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By Dean Norman

"Twas brillig and the slithy toves did gyre and gimble in the wabe."

Wow, did my spell check go wild with that one. I thought that sentence written by Lewis Carroll was delightful nonsense.

Until I think I saw some slithy toves gyreing and gimbleing in the wabe. I was sitting in my backyard, and there was a bunch of invisible little gnats, or maybe slithy toves, swirling in a small column in the air about five feet above the grass. They were invisible until a beam of backlighting sunshine made their gyreing and gimbleing visible. The sun ‘twas brillig.

Watching slithy toves has become a favorite backyard pastime. I have seen them on sunny days winter, spring and summer. I can’t remember if I have seen them in fall. In fall I like to do scientific research. I sit and sip a glass of IPA beer, and study the aerodynamics of gravity-powered missiles that are launched from botanical towers.

Most of them hit their target, the ground, but they take different flight paths. Some come down in a slow spiral, and land softly like a glider. Some make switchbacks. Going left, then right, then left, etc., gradually losing altitude until they also make a soft glide landing. Some come straight down and spin like they intend to drill into the ground. You would almost think there is a pilot directing each missile. But I believe the flight paths are determined by the shape of each. Sugar maple towers launch the most graceful spiral and switchback flying missiles. The silver maple tower in my back yard launches its missiles mostly into straight down spinning flights to the ground.

The missiles are launched one at a time when there is no wind. But a gust of wind will trigger a cluster of missiles, and it is a grand display of motion and color in the sky. A combination of science and art that can inspire great discoveries and emotional rapture.

Well, I don’t know how this information can be useful. It is basic data that others can analyze and perhaps make some significant scientific discoveries that lead to technological advances and new inventions. I am content to just sip my beer and collect data.

— Dean Norman

Dean Norman is a cartoonist and humor writer, whose work has appeared in greeting cards,The New Yorker, MAD Magazine, The Cleveland Plain Dealer Sunday Magazine and The Kansas City Star. He's also written comedy for cartoon shows and written and illustrated children's books. He illustrated a cartoon book for Cleveland Metroparks, Cleveland Metroparks Adventures.