jobs, and unhappy relationships.  We must all keep moving...both in body and in mind.
4.  Dedicate yourself to consciousness. Life is a flow and in order for that flow to continue we must stay focused in the present. We cannot count on tomorrow and we cannot change yesterday. So why not live in the here and now? That's all we really have. And Dr. Chopra tells us that we cannot "work on flow; we allow it (to happen)." That process comes from within and meditation can be a big help with that. it can sound a bit odd, but sitting still, closing our eyes, and going within can actually give us MORE energy! That's pretty cool!.  From that foundation, Dr. Chopra believes, we can naturally find our personal flow that will lead us to play, explore, and create; all ways that are necessary for humans and frogs alike to express ourselves. Creativity and exuberance are what make life worth worth living. And when life is worth living, we have...you guesses it...more energy!
I hope you've learned a little today about staying fit, healthy, and active for many years. We can all have something to gain from having extra energy. And the beauty is, it's never too late to start.
See you tomorrow I hope, when my teacher The Dharma Frog will stop by for my weekly lesson. Until then,
                                                                    Peace.

This weekend I have a lot of fun things to do. I plan on spending time with the family and I have a graduation party to attend.  I purchased a package of lovely wrapping paper, a large bow and, of course, a roll of cellophane tape. As I wrapped by friends package, I began wondering how cellophane tape got invented. It a really useful item but one we take for granted until we need some. I googled cellophane tape and found a brief, but interesting history on this beloved household tape. Today, by-the-way, is Cellophane Tape Day.
Cellophane tape, also known as Scotch tape wasn't invented by a Scottish. It was, in fact, invented by a college dropout named Richard Drew from Minnesota. At the time, Mr. Drew was employed by a small sandpaper company, founded in 1902. The company's name was Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing. It was later known as the 3M company. How this wondrous tape came to be called Scotch Tape also has an interesting history. But let's start off with the actual invention of the product.
Drew was born in 1899 and spent a year at Minnesota University before dropping out. He took a correspondence school course in machine design and paid for both is university education and the correspondence course by playing the banjo.  He included all this information on this job application to the 3M company. He got the job and that set him on the path to history. Flash forward a few years to the 1920's and two-tone paint jobs were all the rage for modern cars makers.  The two-tone look was accomplished by painting the car one color then applying a barrier of some sort, and painting the rest of the car the contrasting shade. It was a pretty difficult job so painters and mechanics tested out different methods for applying the paint to achieve the desired two-tone look. Most of their attempts were less than successful. Some automotive shops would glue newspapers over the painted section to prevent "bleeding" as they pained the each section. The newspapers were difficult to remove and the glue left behind a sticky residue. This often meant taking even more time to repaint the entire car!
One of young Mr. Drew's responsibilities at 3M was to deliver samples of sandpaper to local automotive shops for testing. It was during these routine deliveries that he overheard worker conversations about the problems they countered when painting cars...most involved issues with the tape they had. The 23-year-old then lab assistant came up with the idea to invent a new tape that would create a seal so that paint wouldn't "bleed" but would come off without leaving behind that gluey mess. Drew used the same adhesive 3M utilized in the construction of their sandpaper. That was the starting point. It took him two years of experimenting with different adhesives applied to a crepe paper backing until he came up with just the right combination. Thus, what was to be named "Scotch" Masking Paper was born in 1925. 
The success of this new tape allowed Mr. Drew to move up through the ranks at 3M. In 1929, his position of technical director at the fabrication department allowed him the opportunity to pursue another of his ideas. "Cellophane had recently been invented by DuPont and was being used by grocers and bakers as a neat way to package their groceries. However, there wasn't a good way to seal the cellophane with tape because the colored backing ruined the clear look. So Drew and his team of inventors worked to create a tape that used this clear cellophane as a backing. Unfortunately, the machinery that 3M used in order to apply the adhesive to the cellophane backing tore the material, and the glue that worked for the masking tape appeared amber on the clear cellophane. The team ultimately invented new clear adhesive and modified machinery to handle the cellophane.  The new tape was called Scotch Brand Cellulose Tape, but it appeared that it might have missed its opportunity with grocers and bakers despite ringing endorsements from several test clients. You see, DuPont had introduced into the market a cellophane that could be sealed with heat. Nonetheless, despite missing their original target market and being released during the Great Depression, the Scotch Brand Cellulose Tape thrived with various home uses."
So that brings us back to the name Scotch tape. This is only speculation, but one popular version says that the name was derived because an automotive painter, complaining about the lack of adhesive on the masking tape asked, "Why so Scotch with the adhesive? Take this back to your Scotch bosses and tell them to put more adhesive on it!" Now back in the 1920's, the politically-incorrect term of "Scotch" was often used as a slang term meaning cheap or stingy. Based on their customers' feedback, 3M applied more adhesive to their tape but continued to call it "Scotch Tape."
For some of you, this is a 3-day holiday weekend. I am taking Monday off, too, to enjoy an extra day with my family and friends. Whatever your plans include this holiday weekend, please stay safe. See you all back here on Tuesday!
​                                                                    Peace. 

May 25th is National Brown Bag-It Day. So why am I telling you this on May 24th?  To give you time to plan your lunch for tomorrow! How do you feel about brown bag lunches? Do you like them? Hate them? How about your kids...do they like them? There's a misconception around that brown bag lunches aren't cool or special. Those can only be had by eating at a restaurant or in the school's cafeteria. But I'm here to tell you that bringing your own portable lunch to school or work is one of the best and easiest ways to improve your life! And here's my argument. 
Unless one of your parents was a caterer or a culinary "snob" you probably remember your own childhood bag lunch as something a big disappointment...peanut butter and jelly or luncheon meat sandwiches paired with an apple. if you were lucky, maybe you got a single-serve pack of chips to go with it. You've gotta believe me when I tell you those days are OVER! And thankfully so.
These days the to-go lunches are crammed with bright and colorful fruits and veggies, and lean meats. The sandwiches and salads of today are bursting with flavor and pretty to look at. In addition to being extra nutritious they will, in the long run, save you a lot of money. And let's not forget the beauty of being able to take your lovely lunch to the park, local botanical gardens, and other peaceful places where nature abounds. Wouldn't you rather spend your lunch hour there than, say, waiting in line at the fast food drive-through or in a crowded restaurant waiting to get served? Because by the time you do and your meal arrives...surprise, surprise...there's not much time left to enjoy it. So you rush through it and end up with indigestion! We've all been there. Or you wind up getting it to go and eating at your desk. Neither is a peaceful or restorative way to recharge your body and mind.
Have I convinced you yet that home-packed lunches are definitely the way to go? If so, here are a few ways to make your lunch more enjoyable.
1.  Invest in a nice-looking, sturdy, and reusable container to pack your lunch in.​ Neither you nor your kids want to take their brown bag lunch in an actual brown bag.
2.  Remember, we eat with eyes first so presentation is a big thing. Nobody wants their sandwich all smooshed up. You'd send it back if you got it that way in at the restaurant so don't settle for an ugly lunch here. either.
3.  The other half of the presentation issue is color. Be sure all the lunches you pack are full of color (natural color, of course) like leafy green lettuce or spinach, fruit in season, and flavorful drinks. Ditch the soda and go for chilled bottled water, unsweetened ice tea with lemon or, maybe some lemonade on a hot summer's day. Be creative! Think about what you would want to eat if you were going to the restaurant. With a box lunch, you are in control of the calories, too. You needn't worry about extra salt, sugar, or fats...because you choose what's on the menu each day.
4.  If a refrigerator is available, it broadens your options bigly. You can include salads; not only the green kind, but also a chicken salad with halved grapes and sliced almonds, or tuna salad with crisp celery and a sliced hard-boiled egg. Yum! Then there's yogurt, cottage cheese, hard cheese with fruits and nuts...the choices are almost limitless!
5,  No refrigerator? Consider purchasing an insulated lunchbox with a reusable ice pack. Just be sure it can keep your foods cold enough to ensure food safety and flavor, for the length of time between when you pack the lunch and when you will get to enjoy it.
6.  Feel good about choosing to take your lunch. Attitude is everything! You'll never develop the habit if you constantly ask yourself, "Do I really have to do this...again?"
So make your list and head to the store. there's plenty of time to plan for your Brown Bag-It lunch tomorrow. You'll be happy you did! The weathers beautiful and what better time to enjoy a picnic that's smack in the middle of your workday?
PS. Your friends and co-workers will be a bit jealous of your tasty, gorgeous, healthy meal...that you get to eat without all the stress of dining out.
Happy shopping and until tomorrow, I wish you all
                                                                    Peace.

After spending a lovely weekend with my family, this week started off badly and continued to get worse. I won't bore you with all the details but I will say that the more I tried to fix on the problems, the worse things got. It culminated this morning when the Land of Lily Pad Utility Department experienced a problem. The sun hasn't been out for a few day and our solar power was running low. There simply wasn't enough in our grid to power all the lily pads...including mine. So, no power. No electricity to make breakfast or even tea. Today is Wednesday and that always means a visit from Dharma Frog who has come to reasonably expect a nice breakfast and a pot of his favorite tea. But there was none of either this morning.
When Dharma hopped onto my pad he was, thankfully, already aware of the power problem. "Irwin, may I suggest we dine the old-fashioned way...sitting quietly and catching a few bugs as they fly by. And instead of tea, we can drink swamp water. I haven't had any that in a long time. Think of this as a picnic, my boy. It'll be fun!" I mumbled something to him, but Dharma was already busy catching flies with his long sticky tongue. He wasn't paying any attention my grumblings. But he apparently got the gist of it because he turned to me and said, "What he cannot avoid, a frog should welcome. Tadpole, you are unable to make the sun appear, so why spend time fighting against it? Doesn't it make more sense to accept what is? In your immediate case, you will still fill your belly and you won't have to clean up your kitchen. When you learn to accept what is, life becomes far easier and much more pleasant. The lesson we learn by through any trying event should be welcomed. It is a gift; an opportunity to grow in a positive way." I know I struggle to let go of the difficulties in my life choosing, rather, to fight them and try to correct my perceived wrongs. This wasn't going to be an easy lesson for me but, perhaps, it's one that's long overdue.
Dharma explained that the real beauty of life is its unpredictability. We never know what lies ahead. being able to roll with the punches, being able to handle and graciously accept whatever happens is, Dharma believes, the single greatest lesson a frog or human can learn. Each of us needs to look at life through the lens of a positive mindset and not that of a defeatist one.  Everybody has problems. Those that appear as if they don't, probably have learned how to "go with the flow." Their lives seem effortless when, in fact, they have troubles as we all do.  When we fail to accept what happens in our lives, we create turbulence for our minds. And just like  a ship on a rough sea, a turbulent mind is hard to navigate through rocky times. Acceptance is a choice, according to most wisdom traditions. We can make a conscious decision to accept whatever happens and try to learn the lesson it is teaching us. "The lesson is", as Dharma puts it, "the silver lining in each of life's clouds." He believes that acceptance is the key to turning momentary happiness into life-long peace; knowing that we can...and will...weather the storm.
I know that Dharma is right. Struggling takes work...lots of it. And in the end, that "hard work" rarely pays off.  All my fussing and fuming this morning didn't help one bit in getting my tummy satisfied. But once I got over my inability to prepare the breakfast I had looked forward to, I found I actually enjoyed sitting quietly next to my wise friend and teacher...content as we caught bugs in the early morning hours. And I might add, the swamp water tasted especially sweet, too. These are two of the simple pleasures that a frog enjoys. And to think I almost missed them.
As Dharma prepared to leave me for the week, he gave me this mantra or affirmation that I can recite daily. Perhaps it will serve you well, too. "I accept impartially whatever comes my way. Free in my heart, I am not conditioned by any outward circumstances." If you'd like the simpler Irwin version, try this; "I accept whatever happens and I know whatever it is, I'll be okay."
I invite you back tomorrow. Until then, as always, I wish you
                                                                     Peace.

Are you ticklish? I know I am. Not as much as when I was a tadpole, though. My parents used to love to "torture" me with tickling until I laughed so hard the tears ran down my cheeks. I think most parents like to do that.  It's all in good fun but now, thankfully, they are happily "torturing" my little brother Quigley. He squeals with delight which makes them tickle him even more. have you ever wondered why you're ticklish? Does it serve any useful purpose? I decided to look it up and here's what I learned.
Scientists have long been puzzled by ticklishness. Does it serve just as a social bonding experience or is there a deeper and underlying use that may include it as part of human survival? There have been many theories to explain this peculiar quirk. Charles Darwin argues that ticklishness was similar to the way humans laugh at a joke. He contended that "one must be in a 'light' state of mind in order to respond with laughter." Sir Francis Bacon had a different viewpoint regarding tickling. "'We see that men even in a grieved state of mind, yet cannot sometimes forbear laughing.' The opposing theories of Darwin and Bacon reflect some of the contemporary conflicts that exist in research on tickling today."
A University of Maryland neuroscientist Robert Provine, believes that ticklishness may be a form of social bonding between parent and child. He considers ticklishness to be one of the broadest and deepest subjects in science. He says that the laughter response to being tickled becomes activated within the first few months of life. It allows the newborn, he believes, to bond quickly with parents in a form of play. "It's also possible that the horseplay and other games involving tickling help us hone our ability to defend ourselves — a kind of casual combat training. This view is supported by the fact that the regions of the body that happen to be most ticklish, such as the armpits, ribs, and inner thighs, are also areas that are particularly vulnerable to attack."
But newer research into the physical response of tickling has led to the conclusion that seems to conflict with the hypothesis that ticking is a social bonding phenomenon. Why? The social bonding hypothesis really starts to fall apart when one considers those who find the experience of being tickled unpleasant. I think we've all known people who really hated being tickled. Based on those findings, it is believed that being ticklish is more of a reflex reaction than anything else.
And did you know that there is more than one kind of tickle? "Knismesis is the light, gentle tickling felt when someone runs a feather across the surface of the skin. It does not typically induce laughter and can be described as irritating and slightly itchy." Gargalesis is just  the opposite...a more intense sensation that is triggered by more aggressive tickling. This form usually produces audible laughter and a little squirming! Each type of tickle produces markedly different sensations because the signals are sent through separate nerve pathways. At least that is what scientists speculate.
As my brother and I have proven, some animals are ticklish too. Experiments performed on rats (imagine trying to tickle them?) show that tickling can produce inaudible vocalizations that are similar to human laughter. Measurement of their brain activity shows that they are even more "ticklish" on their bellies and on the bottom of their feet! Sound familiar? Whether you enjoy being tickled or not, this weird phenomenon is one that continues to intrigue and babble the scientific community.​
I invite you back tomorrow when my wise teacher, The Dharma Frog, will be here with another valuable life lesson. Until then, I wish you
                                                                     Peace.

​Nguyen, Tuan. "Why Are We Ticklish?" ThoughtCo, May. 10, 2018, thoughtco.com/why-are-we-ticklish-4164374.

Yesterday was Take Your Parents To The playground Day and my little brother had planned a fun outing for the whole Wart family. The weather wasn't picture-perfect, at least by human standards, but thunderstorms and rain made our outing even more special. We frogs do like our rain! When we arrived home, young Quigley asked me about thunder and why it happens. Since his science class hasn't studied it,  I thought it might be a good idea to get him one hop ahead, so-to-speak. I fired up my laptop and found did a search for interesting facts about thunder and lightning. See how many of them you already know,
1.  What goes up. Warm, moist air is the fuel that starts a thunderstorm. A column of warm air that rises up through the atmosphere quickly is called an updraft. The strength of the updraft depends on how great the temperature difference is between levels of atmosphere.  An updraft can exceed 100 miles per hour in a very strong thunderstorm.
​2.   The top of the storm gets smooshed.  An updraft will continue moving upward until the warm, rising air is no longer warmer than the air that surrounds it. At this point, the rising air begins to spread out, having reached its "ceiling." This forms the anvil-like clouds that make a distant thunderstorm look so impressive. The beautiful "bubble-like" clouds that can develop along the bottom of the anvil clouds are called mammatus clouds. Storms need to be strong in order to produce these beautiful cloud formations.
3.  Rain drags a storm down.  "Once the weight of the raindrops suspended in a budding thunderstorm grows too heavy for the updraft to hold, or once raindrops fall out of the sides of the updraft, they begin falling to the ground as precipitation. The falling rain drags cooler air toward the ground, creating a downdraft, or that cool breeze you feel before and during a storm. Most downdrafts are pretty weak, but some are strong enough to cause damaging winds at the surface. A thunderstorm dies once the cool air of the downdraft cuts off the flow of warm air to the updraft, starving the storm and causing it to rain itself out."
4.  There are three main types of thunderstorms.  The most common type are known as single-cell storms. that's the kind my family experienced yesterday at the playground. They build up, rain for half an hour or so, then dissipates. When the storm collapses, the wind from the downdraft can trigger more storms in a chain reaction. The next type of storm is a multi-cell thunderstorm. The most common type is called a squall line. The third type of t-storm is known as a super-cell. This storm has a rotating updraft. When the updraft rotates, it causes the storm to produce more severe weather with larger hail, stronger winds,  and even tornadic activity is found in a typical thunderstorm.
5.  Hail bounces around like popcorn!  When the temperatures are just right in the middle of the thunderstorm, some of the raindrops will start to freeze as they bounce around in the updraft. "The up-down motion of the newly-formed hailstones will cause more liquid to accumulate on the outside of the stone, a process that causes hailstones to grow in layers like an onion."
6.  Thunderstorms are electrifying! The friction between ice crystals, raindrops, and hailstones moving around in a storm can cause electrostatic buildup between the clouds and the ground that releases its energy in the form of a brilliant flash of lightning. And FYI...there's no such thing as heat lightning. This phenomenon is caused by a thunderstorm that's simply too far away for us to hear. The average temperature of lightning is 20000 degrees C. or 36000 degrees F.
7.  Storms can be heavy. One cumulus cloud can weigh more than 1 million pounds!
​8.  Humans can cause thunderstorms. "Humans can't control the weather, but our actions can indirectly influence where thunderstorms form. Studies have shown that increased temperatures in and around cities, due to the urban heat island effect, can trigger thunderstorms that wouldn't have otherwise formed in these areas if the city and its streets weren't there. There's also some evidence that unstable air warmed by steam released by the cooling stacks of nuclear power plants can trigger small storms."
9.   It can thunder when it's snowing. Intense bands of snow can develop during blizzards.
These strong bands can produce lightning and loud cracks of thunder all while dumping copious amounts of snow in a short period of time.
10. Yes, it can actually rain frogs...or fish, or other odd objects. If a tornado sucks the water out of a pond, for example, it's very possible that the critters that used to be in the water will fall on populated areas.
11.  Thunder is difficult to hear over 12 miles in distance (20 kilometers).
12.  Astraphobia is the fear of thunder and lightning.
I hope you've learned a few things from my blog today. It was rather long but sometimes there's simply just a great deal of information I want to share! Have a great day and until tomorrow, I wish you 
                                                                       Peace.

The third Sunday in May is Take Your Parents to the Playground Day. I mean, after all, why should kids have all the fun, right? Parent's work hard and deserve a little downtime. There's no better way to let loose than spending time at the playground. It's good for the soul. And the body.
Spending time outdoors engaged in physical activity is more fun than being stuck in a smelly gym! Physical activity builds strong muscles and can improve bone health. Outdoor recreation engages the imagination and helps develop creativity. This is great for both kids and their parents who tend to spend WAY too much time inside. And did you know that spending time outside can help boost confidence? It can. 
When kids and their parents play games with other kids and parents helps to increase focus and attention. That helps with school work as well as the work parents do at the office. Playing teaches leadership and negotiation skills. The more we play, the happier, healthier, and smarter we become.
This weekend, young Quigley is taking our parents to the Lily Pad playground for a day of play. Mom and dad work hard and little brother thought they could use a day of R & R. It sounds like so much fun that I think I'll tag along, too! The extra value of play is increased exponentially because the whole family will be involved.
If you live where there isn't a playground, don't worry. Pack a picnic lunch and head outside for a walk or hike. You'll find plenty of great things to see and I bet you can even come up with some games to play. The whole point of the weekend is to spend time together and get outdoors. Go ahead, take a deep breath and feel the sunshine on your face. You feel better already, don't you, just thinking about it. I know I do! Take some great photos while you're having fun. Post them on your social media using #TakeYourParentsToThePlaygroundDay.
By the way, Playground Day started back in 2009 as a way to motivate kids to spend time outdoors playing and to get their parents away from work for a day. It is part of Children and Nature Awareness Month. National Take Your Parents to the Playground Day provides an excellent opportunity to continue the initiative’s message with families throughout the year.
But whatever you do, have a little fun this weekend and please stay safe.
I invite you all back here on Monday. Until then, I wish you all                                                                                                                      Peace.

I love history. it can teach us things if we pay attention. But sometimes history can also be hysterical. I recently came across an article about some pretty funny things that have happened throughout world history. History can often be sad and have a dark side so this morning, I thought it might be different to take a look at the funnier side of history.
History doesn't have to be dull, as the following facts will show. And it's kind of comforting to know that your ancestors messed up once awhile and did some embarrassing things in the course of writing the human past.
1,  Notorious pirate and booty hunter, Benjamin Hornigold, once attacked a ship simply to steal all the crew members' hats. it seems that Hornigold's team had thrown a party one night and, while drunk, managed to lose their hats. What to do? Raid another ship, of course, and steal theirs! That's exactly what they did. Surprisingly, they did no damage to anyone or to the other vessel.
2.  The US Pentagon wasn't built that way for defense purposes. In fact, it's not even a regular pentagon. The truth is, it was built that way to fit nicely into the empty lot between between five major roads. But then, for some reason not really known, they had to build the building somewhere else. But since they'd already paid an architect for designing this 5-sided pentagon-shaped building, they went ahead and used the existing design. This is a true fact.
3.  The first thing the native Americans said to the Pilgrims when they landed was, "Do you have any beer?" And in perfect English. "By the time the Pilgrims arrived at Plymouth, European trade routes to North America already existed for generations. Trade diplomats and fishermen traveled extensively to and from Europe." History backs up the fact that Samoset was the first Indian to greet the Pilgrims. Many historians believe it is also true that he requested everyone's favorite frosty brew!
4.  Did you know that Napoleon was attacked by a horse of bunnies while out hunting? It may seem rather far-fetched but the story is true. "The emperor had requested that a rabbit hunt be set up for him and his men. Chief of Staff Alexandre Berthier was in charge of setting it up, so he had men capture up to 3,000 rabbits to be released during the hunt. However, When Napoleon started to prowl—accompanied by beaters and gun-bearers—the rabbits were released from their cages. The hunt was on. But something strange happened. The rabbits didn’t scurry in fright. Instead, they bounded toward Napoleon and his men. Hundreds of fuzzy bunnies gunned it for the world’s most powerful man."
5.  In 1866, the tiny country of Liechtenstein sent an army of 80 men as their contingent to the Franco-Prussian War. When they came back, however, there were 81 soldiers. Not only didn't they suffer any losses in the fighting, but they made a friend somewhere along the way!
6.  Fidel Castro liked to drink and he liked ice cream...a lot!  So what did he do? He made a huge ice cream shop that's still functional today. Not only that, he mixed two breeds of cows to make a "super cow' who could stand up to their intense heat and still give lots of milk...the cream being the primary ingredient for ice cream. The cows name? Ubre Blanca.
​7.  Pythagoras was a cult leader, well sort of. The math genius Pythagoras was a kind o f strange fellow. Around 530 B.C. he and a few of this followers settled in Crotona in South Italy. He set up a series of unique life rules that he and his compadres were to live by; one tenant was that no one was allowed to eat beans. Why? Because Pythagoras had a bean phobia, one that would ultimately kill him. When attackers chased him toward a filed of beans. He refused to enter and was killed instead. Scholars do think that his problem with beans wasn't so much a phobia as it was a belief.
8.  Pope Saint Leo once got Attila the Hun to turn around and leave. No one is quite sure how he did it.  According to the Catholic Herald, "Leo’s strength of personality was also evident in his confrontations with secular power. In 452 he encountered Attila the Hun near Mantua, and persuaded him not to proceed to the sack of Rome. Again, in 455, he met the Vandal Gaiseric outside the walls of Rome and succeeded in preventing the city’s wholesale destruction." 
9.  There was a Japanese soldier named Hiro Onoda who didn't realize that WWII was over until 1974! "He was sent to a small island in the Philippines to spy on the American forces. He evaded capture and remained in the jungle to carry out his mission for the next 30 years. His former superior had to come out of retirement to convince him the war was over."  
10. The Danish astronomer, alchemist, and "weirdo" Tycho Brahe lost his nose after challenging another scientist to a duel to settle the question once and for all whose mathematical formula was better. Brahe wore a metal prosthetic nose for the remainder of his life. Is it me, or does this sound like it could be an episode of The Big Bang Theory with Sheldon and Leonard as the dueling scientists?
I hope you've enjoyed these hysterical historical facts. Enjoy your day and i hope you'll come back again tomorrow. Until then, I wish everyone
​                                                                  Peace.

​Jenkins, Beverly. "25 Hilarious Historical Facts You Won't Believe Actually Happened." ThoughtCo, Jan. 22, 2018, thoughtco.com/hilarious-historical-facts-4154997.