The surf rolled in and back out leaving a precious gift in its frothy waves. Baby Elias fished an antique rum bottle from the water. There was a letter inside. "Help me", it said, "I'm all alone." Everyone feels alone, it's part of the human condition. But the truth is we're all connected. Our sorrows connect us. Our dreams connect us. We are all the same. But we can all use a little advice from time to time...

Saturday, December 25, 2010

Questions from a Grandson

Why is the sky blue?

The sky is blue because of the water droplets present in the air. Those droplets act as tiny prisms. The light shines in one side, it is bent, and when it shines out the other side it is broken into colors. The color that happens to be present in the sky is blue.
Do you have a trampoline?

Sorry no.


Do you know where chocolate comes from?

Chocolate comes from a bean grown in a pod on a cocao tree. The beans must be fermented, dried, cleaned and roasted. They are then ground into powder. That powder is mixed and made into a liquid. The liquid is then powered again or made into chocolate. It is very bitter at that stage which is the reason they add
sugar. It does not grow here that I know of, but it grows in Mexico. Mexican chocolate is very good. It also  in Central America. It needs the tropical heat to grow.


Do you know what is in cocoa beans?

 There is a substance called theobromine that is can lower blood pressure and also work on seratonan which is a chemical in the brain that keeps you awake during the day. There is another chemical, present in the body that helps you sleep at night--that is called melatonin.

Theobromine is not good for dogs that is the reason they should not have chocolate.


Do you have a cocoa tree?

No again. We aare in the tropics, but so far I have not seen a cocoa tree--we have plenty of mangos though.

Love,
Grandma

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