Learning to forgive

I know. Pretty deep topic, right?

But Friday was the last day of school, and probably the last day I’ll see my friend, Lightning until next year—so I thought I should get something off my chest.

I’ve been kind of mad at Lightning for about two weeks. It started during Track and Field practice. Everyone knows Lightning and I like to compete. We’re not “best friends” off the track, but we’re not enemies, either. For me, it’s always been about a little friendly competition.

So I guess I was a bit surprised when Coach Taylor yelled “Go!” and Lightning TRIPPED me. I fell flat on my face—I have the scabs to prove it! He says it was an accident, and instead of believing him, I’ve been festering anger.

Grandma says holding onto a grudge isn’t healthy. So, I’ve decided to forgive him, and not just because it was World Forgiveness Day on Friday, either. I just don’t want to go into the summer being…mad. And maybe it WAS an accident. I choose to believe it was.

Apparently Monday is World Hug Day. Grandma seems to think Lightning and I should “hug it out.” Um…no. I draw the line there! But I will be sure to pass around some hugs to my family. (And maybe a few of my friends…like Sophie!)

Gotta Jet! IWho should you think about forgiving?  And, if Friday was your last day of school, CONGRATULATIONS! Have a great summer!

— Chase Superman Duffy

A Father's Day surprise

My dad always says that sometimes, he has a hard time juggling everything on his plate. (Well, he is a very busy man…) So this Father’s Day, I decided to give him something to help out with that.

Nope, it’s not a new day planner, or volunteering my organizational services (though I guess that’s also a great gift idea.) In honour of World Juggler’s Day June 20, Dad and I are going to learn to—juggle. For real.

Brilliant, right?

I checked out some YouTube videos and read a bunch of articles online, and as long as we relax, take deep breaths, and steer clear of Mom’s china, I think it will be a lot of fun. Last year, Dad and I took up photography, and the year before that, we went fishing…so this is perfect!

I’ve already bought a beginner juggler’s kit—three evenly weighted beanbags. I can’t wait to tell Dad I’ve got the perfect idea to help him with his “juggling problem.” <grin>

Gotta jet! Hey—what are you doing for Father’s Day?

— Chase Superman Duffy

Roses are...blue?

My grandma has a garden full of roses (and I mean, FULL)—red, yellow, pink, even orange (actually, I think the technical term is apricot). Except, none of them are her favourite colour.

Grandma loves ROYAL BLUE ROSES. But…you won’t see many of those growing in a typical garden.

That’s because blue roses are grown using biotechnology—which is a scientific process that’s pretty hard to explain but essentially means the plant’s DNA is naturally altered to create a specific trait, in this case, its royal blue colour. Sound complicated?

It is!

Which is why even though scientists have been growing royal blue roses for the last six years or so, my grandpa has to order them in for special occasions—like Grandma’s birthday, Mother’s Day, and today…which is ironically, Red Rose Day. (Who makes these days up?!)

Biotechnology is pretty fascinating science, and of course, it’s evolving all of the time. In 5-7-5 Errand Boy, one of the Chase “Superman” Duffy books, the author talks a LOT about biotechnology and how it impacts way more of your life than you can imagine. Check it out!

Gotta jet! I have to run and pick my mom up some roses for my dad to give my mom—thank goodness her favourites are RED! Have a great weekend. <grin>

— Chase Superman Duffy

Tree huggers beware!

Did you know that 400 million years ago, before trees took over, Earth was covered in 24-foot mushrooms. Spooky, right?

Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for mushrooms—they’re great in stir-fries, omelets and salads, for one thing—but I love trees. I’m lucky to live in a well-treed area of the province, and just last week, my dad planted an apple tree in our backyard. I’m already drooling for a slice of grandma’s rhubarb-apple pie.

But today is Environment Day and I was going to make a list of some of my favourite trees…and then when doing my research, I discovered some creep-tastic tree facts that were just too spook-tacular not to share. Ready for this? You might want to sit down…

In Australia, the leaves of the Stinging Tree are covered with tiny hairs that are as sharp as porcupine needles and inject you with poison—a poison so toxic it can produce a burn that lasts as long as two years. Yikes!

If you think that’s bad, do some research on the Amazon’s Sandbox Tree. Its trunk is covered in sharp spines, and the tree’s leaves, bark and sap are all poisonous. But that’s not even the worst of it. When the sandbox tree’s fruits ripen, they burst open with a loud bang and can shoot seeds as far as 100 feet with enough force to send you to the doctor!

And speaking of dangerous fruit, the manchineel tree—native to Florida, Central America, Mexico, and the Caribbean—is entirely poisonous. In fact, the tiny apple-shaped fruits it produces are so dangerous they’ve been dubbed “little apples of death.” You don’t even have to touch the tree to get hurt! Water rolling off the leaves can burn your skin. Ouch!

You can bet these trees are making it into one of my scary short stories! 

Gotta jet! Have a SUPER weekend—and don’t forget to celebrate Environment Day!

— Chase Superman Duffy