Ever hear of "Mutley?"
Oh, you haven't?
That's the name of the dog with the ugly face and his owner is Joy Thornhill, City building inspector, volunteer fireman and a man with a good sense of humor.
The night of the Rowe Clothiers fire, Joy was at his home at 825 Twelfth Avenue. The Thornhills enjoy a quiet evening at home, or with their grandchildren. Always, the faithful Mutley is at the side of his master.
Shortly before the fire, Mutley was "acting up" and Joy was going to show him who the master was . . . so he took off his belt to snap it a couple of times for obedience.
The dog was no problem. The problem came later. About the time Joy pulled off his belt, the fire alarm sounded.
"Omigosh," he said. He didn't take time to insert the belt into the loops on his pants. He just put the belt around his waist, grabbed his fire gear and went to his car.
He parked in the Memorial Building lot and as he ran he put on his fire headgear and coat.
He forgot one thing. The belt still wasn't in the loops of his pants.
So?
So, as the City building inspector-fireman ran down the lot, his pants dropped, caused him to trip and he fell flat on the concrete.
There is humor there, but let me finish the story.
He got up, this time hitched up his pants with the belt and continued on to the fire, spent most of the night at the fire scene and was one of the first to return at daylight.
A good sense of humor, did we say?
A pretty strong constitution, might be better.
I got a telephone call one terribly cold night in February 1966.
"Ivan, I thought I better call you. Hinky Dinky is on fire. Bill is there with his camera," Mrs. Bill Brand said.
When I got to the fire the Nebraska City volunteer crews were doing their best slipping around on ice handling hoses. It was to be one long, miserable night.
Bill Brand was a reporter with the paper and the dedicated newsman that he was, he was there with his camera and notebook, but he wasn't dressed for the cold weather. The Brands lived near the store. I sent him home to get some warm clothes on and I stayed to help with the news and picture coverage.
Al Gibbs built the present store and the grand opening was held the following October.
And then last February we had another fire. This time Carlisle Radio and TV, Bremer Agency and Ehmke's Place were hit by flames, smoke and water.
Orville has since moved his business to a building next to his home and the Bremer Agency and Ehmke's Place are back in their remodeled locations.
It was a cold, late night fire. Once in awhile the spectators get sprayed with water, but that night it wasn't very funny. I had begun to feel stiff and loaded down.
I went to my car to warm up and when I sat down it sounded like glass was being broken — I was coated with a layer of ice. The firemen were in much worse shape, but they never left their posts until the blaze was whipped.
Drinking before the party.
Dr. Frank Stone, president of the Nebraska Medical Association, issued a cautionary note for celebrants to remember about drinking before going out to a New Year's party.
Neither coffee nor a cold shower will sober up an intoxicated person. Drinking coffee or taking that cold shower simply makes you into a wide-awake drunk, the doctor said.
"The only way to sobriety is the passage of time."
The doctor noted that it takes about one hour to eliminate most of the alcohol from a bottle of beer or an ounce of whiskey, and "there is no way to speed this process."
He reminded also that the concentration of alcohol in the body is related to the person's weight, the quantity and kind of food in the stomach,amount of liquor consumed and the time span of the drinking.
We can make all kinds of jokes about it, but it's pretty serious when it comes to alcohol and death on the highways.
Big Red sales have dropped.
Since the Nebraska Cornhuskers dropped from the top slot of the national football ratings, the sales of Go Big Red merchandise have fallen.
Thousands of beer mugs with No. 1 on them sold like hotcakes last year, but toppled this year. Although the No. 1 gimmick items are still on the shelves, the buyer demand isn't there like it has been the past two years.
The one major exception is in clothing.
Red . . . red . . . red . . . anything red will move on the retail market and was still in demand at Christmastime.
I came up with three red caps, a Go Big Red necktie made by No. 1 daughter, another red dotted tie and the "reddest" red shirt you've ever seen.
Ole Bill Grogan's goat would choke on this one.
I have yet to see Howard Cosell peddling Fruit of the Loom in Big Red fashion wear, but if the Huskers wallop Notre Dame like they should, someone ought to pull a pair over the face of Bud Wilkinson before the game . . . he'd make the same "observations".