# 469 - 29th July, 2015

    Greetings one and all. Are you are sitting comfortably? Then I shall begin…
    Are you up for some significant service to our community? Well your opportunity to make a difference has arrived. With High School Principal Michelle Hutchins taking on the extra duties of School Superintendent, many Valley folks believe a number of new ideas may be introduced at our local A.V. Elementary, Junior, and High Schools, and now we are presented with a moment in time in which we can make a positive complement to her appointment - the upcoming School Board elections in the fall. There current members - Martha ‘Marti’ Bradford, Richard ‘Dick’ Browning, and Patti Wilson - all have their terms of office expiring in November. These three may or may not be planning to stand for re-election but, either way, this occasion provides an opportunity for others who wish to make a positive impact to work alongside the new Superintendent and many others in moving the school district forward with fresh insights. However, time is getting short. Those wishing to apply for these positions must do so between July 13 to August 12 and should contact Administrative Assistant Leigh Kreienhop at the District Office for more details at 895-3774. If you are a capable, enthusiastic, and dedicated person to whom the best interests of the school are particularly important then I, and many others, would urge you to apply…

    As usual, our opening paragraph leads us lemming-like into the Quotes of the Week - on this occasion the topic being public service… Here’s some wise words from non other-than Martin Chuzzlewit in the novel of that name by Charles Dickens (1812-1870) who commented, “A man ain’t got no right to be a public man, unless he meets the public views”… Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826) had preceded this in a similar vein with his remark that “When a man assumes a public trust, he should consider himself as public property”… Hopefully any new School Board member will be aware of author Pearl S. Buck’s (1892-1973) observation, “To serve is beautiful, but only if it is done with joy and a whole heart and a free mind”… Homer adds “The charity that is a trifle to us can be precious to others”… Finally, let’s go to former Israeli leader Golda Meir (1898-1978) who would probably would have been a fine if somewhat autocratic Board member, and who said, “It is no accident that many accuse me of conducting public affairs with my heart instead of my head. Well, what if I do?… Those who don’t know how to weep with their whole heart, don’t know how to laugh either”…

    Onward… Here we go with this week’s Public Service Announcements (P.S.A.’s)… Calendars and pens at the ready… #710 - There will be a memorial for Hayes Brennan this Sunday afternoon, August 2, in the grassy area behind the main hall at the Fairgrounds. Things get underway at 2pm and food, drink, and music will be provided, while folks are asked to bring side dishes… #711 - There is live music once again at Lauren’s Restaurant this Saturday, August 1 at 9pm with The Two Sarahs supported by Aaron English… #712 - The monthly Barn Sale is back to its regular schedule of the first weekend of each month. This takes place at The St. Elizabeth Seton Catholic Church Refectory on A.V. Way just north of Boonville from 9am-3pm on both Saturday and Sunday, April 1 and 2… #713 - The Vets from the Mendocino Animal Hospital will be visiting the Valley on two occasions next month - that’s back-to-back Thursdays on August 13 and 20 at the usual time, 2pm-3.30pm, at the Anderson Valley Farm Supply on Highway 128, north of Philo… #714 - The Boonville Farmers’ Market continues every Saturday at the Boonville Hotel, 10am-12:30pm, featuring locally grown and produced vegetables, herbs, fruit and meat, as well as crafts and the last of the plant starts for your garden. You will also find knife and tool sharpening some weeks, music and conversation every week, plus other featured events throughout the summer and fall. For more info, call Cindy at 895-2949… #715 - The A.V. Lending Library run by The Unity Club is open Tuesday 1.30pm-4.30pm and Saturday 2pm-4pm at The Fairgrounds… #716 - The County Dump is open from 9am-4pm Tuesday, Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday. Remember, no dead animals!...
    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, July 30, the lunch, served by Marti Titus and her crew at Noon, will be Joe’s Chili with Corn Bread, and Brownies and Ice Cream for dessert… Then, next Tuesday, August 4, as always on the first Tuesday of the month, the lunch will feature Marti’s delicious Meatloaf, mashed potatoes, gravy, rolls, with Birthday cupcakes for dessert. All meals include vegetables, salad bar, and fruit, plus milk, coffee, tea, and lemonade. What a deal - it maybe the best $7 you non-seniors will 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 shall quickly put my pants on and continue…
… The Republican Party Circus, err, sorry, Presidential Nomination Process, is a dreadful display of politics at its most crass, but even by normal standards, Donald Trump is operating under rules of his own making that are perfectly suited to the voracious metabolism of the modern media, and the hyperventilated style of modern campaigning. Democrats are going in virtually the opposite direction with their tedious process that we all know the result of already, while The Donald has realized that the more outrageous his remarks, the more coverage and social media comment he generates. And the more coverage he receives, the better his polling numbers seemingly become. Increasingly, it appears that notoriety equals popularity amongst a large cohort of Republican voters… What a load of old bollocks…
… Want some sewing done? Sewing Suzan in Boonville, located  behind the ice cream store, will do as good a job as anyone in the Valley - trust me on this, you can thank me later…
… A number of regulars were discussing death and dying again this past week. Yes, we’re a joyful bunch… In conclusion, very few could remember many occasions in recent years when someone they knew had simply passed on peacefully in their sleep. It seemed that the vast majority of folks we knew had endured varying degrees of suffering in their last few months or later years from a variety of different diseases and illnesses. Going to sleep one night and not waking up, the way we all probably wish to go, does not seem to be ‘popular’ any more. What’s that all about? As the Pennsylvania Partridge’s Grandpa used to say,  pretty much every day, “Gettin’ old isn’t for sissies”…
… How was your Not-So-Simple Living Fair experience? Most folks seemed to enjoy the event that featured a  weekend of rural living skills education, homesteading workshops, back-to-the-land demonstrations, music, and dance, although one or two found it all to be really quite difficult…
… From our 3-Dot regular, The Old Buzzard, comes another in his insightful series – ‘Signs that the Apocalypse is Approaching’… Buzzard reports, “Regulars at the 3-Dot lounge were recently bemoaning the fact that it seems far more often than not a new property comes on to the market here in the Valley, one of the folks who already own substantial property here swoop down and snatch it up, often paying whatever they have to. This has certainly happened on a number of recent acquisitions and inevitably means that many local people rarely even get a sniff at buying their own place… The Napafication of the Valley that some people fear will almost certainly not occur here in many of its most obvious manifestations, but a significant level of gentrification certainly might, and many folks simply do not want to see this. Some of the changes are certainly improvements but far from all, and palm trees, tarmac driveways, and grandiose gated properties, etc, are just a few of the minor yet increasingly popular encroachments on Vally life that folks do not want to see sprouting up everywhere, and to many they are not just ostentatious signs of the rich getting richer but also that the Apocalypse is quickly approaching…”
    Thanks for your thoughts, Buzzard, and now 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 almost always humbly yours, Turkey Vulture - pleased in the knowledge that the old hare has safely moved to his new burrow.
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?… Hi, Silver Swan – behaving yourself? Hopefully not!… Everything cool with you, O.J.? Of course it is…

# 468 - 22nd July, 2015

    Greetings one and all. Are you are sitting comfortably? Then I shall begin… It was a veritable smorgasbord of activity and entertainment in the Valley over the past weekend. There was live music all over the place with The Ukeholics at Lauren’s Restaurant, The Subdudes at the Navarro Store Amphitheater, and ‘Dancing on Ivories’ with Tom McDermott at The Grange; not to mention other events such as the Barn Sale on A.V. Way, the usual wining and dining at our various restaurants, and the wonderful first annual Heroes of Health and Safety Fair at the Fairgrounds featuring all the good stuff that our local firefighters and ambulance crews provide us with… And City folks never fail to ask me what there is to do up here…

    The aroma of marijuana was unmistakeable in the parking lots at a couple of these events - not that there is anything shocking with that of course, but more importantly the subject of drugs provides this week’s topic for your Quotes of the Week… Here we go… First up it’s these wise words from Carl Jung (1875-1961), the Swiss psychiatrist and psychotherapist who founded analytical psychology and who said, “Every form of addiction is bad, no matter whether the narcotic be alcohol or morphine, or idealism”… And then there is this from 1930s/40s actress Tallulah Bankhead (1902-1968) who commented, “Cocaine isn’t habit-forming. I should know - I’ve been using it for years”… And who can forget Nancy Reagan’s (1921-?) ‘insightful’ advice on the taking of drugs - “Just say no”… Equally as brief, but with a little more effect in his day, is this famous remark by Timothy Leary ( 1920-1996), the American psychologist and writer known for advocating psychedelic drugs, who told folks to “Turn on, tune in, and drop out”… And finally this comment from someone who would certainly have enjoyed being in the Valley over the last weekend, Jack Nicholson (1937-?), the actor/filmmaker, who observed with a wry smile no doubt, “The only reason that cocaine is such a rage today is that people are too dumb and lazy to get themselves together to role a joint”… Nice one, Jack…

    Onward… Here are this week’s Public Service Announcements (P.S.A.’s) for what appears to be another busy week up here in the bucolic bubble that is Anderson Valley… Calendars and pens at the ready… #713 - The Vets from the Mendocino Animal Hospital will not be visiting the Valley again until Thursday, August 13… #714 - There will be a fundraiser to benefit the A.V. Land Trust at 5.30pm on July 25 at Stoney Bottom Gardens in Boonville. A farm fresh dinner will be served featuring local produce and meats, with local wines and live music by Bob Day. The event will also present tours of Walt and Ginger’s wonderful gardens and a silent auction with many tremendous prizes. Tickets are $100 for the wonderful food and wine. Contact AVLT@mcn.org or 895-3150 for further details… #715 - The Really Quite Hard Living Fair, known to some as The Not-So-Simple Living Fair, takes place this weekend, Friday-Sunday, July 24-26. For more information on this weekend of rural living skills education, homesteading workshops, back-to-the-land demonstrations, music, and dance go to notsosimple.info/whats-happening.com… #716 - The 3rd Annual Barrel Tasting is also this weekend, July 25/26, and 20-plus wineries throughout the Valley will be offering these special tastings on both Saturday and Sunday… #717 - The Mendocino Bookmobile returns to the Valley on Tuesday, July 28. 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… #718 - The A.V Museum is open every 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’…   

    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’ Building 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, July 23, the lunch, served by Marti Titus and her crew at Noon, will be Chicken Picatta with Better Cake for dessert… Then, next Tuesday evening, July 28 at 6pm, the dinner will feature Chicken Enchiladas with all the fixings, and Tres Leche Cake for dessert. 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’d better quickly put my pants on and share some of the latest topics of discussion at The Lounge…
… So, according to the latest Newsweek poll, Donald Trump leads the Republican pack for his party’s nomination?! Unbelievable! Come on - behave yourselves!…
…Open your minds and consider what Carl Sagan, creator and presenter of the wonderful series ‘Cosmos’ once said - “Used properly, television can educate and inspire awe as well as any book, painting, or film”… He was correct…
… Are the folks who request to befriend you on social media site FaceBollocks really asking, or is this generated by the site from the information they have regarding other friends you each may have? Just wondering as people want to be my friend and they have never met me… Surely I am not that popular?!…
… Will the art of face-to-face conversation, wherein human beings interact with one another through interesting and stimulating banter, back and forth, listening and talking, be obsolete in fifty years? Quite possibly, as many (but not all thankfully) of the under-20 brigade seem to have already decided to stop…
… A couple of twenty- and thirty-somethings who work at a local business are probably not a good example to follow. In two separate interchanges at the location on Sunday afternoon, I said ‘Hello’ or ‘Hi’ to these young adults and did not get a response. Instead there was an awkward silence as they seemed to ignore me. I repeated my greeting with emphasis and on this occasion they said ‘Hello’ back, but it was if I was a little odd to repeat the greeting… Maybe I am; or maybe it was just me they did not wish to respond to. Or perhaps they just are ignorant of certain courtesies in everyday life, and certainly some that are among the basics of their job… I think I know the answer, and it leads me to believe I’m just another boring old fart who harks back to a different era - which was not that long ago actually… Obviously the vast majority of the many Valley folks in the service industry, of all ages, do provide the social graces when dealing with customers, and in most cases much more, but unfortunately a small few remain clueless, crap at an important part of their job, or simply rude and, being in the industry for most of my woking life, it just bugs a curmudgeonly but polite bugger like myself…   

    Well now I think it’s time to take my 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 - still wallowing in the honor of having the 2nd tallest tree (343.6 feet) in Hendy Woods named after me and my ilk…
p.s. You can contact me with words of support/abuse either through the Letters Page or by e-mail at
p.p.s. On the sheep, Grace… Keep on humming, Hummingbird… Missing the Venerable Pheasant everyday…

# 467 - 15th July, 2015

    Greetings one and all. Are you are sitting comfortably? Then I shall begin… Let’s start of with a few observations from the Old Buzzard in his insightful series – ‘Signs that the Apocalypse is Approaching’… Buzzard reports, “As I sit here contemplating the state of the film industry, not only do I think that HBO provides better entertainment than going to a cinema (due mainly to all the top screenwriters now working for the premium cable networks having left the shoot-outs, explosions, special effects, and blatantly obvious plot lines to the movie business), but also that censorship in films has become ludicrous, while once again premium cable has got it right when it comes to sex and violence.
    “For the sake of credibility, you can’t show love/sex scenes for too long without showing a pair of breasts, and yet according to the movie censors in the UK and the US, a pair of breasts is often a problem and leads to prohibitive ratings. Chopping someone’s head off or riddling someone with bullets, that is not a problem. Showing parts of the anatomy that you can see on every beach in the south of France, and many other places for that matter - apparently that’s a problem and leads to unreasonable levels of censorship… It’s not a vitally important issue, and as I said, I was just ‘contemplating’ this odd state of affairs, but perhaps it is yet another example that the Apocalypse is rapidly approaching…”   
    Thank you for those wise words, Buzzard, and for providing the perfect segue into this week’s topic for the Quotes of the Week - censorship… Here we go… First let’s have this from Claude-Adrien Helveticus (1715-1771) the French philosopher, freemason, and littérateur, who said, “To limit the press is to insult a nation; to prohibit reading of certain books is to declare the inhabitants to be either fools or slaves”… And this from Max Lerner (1902-1992), the American journalist and educator known for his controversial syndicated column, who observed that “the problem of freedom in America is that of maintaining a competition of ideas, and you do not achieve that by silencing one brand of idea”… Leave it to playwright George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) to state that “Assassination is the extreme form of censorship”… And Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) weighs in with “The books that the world calls immoral are the books that show the world its own shame”… And let’s finish with this from movie actress Mae West (1893-1990), who commented saucily, “I believe in censorship. After all I made a fortune out of it”…

    Onward… Here are this week’s Public Service Announcements (P.S.A.’s)… Calendars and pens at the ready… #322 - They’re back - yes, The Subdudes return to the Valley this Saturday, July 18 at 6pm at The Navarro Store Amphitheater. The support act features Mendocino coast residents David Hayes (bass player with Van Morrison) and Gene Parsons (former Byrds' drummer), who will go on stage at 3pm, while Grill Master Guy Kephart will be ‘putting the meat to the heat’ for the always delicious bbq from 11am - 4pm. Tickets are $45 and for more information call 895-9445… #323 - Also on Saturday evening, July 18, it’s live music from The Ukeholics with support from the Boonville Little Orchestra at Lauren’s Restaurant in Boonville - show begins at 9pm… #324 - The Barn Sale takes place at The St. Elizabeth Seton Catholic Church Refectory on A.V. Way just north of Boonville from 9am - 3pm on both Saturday and Sunday, July 18/19… #325 - The Vets from the Mendocino Animal Hospital will not be visiting the Valley again until Thursday, August 13… #326 - The Boonville Farmers’ Market continues every Saturday at the Boonville Hotel, 10am -12:30 pm, featuring locally grown and produced vegetables, herbs, fruit and meat, as well as arts and crafts, and live music every week, plus other featured events throughout the summer and fall.  For more info, call Cindy at 895-2949… #327 - The A.V. Lending Library run by The Unity Club is open Tuesday and Saturday at The Fairgrounds: Tuesday 1.30 - 4.30pm and Saturday 2 - 4pm… #328 - The County Dump is open from 9am – 4pm Tuesday, Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday. Remember, no dead animals!… #329 - The A.V.Food Bank is on July 21. Gardeners, Farmers and Produce Growers of all kinds, please remember Food Bank days (3rd Tuesday of every month) as a place to donate your extra produce.  It will be greatly appreciated.  Please drop off on Monday, the day 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. Denisse Mattei is the Food Bank director. You can reach her at 895-3763…
       
    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… Tomorrow, Thursday, July 16, the lunch, served by Marti Titus and her crew at Noon, will be Oven Fish and Fries with Cinnamon Roll Cake
for dessert… Then, next Tuesday, July 21, the lunch will feature Beef Stroganoff with Sundae Cone Cake for dessert. 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… 
    Nothing to report from The Three-Dot Lounge this week as the location was closed to host a memorial for the recently deceased Venerable Pheasant - as amiable, agreeable, and pleasant a living being as you could ever hope to meet… R.I.P. and thank you for being you…

    Well now I think it’s time to take my leave… 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 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
p.p.s. Keep on humming, Hummingbird… On the sheep, Grace… Keep on wagging that tail, Fred… Everything cool with you, O.J.? Of course it is…

# 466 - 8th July, 2015

    Greetings one and all. Are you are sitting comfortably? Then I shall begin… Who reads The Economist? Those that do will be well aware that it’s a very informative weekly magazine that is one of the few rational outposts left that provides a global perspective and is a great fertilizer for the mind, in my humble opinion of course… Anyway, in last week’s edition, the leading article concentrated on the American penal system and how it could be less punitive and more effective.
    Among the many statistics that were presented in what was a very interesting and informative article, a couple of very basic ones stood out… With less than 5% of the world’s population, the U.S. holds roughly 25% of it’s prisoners - that is more than 2.3 million people, including 1.6 million in state and federal prisons and 700,000 in local jails and immigration pens. Per head, the incarceration rate in the land of the free has risen seven-fold since the 1970s and percentage-wise it is now five times Britain’s, nine times German’s, and fourteen times Japan’s… Some 49,000 Americans are serving life without the possibility of ever being released. In England, with almost a sixth of America’s population, there are just 55. And the cost to U.S. taxpayers is typically $68,000 per inmate each year… Something must surely be done, but with so many prosecutors and judges elected via ‘tough on crime tickets,’ the continuing of state and federal ‘mandatory minimum’ sentences and ‘three strike’ rules that compel courts to lock up even relatively minor repeat offenders for most of their lives, the gun lobby remaining so prevalent and strong, and the war on drugs continuing, reform will be slow…

    As usual, this next paragraph will concern itself with the topic of whatever appeared in the previous one - it’s your Quotes of the Week… First we have these thoughts from California Governor Jerry Brown, who wonders, “Prisons don’t  rehabilitate, they don’t punish, they don’t protect, so what the hell do they do?”… Next it’s this piece of simple wisdom from Jean Racine (1639-1699), one of France’s finest playwrights, who said, “Crime, like virtue, has its degrees”… Now it’s Paul Goodman (1911-1972) the American novelist, playwright, poet, social critic, anarchist philosopher, and public intellectual, who was of the opinion that “Penology has become torture and foolishness, a waste of money and a cause of crime”… And finally this week, let’s have this from a regular in this space, Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzche (1844-1900), the German philosopher, cultural critic, and so much more, who observed, “The broad effects which can be obtained by punishment in man and beast are the increase of fear, the sharpening of the sense of cunning, and the mastery of the desires; so it is that punishment tames man, but it does not make him ‘better’”… Excellent Freddy, I couldn’t have put it better myself!?…

    Onward… Public Service Announcements (P.S.A.’s)… Calendars and pens at the ready… #714 - At this time, due to staffing difficulties, the Vets from the Mendocino Animal Hospital are unable to make any visits to the Valley for the rest of July. They will be back in August and you will be the second to know…  #715 - Hendy Woods is now free on the second Sunday of every month to local folks who wish to make a visit to this very special place - that’s this coming weekend - July 12… #716 - Burn Permits are no longer available at this time from the Fire Department. Cal Fire, in their office at the south of town (in the ugly prison-like building past the gravel pits) are now in charge of this… #717 - The Mendocino Bookmobile returns to the Valley on Tuesday, July 14. 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… #718 - The A.V Museum is open every 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’… #719 - The A.V. Drumming Circle meets from 7pm to 9pm at The Grange on the second Wednesday of each month - that would be tonight, July 8. Call Rob at 895-3897 or Andy at 895-3020 for further details… #720 - The Anderson Valley Grange is having its regular second Sunday Pancake Breakfast on July 12 from 8:30-11am. Prices range from $5-10 - kids through hungry folks, for a delicious, locally-sourced breakfast. Choices include pancakes (gluten free available but gluten extra are not), eggs, and bacon, with a choice of juice, tea or coffee included… #721  A heads-up on the Subdudes' return to the Navarro Store Amphitheater on Saturday July 18 at 6pm… #722 - And another heads-up for the monthly ‘Open Mic’ night at Lauren’s restaurant in Boonville that returns that same night - Saturday, July 18 at 9pm (sign-up at 8.30pm). All are welcome - musicians, singers, poets, writers, impressionists, magicians, comedians, actors, fire-eaters, pole dancers, sword swallowers, ventriloquists, raconteurs, exotic dancers, animal callers, etc. No clowns - apparently they would scare any kids who might be there, and no mimes, please - they scare me!… #723 - And finally this week, there will be a fundraiser to benefit the A.V. Land Trust at 5.30pm on July 25 at Stoney Bottom Gardens in Boonville. A farm fresh dinner will be served featuring local produce and meats, with local wines and live music by Bob Day. The event will also present tours of Walt and Ginger’s wonderful gardens and a silent auction with many tremendous prizes. Tickets are $100 for the wonderful food and wine. Contact AVLT@mcn.org or 895-3150 for further details… Got all that?!?!…

    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’ Building 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, July 9, the lunch, served by Marti Titus and her crew at Noon, will be Cheese Burgers, Macaroni Salad, and Banana Split Cake for dessert… Then, next Tuesday evening, July 14 at 6pm, the dinner will feature Chicken and Kale, with Brown Rice Carrot Cake for dessert. As this is the 2nd Tuesday of the month, the dinner will be followed by Bingo at 7pm… 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…
… Many 3-Dot regulars are thankful that the work on installing new culverts at several locations along Highway 128 seems to have come to an end. Was it us, or were the delays longer during the times when folks were going to and from work? Besides was this project really necessary? It’s not like its ever going to rain again!…
… Mild rumblings continue to circulate around the Valley regarding the new-ish barn alongside Highway 128 opposite Breggo Cellars that was constructed, according to ‘investigative reporter' David Severn, neither strictly to code nor its stated usage by owner Tim Mullins of Balo/LiveOak, etc… In the lively discussions I have been a part of over the past week, I have heard a number of obvious suspects amongst the Valley’s ‘New Aristocracy’ leaping to the defense of Mullins and his ilk, with some using this opportunity to throw out the usual tiresome knee-jerk comments about the “scandal-mongering A.V.A.” Perhaps inevitably, these comments have been equaled by both Severn’s followers who implausibly fear an impending Napafication of the Valley and also those who are anti-winery and new business whatever the issue and no matter what benefits to the community these ‘newcomers’ may bring. It’s all fair game, both sides have valid points, and, as usual, if you ask a random sample of Valley folks what they think about this latest issue you will probably end up with six people with one opinion and half-a-dozen with the other - and that’s the way it is around here in the bucolic bubble that is Anderson Valley… On this particular occasion I guess I’m just a simple bird of prey sitting on a fence…
… Do many folks actually stop and think why July 4th is celebrated? Or is it pretty much these days simply an occasion, like Memorial Day and Labor Day, to gather with family and friends to eat drink and be merry? Not that there is anything wrong with that of course…

    I’m outta here - 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 - greatly saddened by the passing of the Venerable Pheasant…
p.s. You can contact me with words of support/abuse either through the Letters Page or by e-mail at
p.p.s. Keep on wagging that tail, Fred… Hi, Silver Swan – behaving yourself? Hopefully not!… Keep up the good work, Round-eyed Robin - and how are you?…

# 465 - 1st Juy, 2015

Greetings one and all… Are you are sitting comfortably? Then I shall begin… A little over four years ago, Jack Kevorkian, the American pathologist and most famously the euthanasia activist, died at the age of 83. I mention this as a result of some recent personal experiences of being around many elderly folks with no quality of life remaining - the kind of people whom Kevorkian believed should be able to end their lives with some dignity intact. He is best known for publicly championing a terminal patient's right to die via physician-assisted suicide, and admitted to assisting at least 130 patients to that end. He famously said, "Dying is not a crime” but the moral and legal wrangling continues to surround this contentious issue. Meanwhile, several regulars at the Three-Dot, myself included, raised our glasses on the anniversary of the death of the man who said, "My aim in helping the patient was not to cause death. My aim was to end suffering. It's got to be decriminalized"... Having recently seen first hand the awful quality of life endured by many terminally ill patients, I could not agree more wholeheartedly…
    In Europe, it is a well-known option to send loved ones to Switzerland where the permissive legal environment is unique, and has given rise to at least four assisted-suicide organizations. The Netherlands also has similar options, as do a number of nations in north western Europe. With that in mind, what more appropriate Quote of the Week could you ask for than these words from German philosopher, Friedrich Nietzsche, “One should die proudly when it is no longer possible to live proudly”…

    Now that I’ve cheered you all up, let’s move on to the Public Service Announcements (P.S.A.’s)… Calendars and pens at the ready… # 618 - The Vets from the Mendocino Animal Hospital will be in town at the A.V. Farm tomorrow Thursday, July 2. Call 462-8833 for further details. They set up at the AV Farm Supply from 2pm to 3.30pm and to avoid a line perhaps go around 3pm - you will definitely be seen. New customers and their pets are always welcome. Their next visit will be until August…#619 - Coming to The Grange tomorrow evening, July 2, will be a special live show of ‘First Person Plural,’ a series of original monologues performed by six women. It is for one night only at 7pm; doors open at 6.30pm and there is a $5-$10 entrance fee… #620 - The Boonville Farmers’ Market continues at its regular summer location in the parking lot at the Boonville Hotel. It runs from 10-12:30 and you are encouraged to come by with your locally grown or made food or crafts, to sell or trade, or just stop in to check out and buy some of the wonderful produce etc on sale. For more info, call Cindy at 895-2949… #621 - The A.V. Lending Library run by The Unity Club is open Tuesday and Saturday at The Fairgrounds: Tuesday 1.30pm-4.30pm and Saturday 2pm-4pm… #622 - The County Dump is open from 9am – 4pm Tuesday, Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday. Remember, no dead animals!… #623 - The Old Fashioned Fourth of July Celebration at the Boonville Fairgrounds sponsored by the AV Education Foundation, is this Saturday, July 4 from noon to 4pm. $4 adult - under 18 free. Events include: children's costume parade with prizes, water balloon toss and relay races, cake auction, bouncy house, face painting, cake auction, chicken clucking/rooster crowing contest, tug of war for children, Deep Enders vs High Rollers adult tug of war. Food available for purchase: Lion's Club BBQ tri-tip sandwiches, hot dogs, Mexican lunch plate, lemonade and root beer floats, wine and beer, blackleberry and apple pie, baked goods. Questions call Gail Gester 895-2344…

    The Senior Center at the Veterans’ Building in Boonville will be closed for a week from Monday, June 29 to Monday, July 6, so that a new stove can be installed. There will be no community lunches or dinners served at the Center during this time. They will re-open for lunch on Tuesday, July 7 when the lunch, served by Marti Titus and her crew at Noon, will be Chicken quesadillas with all the trimmings, and Mango cake for dessert. The Center asks for a $6 donation from seniors and charges $7 for Non-seniors… Hopefully you will be able to attend, and remember – ALL ages are welcome! 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…
… The popular monthly Guest Chef Dinners that the Senior Center has presented through the summer months for the past four years have come to an end. It was a good run given the amount of work each one takes and now the Senior Center Board is moving on with other ideas for their fundraising. However, the good news is that a couple of the off-shoots from those events, the Summer Roasted Pig Luau (August 1) and Fall Allen’s Octoberfest Dinner, will continue and ‘yer gotta like that’… Meanwhile, here is a list of the Chef’s who presented 17 such enjoyable and unique dining experiences over the years: 2011 - Tom Rodrigues, Diana Charles, Corey Morse, and Fal Allen and Crew; 2012 - Marilyn Pronsolino, Tom Rodrigues, Jared Titus, Star White, and Fal Allen and Crew; 2013 - Philo Ridge Winery, Dean Titus, Chris Rossi, Matt Ward, and Fal Allen; 2014 - David Knight, Chris Rossi, and of course, Fal Allen and Crew…
… Several Three-Dot regulars, who have also frequented The Buckhorn for many years, have commented on the very officious signs that have been recently posted by ‘Offstreet Studio Management’ in the parking lot between the pub/restaurant and the Farrer Building. In relatively small print, the signs state, among several things, that the space is to be used as parking for, I quote exactly, “Farrar Property tenants, patrons, and residents only” … This is news to most folks, and many Buckhorn customers have expressed dismay at the postings, being very aware that the space has been used by customers of that establishment and its predecessors for almost thirty years. One might assume there has been some sort of accident to act as a catalyst for these new postings, and I would agree that the parking is a little tight, but over all that time surely virtually everyone using the space, from both buildings, has maneuvered carefully. It will be interesting to see how this is enforced, and the repercussions if it is… Meanwhile, assuming it is true (and why would we doubt the folks at Offstreet Studio Management / The Boonville Hotel?), then the signs would probably have been a lesser target for derision had they spelt the name of the building they represented correctly. It is ‘Farrer,’ not ‘Farrar’ - dear, oh, dear…
… On a far more pleasing note, Karen Ottobani contacted me to say, “Ross Murray, the Valley’s oldest man at 96 years old,* spent about two hours on Sunday afternoon checking out the scene at the Sierra Nevada Music Festival. He enjoyed a salmon dinner and took home a delicious chocolate mousse brownie for later. He saw Monty Morris on the Village stage and thought the dance troupe (those lovely ladies in fishnet stockings) had ‘good moves’ - not bad coming from a professional Hollywood dancer! I think he really enjoyed the artful activity all around both the town and his new abode at the nearby Elder Home. However, with a big smile he commented that ‘It ain't the fair’…”…  Karen also mentioned to me that the event’s producers gave Ross a complimentary ticket - after all he is most likely the oldest ever attendee… (*The Valley’s oldest resident is 97-year old Freda Fox; Ross is second)…
… From our 3-Dot regular, The Old Buzzard, comes another in his insightful series – ‘Signs that the Apocalypse is Approaching’… Buzzard reports, “In the past week I have made some phone calls that would strongly suggest that such an event is nearly upon us… I called United Airlines at San Francisco airport to check on a flight arrival time and was told by a machine that there would be a 35-minute wait time to get such information - not very helpful… I called Pet Meds to order some heartworm medication for my dog. I was pleasantly surprised to told that there were no calls ahead of me, but then had to inexplicably listen to about three minutes of annoying music before someone came on the line… I called  my mother’s doctor’s office to check on whether the secretary had set up an appointment for her at a specialist’s. I was told they did not know and could not check if the secretary had made the appointment because she was on vacation and they did not know the password to her email messages that would have contained such information… Life in the modern world, I guess…”

    I feel your angst, Buzzard, but I’m outta here - 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 - 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
p.p.s. On the sheep, Grace… Hi, Silver Swan – behaving yourself?Hopefully not!… Keep on humming, Hummingbird…