Famous First Words: Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy? --Freddie Mercury Bohemian Rhapsody
Celebrate Bring Your Manners At Work Day! I don't know whether it's still good manners to open a door for a lady, but I have discovered it does not apply to airplane doors. ++ MAGA Manners: Good manners, like public transportation, were designed to be used by others, not us.
Love...is quiet understanding, mutual confidence, sharing and forgiving. It is loyalty through good and bad times. It settles for less than perfection and makes allowances for human weaknesses. --Ann Landers
..........Here we go 'round again..........Kingston Trio …..Molly Dee
...the nature of peace-whether peace will simply mean that the guns are silenced, that the bombs no longer fall, that the tanks cease to roll, or whether it will mean that the nations of the Middle East can deal with each other as neighbors and as equals and as friends, with a full range of diplomatic and cultural and economic and human relations between them. --Jimmy Carter Report on the Camp David Conference, 1978
It is a chilly Friday morning. The sky is a slate gray without texture, without darker gray areas, and without a light spot where the sun must be. The 60°F is comfortable when the wind takes a breath and only slightly cold when it exhales again. Tree limbs move slowly giving the wall of foliage a psychedelic feel. The birds and squirrels and even mama rabbit have been to the patio for breakfast. The bluejays yell what I assume are warnings. And the squirrels sometimes fuss squeakily at the birds or the other squirrels and always at the cat. This morning is relatively quiet. The crows don't come at all anymore. I am drinking decaf – properly doctored – and Puck is asleep under my desk. I can hear his gentle snoring as I type. Veronica has spent some time in the doorway playing “protect the bird seed”. Tomorrow, Kirsten, my daughter, will be in town; always a wonderful time. So, it is a gentle, pleasant morning and now I get to make it better by writing to you.
Hope your weekend matters no matter its manners, ePistliers
First Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: Infinity is just the universe's way of saying “Scroll down”. --Submitted by Club42
For lunch we went to an Indian restaurant for some curry. After the waitress took our order, a little old lady came to our table and said, “What a nice looking group of people, so well dressed and with such good manners. We found out later that it was the complimentary nan. ++ You can tell if an American has been well brought up; they use silencers at school shootings.
Everything that I understand, I understand only because I love. --Leo Tolstoy
..........He whistled and he sang till the greenwoods rang..........Kingston Trio …..The Whistling Gypsy
Trivia Questions:
How many people in the US were food insecure in 2023?
How many food banks are there in the US?
How much food passes through the banks per year?
About how many people work for and/or support the banks?
Do you know where the closest food bank is to you?
Big Hello: ¡hola! - Spanish https://www.omniglot.com/language/phrases/hello.htm
Second Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: I already told you I am not turning your water into pumpkin spice latte.
Image of the Week: Our house with its new paint job.
Insult of the Week: He's not human; he's an empty space disguised as a human. --John Fowles The Collector
If it is bad manners to talk with your mouth full, is it bad manners for a deaf person to talk with food in their hands? ++ Throwing the bouquet to see who's next: good manners at a wedding, bad manners at a funeral.
Life is the first gift, love is the second, and understanding the third. --Marge Piercy
..........His candle just at twelve o'clock began to burn quite palely..........Kingston Trio …..The Unfortunate Miss Bailey
Moonbeam: You shouldn't get too close to the truth, because then maybe you stop being funny. --Bob Newhart
Blasphemy of the Week: God: I do not send hurricanes to punish you. That's what Christian rock is for. --Submitted by Wittenburg Door
Coffee Joke of the Week: So, is the Starbucks Computer System programmed in JavaScript?
Next Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: The future is just the past dressed in shinier packaging. --Submitted by Club42
When Obi Wan was teaching at the Tatooine Finishing School he was known for saying “Use the forks”. ++ Quote from the not so great pumpkin: I raised the best kids. So polite. Already today Don Jr has said, “Pardon me, dad” at least 20 time. He has such great manners.
If you understand each other you will be kind to each other. --John Steinbeck
..........Tell me what were their names..........Kingston Trio …..Reuben James
1) In 2023, an estimated 47.4 million Americans lived in food-insecure households. This was 13.5% of households. And included 13.8 million children
Almanac: It is Friday, September 5, 2025. The moon will be full (Harvest or Corn) on Sunday (9/9) and is in Sagittarius. Today is Acme Positivity Day, Be Late for Something Day, International Day Of Charity, Jury Rights Day, and National Cheese Pizza Day. Because it is the first Friday in September it is also Bring Your Manners to Work Day, National Dog Walker Appreciation Day, National Food Bank Day, National Lazy Mom's Day, and Stand Up To Cancer Day.
Among those born on this day were Louis VIII (1187), Louis XIV (1638), Giacomo Meyerbeer (1791), Jesse James (1847), Darryl F. Zanuck (1902), John Cage (1912), Jack Valenti (1921), Bob Newhart (1929), Carol Lawrence (1934), John Stewart (1939, Kingston Trio member and songwriter, Daydream Believer), Raquel Welch (1940), Al Stewart (1945), Freddie Mercury (1946), Dweezil Zappa (1969), and Tina Yothers (1973).
On September fifth the first Continental Congress assembled (1774), The United States signed a peace treaty with Algiers (1795), Houston was elected president of the Republic of Texas (1836), the first Labor Day parade was held in NYC (10,000 marched, (1882), France seized Chad (1900), the Camp David Peace Conference opened (1978),
Night Sky, 9/5: The waxing gibbous Moon shines in the south-southeast this evening, on a line between Altair and Fomalhaut. Altair is the bright star three or four fists above the Moon and maybe somewhat to the right. Fomalhaut, the Autumn Star, rises a little after dark depending on your latitude. Imagine a line from Altair down through the Moon and continuing on. The line will hit either Fomalhaut or the place on your horizon to watch for Fomalhaut to rise. http://www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/sky-at-a-glance/
Fraternal
Picture of the Week: Playing … ?Hulk
Hogan vs Gorgeous George ?Anteaus & Hercules
Extra Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: Having cats in the house is like living with art that sometimes throws up on the carpet.
This Week: Saturday, September 6 – National Play Outside Day & National Tailgating Day & World Beard Day
Sunday, September 7 – Grandma Moses Day & Grateful Patient Day & Pet Rock Day
Night Sky, 9/7: Full Moon (1:09 pm CDT) in Pisces. Saturn follows about 8° or 10° behind it across the sky tonight. There is a total lunar eclipse which is not visible in either of the American continents.
Monday, September 8 – Iguana Awareness Day & Star Trek Day & World Physical Therapy Day
Tuesday, September 9 – Ants On A Log Day & National Teddy Bear Day & Wonderful Weirdos Day
Night Sky, 9/9: Epsilon Perseids (ε-Perseids) won’t put on much of a show this year coming just two days after the Full Moon, so the moonlight will wash out all but the brightest meteors
Wednesday, September 10 – Swap Ideas Day & World Suicide Prevention Day
Night Sky, 8/10: Uranus (magnitude 5.7, in Taurus near the Pleiades) rises around 10 or 11 pm and gets high in the east in the early morning hours. In a telescope it's a tiny but definitely non-stellar dot 3.6 arcseconds wide.
Thursday, September 11 – Libraries Remember Day & Remember Freedom Day
Little Known Fact: The dinosaur with the best manners was the Pleaseiosaur. ++ What can you do with crude oil? Teach it manners.
In the end, we will conserve only what we love, we will love only what we understand, and we will understand only what we are taught. --Baba Dioum
..........A fight for the winnin' I'll be there..........Kingston Trio …..One More Town
2) There are more than 200 food banks in the US that are part of the Feeding America Network. Additionally there are thousands of independent food banks and other charitable organizations (food pantries, meal programs, etc.).
Preantepenultimate Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: The problem is, everyone is looking for unconditional love carrying a bag full of conditions. --Prince Ea
Moonbeam: I can't understand why people are frightened of new ideas. I'm frightened of the old ones. --John Cage
Fun Fact of the Week: National Be Late For Something Day! The Procrastinators' Club of America was founded in 1956 by Les Waas. Shortly after the club's beginning, the committee designated September 5th as Be Late for Something
Video of the Week: For Jury Rights Day – a courtroom scene from Night Court featuring Brent Spiner as the defendant. https://youtu.be/gfSyhQqeLBg ~~The Wheelers were going to become regular cast members by buying the newsstand. However, Brent got the role of Data
...secure and recognized boundaries, the end of military occupation, and the granting of self-government or else the return to other nations of territories which have been occupied by Israel since the 1967 conflict. --Jimmy Carter
True love is born from understanding. --Gautama Buddha
Is it considered bad manners to eat fried chicken with your fingers? Yes, eat your fingers separately. ++ Good manners sometimes means simply putting up with other people's bad manners. --H Jackson Brown Jr
..........The anchor is weighed..........Kingston Trio …..Away Rio
3) It is estimated that 6.24 billion pounds of food is distributed annually through food banks and meal prep charities.
Antepenultimate Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: When gardeners quit, do they throw in the trowel?
Weird Word of the Week: Nihilarian: A person who deals with things lacking in substance or meaning, often in a philosophical sense. https://word-lists.com/word-lists/100-rare-words-with-beautiful-meanings/
Dragon of the Week:
Wacky Uses for Common Products: Clean the inside of a washing machine. If your whites are coming out gray, clean the washing machines by filling it with hot water and adding one quart clorox bleach. Run the machine through the longest cycle, and immediately upon completion of that cycle, repeat with one quart Heinz White Vinegar (instead of the bleach). https://www.wackyuses.com/wacky/clorox.html
Even the simplest act of understanding, love, and attention can produce the biggest results. --Alicia Keys
Clara was such a polite clown, always making a nice jester. ++ Don't believe that song. The red nosed reindeer was so obnoxious they renamed him RUDEolph.
...........Doin' what I think I should..........Kingston Trio …..Greenback Dollar
4) About 136,000 people in the US are paid to operate food pantries and soup kitchens. However over 2 million volunteers serve each month. (2014)
Penultimate Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: The Golden Deceiver goes half a weekend without committing an impeachable offense, and we all just assume he's dead. --Submitted by USDS
Science Fiction Convention of the Week: Scare-A-Con 2025 (5-7, Syracuse, NY) The ultimate horror and pop culture gathering https://scareacon.com/
Skewed Quote of the Week: This isn't just plain corruption; this is fancy corruption. This is corruption with raisins in it. --with thanks to Dorothy Parker
Spark of Joy of the Week: Image of a young man at the arrival gate in an airport. He stands alone and holds a sign with a single word. - Godot
Understanding is the essence of love. --Thich Nhat Hanh
Simply being a parent does not give you an excuse for bad manners. --Rosalind Wiseman ++ MAGA Manners: 1) Never take beer to a job interview. 2) Identify the person in your yard before shooting at them. 3) It is considered poor taste to take a cooler to church.
..........Born to the task to keep us free..........Kingston Trio …..The New Frontier
5) Search “food pantries City, State” OR check with your local library. They usually maintain lists of resources. Also churches can be helpful too.
Protest Sign of the Week: Resist Much – Obey Little --Walt Whitman
Better Protest Sign of the Week: Republicans For Voldemort
Quote of the Week: As Christians, we must be guided not by political vagaries, but by the sure and certain knowledge that the kingdom of God is revealed to us in the struggles of those on the margins. --Rev. Sean Rowe
Final Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: Every atom in your body used to be somewhere far more interesting. --Submitted by Club42
Today's Peace of History: September 5, 1882: Well over 10,000 workers demanding the 8-hour day marched to protest working conditions in the first-ever US Labor Day parade, held in New York City. About a quarter million New Yorkers turned out to watch.
People who talk about revolution and class struggle without referring explicitly to everyday life, without understanding what is subversive about love and what is positive in the refusal of constraints, such people have a corpse in their mouth. --Raoul Vaneigem
Manners is the noise you don't make while eating soup. ++ MAGA Manners: Yes, it is still considered tacky to drive a uhaul to a funeral.
..........I gotta walk that lonesome valley..........Kingston Trio …..Reverend Mr Black
Masthead of the Week: Friday ePistle, September 5, 2025: aN ePistle oF mAnners. Online at: http://fridayepistle.blogspot.com/ Exclusive editor: Christine Smith. Lawrence, KS.
Moonbeam: You can't fake listening. It shows. --Rachel Welch
Cost of War:
As of 09/04/25 State Department Costs: $273,972,300,412
As of 08/28/25 State Department Costs: $273,406,653,236
As of 09/04/25 Homeland Security: $1,209,297,529,439
As of 08/28/25 Homeland Security: $1,208,683,123,912
As of 09/04/25 Interest on War Debt: $1,324,336,879,246
As of 08/28/25 Interest on War Debt: $1,322,756,685,821
As of 09/04/25 Military Costs: $3,165,200,131,803
As of 08/28/25 Military Costs: $3,164,000,527,146
As of 09/04/25 Veterans Care: $4,464,071,884,545
As of 08/28/25 Veterans Care: $4,452,095,003,912
As of 09/04/25 Total Cost of Wars: $10,436,880,715,286
As of 08/28/25 Total Cost of Wars: $10,420,944,508,947
https://www.nationalpriorities.org/cost-of/
...there is the painful human question of the fate of the Palestinians who live or who have lived in these disputed regions. --Jimmy Carter
Famous Last Words: Nothing really matters to me. --Freddie Mercury Bohemian Rhapsody
..........And we're comin' one by one..........Kingston Trio …..Road To Freedom
When people need love and understanding and support the most is when they deserve it the least. --Lou Holtz
Politeness is half good manners and half good lying. ++ The hardest job kids face today is learning good manners without seeing any. --Fred Astaire ++ You can't be truly rude until you understand good manners. --Rita Mae Brown
May Peace inhabit your mind
And Joy animate your soul
prairie mama
christine
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