Famous First Words: Willy! --Linda Loman Death Of A Salesman by Arthur Miller
Today is National Pasta Day! Pasta La Vista! {} Do they serve Holy Macaroni in Vatican City? {} They never let Ravioli sit at the cool table because she was so square.
.........Then peace will guide the planets.........Fifth Dimension …..Aquarius ~~Today's songs are from the musical, Hair -–Galt MacDermot
If absolute truth belongs to anyone in this world, it certainly does not belong to the man or party that claims to possess it. --Albert Camus
It is a beautiful Friday morning. The sky is clear blue with smears of white clouds that frolic in a temperature of 67°F ...nearly perfect in every way. Puck is still asleep under my bed. Veronica is outside convinced that she is hidden in a small but growing sunflower plant. There is no birdsong when the cat is prowling or not well hidden by a youthful sunflower plant. I hear crows and barking dogs in the distance. A wind (9 mpr, from the southwest) moves the still green leaves of the willow and the still yellowing leaves of the unnamed tree. Grass is green, flowers still bloom in smaller and smaller patches. I sip my decaf and rub my bare feet across the carpet. Veronica returns and wanders towards the living room. I take my morning pills and complete the last task before the joy of writing to you. Ah, autumn in Lawrence, who can resist it?
Keep calm and pasta on, ePistlers
First Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: Mindfulness is the opposite of an out-of-body experience. You might say it's an in-body experience.
I spent my entire life savings on pasta. It was worth every penne. {} This noodle was once a piece of dough...in a pasta life.
..........Rama Rama Hare Hare.........The Fugs …..Hare Krishna
Trivia Questions: Happy Black Poets Day!
Do you know the name of the very first African American poet to release a book of poems in the US (1773)?
Pre-colonial African poetry is tricky because of the oral tradition. Do you know what these poets are called?
How many black US Poet Laureates can you name? There have been 5.
What poet and/or what poem was read at Bill Clinton's first inauguration?
What poet and/or what poem was read at Joe Biden's inauguration?
Big Hello: Grüezi – Swiss German https://www.omniglot.com/language/phrases/hello.htm
Second Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: Biologists Announce: There is absolutely nothing we can learn from clams. https://www.facebook.com/TheOnion
Mild Rant of the Week: My favorite black poet is Langston Hughes. He grew up in Lawrence so he's dear to lots of folks around here. My favorite Hughes poem is also my favorite peace poem. Give Us Our Peace
Advise of the Week: Everyone loves fried chicken. Don't ever make it. Ever. Buy it from a place that makes good fried chicken. --Nora Ephron
You're one in a gnocchilion. {} Can I make my own beefaroni by feeding spaghetti to my cow?
..........You twinkle above us, we twinkle below..........Oliver …..Good Morning, Starshine
Moonbeam: God is our father, but even more is God our mother. --Pope John Paul I
Blasphemy of the Week: Conquer evil by your gentle kindness, and make blood thirsty zealots wonder at your goodness. Allow those who treasure punishment to be put to shame by your compassion, and engage those who hate you with irritating humility. --St Isaac of Syria
Coffee Joke of the Week: I bought a new coffee maker. It tells jokes while you're waiting for your coffee. It's called the BrewHaHa.
Next Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: I was at a sports bar the other day and saw there was a show called “The G Spot”. My first thought was, “Don't they want men to be able to FIND this show???” --Submitted by dr of oh
I prefer my pasta puns fresh and cheesy. {} Does Bowtie pasta ever feel overdressed?
..........LSD...LBJ...FBI...CIA..........Cast of Hair …..LBJ
1) Philllis Wheatley had her work published, titled Poems on Various Subjects in 1773. it was published when she was around 20 years old. Poems
Almanac: It is Friday, October 17, 2025. The moon will be new on Tuesday (10/21) and is in Virgo. The United Nations has declared this International Day for the Eradication of Poverty. It is also Black Poetry Day, Mulligan Day, National Edge Day, National Pasta Day, National Playing Card Collectors Day, National Nomophobia Awareness Day, Mammography Day, Pay Back A Friend Day, Wear Something Gaudy Day, and World Geothermal Energy Day.
Among those born on this day were Jupiter Hammon (1711), William "Candy" Cummings (1848), Spring Byington (1886), Irene Ryan (1903), Nathanael West (1903), Jean Arthur (1905), Pope John Paul I (1912), Arthur Miller (1915), Rita Hayworth (1919), Montgomery Clift (1920), Tom Poston (1921), Evel Knievel (1938), Gary Puckett (1942), Michael McKean (1947), Margot Kidder (1948), Mae Jemison (1957), and Eminem (1972).
On October seventeenth Bessemer patented his steelmaking process (1855), the Luxembourg Constitution became effective (1868), Yugoslavia proclaimed itself a republic (1918), Einstein arrived in the USA (1933), Albert Camus won the Nobel Prize in Literature (1957), and Hair debutted (1967).
Night Sky, 10/17: The E-Geminid meteor shower: chance of seeing meteors whenever the Gemini constellation is above the horizon. Tonight – early tomorrow. https://in-the-sky.org/news.php?id=20251018_10_100
Fraternal Picture of the Week: Real Magic
This Week: Saturday, October 18 – Bridge Day & Newspaper Comic Strip Appreciation Day & Sweetest Day
Sunday, October 19 – Evaluate Your Life Day & World Statistics Day & World Toy Camera Day
Night Sky, 10/19: This week, Jupiter rises around midnight. Look for Jupiter in the east around 2 am. It will reach opposition on January 10, 2026. As we continue towards this date, Jupiter will continue to rise earlier each week.
Monday, October 20 – Diwali & International Chef's Day & Lung Health Day
Night Sky, 10/20: Comet Lemmon has or is about to become visible without binoculars. It gets brighter as the month goes along. Keep in mind, comets are notoriously unpredictable. https://earthsky.org/space/comet-lemmon-best-comet-of-2025-finder-maps/
Tuesday, October 21 – Reptile Awareness Day & National Witch Hazel Day
Night Sky, 10/21: New moon in Libra at 3:42 pm
Wednesday, October 22 – International Stuttering Awareness Day & Make A Dog's Day Day & Smart Is Cool Day
Thursday, October 23 – Disabled Women's Equal Pay Day & National Mole Day & TV Talk Show Host Day
Night Sky, 10/23: Sunrise 7:39 am Sunset 6:31 pm Moonrise 9:52 am Moonset 7:21 pm
Good friends should stick together like unrinsed spaghetti. {} My pasta themed opera was a huge sauce-cess.
..........I got my hair, I got my head, I got my brains.........Nina Simone …..I Got Life
2) Griot (grē-,ō): any of a class of musician-entertainers of western Africa whose performances include tribal histories and genealogies. Janice Curtis Greene as Harriet Tubman Greene is the official Griot of Maryland
Preantepenultimate Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: Myth: ICE agents lack proper training. Fact: Most have been racists their whole life. --The Onion
Moonbeam: Some of the most fun people I know are scientists. --Mae Jemison
Fun Fact of the Week: Wear Something Gaudy Day is celebrated as an homage to Larry Dallas, a character in Three's Company who wore clothes with fantastic patterns and clashing colors.
Video of the Week: Irene Ryan (Grannie on the Beverly Hillbillies) in a 1937 video called the Big Courtship. https://youtu.be/Mh-_vWq0REg (16:51)
Don't walk in front of me...I may not follow. Don't walk behind me...I may not lead. Walk beside me...just be my friend. --Albert Camus
Pasta jokes will have you laughing until you're alfredo. {} My partner and I bonded over liking the same pasta shapes.
..........Chocolate flavored love.........Bea Authur …..Black Boys
3) US Black Poet Laureates: Robert Hayden (1976-78), Gwendolyn Brooks (1985-86), Rita Dove (1993-95), Natasha Trethewey (2012-14), and Tracy K Smith (2017-19).
Antepenultimate Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: The Pterodactyl family named their nestlings Pthomas, Pterrence, and Ptiffany. --Submitted by ScienceHumor
Weird Word of the Week: Mellifluous: A sound that is sweet and smooth. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mellifluous
Dragons of the Week:
Wacky Uses for Common Products: Fight Fusarium blight on a lawn. To combat Fusarium blight (reddish-brown spots that turn yellow as the grass dies), mix one ounce Clorox Bleach, two ounces Jet-Dry (with citrus vinegar), and four gallons of water in a bucket. Fill a pump spray bottle or a hose-end sprayer with the liquid and – wearing goggles, a mask, rubber gloves, long pants, and a long sleeved shirt – spray the spots when the nighttime temperature remains in the mid-60 degrees Fahrenheit. Reapply once a month. Consider adding a one-half-layer of compost to the lawn (or spraying with compost tea) to increase the beneficial microorganisms in the soil. https://www.wackyuses.com/wacky/clorox2.html
Life is full of pastabilitiers. {} You can't make everyone happy...but you can make everyone pasta.
...........Hair like Chinese silk.........Donna Summer …..White Boys
4) At Bill Clinton's first inauguration, Maya Angelou read her poem: On The Pulse Of Morning. She was the second poet to read a poem at an inauguration plus the first Black person and the first woman.
Penultimate Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: I just ordered a Life Alert bracelet, so if I get a life, I'll be notified immediately.
Science Fiction Convention of the Week: ValleyCon 2025 (17-19, Fargo, ND) Unleash your inner beast https://valleycon.com/
FYI of the Week: Hey! Hallowe'en is right around the corner... 🚫 DON'T BUY NESTLE TREATS 🚫 Nestle steals water from First Nations. Union Made Candies: Hershey’s Nuggets & Kisses :Kit Kat : Butterfinger : Baby Ruth : Smarties : Jawbreakers : Sour Patch Kids : Tootsie Rolls : York Peppermint Patties : Jolly Ranchers : Bit-O-Honey : Mary Jane Peanut Butter Chews : Ghirardelli Chocolate Squares : Jelly Belly Candy Corn : Red Vines NOT unionized: Brach's and Mar's
Spark of Joy of the Week: Ode to the Portland Frog by Shane Ford: From the mist of the moss and the grey Oregon rain... Read it all
Ravi Ravioli went to the doctor because he always felt stuffed. {} I understand the wildlife in Antarctica prefers penguin pasta.
..........Let it fly in the breeze and get caught in the trees..........The Cowsills …..Hair
5) At Joe Biden's inauguration, Amanda Gorman read her poem: The Hill We Climb. She was 22 years old at the time.
Protest Sign of the Week: RFK JR – Industrial Strength Dumb
Better Protest Sign of the Week
DEADHEADS FOR DEMOCRACY
“This darkness got to give”
Quote of the Week: The most threatening thing I’ve seen yet was the naked bicyclers in Portland who were protesting ICE down there. I mean, it’s getting really ugly. --Speaker of the House Mike Johnson
Final Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: With great power comes great electricity bills.
Today's Peace of History: October 17, every year: International Day for the Eradication of Poverty was designated by the United Nations in 1992. It began in 1987 when 100,000 people gathered in Paris and declared poverty a violation of human rights.
When lobsters cook pasta they only use a pinch of salt. {} A scientist took her dog to help with an experiment on pasta. He was a labranoodle.
..........Join the holy orgy Kama Sutra.........Original Broadway Cast …..Sodomy
Masthead of the Week: Friday ePistle, October 17, 2025: ePistle marinara. Online at: http://fridayepistle.blogspot.com/ Exclusive editor: Christine Smith. Lawrence, KS.
Moonbeam: Anybody can jump a motorcycle. The trouble begins when you try to land it. --Evel Kneivel
Cost of War:
As of 10/16/25 State Department Costs: $277,328,789,118
As of 10/09/25 State Department Costs: $276,776,111,298
As of 10/16/25 Homeland Security: $1,212,943,378,066
As of 10/09/25 Homeland Security: $1,212,343,099,184
As of 10/16/25 Interest on War Debt: $1,333,711,645,293
As of 10/09/25 Interest on War Debt: $1,332,168,145,348
As of 10/16/25 Military Costs: $3,172,318,159,076
As of 10/09/25 Military Costs: $3,171,146,304,371
As of 10/16/25 Veterans Care: $4,535,137,266,715
As of 10/09/25 Veterans Care: $4,523,437,604,602
As of 10/16/25 Total Cost of Wars: $10,531,440,993,146
As of 10/09/25 Total Cost of Wars: $10,515,873,819,315
https://www.nationalpriorities.org/cost-of/
The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your every existence is an act of rebellion. --Albert Camus
Famous Last Words: We're free! We're free! --Linda Loman Death of a Salesman by Authur Miller
..........Psychedelic urchin.........Donna Summers …..Donna
No pasta-bilities left behind. {} This too shall pasta. {} The pesto's yet to come
May Peace sooth your mind
And Joy calm your spirit
prairie mama
christine
Last Laugh:
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