Folks,

Dux:

Yes, indeed that is Hymie. I admit that the knock off Princess Elizabeth neckerchief tied about his silver locks tends to be a trifle confusing. Do however note the shifty yet somehow compassionate eyes behind those onyx framed Foster Grunt eyeglasses. And surely that lovely, perfectly trimmed, gray mustache which has been Hymie's trademark since age 12 is a dead giveaway.

Wasn't Olga's mother sent to the Gulags last year for possessing a particularly unflattering photo of Comrade Stalin drinking a fiery Molotov cocktail? Olga once told me her mother was eaten my hogs on the way to the toilet. Perhaps this is why Olga seems to have a particularly powerful appetite for pork in any form?

Has it finally stopped raining in Derbyshire? The Oija board crowd managed to predict a wintry mix just minutes before it started here today. The air is far too dry and not much snow hit the dry leaves, which are mostly on the ground now. All the pink, purple and white on the local RADAR looked pleasingly appropriate for the holidays however.

So it seems those optimistic plans for the new Lizard Lick Winter Park, Self-Service Ski Lift and Olympic Ski jump seem to be a trifle premature. Plans do continue for the big Ice Sculpture Festival and Alpine Yodeling Contest. Confidentially, I'm putting all my money on old Sven Ricola. He can sculpt ice and yodel at the same time. Of course no one knew this, not even Sven, until his sculpting knife slipped one day and plunged right into his left testicle.

I have received that kaleidescope from Hymie. It seems that someone has taken the trouble to remove the photo of Hitler and Goring in ladies underwear and returned in its place the nearly nude photo of Olga. What a cruel, vindictive thing to do. I'll polish that up and have it ready for you in a few ticks.

Are you familiar at all with the writings of the British author Gerald Summers? I have had his book "The Lure of the Falcon", published over here in 1972, on my shelf for years and had not read it. Finally, just yesterday it being a gray and cold day I perused my bookshelves looking for a diversion. Spying Summer's book, I took it down, dusted it off, and turning a few pages, found it to be a surprisingly good yarn.

Mostly it tells of the author's life growing up in the thirties before the war and his later activities as a soldier during the war. He is a birder of some repute and a naturalist as well as a soldier from a long line of officers and gentlemen. His godfather was none other than Winnie's wartime pal Gen. Ismay.

Mr. Summers' descriptions of that interesting time just before and during the war in Britain are quite compelling. I'd guess he was the only British soldier who ever went to war with a devoted Lurcher trotting by his side and a pet Kestrel inside his uniform blouse.

I have not finished reading the book. I have just gotten to the part where his regiment is boarding ship ("The Derbyshire"). I have not gotten to the part where he goes into battle and is captured. Here is the blurb from the publisher:

"....the story of a young man and the injured kestrel falcon that became his friend and companion- accompanying him to WWII and to POW camps, where she saved his life on at least two occasions and helped him escape the Germans and attempt to make his way back through Italy to Allied lines. A warm, witty and loving book. "

I recommend it to you.

The author has published at least one other book that I know of.

"Owned by an Eagle"

I've read that this is the story of 16 years of living in England with a golden eagle. Random is one of the few golden eagles ever trained by a falconer. A golden eagle can be an awkward creature to have around the house. Yet, she also had her uses -- she did rout the burglars; drive off the muggers who set upon the author; and on a free fly in Wales, she landed in the garden of a lady who, after such an unusual meeting, became the author's wife.

Published by E. P. Dutton, 1976. Perhaps I can find that one at the local library?