Can you believe it? Here we are at the start of twelfth month of the year. Time sure has flown by! December is one of the busiest months for everyone, myself included. But even with all the holiday parties to attend, Christmas, and New Year's Eve, there are many other fun and thoughtful days to celebrate this month. So let's hop right to it, shall we? Here's your December Calendar of Special Days.
December
1.  National Pie Day, National Eat a Red Apple Day, Bifocals at the Monitor Liberation Day, A Day With(out) Art, Rosa Parks Day.
2.  National Fritters Day, National Mutt Day, Special Education Day.
3.  National Roof Over Your Head Day.
4.  National Sock Day, National Dice Day, National Cookie Day (yum!), World Trick Shot Day.
5.  National Sacher Torte Day, Bathtub Party Day, International Ninja Day.
6.  National Microwave Oven Day, Saint Nicholas Day, Miners Day.
7.  Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day, National Cotton Candy Day, Faux Fur Friday (A great day to celebrate all year long!)
8.  National Brownie Day, Pretend To Be a Time Traveler Day, Skywarn Recognition Day.
9.  Weary Willy Day, National Pastry Day.
10. Dewey Decimal System Day, Human Rights Day, Nobel Prize Day.
11. National App Day, National Noodle Ring Day.
​12. National Ambrosia Day, National Ding-a-Ling Day, Gingerbread House Day, Poinsettia Day, Chanukah begins.
13.National Guard Birthday, National Cocoa Day, National Violin Day, National Day Of The Horse, Pick A Pathologist Pal Day.
14. National Bouillabaisse Day, National Salespersons Day.
15. National Wear Your Pearls Day, National Cupcake Day, Bill of Rights Day, Cat Herders Day, National Wreaths Across America Day, Free Shipping Day.
16. National Chocolate-Covered Anything Day (I'm all for that!), Barbie and Barney Backlash Day.
17. National Maple Syrup Day, Wright Brothers Day.
18. National Answer the telephone Like Buddy the Elf Day.
19. National Hard Candy Day, National Oatmeal Muffin Day.
20. Mudd Day, National Re-Gifting Day.
21. Crossword Puzzle Day, Humbug Day, Phileas Fogg Win a Wager Day, Winter Solstice, National Flashlight Day, National Homeless Persons' Remembrance Day, National Ugly Christmas Sweater Day, Underdog Day.
22. National Date Nut Bread Day, Forefathers Day.
23. National Roots Day, Festivus (for all you Seinfeld fans), National Pfeffernusse Day.
24. National Eggnog Day, Christmas Eve.
25. Christmas Day, national Pumpkin Pie Day, A'Phabet Day (No L Day).
26. National Candy Cane Day, National Thank You Note Day, National Whiner's Day, Boxing Day.
27. National Fruitcake Day.
28. National Chocolate Candy Day, National Card Playing Day, Holy Innocents Day, Pledge of Allegiance Day.
29. National Pepper Pot Day, Tick Tock Day. 
30. National Bicarbonate of Soda Day, Falling Needles Family Fest Day, Bacon Day.
31. National Champagne Day, Make Up Your Mind Day, No Interruptions Day, Universal Hour of Peace, Leap Second Time Adjustment Day, New Years Eve.
WOWZERS! That's a lot of great stuff to celebrate! As I head out for the weekend, I'll not only be doing a little Christmas shopping, I'll also be making a stop at the Land of Lily Pad Party Store for  a few supplies. Now, all I have to do is decide which of these awesome days I want to celebrate this year. Whatever you do this weekend, stay safe and have some fun. I invite you back here again on Monday, but until then,
                                                                        PEACE.

I love color, don't you? Without it, we'd live in a world of black and white. Yours truly, for instance, would no longer be a lovely vibrant green but would most probably appear as a sickly shade of grey...not the prettiest color for a frog! 
Try to imagine, if you will, a reddish green shade— not the dull brown you get when you mix the two pigments together, but rather a color that is somewhat like red and somewhat like green. Or, instead, try to picture yellowish blue — not green, but a hue similar to both yellow and blue. If your brain is drawing a blank, don't feel bad. Even though those colors do exist, they cannot be seen by the human eye. Composed of pairs of hues whose light frequencies automatically cancel each other out in the human eye, they're supposed to be impossible to see simultaneously. They are called "impossible colors" and the reason you can't see them is something called opponent process. 
The human eye has three cone cells that register color that "work in an antagonistic fashion": Blue vs. yellow; Red vs green; Light vs dark. There is an overlap of wavelengths of light covered by the cone cells in the human eye so you see more than just blue, yellow, green. White, for example, is not a wavelength of light. The human eye does, however, perceive it as a mixture of different spectral colors. "Because of the opponent process, you can't see both blue and yellow at the same time, nor red and green. These combinations are so-called impossible colors."
What's interesting is that there is an argument against the existence of impossible colors. Some researchers believe that these so-called impossible colors; yellowish-blue, and reddish-green are really just intermediate colors. "While chimerical colors are well-documented imaginary colors, the possibility of impossible colors remains disputed."
Is there a way to see these impossible colors? Maybe yes and maybe no. Impossible colors like reddish green and yellowish blue are tricky to see. "To try to see these colors, put a yellow object and blue object right next to each other and cross your eyes so that the two objects overlap. The same procedure works for green and red. The overlapping region may appear to be a mix of the two colors (i.e., green for blue and yellow, brown for red and green), a field of dots of the component colors, or an unfamiliar color that is both red/green or yellow/blue at once!"  It's a little difficult for frogs to cross our eyes, I can tell you that. But I did try it and all I can is...I'm dizzy!
You won't see these colors in nature or on a color wheel but one day, perhaps, someone will discover a handheld impossible color viewer with a built-in eye tracker that will enable humans to see these amazing and indescribably glorious colors. And when you see them, it'll be like seeing purple for the first time; an amazing and breathtaking experience.
I hope you'll stop back by tomorrow for a look at the December Calendar of Special Days. December is about a whole lot more than just Christmas and New Year's Eve!
                                                                      PEACE.​

​Helmenstine, Anne Marie, Ph.D. "Impossible Colors and How to See Them." ThoughtCo, Oct. 19, 2018, thoughtco.com/impossible-colors-introduction-4152091.

I must admit that I wasn't really "in the mood" to get up this morning and prepare breakfast for my teacher, The Dharma Frog. I am feeling lazy today and simply want to crawl back under the covers. But I dragged myself out of bed and started preparing something for us to eat. While breakfast was cooking on the stove, I set the table and just as the tea began to steep, Dharma arrived on my lily pad.  We exchanged a few pleasantries about our long weekend, then set down to eat. Dharma could sense that I wasn't my usual self this morning and, as I poured the tea, he decided to begin my lesson before I could decide to give up and hop back into bed. 
"Tadpole, are you afraid of anything?" he asked. "Yes, of course, Dharma. Isn't everyone afraid of something? I countered." "Well, son, do you face your fears or do you retreat from, preferring to hide from them like they're the Boogey Frog?" I thought about this for a few minutes and then replied, "I guess it's a little of both, Sir. It depends on how great the fear is, I suppose. The bigger the problem, the more I shy away from looking at it, But isn't that the normal thing to do?" Dharma smiled. "I suppose it is," he said," but a frog who won't look at his fears will never be brave."
We all know what being vulnerable feels like, even if we don't call it by that name. it's that feeling of being exposed; of perhaps being judged by another because of our actions, deeds, or words. It's that feeling you get when you try out a new skill, ask someone for forgiveness, or tell someone you love them for the first time. You don't know how it will turn out. According to Dharma, both we frogs and you humans fear rejection. We fear looking or sounding foolish. Being vulnerable is a very scary thing! So why do we celebrate this raw openness in others but then shy away from showing that side of our own selves? Dharma believes that we see vulnerability in others as courage but view it as inadequacy in ourselves. It's a double standard that nearly everyone struggles with. But why is that?
New research has shown that when we are mentally distanced from a possible scenario, we tend to be "less risk averse." We focus more on the positive. Example; it's a good thing when someone else owns up to their mistakes but I might lose my job if I admit what I did. Vulnerability might be called "a beautiful mess" because it comes with big risks but it also can have big rewards. "By putting ourselves out there, we might make a mess of our reputations or even lose our friends; on the other hand, we might be embraced by others and find a beautiful sense of belonging, " says Dharma.  Showing our vulnerability can feel like a weakness from the inside, but to those of us we dare to be vulnerable with...it can be courageous and even inspiring.  
I asked my wise friend for a few pointers on how to overcome our fear of vulnerability. 
1.  Recall - Remember an experience or a belief that causes you to keep it hidden.
2.  Reflect - Consider this experience or belief; who was there, what happened, how did it affect you?
3.  Reveal on paper - Pick up a pen and begin to journal the answers to those questions. Too old-fashioned for paper and pen? Open up a word document and type out your thoughts. Just let them flow. When you've finished...and there's no rush...read your words back as if your younger self was listening.
4.  Reveal to another - This requires taking a big step, but reveal your story to someone else. Decide whom you feel the most comfortable with; who can you talk to that you know will deeply listen and will suspend judgment? it must be someone who will accept you no matter water, like your mom or BFF. Your spouse, perhaps.
5.  Reboot - After you've shared your story with a trusted other, "imagine you are rebooting your memory, just like a computer memory. Let it be defragmented and safely put away."
6.  Restart - After giving yourself a pat on the back, get back on your journey toward your new future; one where it is a little safer to feel vulnerable. You have achieved a clean restart to your experience or memory. Way to go!
After breakfast and as I was clearing the table, I thought about what Dharma had taught me this morning. I know now that I cannot be brave without facing my fear of being vulnerable. I want to try to become a braver frog, maybe even to be an inspiration for my little brother, Quigley, Jr. So once the dishes are washed and put up, I will sit down at my trusty computer and begin working on the memories I have that scare me. And as for who to share them with, I know that mom will love me no matter what...and that makes her the perfect audience. Perhaps when I've got things written down, I'll hop over for a visit. We can have a good mother-son chat over a glass of swamp juice and a few toasted bugs while I admit to a few things that I thought I never could.
I invite you back here tomorrow for another blog, but until then I wish you courage to face your own fears. 
                                                                        PEACE.

The Tuesday after Thanksgiving is known as Giving Tuesday. It follows a weekend flurry of Christmas shopping that starts with Black Friday and ends with Cyber Monday. For those of you who don't live in the USA, Thanksgiving is always the fourth Thursday of November. Giving Tuesday is generally the last Tuesday of the month. 
Giving Tuesday is important for several reasons. First, Thanksgiving is a day giving thanks, Black Friday is a day for saving money on holiday shopping, so why not a day set aside each year to give to thousands and thousands of worthy charities across the globe; nonprofits who rely on our donations to do their important and often life-saving work. The second reason is that giving to others not only helps the recipients of our giving, but it also helps us, the givers.
Holiday shopping can be fun, but it can also be very stressful. It's easy to blow the entire Christmas shopping budget on a few "fabulous" and "must-have" gifts. But new research is showing that giving to others makes the giver, happier, healthier, and have a stronger sense of community than if they didn't give.
1.  Giving makes us happy. There's no better feeling than to give someone a gift that you know they really want; seeing a child's face light up when they open that very special package from Santa Claus. Giving money to others whether it's a charity or some form of paying it forward, also gives the giver a great sense of inner joy.
2.  Giving is good for our health.  Recent studies show that giving can have a positive impact on health, including chronic illnesses like HIV and multiple sclerosis. One reason for this, researchers think, is that giving lowers stress which can lower blood pressure, among other benefits.
3.  Giving promotes cooperation and social connection.  When we give, we're more likely to get back. it also has a trickle-down effect; when you give, your generosity is likely to be rewarded by others down the line—sometimes by the person you gave to, sometimes by someone else. "These exchanges promote a sense of trust and cooperation that strengthens our ties to others—and research has shown that having positive social interactions is central to good mental and physical health."
4.  Giving evokes gratitude.  It doesn't matter if you're on the giving or the receiving end of a gift, that gift elicits feelings of gratitude. It can be a way of expressing gratitude or instilling gratitude in the recipient. Either way, gratitude is integral for happiness, health, and social bonds.
5.  Giving is contagious. That's one of the big reasons houses of religious worship pass the collection basket during a service. We see others giving and we want to be a part of it. "In fact, the researchers found that altruism could spread by three degrees—from person to person to person to person. “As a result,” they write, “each person in a network can influence dozens or even hundreds of people, some of whom he or she does not know and has not met.” It's kind of like a daisy chain letter, only better! Now how cool is that! Giving also releases oxytocin "that induces feelings of warmth, euphoria, and connection to others." And who can't use more of those feelings?
So what are you going to get for those hard-to-shop-for people on your holiday list this year? If they already have enough socks, ties, scarves, and what-nots...why not donate the same amount of money as you'd spend on a gift to their favorite charity?  They get the recognition and you get that wonderful feeling of doing good for the world. There are so many wonderful charities...both for humans and for animals, that I'm sure you can find one to touch the heart of every adult on your shopping list. A few older children might appreciate it, too! Today is Giving Tuesday. Why not sit back in your comfy sweats and do a little giving to the many wonderful charities that help to make this world a better place? Everybody wins. Well, maybe not the stores. It will, however, be seen as a win-win-win for those involved. The charity wins by getting an infusion of cash to help with their cause, the recipient gets to feel that they are doing good, and you the giver...you get extra 'brownie" points for having the best gift AND you help improve your health and sense of gratitude.
Giving Tuesday must be the best gift idea ever!
​I hope you'll be generous this year and support these wonderful organizations.
Please use #GivingTuesday on all your social media when you post the charities you have supported. And don't forget to encourage others to follow your lead.
Join me back here tomorrow for another life lesson from my wise old teacher, The Dharma Frog. Until then I wish you happy giving and 
                                                                        PEACE.

I'm back at the keyboard this morning; well-rested and eager to start a new week. I hope all my friends in the US enjoyed spending Thanksgiving weekend with their loved ones. Welcome back, one and all!
Anyone who has ever attended school in any country knows that there are certain grammar rules that you just simply don't break. In English-speaking countries, a few of these rules might be, always capitalized the first word in a sentence, use an apostrophe to connote possession, and never EVER end a sentence with a preposition! But what if I told you that ending a sentence with a preposition isn't always a bad thing?
For those of you who might not know, or remember what exactly a preposition is, in English grammar, it is "a word governing and usually preceding a noun or pronoun and expressing a relation to another word or element in the clause, as in 'the man on the platform' and 'she arrived after dinner.' The words on and after are prepositions." The anti-preposition rule is now considered more of a myth than anything.
it was in the 17th and 18th centuries that Latin grammar rules were applied to the English language. "In Latin, the word “preposition” translates roughly to the words for “before” and “to place.” However, in the years that followed, many have argued that trying to make English conform to Latin standards is not always practical and that the preposition rule should not be followed if it damages the integrity of the sentence. One famous example is Winston Churchill's declaration after someone criticized him for ending a sentence with a preposition: " This is the sort of English up with which I will not put." That does sound kind of weird, though, doesn't it?
Let me state here that if in your effort to not end your sentence with a preposition, the sentence begins to sound awkward, confusing, or too formal, it is now perfectly alright to end the sentence with a preposition. That said, do try to stick to the anti-preposition rule whenever possible. Example, "Which building is he in?" can just as easily be written (or said, "He is in which building?" See? There is often a pretty easy fix for the message or question you are trying to convey. 
Here are the rules for which you may end your sentence with a preposition.

• When beginning a sentence with who, what, where,: “What area of research is she interested in?”
• Infinitive structures, or when the verb is left in its basic form (ie, “to swim,” “to contemplate”): “She had nothing to think about,” “He had no music to listen to.” 

• Relative clauses, or a clause starting with the pronoun who, that, which, whose, where, or when: “She was excited about the responsibility that she was taking on.” 
• Passive structures, or when the subject of a sentence is being acted upon by the verb, rather than doing the verb’s action: “She liked being sick because then she was taken care of.” 
• Phrasal verbs, or verbs that consist of multiple words, including a preposition: “She needs to log on,” “When I was having a bad day, my sister told me to cheer up.” 

I know, it is all still pretty confusing! Many businesses have their own style of writing and if your employer holds to the anti-preposition rule, then please do stick to it. Generally speaking, in any formal situation like business correspondence, it is usually considered preferable to not end your sentence with a preposition, However, if you believe that abandoning this rule is best for your writing, you're in good company: successful writers and orators have been doing it for centuries.
I know that it may be hard for you getting back into the swing of your routine this morning. The good news is that there will be another holiday in about a month and then yet another holiday a week after that! The bad news is that you still have the whole week still in front of you. But I know you'll get through today just fine. I invite you all back here again tomorrow for another special blog by your humble friend, Irwin Q. Frog.
                                                                       PEACE.​

​Bussing, Kimberly Anne. "Is It Always Wrong to End a Sentence With a Preposition?" ThoughtCo, Nov. 24, 2018, thoughtco.com/ending-sentence-with-preposition-4173131.

If you've been reading my blog for a while now, you undoubtedly know that my wise teacher and mentor The Dharma Frog pays me a visit each Wednesday to teach me a life lesson on how to be a better frog. Most of these lessons apply to humans, as well, and so I share what he teaches me with you, my dear reader. Since I am heading out later this afternoon for a much-needed break Dharma, not wanting me to miss my lesson this week, informed me that he would arrive today. So I dutifully got up extra early this morning and prepared a special breakfast for my beloved teacher. Just as I finished setting the table, Dharma arrived. He greeted me, "Hello Irwin. Are you pleased to have a few days of relaxation?" "Yes indeedie, Dharma," I responded. "I am very happy to be off. I don't have anything special planned but it will still be nice to have extra time to visit with my family and friends." We sat done to a piping hot meal and as I poured the tea, Dharma began my lesson.
"Tadpole, many of your human friends will be celebrating Thanksgiving this week. The idea of giving thanks, the idea of gratitude, is something we can all do more of. While it's nice to have a special day for giving thanks, gratitude is best when it becomes a daily habit. Discipline is something that we study, an area of specialty. Wouldn't it be wonderful, my boy, if frogs and humans chose to make gratitude a discipline of the heart; something that we study and practice for an entire lifetime? It is only with gratitude that a frog's life becomes rich. I believe this true for humans, too" "Yes, Dharma, the whole world would be better for it."
Having gratitude for a cozy home and loving friends is a pretty easy thing to do. But being grateful for the storm clouds in life isn't always as easy. But Dharma explained to me that just when thankfulness seems to be in short supply, that is the very time we need it most. Most of us have begun to think of gratitude as an emotion...simply another response to our circumstances. Dharma believes that is a mistake. When things are going well, it’s easy to respond with a thankful heart. But in the seasons where things are difficult, thankfulness never even enters our mind. By thinking of thankfulness as a discipline of the heart, gratitude can become a life-altering designation. But it takes conscious effort and practice.
I asked Dharma how I could learn to be a more grateful frog and he offered a simple solution. His advice is to schedule 5-minute periods of thoughtful thanksgiving each day; intentionally finding gratitude in simple joys. This might be reflecting on the past (particularly if your current season of life is a stormy one), keeping a gratitude journal (on-paper or on-line), expressing thankfulness during life’s little inconveniences (red lights, doctor waits), or seeing the perfection in each new day.

• A thankful heart breeds contentment. It appreciates the many gifts of life itself.
• A thankful heart promotes optimism. Optimism leads to enthusiasm and determination.
• A thankful heart brings healthy attentiveness. It finds time to slow down and count blessings.
• A thankful heart shifts the focus of attention from ourselves to others. It understands that our lives have been enriched by them.
• A thankful heart is more likely to help others.
• It humbly realizes it has benefited from others and as a result, is more apt to notice needs.
• A thankful heart attracts generous people and faithful friends.
• Studies have shown that having gratitude results in better physical health and a deeper mental awareness. 
• Gratitude makes the enjoyable parts of life even more pleasurable and it helps to sustain us in times of stormy weather.

Finding your favorite product on the grocery store shelf where you're looking for it may not seem like much of a big deal. But, in its own way, it is a small miracle when you think of all the moving parts that go into getting it there. Daily life is full of these small miracles. The collection of these small events throughout the day is what makes life feel rich and full. Remembering to stop periodically and be grateful for the little things is the best way I know to practice thankfulness. 
This Thanksgiving, I will be grateful for many things. One of the things that'll be high on my list will be you, dear reader. Thank you for allowing me to share my thoughts and ideas with you through this blog. Every writer needs an audience. And without, I'd be writing all of this for not.
Dharma and I finished our meal and he stayed long enough to help me clean up. He could tell I was anxious to get on with my holiday. I am always grateful for Dharma Frog but even more so today. I wish you all a wonderful week; one that's filled with love, laughter, and gratitude. I 'll be back here again on Monday, but until then, stay safe and
                                                                         PEACE.

Why is it that kids...all kids...love dinosaurs? Adults do too. I mean just look at the phenomenal success of the Jurassic Park franchise. There are dino-themed amusement parks, toys, and clothing. These prehistoric beasts generate a kind of fascination in everyone. We all know that dinosaurs were big, some were really really BIG. A few had feathers. And they all went extinct about 65 million years ago. They continue to hold our fascination even today. But how much do you really know about dinosaurs and the Mesozoic Era when they lived and roamed the earth? Here are 8 fun facts you might not know....but should, if your love dinosaurs!
1.  Dinosaurs were not the first reptiles to rule the earth. The first dinosaurs evolved during the middle to late Triassic period...230 million years ago "in the part of the supercontinent of Pangea that now corresponds with South America." Before then, the dominant land reptiles were archosaurs (ruling lizards), therapsids (mammal-like reptiles), and pelycosaurs (Dimetrodon creatures). And for nearly 20 million years after the first appearance of dinosaurs, the most feared reptiles on the planet were prehistoric crocodiles. "It was only at the beginning of the Jurassic period, 200 million years ago, that dinosaurs truly began their rise to dominance."
2.  Dinosaurs prospered for over 150 million years. Humans can live, if they're lucky, to reach maybe 100 years of age. Geologists say that mankind isn't well-adapted to really understanding "deep time." Here's what they mean. "To put things in perspective: modern humans have only existed for a few hundred thousand years, and human civilization only got started about 10,000 years ago, mere blinks of the eye by Jurassic time scales." Humans tend to think that dinosaurs just suddenly went extinct, but if we look at the amazing 165 million years that they survived and prospered, they might be classified as the most successful vertebrate animal "ever to colonize earth!"
3. The dinosaur kingdom was divided into two main branches. You might think that dinosaurs would be divided into the two groups herbivores (plant eaters) and carnivores (meat eaters) but paleontologists see it differently. They believe that the dinos are classified into these groups: the saurischian (lizard-hipped) and the ornithischian or bird-hipped dinosaurs. Oddly enough, birds evolved from "lizard-hipped," rather than "bird-hipped," dinosaurs! Which brings us to the next point.
4.  Dinosaurs almost certainly evolved into birds. There a few alternative theories, but the bulk of the evidence points to modern birds evolving from small, feathered theropod dinosaurs "during the late Jurassic and Cretaceous periods. Bear in mind, though, that this evolutionary process may have happened more than once."
5.  Some dinosaurs were warm-blooded. Modern turtles and crocodiles are ectothermic, or cold-blooded creatures that rely on the external environment to maintain their internal body temperatures. "There's a solid case to be made that at least some meat-eating dinosaurs--and even a few ornithopods must have been endothermic since it's hard to imagine such an active lifestyle being fueled by a cold-blooded metabolism." But it's reasonable to assume that at least some of the largest dinosaurs were warm-blooded since they would have cooked themselves from the inside out in a matter of hours!
6.  Not all dinosaurs were equally dumb.  It's true that some plant-eating dinosaurs (like Stegosaurus) had brains so tiny compared to the rest of their bodies that they must have been only a little bit smarter than giant ferns. Okay, that was a little mean but, sadly, kind of true. "Meat-eating dinosaurs large and small, ranging from Troodon to T. Rex, possessed more respectable amounts of grey matter compared to their body size since these reptiles required better-than-average sight, smell, agility, and coordination to reliably hunt down prey." That being said, even the smartest dinosaurs were on an "intellectual par with the modern ostrich...D students, at best."
​7. Pterosaurs and marine reptiles weren't technically dinosaurs. The word dinosaur applies only to land-dwelling reptiles possessing a specific hip and leg structure, among other anatomical characteristics. "As large and impressive as some genera (such as Quetzalcoatlus and Liopleurodon) were, flying pterosaurs and swimming plesiosaurs, ichthyosaurs and mosasaurs weren't dinosaurs at all--and some of them weren't even all that closely related to dinosaurs, save for the fact that they're also classified as reptiles." And FYI, Dimetrodon which is often described as a dinosaur was actually a different kind of reptile that flourished tens of millions of years before the dinosaur ever existed! 
8.  Dinosaurs didn't go extinct all at once.  The meteor that impacted the Yucatan Peninsula 65 million years ago didn't instantly incinerate all the dinosaurs on earth. along with many of their cousins. Rathers, extinction was slow and dragged on for hundreds, possibly thousands, of years "as plunging global temperatures, lack of sunlight, and the resulting lack of vegetation profoundly altered the food chain from the bottom up."
There you go, dinosaur fanciers...a few facts that you may have not known about these incredible beasts. Since this will be a short week for me, my beloved friend and teacher The Dharma Frog will be here tomorrow (Tuesday) rather than on his typical Wednesday. I hope you'll stop back by, before getting ready to celebrate Thanksgiving with your loved ones, and hear what Dharma has to say on the subject of gratitude. Bye for now!
                                                                      Peace.

​Strauss, Bob. "The 10 Most Important Facts About Dinosaurs." ThoughtCo, Oct. 19, 2018, thoughtco.com/important-dinosaur-facts-1091959.

The holiday shopping season is once again upon us. And while it lots of fun to go shopping for gifts, it can sometimes get out of hand. Many humans, and lots of frogs as well tend to go crazy buying things. These folks have trouble sticking with their gift lists...and budget...and, at the end of the day, wind up with all sorts of impulse items that they really don't need. Spending money is fun. At least until it gets us into trouble. So why do we spend money on things we don't need when we know it's bad? I came across a fascinating article the other day that addresses this issue in a constructive way.
This time a year it's hard to save money, I know, but cutting back on impulse buying can go a long way toward keeping your budget intact, not only at Christmastime but throughout the year. "I can't really afford this, but I love it! Oh, what the heck, I'll treat myself just this once." Sound familiar? I've said the same thing myself many times.  And I'm not alone. A whopping 64% "regret our spending on short-term pleasures, including food, clothing, new cars, tech gadgets, and vacations," according to a study by banking and brokerage firm Schwab. Most of us wish we could manage our money better and save more for retirement.
So why can't we simply knuckle down and stop our spending? It turns out that living on a tight budget seems to bring about even more impulse spending. "It comes down to a failure to delay gratification and an inclination towards impulsivity, which occurs in all humans — but particularly (and ironically) among those whose budgets are already stretched thin, says psychiatrist Mark Tobak, MD." Humans who live on tight budgets grasp at any opportunity to experience pleasure in the hope of securing something for themselves in an unkind world, The greater the desperation, the greater the desire to take risks, such as buy up lottery tickets; it's a greater risk than a starting a savings account.
Then there's the "must have" ad campaigns that we get caught up in. This is especially true for millennials. "A recent Social Savings Survey from Ally Bank showed that 74 percent of millennials say social media influences their shopping." And let's not forget "Keeping up with the Jones." It's the need to fit in, to feel accepted...that we can have what our friends have. Certain items became status symbols. And for pity sakes, stay away from all the home shopping stations on TV!
Okay, so we know what makes us shop for things we can't afford and don't really need, but how do we curb our inclinations to do so? The key to getting ahead of our impulses seems to lie in a) recognizing them and b) planning for them. Call it money-mindfulness, if you will. it starts with turning off your social media if that is where your spending impulses come from.  or make a deal with yourself that there won't be any online shopping after you've had that glass of wine. But if you do get to the point of purchase ask yourself;
1.  Do I really need this and, more importantly, can I afford it? 2. Am I feeling impulsive and have I really thought this through? If you've managed to NOT buy the item in your shopping basket, congratulate yourself! Then turn your attention to your savings account. If you don't have one, this might be a great time to open one.
If you can get a little money into your savings account first, then you've already accomplished one of your goals. Kudos to you! Impulse spending isn’t the only way to use money to bring us joy. Watching your bank account or retirement savings grow can be a gratifying experience, as can unlocking the front door to your new home or knowing that you're a lot closer to having a wonderful retirement than you'd be if you'd bought all of those thingamabobs. I know this information can help me as I bravely face the shopping barrage that's due to hit this next week and for the next month or so, leading up to Christmas and into the New Year.
This does it for me this week. I'm hopping off for a little R & R with a few of my best buds. We haven't spent time together recently and I do miss seeing them. I'm sure we'll have a blast, even if we don't do much. Sometimes, just being together with friends is enough. Whatever your plans are for the weekend, stave safe and have some fun! Please join me back here on Monday. Until then, I wish you
                                                                           PEACE.

​www.nbcnews.com/better/business/why-we-spend-money-things-we-shouldn-t-how-break-ncna930616

I always think of metals as being heavy and kind of dense. And, for the most part, they are. Some, however, are actually fairly lightweight and I thought it might be kind of interesting to look at a few of the lightest metals in the world.
The lightest, or least dense metal is a pure element called lithium. To refresh your memory, a pure element is "a substance whose atoms all (or in practice almost all) have the same atomic number, or number of protons," according to the dictionary. Lithium is nearly half as dense as water. In fact, if lithium weren't so reactive, a chunk of it could float on water. 
There are, however, two other metals that are also less dense than water. They are potassium and sodium. I love science but I'm certainly not a "whiz kid" when it comes to understanding all of it. So I was surprised to learn that potassium and sodium were metals. Now in all fairness to my teachers, I probably did learn that back in school but I have long since forgotten it. While lithium, potassium, and sodium are light enough to float on water, they are so reactive that when they are placed on water they either burn or explode! And FYI, all other metals on the periodic table are all denser than water.
Hydrogen, however, is the lightest of them all. That is because because it consists simply of a single proton and sometimes a neutron (deuterium). Under certain conditions, it forms a solid metal. "This makes hydrogen the least dense metal, but it isn't generally considered a contender for "lightest" because it doesn't exist as a metal naturally on Earth." Again, I don't remember learning this, but somewhere along the line I must have. 
Elemental metals can be lighter than water but they aren't always lighter than some metal alloys. The lightest metal alloy is a "lattice of nickel phosphorous tubes (Microlattice) that was developed by researchers at the University of California Irvine." This metallic micro-lattice is 100 times lighter than a piece of Styrofoam! Even though the alloy consists of metals that possess ordinary density (nickel and phosphorus), the material is extremely light. This is because the alloy is arranged in a cellular structure, consisting of 99.9% open air space. Although the structure is mostly open space, it's very strong because of how it can distribute weight. It can be helpful to compare this lightweight metal alloy to a human bone. Bones are strong because they are mainly hollow, not solid.
Like I say, I love science and i want to thank you for hangin' in there with today's blog. Sometimes I just have to share things! 
As we enter into the holiday season with lots of shopping to be done, tomorrow's blog is on that very subject. I hope you'll plan on "hopping" by. Until then, it's Irwin Quagmire Wart signing off until tomorrow and wishing you much
                                                                        PEACE.

​Helmenstine, Anne Marie, Ph.D. "What Is the Lightest Metal?" ThoughtCo, Oct. 5, 2018, thoughtco.com/what-is-the-lightest-metal-608450.

Despite a chillier than normal temperatures here in Lily Pad, I woke up early and immediately set to work preparing breakfast for my friend and mentor, The Dharma Frog, who comes for my weekly life lesson every Wednesday morning. After putting my strata in the oven to bake, I went for my swim and got myself clean-up. Just as the timer on my oven went off, Dharma hopped onto my pad with a loud kerplop! "Good morning, Irwin. Something smells delicious!" "Hiya, Dharma," I replied. "I got up early and made one of your favorite breakfast foods. It's cold this morning and that makes for a good day to bake. And having a hot meal won't hurt us, either." "That is certainly true." replied the master.
​We sat down to eat and as I poured our tea, Dharma asked me a leading question. "So tell me Tadpole, what's been going on in your life?" "Glad you asked. I said something to a friend a mine...in an effort to be helpful..but now he's upset with me. And I'm not sure what I did or said that caused him to feel this way." Dharma thought for a minute or so and then offered this advice, "My boy, sometimes a frog's silence can be a source of great strength; learning when to listen and not to speak can be a very valuable lesson. Perhaps we should focus on that today as our lesson.  And we did.
Ever notice when you listen to music that there is often a pause between the notes? If it weren't for those pauses, music wouldn't be melodic. it would simply be a cacophony....a harsh discordant jumble of sounds. Communication can be that way as well. Often, human (and we frogs, too) only want to be heard. They aren't looking for solutions, advice, or criticisms. other times, silence allows others to be clearly heard, to take their turn to speak. Silence can also be important in itself. There are times when quiet is very nice. Silence can be relaxing and restorative as well, and that’s a wise thing to do, from time to time.
For some humans, silence comes naturally. For others, it is a struggle to be quiet. Silence can make them feel uncomfortable. For those of us who struggle to keep quiet, Here are Dharma's five top reasons for zipping up your lips.
1.  Silence gets attention.  When someone pauses every so often while speaking, it can signal our brains that something important will happen or will be said. As a listener, you automatically perk up. In our daily conversations, when we pause and "take a breath" others take note and begin paying closer attention.
2.  Silence can be an obvious answer.  Humans tend to over-explain. Silence, then, on its own becomes the answer. it can soften the blow of a negative response if we simply remain silent; it is an implied "no." Another example is when someone says something we don’t agree with or find offensive. If we are silent, we send a powerful message that communicates that we don’t agree or are not going along with what someone is saying.
3.  Silence uses non-verbal language. Humans are fortunate to have many ways of communicating in addition to talking. Experts agree that non-verbal language can often be far more powerful than verbal language. "Nonverbal communication – our facial expressions, gestures, eye contact, posture, and tone of voice – that speaks the loudest. The ability to understand and use nonverbal communication, or body language, is a powerful tool that can help you connect with others, express what you really mean, and build better relationships.”
​4.  Silence offers empathy to others. We frogs and humans too, I've noticed, always seem to feel obligated to say things to our friends and family when they are experiencing difficult times. It is tempting to do that, I know. But often, all they really need, and want from us is for our presence. Words aren't necessary and often don't really do much good. "We can show someone we care and we are there for them without using a plethora of words. We can offer comfort by our calming silence," says the very wise Dharma.
5.  Silence is polite. We live in a society that is constantly barraged by noises and messages. There is hardly any quiet time in our lives anymore. "We live in a society where we are constantly being barraged by noise and messages. From radio broadcasts, news channels, music in elevators, stores, and most businesses, to the rings of our phones, to the constant chatter of people around us. We often feel with so much going on we don’t have enough time to communicate what we need to communicate. We are fighting with so many other sources of noise." So when we do get a chance to talk, we feel its necessary to cram in everything we need and want to say...all at once. For we never know when the next opportunity to speak will come. When we resist the urge to "toss in our personal 5-cents worth" and give others an opportunity to express themselves, we show them respect; respect and common courtesy. 
I for one believe the world could do with a lot less noise and a little more quiet. How about you?
Dharma and I had a lovely exchange this morning...each allowing the other all the time necessary for them to speak.. I also learned that the next time a friend or family member has a problem, that it can be most helpful to say nothing at all. Silence really is golden.
I invite you back here tomorrow for another blog from yours truly. Until then, my dear reader, I wish you
                                                                    PEACE.