# 456 - 29th April, 2015

    Greetings one and all – if you are sitting comfortably then I shall begin…. Let’s start with these important Public Service Announcements (P.S.A.’s)…
    Calendars and pens at the ready… #810 - The Vets from the Mendocino Animal Hospital have two upcoming confirmed dates of when they will be in the Valley - tomorrow, Thursday, April 30 and then again in two weeks on Thursday, May 14… #811 - The Barn Sale returns in less than two weeks time for its usual spring, summer, and fall run after a four-month hiatus. This takes place at The St. Elizabeth Seton Catholic Church Refectory on A.V. Way just north of Boonville from 9am to 3pm on both Saturday and Sunday, May 2 and 3… #812 - The Mendocino Bookmobile returns to the Valley on Tuesday, May 5. They are here on alternate Tuesdays for 45 minutes at each of these places and times: Navarro Store 9am (for just 30 minutes); the Floodgate 12.30pm; Philo 1.30pm; Boonville (Apple Hall) 2.30pm. Phone 463-4694 for further details… #813 - The A.V Museum continues its spring hours of Saturday and Sunday, from 1pm-4pm. Situated in The Little Red Schoolhouse next to the Elementary School on A.V. Way, this is a perfect thing to do in the Valley when you have a couple of hours spare on a weekend afternoon. It is not without reason that it is generally regarded as ‘The Best Little Museum in the West’… #814 - Need a burn permit? You can get one from the Firehouse in Boonville. Call 895-2020 for details or stop by - you will be efficiently served with a smile - trust me on this…   
    As a bonus P.S.A. here is the menu for the Community lunches over the next week at 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, April 30, the lunch, served by Marti Titus and her crew at Noon, will be Moroccan chicken stew, Sweet potatoes, couscous, pomegranate, quinoa salad, and grasshopper squares for dessert… Then, next Tuesday, May 5, lunch  will feature Meatloaf, mashed potatoes, gravy rolls, carrots, Bulgar spinach salad, and Birthday cupcakes. All meals include vegetables, salad bar, and fruit, plus milk, coffee, tea, and lemonade. What a deal - it maybe the best $7 you’ll spend all week! 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 (yet surprisingly reliable) Rumors” from my favorite gathering place in the Valley, a somewhat secret location that sees people get together and share their thoughts about life in Anderson Valley and often far beyond, 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, with that in mind, I’ll put my pants on and continue…
… No more frosts?… Does this mean the postponement of the rumored sabotage attacks on the wineries’ frost protection fans? Can someone let me know, please?…
… Many 3-Dot regulars attended last weekend’s Goat Festival and Wildflower Show and, while there were a few hiccups at this inaugural event, there is no doubt that the Goat Fest was well-received and has great potential. Several competitions took place along with various animal husbandry displays among the various vendors of food and drinks, including the always reliable beer and wine bar provided by the A.V. Lions. The Goat Parade was won by Annie Goatly and her appropriately named goat, The Goat; the Goat Calling did not result in a clear winner as neither of the two goats - Dagwood and Zelda, moved a single inch towards any one of the ten competitors calling them from the other side of the pen; the Goat Milking was a success however, won by Deputy Sheriff Craig Walker whose handiwork produced the most milk from Licorice the goat - Craig beat out the other ‘celebrity’ milkers - local doctor Logan McGhan and High School Principal Michelle Hutchins; and the Birria cook-off featured six offerings, each of which had many pus points. The winner was Tim Ward of the Anderson Valley Community Farm, who very narrowly edged out Ricardo from The Redwood Drive-In for the top prize… It was a fine afternoon hopefully enjoyed by all - ‘Well done’ to Jim Devine, Cindy Wilder, Valerie Adair, and the many others who helped  in the event’s organizing and presentation. See you next year!…
… The art exhibit featuring drawings and paintings by Kyllikki ‘Kay’ Clark at the Scharffenberger Cellars tasting room is soon to end its run. Thursday, May 14 is the last day in fact. Kay, a native of Finland, grew up in World War 2 and lived in the Valley for many years, drawing her inspiration for these works from her early life in war-torn Finland, nature, and wildlife. All proceeds go to A.V. Arts Scholarship Fund to further student studies in the visual, performing, and literary arts…
… Perhaps all the constructive criticism has worked? I am talking about the Chamber of Commerce Events' Calendar that for too long has been referred to around the Valley rather unfortunately as - 'one of the Valley’s best kept secrets,’ or even worse, in this column, as ‘not worth looking at’… I am now very pleased to announce that there is work afoot to change this, and those involved are to be congratulated for doing so. Look for the changes to happen soon, particularly the events attracting visitors to the Valley, while the all-encompassing version of the wide range of all Valley events will take a little longer to compile… Meanwhile, you should know that the current list of Senior center Lunches on the current calendar is incorrect - as regular readers of this column will be well aware, the second and final Tuesdays are not lunches - they are dinners beginning at 6pm; with the dinner on the second Tuesday being followed by Bingo at 7pm… Now you know, again……

    Oh, dear, have I upset somebody? Surely not because of my expectation that folks might do what they say they will do - even if they are volunteers… Oh, well, I’ll get my coat and leave... Besides, 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; 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, 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…
p.s. You can contact me with words of support/abuse either through the Letters Page or by e-mail at
p.p.s. Skylark – read any good books lately?.. Keep on humming, Hummingbird… Everything cool with you, O.J.? Of course it is…