# 145 - January 14th, 2009

Greetings one and all…Are you sitting comfortably - then I shall begin…The wonderful weather continues and we are faced with the dilemma of needing far more rain but in the meantime wishing to enjoy the beautiful days that we are currently experiencing here in the Valley...There’s no pleasing some is there? As humorist Jerome K. Jerome said, “We shall never be content until man makes his own weather and keeps it to himself.” - and that’s your Quote of the Week...
Talking of wonderful times to be in the Valley, this coming Saturday night sees the first of our two upcoming crab feeds. This week it’s the benefit for the Senior Center, which is taking place at the Fairgrounds in Boonville. For advanced tickets ($25) you can go to Lemons in Philo or All that Good Stuff in Boonville, or for more info call Gina at 895-3609. The ‘social drink’ begins at 5.30pm and dinner will be served from 6pm...I’m looking forward to it very much as I am a strong believer in the wise words of English diarist Samuel Pepys (pronounced ‘Peeps’) who over three hundred years ago said, “A good dinner and feasting reconciles everybody” – things haven’t changed I’d say...By the way the next ‘Feed’, the one that has been going a little longer – for the St. Elizabeth Seton Catholic Church, is on Saturday, Feb. 7th...
Meanwhile, let’s have The Valley Quiz - answers at the end of the column...
1. Who is the Junior High basketball coach for the current season?
2. Who is the secretary of the A.V. Lions Club?
3. And why we’ll asking such questions, who is the treasurer of the Independent Career Women’s (I.C.W.) group that meets here in the Valley?
Whilst we’re on the subject of the Valley Quiz, I am indebted to Tex Sawyer of Scharffenberger Cellars and his comprehensive knowledge of the Valley’s wine history for the following comment that addresses an oversight on my behalf, “Mr. Vulture, I enjoy your columns and the Valley trivia. The quiz answers in a recent column in the AVA left out one of the early vineyards/wineries of the 3rd renaissance of grapes in the Valley. You will find that Dr. Donald Edmeades planted his grapes in 1964 (Edmeades Folly) and his son, Deron, made wine in 1972. Tony and Gretchen Husch planted grapes in 1968 and made wine in 1971. Lazy Creek and Navarro were indeed next...A very informative history of grape growing in the Valley can be found at www.avwines.com, look under history...Cheers, Tex”...So Edmeades was certainly one of the first three modern wineries that I was asking for in the Quiz. Thanks, Tex – you will go far in this business!...
With a shorter column this week I will just throw out a few things for your perusal that have been discussed over the past week at my favorite bar in the Valley, The Three-Dot Lounge. It’s what I hear, not necessarily what I think - but it might be...Everyone seems to agree that we need the presence of a second sheriff but the choice of Dennis Miller is receiving very mixed reviews...The A.V. Film Festival upcoming at The Grange (Jan 22nd – 25th), and benefiting local charities, is creating a buzz – not the least of which is surrounding the screening on Saturday, Jan. 24th of ‘Pig Hunt’, filmed locally and featuring some familiar faces. Rumor has it that legendary blues-harp player Charlie Musselwhite, who has a small part in the movie, might make a surprise performance at the screening...Meanwhile, Gschwend Road’s D’Ann Wallace, formerly the owner of The Horn of Zeese Restaurant in Boonville, and a ‘crew’ of local girls/women/socialites went ‘over the hill’ on Hwy 253 last Saturday to celebrate D’Ann’s Birthday – despite my exhaustive investigations apparently “what happens in Ukiah stays in Ukiah!”...Senior High School student Cassidy Hollinger will be going to Vassar College in the fall – one of the country’s better colleges – a great achievement! I always thought that the ‘leader’ of the Sombrero Six would show her melodramatic critics that a little harmless fun on a school trip to Mexico would not be detrimental to her future...The building that formerly housed The Highpockety Ox remains closed and so by my reckoning that’s nearly a year’s worth of rent lost by ‘King’ Ken Allen who apparently continues to insist he will not sell the water rights to the building as part of any future deal – some might say he is being very greedy; others might say he is just being ‘Ken’...According to many of those who might actually know, the most authentic Mexican food in the Valley is served at Alicia’s Restaurant in Boonville...Pughs Plus won the Trivia Quiz at The Boonville Lodge last week. The team consisted of Terry Ryder and mother Muriel, along with Jeff Pugh, wife Donna Pierson-Pugh, and son Jim. Does being part of this victory mean that Donna, currently the Elementary School Principle, has the inside track to the High School Principal position whenever this becomes open (assuming she wants it)? I couldn’t possibly comment but in my humble opinion, it can certainly do her no harm...
Perhaps I should go now - I’ll get my coat shall I?...Be careful out there; think good thoughts; support your local businesses; and may your god go with you…Oh, and of course, one final request, “Let us prey”…Humbly yours, Turkey Vulture…
p.s. Many thanks to Silver Swan and Ducklips for my Christmas ‘bonus’ – you made a Turkey Vulture very happy!...
You can contact me with words of support/abuse by e-mail at turkeyvulture1 @ earthlink.net…
Quiz answers...
1. Ben Anderson, son of Bruce, is calling the plays for the young ‘ballers.
2. Joanie Clark does the administrative ‘stuff’, etc. for the Lions - no relation to Christine Clark, who is the President.
3. Arline Bloom manages the money matters for the I.C.W.