Famous First Words: O, we sail the ocean blue... Opening chorus HMS Pinafore
Happy National Wine Day! 2 or 3 glasses of wine per day reduces your risk of giving a damn. / It doesn't matter if the glass is half empty or half full. There is clearly room for more wine. / I cook with wine, sometimes I even add to the food. --W.C. Fields
..........A line a day when you're far away.........Kitty Kallen …..Little Things Mean a Lot
A little bit of mercy makes the world less cold and more just. --Pope Francis
It is a beautiful Friday morning. 69°F is perfect. A sometimes stiff breeze kisses the cheek and makes the trees – even the big, old, stuffy ones – look as if they are giggling. A cardinal sits on the very top of the very tallest of the old, stuffy trees in the little wood across the street; he calls to the world, perhaps to the rising sun. As polyphony to the treetop cardinal other birds discuss, sing, and sometimes they too seem to be giggling. The sky is filled with every kind of cloud – piles, smears, streaks, swirls, and dark floaters. The texture is changing yet the clouds are in no hurry on their northeastern way. The dogs are silent; they sit at the gate watching the student-less street. Everything is green. Inside the foliage of the lilac bush a sparrow goes about its business, building a nest or searching for food. I take a moment to miss the feeders and the commotion they always generated. Coffee and you are calling yet I stay in the backyard a while longer doing neck stretches and taking really deep breaths. The dogs are still silent. ? But coffee does call and it is also beautiful to sit in a room reeking of fresh brewed coffee while sipping same. And then there is the chance to write to you – wow, something else to giggle about.
Hope your weekend floats in fermentation, ePistliers.
Wine does not make you FAT, it makes you LEAN....(against tables, floors, walls and ugly people). / My Petronus is a champagne flute. / In victory, you deserve Champagne. In defeat you need it. --Napoleon Bonaparte
..........Is that willow tree still a weeping there.........Kitty Kallen …..How Are Things in Glocca Morra
Trivia Questions: Happy Birthday, Mr. Oz.
^ How many Frank Oz characters that can you name?
^^ Know anything about Frank's birth or family?
^^^ Frank has directed 15 films, how many can you name?
^^^^ When did Oz join the Muppet band – more or less?
^^^^^ What character did Frank play in Blues Brothers and Blues Brothers 2000?
First Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: If at first you don't succeed, use more duct tape. --Red Green
Fake Library Statistic of the Week: 99% of librarians have a favorite subject heading. https://www.facebook.com/FakeLibStats/?fref=ts
It is better to be full of wine than full of shit. / So many bottles, so little time. / It takes a lot of good beer to make great wine.
..........And settle where the bluegrass grows.........Kitty Kallen …..Sweet Kentucky Rose
Moonbeam: Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail. --Ralph Waldo Emerson
Something to Think About of the Week:
Big Hello: Fakaalofa atu – Niuean (Polynesia) https://www.omniglot.com/language/phrases/hello.htm
Week of the Week: National Backyard Games Week (May 21-28) - If the Consumer Product Safety Commission banned lawn darts after 3 deaths, why not regulate guns?
Wine is to women what duct tape is to men; it fixes everything. / Where there's a wine there's a way. / Either give me more wine or leave me alone. --Rumi
..........the breeze that hurries by becomes a melody and why.........Kitty Kallen …..Because You're Mine
^Frank Oz was/is Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Cookie Monster, Bert, Grover, and the voice of Yoda.
Almanac: It is Friday, May 25, 2018. The moon was first quarter on Tuesday and is in Libra. It is Cookie Monster's Birthday, National & International Missing Children's Day, National Tap Dance Day, National Wine Day, Nerd Pride Day aka Geek Pride Day, Towel Day, and World Thyroid Day. In Argentina it is Day of the May Revolution (1810) and in Chad, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, and Zambia it is African Freedom aka Unity Day. Jordan celebrates Independence Day aka Arab Renaissance Day (1946) while Lybia and the Sudan commemorate Sudan National Day aka May Revolution Day (1969). ~~Seems like it should be Day of the Holidays With Two Names. Finally in Yugoslavia it is Day of Youth. Because it is the Friday before Memorial Day and the Last Friday and the Fourth Friday it is also Don't Fry Day, National Wig Out Day, Heat Awareness Day, and National Title Track Day. And because it is Memorial Day weekend it is also National Polka Days.
Among the people born on this day were Friedrich Johann Eck (1767), Archduke Ferdinand (1781), Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803), John Eliot (1839), John Raleigh Mott (1865), Bojangles (1878), Philip Murray (1886), Igor Sikorsky (1889), Josip Broz Tito (1892), Bennett Cerf (1898), Rachel Carson (1907), David Lean (1908), Kitty Kallen (1926), Robert Ludlum (1927), Beverly Sills (Bubbles, 1929), Barbara Harris (1935), Dixie Carter and Ian McKellen (1939), Frank Oz (1944), and Mike Myers (1963).
On May twenty-fifth the first know predction of a solar eclipse (585 BCE) was made, the Constitutional Convention opened (Philadelphia, 1787), Argentina declared independence from Spain (1810), the American Unitarian Association was founded (1825), HMS Pinafore premiered (1878), Ford stopped producting the Model T (1927), Enchanted Deer premiered (1934), Jesse Owens equaled or matched 6 world record in one hour (1935), Jordan gained independence (1946), Ali KOed Liston (1st Round, 1965), Star Wars was released (1978), Return of the Jedi was released (1983), and George Brett got his 2,000 hit (1986).
Night Sky, 5/25: The waxing gibbous Moon crosses the sky tonight in the company of Spica below it.http://www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/sky-at-a-glance/
Science Fiction Convention of the Week: ConQuesT 29 – Exploring Unexpected Worlds (KCMO May 25-17) http://www.conquestkc.org/guests/
Actual Science Convention of the Week: Gas Oil Technology (may 22-25, Ufa, Russia) An effective platform for the integration of experience and establishing mutually beneficial contacts. https://10times.com/gas-oil-technology
This Week: Saturday, May 26 – National Chardonnay Day & National Paper Airplane Day
Night Sky, 5/26: Tonight the Moon forms a flat triangle with Spica and brighter Jupiter, which are more or less on opposite sides.
Sunday, May 27 – Cellophane Tape Day & Indianapolis 500 Day
Monday, May 28 – Memorial Day & Sierra Club Day & Prayer for Peace Day
Night Sky, 5/28: Vega is the brightest star in the east-northeast after dark. The other main stars of its constellation, Lyra, currently dangle down from it.
Tuesday, May 29 – Day of Vesak & International Day of UN Peacekeepers & Learn About Composting Day
Night Sky, 5/29: Mercury is sinking lower toward the end of a very poor apparition deep in the glow of sunrise. Using binoculars, look for it about 15 or 20 minutes before sunrise barely above the east horizon.
Wednesday, May 30 – Mint Julep Day & National Creativity Day
Thursday, May 31 – World No-Tobacco Day & What You Think Upon Grows Day
..........But now that the stars are in your eyes.........Kitty Kallen …..I'm Beginning to See the Light
^^Oz was born in Hereford, England where his family moved after fighting the Nazis. He is currently married to Victoria Labalme and has 3 sons.
Next Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: Hate the Sin. Elect the Sinner.
Moonbeam: Good Manners: the noise you don't make when you're eating soup. --Bennett Cerf
Late Night Snacks: Levi’s just released a smart jacket that lets you know when your Uber arrives. It’s great for people who love to have all the latest gadgets — except a phone. --Jimmy Fallon / Scientists claim to have succeeded transplanting a memory from the brain of one sea snail and implanting it into another. Or, more likely, snails live pretty similar lives. --Seth Meyers / The president’s lawyer Rudy Giuliani continues to give troublesome interviews. Last night on Fox News, Giuliani said that Drumpf couldn’t have colluded with the Russians, because if they had given him dirt on Hillary, he would have used it. Never a good sign when your lawyer’s defense is, “Your honor, my clients tried to commit a treasonous crime, but they were too stupid to actually pull it off.” --James Corden / Fun fact, if six members of the royal family die, Meghan Markle would become the queen of England. Second fun fact, that used to be Prince Harry’s pick-up line. --Conan O'Brien / Former Trump aides say the president thrives on a sense of dominance and control of his environment, so much so that he has a longtime fear of having his food contaminated. And the behavior of some of his staff has been extreme, including the junior aide who was found to be taping meetings with Mr. Drumpf and playing them to impress friends. Really? I find it hard to believe that someone who works in the Drumpf administration still has friends.
Not So Late Night Snacks: Sagal: Tom, true or false - this week, the Trump organization filed paperwork to trademark the Trump coat of arms, designed by Donald Trump himself. Bodett: That'd be true. Sagal: No, it's false. It was plagiarized from another family. And the only change they made - and this is true - was they changed the word integrity on the coat of arms to Trump. --Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me
Peace is a daily commitment. It is a homemade peace. --Pope Francis
Fat-Free, Cholesterol-Free, Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free. I love this wine diet. / Move over coffee, today is a job for Champagne.
..........crayons ready, very well.........Kitty Kallen …..My Coloring Book
^^^2011 Leverage (TV Series, The Carnival Job), 2007 Death at a Funeral, 2004 The Stepford Wives, 2002 The Funkhousers (TV Movie), 2001 The Score, 1999 Bowfinger, 1997 In & Out, 1995 The Indian in the Cupboard, 1992 HouseSitter, 1991 What About Bob?, 1988 Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, 1986 Little Shop of Horrors, 1986 Learning About Numbers, 1984 The Muppets Take Manhattan, 1982 The Dark Crystal
Worthless Facts of the Week: George Brett's 3,154 career hits are the most by any third baseman in major league history and 16th all-time. He is one of four players in MLB history to accumulate 3,000 hits, 300 home runs, and a career .300 batting average (the others being Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, and Stan Musial).
Weird Word of the Week: Kludge – a work of programming that was done hastily and inelegantly. From a 1950s word kluge – bodged-up hardware.http://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-klu1.htm
Wicked Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: If no mentally disturbed person should have an assault weapon, should a mentally ill president have an army? --Submitted by pj of ks
Wizened Wandering of the Week: Last Tuesday I had the pleasure of playing Scrabble with Jo and Carol. They have been playing together on Tuesdays since the pyramids were new and I joined about the time of the Reformation. Jo had been arrested for singing in Chris Kobach's office in Topeka the day before. She was part of the KS Poor People's Campaign. 18 people were arrested that day. It was on her bucket list – getting arrested – and this seems like a good reason. So, she told us about being in jail for 6 hours – holding cells segregated by gender – booking cells which were little rooms with a small window in the big door with a little door over it – meal was all carbs – you know, stories about being in stir. Carol, on the other hand, was remembering being arrested at the 1965 Strong Hall demonstration in Wescoe's office. She didn't remember singing. Both were arrested for trespass. (That was also the crime of the February Sisters. Around here it runs in the movement, apparently.) In some ways the conversation felt like bookends to a life of activism. {Both felt that there were others that were arrested with them that were somehow “pure” activists or “more” dedicated.} So there we were, three chronic trespassers enjoying a game of Scrabble. We won, by the way. The way we win is we add all the scores together and if they equal 600+ - we won, so, we get to play with the big kids. It's been a good life.
Wacky Uses for Common Products: Clean spills and stains on carpet & upholstery. Blot up the spill, sprinkle 20 Mule Team Borax to cover the area, let dry, and vacuum. Before treating, make sure the carpet dye is colorfast by testing an unexposed area with a paste of 20 Mule Team Borax and water. For wine and alcohol stains, dissolve one cup 20 Mule Team Borax in one quart water. Sponge in the solution, wait 20 minutes, shampoo the spotted area, let dry, and vacuum. http://www.wackyuses.com/wacky/20muleteam.html
I'm not really a social drinker. I'd say most of my drinking is work related. / If Friday were alcohol, it would be Champagne. / What wine goes with Captain Crunch? --George Carlin
...........How I'd love to hear you whisper.........Kitty Kallen …..In the Chapel in the Moonlight
^^^^ Oz began working with Henson in 1963 and was a key player as the Muppets became regulars on the children’s program Sesame Street and then starred in their own comedy program, The Muppet Show (1976-81). It was on the latter show that Miss Piggy’s persistent pursuit of Kermit the Frog made her a household name.
Quote of the Week: The best way to stop a bad guy with a gun is 75.4 millions millennials with a vote. --Jenna Blum.
Science on the Internet of the Week: Plant Sounds – listen to peace lily sourced sound. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VvWPT4VhKTk
Turn of Phrase of the Week: Children killed in the line of learning. --Submitted by ra of ks
Nother Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: The only way to save Hawaii is to sacrifice a president to the angry volcano god. --Submitted by pm of ks
Puck the Brave Episode of the Week: Here's our fearless Puck managing his rain-do in the case of the Pouring Portuguese.
To relieve stress I do yoga. Just kidding, I drink wine in my yoga pants. / Give me one good Riesling. / Life is too short to drink bad wine.
..........Last night I found myself dancing.........Kitty Kallen …..That Old Feeling
^^^^^ Frank Oz was the warden in Blues Brothers films.
Month of the Week: National Family Month (5/12-6/16) - A man and his wife were sitting in the living room discussing a living will. "Just so you know, I never want to live in a vegetative state, dependent on some machine and fluids from a bottle. If that ever happens, just pull the plug," the man says. His wife got up, unplugged the TV and threw out all the beer.
Penultimate Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: Every time a Christian defends Trump an angel vomits. --Submitted by ra of ks
'Nother Worthless Fact of the Week: Enology is the study of wines.
Most Beautiful Thing in Puerto Rico: Puerto Bio-luminescent Mosquito Bay - In this little body of water lives Pyrodinium bahamense, a dinoflagellate that glows a greenish-blue when agitated. The best way to enjoy the beauty of Mosquito Bay is to book a starlit kayak trip. Here are a few things to know before you go! https://www.mnn.com/lifestyle/eco-tourism/blogs/facts-about-vieques-bioluminescent-mosquito-bay
Today's Peace of History: Today's Peace of History, May 25, 1986: An estimated 7 million Americans participated in Hands Across America, forming a line across the country from Los Angeles to New York to raise public awareness of the issues of hunger and homelessness in the US . Proceeds were donated to local charities to feed the hungry and help the homeless.
You had me at Merlot. / I'm on cloud wine. / Nothing makes the future look so rosy as to contemplate it through a glass of Chambertin. --Napoleon Bonaparte
..........think it over and be sure.........Kitty Kallen …..If I Give You My Heart
Masthead of the Week: fRiday ePistle May 25, 2018, Enologic ePistle. Online at: http://fridayepistle.blogspot.com/ Peace, Love and a Little Wine. Exclusive editor: Christine Smith. 1800 Goodell Ct. Lawrence, KS 66046
Final Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: Is it just me, or does no one disappear in the Bermuda Triangle anymore?
Moonbeam: Those who dwell among the beauties and mysteries of the earth are never alone or weary of life. --Rachel Carson
Cost of War:
As of 5/24/18 Military Costs of War since 2001: $2,823,472,515,983.
As of 5/17/18 Military Costs of War since 2001: $2,821,532,846,483.
As of 5/24/18 Homeland Security Costs since 2001: $828,175,427,081.
As of 5/17/18 Homeland Security Costs since 2001: $826,857,116,874.
As of 5/24/18 Interest on War Debt since 2001: $590,791,866,305.
As of 5/17/18 Interest on War Debt since 2001: $589,134,730,882.
As of 5/24/18 Veterans Care since 2001: $289,907,206,361.
As of 5/17/18 Veterans Care since 2001: $289,530,580,107.
As of 5/24/18 Total Cost of Wars since 2001: $4,532,346,472,40671.
As of 5/17/18 Total Cost of Wars since 2001: $4,527,055,913,671.
War never again! Never again war! --Pope Francis
..........and live just in memory.........Kitty Kallen …..Go on With the Wedding
Stop and smell the rosé! / Time to wine down. / To wine. It improves with age-the older I get, the more I like it.
Famous Last Words: He's my brother. --Leia Return of the Jedi
Peace be your bouquet
And Joy be your effervescence
prairie mama
christine
Last Laugh:
