# 411 - June 18th, 2014

Greetings one and all – if you are sitting comfortably then I shall begin… With the First Day of Summer this coming Saturday, June 21, let’s begin this week with some relevant Quotes of the Week…

       Main man of the Beach Boys, Brian Wilson, not surprisingly had this to say, “Summer means happy times and good sunshine. It means going to the beach, going to Disneyland, having fun”… Comedian Lewis Black weighs in with his comment, “I believe that summer is our time, a time for the people, and that no politician should be allowed to speak to us during the summer. They can start talking again after Labor Day”…. Writer Henry James keeps it simple with “Summer afternoon, summer afternoon; to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language”… While we have this classic from Aristotle, “For one swallow does not make a summer, nor does one day; and so too one day, or a short time, does not make a man blessed and happy”… And British horticulturist Gertrude Jekyll puts it perfectly with, “What is one to say about June, the time of perfect young summer, the fulfillment of the promise of the earlier months, and with as yet no sign to remind one that its fresh young beauty will ever fade”… But best of all we have this from literary heavyweight and philosopher, G. K. Chesterton, who observed, “Let a man walk ten miles steadily on a hot summer's day along a dusty English road, and he will soon discover why beer was invented”… Precisely, G.K….

       Public Service Announcements (P.S.A.’s)… Calendars and pens at the ready… #587 - It’s here!!... The Sierra Nevada World Music Festival hits town over this coming weekend, Fri, Sat, Sun, June 20-22 - have fun!… #588 - The next in the Guest Chef series of events to benefit the Senior Center is on Saturday, June 28 with a happy hour at 5.30pm followed at 6.30pm by a Texas-style bbq by chef David Knight. The menu will feature Fresh Green Salad, Delicious Barbecue Ribs, Texas Style Chili, Hot Buttered Sweet Corn, Crispy French Bread, Brownies and Ice Cream, with Local Wine and Beer. $30 tickets include your dinner and one drink, plus your donation. Get your tickets early as only 60 will be sold at the Senior Center 895-3609, Lemons Market, Rossi’s Hardware, or AV Market… #589 - The Vets from the Mendocino Animal Hospital will be visiting the A.V. Farm Supply once more this month - on Thursday, June 26, and then twice next month - on Thursdays, July 10 and 17…

       As a bonus P.S.A. here is the menu for the Community lunches and dinners over the next week at the Senior Center at the Veterans Hall in Boonville… The Center asks for a $6 donation from seniors for both lunches and dinners and charges $7 for Non-Seniors for lunches and $8 for the dinners… Tomorrow, Thursday, June 19, the lunch, presented by Marti Titus and her crew at 12.15pm, will be Chicken Quesadillas, Rice, Refried Beans, Salsa, Quinoa Salad, and Banana Split Cake for dessert… Then next Tuesday, June 24, the dinner menu, served at 6pm, will feature Spaghetti, Green Beans, Garlic Bread, Faro Salad, and Caesar Salad, with Italian Cream Cake Dessert… Remember, all ages are welcome!... Hope to see you there…

       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 surprisingly reliable) Rumors” from my favorite gathering place in the Valley, a location that sees people get together and share their thoughts about life in A.V. and where we subscribe to the Winston Churchill philosophy that “A lie will get halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to put on its pants”… So I’ll put my pants on and continue…

… It is with regret that I announce that Pat Hulbert’s Country Kitchen will not feature at the County Fair this year. Pat is having surgery and has been unable to find someone who can take her place to oversee the group of 30-plus volunteers who provide the famous apple pies etc that have been served by Pat, and her mother before her, for 49 years. She will be back next year and there is no truth to the hurtful rumor that she would lose her spot if she did not attend this year…

… Kudos to our local Veterans of American Legion Branch 385 who kindly donated a U.S. flag to the A.V. Elementary School as a replacement for their bedraggled ‘Stars and Stripes’ that had certainly seen far better days…

… Many Valley folks have asked where they can watch soccer’s World Cup tournament that most of the world is currently enthralled with. There are two options in Boonville - The Buckhorn, with its excellent beer selection and splendid pub grub menu, is a good place to watch sports with a couple of televisions on which they will show matches. One drawback is that they will not have the sound on unless there is a very large crowd demanding it (U.S.A. v Portugal Sunday at 3pm during Sierra Nevada Music Festival perhaps?). Furthermore, they do not open until 11am, or 10am at weekends, and thus do not have the matches that the kick-off at 9am… The alternative is the Redwood Drive-In, which does have the matches with sound. However, the viewing area is not at the comfort level of the Buckhorn, and the sightlines not nearly as good, but they do serve beer and a drive-in menu and are open for every match…

… The Anderson Valley Elementary School Art Show is currently on display at Lauren’s Restaurant in Boonville. Local artist Chris Bing has done a fine job teaching art this past school year and his creative display of the children's work is equally wonderful. The exhibit runs until July 6, so try to get in to see it soon.  Birds are flying all around the restaurant!...

… Hopefully a new high school Volleyball coach has been found. Those involved with the program were becoming concerned but I believe a well-qualified young woman has been found and I thought you should know…

… Last weekend saw the adult soccer league match between two of the Valley’s three teams, last season’s champions Valladolid and the team named for the ancestral home town of the vast majority of our Mexican residents, La Laguneta. It was the Ferreyra family-led Valla who came out of top 3-1 thanks to goals by former A.V. high school student athletes Vidal Ferreyra plus two from his younger brother Omar…

       Well now I think it’s time to take my leave, I’ve got see a man about a sheep… 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”…

       Poking and stroking but humbly yours, Turkey Vulture - thinking you should now that we Turkey Vultures are monogamous and mate for life and sometimes, to prove our loyalty, we like to indulge in an ‘erotic’ display dance on our nesting grounds! Too much information?…

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. Hi, George – hope you and Sheila are well…

p.p.p.p.s. Hi, Silver Swan – behaving yourself? Hopefully not!