# 376 - October 16th, 2013

Greetings one and all – if you are sitting comfortably then I shall begin… And with so many to share with you this week, let’s start with the Public Service Announcements (P.S.A.’s)…

       Calendars and pens at the ready… #142 – The Vets from Mendocino Animal Hospital are down to one visit a month to the Valley at this point. The next two such occasions are tomorrow, October 17 and then next month on Thursday, November 14. This wonderful service takes place at the Anderson Valley Farm Supply from 2pm – 3.30pm and new customers are very welcome… #143 – A new ‘Open Mic Night’ is being introduced to the Valley. This will be at Lauren’s Restaurant, hosted by Kayla ? and Dennis Hudson, on the 3rd Saturday of each month – in this case, November 19. It is hoped that all the Valley’s talented musicians/poets etc will move out of their living rooms and share their talents with the outside world while also supporting other such artists. Come on, you know you want to… #144 - It’s that time of year – the U-Pick Pumpkins and Wagon Rides will be at Gowan’s Oak Tree and Fruit Stand on Hwy 128 from 11am to 4pm on Saturday/Sunday, October 19/20 – call 895-3353 for further details… #145 – The final Guest Chef Dinner of the year, with Chef Fal Allen, is on Friday, October 25. These events benefit the Senior Center and on this occasion the feast will be an Oktoberfest featuring Pork sausage, Beer-steeped Saurkraut, German-style warm Potato Salad with bacon and onions, and dessert. This takes place at the unique location of the Big Barn next to the A.V. Farm Supply on Hwy 128. Happy Hour at 5pm; dinner at 6pm. Tickets are $30 (includes $10 donation) and are available at the Senior Center, Laughing Dog Books, Rancheria Realty, and Lemons’ Market in Philo. Get yours today, they will sell out… #146 – The ‘Cops and Robbers Ball’ to benefit the A.V. Health Center is at The Grange the following evening, Saturday, October 26… #147 - The Halloween Dark Carnival presentation at The Shed behind the Farrer Building is at dusk on Thursday, October 31 – that’s Halloween – perfect!…

            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 17, the lunch will be “Cordon Blue” Chicken Casserole, Garlic Pasta, Pease, Garlic Bread, Quinoa Salad, Strawberry Crumb Bars … Then next Tuesday, October 22, the menu will feature Chicken w/ Kale, Rice, Carrots, Wheat Berry Salad, Raspberry Gelatin, Berry Cream Dessert... Remember, all ages are welcome!... Hope to see you there…

       Moving quickly on to a few of the topics and Valley news items 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.…

… Three-Dot regular, Geoff Thomas, leaves the Valley this week for Thailand where he spends six months every year recovering from the excesses he enjoys in Boonville for the other six months. Personally speaking, this is most definitely Bangkok’s gain and our loss – who else will hang out with me drinking beers and talking utter gibberish?....

… Best wishes were expressed among regulars for Sarah Larkin, musician and gardener, on a successful business venture as she takes over from the Ludwig’s at ‘The Tin Man Nursery’ and opens ‘Goodness Grows’ on Hwy 128 between Boonville and Philo…

… Questions asked at The Three-Dot this past week… When will the Valley’s liquor license issue be resolved and we can once again get a ‘proper’ drink around here? Some folks I know are quite desperate for a Tanqueray and tonic, others for a Trainwreck… Is voicemail for cell phones complicated to set up? No, I didn’t think so… Aren’t the repeated notices of the same old names in the Sheriff’s Log being booked into the County Jail getting very old? Reading about *#@?!** every few weeks really seems like a waste of perfectly good ink and in the old days they would have been burned at the stake by now… Do we have too many restaurants in the Valley?... Do we have too many winery tasting rooms? Numbers seem about right to me based on the many locals and tourists I have seen out and about in recent weeks, but now we are entering the slow time of the year so we shall see… Why has Ben Anderson left the School Board? Apparently he has tended his resignation. When elected two years ago, he enjoyed the support of many Valley folks to whom this news will no doubt be disappointing. His departure is, in my humble opinion, the school district’s loss. He has great fondness for the school and valid ideas on how things could be improved but for reasons that remain unclear at this time, even for those who regard him a friend, he felt the need to resign… Meanwhile, Erica Lemons is intending to run for re-election and with nobody stepping forward in opposition she will be back. Marti Bradford is still on the Board, as is Dick Browning; however, with Ben’s seat now available, along with that of Yadira Mendoza, who is not seeking re-election, it remains to be seen who will be appointed to these two important positions...

       With this in mind, here are some appropriate Quotes of the Week that concern themselves with public office, ones that may have even crossed Ben’s mind in recent weeks… Did he have a problem with the message contained in this comment by none other than Thomas Jefferson who remarked, “When a man assumes a public trust, he should consider himself as a public property”… Perhaps Ben would regard his tenure rather like Golda Meir (the former leader of Israel), who said, “It’s no accident many accuse me of conducting public affairs with my heart instead of my head. Well, what if I do?... Those who don’t know how to weep with their whole heart, don’t know how to laugh either”… Or maybe he concurred with the words of Aristotle, who wisely observed, “It is not easy for a person to do any great harm when his tenure of office is short, whereas long possession begets tyranny”… Whatever led to Ben’s decision, we at The Three-Dot wish him well…. 

       From our 3-Dot regular, The Old Buzzard, comes another in his insightful series – ‘Signs that the Apocalypse is Approaching’… Buzzard reports, “This is an easy one, I know, but the shut down of the government is surely a huge sign that we are on the outskirts of Armageddon, and that when we get there the Apocalypse will be waiting for us. Obviously all is lost, the end is near, the fat lady is on the final chorus, doomsday is virtually upon us, and we are so far up s*** creek that even several huge paddles couldn’t help us… In the meantime, ‘Have a nice day’…”

       Oh, dear, I think I’ve said enough – I’ll get my coat and leave... 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. Keep on wagging that tail, Fred…

p.p.p.s. Is that ‘lafter’ I hear, Carroll?...

p.p.p.p.s. Keep up the good work, Round-eyed Robin