# 436 - December 10th, 2014
Greetings one and all – if you are sitting comfortably
then I shall begin… So, the Christmas lights are beginning to appear around
town and as my maternal grandfather The Venerable Vulture would no doubt have
said, “It’s all very festive and gay” - in the traditional sense of the word of
course… Although it must be said, and let’s be honest about this, ultimately
this time of year is really only unconditionally enjoyed by a couple of groups
of people - children (for all the obvious reasons) and gay men - and as a
result of spending many Christmas holidays in San Francisco as the only
straight Turkey Vulture on a construction crew of six birds of prey, I feel
that I can make that observation with a degree of authority - yes, those guys
just loved this time of year… And the parties? Wow!…
And with
that last thought in mind, for your Quotes of the Week let’s refer to ‘parties’
- a topic we have never visited for quotes before… First up, we have this from
that master of good manners, Jane Austen, who somewhat inevitably said, “The
sooner every party breaks up the better” - I love her writing but she should
have relaxed a little sometimes; maybe even burned her bodice!?... Next, who
can argue with Elsa Maxwell (1883-1963), the American gossip columnist and
author, songwriter, and professional hostess renowned for her parties for
royalty and high society figures of her day, who commented with some experience
that, “Nothing spoils a good party like a genius” - yes, Elsa, many a good
party around these parts has been tarnished by certain ‘experts’ and their
know-it-all monologues… Having attended a number of those S.F. parties
mentioned above, it would seem that those in attendance were not aware of these
wise words from British writer Izaac Walton (1594-1683) who said, “I love such
mirth as does not make friends ashamed to look upon one another next morning”…
But finally, and with the ‘Season of Joy’ upon us, let me share these splendid
thought by Adela Rogers St. Johns (1894-1988), the American journalist,
novelist, and screenwriter, who remarked, “Joy seems to me a step beyond
happiness - which is a sort of atmosphere you can live in sometimes when you’re
lucky. Joy is a light that fills you with hope and faith and love”… And with
that I wish you much joy at this time of year…
Public
Service Announcements (P.S.A.’s)… Calendars and pens at the ready… #340 - The
Vets from the Mendocino Animal Hospital will be visiting the Valley just once
more this month - tomorrow, Thursday, December 11 from 2-4pm at the A.V. Farm
Supply 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! This is their final
visit of the year but they have confirmed two dates in January - Thursdays, January
15 and 29… #341 - The annual toy drive by the Food Shed and our Volunteer Fire
Fighters is underway and you can certainly help by visiting All That Good Stuff
store in Boonville where owner Claudia will give 10% off any toy that you buy
for kids who will not be getting much else this Christmas. She will pass that
gift on the volunteers when they come by at the end of this week to pick up the
toys - please contribute if you can… #342 - Gardeners, farmers and produce
growers of all kinds, please remember Food Bank days as a time to donate your
extra produce. This is always the third Tuesday of every month, which on
this occasion is next Tuesday, December 16. It will be greatly appreciated if
you could please drop off on the Monday before, behind the Boonville Methodist
Church. If you need someone to glean your produce to take to the Food
Bank, contact Valerie Kim at valerie.h.kim@gmail.com or Denisse Mattei, the Food
Bank director, at 895-3763… #343 - The Boonville Winter Market is every
Saturday, rain or shine, in front of the Boonville General Store, 10-12:30.
Come on down with your locally grown or made food or crafts, to sell or
trade. For more info, call Cindy at 895-2949… #344 - The Chamber of Commerce
‘Mixer’ planned for The Madrones tomorrow, Thursday, December 11, has been
cancelled…
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…
… Many people in the Valley who have chickens no doubt
have their ‘horror’ stories of their coops being invaded by various creatures
that manage to get inside and then devour the defenseless brood… Well any such
critters who may be thinking about making an ‘attack’ on the plump and healthy
looking chickens at Penny Royal Farm at the south end of Boonville will have to
come up with quite a master plan to overcome the veritable ‘Chicken Castle’
that has been built there alongside Hwy 128… I’ll keep you posted…
… A
number of Three-Dot regulars, including myself, have attended or plan to attend
the Christmas parties of a couple of the Valley’s book clubs. However, I am
having little luck in securing an invite to the event being held by the
wonderfully named Cliterati book club. For some reason I have never been
invited to any of their gatherings…
… So the holiday parties continue and a wonderful
evening was had by all at the A.V. Brewery’s event last Friday evening where
the food and drink inevitably and appropriately flowed in abundance. However,
it will be hard to top the Volunteer Firefighter Association’s event held at
River’s Bend (formerly Wellspring) and catered by Coq au Vin. The hors
d’oeuvres, turkey dinner, and desserts were all delicious and as the wine
flowed the various awards were passed out to various volunteers for the
wonderful service this group does for our community. A great night out in the
Valley on many levels…
… The next day saw a gathering of the A.V. High School
Boys’ soccer team and coaches at The Buckhorn, Boonville to celebrate their
recently concluded Championship season with pizza and spicy wings. While their
efforts do not have the importance of those by the firefighters, the joy they
gave many folks this past season was significant and the smiles on their faces,
barely visible beneath the smeared hot sauce, were equally as joyful and
well-earned…
… Next up it’s the I.C.W. (Independent Career Women)
party this evening at The Buckhorn to which a number of Dependent Career-less
Men have been invited for the only time of the year when the ‘inner sanctum’ of
the Women’s gathering is open to the men’s wonderment… And on Sunday, the A.V.
Lions will be celebrating another year of Valley fund-raising as they sit down
to enjoy a feast at Coq au Vin restaurant at The Floodgate where they will not
have to prepare food, bbq tri-tips, or clean-up a single thing - they deserve
it!...
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…
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… Is that ‘lafter’
I hear, Carroll?... Keep up the good work, Round-eyed Robin - wherever you may
be at this time…
posted by Turkey Vulture @ 10:53 AM
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