ePistle aGain

Famous First Words: Whereas it is the duty of all nations... Washington's declaration of the first Thanksgiving 10/3/1789

October is Class Reunion Month! Not only do I think I can lose 20 pounds before the reunion, I also think I still have a shot at being valedictorian.  Why did I come here? These ARE the people who knew me when.

The True Peace. The first peace, which is the most important, is that which comes within the souls of people when they realize their relationship, their oneness, with the universe and all its powers, and when they realize that at the center of the universe dwells Wakan-Tanka (the Great Spirit), and that this center is really everywhere, it is within each of us. --Black Elk, Oglala Sioux

..........Strictly from Dixie, face like a pixie...........James Darren …..Gidget

We have a powerful potential in our youth, and we must have the courage to change old ideas and practices so that we may direct their power toward good ends. --Mary McLeod Bethune

It is an almost chilly (64°F) Friday morning. The sun has not yet made it all the way up, but objects outside are beginning to be visible...the white window frame on the shed, the reflection of my computer screen in the back door window. Trees and roofs and fences are still entrenched in darkness. Puck has been out but hid under the bed while I took a shower, and there he is still. Veronica was here for a while but became disgusted when I would not leave the door ajar for her to stare into the waxing light. My decaf is freshly brewed and steamy hot. The morning started by my checking to make sure the closed down government, nevertheless, deposited my social security. It did. Ah, a spot of sky is now visible between the unmoving willow branches; the tree itself is still a black mass. I am waiting for the sound of bird chatter. And finally, it's time to write to you. What a morning!

Hope your weekend clears your soul and refreshes your body, dear ones

First Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: Since we don't know where we're going, we have to stick together in case someone gets there. --Ken Kesey

Christine Update of the Week: On Tuesday night or more likely Wednesday morning I fell down in my bedroom. I had gotten up to go to the bathroom which I have done nightly for the last few years. I did not turn on the bedside lamp. I fell on my left hip/lower back. I also conked the back of my head but it only hurt for a couple of minutes – so it wasn't bad. I called out without knowing whether Dashiell was asleep yet. I did manage to get up and sit on the bed and make my way to the bathroom. My bladder – confused by the sudden movement and its sudden stop – had taken care of the reason why I was up in the first place. Anyway, I slept okay but when I got up my lower left hip and back were sore and stiff. I could sit and lie down comfortably but walking was painful. This is Thursday afternoon. I am much, much better. Time and aleve have gotten me almost back to normal. Hoping to be okay for Jeff's Celebration of Life on Saturday (10/4) at 10 am in the Clinton Park shelter. 01 W 5^th St, Lawrence 66044.

I went to my high school reunion over the weekend. Some of my classmates changed so much that they didn't even recognize me.  My reunion is in 3 days. Any suggestions about how I can at least appear to have achieved greatest in that time.

"Hold on to what is good, Even if it's a handful of earth. Hold on to what you believe, Even if it's a tree that stands by itself. Hold on to what you must do, Even if it's a long way from here. --Crowfoot, Blackfoot warrior

..........'Til we tear the house down.........Chubby Checker …..The Twist

Trivia Questions: It's World Smile Day !

1. How many of the six kinds of smiles can you name?

2. Do we use more or fewer muscles to smile than to frown?

3. Is smiling really contagious?

4. How old are babies when they smile intentionally?

5. Do people all over the world smile in the same way?

Big Hello: Sawubona – Swazi https://www.omniglot.com/language/phrases/hello.htm

Second Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: Live your life in such a way that if the escalator stops, you don't assume it's because people hate you.

Insult of the Week: Some minds are like soup in a poor restaurant – better left unstirred. --P G Wodehouse Mike and Psmith

Image of the Week:

Wow, these people are really old. Are you sure we're at the right reunion?  Mrs Ellis, our senior English teacher was at the reunion. I asked her why she was there and she said she was still waiting for my final homework assignment.

Let me be a free man, free to travel, free to stop, free to work, free to trade where I choose my own teachers, free to follow the religion of my fathers, free to think and talk and act for myself, and I will obey every law, or submit to the penalty. --Heinmot Tooyalaket (Chief Joseph)

..........hot rods, cool cars, limousines.........Tommy Lee …..Dr Feelgood

Moonbeam: At any given moment, public opinion is a chaos of superstition, misinformation, and prejudice. --Gore Vidal

Blasphemy of the Week: Jesus's miracle of the loaves and fishes was a slap in the face to all the people who brought their own lunch, --Submitted by MMS

Coffee Joke of the Week: That first cup of coffee in the morning is truly brewtful.

Next Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: Ego and Superego walk into a bar. The bartender says, “I'm gonna need to see some Id.” --Submitted by High Church Coyote

Since I published my novel, I was hoping to do a told-you-so at the reunion to all those kids that bullied me. Damn, every single one has a job in the current white house.  You must remember me. I'm Ralph. We dated in high school and reconnected after college. I was your first husband. Remember?

I do not think the measure of a civilization is how tall its buildings of concrete are, but rather how well its people have learned to relate to their environment and fellow man. --Sun Bear, Chippewa

..........Tell me why everything turned around.........Fleetwood Mac with Lindsey Buckingham …..Go Your Own Way

1) a: The Duchenne aka Genuine smile b: Social aka Polite smile c: Forced smile d: The smirk e: The Flirt f: Empathic smile Other lists also include sarcastic, contemptuous, embarrassed, and wistful.

Almanac: It is Friday, October 3, 2025. The moon will be full on Tuesday (10/7 – Harvest aka Hunter's moon) and is in Aquarius. October 3 all on its own has only one holiday listed, Techies Day. However because it is the first Friday it is also Kids Music Day, Lee's National Denim Day, Manufacturing Day aka National Manufacturing Day, National Body Language Day, National Diversity Day, World College Radio Day, World Plaid Day aka Plaidurday, and World Smile Day. The first weekend in October is National Storytelling Weekend.

Among those born on this day were John Gorrie (1803), Mikhail Lermontov (1814), Thomas Wolfe (1900), Charles Pedersen (1904), Gore Vidal (1925), James Darren (1939), Chubby Checker (1941), Lindsey Buckingham (1947), and Tommy Lee (1962).

On October third the first national Thanksgiving Day was proclaimed for Nov. 26th (1789), Lincoln designated last Thursday in November as Thanksgiving Day (1863), Federal Income Tax was signed into law (1%, 1913), the American Pro Football Association played its first game (1920), the first fax was sent (1922), Yugoslavia changed its name to Yugoslavia (Kingdom of Serbia plus the provisional State of Serbs, Croats, & Slovenes, 1918), the NFL became the first sport televised as sport of the week (1948), Ethel Waters became the first black person to star in a TV show (Beulah, 1950), Father Knows Best premiered (1954), Captain Kangaroo and Mickey Mouse Club premiered (1955), the Dick Van Dyke Show and Mr. Ed premiered (1961), the Watergate trial began (1974), and East and West Germany reunited (1990).

Night Sky, 10/3: Uranus rises around 9 pm local daylight time early in the month, and 2 hours earlier by the 31^st. It stands about 6° southwest of the Pleiades all month. The easiest way to spot it is with binoculars. https://www.astronomy.com/observing/sky-this-month-october-2024/

Fraternal Picture of the Week: Out of the Woods

This Week: Saturday, October 4 – National Off-Road Day & National Taco Day & World Animal Day

Sunday, October 5 – Get Funky Day & Intergenerational Day & World Teachers Day

Night Sky, 10/5: Moon meets Saturn

Monday, October 6 – American Libraries Day & National Badger Day & World Day of Architecture

Night Sky, 10/6: Full autumn moon. Looking east-southeast one hour after sunset in Aries.

Tuesday, October 7 – National Inner Beauty Day & World Cotton Day

Wednesday, October 8 – National Take Your Parents To Lunch Day & S.A.V.E. (Stop American Violence Everywhere)

Night Sky, 10/8: The moon will reach perigee – its closest point to us in its elliptical orbit around Earth – on October 8, 2025, when it's 223,581 miles (359,819 km) away.

Thursday, October 9 – World Postcard Day & World Sight Day

Why would I go to my high school reunion? There's 120 pounds of me that never attended that school. At my last high school reunion the swag bag included discount coupons for Dr Kevorkian.

When you are in doubt, be still, and wait; when doubt no longer exists for you, then go forward with courage. So long as mists envelop you, be still; be still until the sunlight pours through and dispels the mists – as it surely will. Then act with courage. --Chief White Eagle, Ponca Chief

..........Somethin's happening, Happening to me.........Fleetwood Mac with Lindsey Buckingham …..Everywhere

2) Smiling takes less effort than frowning. It is a documented fact that you will use around 13 muscles to smile. However you will need around 50 muscles to frown.

Preantepenultimate Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: It's Kid Music Week: That clever kid from 4^th grade fixed the principal's printer so that whenever it jams it plays the Grateful Dead

Moonbeam: You have reached the pinnacle of success as soon as you become uninterested in money, compliments, or publicity. --Thomas Wolfe

Some Fun, Some Not So Fun Facts of the Week: On October 3, 1967 singer/songwriter Woody Guthrie died in New York City at the age of 55. He had spent the last decade of his life in the hospital, suffering from Huntington's chorea, now called Huntington's disease. This week a first one-time gene therapy was announced that can markedly slow progression of this disease, paving the way for the first ever treatment to alter the course of this rare, inherited brain disorder. ~~Alro Guthrie doesn't seem to have the disease. My foster sister was at risk for Huntington's.

Video of the Week: Ethyl Waters as Buelah (:41) https://youtu.be/Rj1EpgQ95cA?t=8 An entire episode of the Buelah show can be seen at https://youtu.be/42Ldm5jyHhw?t=9

The true worth of a race must be measured by the character of its womanhood. --Mary McLeod Bethune

All dreams spin out of the same web. --Hopi Tribe

No, absolutely not. Nobody wants to see you in your high school cheerleader outfit.  When owls attend their high school reunion they go to their owlma mater.

..........She is like a cat in the dark.........Fleetwood Mac with Lindsey Buckingham …..Rhiannon

3) Yes, smiling is contagious. When you see someone smile, your brain's mirror neurons fire, as if you were smiling yourself. These neurons help us understand and imitate the actions and intentions of others.

Antepenultimate Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: Boy, you got more loose screws than a hardware store in an earthquake. --Submitted by ff of ks

Weird Word of the Week: Clinomania – An excessive desire to stay in bed or a reluctance to get out of bed. https://word-lists.com/word-lists/100-rare-words-with-beautiful-meanings/

Dragon of the Week:

Wacky Uses for Common Products: Kill tree fungus or mistletoe. Before cutting down a tree plagued by fungus or mistletoe, pour one or two gallons of Clorox around the base of the tree. Repeat four month later. In many cases, the tree roots drink up the Clorox, killing the fungus or mistletoe, enabling the tree to heal itself. https://www.wackyuses.com/wacky/clorox2.html

If you talk to the animals they will talk with you and you will know each other. If you do not talk to them you will not know them and what you do not know, you will fear. What one fears, one destroys. --Chief Dan George, Tsleil-Waututh Nation

The class of 1944 gets together for their class reunion. Not many people are left, but two of the 10 people to attend were Harry, an 88 year old widower, and Esther, an 87 year old divorcee. Over the course of the evening, they had a great time chatting about old times and their families. They each felt a real connection and by the time the night was out, Harry had proposed and Esther had happily accepted. The next morning, Harry woke up and was frustrated to realize that he couldn't remember Esther's answer to his proposal. Embarrassed, he picks up the phone to call her. "Hello, Esther? I'm so sorry, but my memory isn't what it used to be. Last night, when I asked you to marry me, did you say yes or no?" "I said YES!" Esther exclaimed excitedly. "And I'm so glad that you called, because for the life of me I couldn't remember who asked!"

...........Well who am I to keep you down.........Fleetwood Mac with Lindsey Buckingham …..Dreams

4) No, a baby's first smile is not intentional; it's a reflexive action that typically occurs during sleep or when the baby is gassy, though some research suggests newborns may also smile in response to positive physical stimuli like a cheek stroke or a sweet smell. The first intentional, or social smile, appears later, around 6-8 weeks of age, when the baby begins to smile in response to familiar faces, voices, and other social cues from the caregiver.

Penultimate Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: Defibulators Repulse Me --Submitted by cf of ks

Science Fiction Convention of the Week: Archon 2025 (3/5, Collinville, IL) ...bringing the dance stage to those who love the spotlight... https://www.archonstl.org/

Seasonal Quote of the Week: Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower. --Albert Camus

Spark of Joy of the Week: For my son David Christopher... If my name were Christopher, I'd go by Stop. --Jason --Submitted by UUHS ~~We nicknamed him Topher...because everyone uses Chris. I like Stop better.

Humankind has not woven the web of life. We are but one thread within it. Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves. All things are bound together. All things connect. --Chief Seattle, Duwamish

If the USSR got back together would it be called the Soviet Reunion?  The only people at my high school reunion to whom I could said, “You still look exactly the same” were the identical twins, Larry and Gary.

..........custom build bike doing 103.........Tommy Lee …..KickStart My Heart

5) Worldwide smiling is a yes and no situation. While the physical act of smiling is a universal expression of happiness, its frequency, intensity, and interpretation vary significantly depending on cultural norms. In some cultures, smiling is a routine social gesture, while in others it is reserved for sincere displays of emotion or can even be viewed with suspicion. FYI: In Navajo (Diné) culture, the baby's first laugh is a sacred moment that marks their welcome into the human community from the spiritual world. The person who elicits the first laugh hosts a celebration, the Wee Chi'deedloh ceremony, to formally initiate the baby into the community and teach the values of generosity and community, symbolized by the baby gifting guests rock salt and other presents which are symbols of laughter.

Protest Sign of the Week: The Constitution Wasn't Written In Pencil

Quote of the Week: We need to be weapons of mass construction, weapons of mass love. It's not enough just to change the system. We need to change ourselves. --Assata Shakur

Final Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: I hope Elon Musk never gets into a scandal because ElonGate would be really drawn out. --The Language Nerds -–Submitted by sb of ar

Today's Peace of History: October 3, 1904: Mary McLeod Bethune opened her first school for African-American students in Daytona Beach, Florida.

I have seen that in any great undertaking it is not enough for a man to depend simply upon himself. --Teton Sioux Tribe

The invitation to my high school reunion mentioned a potluck. So I brought weed and poker chips.  At the 40^th college reunion, Sarah met her classmate she hadn't seen since graduation. “Joyce,” she said, “You look just like you did in college. You really haven't changed a bit.” ”I know,” said Joyce, “It was terrible going through college looking like a 62 year old.

..........Start a little movement in your sacroiliac..........Chubby Checker …..;The Hucklebuck

Masthead of the Week: Friday ePistle, October 3, 2025: ePistle aGain. Online at: http://fridayepistle.blogspot.com/ Exclusive editor: Christine Smith. Lawrence, KS.

Moonbeam: There is only one party in the United States: The Property Party...and it has two right wings: Republican and Democrat. --Gore Vidal

Cost of War:

As of 10/02/25 State Department Costs: $275,201,629,518

As of 09/25/25 State Department Costs: $275,642,359,657

As of 10/02/25 Homeland Security: ,$1,211,719,049,337

As of 09/25/25 Homeland Security: $1,211,111,547,457

As of 10/02/25 Interest on War Debt: $1,330,563,388,123

As of 09/25/25 Interest on War Debt: $1,329,001,257,812

As of 10/02/25 Military Costs: $3,169,927,861,773

As of 09/25/25 Military Costs: $3,168,741,886,693

As of 10/02/25 Veterans Care: $4,511,273,625,607

As of 09/25/25 Veterans Care: $4,499,431,947,816

As of 10/02/25 Total Cost of Wars: $10,499,687,508,762

As of 09/25/25 Total Cost of Wars: $10,483,930,680,284

https://www.nationalpriorities.org/cost-of/

Cease to be a drudge, seek to be an artist. --Mary McLeod Bethune

Famous Last Words: Welcome, my sister, death. --St Francis of Assist who died October 3 of several serious health issues (leprosy, stomach ailments...)

..........You may hear angel cheer...........James Darren …..Come Fly With Me

The Holy Land is everywhere. --Black Elk, Oglala Sioux

Thank God for name tags.  And if you don't go to the reunion everyone will assume you still have big hair and wear gogo boots.

May Peace weave your days

And Joy thread your nights

prairie mama

christine

Last Laugh:

gLazed ePistle

 Famous First Words: Be it enacted... Federal Trade Commission Act of 1914

September is Baking and Decorating Month and today is National Bakery Day. So, what we knead are some hot cross puns. :: Remember, a good baker rises to the occasion; it's the yeast she can do.

We must reach out our hand in friendship and dignity both to those who would befriend us and those who would be our enemy. --Arthur Ashe

..........One of these mornings you're gonna rise up singing..........George Gershwin …..Summertime

Never, for the sake of peace and quiet, deny your own experience or convictions. --Dag Hammarskjöld

It is a bright, cool (58°F) Friday morning. The sun is shining through a cloudless azure sky. Trees are still green but motionless without much breeze to move them. Birds flit about and sing or call or scream – in the case of blue jays. I have filled 2 bird feeders and 1 bowl of peanuts (squirrels, birds, and bunny rabbits all seem to like peanuts). Puck went out, came back in, and promptly went back to sleep. Veronica guarded the peanuts from an ajar door until I got cold and closed it. My coffee is brewing and filling the house with acrid but welcome flavor that will soon warm my nose and mouth. Ahh! And now I get to write to you. What fun.

Hope this weekend is the icing on your week, oven masters.

Unsolicited Review of the Week: The Peace Gala (ECM at KU, 9/21/25) was wonderful. The food was excellent and the company was divine. Dances of Universal Peace, Food Not Bombs, and The Haskell Foundation all won Tom and Anne Moore Peace and Justice Awards. And various members talked about what peace and justice meant to them and how they sustain hope and they talked about building a better future. It made me want to share the Peace Lullaby (aka Let Peace Be Part Of You) again. But since one cannot embed an mp3 in an email, I have attached it to the letter. You only need to click on it for the file to play.   NOTE: Either I can't or I don't know how to copy the file into this blog.  Sorry.  I'll work on it and if I figure it out I will include it at a later date.  In the meantime try this: https://drive.google.com/drive/my-drive?q=parent:0AMe81FXhyMVfUk9PVA%20type:audio  

First Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: Propel, propel, propel your craft / Lightly down the water solution / Ecstatically, ecstatically, ecstatically, ecstatically / Life is just an illusion

Procrastibaking: (verb) when you have a million things to do but ignore everything and bake. :: A balanced diet is a cookie in each hand.

A friend may be waiting behind a stranger's face. --Maya Angelou

..........s' awful nice, s' paradise..........George Gershwin …..S' Wonderful

Trivia Questions: It's Save The Koalas Day

1. What scientific classification is the Koala?

2. Sleepier than cats, how many hours a day do Koalas spend sleeping?

3. Where are Koalas found – besides zoos?

4. How many Koalas – more or less – are left in the wild?

5. What is the lifespan of the Koala?

Big Hello: Habari – Swahili https://www.omniglot.com/language/phrases/hello.htm

Second Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: Here's what we do: we tell Agent Orange that Obama went to school at the Electoral College and he will dismantle it.

Image of the Week: Celebrate World Contraception Day

Insult of the Week: I've had a perfectly wonderful evening, but this wasn't it. --Groucho Marx

I tried to make a cake shaped like a car...but it kept breaking down. :: Caker Problem #32: Running out of frosting with one cupcake to go...

We need old friends to help us grow old and new friends to help us stay young. --Letty Cottin Pogrebin

..........The sun was shining everywhere..........George Gershwin …..A Foggy Day

Moonbeam: Making itself intelligible is suicide to philosophy. --Martin Heidegger

Blasphemy of the Week: I want to see executions on TV. Imagine if Coca-Cola sponsored executions. That would be so American, so patriotic. People would tune in. I think children at a certain age, as initiation, should be required to watch. Public executions by guillotine are holy. --Charlie Kirk

Coffee Joke of the Week: At the Cate Café they serve affoGato.

Next Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: He was a dreamer, a thinker, a speculative philosopher...or as his wife would have it, an idiot. --Douglas Adams

Some dream of cake; others bake it happen. :: Life is what you bake it! :: Batter late than never.

We need not think alike to love alike. --Francis David

..........It can be done, it can be done..........George Gershwin …..My One And Only

1) The Koala is in the order Diprotodontia, specifically a marsupial (pouched) mammal with two forward-facing incisors. Marsupial is the important designation here.

Almanac: It is Friday, September 26, 2025. The moon will reach its first quarter on Monday (9/29) and is in Scorpio. The United Nations has declared this International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons. In addition it is Hug a Vegetarian Day, Johnny Appleseed Day, National Doodle Day, National Dumpling Day, Shamu, the Whale Day, and World Contraception Day. Because it is the fourth Friday it is also National Bakery Day, and Native American Day. Finally because it is the last Friday it is Hug a Vegan Day aka Vegan Baking Day, and Save the Koala Day.

Among those born on this day were John Chapman (1774), Isvar Vidyasagar (1820), T.S. Eliot (1888), Martin Heidegger (1889), George Gershwin (1898), Jack LaLanne (1914), Barbara Britton (1919), Clifton Williams, Jr. (1932), Lynn Anderson (1947), and Oliva Newton-John (1948).

On September twenty-sixth the Parthenon was destroyed (1687), Jefferson became the first Secretary of State (1789), New Zealand became a dominion (1907), the Federal Trade Commission was formed (1914), the Queen Mary liner was launched (1934), Dag Hammarskjöld was re-elected secretary-general of the UN (1957), West Side Story opened on Broadway (1957), The Beverly Hillbillies premiered (1962), Yemen declared itself a republic (1962), Soyuz 38 returned to Earth (1980), and Antonin Scalia became a Supreme Court Judge (1986).

Night Sky, 9/26: The Moon reaches apogee, the farthest point from Earth in its orbit, at 5:46 am. EDT. At that time, our satellite will stand 251,996 miles (405,548 km) away. Triangulum is a small constellation rising in the east after sunset. Check it out.

Fraternal Picture of the Week: Time Travelers to World Con 2025

This Week: Saturday, September 27 – Fish Amnesty Day & National Day of Forgiveness & World Tourism Day

Sunday, September 28 – National Good Neighbor Day & World Rivers Day & Confucius Day

Monday, September 29 – National Coffee Day & World Heart Day & Silent Movie Night

Night Sky, 9/29: The recent five-planet display is breaking apart as Saturn and Neptune sink into the thicker air at the horizon. Venus, Jupiter, and Uranus remain visible in the morning twilight, while the First Quarter moon highlights the evening sky.

Tuesday, September 30 – Ask A Stupid Question Day & Blasphemy Day & National Love People Day

Wednesday, October 1 – International Coffee Day & Random Acts Of Poetry Day & Willy Wonka Day

Night Sky, 19/1: The planet Jupiter rises in the east-northeast shortly after midnight at the start of the month. It rises a little earlier each night, so that by month’s end it rises around 10:30 pm. At brighter than minus-two magnitude, and getting brighter each night, it outshines the bright stars around it.

Thursday, October 2 – Guardian Angels Day & National Custodial Workers Day & Peanuts (the cartoon) Day

A party without cake is just a meeting. --Julia Child :: With baseball and baking it's all about the batter.

Strangers are just friends waiting to happen. --Rod McKuen

..........You got me on the go..........George Gershwin …..Fascinating Rhythm

2) Koalas are famous for sleeping up to 18 hours a day due to their low-energy diet of eucalyptus leaves which also provide most of their water intake.

Preantepenultimate Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: Janet had not imagined that being an evil scientist would involve quite so much evil paperwork. --Submitted by ScienceHumor

Moonbeam: The most thought-provoking thing in our thought-provoking time is that we are still not thinking. --Martin Heidegger

Fun Facts of the Week: The New York shirtwaist strike of 1909, also known as the Uprising of the 20,000. It was a labour strike primarily involving Jewish women working in New York shirtwaist factories. In February 1910, the National Women's Trade Union League (NWTUL) settled with the factory owners, gaining improved wages, working conditions, and hours. The end of the strike was followed only a year later by the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire, which exposed the plight of immigrant women working in dangerous and difficult conditions.

Video of the Week: Shut Your Trap – Animated take off of Disney firing people at Donny T's request.

“Freedom from fear” could be said to sum up the whole philosophy of human rights. --Dag Hammarskjöld

Go out into the world today and love the people you meet. Let your presence light new light in the hearts of others. --Mother Teresa

Is self-raising flour for orphans? :: Quiche is like the fool's gold of the baking world. When you see it, you think it's pie.

..........Fall in love, you won't regret it..........George Gershwin …..Nice Work If You Can Get It

3) Koalas are found only in the trees of Australia, yet their fluffy cuteness and sleepy behavior have made them popular all over the world.

Antepenultimate Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: Any dog can be a guide dog if you don't care where you're going.

Weird Word of the Week: Selenolatry: Worship of the moon. https://word-lists.com/word-lists/100-rare-words-with-beautiful-meanings/

Dragon of the Week: Mermaid on a Seadragon --Submitted by vr of +66

Wacky Uses for Common Products: Discourage blackspot on roses. Pre-treat the mulch by mixing one ounce Clorox Bleach per gallon of water in a bucket and soaking the woodchips and other natural mulches in the solution for one hour. https://www.wackyuses.com/wacky/clorox2.html

Friendship has always belonged to the core of my spiritual journey. --Henri Nouwen

I have an incredible bread recipe. I keep it secret and only release it on a knead to dough basis. :: If Cinderella was a kitchen slave instead of a cleaning slave, would her name have been Mozzarella?

...........When the mellow moon begins to beam..........George Gershwin …..The Man I Love

4) As of June 2024 the International Fund for Animal Welfare estimates the wild population is between 100,000=500,000 while the Australian Koala Foundation estimates around 40,000-80,000.

Penultimate Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: Only 7 hours, 55 minutes and 35 more years until I'm done with work.

Science Fiction Convention of the Week: Necronomicon 2025 (26-28, Tampa Fl) Florida's longest-running Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror convention. https://necrofl.org/

Seasonal Quote of the Week: For summer, bear in mind, is a loitering gossip that only begins to talk of leaving when September rises to go. --George Washington Cable

Spark of Joy of the Week: The dreams of the people live on. --Glinda Oz the Great and Powerful

Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive, and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born. --Anais Nin

Peter was a short baker that did stand up comedy on weekends. He made lots of jokes about flat bread. I loved the pita patter of tiny Pete. :: Baking is the only profession where loafing on the job can get you a raise.

..........Oh, I takes dat gospel whenever it's pos'ble..........George Gershwin …..It Ain't Necessarily So

5) Koalas generally live from 10-15 years.

Protest Sign of the Week: Clean Up On Aisle 47

Better Protest Sign of the Week: If Melania Doesn't Have To Live With Him … Why Do We?

Best Protest Sign of the Week: Out Of The White House Into The Big House

Quote of the Week: Never be afraid to raise your voice for honesty and truth and compassion against injustice and lying and greed. If people all over the world would do this, it would change the earth. --William Faulkner

Final Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. When Scrabble gives you vowels, make aioli. --Submitted by UUHS

Today's Peace of History: September 26, 1909: International Ladies' Garment Workers Union (ILGWU Local 25) began a strike against the shirtwaist companies.

Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend. --Martin Luther King Jr

How can you tell if the Mango Mussolini is baking chocolate chip cookies? There are m&m shells all over the kitchen. :: She was a baking ninja who claimed to have a black belt in tarts.

..........The way you haunt my dreams..........George Gershwin …..They Can't Take That Away From Me

Masthead of the Week: Friday ePistle, September 26, 2025: gLazed ePistle . Online at: http://fridayepistle.blogspot.com/ Exclusive editor: Christine Smith. Lawrence, KS.

Moonbeam: To dwell is to garden. --Martin Heidegger

Cost of War:

As of 09/25/25 State Department Costs: $275,642,359,657

As of 09/18/25 State Department Costs: $275,083,299,403

As of 09/25/25 Homeland Security: $1,211,111,547,457

As of 09/18/25 Homeland Security: $1,210,504,322,505

As of 09/25/25 Interest on War Debt: $1,329,001,257,812

As of 09/18/25 Interest on War Debt: $1,327,440,048,918

As of 09/25/25 Military Costs: $3,168,741,886,693

As of 09/18/25 Military Costs: $3,167,556,466,182

As of 09/25/25 Veterans Care: $4,499,431,947,816

As of 09/18/25 Veterans Care: $4,487,897,381,485

As of 09/25/25 Total Cost of Wars: $10,483,930,680,284

As of 09/18/25 Total Cost of Wars $10,468,184,331,338

https://www.nationalpriorities.org/cost-of/

Those who invoke history will certainly be heard by history. And they will have to accept its verdict. --Dag Hammarskjöld

Last Minute Addition of the Week: If you failed to Rapture today, you may be experiencing Ascension Deficit Disorder. --Submitted by Wittenburg Door

Famous Last Words: I'm going, but I'm going in the name of the Lord. --Bessie Smith who died after a car accident September 26, 1937

..........Who could ask for anything more...........George Gershwin …..I Got Rhythm

It takes a long time to grow an old friend. --John Leonard

Living the Loaf-Life. :: Coming up with a good joke is a lot like baking a cake; I can't do either. :: And that is how the cookie crumbles.

May Peace spice your batter

And Joy flavor your frosting

prairie mama

christine

Last Laugh: My last birthday cake

dIscounted ePistle

Famous First Words: ah, ah, ah... Song opening the Curse of the Black Pearl movie: My Jolly Sailor Bold

September is National Coupon Month. I checked my account balance at the ATM and it was so low that the machine printed out a coupon for Ramen Noodles. <> This coupon would make this coffee creamer only 30 cents. I don't drink coffee but for this price I will definitely start drinking creamer.

Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies. --Mother Teresa

..........All the leaves are brown..........Mamas & Papas with Mama Cass …..California Dreamin'

True patriotism hates injustice in its own land more than anywhere else. --Clarence Darrow

It is Friday morning. I'm finally back from the doctor's appointment and Parks and Rec to rent a shelter for Jeff's Life Celebrations (Saturday, 10/4/25, Clinton Park Shelter, 901 W 5^th St, 66044, 10 am -12 pm) and stopping by the pharmacy only to discover that both of the prescriptions I was given have a copay (monthly) of over $300. (He was afraid that might be true, so he has other meds he can give me. But I'm happy to know that, at least, rich people can get relief.)

Arg, hope your weekend is pure treasure, me hearties. ~~It's talk like a pirate day.

First Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: The number one thing that will prevent a US civil war is traffic and adequate parking for the battles. --Submitted by MMS

Love Story: Couponers and the Sunday paper. <> People say Millennials are entitled...but have you ever tried to tell an old lady her coupon has expired?

Often, small things give me hope when big things feel so oppressively bleak. --Julien Baker

..........and tell all the stars above..........Mamas & Papas with Mama Cass …..Dedicated to the One I Love

Trivia Questions: Happy 97^th Birthday to Mickey Mouse

1. Do you know who Mickey played in this first cartoon (1928)?

2. What were Mickey's first words?

3. When or why was Mickey at the Oscar awards?

4. Can you name any of the 27 different names for Mickey in other languages?

5. What was Mickey's last appearance on the big screen in a major motion picture?

Big Hello: Sampurasun - Sundanese https://www.omniglot.com/language/phrases/hello.htm

Second Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: Under the new gerrymandered map, McRib was voted the best BBQ in Kansas City. --John Paul Drum --Submitted by cj of ks

Image of the Week aka Fraternal Picture of the Week #1: Ollie and the intergalactic percussions

Insult of the Week: May your genitalia grow wings and fly away. --Terry Pratchett Small Gods

Notice the small things. The rewards are inversely proportional. --Liz Vassey

Happy Halloween! Sorry, kids. There were no good candy coupons this year, so have some deodorant. <> I was so upset when I couldn't find any scissors to cut a coupon out of the paper. I was reduced to tears.

..........And no one's getting fat except Mama Cass..........Mamas & Papas with Mama Cass …..Creeque Alley

Moonbeam: Aequanimitas --Antoninus Pius, Roman Emperor translates to calmness or composure

Blasphemy of the Week: You meet saints everywhere. They can be anywhere. They are people behaving decently in an indecent society. --Kurt Vonnegut

Coffee Joke of the Week: Apparently the Republican party is considering a ban on coffee. It's part of their war on woke.

Next Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: “If you don't own a gun, you can't have an opinion on the 2^nd amendment.” Cool take. Now do uteruses.

Oh, No! I forgot to use an awesome coupon that expired today. <> The Coupon Master: insists on saving 50 cents but causes a 10-minute delay for everyone else.

It is the small things in life which count; it is the inconsequential leak which empties the biggest reservoir. --Charles Comiskey

..........Come on, pretty baby, take a chance..........Mamas & Papas with Mama Cass …..Do You Wanna Dance

1) Mickey's first role was Steamboat Willie which was also the name of the film. It is in black and white and is about 7 minutes long. It was one of the first cartoons with synced sound. ~~It's featured in Video of the Week below.

Almanac: It is Friday, September 19, 2025. The moon will be new on Sunday (9/21) and is in Leo. Today is Fall Astronomy Day, Talk Like a Pirate Day, and National Tradesmen Day. Because it is the third Friday it is also Constitution Day, National Concussion Awareness Day, National POW/MIA Recognition Day. It is also Clean Up the World Weekend.
Among those born on this day were Antoninus Pius (86), Joseph Pasternak (1901), William Golding (1911), Lurleen Wallace (1926), Adam West (1928), Brook Benton (1931), David McCallum (1933), Mama Cass Elliot (1943), and Jeremy Irons (1948).

On September nineteenth Elizabeth Barrett eloped with Robert Browning (1846), Saturn's moon Hyperion was discovered (1848), Mickey Mouse made his screen debut (1928), Krushchev was denied access to Disneyland (1959), the Mary Tyler Moore show premiered (1970), and Pirate Radio Free America began broadcasting (1973).

Night Sky, 9/19: A rare celestial meet-up tonight. The Moon, Venus, and Regulus will shine close together in the morning sky. Times vary, check here: https://starwalk.space/en/news/moon-venus-regulus-sep-19-2025

Fraternal Picture of the Week #2: Max and mom in really neat World Con masks.

This Week: Saturday, September 20 – Batman Day & National Care for Kids Day & World Clean-up Day

Sunday, September 21 – International Day of Peace

Night Sky, 9/21: Partial solar eclipse visible from New Zealand, eastern Australia, and various Pacific islands. https://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/solar/2025-september-21

Monday, September 22 – Elephant Appreciation Day & Hobbit Day & Rosh Hashanah & World Rhino Day

Night Sky, 9/22: Autumnal Equinox: (19:20 British Summer Time)

Tuesday, September 23 – Dogs in Politics Day & International Day of Sign Languages

Wednesday, September 24 – Punctuation Day & Women's Health and Fitness Day

Night Sky, 9/24: Saturn is visible all through September. It is at its closest and brightest all year. https://science.nasa.gov/solar-system/whats-up-september-2025-skywatching-tips-from-nasa/

Thursday, September 25 – National Daughters Day & National Tune-up Day & World Pharmacists Day

Help me, Coupons. You're my grocery budget's only hope --Princess Leia <> I didn't need this tie, but I had a coupon.

Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things. --Robert Breault

..........Don't make me sad, don't pass me by..........Mamas & Papas with Mama Cass …..Straight Shooter

2) Mickey's first words were “Hot dog” in the cartoon Karnival Kid (1929). https://youtu.be/PQvKTeZozpc

Preantepenultimate Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: Golf is a game invented by the same people who think music comes out of a bagpipe. --Lee Trevino

Moonbeam: I have always understood the Nazis because I am of that sort by nature. --William Golding

Fun Facts of the Week: Saturn's moon Hyperion (discovered 9/19/1848) is a spongy, irregularly-shaped satellite noted for its irregular rotation and deep, porous craters that resemble a sponge. Hyperion is the Titan of heavenly light, a watcher and the father of Dawn, Sun, and Moon.

Video of the Week: Steamboat Willie https://youtu.be/hmzO--ox7X0 (7:23)

True patriotism isn't cheap. It's about taking on a fair share of the burden of keeping America going. --Robert Reich

Great things are done by a series of small things brought together. --Vincent Van Gogh

I love using coupons at Walmart. The cashier always looks at me like I've just handed her foreign currency. <> One of the great little pleasures in life is when the manager overrides the coupon that the cashier wouldn't accept.

..........Cloudy waters cast no reflection..........Mamas & Papas with Mama Cass …..Twelve Thirty

3) Mickey has made 2 special appearances at the Oscars in 1988 and 2003. He presented the award for Best Animated File on both occasions.

Antepenultimate Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: I don't think my body realizes how healthy my labs indicate I am.

Weird Word of the Week: Psithurism – the sound of rustling leaves or wind through trees. https://word-lists.com/word-lists/100-rare-words-with-beautiful-meanings/

Dragon of the Week:

Wacky Uses for Common Products: Deodorize a filthy vase. Wash the vase with diluted Clorox Bleach (¾ cup bleach per gallon of water), and then rinse clean. https://www.wackyuses.com/wacky/clorox2.html

While it may seem small, the ripple effects of small things is extraordinary. --Matt Bevin

Did you hear about the big sale in SoHo? People used coupon code RIOT and got 100% off. <> He was a gangster who was always on the hunt for a good deal, Al Coupon.

...........Birds singin' in the sycamore tree..........Mamas & Papas with Mama Cass …..Dream a Little Dream of Me

4) Miki Maus (Bulgarian) + Mi Lao Shu (Chinese) + Mikki Hiir (Estonian) + Makkal Mus (Faroese) + Micky Maus (German) + Mikki Maous (Greek) + Miki Egér (Hungarian) + Mikki Mús (Icelandic) + Miki Tikus (Indonesian) + Topolino (Italian) + Mikkimausu (Japanese) + Mikke Mus (Norwegian) + Myszka Mikey (Polish) + Mikki Maus (Russian) + Miki Maus (Serb-Croatian) + Mysiak Mickey (Slovak) + Musse Pigg (Swedish) + Miki (Turkish) : Mickey Mouse (Czech, Danish, Dutch, Flemish, Portuguese, Spanish) : Mickey (Arabic, French) ~~I'm not sure what this means: El Ration Mickey (in Spanish)

Penultimate Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: I call my To Do Lists short fiction.

Science Fiction Convention of the Week: Godzillafest 2025 (19-21, San Francisco, CA) Not only classic Godzilla films, but also rare screenings... https://www.godzillafest.com/blog

Seasonal Quote of the Week: All the months are crude experiments, out of which the perfect September is made. --Virginia Woolf

Spark of Joy of the Week: Pentagonaria – Military industrial disease ~~From the Chad Mitchell introduction to their cover of Draft Dodger's Rag https://youtu.be/S99ZgBJVZp0

The older I get, the more I'm conscious of ways very small things can make a change in the world. The little things, but the world is made up of tiny matters, isn't it? --Sandra Cisneros

I was going out of town so I put all my coupons in the freezer. They still expired. <> Ah, a discount on mustard, a poupon coupon.

..........They're dancin' in Chicago, Down in New Orleans..........Mamas & Papas with Mama Cass …..Dancin' in the Street

5) The last time Mickey appeared in a big screen show was Fantasia 2000.

United Kingdom Protest Sign of the Week: Feed Him To The Corgis

Quote of the Week: Politics is the entertainment division of the military industrial complex. --Frank Zappa. ~~It's good to read this now and again; so we don't forget.

Final Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: If you scream into the void, the void now charges a subscription fee. --Submitted by Club42

Today's Peace of History: September 19, 1893: With the signing of the Electoral Bill by Governor Lord Glasgow, New Zealand became the first major country in the world to grant national electoral rights to women.

Even the largest avalanche is triggered by small things. --Vernor Vinge

Budget revolutions are called Coup-ons. <> I call a Taco Bell Coupon, a Señor Discount.

..........If I couldn't I wouldn't..........Mamas & Papas with Mama Cass …..I Saw Her Again

Masthead of the Week: Friday ePistle, September 19, 2025: dIscounted ePistle . Online at: http://fridayepistle.blogspot.com/ Exclusive editor: Christine Smith. Lawrence, KS.

Moonbeam: You call that a script? Give me a couple of 5,000 dollar a week writers and I will write it myself. --Joseph Pasternak

Cost of War:

As of 09/18/25 State Department Costs: $275,083,299,403

As of 09/11/25 State Department Costs: $274,528,315,306

As of 09/18/25 Homeland Security: $1,210,504,322,505

As of 09/11/25 Homeland Security: $1,209,901,485,336

As of 09/18/25 Interest on War Debt: $1,327,440,048,918

As of 09/11/25 Interest on War Debt: $1,325,889,688,523

As of 09/18/25 Military Costs: $3,167,556,466,182

As of 09/11/25 Military Costs: $3,166,379,308,652

As of 09/18/25 Veterans Care: $4,487,897,381,485

As of 09/11/25 Veterans Care: $4,475,844,504,823

As of 09/18/25 Total Cost of Wars: $10,468,184,331,338

As of 09/11/25 Total Cost of Wars: $10,452,545,189,146

https://www.nationalpriorities.org/cost-of/

Patriotism is supporting your country all the time, and your government when it deserves it. --Mark Twain

Famous Last Words: This pain, this pain. --James A Garfield who died 9/19/1881 from a gunshot wound received 7/2/1881

..........Sometimes it just turns out that way..........Mamas & Papas with Mama Cass …..Monday, Monday

Great things are not done by impulse, but by a series of small things brought together. --George Eliot

A bargain is something you don't need at a price you can't resist. --Franklin Jones <> Reading is a coupon to everywhere. --Mary Schmich <> We're all damaged. It's a universal component of the human condition, like the stages of grief, deja vu, and expired coupons. --Tim Dorsey

May Peace light your days

And Joy brighten your nights

prairie mama

christine

Last Laugh: