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SOLERA DIAMOND VALLEY | FEBRUARY 2021 9 Brought to you by Clare Mendez, Resident I was passing time while waiting for my dentist appointment and started searching my phone for the solution to my boredom. With a quick search I found several corny jokes online. I'll now entertain you with a few (there are101) from Parade.com: 1. There's a fine line between a numerator and a denominator. (…Only a fraction of people will get this clean joke.) 2. What do dentists call their x-rays? Tooth pics! 3. Did you hear about the first restaurant to open on the moon? It had great food, but no atmosphere. 4. What did one ocean say to the other ocean? Nothing, it just waved. 5. Did you hear about the fire at the circus? It was in tents! 6. Why do ducks have feathers? To cover their butt quacks! 7. What's the difference between a hippo and a zippo? One is really heavy and the other's a little lighter. 8. What does a nosy pepper do? It gets jalapeño business. 9. Why should you never trust stairs? They're always up to something. 10. When does a joke become a 'dad' joke? When it becomes apparent. It's a Joke By Dick Roppé, Resident As you read this you might be asking yourself, "Déjà vu all over again?" Well you are correct! However, I'm making a few revisions to the story I originally penned in January 2017. Be careful, and remember, what almost always follows… "Once Upon A Time." Wife Lynn's family, the Aeschlimans, immigrated to the United States in the 1800s settling in the state of Washington and becoming wheat farmers. They arrived from Bern, Switzerland. In Bern there is a medieval tower called the Zytglogge (clock tower). It was built in the early 13th century and has served the city as a guard tower, prison and clock tower. Today, the tower's most recognizable feature is its large, ornate clock - a featured tourist attraction added to the tower in the 1500s. Once upon a time, the clock became significant because it was the inspiration for a talented young clockmaker by the name of Nils Valen who opened his shop in 1850 and was a close friend of the Aeschlimans. In the window of Nils' shop, viewable from street, stood a beautiful clock, modeled after the old clock in the tower. Next to it was a sign that said "VALEN TIME" - with a large arrow pointing to the clock. The town was so impressed with the quality of Nils' clocks and other timepieces, they decided to honor him each year - agreeing on February 14th. This became known as Valen Time Day. Nils' life moved forward and he fell in love with the most beautiful Swiss miss in the village by the name of Brigitta. Her father, Sivert, owned the only hot chocolate bar in town. Brigitta worked there as a barista until she combined her tips with start-up funding from papa Sivert's Swiss bank and opened her own shop called Schokolade Schick (Fancy Chocolate). Love blossomed and soon, Nils and Brigitta were married in the Zytglogge's small chapel - you guessed it - on February 14th. Nils' business became so successful that his employees began working in shifts. To keep better records it was about this time that Nils invented the first time clock. Employees would use a card as they punched in and out. This became known as the first Valen Time Card. One of Nils' best workers was Fabio Hallmark who noticed that the more creative employees were decorating their time cards with beautiful pictures - many of the nearby Alps. This caused Fabio to remark to Nils, "We might have something going here!" Nils agreed. Soon, Nils, Brigitta and Fabio, with the town's approval, created a day of celebration when they combined Valen Time Day, Valen Time Cards and of course, chocolate hearts from Brigitta's Schokolade Schic, always on February14th. Once Upon A Time - My Valentine The Clock Tower (Zeitglockenturm) Bern, Switzerland

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