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

Last Laugh:

Triple ePistle

Famous First Words: Willkommen, Bienvenue... Opening of Cabaret. The movie debuted 2/13/72

This is National Marriage Week (7-14) AND Risk Awareness Week (7-14). The Metaphors really are writing themselves. But the funniest of the weeks … they are followed by National Condom Week (14-21). I just saved a bunch of money on my child support by switching to condoms! )( Really, the only difference between a condom and a coffin is you come in a condom and leave in a coffin.

Freedom is what you do with what's been done to you. --Jean-Paul Sartre

..........Another day older and deeper in debt..........Tennessee Ernie Ford …..Sixteen Tons

Human rights will be respected and we will never use the force of the state to repress the people.. --Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo, president of Mexico

It is a bright and shining Friday morning. The temperature is hovering around freezing (33°F), but the sun is up; it briefly painted the eastern sky pink but now has blurred it to pure, pale blue without clouds. It is still with no wind to move the bare bushes or make the willow branches dance. A murder of crows is communicating and filling the air with loud raucous calls. Other birds answer by singing sweet harmonies softly behind the corvid solo. Puck is under my desk snoring...whew..and farting..a stick of sandalwood incense helps with that. I have not yet seen Veronica today; she must be sleeping in. I take a swig of sweetly doctored coffee and prepare to write to you. Can't think of a better way to spend a morning.

Here's hoping your weekend is risk free and full of fun, my comic valentines.

First Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: They say with age comes wisdom; so, therefore, I don't have wrinkles, I have wise cracks. --Submitted by cf of ks

The key to a happy marriage is to keep the fights clean and the sex dirty. --Kevin Bacon )( Don't Be Silly – Wrap Your Willy

The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion. --Albert Camus

..........I was not brought up that way..........Stockard Channing …..Look At Me, I'm Sandra Dee

Trivia Questions: Happy Valentine's Day!

1. How did the Roman holiday of Lupercalia become related to St Valentine's Feast Day?

2. How did good Christian(s) Valentine get his/their name in this madness?

3. How did the Christians rehabilitate February 14^th?

4. How did this Roman holiday become English?

5. How did Kansas City figure into Valentine tradition?

Big Hello: Mālō e lelei – Tongan https://www.omniglot.com/language/phrases/hello.htm

Second Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: “You might think that Musk, endowed with such world-class obnoxiousness, would be unbeatable as a customer-repellent, but it’s impressive what Bezos has managed to do through sheer cowardice. In the past 48 hours, for example, hundreds of people have tried to sell their used Teslas in the Washington Post classifieds. Unfortunately for them, only 9 people still subscribe to the Washington Post.” --Andy Borowitz

Image of the Week: Joyce (Frass) Khan has been my friend for 66 years.

Marriage is not just spiritual communion; it is also remembering to take out the trash. --Dr Joyce Brothers )( How to use a condom: Rip it, grip it, roll it, and Dip it.

Freedom makes a huge requirement of every human being. With freedom comes responsibility. For the person who is unwilling to grow up, the person who does not want to carry his own weight, this is a frightening prospect. --Eleanor Roosevelt

..........Let there be no doubt about it...........Peter Gabriel …..Sledgehammer

Moonbeam: I think it will be found that experience, the true source and foundation of all knowledge invariably confirms its truth. --Thomas Malthus

Blasphemy of the Week: At the National Prayer Breakfast, Hegseth says US soldiers gain salvation by dying for a “Christian nation”. ~~Sigh, even Jesus is out-sourcing responsibilities.

Coffee Joke of the Week: Compassionately caffeinated: drinking coffee not just for oneself, but for the good of the community.

Next Funniest Thing I Read: Union divas don't beg. We bargain. --Miss Piggy https://www.facebook.com/seiu925

Super Bowl Halftime Show Joke: “All-American Halftime Show that celebrates this beautiful country in the King’s English we all share,” before immediately playing a clip of Kid Rock performing his indecipherable song “Bawitdaba.” --John Stewart

If James Bond led such a high-risk lifestyle, why wasn't he James Stock? )( Do ribbed condoms really taste like ribs?

Freedom is something that dies unless it's used. --Hunter S Thompson

..........Not a trace of doubt in my mind …..I'm A Believer

1) On Lupercalia the men sacrificed a goat and a dog, then whipped women with the hides of the animals they had just slain. The Roman romantics "were drunk. They were naked," Noel Lenski, now a religious studies professor at Yale University, told NPR in 2011. Young women would line up for the men to hit them, Lenski said. They believed this would make them fertile. --NPR

Almanac: It is Friday, February 13, 2026. The moon will be new next Tuesday (2/17) and is in Capricorn. Today is World Radio Day (UNESCO), Desperation Day, Employee Legal Awareness Day, Get A Different Name Day, International Condom Day, and Madly in Love With Me Day. Because it is the first Friday the 13^th of 2026, it is also Blame Someone Else Day. ~~This should be The High Holiday of the Trump Administration.

Among those born on this day were Giovanni Battista Piazzetta (1682), Thomas Malthus (1766), William Strang (1859), Bess Truman (1885), Grant Wood (1892), Tennessee Ernie Ford (1919), Chuck Yeager (1923), Dorothy McGuire (1930), George Segal (1934), Carol Lynley (1942), Peter Tork (Thorkelson, Monkees, 1942), Stockard Channing (1944), Peter Gabriel (1950), and Penelope Ann Miller (1963).

On February thirteenth the Parliament of England adopted the Bill of Rights, establishing the rights of Parliament and placing limits on the Crown (1689), the Marquis de Sade was arrested by Executive Order of the King (1777), there were flour riots in New York City (1837), Jesse James robbed his first bank, the Clay County Savings Assn. of Liberty, MO ($15,000, 1866), the moving picture projector was patented (1895), Mary Harris "Mother" Jones was arrested for inciting to riot for organizing United Mine Workers. (VA, 1912), and France became the fourth nuclear nation (1960),

Night Sky, 2/13: Four planets lineup tonight: Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, & Neptune.

Fraternal Picture of the Week: more Lego madness

This Week: Saturday, February 14 – Ferris Wheel Day & Frederick Douglass Day & St Valentine's Day

Night Sky, 2/14: Sunrise: 7:10 am Sunset: 5:54 pm ( 10 hours and 43 minutes of sunlight) Moonrise: 5:46 am Moonset: 3:04 pm

Sunday, February 15 – National Hippo Day & NBA All Star Game Day & Susan B Anthony Day

Night Sky, 2/15: Mercury is at its best visibility right after sunset and Jupiter and Saturn follow.

Monday, February 16 – Presidents Day & Kyoto Protocol Day & Shrove Monday

President's Day Joke of the Year: President's Day is when the president steps out of the White House, and if he sees his shadow, we have another year of Bullsh*t. --Submitted by ff of ks

Don't Panic. This Week will be continued next Tuesday (2/17) which is Mardi Gras.

A tourist asked a local man: What is the greatest adventure sport in India? The Indian man looked sadly at the ring on his hand and answered: Arranged marriages. )( The difference between a tire and 265 used condoms is the difference between a goodyear and a really good year.

I am free because I know that I alone am morally responsible for everything I do. --Robert Heinlein

..........We'll have one more night together..........Monkees with Peter Tork …..Last Train To Clarksville

2) Two people named Valentine were executed on February 14^th (different years) by the Romans in the 3rd century. Later Pope Gelasius I combined St Valentine's Feast Day with Lupercalia to expel the pagan rituals. --NPR

Preantepenultimate Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: Forgiveness is giving up all hope of having had a better past. --Anne Lamott

Moonbeam: A woman's place in public is to sit beside her husband, be silent, and be sure her hat is on straight. --Bess Truman

Fun Fact of the Week: The Flour Riot of 2/13/1837 in New York City were fueled by skyrocketing prices—rising from $7 to over $12 a barrel—a crowd of thousands gathered in City Hall Park before attacking Eli Hart & Co. in lower Manhattan, destroying over 400 barrels of flour.

Video of the Week: Tennessee Ernie Ford as Lucy Ricardo's country cousin on I Love Lucy. (4:27) https://youtu.be/Y9TQaDXwavU

With the people everything, without the people nothing. --Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo, president of Mexico

Enslave the liberty of but one human being and the liberties of the world are put in peril. --William Lloyd Garrison

That grand jury took so many risks they call it Juris-imprudence. )( Condoms are cheaper than diapers.

..........Rows of houses that are all the same..........Monkees with Peter Tork …..Pleasant Valley Sunday

3) Under Christian influence, the Lupercalia was more of a theatrical interpretation of what it had once been. "It was a little more of a drunken revel, but the Christians put clothes back on it. That didn't stop it from being a day of fertility and love." --NPR

Antepenultimate Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: Ok, but if you look past the actual results, you have to admit it's still a sound economic theory. --Wiley Miller Non Sequitur 2/12/26

Another Halftime Joke: If the Halftime show wasn't “white enough” for you, go read the Epstein file, it's all in English and full of white people. https://www.facebook.com/USdems

Weird Word of the Week: Tittynope: a small quantity of anything left over, esp. a small bundle of grain in gleaning. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/tittynope

Dragon of the Week:

looks beautiful, is sustainable, but not much good in a fire fight.

Wacky Uses for Common Products: Mousse hair. Mix equal parts Coca-Cola and water in a trigger spray bottle and shake well. After getting out of the shower or bath, spray a light coat of the diluted Coke over your hair to give your locks a tousled look. https://www.wackyuses.com/wacky/cocacola.html

Marriages are made in heaven. But then again so are thunder and lightning. )( The latest thing is Camo Condoms – Don't let them see you coming.

...........Oh, I could hide 'neath the wings of the bluebird as she sings..........Monkees with Peter Tork …..Daydream Believer

4) The Normans celebrated Galatin's Day in mid-February. Galatin meant "lover of women." That was likely confused with St. Valentine's Day at some point, in part because they sound alike. As the years went on, the holiday grew sweeter. Chaucer and Shakespeare romanticized it in their work, and it gained popularity throughout Britain and the rest of Europe. Handmade paper cards became the tokens du jour in the Middle Ages. --NPR

Penultimate Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: America likes to call itself a melting pot but realistically it's more like a charcuterie board. You know like it has all of these wonderful, exotic flavors and you keep making it worse by adding too many crackers. --David Nihill

Science Fiction Convention of the Week: Boskone 2026 (13-15, Boston, MA) welcoming gathering of people who share your interests, talents, and love of anything... https://boskone.org/

Still Another Halftime Joke: Turning Point USA served up an alternative halftime show for people who love ICE and hate music. --The Daily Show

Spark of Joy of the Week: KU men's basketball had a dodgy start this season but have won the last 7 games in a row including beating Arizona who was rated number one in the nation. Go Jayhawks. ~~In those 7 games, they beat Utah and BYU. In Utah you can buy T-shirts that say My Favorite Team Is Who's Playing BYU or My Favorite Team is Who's Playing Utah.

Liberty means responsibility. That is why most men dread it. --George Bernard Shaw

I recently got into high risk cattle farming. I'll be raising the steaks. )( Cover your stump before you hump.

..........And all my instincts, they return..........Peter Gabriel …..In Your Eyes

5) And in 1913 Hallmark Cards of Kansas City, MO began mass-producing valentines. February has not been the same since. --NPR ~~One of my mother's first jobs was attaching tiny yellow feathers to Hallmark cards with cartoon ducks on them.

Protest Sign of the Week: Veto The Cheeto

Quote of the Week: I have no home except where there is struggle. --Mother Jones

Final Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: I'm not old. I'm a classic with original parts. --Submitted by Club42

Today's Peace of History: February 13, 1920: Andrew "Rube" Foster, who is hailed as the “Father of Black Baseball” organized the first baseball league for African-Americans, the Negro National League in Kansas City, Missouri. The NNL operated successfully until 1931.

Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction...It must be fought for, protected, and handed on. --Ronald Reagan

Getting married is like trading the adoration of many for the sarcasm of one. --Mae West )( It may be unpleasant but it is true: both coffins and condoms contain stiffs.

..........Wait around for Mr Right..........Stockard Channing …..There Are Worse Things I Could Do

Masthead of the Week: Friday ePistle, February 13, 2026: Triple ePistle. Online at: http://fridayepistle.blogspot.com/ Exclusive editor: Christine Smith. Lawrence, KS.

Moonbeam: If you can walk away from a landing, it's a good landing. If you use the airplane the next day, it's an outstanding landing. --Chuck Yeager

Cost of the War on Terror:

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

As of 02/05/26 State Department Costs: $286,211,975,484

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

As of 02/05/26 Homeland Security: $1,222,592,377,279

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

As of 02/05/26 Interest on War Debt:$1,358,523,430,359

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

As of 02/05/26 Military Costs: $3,191,256,852,133

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

As of 02/05/26 Veterans Care: $4,723,217,289,617

As of 02/12/26 Total Cost of Wars: $10,797,237,073,336

As of 02/05/26 Total Cost of Wars: $10,781,703,984,263

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

For the good of all, the poor come first. --Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo, president of Mexico

Famous Last Words: He's still here. --Friday the Thirteenth: The Final Chapter (released 2/13/09)

..........clippity clopping over mile and chain.........Tennessee Ernie Ford …..Mule Train

Freedom's just another word for nothing left to lose. --Kris Kristofferson

DHS refused to allow me to take my board game on the plane. They told me the risk was too big. )( If you go into heat, package your meat.

May Peace manage your risks

And Joy lead your emotions

prairie mama

christine

Last Laugh:

High Coo ePistle

Famous First Words: Good morning, everyone... Tom Brokaw on the Today show.

Ah, February /A joyful time of the year / It is Haiku Month! ~~Actually it is National Haiku Writing Month. ++ A cardinal rule / for writing a haiku jewel / rhyming isn't cool –Mad Kane ++ This is a Haiku / This is still a Haiku, and / This is the last line. ++ Three layers of pants / It is very hard to walk / Hurry, got to pee. --Anon ++ White snow flies quickly / Blades cut through the frozen ice / Gold medal dreams soar. --AI

I see Grace as an affectionate refusal of things that just aren't true. --Lizz Wright

..........Hey, lumpa sugar, you look kinda sweet.........Fabian …..Tiger

When a man points a finger at someone else, he should remember that four of his fingers are pointing at himself. --Louis Nizer

It is a relatively warm (42°F) Friday morning. It is the first time in a couple of weeks that the temperature at dawn is above freezing and the whole world is happy about it. The sun seems more golden and friendly. The birds are singing to one another, the squirrels are playing tag, and Veronica got to sit in the open doorway for a full 5 minutes before I insisted we close up. The willow branches dance excitedly when a gust of wind comes along and Puck is asleep under my desk. In addition to being happy it isn't cold, I am joyful because there are multiple curling games on tv everyday, Olympic level curling everyday. I have already not finished my daily ToDo lists because I'm busy watching Canada (or maybe it was England) score 4 stones in one end. Wow. By the way, I have no intention of watching any other Olympics except half-tube. What else can be said? Thank you for reading my jokes. Warm love to you all.

Hope that your weekend / Break the world's record in fun / fair ePistliers

First Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: Every morning my 2-year old sits up in her bed and yells “HELP, I WOKE UP” and I think we can all relate. --Kristen Mulrroney

A fractured nation / victimized by Trumpy myths / and cowardly pols. --Mad Kane ++At least my kids still / get excited when they hear / about wintry mix. --Anon ++ The Olympic Torch / The Olympic Torch-Relay / stranded in traffic. -–Sunil Uniyal ++ A Haiku is this: / Seventeen syllables split / As five, seven, five. --Kerry Hiles

In our pugilistic take-no-prisoners era, preaching grace toward those on the other side of the political fence is decidedly countercultural. --Kirsten Powers

..........One and all got to face reality..........Bob Marley & the Wailers …..Natural Magic

Trivia Questions: Happy 131^st birthday to Babe Ruth

1. What was the Babe's real name?

2. How did he get to be called Babe?

3. What other nicknames did he acquire?

4. Which major league teams did the Babe play for?

5. If you owned a rookie Babe Ruth baseball card what would it be worth today?

Big Hello: Gude – Tok Pisin (Tok Pisin is an English-based Creole language spoken in Papua New Guinea.) https://www.omniglot.com/language/phrases/hello.htm

Second Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: Andrew Lloyd Webber is grateful to Melania, because the movie version of Cats is no longer the worst film of the 21st century.

Image of the Week: The Peace Monks and Aloka will make it to DC on the 10^th

Church Sign of the Week: Hipster Jesus Loved You Before You Were Cool. --Concordia Lutheran Church

Why don't I call / the GOP pols heartless? / I hate redundancy. --Mad Kane ++Wake up in darkness / serve dinner in the darkness / thanks, daylight saving. --Anon ++ White peaks in the sun / Fast skis cut the frozen air / Italy welcomes. --AI ++ Five syllables here / Seven more syllables there / Are you happy now? ++Me when I get cursed / to only speak in Haikus / but nothing changes.

We need grace in our lives, and I'm not talking about heavenly grace. I'm talking about human grace. --Letitia Baldrige

..........The dream of everlasting peace..........Bob Marley & the Wailers …..War

Moonbeam: When he says he loves me, it only means he loves me at that particular instant. Like his promises, which he never keeps. --Eva Braun

Blasphemy of the Week: An Episcopal priest told me this saying: Wherever there are four Episcopal priests, there's always a fifth. --Submitted by lh of ks

Coffee Joke of the Week: My granddaughter is trying to get a job that pays her to drink coffee. For one thing she wants to call herself a procaffinator and she heard those jobs have lots of perks.

Next Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: A charcuterie board is a lunchable that majored in musical theatre. https://www.facebook.com/ilouvreartmemes

Just in time to vote / it's “Use Your Common Sense Day” / Would it were common. --Mad Kane ++ Up here in Cleveland / I have at least seven coats / and I use them all. --Anon ++ A very small sled / What a very big mountain / It is a de-luge. --mcs

But we will not solve the significant and real problems our country faces if we cannot bring ourselves to embrace a mindset of grace. --Betsy DeVos

..........Won't you help to sing these songs of freedom..........Bob Marley & the Wailers …..Redemption Song

1) George Herman Ruth was born in Baltimore, Maryland in 1895.

Almanac: It is Friday, February 6 2026. The moon will enter its last quarter on Monday (2/9) and is in Libra. Today is International Day of Zero Tolerance to Female Genital Mutilation, International Frozen Yogurt Day, and Lame Duck Day. Because it is the first Friday in February it is also Bubble Gum Day, Fintastic Friday - Giving Sharks a voice, Give Kids a Smile Day, National Toboggan Days, Wear Red Day, and Work Naked Day. Because it is the first weekend it is the Cordova Ice Worm Days.

Among those born on this day were Christopher Marlowe (1564), Anne Stuart (1665), Aaron Burr (1756), Babe Ruth (George Herman Ruth, 1895), Louis Nizer (1902), Ronald Reagan (1911), Eva Braun (1912), Mary Nicol Leakey (1913), Francois Truffaut (1932), Mike Farrell (1939), Tom Brokaw (1940), Fabian (1943), Bob Marley (1945), Natalie Cole (1950), Kathy Najimy (1957), and Axl Rose (William Bailey, 1962).

On February sixth the Peace of La Rochelle was signed (Huguenots v the French, 1626), William and Mary College's charter was granted (1693), the first US pact, the Treaty of Aid, was signed (US & France, 1778), Massachusetts ratified the US constitution (6th, 1788), Singapore was founded (1819), the Peabody Fund was formed (1867), the Young Women's Hebrew Association was organized (NYC, 1902), dog sleds were first raced in the Olympics (1932), Monopoly went on sale (1935), singer Frank Sinatra debuted on radio's Your Hit Parade (1943), Paul Harvey was arrested for trespass (1951), Jail, No Bail movement started in SC (1961), Eisenhower shot a hole-in-one (1968), Shephard hit a golf ball on the moon (1971), Fekete skipped her curling rink to 2nd straight 8-ender (Edmonton, 1973), the No Smoking rule took effect in all federal buildings (1987), and Darryl Strawberry was suspended for 60 days (1995).

Night Sky, 2/6: The moon rises late evening in the Americas; it can be seen to the right (or celestial southwest) of Virgo's brightest star Spica.

Fraternal Picture of the Week: with dad and Lego Lad

Late Discovered Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: Man, I can't believe the descendants of Europe's settler colonialism, slave owners, the kkk, the nazis, and the zionists turned out to be child trafficking sex predators. https://www.facebook.com/ComradePunisher2

This Week: Saturday, February 7 – Ballet Day & Laura Ingalls Wilder Day & National Periodic Table Day & World Body Painting Day

Sunday, February 8 – Laugh and Get Rich Day & Man Day & Popcorn Day & Super Bowl LX

Night Sky, 2/8: Southern Hemisphere: alpha-Centaurids meteor shower. 6 shooting stars per hour.

Monday, February 9 – Clean Out Your Computer Day & National Pizza Day & Read In The Bathtub Day

Night Sky, 2/9 : The moon reaches its last quarter at 5:43 CST and is in Scorpio.

Tuesday, February 10 – Extraterrestrial Culture & Visitor Day & Umbrella Day & World Pulses Day

Wednesday, February 11 – Be Electrific Day & Get Out Your Guitar Day & National Inventors Day

Night Sky, 2/11: Crescent Moon is visible near Antares in the southeastern early-morning sky. After it comes the southern Milky Way now coming into view in the northern hemisphere.

Thursday, February 12 – Darwin Day & NAACP Day & Paul Bunyan Day & Safety Pup Day

Night Sky, 2/12: Sunrise: 7:16 am Sunset: 5:52 pm (10 hours and 39 minutes of daylight) Moonrise: 3:57 am Moonset: 12:42 pm

When mendacity / replaces veracity / sorry state indeed. --Mad Kane ++Down in Miami / they don't even have a thing / called a coat closet. --Anon ++ From take-off table / Down the long, cold jumping ramp / Crash the landing hill. --mcs

Grace tried is better than grace, and more than grace; it is glory in its infancy. --Samuel Rutherford

..........So, old man river, don't cry for me..........Bob Marley & the Wailers …..Forever Loving Jah

2) Baltimore Orioles owner, Jack Dunn, had to become George's legal guardian in order to sign him. His teammates called him “Dunn's new babe”.

Preantepenultimate Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: If God made a man in his own image, why aren't we all, like...invisible. --Father Guido Sarducci --Submitted by Wittenburg Door

Moonbeam: Basically, I have been compelled by curiosity. --Mary Leakey

Fun Fact of the Week: The Peabody Education Fund was established by George Peabody in 1867, after the American Civil War, for the purpose of promoting "intellectual, moral, and industrial education in the most destitute portion of the Southern States."

Video of the Week: Alan Shepherd hitting a golf ball on the moon (1:10) https://youtu.be/t_jYOubJmfM

A graceful taunt is worth a thousand insults. --Louis Nizer

Listen with grace, with no judgment, without imposing the law. --Joseph Prince

Donald cozies up / to Nazi-loving bigots / Hardly a surprise! --Mad Kane ++ Standing buck naked! / No need to be ashamed: / Trees teasing winter. --Millard Lowe ++ Board stuck on my feet / The half tube calls to my soul / Flop I fall from grace. --mcs ++ How much can I fit / Into a haiku format / Oh no, I'm out of

..........Then I'll satisfy your heart's desire..........Bob Marley & the Wailers …..Stir It Up

3) Ruth was called “The Bambino” which was a variation of Babe and “The Sultan of Swat” because of his record.

Antepenultimate Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: 6^th Grade Teacher: Bob, no one is going to pay you to look out the window all day. Bob, age 42, pilot, $134,000/year

Dragon of the Week: Snow Dragon

Weird Word of the Week: Philocalist: A lover of beauty and all things beautiful. https://word-lists.com/word-lists/100-rare-words-with-beautiful-meanings/

Wacky Uses for Common Products: Clean oil spots from a driveway. Pour a can of Coca-Cola on the oil stain, let sit overnight, and hose clean. Coca-Cola works as a non-toxic degreaser. If the oil stain has been there for twenty years, you may have to use a six-pack – one can at a time. https://www.wackyuses.com/wacky/cocacola.html

We all need grace. --Ben Zobrist

Tesla truck explodes / in front of a Trump Hotel / Metaphor writes itself. --Mad Kane ++ Snowmen in kit form / tumbling from the winter sky / I just need carrots. --Berlie Doherty ++ It is six of one / With skates and sticks and yells / Half dozen of them. --mcs ++ A Haiku: “Bless you!” / No, I'm writing a poem / Short, Sweet, To the point

...........Read it in the news..........Bob Marley & the Wailers …..I Shot The Sheriff

4) Babe Ruth played for the Boston Red Sox from 1914-1919, The New York Yankees from 1920-1934, and the Atlanta Braves in 1925. (The Baltimore Orioles were a minor league team at the time.)

Penultimate Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: Paid Agitators: George Soros caught paying 330 million Americans to avoid the new Melania movie. --Submitted by MMS

Science Fiction Convention of the Week: Gallifrey One 2026 (6-8, Los Angeles, CA) ...the world's largest and longest-running annual Doctor Who fan convention... https://www.gallifreyone.com/

Whatever This Is of the Week: Someone said protests don't belong in church and it took every ounce of self-censure within me not to say, “Deborah you are literally a Protestant.” --Submitted by Wittenburg Door

Spark of Joy of the Week: Springsteen's Streets of Minneapolis translated into American Sign Language. https://www.instagram.com/reel/DUPVUOpkYFF/

I don't like to say I'm not a believer because I still feel like a believer in a lot of things, primarily hope and grace and the power of human connection. --Megan Phelps-Roper

A fractured nation / Endangered Constitution / The courts our last hope. --Mad Kane ++ COLD COLD COLD COLD COLD / COLD COLD COLD COLD COLD COLD COLD / COLD COLD COLD COLD COLD –-Richard Stachurski ++ Fast on four runners / With four people on top / Bloody-ass ice slopes. --mcs ++ Haikus confuse me / too often they make no sense / Hand me the pliers.

..........Why not help each other on the way..........Bob Marley & the Wailers …..Positive Vibrations

5) The 1914 Baltimore News Babe Ruth “true” rookie card is one of the most valuable sports cards selling for over $7.2 million in 2023.

Protest Sign of the Week: Believe Your Eyes Not Their Lies

Quote of the Week: I've decided to just be fully delusional this year and see where that takes me cuz being sensible hasn't gleaned the results I'm looking for. --Ellie Schnitt --Submitted by WWRWM

Final Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: I put my To-Do list in Schrödinger's box. --Submitted by Club42

Today's Peace of History: February 6, 1961: The Jail-In movement started in Rock Hill, SC, when students refused to pay fines and requested jail sentences. The Students Nonviolent Coordinating Committee urged a south-wide "Jail, No Bail" campaign.

I am seeking to be positive, have integrity, and speak with grace. --Kate Gosselin

Remaining “neutral” / and both-sidesing ev'rything / a gift to liars. --Mad Kane ++ Nose is turning blue / I am wearing 30 layers / Still, I freeze to death. --AI ++ The goal is thirty / miles per hour around the track / This is way too fast. --mcs ++ ME: What's a haiku? / PROFESSOR: five, seven, five / ME: Got it, thank you.

..........There's just no getting over you.........Natalie Cole …..Miss You Like Crazy

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

Moonbeam: The rule of my life is to make business a pleasure, and pleasure my business. --Aaron Burr

Cost of War:

As of 02/05/26 State Department Costs: $286,211,975,484

As of 01/29/26 State Department Costs: $285,654,196,268

As of 02/05/26 Homeland Security: $1,222,592,377,279

As of 01/29/26 Homeland Security: $1,221,986,511,431

As of 02/05/26 Interest on War Debt:$1,358,523,430,359

As of 01/29/26 Interest on War Debt: $1,356,965,402,630

As of 02/05/26 Military Costs: $3,191,256,852,133

As of 01/29/26 Military Costs: $3,189,973,791,547

As of 02/05/26 Veterans Care: $4,723,217,289,617

As of 01/29/26 Veterans Care: $4,711,406,122,348

As of 02/05/26 Total Cost of Wars: $10,781,703,984,263

As of 01/29/26 Total Cost of Wars: $10,765,987,555,

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

I know of no higher fortitude than stubborness in the face of overwhelming odds. --Louis Nizer

Famous Last Words: And ruled in France by Henry's fatal death --Christopher Marlowe The Massacre At Paris (Marlowe's last play)

..........Oh, where do we go now.........Guns & Roses with Axl Rose …..Sweet Child Of Mine

Charm and grace and a sense of humor will take you a long way. --Connie Britton.

MAGA v. Reason / ever-widening schism / with no bridge in sight. --Mad Kane ++ In this bright new year / May our dark times fade away / As hope-beams appear. --Susan Schultz ++ It's February / Now you write your own Haiku / It is the right month. ++ Let's speak only in / Haikus for the entire day. / That's ridiculous

May Peace give you hope

And Joy enrich your future

from prairie mama

christine

Last Laugh: