Scores if not hundreds of people were involved in making the fifth annual Gourmet Gala at DelTech a success on Saturday night, but Dan Simpson, the campus director, singles out the efforts of staff members Susan Looney and Jan Clapp in particular.

    “Those two can raise more money with a smile than the Sundance Kids could get with a gun,” he said happily on Monday as the final fund-raising total reached about $310,000.

    The revenue comes from sponsors, tickets, space payments by the participating restaurants, live and silent auctions, contributions and booklet advertising.

    The great thing about the concept is that the restaurants are able to demonstrate their skills to potential new customers, and comments came thick and fast about how good the food was that the nearly 500 attendees were able to sample. And there was music and dancing as well.

    As successful as the affair was, on Monday Dan was saying that as plans develop for next year he is hoping to introduce new features. He wants to be able to surprise people, make the night even more interesting.

    And he is pleased through and through with the support the residents and businesses in the community give to the school, and thankful for the scholarship help the proceeds from the gala make possible.

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    From time to time I have mentioned our ongoing tussle with the squirrels who eagerly wait for us to put out seeds for birds. But Mary and I don’t have any real problem with the squirrels exercising their skills in outwitting us. To prove our good will, what follows is a communication I received from Mrs. B. J. Warren in Dover:

    “The other morning I was sitting at an upstairs window, watching two squirrels eating in the garden. They were under the ‘squirrel proof’ feeder, hunting for sunflower seeds dropped by the birds.

    “One squirrel finished his hunt and turned to leave through the fence in the rose garden. As he passed by a large, two-foot tall frog statue, sitting in the lotus position, he stopped, sat up on his hind legs, and put his little paw on the frog’s knee and looked up at his face for a few seconds.

    “Then he went on his way out of the garden.

    “I really wouldn’t have paid much attention (except it was so cute), but a few minutes later, the other squirrel did exactly the same thing! He stopped, sat up, put his little paw on the frog’s knee and looked up into his face — then left.

    “If I believed in Disney fantasies I could jump to the conclusion they were thanking the frog god for letting them eat in his garden.”
    Now how’s that for a new and different squirrel story?

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    Gov. Ruth Ann Minner remembered her third grade teacher, Thelma Mayhew, in remarks last Wednesday at the ground-breaking ceremony for a $4 million wing of the Milford Public Library.

    “She told me,” said the governor, “that when you stop reading your life is at an end.”

    The Milford native added that  “reading is a passion with me. I still read every night before going to bed.”

    The governor’s comments are especially significant because she had to leave school in the 10th grade and did not get her high school diploma until years later.

    As a child she had also done much of her reading using an oil lamp because her farm home did not have electricity at the time.

    The 11,000 square foot wing will nearly double the size of the present library and will contain office space for the governor to use after she leaves office on Jan. 20, a date she mentioned with some satisfaction. She will have completed two four-year terms and is Delaware’s first woman governor.

    The outdoor ceremony was favored by sunny weather and occurred on the space where the new wing will be built.

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    On trips to Washington we have noticed the city’s busses are powered by natural gas. It says so on the sides of the vehicles.

    Natural gas can be used for cars as well. It’s cheaper and does not add to pollution. A news story this week mentions that in Thailand there is a rush to buy cars using natural gas because of the savings as well as the prospect of a more stable supply and price.

    A suggestion: Why doesn’t Delaware demonstrate the value of natural gas engines by having them installed in all the state’s DART busses?

    Since vehicles can be made to use both gasoline and natural gas as fuels, it’s an option that you would think would be getting more attention.

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    This is the season of the crickets, and the mystery is: How in the world are these creatures able to get into a house when all the doors are securely closed?

    It’s fine when they make their music outside. It’s something else when they are inside and you can’t quite figure where the incessant noise is coming from.

    *****   

    The wife smacks her husband upside the head. He says, “Now what was that for?”

 “That’s for the piece of paper in your pants pocket with the name Vivian on it.”

    She then hits him again and he complains, “Now what was that for?”

    “Your horse called on the phone today!”