# 112 - May 28th, 2008

Greetings one and all and I hope you enjoyed your Memorial Day weekend and that the Lions Club Tri-Tip Dinner to benefit the A.V. Elder Home was a success. I was unable to attend and you know that for me to miss such an event was very upsetting – helping the elderly by eating tri-tip is surely a beautiful thing!…Anyway, Memorial Day is the sign that summer is here and it would seem that we never did get that final rainfall that we needed, despite the threat of showers over the past few days. Now we can pretty much expect four months or so of dry, hot weather. That may be great for bar-b-q grilling and beer drinking but one can only hope we have enough water to get through to the October rains – I’d love to think that we will all treat this vital resource with care and respect until then…

I was very pleased to attend a couple of Valley events this past week that gave me some insights to Valley life that I do not normally get to hear much about…Firstly, I attended the monthly A.V. Grange meeting (3rd Tuesday of the month, everyone welcome), chaired with a statesman-like demeanor by Grange Master, David Norfleet, and attended by about a dozen members. A very good Pot Luck (regular readers will be pleased to know that I said a “very good” Pot Luck) was on offer and the meeting was interesting, informative, and sprinkled with a fair amount of good humor. “Keep up the good work, gentlemen Grangers and lady Grangettes (?)”…

Then I was able to show up for the presentations of a few of this year’s Senior Projects at the High School. Organized tirelessly and efficiently by teacher Kim Campbell, with help from many other members of the faculty and staff, these projects really put the kids’ efforts under the microscope. From Jason Powers’ imaginative and well researched attempts to raise money for the school yearbook, to Emilio Torales’ tough yet very beneficial assignment to teach elementary school kids about soccer refereeing, and finally to David Steward’s commendable work with the A.V. Animal Rescue under the tutelage of the ever-caring Cheryl Schrader, I had a thoroughly enlightening time. I have to say that although our school, like any other, has its problems, some of which are not always solved satisfactorily, there are many teachers there who are doing a great job in preparing the pupils for life in the ‘big world out there’…

On to the Wine of the Week…I had some stunningly good cheese at a gathering in Philo last week and when I nibbled on it with a glass of the ’05 Chardonnay from Maple Creek Winery in the Yorkville Highlands appellation, it was a very rewarding experience indeed. The wine is refreshing and crisp and I found out what the delicious cheese was – Humboldt Fog, a soft textured, strong tasting cheese available at Harvest Market and perhaps one day in the Valley too. If you’re a wine and cheese person, a summer pairing doesn’t get much better than this…

As always we now segue neatly in to the Whine of the Week - except I don’t have one!...“Unbelievable”, I hear you say. “That miserable bastard Turkey Vulture has nothing to moan about”. Sad but true, I say…Instead this week let’s have a little ‘Jive Turkey’…I think I should let you know that we Turkey Vultures build nests that are very difficult to find - as many of you who have been looking for me can no doubt attest to. I’m sure. We like those remote, hard to reach places. It could be in an old tree stump, amongst inhospitable looking boulders, or perhaps in an abandoned old barn. Wherever it is, if unannounced visitors disturb us, there is a very good chance we will throw up on whoever “invades our space”. Even our Vulture youngsters and babes will do this. Yer gotta like that…

Moving quickly on, I’m sure the Powers-that-Be here at The A.V.A. will give a far more comprehensive and penetrating report on the community meeting held with Sheriff Tom Almond last week but I did want to give my very brief and humble opinion on a matter that I have discussed many times in this column. The forum was concerned with the lack of law enforcement in The Valley since the tragic and untimely death of Sheriff Scott Nordin. What was achieved at this gathering? Not a lot. It was a bit of a whitewash to be honest and the time when something serious happens around here is fast approaching, with little being done to prevent it. It’s too bad…

I hope the Open Studio Tour was a success this past weekend. I couldn’t get to the event and besides, as I may have mentioned before, although I do know art I don’t know what I like…(?)

I definitely mentioned this last week but it bears repeating - Public Service Announcement #153: Tomorrow (Thursday, May 29th) sees the Vets’ monthly visit to Dig Supplies (formerly the A.V. Farm Supply). They come over the hill from the Mendocino Animal Hospital in Ukiah and will see your pets on a first cone, first served basis from 2pm to 3.30pm. And if you haven’t dealt with these vets before, do not hesitate - I highly recommend them…

Oh, and before I forget, over the following two weekends - Friday and Saturday evenings at 7pm, May 30th/31st and June 6th/7th, it’s this year’s presentation by The Anderson Valley Theatrical Guild at The Grange on Hwy 128 just a mile or so south of Philo. Director Rod Basehore and his dozen or so actors have been rehearsing for months and are now ready to present the two short comedy plays they have worked so hard on. I have seen a brief segment of what will be on offer and I think it will be lots of fun so I’ll see you in the cheap seats. Hopefully many of you will support this ‘cultural’ event – what’s not to like?

Be careful out there, stay out of the ditches, think good thoughts, and may your god go with you…Oh, and of course, one final request, “Let us prey”…Humbly yours, Turkey Vulture…

You can contact me with words of support/abuse by e-mail at turkeyvulture1 @ earthlink. net…But remember, if it’s abuse you choose, sticks and stones can break my bones but words can never hurt me – unless of course somebody hits me with a really heavy, hard-covered dictionary…Also remember - I know where you live…