# 378 - October 30th, 2013

Greetings one and all – if you are sitting comfortably then I shall begin… Tomorrow it’s Halloween, and as a community we have to get through another evening of ‘civil unrest’ here in the Valley. Hopefully, unless you are one of them, you will not get caught up in the annual ‘Battle on the Streets of Boonville’ between The Zombies and The Angry Villagers that will take place after dark tonight. The Villagers, with their burning torches and sharpened pitchforks, will strive to once more save the town from those walking corpses who will no doubt make things very difficult around here if they are victorious… Good luck and beware of flesh-dripping strangers…

       Homecoming festivities dominated the past week at the school and culminated at The Fairgrounds on Friday night with a tough football loss and a comfortable soccer victory against teams from Point Arena followed by the dance at the high school gym. As a curmudgeonly Turkey Vulture, being around so much joy and positive energy can be a little unsettling. However, I must say the young people I spoke to were warm and friendly, polite and sincere, and clearly loving life - as they should at that age. Hopefully they can continue to carry these qualities into adulthood. Generally speaking, avoiding jobs controlling traffic with CalTran or working at a toll booth might help!.... 

       And so, inevitably, for your Quotes of the Week, I shall continue with the topic of youth… First up we have this classic from George Bernard Shaw who famously said, “Youth is far too good to waste on children”… Fran Lebowitz humorously observed, “Remember, that as a teenager you are at the last stage of your life when you are happy to hear that the phone call is for you”… The Danish writer, Isak Dinesen, wisely said, “While we are young the idea of death or failure is intolerable to us; even the possibility of ridicule we cannot bear”… While Jacques Barzun, the French-born American historian of ideas and culture observed, perhaps with more than a grain of truth, “Americans began by loving youth, and now, out of adult self-pity, they worship it”… And finally, let’s turn to the always-perceptive Oscar Wilde who sums up by saying, “Youth smiles without any reason. It is one of its chiefest charms”…

       On to this week’s Public Service Announcements (P.S.A.’s)… Calendars and pens at the ready… #767 - Veterans Day is coming up on November 11 and this will be observed here in the Valley with the annual ceremony on Sunday, November 10 at The Evergreen Cemetery on A.V. Way at 10.30am. It should be stressed that this special occasion is not a political or religious event. It does, however, offer a chance for us to show support and gratitude for both those who gave their lives or were wounded in wars of the past, and for those who have served or continue to serve so that we may have the freedoms and liberties that we continue to enjoy today… #768 - The Vets from Mendocino Animal Hospital in Ukiah will be making their monthly visit to the A.V. Farm Supply on Thursday, November 14 from 2 - 3pm. Their visit after that is planned for Thursday December 12… #769 - The Halloween Dark Carnival presentation of ‘Carnival Grimm’ is from 4-10.30 at The Shed behind the Farrer Building on Thursday, October 31 – that’s Halloween – perfect!… #770 - A celebration of Dia de Los Muertos (Day of the Dead) will take place on Friday, November 1 at Paysanne Ice Cream store in Boonville from 3-6… #771 - On Saturday, November 2 at the Studio SoBo there will be a day of yoga classes, pilates and gokhale to introduce the community to the teachers and their classes; Kira Brennan, Kristen Walker, Forest DiMaggio, Abeja, and Nancy Joy will all be there. The event hopes to raise funds for more props for the studio by requesting a small donation. This special occasion is from 9am behind ‘All That Good Stuff,’ and you can always find the class schedule online at … #772 - The monthly Barn Sale is at The St. Elizabeth Seton Catholic Church Refectory on A.V. Way just north of Boonville this coming weekend. Get some great holiday bargains from 9am to 3pm on both Saturday and Sunday, November 2 and 3… #773 - The Pop-Up Cinema series returns to Lauren’s Restaurant this Saturday, November 2, with a presentation of the documentary ‘We Steal Secrets - The Story of WikiLeaks’ by Oscar Award Winning Film Maker Alex Gibney. It is free admission and the film will be shown at 8.30pm… #774 - The Anderson Valley High School Agriculture Department and FFA are holding another Drive-Thru-Dinner and hope to repeat the success of last year’s event.  The menu includes Pulled Pork and rolls, coleslaw, potato wedges, and cookies and is sold as a Dinner-for-4 for $45. This will be prepared on Wednesday, November 6 and may be picked up from 3:30 to 5:30 at the high school parking lot. The money earned will support the many Ag Dept activities and travel to FFA events. Advanced orders only, so if you are interested please call the Ag classroom at 895-2514 or contact Beth at bswehla@avpanthers.org, on or before Friday, November 1… #775 - Upcoming November events (and beyond) - hopefully November play-offs for all three of the school’s fall sports – volleyball, soccer, and football; Thanksgiving is on Thursday, November 28; and of course the annual New Year’s Eve party at Lauren’s Restaurant in Boonville…

       As a bonus P.S.A. here is the menu for the Community Lunches over the next week at the Senior Center in the Veterans Hall in Boonville… The Center asks for a $6 donation from Seniors and charges $7 for Non-Seniors for the lunches that are always served by Marti Titus and her crew at 12.15pm… Tomorrow, Thursday, October 31, the lunch will be Joe’s Chili, Corn, Cornbread Muffins, Coleslaw, Barley Salad, Banana Pudding Squares … Then next Tuesday, November 5, the menu will feature Meatloaf, Mashed Potatoes with Gravy, rolls, Roasted cauliflower, Quinoa Salad, and Birthday Cupcakes... Remember, all ages are welcome!... Hope to see you there… 

       Moving quickly on to a couple 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.…

… High School Principal, Ms. Aitch (Hutchings), continues to win plaudits from all walks of Valley life for her efforts to date. It cannot be easy to come to a new school, one set in so many of its ways, and try to introduce positive change, but it’s been a general thumbs up from everyone so far. While her first year here will be a learning process for her, and one in which she will no doubt be taking stock and making copious notes, folks at the Three-Dot are very encouraged and look forward to the schools future more than at any time in recent memory…

… Talk of the school turned to the need for sports' coaches for Junior High Boys basketball and Varsity Boys' baseball... Call Wanda at 895-3774 if you are interested… Time to step up and be counted…

… Every regular who was there raved about the excellent Guest Chef dinner event held to benefit the Senior Center last Friday. This was held in the unique setting of the Big Barn at the A.V. Farm Supply and what a great venue it turned out to be, thanks in no small measure to those hard-working members of the Senior Board…

       I’m outta here… So, until we talk again – ‘Keep the Faith’; 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

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. Skylark – read any good books lately?

p.p.p.s. Keep on humming, Hummingbird…

p.p.p.p.s. Everything cool with you, O.J.? Of course it is…