Good evening, 919 Gang. Every year it’s something
different. Last year was the time for tumbleweeds. They rolled around, only
stopping when masses of them clogged a barbed wire fence. This year the flavor
is doveweed.
This plant has little black seeds that doves find
especially tasty. We have two acres of doveweed, so that probably explains why
were are seeing so many doves this year. Of course the fact that we put water
out for the critters doesn’t hurt.
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DAVID FARMER writes:
Mr.
Reber adamantly refuses to publish jokes in this forum. I respect him for that.
And while the following may resemble a joke, it
contains valuable historical and biographical material.
In
April, 1940, Germany invaded Norway. They needed someone to head a puppet
government, and Vidkun Quisling was prepared. He was already leading a fascist
Norwegian party that modeled itself on the German Nazi Party. Right here I must
stop and point out that he looked like a
dignified, clean-cut military officer, diplomat and politician:
Still, he had this slight tendency toward fascism. So he
was named prime minister and led his country, along with
a German Reichskommissar. I'll leave it to you to decide who broke ties in that
pairing. Vidkun served as PM from 1942 to 1945, when the Germans fled.
Meanwhile,
Winston Churchill was trying to stave off defeat in Britain. Norway was one of
his problems, because the captured country afforded airfields for attacks on
Northern Europe; it was forced to send provisions and natural resources to
Germany; Nazi battleships refueled in Norwegian ports; and 6,000 SS troops were
stationed there.
Still, he had this slight tendency toward fascism. So he
was named prime minister and led his country,
Far from least among the threats posed by a
captured Norway was the heavy water plant at Telemark. This material could have
been used by Germany to develop a nuclear weapon. Norwegian saboteurs and Allied bombers spent years trying to knock
the plant out of commission. They finally succeeded in 1943.
Churchill was once asked what he thought of
Quisling. He chomped on his ever-present cigar and replied, "I don't know.
I've never quisled."
Despite all his
hard work, Quisling was executed by a firing squad in Oslo on 24 October, 1945.
His name lives on as an equivalent for "traitor" and
"collaborator." Oddly, it's hard to find people with that surname in
Norway today.
{Everything in this item is true except for the paragraph
beginning, "Churchill was once asked..."}
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MICHELE DAVIS
writes:
You can still purchase a lifetime National Park Service
pass for $10 if you are age 62 or over. This pass is also good for BLM locations,
etc. It does not reduce any parking costs, if any. Fortunately, it does not
cost to park at Cabrillo Monument. The cost of this pass is going to be $80
effective August 28. Same lifetime usage, etc. The website indicates you cannot
purchase this over the internet, but then there is another paragraph that does
indicate you can do it via internet as long as you can provide a picture ID to
prove your age. They do charge you an additional $10 to do it online. I
purchased one on Monday; it took about 30 seconds. If you do purchase a pass,
make sure they provide you with a rear-window hanger in case you go to a park
that does not have a person checking as you enter. You simply attach your pass
to this hanger and have it displayed from your mirror. The person I purchased
my pass from was not handing these out; I had to ask him for it.
REBER: Things may have improved, but a
couple of weeks ago the U-T reported long lines at Cabrillo as people sought to
buy this pass. Take a book.
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REBER: Tonight we send Happy Birthday wishes
to Cheryl Clark for Aug. 16.
P.O. Box 2239
Ramona, CA 92065
U.S.A.
