I’ve thought that I’d like to traipse off to Liechtenstein and learn how to yodel when I retire. Sounds kind of impractical, doesn’t it?
Then again yodelling worked for Slim Whitman. His yodel can be heard in Tim Burton’s “Mars Attacks”. It’s what destroys the aliens. So I guess there is a use for yodeling after all. Not that I would ever have that opportunity. I’m a real chicken when it comes to invasions.
I hear Liechtenstein is a very nice place. Run by a prince. At one time it was a part of the Roman province of Raetia. Now it’s a Principality. Seems like it would be a good place to retire. Not out to go to war or anything like that. Because it’s so small it has to go the extra mile and get along with its neighbors. It’s the big ones you have to watch out for these days. Like China, Russia and the United States. The bigger the country the bigger the army.
Unless you’re Canada.
A very civilized country, Canada. Lovely people, the Canucks. Didn’t get mad at all at the movie “South Park” and the song in the movie “Blame Canada”. One of the great exports from Canada, The Mackenzie Brothers. Love their “Twelve days of Christmas”.
They had a really fun movie “Strange Brew”. Leonard Cohen, Joni Mitchell and Gordon Lightfoot all from Canada. So is Jeopardy Guy, Alex Trebeck.
But all that’s another story. Back to Liechtenstein. The Prince’s family goes all the way back to the twelfth century. And that is a lot of way to go back to. Something like nine hundred years. To have lasted that long and ruled a country you must have something going for you.
Think the country is where Leonard Wibberly based his novel “The Mouse That Roared”. As usual, Peter Sellars was very good in the movie, invaded the United States and all.
Liechtenstein it seems used to be called Vaduz and Schellenberg. Till the family bought them from the Holy Roman Emperor. Seems he was in need of some cash as emperors usually are. Once they had some land, the family could be taken seriously. These days the country has a low corporate tax so it is overrun by successful businesses. So it should be easy to get a job if I need some extra retirement cash.
‘Course a yodeling gig might just be the thing for a retired Uncle Bardie.
Uncle Bardie's Stories & Such 