# 89 - December 12th, 2007

Greetings one and all… Done your Christmas shopping yet? Sent all your cards out? Winterized your home? Cut your wood?... Aaaarrrggghhh!...Don’t panic, you’re not alone as this crazy time of year, with its ‘special’ demands on our time, kicks in. Take deep breaths, think good thoughts, and every time you want to scream or yell at someone or something, simply smile and walk away – trust me on this; you can thank me later…
Now here’s the Turkey Vulture Quiz…(answers at the end)…
1. What is the name of the State Park and Campgrounds at the 8 ½ mile marker on Hwy 128?
2. If you were enjoying a Bordeaux-style wine in the Valley, what would you be drinking? A) Cabernet B) Merlot C) Pinot Noir
3. What, according the road sign, is the population of Philo
A) 1098 B) 715 C) 415

Quote of the Week…’I never forget a face, but I’ll make an exception in your case”…Not Don Rickles, nor W.C. Fields, but the inimitable Groucho Marx…I hope he wasn’t referring to me…
Whine of the Week…With many thousands of communities in this country, from large cities to the smallest towns, each having their own community Christmas tree, why isn’t there one in Anderson Valley? Together with a special event one evening for the Xmas lights to be turned on and everyone to gather to enjoy a little Christmas cheer together, this would surely be a wonderful community event that would attract people of all ages from the various walks of life in the Valley. We certainly should have no problem getting donations from the small businesses and community-minded individuals; nor finding a tree and the volunteers to set it up. It just requires a little organizing. Is our Chamber of Commerce busy at this time of year? Surely it’s a task for them to consider…Or perhaps the Mayor should step up - where is the Mayor when we need him/her?...Or will The Tree of Xmas 2008 have to be organized by me? I’ll keep you posted about this unsatisfactory state of affairs…
Wine of the Week…Too many to mention this time around!...Yes, folks, it’s the Xmas Party Season in The Valley and I’ve been invited to most of them, which has resulted in an unseemly amount of wine drinking, meaning that I am unable to single out one Wine of the Week – suffice it to say, this Valley produces some wonderful “stuff”…Handley Winery, The A.V. Brewery, Esterlina Vineyards and Winery were all splendid affairs and numerous others are coming up this week, including the Xmas Party for the Independent Career Women (I.C.W.), an event which sees them welcoming males to their gathering for the only time of the year. I am very excited about this particular evening and it certainly offsets my disappointment at not being invited to the Husch Winery Xmas event (but I’m sure that invite must have been lost in the mail)…
Moving on…My #1 Fan, “Confused of Comptche, California”, sent the following observation to me this week …”Dear Turkey Vulture, I have just returned home after watching Oliver Stone's flick ‘World Trade Centre’, and I have to say I was a little disappointed by the storyline. Two planes crashing into the Twin Towers, on the same day? It's a bit far-fetched.”…Mr. Confused clearly needs to get out and about a little more wouldn’t you say?!!...
Talking of getting “out and about”, there’s not many around here that choose to do that more than we Turkey Vultures. Some of us will travel up to 200 miles a day and can rise as high as 20,000 feet, soaring for hours without flapping our wings. Then, at any moment, we may just swoop down at up to 60mph (I always go at just 55mph, of course) if our excellent eyesight has spotted dying or recently dead animals…It’s all part of the job of being “Nature’s Garbage Collectors” and I offer you these interesting snippets of “Jive Turkey” so that you can share them with friends, and no doubt fascinate them too…



On that note, it’s time to go…The roads are tricky so be careful out there and may your god go with you…Oh, and before I forget, if you are having some difficulty deciding what to get me for Christmas, a pair of beak and claw trimmers would be much appreciated, some of those carcasses can be very tough to deal with on a frosty morning…
Let us prey…Hungrily and Humbly yours…Turkey Vulture…
You can contact me with words of support/abuse either through the Letters Page or by e-mail at
Quiz Answers…
1. The park, and a lovely one on a hot summer day, is the ‘Paul M. Dimmick Park’.
2. The answer is C) Pinot Noir.
3. Answer A)...Yes, there are 1098 people living in Philo and its environs – I know this to be true because I’ve counted them from the skies above…