Go ePistle Go

Famous First Words: You were invited... --Giuseppe Verdi La Traviata

Yay! It's National Cheerleading Week! Do cheerleaders for the Skunk Ball team scream “The White Stripes Stink”? ** Cheerleader: I Do My Own Stunts.

..........But I keep my nose on the grandstone..........Merle Haggard …..Workin' Man Blues

The United States can pay any debt it has because we can always print money to do that. So there is zero probability of default. --Alan Greenspan

It is a wet Friday morning. Winds of 20 mph from the SSE are blowing in temperatures in the 60s and whipping the willow branches into frenzy. Rain pitter-patters on the roof and spits against the window. Puck went out before light, shook rain water over our room and the kitchen and the bedroom before drinking a little milk and going back to sleep. I haven't seen Veronica at all today. Birds are silent. The wind has blown a crack into the cloud cover and a hint of blue sky is visible behind the tree trunk which are themselves dancing in the high winds. A restless morning, a morning moving constantly, an almost spring morning. And restlessly, I write to you.

Hope your weekend jumps with cheer and high spirits, team

First Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: I might be mean, but I have a good heart. When I tell someone to go to hell, I still hope they get there safely. https://www.facebook.com/moomoocqt

Cheerleaders: Bringing The Real Bounce To Life ** My dog thinks he's a cheerleader. He's a pompomeranian.

..........Not knowin' where I'm bound..........Merle Haggard …..Mama Tried

Trivia Questions: It's Middle Name Pride Day! Can you name these people by their middle name?

1. A US president: Milhous

2. A US poet: Allen

3. A US film director: Ford

4. A US activist: Luther

5. A US singer: Aaron

Big Hello: K'uxi – Tzotzil (A Mayan language spoken in Chiapas, Mexico) https://www.omniglot.com/language/phrases/hello.htm

Second Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: Apparently when I said I wanted to see Les Misérables someday, I should have clarified that I did not mean “unfolding on the streets around me in realtime”. https://www.facebook.com/FightThePatriarchy

Image of the Week: Me in my Champion Seahawks hat sent to me from my daughter, Kirsten, who lives in Seattle.

Strange Speculation of the Week: We've long known that the cheatin' cheeto is an admirer of Hitler. One of the things people say about Hitler all the time, “killed 6 million”. What if the faux president is trying to beat Hitler's record. Remember during the pandemic he told people to inject bleach and other crazy stuff. 400,000 deaths were attributed to his mismanagement. Not even in contention but a pretty good start. He's now killing people on 3 continents. A war will add numbers rapidly. He has the nuclear codes, could he want 6 billion? Is anybody keeping track? ~~Sorry to be such a downer. I'll try to think up a joke to transition. It's Thursday afternoon and no funny line has presented itself.

Cheerleaders: Born To Stunt, Forced To Study ** Cheerleading is my jam and I'm here to spread it.

The moment we choose to love we begin to move against domination, against oppression. --Bell Hooks

..........Is the best of the free life behind us now..........Merle Haggard …..Are The Good Times Really Over

Moonbeam: He said true things, but called them by wrong names. --Elizabeth Barrett Browning

Blasphemy of the Week: Why do we sit, stand, and kneel during worship? To pray with our whole selves. Also known as Pew Aerobics: The original Full-Body Workout. --Submitted by High Church Coyote

Coffee Joke of the Week: I want my coffee so strong it would get somebody stripped of their Olympic gold medal. --Jonathan Edward Durham

Next Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: Blessed is the man who, having nothing to say, abstains from giving us wordy evidence of the fact. --George Eliot

Cheerleader: I Can Cheer Louder Than The Crowd. ** I passed my cheerleading exam. I went in and said, “GIVE ME AN A” and they did.

What if nonviolence wasn't an inhuman standard demanded of the powerless, but an ethic upon which we reimagined the state. --Ezra Klein

..........Headed somewhere in flight..........Merle Haggard …..Silver Wings

1) Richard Milhous Nixon

Almanac: It is Friday, March 3, 2026. The moon was full (Worm) last Tuesday (3/3) and is in Libra. Today is Day of the Dude, Hockey Jersey Day, Oreo Cookie Day, Sofia Kovalevskaya Math Day, Employee Appreciation Day, Middle Name Pride Day, and National Frozen Food Day. Because it is the first Friday it is Dress In Blue Day, Employee Appreciation Day, Global Day Of Unplugging, National Salesperson Day, National Speech and Debate Education Day, and World Day of Prayer. Because it is the first Friday of the first full Week it is also Middle Name Pride Day. Finally, because it is the first weekend it is National Days of Unplugging (6-7).

Among those born on this day were Cyrano de Bergerac (1619), Giuseppi Paganelli (1710), Karol Kurpinski (1785), Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806), Guy Kibbee (1882), Ring Lardner (1885), Furry Lewis (1893), Dave Clark (1909), Stewart Granger (1913), Ed McMahon (1923), Sarah Caldwell (1924), Alan Greenspan (1926), Gabriel Garcia Marquez (1928), Marion Barry (1936), Merle Haggard (1937), Valentina Tereshkova-Nikolayev (1937), Kit Bond (1939), Willie Stargell (1940), Mary Wilson (1944), Rob Reiner (1945), Tom Arnold (1959), Shaquille O'Neal (1972), and Greg Ostertag (1973).

On March sixth the Treaty of Paris was signed (1323), Magellan sighted Guam (1521), the first black Mason was initiated (1775), the first state vaccination legislation was passed (IL, 1810), the Alamo fell (1836), La Traviata premiered (1853), the US Census Bureau was formed (1902), the Friendship Treaty between Turkey and Bulgaria was signed (1929), Ghana became independent (1957), Cassius Clay is renamed Muhammad Ai (1964), and Larry Flynt was shot by a sniper (1978).

Night Sky, 3/6: Before sunrise the star above the moon is Spica, the brightest star in Virgo. Shortly after sunset Mercury, Venus and Saturn will shine near the western horizon while in the southeast Jupiter remains the dominant star. Uranus & Neptune are there too but you need optical aids.

Fraternal Picture of the Week: Dad, Max, and Ollie – I have no idea where they are

This Week: Saturday, March 7 – Genealogy Day & National Be Heard Day & Sock Monkey Day

Night Sky, 3/7: Venus & Saturn will seem so close to each other that you can see them both in your binoculars. Visible both nights just after sunset for around 45 minutes.

Sunday, March 8 – International Women's Day & Girls Write Now Day & National Proofreading Day & Volunteers of America Day

Night Sky, 3/8: Daylight Savings Time Begins!! Set your clock one hour ahead. Venus & Saturn will seem so close to each other that you can see them both in your binoculars. Visible just after sunset for around 45 minutes.

Monday, March 9 – Napping Day & Get Over It Day & Panic Day

Tuesday, March 10 – International Bagpipe Day & International Day of Women Judges & Organize Your Home Office Day

Wednesday, March 11 – Dream 2026 Day & National Find Common Ground Day & World Plumbing Day

Night Sky, 3/11: The moon enters its fourth quarter (4:39 am CDT) and is in Capricorn.

Thursday, March 12 – Working Moms Day & World Kidney Day & Girl Scout Birthday Day

Night Sky, 3/12: Sunrise: 7:37 am Sunset 7:25 pm (11 hours and 48 minutes of daylight) Moonrise: 3:55 am Moonset: 12:48 pm

Cheerleader: Just Flipping Awesome ** These cheerleaders have a yell for every holiday: Happy New Cheer! Give me a P...Give me a U...Give me a R...Give me an I...Give me an M

Care is the antidote to violence. --Saidiya Hartman

..........Out of kindness, I suppose..........Merle Haggard …..Pancho and Lefty

2) Edgar Allen Poe

Preantepenultimate Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: Went to the bathroom without my phone. There's 118 floor tiles and the longest word on a shampoo bottle is “methylchloroisothiazolinone”. --Submitted by Aloka (The Peace Dog)

Moonbeam: He looked at me as if I were a side dish he hadn't ordered. --Ring Lardner

Fun Fact of the Week: National Frozen Food Day: The increasing interest in plant-based diets has paved the way for more vegan and vegetarian options in the frozen food section. However, the market is also driven by “flexitarians” – people reducing their meat consumption without eliminating it.

Video of the Week: A tribute to Rob Reiner: (:45) https://youtu.be/XZmcHS9P4uU

Unless you are willing to compromise, society cannot live together. --Alan Greenspan

Cheerleader: Life Cheers Louder When I Show Up ** You don't scare me. I'm a zombie cheerleader.

Nonviolence is a weapon of the strong. --Mahatma Gandhi

..........A place where even squares can have a ball..........Merle Haggard …..Okie From Muskogee

3) Francis Ford Coppola

Antepenultimate Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: It has often been said that the old Royal families of Europe “learned nothing and forgot nothing”. An apt description of the House of Trump. --Submitted by lh of ks

Weird Word of the Week: Sempiternal – everlasting or eternal https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sempiternal

Dragon of the Week: Door Handle - Simontornya Castle, Hungary

Wacky Uses for Common Products: Clean tarnished pennies. Fill a drinking glass with Coca-Cola and drop in the pennies. Let sit for one hour, and then wipe clean with a soft cloth. https://www.wackyuses.com/wacky/cocacola.html ~~Because there's nothing worse than a dirty penny.

Cheeringleading: Life's Better With A Twist. ** When in doubt, Cheer it out!

When the rich wage war, it is the poor who die. --Jean-Paul Sartre

...........Searching for that four-leaf clover..........Merle Haggard …..That's The Way Love Goes

4) Martin Luther King Jr

Penultimate Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: Capitalism is where you build enough bombs to blow up the entire world but you can't put out forest fires. --Hairy Revolutionary

Science Fiction Convention of the Week: BlerDCon Geek Nik (6-8, Arlington, VA) ...a vibrant, growing community celebrating the intersection of Black identity with passions for anime, comics, gaming, sci-fi, and cosplay... https://blerdcon.org/

Math Joke of the Week: How do you get 100 math teachers into a room that only fits 99? You carry the 1. --Submitted by Puns

T-Shirt of the Week: I Survived My Partner's PhD Dissertation

Spark of Joy of the Week: Do unto others 20% better than you would expect them to do unto you, to correct for subjective error. --Linus Pauling

Cheerleading: Because Pom Poms Make Everything Better ** Gracie is such a cheerleader that her herb garden is full of Encourage Mint.

..........But they won't let my secret go untold..........Merle Haggard …..Branded Man

5) Elvis Aaron Presley

Protest Sign of the Week: Turn The Files Into Trials

Quote of the Week: Fortunately the US didn't elect a woman president to prattle on cluelessly about interior decorating in a time of war. --Joyce Carol Oates

Final Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: Lord, bless our work, bless our rest, and bless whoever invented coffee. Amen. --Submitted by High Church Coyote

Today's Peace of History: March 6, 1957. Ghana became the first black African country to become independent of colonial rule.

Cheerleader: Always Flipping Excited For The Team **Duh, the cheerleaders crossed the road to get to the Pep Rally.

..........I guess everything does change..........Merle Haggard …..My Favorite Memory

Masthead of the Week: Friday ePistle, March 6 , 2026: Go ePistle Go. Online at: http://fridayepistle.blogspot.com/ Exclusive editor: Christine Smith. Lawrence, KS.

Moonbeam: If you take out the killings, Washington (DC) actually has a very, very low crime rate. --Marion Barry

Cost of War:

Pentagon Spending as of 3/05/26: $435,095,928,797

Pentagon Spending as of 2/25/26: $415,908,360,851

$19,187,567,976 Nineteen billion, one hundred and eighty-seven million, five hundred and sixty-seven thousand, nine hundred and forty-six dollars in one week.

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

Fear invariably and universally induces disengagement, and disengagement is negative division of labor. --Alan Greenspan

Famous Last Words: Never take a risk all year long. –-Frank Loesser The Company Way (the finale of How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying which closed 3/6/65 after 1,415 performances, 7 Tony Awards, and a Pulitzer Prize.

..........And the dream of peace comes true..........Merle Haggard …..Rainbow Stew

Cheerleader: Delivering Pep With Precision. ** Our pompoms are so fluffy even the clouds are jealous. ** Keep Calm And Cheer On

May Peace lift your spirits

And Joy raise your outlook

prairie mama

christine

Last Laugh:

Not The Train Kind ePistle

Famous First Words: The right of citizens of the United States to vote... The 19^th Amendment to the US Constitution

It's National Engineers Week. Engineer: Someone who does precision guesswork based on unreliable data provided by those of questionable knowledge. See also: wizard, magician. ++ My dad is fixing some electric wires in our house. I'm his 22 year old son who is an electrical engineering student who is holding this flashlight for him.

Things I'd rather do than watch the State of the Union Address: Give my 4 cats a bath – all at once

..........Make up your mind, honey.........Janis Joplin …..Move Over

We are star stuff. --Neil deGrasse Tyson

Our Constitution was not written in the sands to be washed away by each wave of new judges blown in by each successive political wind. --Hugo Black

It is a bright, warm (42°F) Friday morning. The sun is shining across a clear light blue sky. There are no clouds to hide the sky and only a light breeze that barely moves the willow branches and allows the other trees to remain still and stately. Here and there early spring flowers are peeking out of the soil looking for rain. Squirrels and birds silently come and go on the patio nibbling sunflower seeds and peanuts. Puck has been out and returned. Veronica is still asleep somewhere in the house. It is so quiet that the furnace coming on gives me a small startle. Ah, the coffee is fresh and hot and welcome. It tickles my nose with steam and aroma; it warms my tongue and gives me joy. Wow, birdsong picked up just as I set the cup down. Tweet, tweeter, tweet. A magic morning, indeed, and now I get to write to you. Better and better.

Hope your weekend is beautifully designed and wonderfully executed, ePistliers

First Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: Knitting is impossible with two kittens. That's why I like to use needles. --submitted by Writers, Readers and General Tomfoolery

Spiritual Joke of the Week: My blood type is technically 0-positive, but spiritually it's Dark Roast. https://www.facebook.com/maythecoffeebewithyou

A Layman's Guide to Engineering Terms: Percussive Maintenance...Hit it and hope it works. ++ Rosie was a software engineer turned surgeon until the day she shut down all of the patient's body functions then started them up again.

Things I'd rather do than watch the State of the Union Address: Pass a kidney stone

..........And when you walk around the world, babe.........Janis Joplin …..Cry Baby

The nitrogen in our DNA, the calcium in our teeth, the iron in our blood, the carbon in our apple pies were made in the interiors of collapsing stars. We are made of starstuff. --Carl Sagan

Trivia Questions: Happy National Retro Day! Can you name these retro items that are still in use?

1. This product featured a cocoa bean shaped bottle and tried to replace coffee. What is it?

2. What was the first product to use a barcode?

3. How long has The Weather Channel been around?

4. When or where did the first Burger King open?

5. How long have people been talking about “Pop(ular) Culture”?

Pre-Blasphemy of the Week: Pam Bondi: Patron saint of pedophiles. --Submitted by sd of ks

Big Hello: Xewani – Tsonga (a Bantu language spoken in South Africa, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, and

Swaziland. https://www.omniglot.com/language/phrases/hello.htm

Second Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: Maître de to single female diner: We're going to relocate you to the bar. Your contentment is unnerving the couples. --submitted by Writers, Readers and General Tomfoolery

Image of the Week: State of the Union Address

Engineers don't panic; they recalculate. ++ A mathematician, a physicist and an engineer are all trying to find the volume of a yellow bouncy ball. The mathematician gets his calipers out and measures the ball and evaluates the integral. The physicist fetches a bowl of water, drops the ball in and measures the displacement. The engineer strolls up with a book in hand, checks the serial number and looks up the volume in his yellow bouncy ball table.

Things I'd rather do than watch the State of the Union Address: Sit on my tv and watch my couch

..........Honey, she doesn't understand, no no no no.........Janis Joplin …..A Woman Left Lonely

There is stardust in your veins. We are literally, ultimately children of the stars. --Jocelyn Bell Burnell

Put Down of the Week: State of the Swamp, you mean.

Moonbeam: This is certainly the Will of the Supreme...that the whole human race should agree together and be joined in a certain affectionate union by, as it were, a mutual embrace. --St. Constantine-the-Great

Blasphemy of the Week: I hope your 40 days of shame, penitence, and self=denial are going well. --Submitted by MMS

Coffee Joke of the Week: What do chocolate, men, and coffee have in common? They are all better rich.

Next Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: Existence is mandatory. Understanding it is optional. Enjoying it is unlikely. --Submitted by Club42

A Layman's Guide to Engineering Terms: High Impedance Air Gap...It's not plugged in. ++ Days after the successful Moon landing engineers at NASA were still trying to land at least one high-five.

Things I'd rather do than watch the State of the Union Address: Fold fitted bed sheets into perfectly flat squares

..........Yeah, you fill me like the mountains.........Janis Joplin …..Half Moon

We are made out of stardust. The iron in the hemoglobin molecules in the blood in your right hand came from a star that blew up 8 billion years ago. The iron in your left hand came from another star. --Jill Tarter

1) Coca-Cola was first marketed in 1886 and never actually replaced coffee.

Almanac: It is Friday, February 27, 2026. The moon will be full (Worm) on Tuesday (3/3) and is in Cancer. Today is Anosmia Awareness Day, International Polar Bear Day, National Kahlua Day, National Retro Day, Pokemon Day, and World NGO Day. Because it is the fourth Friday it is also Skip the Straw Day.

Among those born on this day were Constantine the Great (280), Rembrandt (1622), Silverius Muller (1745), Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807), Hugo L. Black (1886), William Demarest (1892), Marian Anderson (1902), Joan Bennett (1910), Lawrence Durrell (1912), Irwin Shaw (1913), Joanne Woodward (1930), Elizabeth Taylor (1932), Ralph Nader (1934), Howard Hesseman (1940), Mary Frann (1943), Tony Gonzalez (1976), and Chelsea Clinton (1980),

On February twenty-seventh Russia opened an embassy in London (1557), Henry IV was crowned king of France (1594), Washington DC was placed under Congressional jurisdiction (1801), the first federal vaccination legislation was enacted (1813), New Orleans celebrated its first Mardi Gras (1827), the Dominican Republic became independent (1844), the first black woman graduated from Harvard Law (Charlotte Ray, 1872), Holst debuted "The Planets" (1919), the Supreme Court unanimously upheld the 19th amendment (1922), the Supreme Court outlawed sit-down strikes (1939), the 22nd amendment to the constitution was ratified limiting president to 2 terms (1951), Heartbreak Hotel was released (1956), and the American Indian Movement occupied Wounded Knee (SD, 1973).

Night Sky, 2/27: The waxing moon shines near the planet Jupiter and the Gemini twins, Castor and Pollux.

Fraternal Picture of the Week: Olympic Doubles Tricycling

Dad Jokes of the Week: Once upon a time, there lived a king who was only 12 inches tall. He was a terrible king but he made a great ruler. --Submitted by Puns

This Week: Saturday, February 28 – Floral Design Day & National Public Sleeping Day & World Sword Swallowers Day

Night Sky, 2/28: A rare planetary alignment will light up the pre-dawn sky. Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune will appear along the same arc, following the ecliptic. Venus will shine brightest, Mars glows red, and Jupiter and Saturn beam steadily. Uranus and Neptune will need binoculars or a small telescope to spot. This is your chance to witness multiple worlds in a single sweeping view, a reminder of the solar system’s precise cosmic dance. Look east before sunrise and experience the magic! https://x.com/NightSkyToday/status/2016870947827962181

Sunday, March 1 – Black Women's Day & World Compliment Day & Zero Discrimination Day

Monday, March 2 – Dr Seuss Day & Ta'Anit Esther & World Teen mental Illness Day

Night Sky, 3/2: Orion is the center of the constellations in the southern sky. Taurus and Gemini are both located near Orion and Canis Major can be found below Orion.

Tuesday, March 3 – I Want You To Be Happy Day & Simplify Your Life Day & World Wildlife Day

Night Sky, 3/3: Total Lunar Eclipse features deep red and orange-red colors visible from Central and Western North America Best viewing 5-6 am CST Details (best around 5:33 pm in Lawrence, KS)

Wednesday, March 4 – Brain Injury Awareness Day & March Forth Do Something Day & World Obesity Day

Night Sky, 3/4: Sunrise: 6:47 am Sunset: 6:17 pm (11 Hours and 30 minutes of daylight) Moonrise 7:16 am Moonset 7:51 pm

Thursday, March 5 – Mars Day & Slam The Scam Day & World Book Day

Beware of becoming a software engineer. You'll be fixing every family member's devices until you die. ++ It takes 2 engineers to change a light bulb; one to change the bulb and one to buy the six-pack.

Things I'd rather do than watch the State of the Union Address: Clean all the cat litter boxes on my block

..........'Cause how could anything ever go wrong.........Janis Joplin …..My Baby

We are stardust, we are golden. We are billion-year-old carbon --Joni Mitchell Woodstock

2) In 1974 Wrigley's Juicy Fruit gum was the first item to get its barcode scanned.

Preantepenultimate Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: The real question of life after death isn't whether or not it exists, but even if it does what problem does this really solve. --Ludwig Wittgenstein

Moonbeam: Travel can be one of the most rewarding forms of introspection. --Lawrence Durrell

Philosophy Quote of the Week: That's the whole problem with science. You've got a bunch of empiricists trying to describe things of unimaginable wonder. --Calvin i.e. Bill Watterson

Fun Fact of the Week: Crickets are basically tiny thermometers. Count the number of chirps they make in 15 seconds, add 40, and you'll get the ambient temperature in Fahrenheit. --Submitted by Laughing Librarian

Video of the Week: Marian Anderson singing Go Down, Moses. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lebh64WKUOM

The Founding Fathers gave the free press the protection it must have to bare the secrets of government and inform the people. --Hugo Black

Things I'd rather do than watch the State of the Union Address: Clean out the septic tank

A Layman's Guide to Engineering Terms: Cycle Power To The Panel...Turn it off and on again. ++ Kim decided to become an engineer when he realized he didn't have the charisma to be an undertaker.

….......I was playin' soft while Bobby sang the blues, yeah.........Janis Joplin …..Me And Bobby McGee

Never forget your real identity. You are a luminous, conscious stardust being forged in the crucible of cosmic fire. --Deepak Chopra

3) The Weather Channel was founded in 1980 by meteorologist John Coleman and billionaire Frank Batten.

Antepenultimate Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: The more I get to know people, the more I realize why Noah only let animals on the boat. --Liz Ann

Weird Word of the Week: Numinous: Something that is spiritual, mysterious, or awesome. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/numinous

Dragon of the Week: Homemade Dragon

Science Joke of the Week: Science Teacher: Did you know, protons have mass? Me: I didn't even know they were Catholic. --Submitted by Wittenburg Door

Wacky Uses for Common Products: Clean hard water stains, lime scale, or calcium build-up from a teakettle. Fill the teakettle with Coca=Cola and let it sit overnight. The phosphoric acid and ascorbic acid dissolve the mineral build up, and all you need to do is rinse the teakettle in the morning. https://www.wackyuses.com/wacky/cocacola.html

Things I'd rather do than watch the State of the Union Address: Water my lawn with an eye dropper.

Project Manager: Engineer without a degree. ++ My engineering friends said I couldn't build a joke that lasts. So I reinforced it with steel sarcasm.

The atoms of our bodies are traceable to stars that manufactured them in their cores and exploded these enriched ingredients across our galaxy, billions of years ago. For this reason, we are biologically connected to every other living thing in the world. We are chemically connected to all molecules on Earth. And we are atomically connected to all atoms in the universe. We are not figuratively, but literally stardust." ~ Neil deGrasse Tyson

...........Dialing For Dollars is trying to find me.........Janis Joplin …..Mercedes Benz

4) Inst-Burger King opened in 1953 in Jacksonville, FL. Kramer and Burns founded it. A year later, McLamore and Edgerton bought it. In 1957 they introduced the Whopper. And in 1959 changed the name to Burger King.

Penultimate Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: Canada may not have a gold for women's hockey but we also don't have a pedophile for a president so I'd say we are still winning. --Sam G

Science Fiction Convention of the Week: Apparently there are no conventions this weekend so here's some jokes to tide you over. Science fiction jokes put your laughs light-years ahead of the convention crowd. / The alien brought a telescope to the convention because she wanted to get a closer look at the Terrans.

Math Joke of the Week: Using fractions instead of decimals is pointless. --Submitted by LanguageNerds

Excuse of the Week: Of course I talk to myself because sometimes I need expert advice. --Submitted by ff of ks

Spark of Joy of the Week: Yūgen (n) a profound, mysterious sense of the beauty of the universe that triggers a deep emotional response. https://traditionalkyoto.com/culture/yugen/

Things I'd rather do than watch the State of the Union Address: Root Canal

A Layman's Guide to Engineering Terms: Thermally Reconfigured...It melted. ++ This Lot Reserved For Engineer Parking Only...Violators Will have Their Cars Redesigned.

The cosmos is within us. We are made of stars. --Carl Sagan

..........My love is like a seed, baby, just needs time to grow.........Janis Joplin …..Trust Me

5) Popular Culture was first mentioned in 1818 in a speech by educator, Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi. I was unable or perhaps unwilling to work hard enough to find a copy of the speech. Apparently, Johann meant it to signify “the people's culture”, the ways of the poor, the workers, the uneducated, etc.

Protest Sign of the Week: We're Not Being Governed, We're Being Looted

Quote of the Week: Bless you, wherever you are, windswept child of a shooting star. --John Lennon

Unnecessarily Complicated Word of the Week: Colonel: How is pronounced kernel? --Submitted by Laughing Librarian

Final Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: Somewhere a dying star is putting more effort into its final moments than I put into my morning routine. --Submitted by Club42

Today's Peace of History: : February 27, 1973: Hundreds of Oglala Lakota Sioux and members of the American Indian Movement (AIM) occupied the village of Wounded Knee, South Dakota. They were angered over a long history of violated treaties, mistreatment, family dismemberment, cultural destruction, discrimination, and impoverishment through confiscation of resources and they controlled the city for 71 days.

Things I'd rather do than watch the State of the Union Address: Pour habanero sauce in my eyes

Architects: Engineers who can't do math. ++ 1% of the engineering students are there because they want to help solve society's big problems; 3% like physics; 6% want to make big money; the rest want to build an Ironman suit.

You and I are made of stardust. We are the stuff of exploded stars. We are therefore, at least 1 way that the Universe knows itself. That, to me, is astonishing. --Bill Nye

..........Don't turn your back on love, no, no.........Janis Joplin …..Get It While You Can

Masthead of the Week: Friday ePistle, February 27, 2026: Not the Train Kind ePistle . Online at: http://fridayepistle.blogspot.com/ Exclusive editor: Christine Smith. Lawrence, KS.

Warning of the Week: Don't believe what you see in the cartoons. No matter how hard you throw a toilet plunger, it won't actually stick to someone's face. Don't ask me how I know this. --Submitted by INRITH

Moonbeam: I once said to my father, when I was a boy, “Dad, we need a third political party.” He said to me,”I'll settle for a second one.” --Ralph Nader

Cost of War: War and the Pentagon Spending as of 2/25/26: $415,908,360,851 https://www.nationalpriorities.org/cost-of/category/military/

The National Priorities Project has updated and changed its Cost Of War counters. This is the very nice note I got from them about the change. “We just did an update to the counters. The new counter shows how quickly we are spending the $1 trillion budget for war. The War on Terror counters were outdated. Many of those expenses have slowed down or stopped, and others are no longer being reported by the sources we used to estimate them. I hope the new counter is useful - we'll be introducing more in the coming months, but for now, it feels important to show how the country is spending $1 trillion for the Pentagon and war.”

A union of government and religion tends to destroy government and degrade religion. --Hugo Black

Famous Last Words: Dúirt mé leat go raibh mé breoite (I told you I was ill) Spike Milligan who died 2/27/02 ~~It's Irish and it's on his tombstone.

We are made of stardust; why not take a few moments to look up at the family album? --Natalie Angier

..........Just a little bit harder.........Janis Joplin …..Try ~~On 22/17/71 Janis' album Pearl hit #1 on the charts and stays for 9 weeks. She had died in October of '70. Try is actually a song that was added to a re-release of Pearl later. One of the songs, Buried Alive In The Blues, is an instrumental on the original.

Things I'd rather do than watch the State of the Union Address: Pop bubble wrap

A Layman's Guide to Engineering Terms: Kinetic Disassembly...it blew up. ++ I have one last engineering joke, but it's still under construction.

May Peace design your days

And Joy devise your nights

prairie mama

christine

Last Laugh:

ePistle eTouffee 26

Famous First Words: Laissez les bons temps rouler!

Merry Mardi Gras!!! Mardi Gras: Proof that joy looks good on everyone. & Remember, King Cake calories don't count. & I went to Mardi Gras once. All I got was a tattoo of “Beignets Rule” on my butt.

Empathy is the starting point for creating a community and taking action. It's the impetus for creating change. --Max Carver

..........Hey, everybody, let's have some fun.........B B King …..Let The Good Times Roll

The revolution has always been in the hands of the young. The young always inherit the revolution. --Huey Newton

It is a warm (54°F), gray Tuesday morning. Birds are singing or chirping or cawing in the tree branches that are dancing in the wind. Little dogs are sitting by the back door enjoying the weather. Even cats are sitting in the doorway making sure birds don't come near the birdfeed. It's Mardi Gras, everything seems to be enjoying it- or them- selves. Even the grass has a touch of spring fever. I am drinking Sinfully Delicious decaf – although I have neither beignet or doughnut. Spotify is playing a Mardi Gras mix, Puck is snoring on his pillow, incense is sweetening the air, curling is on television. What more could anyone ask for?

Let the good times roll, revelers.

First Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: You don't have to attend every argument you're invited to. --Submitted by High Church Coyote

Mardi Gras: A Christian excuse to have a pagan party. & Relax, don't get your beads in a tangle. & Float like a boss, bead like a pro. & Café du Monde? Beignet, done that.

As a global community, we face a choice. Do we want migration to be a source of prosperity and international solidarity, or a byword for inhumanity and social friction? --Antonio Guterres

..........And there's music in the street both night and day.........Paul Simon …..Take Me To The Mardi Gras

Trivia Questions: Happy 68^th Birthday to BC

1. Who created the B.C. Comic strip?

2. Who took over the strip after the death of the creator?

3. Which syndicate first accepted and promoted the strip?

4. B.C. Shared gag writers with what other “historical” comic strip.

5. What does the current B.C. logo consist of?

Big Hello: Miiyha' - Tongva aka Gabrielino (A reawakened Aztecan language spoken in Los Angeles. https://www.omniglot.com/language/phrases/hello.htm

Second Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: Kentucky Noah's Ark Sue Insurance Company Over Damage Caused By Heavy Rains. --Not The Onion but cbsnews.com

Image of the Week: King Shaq (2025)

Throws of the Week: I am in Alabama. Our church always walks in our Mardi Gras parade. We found out tonight at church that instead of throwing out beads, we will be handing out whistles. I love my church. --Submitted by 98%

Mardi Gras: For people who can't wait for Halloween to look ridiculous. & Don't Worry, Bead Happy! & Float like nobody's watching. & Beads stay in shape with string training.

I am a reflection of the community. --Tupac Shakur

..........Of Creole tunes that filled the air...........Louis Armstrong …..Do You Know What It Means To Miss New Orleans

Moonbeam: If there is no struggle, there is no progress. --Frederick Douglass

Blasphemy of the Week/Church Sign of the Week: A long time ago in a Galilee far far away --Dominion-Chalmers United Church (Ottawa, Canada)

Coffee Joke of the Week: Bourbon Street beats coffee.

Next Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: I named my pet lizard Tiny because she's my newt.

Mardi Gras: You don't need luck, just beads. & The King Cake went to dance class to become more layered. & I swear, there were 3 King Cakes in Jughead masks singing “Sugar, Sugar”. & Be like a Mardi Gras Parade. It has all the right moves.

The need for connection and community is primal, as fundamental as the need for air, water, and food. --Dean Ornish

..........Les autres qui viennent nous rejoindre, Ouais, au gombo ce soir!.........The Balfa Brothers …..La Danse De Mardi Gras

1) Johnny Hart was the original cartoonist and writer of B.C.

Almanac: It is Tuesday, February 17, 2026. The moon is new today at noon and is in Aquarius until 2:09 pm then it's in Pisces. Because it is Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday) these holiday fall today Mardi Gras, Fasching (German Carnival), International Pancake Day, Pancake Day Race, Paczki Day, and Shrove Tuesday, Besides the various Mardi Gras holidays, today is Analog to Digital TV Day, Chinese New Year (The Year of the Fire Horse), My Way Day, National PTA Founders Day, Random Acts of Kindness Day, Who Shall I Be Day, and World Human Spirit Day. It is also the first day of Ramadan which lasts until March 19^th.

Among those born on this day were John Pinkerton (1758), Frederick Douglass (1817), Banjo Paterson (1864), Noah Beery (1882), Otto Stern (1888), Andrea Norton (Alice Mary, 1912), Arthur Kennedy (1914), Olive Gibbs (1918), Margaret Truman (1924), Hal Holbrook (1925), Chaim Potok (1929), Yasser Arafat (1929), Alan Bates (1924), Huey P. Newton (1942), Dodie Stevens (1947), Rene Russo (1954), Michael Jordan (1963), and Joseph Gordon-Levitt (1982),

On February seventeenth Miles Standish became first military commander of Plymouth (1621), the first ship passed through the Suez Canal (L'Aigle, a yacht carrying Empress Eugenie, 1867), PTA was organized (1897), Oregon passed the first minimum wage law ($8.25, 1913), Blondie Boopadoop married Dagwood Bumstead (1933), the comic strip BC was first issued (1958), Bette Midler was named Woman of the Year by the Hasty Pudding Theatrical Society (1976), and The Eagles released their Greatest Hits" (1976).

Night Sky, 2/17: Annular Solar Eclipse: Visible in southern Africa, Southern South America, South Pacific, Atlantic, Indian Ocean, and Antarctica. https://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/solar/2026-february-17

Fraternal Picture of the Week: With Grandpa in the Pool

This Week:

Wednesday, February 18 – Battery Day (Volta's birthday) & Pluto Day (discovered this day in 1930 by C Tombaugh.)

Night Sky, 2/18: Moon / Mercury conjunction for a couple of hours after sunset. (Be sure the sun has fully set before using binoculars or a telescope to view Mercury).

Thursday, February 19 – Vet Girls RISE Day & The Great American Spit Out Day ~~The only bit of advice I remember that my grandma Hendrix gave me was: Don't marry a man that chews.

Night Sky, 2/19: Mercury, often lost in the sun’s glare, reaches its greatest eastern elongation on Feb. 19. This is when the speedy planet is at its furthest point from the sun—making it an especially good time to admire it. A barely-there waxing crescent moon will transit alongside Saturn this evening. The moon, just two days old, will look like a thin fingernail above the ringed planet. Admire the duo above the west horizon for around two hours after sunset. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/night-sky-events-february-2026

Friday, February 20 – Love Your Pet Day & No One Eats Alone Day & World Day for Social Justice

Saturday, February 21 – National Red Sock Day & National Grain Free Day & World Whale Day

Night Sky, 2/21: A prominent Jupiter dominates the sky tonight.

Sunday, February 22 – World Thinking Day & Bus Driver Appreciation Day & George Washington's Birthday

Monday, February 23 – Curling Is Cool Day & National Dog Biscuit Day & Single Tasking Day

Night Sky, 2/23 : See the waxing crescent moon and sparkly Pleiades travel near each other in the night sky. Look high in the southwest after sunset to spot the pair, which will drift westward through the first half of the night before setting around 2 am.

Tuesday, February 24 – National Dance Day & World Bartender Day & World Spay Day

Wednesday, February 25 – Inconvenience Yourself Day & Pink Shirt Day

Night Sky,2/25: The gibbous moon shines high in the east in the late afternoon and as the sky darkens, the bright winter constellations appear around it.

Thursday, February 26 – Carpe Diem Day & Discover Girl Day (Encourage women into engineering) & Tell A Fairy Tale Day

Mardi Gras: Bead there, done that. & Gumbo for your soul, fun for your heart. & Life's a float, enjoy the ride. & Sometimes you can catch a runaway bead with a string of luck. & There is a new parade in New Orleans this Mardi Gras. It is staffed totally by ghosts. They call themselves the Boo Krewe.

In every community, there is work to be done. In every nation, there are wounds to heal. In every heart, there is the power to do it. --Marianne Williamson

..........Mama's little baby loves beignets..........Jazzy Ash …..Baby Loves Beignets

2) After Hart's death in 2007, his grandson Mason Mastroianni continued as writer and cartoonist.

Preantepenultimate Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: Of all the canoes out there...Volcanoes are by far the most dangerous. --Submitted by Laughing Librarian

Moonbeam: The thing worse than rebellion is the thing that causes rebellion. --Frederick Douglass

Not So Fun Fact of the Week: There will be no ePistle this Friday (2/20). The next ePistle will arrive on Friday, February 27, 2026.

Video of the Week: Mardi Gras Cam live from the balcony of The Cat's Meow in New Orleans: https://www.earthcam.com/events/mardigras/?cam=catsmeow2#google_vignette

Sometimes if you want to get rid of the gun, you have to pick the gun up. --Huey Newton

The greatness of a community is most accurately measured by the compassionate actions of its members. --Coretta Scott King

Mardi Gras: masked and unbothered. & Life's a parade, throw yourself into it. & Float first, ask questions later. & I feel the need, the need for beads.

..........It's nice to get away.........Fountains of Wayne …..A Fine Day For A Parade

3) B.C. was initially rejected by a number of syndicates until the New York Herald Tribune accepted it, launching the strip on February 17, 1958.

Antepenultimate Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: Humans share 70% of our DNA with zebrafish. So when you're having difficulty getting anything done, it's usually because a zebrafish is using the DNA. --Submitted by Laughing Librarian

Weird Word of the Week: Halcyon: A period of time that is peaceful, happy, and carefree. Halcyon Days: The ancient Greeks believed the halcyon kingfisher could calm the sea’s waves when nesting. Fourteen days of nesting. Fourteen beautiful days of calm seas and weather. Typically between December 14-28.

Dragon of the Week: Mardi Gras Dragon

Wacky Uses for Common Products: Clean a stained glass coffee pot. Fill the coffee pot with Coca-Cola, let it stand overnight, and then rinse clean. The phosphoric acid and ascorbic acid in the Cokes cleans the grime from the pot. https://www.wackyuses.com/wacky/cocacola.html

Mardi Gras: Life's better with a few parades. & JK Rowling is writing a book about Mardi Gras. She's calling it Fantastic Beads and Where to Find Them . & Emma Watson (Hermione) is writing one too called Beauty and the Beads.

A healthy social life is found only when, in the mirror of each soul, the whole community finds its reflection, and when, in the whole community, the virtue of each one is living. --Rudolf Steiner

...........I just want to stand and cheer as they come.........Harry Richman …..I Love A Parade

4) Dick Boland supplied B.C. with gags and later joined Brant Parker on The Wizard of Id.

Penultimate Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: I went to the paint store to get thinner. But it didn't work. --Submitted by Never Trust A Smiling Cat

Science Fiction Convention of the Week: Star Trek: The Cruise 2026 (21-27, Port Canaveral, Puerto Plata, San Juan, CocoCay) The 60^th anniversary cruise! 7 day star-studded voyage Long URL

Douglass County Future History of the Week: Kevin Willmott (CSA: America, BlacKkKlansman, IMDB), KU film professor, has proposed that Douglas County, KS change its name to Douglass County. Douglas County was named after slave owner Stephen Douglas but Douglass Country would be named after Frederick Douglass, former slave. Cool, huh?

Spark of Joy of the Week: This is Puck in his younger, party-animal years. But still a spark of joy

Mardi Gras: Carnival vibes, all day, every day! & Shake it like a parade! & In New Orleans during Mardi Gras you can actually walk down the street covered in body glitter and not be mistaken for a stripper. & I like big beads and I cannot lie.

..........You'll glitter and gleam so.........Frank Sinatra …..Baubles, Bangles, And Beads

5) The B.C. “masthead” displays a rectangular stone carved with the letter B.C. And By Mastroianni and Hart. https://www.arcamax.com/thefunnies/bc/s-3992933

Protest Sign of the Week: The President Of The United States And The Dumbest Motherf*cker On Earth Should Be Two Different People

Quote of the Week: “Mum, I think the people in America protesting ICE should call themselves LAVA – Local And Very Angry. And lava melts ice.” --Kaylie Morphew's 13 year old son.

Final Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: When it was raining brains, someone had an umbrella.

Today's Peace of History: Today's Peace of History: February 17, 1958: The first meeting of Britain's Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) was held. CND developed the peace symbol which became its logo.

This world of ours must avoid becoming a community of dreadful fear and hate, and be, instead, a proud confederation of mutual trust and respect. --Dwight D Eisenhower.

Mardi Gras: Bead responsibly. & Koral your Krewe at Mardi Gras. & The New Orleans McDonald's sells a hamburger covered in beads call the French Quarter Pounder. & I was just a prawn in her gamey etouffee!

..........Recalled to my mind before I fall asleep..........Parquet Courts …..Mardi Gras Beads

Masthead of the Week: Friday ePistle, February 17, 2026: ePistle Etouffee 26 . Online at: http://fridayepistle.blogspot.com/ Exclusive editor: Christine Smith. Lawrence, KS.

Moonbeam: It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men. --Frederick Douglass

Cost of War:

As of 02/17/26 State Department Costs: $287,103,762,324

As of 02/12/26 State Department Costs: $286,763,395,436

As of 02/17/26 Homeland Security: $1,222,561,054,297

As of 02/12/26 Homeland Security: $1,223,191,349,005

As of 02/17/26 Interest on War Debt: $1,361,014,276,290

As of 02/12/26 Interest on War Debt: $1,360,063,607,488

As of 02/17/26 Military Costs: $3,193,048,075,684

As of 02/12/26 Military Costs: $3,192,326,175,832

As of 02/17/26 Veterans Care: $4,742,099,738,639

As of 02/12/26 Veterans Care: $4,734,891,398,093

As of 02/17/26 Total Cost of Wars: $10,781,703,984,263

As of 02/12/26 Total Cost of Wars: $10,806,830,527,642

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

You can jail a Revolutionary, but you can't jail the Revolution. --Huey Newton

Famous Last Words: You get the best of my love. The final line of the final song on The Eagles greatest hits album released 2/17/76

..........Look at my king all dressed in red.........The Dixie Cups …..Iko Iko

We have all known the long loneliness, and we have found that the answer is community. --Dorothy Day

Mardi Gras: Jazzed to the max! & New Orleans at Mardi Gras: throwing kindness like beads. & Have a beadlightful day! & If the gumbo doesn't come out right, called it meaty okra.

May Peace light your way

And Joy accompany you

prairie mama

christine

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