# 426 - October 1st, 2014

Greetings one and all – if you are sitting comfortably then I shall begin… I have often thought that telling ourselves and each other what a wonderful community we have here in the Valley is something that is certainly true but, if repeated over and over, perhaps a little too self-congratulatory, and almost smug in my humble, and some might say, curmudgeonly opinion. I feel that simply knowing it, enjoying it, feeding off it, and adding to it, without frequently ‘shouting it from the rooftops’, no matter how true it may be, is a more agreeable way to enjoy and celebrate this undoubted gift we as a community possess - but that’s me, go figure...

       And yet, when it directly affects me or my loved ones, as it did last week, I find myself casting such a reserved and dignified reaction aside and yelling this out loud myself!… The episode that provoked such an outburst occurred when Hummingbird was flying along Hwy 128 when she suddenly experienced a flat wing and had to pull over into The Grange parking lot. She made the necessary phone call to V.A.I.N. (Vulture Assistance In-flight Network - think ‘AAA for Turkey Vultures’) and waited. Over the next fifteen minutes no fewer than three offers of assistance to fix the problem had been made by passers-by - Fire Chief Andres Avila, Eddie Slotte, and Christine Clark with daughter-in-law Christy. Fantastic! How good is that? Hummingbird thanked them profusely and explained that help was on the way, but nonetheless she was extremely grateful for these caring folks’ offers and I was moved to go to the rooftop and shout “WHAT A GREAT COMMUNITY WE HAVE HERE IN ANDERSON VALLEY!”… Ooops…

       And for a couple of related Quotes of the Week, let’s go first with this beauty from M. Scott Peck (1936-2005), the American psychiatrist and best-selling author, best known for his first book, The Road Less Traveled (1978), who commented, “There can be no vulnerability without risk; there can be no community without vulnerability; there can be no peace, and ultimately no life, without community”… And secondly, here’s some wisdom from Cesar Chavez (1927-1993), the famous and influential labor leader and civil rights activist, who observed, “We cannot seek achievement for ourselves and forget about progress and prosperity for our community... Our ambitions must be broad enough to include the aspirations and needs of others, for their sakes and for our own”…

       Public Service Announcements (P.S.A.’s)… Calendars and pens at the ready… #916 - This weekend sees the monthly Barn Sale take place at the Big Barn on A.V. Way just north of Boonville. It’s Saturday/Sunday, October 4/5 from 10am to 3pm each day - is it too early to think about Christmas gifts?… #917 - The Mendocino Bookmobile next visits the Valley on Tuesday, October 7. They are here on alternate Tuesdays for 45 minutes at each of these places and times: Navarro Store 9am (for 30 minutes); the Floodgate 12.30pm; Philo 1.30pm; Boonville (Apple Hall) 2.30pm. Phone 463-4694 for further details… #918 - The Vets from the Mendocino Animal Hospital will be visiting the Valley twice this month. Their first visit is Thursday, October 9 and they will return two weeks after that, on Thursday, October 23. As always, the venue is the A.V. Farm Supply but their hours have been extended - they will now be there from 2-4pm. New customers are always welcome and for those who have been before you can call 462-8833 and the vets will bring your pet’s charts with them - making this an even better service than it already is!… #919 - Here’s an early-ish heads-up for this year’s final Guest Chef Dinner, the series of community dinners to benefit the Senior Center. This takes place on Saturday, October 25 and will be in the form of an Oktoberfest event that be held in the unique and appropriately decorated Barn at the AV Farm Supply, just north of Philo. Prepared by Fal Allen and Friends, there will be a Happy Hour at 5pm and Dinner will be served at 6pm. Tickets ate $30.00, which includes the dinner, one complementary drink, and a donation to the Senior Center. Only a limited number of tickets will be sold, and anyone who attended last year will surely be back, so get yours early for this very popular event. They are available at the AV Senior Center, Lemons, and AV Market, and from Chris Rossi at Rossi Hardware. For full menu and information call the AV Senior Center 895-3609…
       As a bonus P.S.A. here is the menu for the Community lunches over the next week for the Senior Center at the Veterans’ Building in Boonville… The Center asks for a $6 donation from seniors and charges $7 for Non-seniors… Tomorrow, Thursday, October 2, the lunch, always served by Marti Titus and her crew at 12.15pm, will be Meatloaf, Mashed potatoes with gravy, Brussels sprouts, Rolls, Barley salad, and Birthday Cup Cakes for dessert… Then next Tuesday, October 7, the menu will feature Garlic Parmesan Chicken with Spinach, Pasta, Garlic bread, Quinoa salad, with Kahlua Cake for 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…

… Justin Lee Schultz and Lola - these are the names of a young man and his dog who stopped by the Three-Dot last week on their way to San Diego. No big deal you may think - except they were on a very basic motorbike, with Lola traveling in a open crate on the back, and they had been on the road for two months since they left Nebraska!... They were inseparable and my heart was greatly warmed by the connection between ‘man and dog’ and the adventure they were having together. It was a beautiful thing to behold and surely one of the reasons we were all put here in the first place…

… Regulars this week took some time to discuss the news that California has become the first U.S. state to require students on state-funded campuses to have clear, active consent before all sexual activity - the ‘Yes means Yes’ law. The legislation stipulates that voluntary agreement, rather than lack of resistance, defines consent and that silence, or a lack of resistance, do not constitute consent. Under the bill, someone who is drunk, drugged, unconscious or asleep cannot grant consent… Of course there are dissenters, including The National Coalition For Men who condemned the bill as "misandric" (man-hating), saying, among other things that it "will cost the state hundreds of millions of dollars in law suits and sets the stage for ruining innocent lives"… Hmmm… Deal with it, I say…

… The Germans have made their fair share of serious mistakes for sure, and I’m not just talking about the particularly unflattering lederhosen (leather breeches) that many insist on wearing, but at this time of year they get it right - it’s October, and for many of my close acquaintances that means the time for the wonderful German combo of beer and sausages… I just thought you should know - do join me…

       I’m outta here… So, until we talk again – ‘Keep the Faith’; be careful out there; stay out of the ditches; think good thoughts; be wary of strangers with more dogs than teeth; 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”… Sometimes poking, often stroking, but always humbly yours, Turkey Vulture - pleased in the knowledge that the old hare has returned safely to his burrow…

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… Hi, Silver Swan – behaving yourself - even on your birthday?? Hopefully not! Many Happy Returns!… Bobwhite Quail - keep up the knitting!