# 435 - December 3rd, 2014

Greetings one and all – if you are sitting comfortably then I shall begin… So how was your Turkey Day? Excessive and ‘over-the-top’, I hope. Here at The Nest it was a beautifully messy affair of organized chaos and that’s the way we like it...

       And for your Quote of the Week, and to perhaps explain my philosophy regarding the Thanksgiving Day festivities (and I assume I’m in the majority on this), may I offer these words from the wonderful novelist and short story writer, W. Somerset Maugham (‘Of Human Bondage’ (1915)), who wisely observed, “Excess on occasion is exhilarating. It prevents moderation from acquiring the deadening effect of a habit.” – good stuff, William... Of course I could have given you the classic comment on this topic by William Blake. In fact, as this is the mantra for any self-respecting Turkey Vulture, I think I will present it anyway. It was Blake, a fine poet, who said, “The road to excess leads to the palace of wisdom”… And who can argue with that?

       Onward… Well the ‘Party Season’ in just about upon us and apart from various organizations’ and businesses’ staff parties, we also have seasonal gatherings for the ICW, various Book Clubs, the Lions Club, The Grange Community Lunch, the Volunteer Fire Fighters, and many others too. Remember to drink sensibly and drive carefully… Meanwhile, daily life goes on in and around the Valley so here are this week’s Public Service Announcements (P.S.A.’s)… Calendars and pens at the ready… #500 - Another update and early reminder, with Christmas gifts in mind perhaps, of the Valley’s two annual Crab Feeds that will take place early in the New Year. First it’s the event that benefits the Senior Center, organized by the hard-working Board, and held on Saturday, January 17. Then, three weeks later, on Saturday, February 7, it will be Gloria Ross and her Crew presenting their event, ‘The Original Crab Feed’ on behalf of the Catholic Church. Tickets for the first event ($30) are on sale now and can be purchased at the Senior Center (895-3609), A.V. Market, Rossi’s Hardware, or Lemons’ Market; and those for the Feb 7 feed ($40) go on sale next week at some point. Both events will sell out so you are advised to not leave it to the last minute!… #501 - The Vets from the Mendocino Animal Hospital will make their final 2014 visit to the Valley next week, on Thursday, December 11. As usual, the venue is the A.V. Farm Supply from 2-4pm and new customers are always welcome. Previous visitors should be aware that they 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!… #502 - The Anderson Valley High School Ag Dept and FFA have started their annual Holiday Happiness wreath and arrangement sale which goes a long way to helping with many of their projects. Contact teacher Beth Swehla by phone at 895-2514 or email at bswehla@avpanthers.org with your order. Last day to order is Monday, December 9; pick-up at the school from Dec 4-12... #503 - Christmas trees are available at the A.V. Farm Supply. Call 895-3884 for more details and remember - try to shop locally at this time of year!... #504 - 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, December 6/7 from 10am to 3pm each day, and with Christmas in mind there will be 50% off clothing items. This is the final sale of the year and they will not be back until March 2015… #505 - At Lauren’s Restaurant in Boonville this Friday December 5, at 9pm, there is live music with Jeremy, Brooks, and the Honey Do Do's - apparently their next (first) stop on their tour to New Orleans!... #506 - Also at Lauren’s, the General Knowledge and Trivia Quiz continues on its schedule of every Thursday this month - except for Dec 25 and Jan 1…

       As a bonus P.S.A. here is the menu for the Community lunches and dinners over the next week at the Senior Center in 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, December 4, the lunch, served by Marti Titus and her crew at 12.15pm, will be Vegetable Beef Soup, rolls, Broccoli Salad, Wheat Berry Salad, and Triple Lemmon Dessert for dessert… Then, next Tuesday evening, December 9 at 6pm, the dinner will feature Buttermilk Chicken, Sauté’ Collards, Brown Rice, Faro Salad, Strawberry Gelatin, with Carrot Cake for dessert. As this is the 2nd Tuesday of the month, the dinner will be followed by Bingo at 7pm. Hopefully you will be able to attend, and 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…

… Based on my travels up and down the Valley, the Thanksgiving Day weekend appeared to be a busy one for the winery tasting rooms… And the special sale at the A.V. Farm Supply, that offered hot drinks and snacks to customers as well as the 20% discount on purchases also seemed to be a success - well done to them!...

… The Redwood Classic high school basketball tournament, hosted by our local high school for nearly 60 years, starts today. So for all that is good about high school sports, plus plenty of excitement, head down to the gym in Boonville where the games come thick and fast over four days, with the Championship game on Saturday evening. The A.V. team is pretty decent this year and hopes are high, with their first game played tonight at 7.30pm against Valley Christian from Roseville - Go Panthers!…

… Several regulars continue to remain bemused, bewildered, perplexed, and even stupefied by the Chamber of Commerce website’s events page. In December all that they have listed as going on around here is their own monthly meeting, the Grange monthly meeting, and the lunches at the Senior Center - and they even have many of these listed either incorrectly - lunches instead of dinners, or happening when they are not - the Center is closed for two weeks around Christmas and New Year... Why even bother?... Anyway, I am reliably informed by other sources that the Chamber is apparently having a ‘Mixer’ at The Madrones on Thursday, December 11 at 5.30pm (“Bring finger food, desserts, or wine”) but I don’t suppose I am invited so I shall not be sending in the requested R.S.V.P. by December 8…

       Oh, dear, have I upset somebody? Oh, well - just calling a spade a spade… Onward… 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 almost 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? Hopefully not!... Good day to you, Bobwhite Quail - keep up the knitting!