Didya hear the one . . .
about three little boys talking about how tough they were.
"I'm so tough I wear out a pair of shoes each week," one of the little shavers said.
"Phooey," said the second, "I'm so tough I wear out a pair of blue jeans every day."
"You guys aren't so tough," said the kid in the ragged britches and holey tennies, "I wear out my grandma and grandpa in an hour."
Larry Wiles, deputy state fire marshal, has a tray of colored slides that are unpleasantly worth viewing. They are about a fire in a nursing home in Iowa.
Larry screened the slides the other night for rescue squadsmen to point out what could and in the case of the Iowa home, did happen. It's a brutal picture-story. It is presented in such a happening. In this particular fire, three employes fought the fire with two extinguishers. Their error was failing to turn the alarm in to the station immediately.
As a result of the presentation, Rescue Chief Harold Rowe directed that squadsmen answer all fire calls. Previously squadsmen have been summoned along with firemen when there is a major disaster. In many cases, squadsmen have gone along on their own, just in case they were needed.
Not now. They will be dispatched with fire calls handled in the same 911 emergency communications network.
Stolen
A young woman was showing off her new swimsuit to her mother.
"If I had something like that when I was a a girl," said the mother, "you'd be six years older."
Sorry about that.
Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Kreifels mailed a package of food items to their son, Doug, in Mexico three months ago. The postage was over $10 but, what the heck, it was something for their son.
The other day the couple got the box back . . . and had to pay over $6. Their son moved on to South America and the package apparently didn't get to him before he left Mexico.
We know a mother who's a bit upset with worldwide postal service.
Congratulations.
Beverly Brown, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Wayne Brown, was a fine representative for Nebraska City at the Hastings college homecoming queen contest. She was first runner-up. Congratulations to Bev from her many friends.
She is a graduate of Nebraska City Senior High and is now an education major at Hastings college.
The space age.
"I'm going to be an astronaut when I grow up," the little shaver said.
"Oh," said his big brother, "Do you really want to fly in space?"
"Nope," was the reply, "I just want to go eight days without a bath."
Veterans Remembrance.
The national Elks magazine printed an article in the current magazine pointing out the necessity of the dedication of Elks to veterans.
"We used to celebrate what was called Armistice Day on November 11. We observed a minute of silence, blew factory whistles, rang church bells, sounded auto horns at 11 o'clock on the eleventh day of the eleventh month to commemorate the signing of the armistice which ended what was called the war to end wars." Americans are still in Europe by the thousands, 30 years after the fighting stopped, the Elks article said.
Then came the Korean war. There are thousands still in South Korea. Most recently, the nation was torn by war in Vietnam. "We finally pulled out of that seemingly hopeless attempt to prevent a communist takeover of southeast Asia, but not until many thousands of our military men died or suffered wounds from which many will never recover; they are still in our VA and military hospitals."
The Elks pledge: "So long as there is a disabled veteran in our hospitals, the Elks will never forget him." "And we mean it today."
Veterans Day will be observed Tuesday, November 11 in Nebraska City.
Hello, there, Mrs. Arthur [May] Whyte.
One of the best things about being a newspaperman is meeting the nicest people.
We got a note the other day from Mrs. Arthur (everyone calls her "May") Whyte. She spends much of the cold winter months elsewhere, but while she's in Hamburg and Nebraska City, she makes her presence known by her activity.
We read the Grape Community hospital newsletter the other day about the volunteers. Yes, you guessed it. May Whyte was going from bed to bed offering help.
The envelope? Oh, yes. It contains subscription receipts from the Nebraska City Daily News and the Nebraska City Weekly News from her father, John Volkhardt, dating from 1886. The newspaper was established November 14, 1854.
May remains as one of our regular readers. That makes us feel good. Besides, guys, when a lady 91 years young sends you a personal note, that's worth looking into — pronto.
From George Fenske's files.
A young woman asked her girl friend, "If a fellow took you to a movie one night, and to dinner the next night and to a concert the next night and then to a night club the night after that — and never even tried to kiss you goodnight, what would you do?"
With hardly a pause, the friend answered, "I'd lie about it."
Turkey Day.
On November 27 Americans will sit down to a table of plenty. On this particular occasion the menu will be turkey and the National Geographic Society estimates over 37 million will be under the carving knife.
The second biggest eatingest holiday, Christmas, only 18 million turkeys will be on the dinner tables. Americans are big beef eaters, but of all the animals raised and sold for meat, turkey has the highest protein and lowest calorie content.
Nobody seems to know why there are Tom Turkeys and no Dick or Harry Turkeys.
The turkey has been a victim of mistaken identity since Spanish explorers brought the first ones back from the New World. This new arrival was quickly mistaken for the two look-alike birds, the peacock and guinea fowl.
There's one thing that all experts agree on: Turkeys produce more meat — 65 per cent white and 35 per cent dark — than any other market animals.