Famous First Words: Whereas it is the duty of all nations... Washington's declaration of the first Thanksgiving 10/3/1789
October is Class Reunion Month! Not only do I think I can lose 20 pounds before the reunion, I also think I still have a shot at being valedictorian. Why did I come here? These ARE the people who knew me when.
The True Peace. The first peace, which is the most important, is that which comes within the souls of people when they realize their relationship, their oneness, with the universe and all its powers, and when they realize that at the center of the universe dwells Wakan-Tanka (the Great Spirit), and that this center is really everywhere, it is within each of us. --Black Elk, Oglala Sioux
..........Strictly from Dixie, face like a pixie...........James Darren …..Gidget
We have a powerful potential in our youth, and we must have the courage to change old ideas and practices so that we may direct their power toward good ends. --Mary McLeod Bethune
It is an almost chilly (64°F) Friday morning. The sun has not yet made it all the way up, but objects outside are beginning to be visible...the white window frame on the shed, the reflection of my computer screen in the back door window. Trees and roofs and fences are still entrenched in darkness. Puck has been out but hid under the bed while I took a shower, and there he is still. Veronica was here for a while but became disgusted when I would not leave the door ajar for her to stare into the waxing light. My decaf is freshly brewed and steamy hot. The morning started by my checking to make sure the closed down government, nevertheless, deposited my social security. It did. Ah, a spot of sky is now visible between the unmoving willow branches; the tree itself is still a black mass. I am waiting for the sound of bird chatter. And finally, it's time to write to you. What a morning!
Hope your weekend clears your soul and refreshes your body, dear ones
First Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: Since we don't know where we're going, we have to stick together in case someone gets there. --Ken Kesey
Christine Update of the Week: On Tuesday night or more likely Wednesday morning I fell down in my bedroom. I had gotten up to go to the bathroom which I have done nightly for the last few years. I did not turn on the bedside lamp. I fell on my left hip/lower back. I also conked the back of my head but it only hurt for a couple of minutes – so it wasn't bad. I called out without knowing whether Dashiell was asleep yet. I did manage to get up and sit on the bed and make my way to the bathroom. My bladder – confused by the sudden movement and its sudden stop – had taken care of the reason why I was up in the first place. Anyway, I slept okay but when I got up my lower left hip and back were sore and stiff. I could sit and lie down comfortably but walking was painful. This is Thursday afternoon. I am much, much better. Time and aleve have gotten me almost back to normal. Hoping to be okay for Jeff's Celebration of Life on Saturday (10/4) at 10 am in the Clinton Park shelter. 01 W 5th St, Lawrence 66044.
I went to my high school reunion over the weekend. Some of my classmates changed so much that they didn't even recognize me. My reunion is in 3 days. Any suggestions about how I can at least appear to have achieved greatest in that time.
"Hold on to what is good, Even if it's a handful of earth. Hold on to what you believe, Even if it's a tree that stands by itself. Hold on to what you must do, Even if it's a long way from here. --Crowfoot, Blackfoot warrior
..........'Til we tear the house down.........Chubby Checker …..The Twist
Trivia Questions: It's World Smile Day !
How many of the six kinds of smiles can you name?
Do we use more or fewer muscles to smile than to frown?
Is smiling really contagious?
How old are babies when they smile intentionally?
Do people all over the world smile in the same way?
Big Hello: Sawubona – Swazi https://www.omniglot.com/language/phrases/hello.htm
Second Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: Live your life in such a way that if the escalator stops, you don't assume it's because people hate you.
Insult of the Week: Some minds are like soup in a poor restaurant – better left unstirred. --P G Wodehouse Mike and Psmith
Image of the Week:
Wow, these people are really old. Are you sure we're at the right reunion? Mrs Ellis, our senior English teacher was at the reunion. I asked her why she was there and she said she was still waiting for my final homework assignment.
Let me be a free man, free to travel, free to stop, free to work, free to trade where I choose my own teachers, free to follow the religion of my fathers, free to think and talk and act for myself, and I will obey every law, or submit to the penalty. --Heinmot Tooyalaket (Chief Joseph)
..........hot rods, cool cars, limousines.........Tommy Lee …..Dr Feelgood
Moonbeam: At any given moment, public opinion is a chaos of superstition, misinformation, and prejudice. --Gore Vidal
Blasphemy of the Week: Jesus's miracle of the loaves and fishes was a slap in the face to all the people who brought their own lunch, --Submitted by MMS
Coffee Joke of the Week: That first cup of coffee in the morning is truly brewtful.
Next Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: Ego and Superego walk into a bar. The bartender says, “I'm gonna need to see some Id.” --Submitted by High Church Coyote
Since I published my novel, I was hoping to do a told-you-so at the reunion to all those kids that bullied me. Damn, every single one has a job in the current white house. You must remember me. I'm Ralph. We dated in high school and reconnected after college. I was your first husband. Remember?
I do not think the measure of a civilization is how tall its buildings of concrete are, but rather how well its people have learned to relate to their environment and fellow man. --Sun Bear, Chippewa
..........Tell me why everything turned around.........Fleetwood Mac with Lindsey Buckingham …..Go Your Own Way
1) a: The Duchenne aka Genuine smile b: Social aka Polite smile c: Forced smile d: The smirk e: The Flirt f: Empathic smile Other lists also include sarcastic, contemptuous, embarrassed, and wistful.
Almanac: It is Friday, October 3, 2025. The moon will be full on Tuesday (10/7 – Harvest aka Hunter's moon) and is in Aquarius. October 3 all on its own has only one holiday listed, Techies Day. However because it is the first Friday it is also Kids Music Day, Lee's National Denim Day, Manufacturing Day aka National Manufacturing Day, National Body Language Day, National Diversity Day, World College Radio Day, World Plaid Day aka Plaidurday, and World Smile Day. The first weekend in October is National Storytelling Weekend.
Among those born on this day were John Gorrie (1803), Mikhail Lermontov (1814), Thomas Wolfe (1900), Charles Pedersen (1904), Gore Vidal (1925), James Darren (1939), Chubby Checker (1941), Lindsey Buckingham (1947), and Tommy Lee (1962).
On October third the first national Thanksgiving Day was proclaimed for Nov. 26th (1789), Lincoln designated last Thursday in November as Thanksgiving Day (1863), Federal Income Tax was signed into law (1%, 1913), the American Pro Football Association played its first game (1920), the first fax was sent (1922), Yugoslavia changed its name to Yugoslavia (Kingdom of Serbia plus the provisional State of Serbs, Croats, & Slovenes, 1918), the NFL became the first sport televised as sport of the week (1948), Ethel Waters became the first black person to star in a TV show (Beulah, 1950), Father Knows Best premiered (1954), Captain Kangaroo and Mickey Mouse Club premiered (1955), the Dick Van Dyke Show and Mr. Ed premiered (1961), the Watergate trial began (1974), and East and West Germany reunited (1990).
Night Sky, 10/3: Uranus rises around 9 pm local daylight time early in the month, and 2 hours earlier by the 31st. It stands about 6° southwest of the Pleiades all month. The easiest way to spot it is with binoculars. https://www.astronomy.com/observing/sky-this-month-october-2024/
Fraternal Picture of the Week: Out of the Woods
This Week: Saturday, October 4 – National Off-Road Day & National Taco Day & World Animal Day
Sunday, October 5 – Get Funky Day & Intergenerational Day & World Teachers Day
Night Sky, 10/5: Moon meets Saturn
Monday, October 6 – American Libraries Day & National Badger Day & World Day of Architecture
Night Sky, 10/6: Full autumn moon. Looking east-southeast one hour after sunset in Aries.
Tuesday, October 7 – National Inner Beauty Day & World Cotton Day
Wednesday, October 8 – National Take Your Parents To Lunch Day & S.A.V.E. (Stop American Violence Everywhere)
Night Sky, 10/8: The moon will reach perigee – its closest point to us in its elliptical orbit around Earth – on October 8, 2025, when it's 223,581 miles (359,819 km) away.
Thursday, October 9 – World Postcard Day & World Sight Day
Why would I go to my high school reunion? There's 120 pounds of me that never attended that school. At my last high school reunion the swag bag included discount coupons for Dr Kevorkian.
When you are in doubt, be still, and wait; when doubt no longer exists for you, then go forward with courage. So long as mists envelop you, be still; be still until the sunlight pours through and dispels the mists – as it surely will. Then act with courage. --Chief White Eagle, Ponca Chief
..........Somethin's happening, Happening to me.........Fleetwood Mac with Lindsey Buckingham …..Everywhere
2) Smiling takes less effort than frowning. It is a documented fact that you will use around 13 muscles to smile. However you will need around 50 muscles to frown.
Preantepenultimate Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: It's Kid Music Week: That clever kid from 4th grade fixed the principal's printer so that whenever it jams it plays the Grateful Dead
Moonbeam: You have reached the pinnacle of success as soon as you become uninterested in money, compliments, or publicity. --Thomas Wolfe
Some Fun, Some Not So Fun Facts of the Week: On October 3, 1967 singer/songwriter Woody Guthrie died in New York City at the age of 55. He had spent the last decade of his life in the hospital, suffering from Huntington's chorea, now called Huntington's disease. This week a first one-time gene therapy was announced that can markedly slow progression of this disease, paving the way for the first ever treatment to alter the course of this rare, inherited brain disorder. ~~Alro Guthrie doesn't seem to have the disease. My foster sister was at risk for Huntington's.
Video of the Week: Ethyl Waters as Buelah (:41) https://youtu.be/Rj1EpgQ95cA?t=8 An entire episode of the Buelah show can be seen at https://youtu.be/42Ldm5jyHhw?t=9
The true worth of a race must be measured by the character of its womanhood. --Mary McLeod Bethune
All dreams spin out of the same web. --Hopi Tribe
No, absolutely not. Nobody wants to see you in your high school cheerleader outfit. When owls attend their high school reunion they go to their owlma mater.
..........She is like a cat in the dark.........Fleetwood Mac with Lindsey Buckingham …..Rhiannon
3) Yes, smiling is contagious. When you see someone smile, your brain's mirror neurons fire, as if you were smiling yourself. These neurons help us understand and imitate the actions and intentions of others.
Antepenultimate Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: Boy, you got more loose screws than a hardware store in an earthquake. --Submitted by ff of ks
Weird Word of the Week: Clinomania – An excessive desire to stay in bed or a reluctance to get out of bed. https://word-lists.com/word-lists/100-rare-words-with-beautiful-meanings/
Dragon of the Week:
Wacky Uses for Common Products: Kill tree fungus or mistletoe. Before cutting down a tree plagued by fungus or mistletoe, pour one or two gallons of Clorox around the base of the tree. Repeat four month later. In many cases, the tree roots drink up the Clorox, killing the fungus or mistletoe, enabling the tree to heal itself. https://www.wackyuses.com/wacky/clorox2.html
If you talk to the animals they will talk with you and you will know each other. If you do not talk to them you will not know them and what you do not know, you will fear. What one fears, one destroys. --Chief Dan George, Tsleil-Waututh Nation
The class of 1944 gets together for their class reunion. Not many people are left, but two of the 10 people to attend were Harry, an 88 year old widower, and Esther, an 87 year old divorcee. Over the course of the evening, they had a great time chatting about old times and their families. They each felt a real connection and by the time the night was out, Harry had proposed and Esther had happily accepted. The next morning, Harry woke up and was frustrated to realize that he couldn't remember Esther's answer to his proposal. Embarrassed, he picks up the phone to call her. "Hello, Esther? I'm so sorry, but my memory isn't what it used to be. Last night, when I asked you to marry me, did you say yes or no?" "I said YES!" Esther exclaimed excitedly. "And I'm so glad that you called, because for the life of me I couldn't remember who asked!"
...........Well who am I to keep you down.........Fleetwood Mac with Lindsey Buckingham …..Dreams
4) No, a baby's first smile is not intentional; it's a reflexive action that typically occurs during sleep or when the baby is gassy, though some research suggests newborns may also smile in response to positive physical stimuli like a cheek stroke or a sweet smell. The first intentional, or social smile, appears later, around 6-8 weeks of age, when the baby begins to smile in response to familiar faces, voices, and other social cues from the caregiver.
Penultimate Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: Defibulators Repulse Me --Submitted by cf of ks
Science Fiction Convention of the Week: Archon 2025 (3/5, Collinville, IL) ...bringing the dance stage to those who love the spotlight... https://www.archonstl.org/
Seasonal Quote of the Week: Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower. --Albert Camus
Spark of Joy of the Week: For my son David Christopher... If my name were Christopher, I'd go by Stop. --Jason --Submitted by UUHS ~~We nicknamed him Topher...because everyone uses Chris. I like Stop better.
Humankind has not woven the web of life. We are but one thread within it. Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves. All things are bound together. All things connect. --Chief Seattle, Duwamish
If the USSR got back together would it be called the Soviet Reunion? The only people at my high school reunion to whom I could said, “You still look exactly the same” were the identical twins, Larry and Gary.
..........custom build bike doing 103.........Tommy Lee …..KickStart My Heart
5) Worldwide smiling is a yes and no situation. While the physical act of smiling is a universal expression of happiness, its frequency, intensity, and interpretation vary significantly depending on cultural norms. In some cultures, smiling is a routine social gesture, while in others it is reserved for sincere displays of emotion or can even be viewed with suspicion. FYI: In Navajo (Diné) culture, the baby's first laugh is a sacred moment that marks their welcome into the human community from the spiritual world. The person who elicits the first laugh hosts a celebration, the Wee Chi'deedloh ceremony, to formally initiate the baby into the community and teach the values of generosity and community, symbolized by the baby gifting guests rock salt and other presents which are symbols of laughter.
Protest Sign of the Week: The Constitution Wasn't Written In Pencil
Quote of the Week: We need to be weapons of mass construction, weapons of mass love. It's not enough just to change the system. We need to change ourselves. --Assata Shakur
Final Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: I hope Elon Musk never gets into a scandal because ElonGate would be really drawn out. --The Language Nerds -–Submitted by sb of ar
Today's Peace of History: October 3, 1904: Mary McLeod Bethune opened her first school for African-American students in Daytona Beach, Florida.
I have seen that in any great undertaking it is not enough for a man to depend simply upon himself. --Teton Sioux Tribe
The invitation to my high school reunion mentioned a potluck. So I brought weed and poker chips. At the 40th college reunion, Sarah met her classmate she hadn't seen since graduation. “Joyce,” she said, “You look just like you did in college. You really haven't changed a bit.” ”I know,” said Joyce, “It was terrible going through college looking like a 62 year old.
..........Start a little movement in your sacroiliac..........Chubby Checker …..;The Hucklebuck
Masthead of the Week: Friday ePistle, October 3, 2025: ePistle aGain. Online at: http://fridayepistle.blogspot.com/ Exclusive editor: Christine Smith. Lawrence, KS.
Moonbeam: There is only one party in the United States: The Property Party...and it has two right wings: Republican and Democrat. --Gore Vidal
Cost of War:
As of 10/02/25 State Department Costs: $275,201,629,518
As of 09/25/25 State Department Costs: $275,642,359,657
As of 10/02/25 Homeland Security: ,$1,211,719,049,337
As of 09/25/25 Homeland Security: $1,211,111,547,457
As of 10/02/25 Interest on War Debt: $1,330,563,388,123
As of 09/25/25 Interest on War Debt: $1,329,001,257,812
As of 10/02/25 Military Costs: $3,169,927,861,773
As of 09/25/25 Military Costs: $3,168,741,886,693
As of 10/02/25 Veterans Care: $4,511,273,625,607
As of 09/25/25 Veterans Care: $4,499,431,947,816
As of 10/02/25 Total Cost of Wars: $10,499,687,508,762
As of 09/25/25 Total Cost of Wars: $10,483,930,680,284
https://www.nationalpriorities.org/cost-of/
Cease to be a drudge, seek to be an artist. --Mary McLeod Bethune
Famous Last Words: Welcome, my sister, death. --St Francis of Assist who died October 3 of several serious health issues (leprosy, stomach ailments...)
..........You may hear angel cheer...........James Darren …..Come Fly With Me
The Holy Land is everywhere. --Black Elk, Oglala Sioux
Thank God for name tags. And if you don't go to the reunion everyone will assume you still have big hair and wear gogo boots.
May Peace weave your days
And Joy thread your nights
prairie mama
christine
Last Laugh:
