# 361 - July 3rd, 2013

Greetings one and all – if you are sitting comfortably then I shall begin… Good lord! Whatever next? From rainstorms to heat waves; from car crashes to raves – the Valley has been far from it’s ‘relaxing’ self this past week… 

      First off let’s point out yet another black-eye, or perhaps more appropriately, a kick in the nether regions, for the naysayers on global warming and climate change. Following the rainy days of last week, the Valley is now experiencing an extended very hot spell with temperatures over 100 F in some parts. Further afield, we’ve heard of the hottest days since records began for some folks in the western states and the hottest ground temperature ever recorded on Earth (134 F) was close to being passed on Monday when it reached 130 F in Death Valley… Hopefully your sheep are already sheared and your dog’s water bowl is regularly replenished. As for you humans – hopefully you can take care of yourselves…    

      … And then on Sunday afternoon, we have a car-load of tourists somehow crashing their vehicle into the front of Lauren’s Restaurant in Boonville. Nobody was particularly hurt and damage was relatively minimal with only the porch and planters suffering. The restaurant re-opened as usual on Tuesday evening but, as a result of dealing with this unfortunate incident, Lauren was disappointed that she missed her thoroughly-earned Sunday evening of relaxation, champagne, and oysters at The Boonville Hotel… Meanwhile, the west end of the Valley had been dealing with three consecutive nights of ‘rave’ music reverberating until at least 6am each night/morning – and we at The Nest are more than four miles away. The ‘steady thumping’ was emanating from an event called ‘Enchanted Forest’ being held at the boy-scout camp on Masonite Road. No doubt ‘Enchanted’ for some; far from it for others… What is going on around here? Is it time to leave this ‘mad, mad, mad, mad world’ and head for the hills?... Oh, I already did that…

       Public Service Announcements (P.S.A.’s)… Calendars and pens at the ready… #415 – The Old Time 4th of July Celebration will take place at The Fairgrounds in Boonville tomorrow, July 4 from noon to 4pm. Adults $4 and Under 18 free! This event will benefit the A.V. Education Foundation and will feature the Red, White, and Blue Parade at 12.30pm, followed by events such as the Crowing and Clucking Contest, a Cake Auction, the Tug O’ War, bbq sandwiches by the A.V. Lions, and much, much, more … #416 – The annual Boonville Art Walk returns at the weekend - Saturday, July 6, from 3pm – 7pm. Paintings, collages, ceramics, woodwork, jewelry, textile art, and more. Call 895-2204 for details – oh, and despite the crash at Lauren’s, damage was not too bad and there will be artists outside the restaurant as usual… #417 – This weekend also sees the monthly Barn Sale on A.V. Way just north of Boonville. That’s Sat/Sun, July 6-7 from 10am to 2pm each day… #418 – The Vets are back in the Valley on Thursday, July 11 and will have a full service on that day, featuring house calls in the morning and all your vet needs from 2pm to 3.30pm in the afternoon at the A.V. Farm Supply. Call 462-8833 for further details…… And just over the horizon… # 419 – The ‘Pop-Up Cinema series returns to the Valley with a screening of ‘Gasland’, a film about fracking in the U.S. - and Anderson Valley?? This documentary won a Special Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival and will be shown at the Boonville Methodist Church at 7.30pm on Friday, July 12… #420 – The A.V. Land Trust Benefit will take place at Golden Eye Winery on Saturday, July 13, from 6-9pm. Call 895-3150 for details… #421 – Also on the evening of Saturday, July 13, Dave Evans, hard-working owner of the Navarro Store and impresario in the world of local live music, informs me that the Deep End will once again be the scene of a very special live performance - Roy Rogers and the Delta Rhythm Kings are in town and it’s guaranteed to be a great night. The only other live music this summer down that way will be on August 31 when electric blues harmonica great Charlie Musselwhite will make his much anticipated return to the Valley. In the meantime, the store’s BBQ grill is now open with new cook Guy Kephart taking over from the almost but not quite irreplaceable Pablo. Guy’s Grill will be serving some of the best bbq food around from 11am to 3pm every Saturday and Sunday throughout the summer, plus into the night at the two live shows… And finally, #422 – there will be a very special celebration of Hendy Woods’ 50th Anniversary on Sunday, July 21 – more details to follow…

              As a bonus P.S.A. here is the menu for the next week at the Senior Center… For lunches, the Center asks for a $5 donation from Seniors and charges $7 for Non-Seniors, and $6 and $8 respectively for the evening meals. Tomorrow, Thursday, July 4th, the Center will be closed in observance of the holiday and to allow their hard-working staff the day off to celebrate with family and friends… But next Tuesday evening, July 9th, at 6pm, Chef Marti Titus and her crew will open up and serve a dinner featuring Chicken, Tomatoes & Spinach Skillet, Carrots, Raspberry Gelatin, Barley Salad, Broccoli Salad, and

Strawberry Pretzel Squares - a feast that will be followed by Bingo at 7pm… Hopefully you will be able to attend, and remember – ALL ages are welcome!…

       Moving quickly on to a few of the topics and Valley events under discussion this week at The Three-Dot Lounge – yes it’s “Moans, Groans, Good Thoughts, and Rampant (and often Reliable) Rumors” from my favorite gathering place in the Valley where people get together and share their thoughts about life in A.V.…

… A few regulars informed me that Neil Darling continues to lead the way in the search for the next Fire Chief on behalf of the Community Services District. So far, there have been a couple of applicants who hope to step into the very large shoes worn by current Chief, Colin Wilson, who will be retiring later this year. It will undoubtedly be a difficult choice - good luck, Darling!…

... More missing dogs in the Valley this past week and following lengthy discussions, the regulars wanted me to pass on the need to get tags for you dogs, or better still have them micro-chipped. The tags are easy and cheap at www.tagxpress.com and all those hard working volunteers at the Animal Rescue, plus the many other animal lovers in The Valley, will certainly appreciate it…

… The Pig Roast Hawaiian-style at the Senior Center was very well attended – 80+ folks – and by all accounts a big success on the food front. As one of the pig-roasters, Fal Allen, said, “When you put a pig in the ground for over 20 hours, you just hope it comes out all right.” It did; great job; yum, yum…

… The monthly Sing-along-a-Liddy at Lauren’s Restaurant that followed the Pig Roast was also a fun time with singer/songwriter Patty Liddy leading the community singing. A performer in San Francisco over a number of years and occasionally here in A.V. in the last twelve or so, Patty will be performing in her own right at Lauren’s on Saturday, August 10 – another ‘must-see’ item for your calendar…

… Nothing from The Old Buzzard this week… He is M.I.A. after his exhibition of ‘extreme greed’ at the Pig Roast, although there have been reports that he was seen later that night at the formerly mentioned ‘Enchanted Forest’ event, surrounded by semi-clad young women and clearly under the influence of mind-altering substances. If he survived that, it is hoped he was not resting comfortably on the porch at Lauren’s Restaurant on Sunday afternoon…

      Well now I think it’s time to take my leave… So, until we talk again – ‘Keep the Faith’; be careful out there; stay out of the ditches; think good thoughts; please remember to keep your windows cracked if you have pets in your vehicle; and may your god go with you… Oh, and of course, one final request, “Let us prey”…

      Humbly yours, Turkey Vulture…

p.s. You can contact me with words of support/abuse either through the Letters Page or by e-mail at <turkeyvulture1@earthlink.net>

p.p.s. On the sheep, Grace…

p.p.p.s. Keep on wagging that tail, Fred…