575 ePistle

Famous First Words: Porgy lived in the golden age. Porgy by Du Bose Heyward on which the operetta is based.

February is National Haiku Writing Month: You think you're big With your fancy little words. This is not so hard ф How much can I fit Into a haiku format Oh no I'm out of

..........Me here at last on the ground.........Bernadette Peters …..Send In The Clowns

A man who fears suffering is already suffering from what he fears. --Michel de Montaigne

It is a gorgeous Friday morning. The sun is shining, the temperature is already 45°F, birds are chirping, little hollyhock plants are green and growing. Weather.com is predicting 70 degrees this afternoon. What a change from last Friday's one degree morning. Puck has been out and is back in, sleeping on my sweater which he dragged off the chair. His light snorts accompany the bird song and morning dog barking. A southern breeze is making the bare willow branches dance but the mulberry trees are resisting the urge. Since I am able to walk around the yard and do stuff, I'm particularly happy to see spring come blooming.

Hope for your weekend; Endless fun and many games With my love, dear poets.

First Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: Only you can prevent forest fires. Really, just you. They laid everybody else off. https://www.facebook.com/feministnews.us

Cat haiku: At stairway's summit Furry dragon awaits prey Ankles are not safe ф No thumbs, yet she plays Music: a cat concerto For Color Printer

..........There's gotta be trust in this world.........Rolling Stones with Brian Jones …..Good Times, Bad Times

Trivia Questions: Happy US Snowshoe Day !!

1. What are snowshoes?

2. What is a traditional snowshoe?

3. What is a modern snowshoe?

4. What are the three types of snowshoes?

5. How many people snowshoe for pleasure these days?

Big Hello: Selam – Romanian Tatar (Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey) https://www.omniglot.com/language/phrases/hello.htm

Second Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: I don't know if Facebook has ever caused the lame to walk, but it sure has caused the dumb to speak. --Lexi & Ocean & Rick

Coffee Joke of the Week: Ahhhh! Coffee – nature's little kiss of goodness.

Two cups of coffee Is enough to ask Did I have coffee? Ф I don't know about April fools, but I recall Some from November.

..........You'll never break it, darling.........Rolling Stones with Brian Jones …..Heart of Stone

Moonbeam: Science is the search for truth, that is the effort to understand the world: it involves the rejection of bias, of dogma, of revelation, but not the rejection of morality. --Linus Pauling

Next Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: A joke is often the hole through which truth whistles. --Japanese Proverb

Blasphemy of the Week: Every time a Christian defends Trump, an angel loses its lunch. --Submitted by SDS

Image of the Week: May this Ramadan bring joy, health, and wealth to you.

Cat haiku: Out of reach, alas Winged prey alights, sings, soars and Escapes untasted. Ф Kittens in my bed Two-thirty in the morning Friendship is timeless

..........Hey hey hey, that's what I'll say.........Rolling Stones with Brian Jones …..Satisfaction

• 1. A snowshoe is a platform designed to support or “float” your bodyweight and backpack when walking or running over snow. This activity is best practiced over deep, powdery snow unless you are running or climbing?

Almanac: It is Friday, February 28, 2025. The moon was new yesterday (2/27) and is in Pisces. Today is National Public Sleeping Day, Floral Design Day, National Tooth Fairy Day, Rare Disease Day, and US Snowshoe Day. It is also the first day of the month of Ramadan 2025 (2/28-3/29). Because it is the fourth Friday it is also Skip The Straw Day.

Among those born on this day were Montaigne (1533), Jean-Baptiste Lully (1632), Augustus Callcott (1779), John Tenniel (1820), Ben Hecht (1893), Linus Pauling (1901), Bugsy Siegel (1906), Vincente Minnelli (1910), Zero Mostel (Samuel Joel Mostel, 1915), Smokey the Bear (1928), John Fahey (1939), Tommy Tune (1939), Mario Andretti (1940), Brian Jones (Lewis Hopkin-Jones, 1942), Bernadette Peters (1948), John Turturro (1957), and Rae Dawn Chong (1962).

On February twenty-eighth Westminster Abbey opened (1570), the Salem witch hunts began (1662), the Methodist Church was chartered (1784), the Republican Party formally organized (1854), the Arkansas legislature required free blacks to choose exile or slavery (1859), the first college coop store opened (1882), the first Vaudeville theater opened (1883), nylon was discovered (1935), Native Son published (1940), Porgy and Bess opened on Broadway (1943), Discoverer 1 was launched (1959),

Chamberlain sank the NBA record 35th consecutive field goal (1967), Nixon returned from China (1972), and MASH aired its last episode (1983).

Night Sky, 2/28: While twilight is fading 20 or 30 minutes after sunset, look 16° below Venus (about a fist and a half at arm's length) for Mercury and, even lower, a very thin crescent Moon. Saturn is so dim and low that it's probably out of reach even with binoculars. http://www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/sky-at-a-glance/

Fraternal Picture of the Week: Puzzle vs The Boys

This Week: Saturday, March 1 – Black Women's Day & Horse Protection Day & National Play Outside Day & Pig Day & Zero Discrimination Day

Sunday, March 2 – Academy Awards Day & Namesake Day & World Teen Mental Illness Day

Night Sky, 3/2: February was Orion's month to stand at his highest in the south early evening. Now March pushes him westward and spotlights his dog, Canis Major with Sirius on his chest, standing center stage on the meridian. Sirius is not only the brightest star in our sky after the Sun, it's also the closest naked-eye star after the Sun, at 8.6 light-years, for those of us living at mid-northern latitudes.

Monday, March 3 – National Anthem Day & National Mulled Wine Day & Simplify Your Life Day & World Wildlife Day

My bed is so warm. My alarm clock is so cold. I think I'll sleep in. ф I wake, reluctant; Too cold to get out of bed, But I need to pee.

..........So love me, hold me.........Rolling Stones with Brian Jones …..I'm Free

• 2. The traditional snowshoe is constructed of a wooden frame, usually Ash, with decking made of interlaced rawhide. Everyone would have worn them for hunting, trapping, and getting around.

Preantepenultimate Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: Protest Sign: How Many Teslas Should We Throw Into The Boston Harbor. --Submitted by SDS

Moonbeam: The best way to have a good idea is to have lots of ideas. --Linus Pauling

Fun Fact of the Week: On February 28, 1919 Mohandas Gandhi launched his campaign of non-cooperation with Imperial British control of India. He called his overall method of nonviolent action Satyagraha, formed from satya (truth) and agraha, used to describe an effort or endeavor. This translates roughly as "Truth-force." A fuller rendering, though, would be "the force that is generated through adherence to Truth."

Video of the Week: Roberta Cleopatra Flack: Killing Me Softly With His Song (4:34) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mrudT410TAI She will be missed.

The truth of these days is not that which really is, but what every man persuades another man to believe. --Michel de Montaigne

Cat haiku: At the summit she waits; A guru with life advice: Purrs cure everything. Ф Dog Haiku: A terrier's job Chase ball again and again. There is no stopping

..........What a drag it is getting old.........Rolling Stones with Brian Jones …..Mother's Little Helper

• 3. Today's snowshoe is a very technical “snow-platform” made of an aluminum (sometimes 6061) or plastic frame, complete with synthetic decking material such as neoprene or nytex. These materials are designed to resist cracking and breaking in extremely cold temperatures.

Antepenultimate Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: No one who pays as much for sex as these dorks (Trump & Musk) should be judging anyone's efficiency. --Submitted by Middle Age Riot

Weird Word of the Week: Absquatulate – to leave abruptly https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/absquatulate

Dragon Poem of the Week: Green Dragon: Guarding your forests, Waiting, observing, taking Down lurking hunters. --jess@dragonsinn

Dragons of the Week:

If this puddle could Talk, I think it would tell me To splash my sister. Ф A haiku for horses? Are you serious? no way, They can't even read.

...........Pleased to meet you, hope you guess my name.........Rolling Stones with Brian Jones …..Sympathy For The Devil

• 4. Snowshoes are classified for 1) Trail Use i.e. general use 2) Mountain Use, and 3) Running. Two important factors to consider when choosing your snowshoes are 1) the terrain over which you will be travelling, and 2) your level of experience. If you aren't sure, go with the trail shoe.

Penultimate Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: When the trainer asked me what kind of squats I'm used to doing, I said Diddly. --Submitted by UUHS

Science Fiction Convention of the Week: Stingray Con 2025 (3/1, Jacksonville, FL) Comic Convention with Anime, Fantasy, Gaming... https://animecons.com/events/info/24762/stingraycon-2025

Actual Science Conference of the Week: Virtual International Academic Conference on Global Education and E-learning. (28, online) Czech Institute of Academic Education. https://conferencesdaily.com/eventdetails.php?id=1633288

Inconceivable Rambling of the Week: Some facebook thread was talking about Melanie's Brand New Key . I thought it was a silly song and I couldn't sustain the metaphor. Anyway, someone mentioned that she was at Woodstock. Inconceivable! I researched. There were a couple of videos – which I did not watch Birthday of the Sun was the main one. Her set began at 11 pm Friday, August 15, 1969. She sang 7 songs; none of them was New Key. She did sing Animal Crackers followed immediately by Mr Tambourine Man. Still inconceivable.

Dog Haiku: A dog considers The promise of rustling leave Squirrel, chipmunk, or wind ф Snow, like life, offers Delight and difficulties Sticks to fur and snout

..........She comes in colors everywhere.........Rolling Stones with Brian Jones …..She's A Rainbow

• 5. 5.5 million participants went on more than 22 million snowshoe outings last season. https://tubbssnowshoes.com/

Late Night Joke of the Week: President Trump said on Friday he has spoken to Russian president Vladimir Putin on the phone to try to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine and added that the invasion never would have happened if he had been in office. Because if Trump was president, we would have invaded Ukraine. --Seth Meyers

Quote of the Week: If I were to remain silent, I'd be guilty of complicity. --Albert Einstein

Final Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: Believe it or not, a fulfilling and meaningful life is possible without owning an AR-15. --Submitted by 98%

Today's Peace of History: February 28, 1940: Actress Hattie McDaniel was the first African-American to win an Academy Award. She won the award as Best Supporting Actress for her role of Mammy in Gone with the Wind.

First rule of bite club: Silence. Remove the squeaker From the plush dog toy. Ф Shall I compare Trump To a Summer's Eve? he is The biglier douche.

..........I've realized it's time to leave.........Rolling Stones with Brian Jones …..Yesterday's Papers

Masthead of the Week: Friday ePistle, February 28, 2025, 575 ePistle. Online at: http://fridayepistle.blogspot.com/ Exclusive editor: Christine Smith. Lawrence, KS.

Moonbeam: If everything seems under control, you're just not going fast enough. -Mario Andretti

Cost of War:

• As of 02/27/25 State Department Costs: $258,964,119,312

• As of 02/20/25 State Department Costs: $258,403,386,762

• As of 02/27/25 Homeland Security: $1,192,995,556,925

• As of 02/20/25 Homeland Security: $1,192,386,539,315

• As of 02/27/25 Interest on War Debt: $1,282,417,219,740

• As of 02/20/25 Interest on War Debt: $1,280,851,297,294

• As of 02/27/25 Military Costs: $3,133,372,413,971

• As of 02/20/25 Military Costs: $3,132,183,498,709

• As of 02/27/25 Veterans Care: $4,146,315,675,490

• As of 02/20/25 Veterans Care:$4,134,442,762,994

• As of 02/27/25 Total Cost of Wars: $10,014,067,392,409

• As of 02/20/25 Total Cost of Wars: $9,998,270,462,573

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

Not being able to govern events, I govern myself. --Michel de Montaigne

Famous Last Words: ...and now you know the rest of the story. --Paul Harvey who died 2/28/09

..........Just remember when a dream appears.........Bernadette Peters …..You Belong To Me

Advice for those in A difficult position. First, be flexible. ф Five syllables here Seven more syllables there Are you happy now?

May Peace bide with you

And Joy be your companion

from prairie mama

christine

Last Laugh

:

oLd fArmer's ePistle

 Famous First Words: I had a farm in Africa... Karen Blixen

It's Future Farmers of America (FFA) week. Why aren't you more excited? Did you know that the FFA has the most field trips but the worst drivers. Ψ A group of farmers in Kansas is teaching milk cow to laugh. They've had a little success. They call their association Laughing Stock.

..........Farmer Joe, I'm the meanest ol' woman.........Laura Nyro …..Once It Was Alright Now

We live in capitalism, its power seems inescapable – but then, so did the divine right of kings. Any human power can be resisted and changed by human beings. --Ursula Le Guin

It is another very cold (1°F) Friday morning. Fortunately, the wind has only made it up to 1 mph and is from the southwest. Still, melting and refreezing is not a problem, at least not yet. I spent a winter in New England one year and swore I would never again complain about the cold in Kansas (the heat, yes, but not the cold). However, climate change has rendered my vow unkeepable. It was -11 yesterday morning and that is a damned cold day. Unlike New England we are not counting on a February thaw to refill the wells, only our souls. Stay warm and hang in there – warmer weather is bound to get here eventually.

Hope your weekend is green and leafy, agri-nauts.

First Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: Compost the Oligarchy! https://www.facebook.com/EarthyHerbsWI

Quote of the Week: They (Fascists) have no clue how powerful joy and community and self-expression can be. --D L Mayfield

You know you're an FFA member when your favorite chapter isn't in the book. Ψ I was going to tell a farmer joke here, but it's too corny.

..........She talks to all the servants about man and God and law.........Bob Dylan …..Maggie's Farm

Trivia Questions: Happy Birthday to the Washington Monument

1. How tall is the Washington Monument anyway?

2. Here's a funny one, how much does the Washington Monument weigh?

3. About how many tourists visit the monument each year?

4. How much did the Washington Monument cost?

5. How much damage did the 2011 Virginia earthquake do to the monument?

Big Hello: Salut – Romanian https://www.omniglot.com/language/phrases/hello.htm

Second Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: It's over for Canada! No way the USA buys oil from a “trans” mountain pipeline. --Submitted by LaughingInDisbelief

New Name for the Gulf of Mexico of the Week:

Gulf formerly known as Gulf of Mexico

Coffee Joke of the Week: If your eyes hurt after you drink coffee, take the spoon out of the cup.

You know you're an FFA member when boys in official dress melt your heart. ψ I'm a farmer. What's a weekend?

..........The farm grew to be a moneymaker.........Garth Brooks …..Alabama Clay

Moonbeam: We write to taste life twice, in the moment and in retrospect. --Anaïs Nin

Blasphemy of the Week: I want nothing to do with Jesus-less Christianity. --John Pavlovitz

New Name for the Gulf of Mexico of the Week: Gulf of the Great Ojibwe Nation

Next Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: When God came and took all the dinosaurs to heaven that was called the Velocirapture. --Submitted by UUHS

At least Ag students can always find work in their field. ψ Jack wouldn't trade his cow for just any magic beans; they had to be organic magic beans.

..........A twelve acre farm on a ridge in southern Tennessee.........Dolly Parton …..Where Grass Won't Grow

1. The Washington Monument is 169 meters which is 554.5 feet tall.

Almanac: It is Friday, February 21, 2025. The moon entered the last quarter yesterday (2/20) and is in Sagittarius. UNESCO has declared this International Mother Language Day. Today is Hockey Jersey Day, National Grain Free Day, and World Kombucha Day. Because it is the third Friday it is also National Caregivers Day and No One Eats Alone Day.

Among those born on this day were Peter II (1728), Charles Scribner (1821), Andres Segovia (1893), Anais Nin (1903), W. H. Auden (1904), Murry the K (1922), Erma Bombeck (1927), Nina Simone (1933), David Geffen (1943), Alan Rickman (1946), Tyne Daly (1946), William Petersen (1953), and Mary-Chapin Carpenter (1958).

On February twenty-first Thomas a Becket was canonized (1173), the trial of Joan of Arc began (1431), Boris Godunov became tsar (1584), Michael Romanov became tsar (1613), the Presidential Succession Act passed (1792), the first native American newspaper was published (Cherokee Phoenix, 1828), Lucy Hobbs became the first US female dentist (1866), the Washington Monument was dedicated (1885), the National Ski Association formed (1904), New Yorker was first published (1925), Alka Seltzer was introduced (1931), Elizabeth Taylor married Micahel Wilding (1952) and Richard Nixon visited China (1972)

Night Sky, 2/21: After dinner time at this time of year, five carnivore constellations are rising upright in a row from the northeast to south. They're all presented in profile with their noses pointed up and their feet (if any) to the right. These are Ursa Major the Big Bear in the northeast (with the Big Dipper as its brightest part), Leo the Lion in the east, Hydra the Sea Serpent in the southeast, Canis Minor the Little Dog higher in the south-southeast, and bright Canis Major the Big Dog in the south. http://www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/sky-at-a-glance/

Fraternal Picture of the Week: Max and Mom and Ollie

New Name for Brussels Sprouts of the Week: Biloxi Sprouts

New Name for the Gulf of Mexico of the Week: Gulf of Weasel-dicked Fascist Chuds

This Week: Saturday, February 22 – Bus Driver Appreciation Day & National Margarita Day & World Thinking Day

Sunday, February 23 – Curling Is Cool Day & National Dog Biscuit Day & Tootsie Roll Day & Hockey Day

Night Sky, 2/13: Also called Bode’s Galaxy, Messier 81 (M81) is a beautiful “grand design” spiral galaxy about 12 million light-years from Earth. It’s located in the constellation Ursa Major (The Big Dipper/Plough) and requires a telescope to see – but it’s worth it on this night when it’s high in the sky around midnight local time https://spacetourismguide.com/february-night-sky/

Monday, February 24 – Museum Advocacy Day & National Dance Day & World Bartender Day

Tuesday, February 25 – Digital Learning Day & Rubber Ducky Day

Wednesday, February 26 – Letter To An Elder Day & Pink Shirt Day & World Pistachio Day

Night Sky, 2/26: Uranus, magnitude 5.7 at the Taurus-Aries border, is still high toward the southwest right after dark, 18° west of Jupiter along the ecliptic. You'll need a good finder chart to tell it from the similar-looking surrounding stars.

Thursday, February 27 – International Polar Bear Day & Journey Day & National Kahlua Day

Running that combine isn't nearly as complicated as running in high heels...a skirt...and a blue jacket. ψ Yeah, I know you race your SUVs down by the river. Farmers race the rain in a combine.

..........Hey farmer, farmer, put away that DDT now.........Joni Mitchell …..Big Yellow Taxi

2. The monument weighs 82,422 tons (You should count your answer correct if it was within 80,000 tons)

Preantepenultimate Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: I suppose I better clean out the fridge, something just closed the door from the inside. https://www.facebook.com/MHAPM

Moonbeam: Good can imagine Evil; but Evil cannot imagine Good. --W H Auden

New Name for the Gulf of Mexico of the Week: Gulf of Cheaper Eggs

New Name for the Chicken Kiev of the Week: Chicken Kansas

Fun Fact of the Week: The Indigenous People of North America have decided to go back to calling the Gulf of Mexico, “Chalchiuhticueyecatl”. It is what the Nahuatl People originally called it as it is the domain of the goddess, Chalchiuhtlicue, who is associated with bodies of water, including the Gulf of Mexico

Video of the Week: Nixon shakes hands with Mao (:32) https://www.tiktok.com/@likechina2021/video/7067790278198938881

There are no nations! There is only humanity. And if we don't come to understand that right soon, there will be no nations, because there will be no humanity. --Isaac Asimov

Seriously, a degree in agriculture allows you to work in many fields. ψ I once tried to make a living as a hay farmer, but found it wasn't for me. Weather problems, labor problems, and when the harvester finally broke, it was the last straw, so I baled.

..........Hard times in the country..........Bently Boys …..Down On Penny's Farm

3. In the neighborhood of 800,000 people visit the monument every year

Antepenultimate Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: The hardest part of bee keeping is thinking up all the names. --Submitted by UUHS

Weird Word of the Week: Salopettes – high waisted ski pants with shoulder straps. https://parade.com/1195613/marynliles/funny-words/

New Name for the Gulf of Mexico of the Week: Oil Rigs Gulf

New Name for the Lima Beans the Week: Liberty Beans

Dragon of the Week:

Wacky Uses for Common Products: Feed the fish in your aquarium. All out of fish food? In a pinch, you can feed your fish a few Cheerios. Made from oats, Cheerios double as nourishing fish food. https://www.wackyuses.com/wacky/cheerios.html

Eddy Murphy gave up comedy and went back to school. He got a degree in agriculture and a job at the funny farm. ψ Franny Farmer drove her machinery nude. She would not tolerate a farmer's tan.

...........I'm the son of a third generation farmer.........Craig Morgan …..International Harvester

4. The monument cost $1.41 million in the 19^th century which would be about $30 million today.

Penultimate Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: Are Medusa's leg hairs tiny snakes? --Submitted by UUHS

Science Fiction Convention of the Week: Con Nooga 2025 (21-23, Chattanooga, TN) It's Your Con http://www.connooga.com/

New Name for the Gulf of Mexico of the Week: Hurricane Alley

New Name for Swiss Cheese of the Week: Holy White American Cheese

Actual Science Conference of the Week: 9^th International Conference on Digital Signal Processing (21-23, Chengdu, China) Machine learning and statistical signal processing https://www.iconf.org/conference/icdsp2025

I swear, that FFA blue jacket makes the heat hotter and the cold colder. ψ Fred Farmer mated his angry ram with his moody cow. He got an animal that's always in a baaaaaaaaaad moooooooooood.

..........The cheese stands alone........Burl Ives …..Farmer In The Dell

5. The earthquake was magnitude 5.1. After the quake engineers found 150 cracks in the structure. Enough stone fell off to create a debris field. The monument was closed for three years during repairs and opened again in 2014.

Late Night Joke of the Week: I mean, fix it yourself, Oklahoma. You had plenty of warning from the song. “Oklahoma, where the wind comes sweeping down the plain” --Seth Meyers

New Name for the Gulf of Mexico of the Week: Gulf For Sale – contact US White House

New Name for Belgium Waffles of the Week: Florida Faffles

Final Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: The last time I had faith in the news was when it was with Huey Lewis. https://www.facebook.com/SarcasticMama

Today's Peace of History: February 21, 1866: Lucy B Hobbs (Taylor) became the first US woman to earn a DDS degree. Taylor and her husband, who was also a dentist, moved to Lawrence, KS, where they had successful practice until James Taylor died in 1886. After her husband's death, Lucy Taylor ceased to be an active dentist, but became more active in politics, campaigning for greater women's rights until her own death on October 3, 1910. Their home was at 809 Vermont. The building is still there and in use. https://www.explorelawrence.com/blog/post/lucy-hobbs-taylor/

Frida had a terrible time in tomato growing 101. She kept eating her homework. ψ Frida Farmer got herself a hot tub to relax after a hard day's work. And out of nowhere, her chickens started laying hard boiled eggs.

..........Turned down, sold out, put out to graze..........Charlie Daniels …..American Farmer

New Name for the Gulf of Mexico of the Week: Gator Gulf

New Name for the Bermuda Triangle of the Week: The American Triangle

Masthead of the Week: Friday ePistle, February 21, 2025, oLd fArmer's ePistle. Online at: http://fridayepistle.blogspot.com/ Exclusive editor: Christine Smith. Lawrence, KS.

Moonbeam: Housework – if you do it right – will kill you. --Erma Bombeck

Cost of War:

• As of 02/20/25 State Department Costs: $258, 403,386,762

• As of 02/13/25 State Department Costs: $257,848,910,397

• As of 02/20/25 Homeland Security: $1,192,386,539,315

• As of 02/13/25 Homeland Security: $1,191,784,242,460

• As of 02/20/25 Interest on War Debt: $1,280,851,297,294

• As of 02/13/25 Interest on War Debt: $1,279,302,559,455

• As of 02/20/25 Military Costs: $3,132,183,498,709

• As of 02/13/25 Military Costs: $3,131,007,556,228

• As of 02/20/25 Veterans Care:$4,134,442,762,994

• As of 02/13/25 Veterans Care: $4,122,702,198,333

• As of 02/20/25 Total Cost of Wars: $9,998,270,462,573

• As of 02/13/25 Total Cost of Wars: $9,982,647,245,792

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

As civilization advances, so does indifference. It is a disease. Immunize yourself with art. And love. --Matt Haig

Famous Last Words: This is a house of peace. --Malcolm X who was murdered 2/21/65

..........I'm staying with the farm til I die.........Woody Guthrie …..Tom Joad

Agriculture education is not just about learning how to grow crops; it's about understanding the complex system that sustains life on our planet. ψ I just got a job as senior director at Old MacDonald's farm. I'm the CIEIO.

Plant Peace

And harvest Joy

prairie mama

christine

Last Laugh:  Duck Duck Go and Blogspot will not print my last laugh.   Sorry.  It was a pen and ink drawing from Finding Nemo  called Picture of Dory in gray

hEarty ePistle

 Famous First Words: Did you hear what I was playing, Lane? (Algernon) --Oscar Wilde The Importance of Being Earnest

Happy Valentine's Day! I have loved you since the first day I saw you. Whenever that was. --Charles Schulz Δ Love is like a backache, it doesn't show up on x-rays, but you know it's there. --George Burns

..........Well, you know you got it, if it makes you feel good.........Janis Joplin …..Piece Of My Heart

Not everyone is your brother or sister in the faith, but everyone is your neighbor, and you must love your neighbor. --Timothy Keller

It is a cold (17°F) Friday morning. A 16 mph wind whips the bare willow limbs and insists that we acknowledge the coldness. The eastern sky painted a sunrise earlier and still holds a little color and what may be a distant strip of blue sky. The western window shows only gray clouds and tree branches in motion. The local murder of crows has stopped by to sing matins for us. Stringent, but not hostile. I sip my creamed and steamed and sweetened coffee and savor both the flavor and the warmth. What a wonderful life I have. Happy Valentine's Day!

Hearts and Roses for your weekend, My Funny Valentines

First Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: Thousands of Danish citizens are launching an effort to buy California as a response to Trump's attempt to take Greenland. They say they will provide Californians with “rule by law, universal health care, fact based politics, and a lifetime supply of Danish pastries”. --Brain Tyler Cohen --Submitted by jm of ks

Without Valentine's Day February would be...well, January. --Jim Gaffigan Δ I didn't fall for you, you tripped me. --Jenny Han

..........I want a man to hold me, not some fool to ask me why..........Bonnie Raitt …..Love Me Like A Man

Trivia Questions: Because it is Valentine's Day it is also International Kissing Day.

1. Is kissing good for you?

2. Or is kissing bad for you?

3. How much time does the average person spend kissing during a lifetime?

4. What is the longest movie kiss ever?

5. What do you know about kissing the Blarney stone

Big Hello: Sastipe! - Romani https://www.omniglot.com/language/phrases/hello.htm

Second Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: Be kind to your nieces and nephews. You'll need them to smuggle edibles into your nursing home some day.

Image of the Week: My February facebook picture

Coffee Joke of the Week: Don't underestimate yourself. You can do hard things. Like making coffee in the morning before you've had any coffee.

Remember, your Valentine's card shows you care enough to send the very best, even though you're too lazy to put it in your own words. --Melanie White Δ One should always be in love. That is the reason one should never marry. --Oscar Wilde

..........How much do I love you..........Irving Berlin …..How Deep Is The Ocean

Moonbeam: I don't deserve this award, but I have arthritis and I don't deserve that either. --Jack Benny

Blasphemy of the Week: If Paul saw the church in America we'd be getting a letter. --The Wittenburg Door Community --Submitted by bh of ks

Suggestion of the Week: We should all start texting each other like old time explorers. “Dearest friend, I have survived another week. The horrors persist.” --Clara Hobbs --Submitted by ar of ks

Next Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: The only secure document in DC seems to be the Epstein client list. --Submitted by sd of ks

Oh here's an idea: let's make pictures of our internal organs and give them to other people we love on Valentine's Day. That's not weird at all. --Jimmy Fallon Δ Love is a fire. But whether it is going to warm your hearth or burn down your house, you can never tell. --Joan Crawford

..........I've got you deep in the heart of me..........Cole Porter …..I've Got You Under My Skin

1. A few of bubble gum's benefits: it can help reduce dermatitis and blemishes. It can also help fight tooth decay because the extra saliva it produces cleans out your mouth. Kissing for a minute can burn up to 26 calories. And when practiced regularly, kissing may even add a few years to your life. One study claimed that men who kiss their wives every morning before leaving for work live five years longer than those who don't.

Almanac: It is Friday, February 14, 2025. The moon was full (Snow) last Wednesday (2/12) and is in Virgo. Today is Ferris Wheel Day, Frederick Douglass Day, International Kissing Day, League of Women Voters Day, Library Lovers Day, National Donor Day, National Have A Heart Day, National Women's Heart Day, Pet Theft Awareness Day, Quirkyalone Day, Race Relations Day, Valentines Day, (World) Congenital Heart Defect Awareness Day, and World Sound Healing Day.

Among those born on this day were Frederick Douglass (1817), Charles Wilson (1869), Jack Benny (1894), Crash Corrigan (1902), Thelma Ritter (1905), Jimmy Hoffa (1913), Mel Allen (1913), Hugh Downs (1921), Skeezix (1921), Florence Henderson (1934), Paul Tsongas (1941), and Drew Bledsoe (1972).

On February fourteenth Oregon was admitted as the 33rd state (1859), Morehouse College was organized (1867), New Jersey legalized labor unions (1883), The Importance of Being Earnest opened (1895), the US Department of Commerce and Labor was established (1903), Arizona became the 48th state (1912), the League of Women Voters formed (1920), Reflections in a Golden Eye was published (1941), the Bank of England was nationalized (1946), the first Knesset opened (1949), Georgia segregated baseball (1957), Wilt Chamberlain broke NBA scoring record at 20,994 (1966), Grease opened off-Broadway, where it ran for the next decade for a total of 3,388 performances. (1972), the microchip was patented (1978), and the Somalia cease fire began (1992).

Night Sky, 2/14: With a telescope this evening, watch Jupiter's moon Ganymede slowly fade from sight around 7:25 p.m. EST as it enters an eclipse by Jupiter's shadow. Ganymede will be the one about a Jupiter diameter to Jupiter's celestial east-northeast. Then watch Ganymede slowly reappear out of Jupiter's shadow around 9:56 p.m. EST, farther to Jupiter's east. Jupiter's shrunken Great Red Spot should cross the planet's central meridian about a half hour later, around 10:27 p.m. EST http://www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/sky-at-a-glance/

Fraternal Picture of the Week: Ipod under cover

This Week: Saturday, February 15 – National Hippo Day & Susan B Anthony Day & World Whale Day

Sunday, February 16 – Kyoto Protocol Day & National Almond Day

Night Sky, 2/16: Right after night is completely dark this week, the W of Cassiopeia shines high in the northwest, standing almost on end. Near the zenith is Capella. The brightest star about midway between Cassiopeia and Capella (and a little off to the side) is Alpha Persei, magnitude 1.8. It lies on the lower-right edge of the Alpha Persei Cluster: a large, elongated, very loose swarm of fainter stars about the size of your thumb tip at arm's length. At least a dozen are 6th magnitude or brighter, bright enough to show very well in binoculars. Look fairly soon after dark before the Moon rises.

Monday, February 17 – President's Day & Random Acts of Kindness Day & World Human Spirit Day

Tuesday, February 18 – Battery Day (Volta's birthday) & National Hate Florida Day & Pluto Day (discovery not demotion)

Wednesday, February 19 – Best Friends Day & National Arabian Horse Day

Night Sky, 2/19: Venus (magnitude –4.8, in Pisces) shines brightly as the "Evening Star" in the west-southwest during twilight, then lower in the west as evening grows late. It sets about two hours after dark. In a telescope this week, Venus is a crescent about 31% sunlit. Venus is enlarging week by week as it swings toward us — it's now about 36 arcseconds from pole to pole — while waning in phase as it draws closer to our line of sight to the Sun. It'll be about 55 arcseconds in diameter near winter's end when it becomes a very thin crescent plunging down into the sunset.

Thursday, February 20 – Discover Girl Day & National Leadership Day & World Day for Social Justice

Never sign a Valentine with your own name. --Charles Dickens Δ If love is the answer, then could you rephrase the question? --Lily Tomlin

..........You make me smile with my heart..........Rodgers and Hart …..My Funny Valentine

2. On the other hand, Kissing can spread germs. One peck can contain up to 80 million new bacteria, and frequent kissing can change your microbiome. But emerging research suggests that sharing microbes could offer some healthy benefits.

Preantepenultimate Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: Yall ever drink an iced coffee so strong that for like four minutes you have hope? --giabuchi lastrassi --Submitted by UUHS

Moonbeam: Hors D'oeuvre: A ham sandwich cut into forty pieces. --Jack Benny

A Wonderful Thing That Happened To Me That I'm Still Processing of the Week: The late Lawrence Progressive Calendar which published its last list on April Fool's Day 2024 has risen from the flame. Introducing Arc of Justice: Progressive newsletter for Kansas. https://arcandreturn.wordpress.com/

Fun Fact of the Week: The League of Women Voters is a nonpartisan American nonprofit political organization. Founded in 1920, its ongoing major activities include registering voters, providing voter information, boosting voter turnout, and advocating for voting rights. https://www.lwv.org/

Video of the Week: Valentine Special - Betty Boop: I Want To Be Loved By You https://youtu.be/vSS5ZVk8W7I

Do not waste time bothering whether you “love” your neighbor; act as if you did. – C S Lewis

Yey! We still like each other. Happy Valentine's Day, beautiful --Anon Δ Gravitation is not responsible for people falling in love. --Albert Einstein

..........It's knowing that your door is always open..........Glen Campbell …..Gentle On My Mind

3. We spend two weeks of our lives kissing. On average, people spend about 336 hours snogging – that's a lot of lip service

Antepenultimate Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: If you care as much about church as you do about football, dump Gatorade on your pastor at the end of the sermon. --Submitted by INRITH

Weird Word of the Week: Smicker – to look amorously after someone. https://parade.com/1195613/marynliles/funny-words/

Dragon of the Week:

Wacky Uses for Common Products: Clean a food grinder quickly. Run one half cup Cheerios in the grinder to push out any tidbits of food and absorb any residual moisture. https://www.wackyuses.com/wacky/cheerios.html

Will you be my Valentine? That was a rhetorical question. We're married. --Unknown Δ It wasn't love at first sight. It took a full five minutes. --Lucille Ball

...........I'm wild again, beguiled again..........Rodgers and Hart …..Bewitched, Bothered And Bewildered

4. The longest movie kiss lasted longer than 3 minutes. Actresses Necar Zadegan and Traci Dinwiddie locked lips for a record-setting three minutes and 23 seconds in the 2010 film Elena Undone. (Actors Gregory Smith and Stephanie Sherrin’s smooch lasted for six minutes in the 2005 low-budget comedy Kids in America, but it took place during the closing credits.)

Penultimate Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: I thought I saw an eye doctor on an Alaskan island, but it turned out to be an optical Aleutian. --Submitted by sd of ??

Science Fiction Convention of the Week: Gallifrey One 2025 (14-16, Los Angeles, CA) 35^th annual North American Doctor Who celebration! https://www.gallifreyone.com/

Actual Science Conference of the Week: Thailand Industrial Fair (12-15, Bangkok, Thailand) From Robotic forklifts to packaging. https://www.clocate.com/thailand-industrial-fair-tif/98443/

Blasphemy of the Week II: The reason that 'guru' is such a popular word is because 'charlatan' is so hard to spell. --William J Bernstein

The thing about Valentine's Day is that people discover who is single and who to feel jealous of. --Faye Morgan Δ Love is like an hourglass, with the heart filling up as the brain empties. --Jules Renard

..........Could I tell you once again somehow...........Scotty & Lulu Belle Wiseman …........Have I Told You Lately That I Love You

5. According to legend, the builder of Ireland’s Blarney Castle, one Cormac Laidir MacCarthy, was involved in a lawsuit and appealed to the Irish goddess Clíodna for help. She told him to kiss the first rock he found on his way to court. As a result, he pleaded his case with great eloquence and won. MacCarthy then laid the lucky stone into the parapet of his castle. If you kiss it you too may acquire eloquence.

Extra Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: Rule #1: If you are going to mess something up, do it so badly everyone will wonder how that's even possible.

New Name for the Gulf Of Mexico of the Week: Golfo Del Gringo Loco --Marcia Morgan Till --Submitted by sb of ar

Final Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: If there is a God, he will have to beg for my forgiveness. --Carved on a wall in Auschwitz

Today's Peace of History: February 14, 1957: The organization that would shortly be called the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) chose its leadership at a meeting in New Orleans. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Ralph David Abernathy led the group which sought to coordinate civil rights protests throughout the South.

You're never alone on Valentine's Day if you're near a lake and have bread. --Mike Primavera Δ What the world really needs is more love and less paperwork. --Pearl Bailey

..........Why do birds sing so gay..........Frankie Lymon & Morris Levy …..Why Do Fools Fall In Love

Masthead of the Week: Friday ePistle, February 14, 2025: hEarty ePistle. Online at: http://fridayepistle.blogspot.com/ Exclusive editor: Christine Smith. Lawrence, KS.

Website of the Week: Corruption Tracker – Documenting corruption in the arms industry https://corruption-tracker.org/blog/behind-the-smoke-the-unlawful-use-of-white-phosphorus?fbclid=IwY2xjawIUam1leHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHZC2co_eTV0--KH5EU6CHnna4-1-eusMgON8fzTvVdNVYupG0ygmlqv_fg_aem_XAjZgE5eBDFH9OoRrdD7QA

Moonbeam: Don't fear your mortality because it is this very mortality that gives meaning and depth and poignancy to all the days that will be granted to you. --Paul Tsongas

Cost of War:

As of 02/13/25 State Department Costs: $257,848,910,397

As of 02/06/25 State Department Costs: $256,184,692,725

As of 02/13/25 Homeland Security: $1,191,784,242,460

As of 02/06/25 Homeland Security: $1,191,205,991,712

As of 02/13/25 Interest on War Debt: $1,279,302,559,455

As of 02/06/25 Interest on War Debt: $1,277,815,294,946

As of 02/13/25 Military Costs: $3,131,007,556,228

As of 02/06/25 Military Costs: $3,129,878,509,574

As of 02/13/25 Veterans Care: $4,122,702,198,333

As of 02/06/25 Veterans Care: $4,111,430,159,698

As of 02/13/25 Total Cost of Wars: $9,982,647,245,792

As of 02/06/25 Total Cost of Wars: $9,967,648,054,794

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

Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; It does not insist on its own way... I Corinthians 13

Famous Last Words: Baa --Dolly the cloned ewe who died 2/14/03

..........You've got my head spinning, no kidding...........John Legend …..All Of Me

I have no Valentine's date. Anyway, it's okay, food is love, food is life. --Unknown Δ Love is a two-way street constantly under construction. --Carroll Bryant

May Peace brighten your heart

And Joy enlighten your mind

prairie mama

christine

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