Famous First Words: Laissez les bons temps rouler!
Merry Mardi Gras!!! Mardi Gras: Proof that joy looks good on everyone. & Remember, King Cake calories don't count. & I went to Mardi Gras once. All I got was a tattoo of “Beignets Rule” on my butt.
Empathy is the starting point for creating a community and taking action. It's the impetus for creating change. --Max Carver
..........Hey, everybody, let's have some fun.........B B King …..Let The Good Times Roll
The revolution has always been in the hands of the young. The young always inherit the revolution. --Huey Newton
It is a warm (54°F), gray Tuesday morning. Birds are singing or chirping or cawing in the tree branches that are dancing in the wind. Little dogs are sitting by the back door enjoying the weather. Even cats are sitting in the doorway making sure birds don't come near the birdfeed. It's Mardi Gras, everything seems to be enjoying it- or them- selves. Even the grass has a touch of spring fever. I am drinking Sinfully Delicious decaf – although I have neither beignet or doughnut. Spotify is playing a Mardi Gras mix, Puck is snoring on his pillow, incense is sweetening the air, curling is on television. What more could anyone ask for?
Let the good times roll, revelers.
First Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: You don't have to attend every argument you're invited to. --Submitted by High Church Coyote
Mardi Gras: A Christian excuse to have a pagan party. & Relax, don't get your beads in a tangle. & Float like a boss, bead like a pro. & Café du Monde? Beignet, done that.
As a global community, we face a choice. Do we want migration to be a source of prosperity and international solidarity, or a byword for inhumanity and social friction? --Antonio Guterres
..........And there's music in the street both night and day.........Paul Simon …..Take Me To The Mardi Gras
Trivia Questions: Happy 68th Birthday to BC
Who created the B.C. Comic strip?
Who took over the strip after the death of the creator?
Which syndicate first accepted and promoted the strip?
B.C. Shared gag writers with what other “historical” comic strip.
What does the current B.C. logo consist of?
Big Hello: Miiyha' - Tongva aka Gabrielino (A reawakened Aztecan language spoken in Los Angeles. https://www.omniglot.com/language/phrases/hello.htm
Second Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: Kentucky Noah's Ark Sue Insurance Company Over Damage Caused By Heavy Rains. --Not The Onion but cbsnews.com
Image of the Week: King Shaq (2025)
Throws of the Week: I am in Alabama. Our church always walks in our Mardi Gras parade. We found out tonight at church that instead of throwing out beads, we will be handing out whistles. I love my church. --Submitted by 98%
Mardi Gras: For people who can't wait for Halloween to look ridiculous. & Don't Worry, Bead Happy! & Float like nobody's watching. & Beads stay in shape with string training.
I am a reflection of the community. --Tupac Shakur
..........Of Creole tunes that filled the air...........Louis Armstrong …..Do You Know What It Means To Miss New Orleans
Moonbeam: If there is no struggle, there is no progress. --Frederick Douglass
Blasphemy of the Week/Church Sign of the Week: A long time ago in a Galilee far far away --Dominion-Chalmers United Church (Ottawa, Canada)
Coffee Joke of the Week: Bourbon Street beats coffee.
Next Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: I named my pet lizard Tiny because she's my newt.
Mardi Gras: You don't need luck, just beads. & The King Cake went to dance class to become more layered. & I swear, there were 3 King Cakes in Jughead masks singing “Sugar, Sugar”. & Be like a Mardi Gras Parade. It has all the right moves.
The need for connection and community is primal, as fundamental as the need for air, water, and food. --Dean Ornish
..........Les autres qui viennent nous rejoindre, Ouais, au gombo ce soir!.........The Balfa Brothers …..La Danse De Mardi Gras
1) Johnny Hart was the original cartoonist and writer of B.C.
Almanac: It is Tuesday, February 17, 2026. The moon is new today at noon and is in Aquarius until 2:09 pm then it's in Pisces. Because it is Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday) these holiday fall today Mardi Gras, Fasching (German Carnival), International Pancake Day, Pancake Day Race, Paczki Day, and Shrove Tuesday, Besides the various Mardi Gras holidays, today is Analog to Digital TV Day, Chinese New Year (The Year of the Fire Horse), My Way Day, National PTA Founders Day, Random Acts of Kindness Day, Who Shall I Be Day, and World Human Spirit Day. It is also the first day of Ramadan which lasts until March 19th.
Among those born on this day were John Pinkerton (1758), Frederick Douglass (1817), Banjo Paterson (1864), Noah Beery (1882), Otto Stern (1888), Andrea Norton (Alice Mary, 1912), Arthur Kennedy (1914), Olive Gibbs (1918), Margaret Truman (1924), Hal Holbrook (1925), Chaim Potok (1929), Yasser Arafat (1929), Alan Bates (1924), Huey P. Newton (1942), Dodie Stevens (1947), Rene Russo (1954), Michael Jordan (1963), and Joseph Gordon-Levitt (1982),
On February seventeenth Miles Standish became first military commander of Plymouth (1621), the first ship passed through the Suez Canal (L'Aigle, a yacht carrying Empress Eugenie, 1867), PTA was organized (1897), Oregon passed the first minimum wage law ($8.25, 1913), Blondie Boopadoop married Dagwood Bumstead (1933), the comic strip BC was first issued (1958), Bette Midler was named Woman of the Year by the Hasty Pudding Theatrical Society (1976), and The Eagles released their Greatest Hits" (1976).
Night Sky, 2/17: Annular Solar Eclipse: Visible in southern Africa, Southern South America, South Pacific, Atlantic, Indian Ocean, and Antarctica. https://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/solar/2026-february-17
Fraternal Picture of the Week: With Grandpa in the Pool
This Week:
Wednesday, February 18 – Battery Day (Volta's birthday) & Pluto Day (discovered this day in 1930 by C Tombaugh.)
Night Sky, 2/18: Moon / Mercury conjunction for a couple of hours after sunset. (Be sure the sun has fully set before using binoculars or a telescope to view Mercury).
Thursday, February 19 – Vet Girls RISE Day & The Great American Spit Out Day ~~The only bit of advice I remember that my grandma Hendrix gave me was: Don't marry a man that chews.
Night Sky, 2/19: Mercury, often lost in the sun’s glare, reaches its greatest eastern elongation on Feb. 19. This is when the speedy planet is at its furthest point from the sun—making it an especially good time to admire it. A barely-there waxing crescent moon will transit alongside Saturn this evening. The moon, just two days old, will look like a thin fingernail above the ringed planet. Admire the duo above the west horizon for around two hours after sunset. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/night-sky-events-february-2026
Friday, February 20 – Love Your Pet Day & No One Eats Alone Day & World Day for Social Justice
Saturday, February 21 – National Red Sock Day & National Grain Free Day & World Whale Day
Night Sky, 2/21: A prominent Jupiter dominates the sky tonight.
Sunday, February 22 – World Thinking Day & Bus Driver Appreciation Day & George Washington's Birthday
Monday, February 23 – Curling Is Cool Day & National Dog Biscuit Day & Single Tasking Day
Night Sky, 2/23 : See the waxing crescent moon and sparkly Pleiades travel near each other in the night sky. Look high in the southwest after sunset to spot the pair, which will drift westward through the first half of the night before setting around 2 am.
Tuesday, February 24 – National Dance Day & World Bartender Day & World Spay Day
Wednesday, February 25 – Inconvenience Yourself Day & Pink Shirt Day
Night Sky,2/25: The gibbous moon shines high in the east in the late afternoon and as the sky darkens, the bright winter constellations appear around it.
Thursday, February 26 – Carpe Diem Day & Discover Girl Day (Encourage women into engineering) & Tell A Fairy Tale Day
Mardi Gras: Bead there, done that. & Gumbo for your soul, fun for your heart. & Life's a float, enjoy the ride. & Sometimes you can catch a runaway bead with a string of luck. & There is a new parade in New Orleans this Mardi Gras. It is staffed totally by ghosts. They call themselves the Boo Krewe.
In every community, there is work to be done. In every nation, there are wounds to heal. In every heart, there is the power to do it. --Marianne Williamson
..........Mama's little baby loves beignets..........Jazzy Ash …..Baby Loves Beignets
2) After Hart's death in 2007, his grandson Mason Mastroianni continued as writer and cartoonist.
Preantepenultimate Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: Of all the canoes out there...Volcanoes are by far the most dangerous. --Submitted by Laughing Librarian
Moonbeam: The thing worse than rebellion is the thing that causes rebellion. --Frederick Douglass
Not So Fun Fact of the Week: There will be no ePistle this Friday (2/20). The next ePistle will arrive on Friday, February 27, 2026.
Video of the Week: Mardi Gras Cam live from the balcony of The Cat's Meow in New Orleans: https://www.earthcam.com/events/mardigras/?cam=catsmeow2#google_vignette
Sometimes if you want to get rid of the gun, you have to pick the gun up. --Huey Newton
The greatness of a community is most accurately measured by the compassionate actions of its members. --Coretta Scott King
Mardi Gras: masked and unbothered. & Life's a parade, throw yourself into it. & Float first, ask questions later. & I feel the need, the need for beads.
..........It's nice to get away.........Fountains of Wayne …..A Fine Day For A Parade
3) B.C. was initially rejected by a number of syndicates until the New York Herald Tribune accepted it, launching the strip on February 17, 1958.
Antepenultimate Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: Humans share 70% of our DNA with zebrafish. So when you're having difficulty getting anything done, it's usually because a zebrafish is using the DNA. --Submitted by Laughing Librarian
Weird Word of the Week: Halcyon: A period of time that is peaceful, happy, and carefree. Halcyon Days: The ancient Greeks believed the halcyon kingfisher could calm the sea’s waves when nesting. Fourteen days of nesting. Fourteen beautiful days of calm seas and weather. Typically between December 14-28.
Dragon of the Week: Mardi Gras Dragon
Wacky Uses for Common Products: Clean a stained glass coffee pot. Fill the coffee pot with Coca-Cola, let it stand overnight, and then rinse clean. The phosphoric acid and ascorbic acid in the Cokes cleans the grime from the pot. https://www.wackyuses.com/wacky/cocacola.html
Mardi Gras: Life's better with a few parades. & JK Rowling is writing a book about Mardi Gras. She's calling it Fantastic Beads and Where to Find Them . & Emma Watson (Hermione) is writing one too called Beauty and the Beads.
A healthy social life is found only when, in the mirror of each soul, the whole community finds its reflection, and when, in the whole community, the virtue of each one is living. --Rudolf Steiner
...........I just want to stand and cheer as they come.........Harry Richman …..I Love A Parade
4) Dick Boland supplied B.C. with gags and later joined Brant Parker on The Wizard of Id.
Penultimate Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: I went to the paint store to get thinner. But it didn't work. --Submitted by Never Trust A Smiling Cat
Science Fiction Convention of the Week: Star Trek: The Cruise 2026 (21-27, Port Canaveral, Puerto Plata, San Juan, CocoCay) The 60th anniversary cruise! 7 day star-studded voyage Long URL
Douglass County Future History of the Week: Kevin Willmott (CSA: America, BlacKkKlansman, IMDB), KU film professor, has proposed that Douglas County, KS change its name to Douglass County. Douglas County was named after slave owner Stephen Douglas but Douglass Country would be named after Frederick Douglass, former slave. Cool, huh?
Spark of Joy of the Week: This is Puck in his younger, party-animal years. But still a spark of joy
Mardi Gras: Carnival vibes, all day, every day! & Shake it like a parade! & In New Orleans during Mardi Gras you can actually walk down the street covered in body glitter and not be mistaken for a stripper. & I like big beads and I cannot lie.
..........You'll glitter and gleam so.........Frank Sinatra …..Baubles, Bangles, And Beads
5) The B.C. “masthead” displays a rectangular stone carved with the letter B.C. And By Mastroianni and Hart. https://www.arcamax.com/thefunnies/bc/s-3992933
Protest Sign of the Week: The President Of The United States And The Dumbest Motherf*cker On Earth Should Be Two Different People
Quote of the Week: “Mum, I think the people in America protesting ICE should call themselves LAVA – Local And Very Angry. And lava melts ice.” --Kaylie Morphew's 13 year old son.
Final Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: When it was raining brains, someone had an umbrella.
Today's Peace of History: Today's Peace of History: February 17, 1958: The first meeting of Britain's Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) was held. CND developed the peace symbol which became its logo.
This world of ours must avoid becoming a community of dreadful fear and hate, and be, instead, a proud confederation of mutual trust and respect. --Dwight D Eisenhower.
Mardi Gras: Bead responsibly. & Koral your Krewe at Mardi Gras. & The New Orleans McDonald's sells a hamburger covered in beads call the French Quarter Pounder. & I was just a prawn in her gamey etouffee!
..........Recalled to my mind before I fall asleep..........Parquet Courts …..Mardi Gras Beads
Masthead of the Week: Friday ePistle, February 17, 2026: ePistle Etouffee 26 . Online at: http://fridayepistle.blogspot.com/ Exclusive editor: Christine Smith. Lawrence, KS.
Moonbeam: It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men. --Frederick Douglass
Cost of War:
As of 02/17/26 State Department Costs: $287,103,762,324
As of 02/12/26 State Department Costs: $286,763,395,436
As of 02/17/26 Homeland Security: $1,222,561,054,297
As of 02/12/26 Homeland Security: $1,223,191,349,005
As of 02/17/26 Interest on War Debt: $1,361,014,276,290
As of 02/12/26 Interest on War Debt: $1,360,063,607,488
As of 02/17/26 Military Costs: $3,193,048,075,684
As of 02/12/26 Military Costs: $3,192,326,175,832
As of 02/17/26 Veterans Care: $4,742,099,738,639
As of 02/12/26 Veterans Care: $4,734,891,398,093
As of 02/17/26 Total Cost of Wars: $10,781,703,984,263
As of 02/12/26 Total Cost of Wars: $10,806,830,527,642
https://www.nationalpriorities.org/cost-of/
You can jail a Revolutionary, but you can't jail the Revolution. --Huey Newton
Famous Last Words: You get the best of my love. The final line of the final song on The Eagles greatest hits album released 2/17/76
..........Look at my king all dressed in red.........The Dixie Cups …..Iko Iko
We have all known the long loneliness, and we have found that the answer is community. --Dorothy Day
Mardi Gras: Jazzed to the max! & New Orleans at Mardi Gras: throwing kindness like beads. & Have a beadlightful day! & If the gumbo doesn't come out right, called it meaty okra.
May Peace light your way
And Joy accompany you
prairie mama
christine
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