Why Leaves in the Fall Change Color

Have you ever been asked, "Why are leaves brown, orange, yellow, and red during the fall?" Are you curious yourself?

Well, here's your scientific answer!

Leaves contain pigments in them, which give them color. The most prominent pigment is chlorophyll, which is green, and therefore makes the leaf green. There are still other pigments in leaves, such as brown, red, yellow, orange but the chlorophyll usually conceals them.

In the fall and winter, less chlorophyll is produced in the leaves and the other pigments show up. Tadaa!

Next time a friend asks, you can proudly answer you know the secret.
Like olden times, "Keep on Smelling!"

Poem: "Bare Bear Hrothgar"

Bare bear Hrothgar
Found a juggling ball
But without another ball,
He couldn't juggle at all!

But with two juggling balls,
Then three,
Then four,
Then five,
Bare bear Hrothgar feared his success
Would take a dive!

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

So bare bear Hothgar sat alone
On a log
With nobody else,
But the bugs from the bog

They asked,
Why so glum?
You're clearly not a lazy bum!

Bare bear Hrothgar replied with a sigh,
Banana heavens, I'm ready to cry!
I'm afraid from their laughter I'll die!

The critters and crawlers answered,
Well, why don't you try?
And so what if they laugh,
So what if you fail?
After all, if you love your failure,
Even if it doesn't rhyme,
Or fit the time,
It's pure success!

Poem: "Up Late"

Up late, all night
Without a fright
Sitting at the screen,
Lazy as a bean

Like a vampire,
But lose time for sun
With lack of sleep,
The whole day is done.

Poem: "Pumpkin Bread"

Pumpkin bread
Tastes so dead

If pumpkin bread
Tastes so dead,
Does pumpkin bread
Taste like lead?

If dead lead pumpkin bread
Tastes bad, not rad;
Then was it baked by an
Inexperienced lad?

Dead lead pumpkin bread, bad (not rad), baked by an inexperienced lad...
Is it clever? This long-named endeavor?
It's a novelty! Write a novel!

Dead lead pumpkin bread, bad (not rad), baked by an inexperienced lad, is clever as a long-named endeavor and deserves a novelty novel.

Autumn-Winter Haiku Poem: "Colder"

Spider bites thy toe
River freezes solid ice
Fall turns into snow

The Conscious Breathing Magic Trick

This is not exactly the everyday "magic trick" with cards and fooling the audience, but it's amusing and worth trying!

1. Find a friend ask them if they'd like you to perform a magic trick.

2. Then ask, "Are you conscious of your breathing?"

3. If they say no, tell them, "You are now!" Your friend will now be aware of their inhale and exhale for a few moments. Tadaa!

Origami Ninja Stars!

As we all know, origami is the "(awesome) art of paper folding." I found this sheet of instructions hiding between two novels on my bookshelf a while back. Although I can't read Japanese, I was able to follow the diagrams and arrows. The product: two ninja stars!

If you'd like to make some stars yourself, here's this video I found relatively easy to follow.

Poem: "Cow"

I was born in the darkness,
Fed some strange-looking hormones.
Cramped in a single slot,
With mountains of corn to force feed.

My neighbors tell me,
"Once upon a time:
Us cows were free to graze,
And we could eat fresh grass as we please."

But now they tell me,
"Forget that point.
We are here to be sold to some
Burger joint."

That's right-
Fast food, steakhouse, BBQ ribs;
Our life is just fibs.

I am your burger,
I am your steak.
I am your cow.

Lego Thanksgiving Turkey

Happy Thanksgiving! To commemorate this holiday, Lego stores offered a "free build" on November 6th, where visitors put together a Lego turkey model.
These promotions occur the first Tuesday of every month, so don't worry if you missed this one because the next one is on December 4th.
                                                                      
Because I stood in line for an entire hour, I came to appreciate the design of the rather small model. The ease of assembling yet complexity of visual appeal taken into consideration and brainstormed by those creative Lego engineers is simply remarkable.  

                                        
Should you still like a Lego turkey, the Mini Models are available on the shelves (but not for free). "Gobble gobble!"

5 Things to Do on Thanksgiving

1. Attend or host a Thanksgiving feast/party with friends and family.

2. Tell someone or make a list of things you're thankful for.

3. Learn about the history of Thanksgiving so you can share some brainy facts; the first Thanksgiving didn't even have a turkey or any forks.

4. Draw a turkey by tracing your hand.

5. Pardon a turkey and be a vegetarian!