Pencil Smoothies

So I have been planning a post (I have a small notebook I try to keep in my pocket for jotting down inspiration) about how no one has a problem with our kids using lead pencils in school. About how everyone is all concerned about lead paint in older houses, but no one seems to be thinking of all the kids who eat paste in school, taking a nibble on their pencils.

But then I did some research and learned that pencils are made out of a mixture of graphite and clay. What a let-down. As everyone knows graphite used to be called black lead (in the early 1700's) but some guys who are long dead by now discovered that it is actually a form of carbon.

And I was all ready to speculate about a lead pencil cover-up. Writing conspiracies.