Famous First Words: When in the course of human events.... The Declaration of Independence
Well, it's about time. Time doesn't necessarily happen in chronological order. --Douglas Adams // Time is an illusion. --Albert Einstein
We are all leaves of one tree. --Nhat Hanh
..........is to save every day 'til eternity passes away.........Jim Croce …..Time In A Bottle
Peace and friendship with all mankind is our wisest policy, and I wish we may be permitted to pursue it. --Thomas Jefferson
It is not quite dawn's early light, but it is early. I have witnessed a murder of crows (5) eating the pistachio nuts that I left on the patio. We have had them for some time and no one was eating them. But the crows love them. A squirrel too loves them and tried to join the crowd of crows but in the end thought better of it and ducked under the shed. The birds talked a good deal about something and I watched for a while. Now they are gone, there are a few nuts left for the squirrel and it is quiet. There are not even other birds singing to grace the air. It was like a mini soap opera with live animals. The squirrel did come back and I have pictures of him enjoying the nuts also. Jeff gave us the bag that we never opened. He would have liked it that the wildlife was having a great time and making a great mess. It certainly made my morning fun.
May you enjoy your independence and be safe in your enjoyment, Firecrackers.
First Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: Lately I've been getting really into pre-apocalyptic fiction. --Adam Douglas Tompson The New Yorker
Time is a created thing. To say “I don't have time” is to say, “I don't want to”. --Lao Tzu // Time is an illusion. Lunchtime, doubly so. --Douglas Adams
At the deepest level, an “open heart” is a spacious presence, in which the sense of separateness between yourself and the “other” dissolves and there is the recognition of oneness, of shared consciousness. --Eckhart Tolle
..........Seasons change and so do I..........Guess Who …..No Time
Trivia Questions: Happy Fourth Of July! Happy Independence Day!
What was the first state to declare July 4th a holiday?
When was Fourth of July first celebrated at the White House?
How many times is the Liberty Bell struck each Independence Day anniversary?
Which president was born on the fourth of July?
When did July 4th become a federal holiday?
Big Hello: Keereho – Sidama (Southern Ethiopia) https://www.omniglot.com/language/phrases/hello.htm
Second Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: It's the only country where the constitution is written in pencil. –-Jack Moniker (Robin Williams) Club Paradise
Image of the Week: Independence Day image
Insult of the Week: His whole life has been one continued insult to good manners and to decency. --John Adams on Benjamin Franklin
Time is what keeps everything from happening at once. --Ray Cummings // Bistromathics itself is simply a revolutionary new way of understanding the behavior of numbers. Just as Einstein observed that space was not an absolute but depended on the observer's movement in space, and that time was not an absolute, but depended on the observer's movement in time, so it is now realized that numbers are not absolute, but depend on the observer's movement in restaurants --Douglas Adams
We are all one. When we allow ourselves to become aware of this statement in its purest form, we open the doors to reveal the oneness of being. --Jim Harrison
..........I close my eyes only for a moment and the moment's gone..........Kansas …..Dust In The Wind
Moonbeam: It is now life and not art that requires the willing suspension of disbelief. --Lionel Trilling
Blasphemy of the Week: My point, once again, is not that those ancient people told literal stories and we are now smart enough to take them symbolically, but that they told them symbolically and we are now dumb enough to take them literally. --John Dominic Crossan
Coffee Joke of the Week: Baristas can remain calm because they know how to keep things grounded.
Next Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: I don't hoard; I pre-collect for future creativity. --QuiltersDigest
Time management is an oxymoron. Time is beyond our control... -John C Maxwell // I love deadlines. I like the whooshing noise they make as they go by. --Douglas Adams
You are, in fact, part of the glorious oneness of the universe. Everything beautiful in the world is within you. --Russell Brand
..........To everything turn turn turn there is a season..........The Byrds …..Turn Turn Turn
1) Massachusetts made July 4th a state holiday in 1781. It was the first state to do so.
Almanac: It is Friday, July 4, 2025. The moon will enter the first quarter on Wednesday (7/2) and is in Virgo. Today is US Independence Day, Boom Box Parade Day, Independence From Meat Day, and Indivisible Day.
Among those born on this day were Christian Gellert (1715), Giuseppe Garibaldi (1807), Stephen Mather (1867), George M. Cohan (1878), Rube Goldberg (1883), Louis B. Mayer (1885), Louis Armstrong (1900), George Murphy (1902), Lionel Trilling (1905), Mitch Miller (1911), Tokyo Rose (1916), Ann Landers (1918), Eva Marie Saint (1924), Gina Lollobrigida (1927), Neil Simon (1927), George Steinbrenner (1930), Ron Kovic (1946), and Geraldo Rivera (1953).
On July fourth US declared independence from Britain (1776), the first US tariff act was passed (1789), slavery was abolished in New York (1827), the Wisconsin Territory was formed (1836), Thoreau moved to Walden Pond (1845), the US annexed Texas (1845), Alice In Wonderland was published (1865), the Social Democratic Workmen's Party of North America was formed (1874), the Tuskegee Institute was established (1881), the Telegraph Hill Observatory opened (SF, 1882), the Statue of Liberty was presented to the US (1884), the Republic of Hawaii was established (1894), Island Records began (1962) recording, the Freedom of Information Act became effective (1966), and Give Peace a Chance was released (1969).
Night Sky, 7/4: If you have a dark enough sky, the Milky Way now forms a magnificent arch high across the whole eastern sky after nightfall is complete. It runs all the way from below Cassiopeia in the north-northeast, up and across Cygnus and the Summer Triangle in the east, and down past the spout of the Sagittarius Teapot in the south. http://www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/sky-at-a-glance/
Fraternal Picture of the Week: Summer in motion
This Week: Saturday, July 5 – Ashura & Bikini Day & National Play Outside Day & International Day of Coopeartives
Sunday, July 6 – International Kissing Day aka World Kiss Day & Fried Chicken Day & Hand Roll Day
Night Sky, 7/6: This evening the waxing gibbous moon shines in the head of Scorpius, with Delta Scorpii above it and Antares to its left. And tonight the moon's dark limb occults Pi Scorpii, magnitude 2.0, for observers nearly all across North and Central America.
Monday, July 7 – Chocolate Day & Dive Bar Day & Global Forgiveness Day & National Day of Rock n' Roll & Tell The Truth Day
Tuesday, July 8 – National Freezer Pop Day & National Video Game Day & SCUD Day (Saver the Comic, Unplug the Drama
Wednesday, July 9 – Bald Is In Day & Deadhead Day & National Dimples Day
Thursday, July 10 – Black Women's Equal Pay Day & Global Energy Independence Day & Kitten Day & Teddy Bear's Picnic Day**
Night Sky, 7/10: Full moon (Buck) at 20:36 in Capricorn
**I feel like the Teddy Bear's Picnic should be held on a Saturday because I grew up listening to Big John and Sparkie on Saturday morning radio and it was their theme song. And that's how old I am.
We have only this moment, sparkling like a star in our hand, and melting like a snowflake. --Francis Bacon // Today I will live in the moment, unless the moment is unpleasant, then I will take a nap.
The final goal of all religions is to realise the essential oneness. --Mahatma Gandhi
..........No one knows, no one can stay...........Beth Gibbons …..Floating On A Moment
2) The first July 4th celebration at the White House was hosted by President Thomas Jefferson in 1801. He opened the White House to the public and greeted diplomats, military officers, and Cherokee chiefs.
Preantepenultimate Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: He had the look of one who had drunk the cup of life and found a dead beetle at the bottom. --P G Wodehouse
Moonbeam: Immature artists imitate. Mature artists steal. --Lionel Trilling
Fun Facts of the Week: The first US Tariff Act was passed in 1789, specifically on July 4th, and was signed into law by President George Washington. This act, known as the Tariff of 1789, was the first major piece of legislation enacted by the newly formed federal government under the Constitution. It aimed to generate revenue for the government, protect nascent American industries, and address the nation's war debt. The act imposed a 5% tax on most imported goods, with higher rates on specific items.
Video of the Week: Yankee Doodle Dandy, Geroge M Cohen himself singing Over There (:32)
Observe good faith and justice toward all nations. Cultivate peace and harmony with all. --George Washington
Love is the recognition of oneness in the world of duality. --Eckhart Tolle
Time is a great healer, but a poor beautician. --Lucille S Harper // Reality is often inaccurate. --Douglas Adams
..........Time keeps on slippin' slippin' slippin into the future.........The Steve Miller Band …..Fly Like An Eagle
3) Every Independence Day the Liberty Bell is rung 13 times in honor of the original 13 states.
Antepenultimate Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: The most dangerous phrase in the galaxy: I have a plan. --Submitted by 42 Collective
Weird Word of the Week: Snollygoster (n) a selfish, unprincipled, and dishonest person. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/snollygoster
Dragon of the Week:
Wacky Uses for Common Products: Freshen old sponges. Soak sponges for five to ten minutes in a mixture of three-quarters cup Clorox bleach per gallon of water, then rinse well. https://www.wackyuses.com/wacky/clorox.html
Peace will come to the hearts of men when they realize their oneness with the universe. It is everywhere. --Black Elk
How did it get so late so soon? --Dr Seuss // Time flies like an arrow; fruit flies like a banana.
...........When the chimes strike five, six, and seven...........Bill Haley & His Comets …..Rock Around The Clock
4) Calvin Coolidge was born on July 4th 1872, 51 years before he became president.
Penultimate Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: The man who devised the Heat Index has died. He was 92 but felt like 107. --Submitted by RHOZ
Science Fiction Convention of the Week: InConJunction 2025 (4-6, Indianapolis, IN) Legends, Myths and Cryptids: Things that go bump in the night. https://inconjunction.org/
Update of the Week: Thank you for all the wonderful support and money that you gave to help us cremate Jeff. It was heartwarming and a thing of joy. --written on Tuesday (7/1) On Thursday (7/3) the Douglas County Coroner's Office called and said that the county would cremate Jeff's body. Kind of...also...a thing of joy except that would be creepy. FYI: I called the coroner's office and told them we have this money but we're short and are there some funds to make up the difference? He asked Jeff's name and a few things about him. Called back the next day with the news. Thank you, Will.
Spark of Joy of the Week: Woody Guthrie himself singing This Land Is Your Land (My national anthem)
You can develop the right attitude toward others if you have kindness, love, and respect for them, and a clear realization of the oneness of all human beings. --Dalai Lama
As if you could kill time without injuring eternity. --Henry David Thoreau // It's at times like this that I wish I had listened to my mother." "Why, what did she say?" "I don't know, I didn't listen." --Douglas Adams
..........And the void would be calling..........Richard O'Brien …..Time Warp
5) July 4th was declared an unpaid federal holiday in 1870. It wasn't until 1941 that federal workers get paid for July 4th.
Protest Sign of the Week: Fight The OliDorky
Quote of the Week: Of all the preposterous assumptions of humanity over humanity, nothing exceeds most of the criticisms made on the habits of the poor by the well-housed, well-warmed, and well-fed. --Herman Melville
Final Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: A dung beetle walks into a bar and asks, “Is this stool taken?”
Today's Peace of History: July 4, 1966: The Freedom of Information Act, P.L. 89-487, became law. It established the right of Americans to know what their government is doing by outlining procedures for getting access to internal documents.
A person experiences life as something separated from the rest – a kind of optical delusion of consciousness. Our task must be to free ourselves from this self-imposed prison, and through compassion to find the reality of Oneness. --Albert Einstein
Time stays long enough for anyone who will use it. --Leonardo d Vinci // People assume that time is a strict progression of cause and effect, but actually, from a nonlinear, non-subjective viewpoint, it's more like a big ball of wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey... stuff." --Dr Who (David Tennant)
..........the second hand unwinds.........Cyndi Lauper …..Time After Time
Masthead of the Week: Friday ePistle, July 4, 2025: pUnctual ePistle . Online at: http://fridayepistle.blogspot.com/ Exclusive editor: Christine Smith. Lawrence, KS.
Moonbeam: We are at heart so profoundly anarchistic that the only form of state we can imagine living in is Utopian; and so cynical that the only Utopia we can believe in is authoritarian. --Lionel Trilling
Cost of War:
As of 07/03/25 State Department Costs: $268,976,897,099
As of 06/26/25 State Department Costs: $268,432,277,569
As of 07/03/25 Homeland Security: $1,203,871,494,178
As of 06/26/25 Homeland Security: $1,203,279,965,155
As of 07/03/25 Interest on War Debt: $1,310,383,960,976
As of 06/26/25 Interest on War Debt: $1,308,862,930,197
As of 07/03/25 Military Costs: $3,154,606,420,727
As of 06/26/25 Military Costs: $3,153,451,675,768
As of 07/03/25 Veterans Care: $4,358,307,253,358
As of 06/26/25 Veterans Care: $4,346,779,707,194
As of 07/03/25 Total Cost of Wars: $10,296,147,556,583
As of 06/26/25 Total Cost of Wars: $10,280,809,820,217
https://www.nationalpriorities.org/cost-of/
Great is the guilt of an unnecessary war. --John Adams
Famous Last Words: Thomas Jefferson still survives. --John Adams who died 7/4/1826 ~~Adams was unaware that Thomas Jefferson had died earlier that same day.
..........And keep your eyes wide, the chance won't come again...........Bob Dylan …..The Times They Are A-changin'
We are all waves of one sea. --Thich Nhat Hanh
The timeless in you is aware of life's timelessness. --Kahlil Gibran // “If I ever meet myself,” said Zaphod, “I'll hit myself so hard I won't know what hit me.”
May Peace warm your heart
And Joy cool your mind
prairie mama
christine
Last Laugh:
