It was November 13, 1789 that Founding Father Benjamin Franklin wrote what was probably his last great quote, a saying about the Constitution and life that became true about five months later.  A publisher, entrepreneur, and diplomat, Franklin became known for sayings or “proverbs” that appeared in Poor Richard’s Almanack and his newspaper, the Pennsylvania Gazette.  In particular, Franklin wrote, or used other sources of content, for a 25-year period for his Almanack, as “Richard Saunders.”  To this day, there are discussions about the origins of some of these quotes.  For example, one of the most-popular sayings attributed to Franklin is, “a penny saved is a penny earned.”   This appears to be a combination of two Franklin proverbs.  Other famous Franklin quotes are well-documented.  In “Advice To A Young Tradesman,” Franklin writes that, “Remember that time is money.”   But Franklin also authored quotes in public documents from his involvement with the Declaration of Independence and the Constitutional Convention, and in a huge volume of personal correspondence.  And one of his last great quotes came as Franklin knew his life was near its end.   In November 1789, Franklin wrote French scientist Jean-Baptiste Le Roy, concerned that he hadn’t heard from Le Roy since the start of the French Revolution.  Franklin wrote in French and the letter was later translated for the 1817 printing of his private correspondence.  After asking about Le Roy’s health and events in Paris for the past year, Franklin gives a quick update about the major event in the United States:  the Constitution’s ratification a year before and the start of a new government under it.  “Our new Constitution is now established, everything seems to promise it will be durable; but, in this world, nothing is certain except death and taxes,” Franklin said.   https://constitutioncenter.org/blog/benjamin-franklins-last-great-quote-and-the-constitution   

There is a story, often told, that upon exiting the Constitutional Convention of 1787 a meeting held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from May 25 to September 17, 1787, to address the weaknesses of the government under the Articles of Confederation, Benjamin Franklin was approached by a group of citizens asking what sort of government the delegates had created.  His answer was:  "A republic, if you can keep it."   https://constitutioncenter.org/education/classroom-resource-library/classroom/perspectives-on-the-constitution-a-republic-if-you-can-keep-it.    

Wine is Bottled Poetry

This Robert Louis Stevenson quote is from his 1884 book The Silverado Squatters, Chapter 3, Napa Wine.  Stevenson honeymooned in Napa in 1880 and the book is the story of his time there.   https://wisdominwood.com/products/stevenson-bottled-poetry-carving?srsltid=AfmBOor_RQ-TlOfhyFk4g2tNt4bUu5qS90Bi-B0rL80gc_oUEebbaY3k    

Known previously as "food stamps," the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) can help you pay for food if you have a low income.  Each month, SNAP benefits are added to an Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) card to use when you shop for food.  To be eligible for SNAP benefits, you must meet your state’s requirements, including income limits.  States can also take other resources into account, like the money you have in your bank, to decide if you qualify for SNAP.  To apply for SNAP, contact your state or local SNAP office.   https://www.usa.gov/food-stamps    

George Grossmith (9 December 1847–1 March 1912) was an English comedian, writer, composer, actor, and singer.  As a writer and composer, he created eighteen comic operas, nearly a hundred musical sketches, some six hundred songs and piano pieces, three books (including the 1892 comic novel The Diary of a Nobody), and both serious and comic pieces for newspapers and magazines.  In a four-decade career as a performer, Grossmith created a series of nine characters in Gilbert and Sullivan comic operas from 1877 to 1889, such as Major-General Stanley in The Pirates of Penzance. Grossmith then became the most popular British solo performer of the 1890s; some of his comic songs endure today.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page    

December 10, 2025