Famous
First Words: All right you Chipmunks... The Chipmunk
Song
Please
accept with no obligation, implied or implicit, my best wishes for an
environmentally conscious, socially responsible, low stress,
non-addictive, gender neutral, celebration of the winter
solstice-holidaytm, practiced within the most enjoyable
traditions of the religious persuasion of your choice, or secular
practices of your choice, with respect for the religious/secular
persuasions and/or traditions of others, or their choice not to
practice religious or secular traditions at all. . .
..........The
melody haunts my reverie..........Hoagy Carmichael …..Stardust
Make
sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always strives to do
good for each other and for everyone else. --1 Thessalonian 5:15
It
is a cold (28°F) morning. The sky is so thickly covered with a
featureless cloud that the rising sun cannot turn it colors for the
holidays. Any color extant is muted by the grayness of this day –
the still green grass, the cars and the houses, all dull. Only the
Christmas lights give red and blue and green to the morning. The
sound of distant grinding motors has halted and only stifled vehicle
motors can be heard and sometime actual silence kisses the ear. A
large flock of medium black birds flying over can actually be heard
discussing their morning concerns. Puck is interrupted in his walk
around the perimeter by the arrival of Pepper and Cooper. But still
they are silent as if the day should not be awakened yet. A breeze
from the northwest insists it is colder than the thermometer says and
so Puck and I retreat to warmth and no wind. The smell of brewing
coffee and the sound of it falling through the grounds greet me and I
dilute a cup with half/half (and a small dribble in Puck's bowl) and
sweeten it up so that I can sit here in warmth and comfort, think of
you, and enjoy a delicious cup of ambition.
Hope
your weekend rocks and your Christmas is outta' site, ePistliers
I
never believed in Santa Claus because I knew no white man would be
coming into my neighborhood after dark. --Dick Gregory / When Santa
gets back home after his midnight flight the elves greet him with a
round of santapplause.
..........That
one wonderful day when we met.........Hoagy Carmichael …..One
Morning in May
Trivia
Questions: Happy Birthday to the United States
Golf Association!
^
Any idea how many golf courses are there in the US, more or less?
^^
Know who was the first and only female golfer to make the cut at a
PGA Tour event?
^^^
About when was the very first world Championship of Golf nationally
televised.
^^^^
How much exercise does walking rather than riding a golf cart get
you?
^^^^^
Before the invention of the tee what did golfers used to begin a
hole?
Funniest
Thing I Read of the Week: A Christmas Carol – another story
of how it takes supernatural intervention to get the rich to share.
Fake
Library Statistic of the Week:
67%
of library snowmen are named MARC
https://www.facebook.com/FakeLibStats/?fref=ts
What
is green, covered with tinsel and says “Ribbit, ribbit”? A
mistle-toad / What happens under the Mistletoe stays under the
Mistletoe..
..........You
ain't the biggest catfish in the sea.........Hoagy Carmichael
…..Small Fry
Moonbeam:
What do we live for, if it is not to make life less difficult for
each other? --George Eliot
Something
to Think About of the Week:
Big
Hello: Manao ahoana – Malagasy (Madagascar)
Week
of the Week: Saturnalia
(December 17-23) – Remember to Keep Saturn in Saturnalia.
From
Martha Stewart's Christmas To Do List: December 22... Dip sheep in
egg whites and roll in confectioner's sugar to add festive sparkle to
the pasture
..........Comes as sweet and clear as moonlight through the pines.........Hoagy Carmichael …..Georgia on My Mind
^
The
current total of 15,372 courses in the U.S. is down from a peak of
16,052 in the 1960s.
Almanac:
It is Friday, December 22, 2017. It is Be A Lover of
Silence Day. In México it is a Day of National Mourning (José
Maria Morelos, since 1815). And worldwide it is International Arbor
Day.
Among
those born on this day were Luca della Robbia (1400), Mary of
Lorraine (1515), Jean-Baptiste Racine (1639), Rene-Robert Cavelier La
Salle (1643), Jean E Liotard (1702), William Ellery (1727), Abigail
Adams (1744), John Crome (1768), Thomas Cook (1808), Franz Wilhelm
Abt (1819), George Eliot (Mary Anne Evans, 1819), Frank Kellogg
(1856), Giacomo Puccini (1858), Edwin Arlington Robinson (1869),
Arthur James Cook (1883), Charles de Gaulle (1890), Hoagy Carmichael
(1899), Kenneth Rexroth (1905), Gene Rayburn (1917), Barbara
Bilingsley (1922), Geraldine Page (1924), Billie Jean King (1943),
Diane Sawyer (1945), Rick Nielsen (Cheap Trick 1945), and Maurice
Gibb (1949).
On
December twenty-second the Dutch people revolted against meat taxes
(1731), the continental navy was organized (7 ships, 1775),
Washington resigned his military commission (1783), "American
Bicycling Journal" was first published (Boston, 1877), "Edison"
created the first string of Christmas tree ligths (1882),
Strindberg's Lycko-Pers Reja premiered
(1883), the United States Golf Association formed (NYC, 1894), the
first US postal savings stamps were issued (1910), Flanders declared
its independence (1917), the US deported Emma Goldman (and 249 other
"alien radicals", 1919), the Lincoln Tunnel opened for
traffic (1937), WEB Du Bois was elected the first black memeber of
the National Institute of Arts & Letters (1941), the Chipmunk
Song
reached number one on the charts (1958), Julie Nixon married Dwight
Eisenhower (1968), Kurt Waldheim became Secretary-Genral of the UN
(1971), Kenny Jones became The Who's new durmmer (1978), Lech Walsea
was sworn in as Poland's first popularly elected persident (1990),
and Itialian P.M. Berlusconi resigned (1994).
Night
Sky, 12/22:
This is the time of year when Orion shines in the east-southeast
after dinnertime. He's well up now, but his three-star Belt is still
nearly vertical. The Belt points up toward Aldebaran and, even
higher, the Pleiades. In the other direction, it points down to where
bright Sirius rises to twinkle furiously
Science
Fiction Convention of the Week: There
are no conventions this weekend that I can find...
This
Week: Saturday, December 23 –
Festivus & Human Light Celebration
Night
Sky, 12/23: Sirius and Procyon in the balance.
Sirius, the Dog Star, sparkles low in the east-southeast after
dinnertime. Procyon, the Little Dog Star, shines in the east about
two fist-widths at arm's length to Sirius's left. If you live around
latitude 30° (Tijuana, New Orleans, Jacksonville), the two canine
stars will be at the same height above your horizon soon after they
rise. If you're north of that latitude, Procyon will be higher. If
you're south of there, Sirius will be the higher one.
Sunday,
December 24 – Christmas Eve & Egg Nog Day
Monday,
December 25 – Christmas & A'Phabet Day aka No L Day
Tuesday,
December 26 – Boxing Day & National Thank-you Note Day
Night
Sky, 12/26: Mercury has begun to reappear low in the southeast
at dawn. Venus and Saturn are out of sight, deeper in the glow of
dawn.
Wednesday,
December 27 – Free Balloon Day & Howdy Doody Day
Night
Sky, 12/27: Mars and Jupiter rise in the east-southeast around
3 – 4 am. Uranus and Neptune are in the southern sky right after
dark.
Thursday,
December 28 – Endangered Species Act Day & Pledge of
Allegiance Day
I'll
be Cloned for Christmas, there will be three of me; One to Work, and
One to Shop and One just for Parties.
..........Can't
get from this cabin.........Hoagy Carmichael …..Rockin' Chair
^^
Long before Annika Sorenstam competed in the 2003
Bank of America Colonial, Babe Zaharias made the cut at a PGA TOUR
event, shooting 76 and 81 during the first two rounds of the 1945 Los
Angeles Open.
Funniest
thing I read of the Week: I'm so old I can remember when
Republicans opposed Russian infiltration of the US government.
Moonbeam:
But without money honor is nothing but a malady. --Jean-Baptiste
Racine
Late
Night Snacks: I'm
a little shaky tonight because my heart has been hurting all day due
to a condition my doctor calls "hope." I hope I'm
pronouncing that correctly. I haven't been saying that word that much
this year because it's been a rough year. We have been buried under
an avalanche of bad news, but through the rubble of 2017, there was a
glimmer of light, because last night, Roy Moore lost to Doug Jones in
Alabama. --Stephen Colbert / Do you feel the holiday spirit
enveloping you like a blanket right now? Christmas is 10 days away,
which means we only get to hear that Mariah Carey song 75,000 times.
--Jimmy Kimmel / In the past three months, airlines earned a record
$1.2 billion just in baggage fees! But, I should say, they only
received half of the money. The airlines lost the other half. They
think it might be in Cleveland or Omaha — they’re not quite sure
yet. --Harry Styles subbing for James Corden / While announcing
plans to trim the size of the regulatory code, President Trump today
cut a red ribbon with an oversized scissors that was draped across
stacks of paper. Then, because of all the regulations he repealed,
the scissors fell apart, a dolphin choked on the ribbon, and the
paper burst into flames. --Seth Meyers / Speaking of tweets, Trump
got in a Twitter fight with Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand over his sexual
assault allegations. Just this week he insulted a senator, endorsed
Roy Moore, and called 20 women liars. It’s like he saw his approval
rating was 32 and said, “I bet I can get it under 30 by the
weekend.”. --Jimmy Fallon
Not
So Late Night Snacks: He drinks 12 diet cokes a day... It
finally answers the question of how many diet cokes does it take to
make you an existential threat to the nation. --Negin Farsad Wait,
Wait, Don't Tell Me
Those
who promote peace have joy. --Proverbs 12:30
Santa
Quotes: Ah, rice cakes. I guess somebody only wants educational toys
this year. / Mother had a PhD in American Literature so she always
called Santa the Deer Sleigher.
..........Haven't
you heard the music of the night.........Hoagy Carmichael …..Skylark
^^^
The
very first nationally-televised golf tournament, the 1953 World
Championship of Golf, featured an incredible finish from Lew Worsham.
Needing a birdie for a playoff with Chandler Harper, Worsham holed
out for eagle from 104 yards on the 72nd hole to defeat Harper by one
shot.
Worthless
Fact of the Week:
The initial number of the "American Bicycling Journal" made
its bow to a constituency of six riders and a contingent of possibly
a few hundreds of readers.
Weird
Word of the Week: Oojah – a useful little device which
doesn't have a name or something which does have a proper name but
which you've temporarily forgotten.
http://www.worldwidewords.org/weirdwords/ww-ooj1.htm
Level
Playing Field of the Week: I've long
thought that a major part of homophobia is men being afraid that men
would treat them the way they have treated women. I look forward to
the day when men are afraid of women treating them the way they have
treated women. --christine smith
Wacky
Uses for Common Products: Store matches. A Trojan Condom
doubles as a waterproof container for matches. –
http://www.wackyuses.com/wacky/trojan.html
A
guy goes into a diner on Christmas and says, "Give me an order
of eggs Benedict on hubcaps." The waitress is confused... "You
want your eggs Benedict on hubcaps?" "Yeah," the guy
replies, "Because there’s no plates like chrome for the
hollandaise."
...........I'm
always wrong so how can I tell.........Hoagy Carmichael …..I May
Be Wrong
^^^^
If you choose to walk, rather than ride 18 holes, you
will not only walk roughly four miles, but also burn 2,000 calories.
To compare, golfers that ride carts burn about 1,300 calories.
Word
Shakespeare Made Up of the Week: Radiance – emitted or
reflected light or heat. All's Well That End's Well
Act I Scene 1 Helena: In his bright radiance and collateral light
must I be comforted...
Penultimate
Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: 911
Call: The stack of books on his beside table that he's been intending
to read for years fell over and crushed him.
Neat
Thing on the Internet of the Week: Art on television ranked by
believability. One of only 2 on the 10/10 believable scale is from
the Valerie Solanas Died for your Sins: Scumbag of American
Horror Story. Click
Here
Puck
the Brave Episode of the Week:
Here's our fearless Puck judging an Ugly Sweater Contest in the case
of the Fashionable Foodle.
A
couple is walking in St. Petersburg Square on Christmas Eve. They
feel a slight precipitation. "I think it’s raining,"
says the man. "No, it’s snowing," replies the woman. "How
about we ask this Communist officer here? He is always right!"
exclaims the man. "Officer Rudolph, is it raining or snowing?"
"Definitely raining," Officer Rudolph replies before
walking off. The man turns to his wife with a smile. “See? Rudolph
the Red knows rain, dear.”
..........Don't
you melt away.........Hoagy Carmichael …..Snowball
^^^^^
Long before the advent of tees, golfers played off of
hand-built sand piles. That all changed, of course, when tees were
invented, gaining popularity during the 1920s.
Fortnight
of the Week:
Halcyon Days (December 14-28) - Halcyon
is a type of kingfisher bird that nests by the sea where sea-charming
winds blow, so that its eggs are protected during the nesting period.
The phrase Halcyon
days today
also signifies prosperity, joy, liberation and, of course,
tranquility.
Most
Beautiful Thing in the State:
New York's Rainbow Falls Bridge. Get
this gorgeous place to yourself by coming early in the morning, when
the busloads of tourists haven’t yet arrived. There are 200ft
cliffs and 19 waterfalls, including the famous Cavern Cascade, but
the most jaw-dropping spot to soak it all in at Watkins Glen State
Park is the Rainbow Falls Bridge.
http://gowaterfalling.com/waterfalls/watkins.shtml
Final
Funniest Thing I Read of the Week:
Today's
Peace of History: December 22, 1993: Operation
“Toys for Guns" was begun in New York City through the efforts
(and $10,000) of I.M. Rainmaker, CEO of an electronics company.
Conceived in cooperation with local police concerned about crime fed
by too many guns and the glorification of violence, the program
offered a $100 voucher redeemable at Toys ‘R’ Us for a firearm
turned in to the police.
One
of rock ‘n’ roll’s earliest — and greatest — rock
performers was the incomparable Buddy Holly. Despite his
bespectacled, nerdy appearance, the man really knew how to ignite an
audience. In fact, the folks who attended Buddy’s performances got
so excited that many of his concerts ended with a riot. Just as soon
as the fans saw that Buddy had performed the closing song, they would
fly into a collective rage, smash chairs, storm the stage and tear
down the curtain. As a result, no theater owner would hire Buddy
because they feared that their patrons would wreck the hall with bows
of Holly.
..........That
sycamore heaven back south.........Hoagy Carmichael …..Moon
Country
Masthead
of the Week:
fRiday ePistle December 22, 2017, dEck tHe ePistle. Online at:
http://fridayepistle.blogspot.com/
Peace, Humor, and Holiday Cheer. Exclusive editor: Christine Smith.
1800 Goodell Ct. Lawrence, KS 66046
Moonbeam:
If we mean to have heroes, statesmen, and philosophers, we should
have learned women. --Abigail Adams
Cost
of War:
Tax
dollars spent in Afghanistan: as of 12/21/17: $792,871,213,468.
Tax
dollars spent in Afghanistan: as of 12/14/17: $792,189,390,743.
Tax
dollars spent on the Iraq war since 2001 as of 12/21/17:
$821,104,705,413.
Tax
dollars spent on the Iraq war since 2001 as of 12/14/17:
$821,084,778,436.
Tax
dollars spent on all wars since 2001 as of 12/21/17:
$1,805,585,225,562.
Tax
dollars spent on all wars since 2001 as of 12/14/17:
$1,804,161,711,009.
Let
us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to
mutual edification. --Romans 14:19
..........When
he kicked old Buddha's gong.........Hoagy Carmichael …..Hong Kong
Blues
Three
circus dwarfs decided to change professions. They reviewed their
options and decided to move to China and start a business together in
that burgeoning economy. They bought a factory in Beijing and started
manufacturing road-building materials to use to build highways for
China’s expanding transportation system. They shrewdly cornered the
market on a black, sticky substance to cover the roads they were
building. Thus, they became known as the three wee kings of Orient
tar. --To reduce our carbon footprint, all of today's
jokes are recycled.
Famous
Last Words: Throwing stones, throwing stones ...Bee Gees
Holiday
May
Peace warm your nights
And
Joy light your days
prairie
mama
christine
Last
Laugh:
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