April is National Humor Month

Margie: Edna, since it's National Humor Month, I thought we could ask our readers what kinds of things they find funny then you and I can do the same.

Some people like cartoons and some like funny movies. I love Carol Burnett and reading funny jokes. Lots of things make me laugh. What makes you laugh, sourpuss?

Edna: Margie, you make me laugh, first thing in the morning when you haven't done your hair yet. My lands, the way you looked this morning was the biggest laugh I've had all week! I also like watching children play, some of the things they come up with are so clever and unexpected.

I must say, I like the idea of devoting a whole month to humor. With the way things are going in the world today, people need to laugh more. You know, laughing lowers blood pressure and increases your endorphin levels. We can all use a little de-stressing, I think.

Margie: That's the truth, Edna. I need more de-stressing than anybody because folks don't know what I live with here. You could make a psychiatrist need anti-depressants.

I guess it is funny when you watch the children play and they all run to their mothers while screaming about the witch cackling at them.

Edna: I refuse to let your foul temper and shrewish insults get the best of me, you harpy. I'm going to go find a re-run of The Dick Van Dyke Show on hulu.com to enjoy and you can just go find someone else to make fun of. I swan, my endorphin levels take a hit every time you open your mouth.

Margie: Edna, you sure are a poor example of Humor Month. I should have talked to Cousin T about it instead of you. You've made our readers need endorphins.

I just need some Special tea.

Fun Friday: Manly Suspenders

Margie: It's our lucky day, friends. Edna has gone to the Bath and Body Works store. Lawsy me, she loves that place so she'll be gone for hours. She'll try all their lotions and come home to give me a sick headache too.

Well, to be honest, we didn't have such a place when we were young women so we do like to smell good now.

You know what else we missed out on when we were young ladies ? Hot men. Yes, there was no such thing. Ladies didn't use such terms. I sure am glad I lived to see that change.

For instance, here's the hottest man I've ever seen. Turn me loose! Jensen Ackles, you shiver my old timbers! That's not all but a lady knows when to be quiet and just smile.

What makes him even hotter than hot? Look at this picture and see if you can guess. Lord have mercy on this old lady's heart!

Whooee, friends and neighbors, look at those suspenders! He makes suspenders sexy.

One more then I'd best go act like I've been cleaning house before Edna gets home.

Let's all enjoy a little Pink Lemonade

It has been quite some time since we've handed out our Special Tea Award, and today we'd like to talk about a blogger who certainly deserves it. Not too long ago, Liz at the Pink Lemonade of Life blog bought ad space on our Entrecard widget. She had been trying to schedule her ad to run on a weekday, and she specifically did NOT want it to run on Sunday. We understood completely; we know that EC traffic is lower on the weekends, and if you're going to shell out the kind of EC credits it takes these days to advertise on our blog, we certainly want you to get your credit's worth. Finally, she managed to time her ad purchase so that she landed in our line-up on a Friday, and she was very happy. However, by the time her ad actually came due to run, issues beyond her control (i.e., trouble with the ad switchover in our widget not occurring in a timely manner) had pushed her ad to run on the exact day she didn't want: Sunday! We told her that we'd understand if she canceled her ad, and we certainly wouldn't hold it against her. But not only did she let that ad run on a Sunday, but she has since purchased another ad to run next week.

For her perseverance, good humor, and grace under fire, our friend Liz at the Pink Lemonade of Life blog is hereby awarded Margie and Edna's Special Tea Award. There are no rules associated with this award, and you do not have to pass it on to anyone. All you have to do is enjoy it, knowing that we hold you in the highest of esteem. Congrats!

Our Family Tree

Margie: Edna, the Kansas winters are so harsh and we seldom are able to go out anywhere. Being cooped up inside all winter is no fun at all. I must say, though, that I'm glad you had the idea of us doing our family tree this winter. It's been fun.

I do have one concern, Edna. I've run across some relatives that have made me realize that part of our tree is a nut tree. What will we do about that?

Edna: I don't think there's anything much we can do about that now, Margie, unless you want to build yourself a DeLorean time machine like in that movie. You know, Mama and Daddy were so genteel, I was mighty surprised by some of our ancestors. Remember how we found out about Mean Joe Callahan, the wiliest con man this side of the Mississippi? I swan, the amount of money he swindled out of good, decent folks, it's just scandalous.

You know, I'm not sure we can hold our heads high in town anymore if any of this gets out.

Margie: That's what worries me, Edna, is this getting out. Look what I found. You think Mean Joe was scandalous? How about our ancestor, Naughty Nellie? She was a saloon girl in Oklahoma.

My stars! I'm not sure I know what some of these words mean but it says here that she was a paramour of Jesse James and assorted other cowboys.

Maybe she wasn't so bad after all?

Edna: Oh good grief, trust you to find the floozy in the bunch! I guess that's where you get your...ahem...fondness for cowboys from.

You know, I think part of genealogy is knowing when to quit looking. What do you say we just tell everyone we're descended from royalty and leave it at that?

Margie: I surely am fond of cowboys, Edna. Oops. my mind wandered.

I think you're right and we'd best quit. Let's just say we're descended from Princess Nellie.

Edna: Sounds good to me!

Itty-Biddy in jail

Margie: Edna, Aunt Pearlie called this morning. It seems Itty-Biddy got arrested. She read about the Girls Gone Wild and decided to have a party.

Itty wants to know if you'll come bail her out???

Edna: Hmph. You tell that floozy that I bailed her out once already down in Daytona Beach for those public indecency charges. I told her then it was her last chance, so you can just tell Aunt Pearlie to let Itty-Biddy rot in the hoosegow.

Margie: Edna, we'd best move. What if you make those Biddy boys mad and they come after us?

Edna: Don't you worry, Margie, those boys are still in the state pen for bank robbery, remember? We're safe as chicks in a henhouse right where we are.

My lands, but that branch of the family is trashy, aren't they? I don't like to speak ill of others, especially kin, but they sure do take the cake.

Margie: They sure are trashy, Edna, and it's all Aunt Biddy's fault. You know how Mama always called Aunt Biddy a ring-tailed tooter? It took me years to figure that one out.

Not only do they take the cake, Edna, but they'll take anything that's not nailed down!

Edna: Well now, isn't that the truth? The last time they were up to the house, my good Sunday hat, the stapler, and the remote control from the TV all went missing. And Lord-a-mercy, I don't even want to know why those boys took our eggbeater and the left shoe from your good pair of pumps.

Margie: That's a strange bunch, Edna. I'm just glad we had all the chocolate and Special tea under lock and key.

Maybe we should give all of them a thought-blocking helmet and spare the aliens a real shock.

Edna: Are you kidding? Why spare the aliens and not us? Personally, I can't think of any other bunch of people that I'd rather be abducted and taken far away to another galaxy.

You tell Aunt Pearlie that we don't want to get mixed up with that bunch of no-goodniks again. If Itty-Biddy needs bail money, she's just going to have to raise it herself. I hear you can get good money selling your plasma these days. Of course, her blood is 100 proof, but maybe they'll pay extra for that.

Margie: Edna, I'm headed for the toilet. You've got my tickle box plumb turned upside down.

Edna's Fun Friday: Banjos

Edna: When I was a girl growing up in Kansas, barn dances were a regular occurrence here in Jericho. Oh, how I would admire those banjo players with their nimble fingers and toe-tapping tunes! I longed to learn the banjo, but Mama put her foot down. It just wasn't the thing then for a young lady to learn to play such an instrument; although Mama and Daddy both valued musical talent, they felt that young girls should sing or play the piano if they wanted to pursue musical interests. I was good at neither, unfortunately.

I left those dreams behind as I got older, but I recently discovered some wonderful banjo-playing videos on YouTube. Take a listen, and if this doesn't bring a smile to your face, then I don't think anything will.

Old Timey Radio

Image courtesy the Duke University Libraries Digital Collections

Margie: Edna, these rainy days sure do bring back sweet memories. Do you remember how we'd all gather here in the parlor and listen to the radio? My word, Mama and Daddy did love to laugh.

We'd listen to Benny Goodman and Baby Snooks and, my favorite, Western Theater. Mama would pop corn and we'd have her homemade lemonade. Life sure was simple then. What do you recall, Edna?

Edna: I recall that you would pinch me while the shows were on so that I'd cry and Mama would send me upstairs for making a fuss while the radio was on. I swan, you were hateful even then.

Do you remember how much Daddy loved to listen to Fibber McGee and Molly? Whooee, when he got to laughing, the neighbors said you could hear him a block away!

Margie: You were such a big baby, Edna. You belonged upstairs.

Yes, Daddy did get carried away about Fibber. You know what, Edna? Let's send our friends here so they can hear some of these old shows for themselves. Maybe you can even catch the ones you missed.

Edna: Okay, but just you stay away from me with those devil's claws of yours. If you pinch me this time while I'm listening to the radio, I'll pinch you back, you got it?