# 362 - July 10th, 2013
Greetings one and all – if you are sitting comfortably
then I shall begin… The good news is that I am not going to talk about last
Wednesday night’s thunderstorms, nor the weather in any way. I personally have
said enough on that topic in recent weeks to fill a small novel… However,
others folks have some very clever and witty things to say on this subject and
that’s where we’re going for the Quotes of the Week…
First
up, let’s have one that I personally can relate to very readily - from Jane
Austen (1775-1917), the English novelist whose works earned her a place as one
of the most widely read writers in English literature, we have, “What dreadful
hot weather we have! It keeps me in a continual state of inelegance” – tell me
about it, Jane… Then we have this from Jerome K. Jerome (1859-1927), the
English writer and humorist who wrote, “But who wants to be foretold the
weather? It is bad enough when it comes, without our having the misery of
knowing about it beforehand” – I guess the English climate had gotten to JKJ by
that point in his life… And of course this tongue twister from Dr. Seuss
(1904-1991), the American writer, poet, and cartoonist most widely known for
children's picture books, who continues to stump me with, “The storm starts,
when the drops start dropping. When the drops stop dropping then the storm
starts stopping”… Now here’s a perceptive thought from Kim Hubbard, People
Magazine’s book editor, who wrote, “Don't knock the weather. If it didn't
change once in a while, nine out of ten people couldn't start a conversation”… And
inevitably, as I have done so before, let’s finish with this classic from Mark
Twain (1835-1910), one of the greatest American author/humorists, who simply
commented, “Everybody talks about the weather, but nobody does anything about
it” – it doesn’t get any wiser than that…
Public
Service Announcements (P.S.A.’s)… Calendars and pens at the ready… #114 – The
Vets from the Mendocino Animal Hospital in Ukiah are back in the Valley
tomorrow, Thursday, July 11 for their only visit this month. They will offer a
full service 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 if you are a previous client you can call them 48 hours in
advance to ensure that your pet’s charts are brought ‘over the hill’ and also
order any medications your pet might need. New customers and their pets are
always welcome… #115 – 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… #116 – ‘Come Walk in Hendy Woods’ is a series of walks and
talks taking place in spectacular Hendy Woods in July from 10-11:30am each
Saturday - July 13, 20 and 27. Guests are asked to meet at the day-use area and
will be taken on interpretive walks hosted by some of the Valley’s leading
Hendy experts. Sounds like a special thing to do, wouldn’t you say?… #117 – 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… #118 – 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 Blues Band 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… #119 – The next Grange Local Food Pancake
Breakfast is on Sunday July 14, from 8.30-11am and it will cost you $10 for a
deliciously hearty and healthy start to the day… And finally, #120 – Just
around the corner, it’s the very special celebration of Hendy Woods’ 50th
Anniversary on Sunday, July 21. This is a pot-luck picnic at 12.30pm. Call
895-2575 for details…
The
big talking point around the Valley in recent days is that once again
Chicken-impersonator supreme, Alan ‘The Eggman’ Thomas, won the hen-clucking
contest at ‘The Old Time 4th July Celebration’ in Boonville last week for
the third year in succession. After many years of desperate struggle in a
fruitless search to find an athletic activity that he was good at, Alan seems
to have finally found his vocation and easily repeated his victories of the
previous two years, with the only real competition coming from Gene ‘King of
the Coops’ Duvigneaud. Alan’s talent in this ‘sport’ is something to behold and
this year he once again went so far as to actually lay an egg. Some people were
shocked. Several folks wanted to check his nether regions. Some people wanted
their money back; others offered to pay more. One middle-aged gentleman went
home crying – with joy or in grief, nobody could tell. Is Alan going too far?
His brother, Geoff, tells me that Alan actually thinks he is a chicken. I
suggested to Geoff that perhaps he should tell Alan that he really isn’t. Geoff
said he had thought about breaking this news to his brother, but he is
reluctant to do so because they do need the eggs…
From
The Old Buzzard this week, comes some actual research! Yes, I know - very
encouraging – he’s finally earning the big bucks he earns for his
contributions… Anyway, Buzzard checks in with this report (hopefully it is
correct!)… “False information is a staple of Valley life – it’s most likely the
same in many small yet caring/nosey communities. At some point I guess you have
to laugh about this fact of life. Anyway, I have heard/overheard several
comments about the new high school principal, Michelle Hutchins and her recent
history, and, while they were not negative, I know some to be incorrect.
Therefore, before too many untruths gets so entrenched in Valley
folklore/mythology that they can never be retracted, here are some facts about
the new ‘leader’ of our young folks…
Before
coming to A.V., Ms. Hutchins was the Superintendent of the Mountain Valley
Unified School District and Principal at Hayfork High School in rural,
mountainous Trinity County, a high school that recently had a ‘close and
diverse’ (The Trinity Journal) graduating class of 25 students in 2013. It is
therefore a smaller school than our local high school and its student body of
about 160. In fact recently (2011-12), Hayfork High had a total of 102 students
of which 73% were white, 16% American Indian or Alaska Native, 10% Hispanic or
Latino, and 1% Dual race. 76% were socioeconomically disadvantaged (A.V. has
approximately 82%).* Similar to Anderson Valley, the area around Hayfork was
once supported by a booming timber industry, and it is not surprising that the
high school sports’ teams are called the Timberjacks (or Timberjills). As for Ms.
Hutchins, she is in her early 40s, married to James Devine, with a young son,
born, I believe, in 2009; she attended Humboldt State where she studied
Computers and Technology in Education, prior to which she went to Clark
University in Worcester, Massachusetts, and high school in York, Maine, the
state of her birth. She has told some local folks she intends to spend lots of
time in the classrooms and also in and around the community – yer gotta like
all that! No doubt we all extend a warm welcome to Ms. Hutchins and her family,
and wish her great success in the new job”… (* Statistics from the School
Accountability Report Card (S.A.R.C.) of 2011-12 - www.mvusd.us/pdf_files/sarcs/hhssarc.pdf)
Perhaps
more importantly, I did notice in my own research, that Ms. Hutchins had
Hayfork High’s cafeteria serving such culinary delights as bagels and cream
cheese, BBQ Pork sandwiches, chicken fajitas, and milk with every meal… I
almost feel like enrolling…
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. Hi, Silver Swan – behaving yourself? Hopefully
not!
p.p.p.s. Keep on humming, Hummingbird…
posted by Turkey Vulture @ 9:01 AM
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