# 473 - 26th August, 2015

   Greetings one and all. Are you are sitting comfortably? Then I shall begin… I am pleased to report that our A.V. volunteer firefighters who have been battling the forest fires east of here for the past month or so have finally returned safely to the Valley. ‘Great job one and all! - the gratitude of many Nor Cal folks could not be more fully deserved…

    That provides a fine segue to the fact that Volunteerism seems to be a frequent topic of discussion in these parts and, as I like to do every few years or so for your Quote of the Week, here are a few fine examples of what some wise people have said about this worthy pastime… From Margaret Mead (1902-1978), the cultural anthropologist, we have, “Never doubt that a small group of committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has”… And there is this simple but insightful thought from Lily Tomlin (1939-?), the American actress, comedian, writer, and producer – “I always looked at certain situations and wondered why somebody didn't do something about them. Then I realized I was somebody”… Muhammad Ali (1942-?), generally considered among the greatest heavyweights in the sport's history and highly regarded by many for his thoughts on religious freedom and racial issues, provides us with, “Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on Earth"… And the observation "I don't know what your destiny will be, but one thing I know: the only ones among you who will be really happy are those who have sought and found how to serve” comes from Albert Schweitzer (1875-1965), the philosopher, physician, and Nobel Peace Prize Winner… Finally, I leave it with Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (1869-1948) – ‘Mahatma’ to most of us, to sum it all up with his comment, “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others”…

    Onward… Here’s this week’s Public Service Announcements (P.S.A.’s)… Calendars and pens at the ready… #544 - The Vets from the Mendocino Animal Hospital will be visiting the Valley on two occasions over the next month - that’s Thursdays, September 10 and 24 at the Anderson Valley Farm Supply on Highway 128, north of Philo… #545 - A film entitled ‘Boonville Redemption’ will be shown at 7pm on Friday, Aug 28 at the Boonville Assembly of God Church next door to the Senior Center. Free Admission for all ages. Apparently it is “a movie night, fun for the family and folks are inited to watch the movie before it's even released to the theaters. It's a family oriented movie about ‘wrong choices and redemption’.” Doors open at 6:30pm… I could be mistaken but I suspect the venue for this screening is an insight to what the film is about - not that there is anything wrong with that, and some folks will be happy to know that the marketing for the movie comes with a quote from the Bible and accolades for the movie come from various religious groups. I just think that folks should be informed of the movie’s content in the interest of the public not making a ‘wrong choice’ about what to do on a Friday evening… # 546 - 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 crafts.  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… #547 - 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… #548 - The County Dump is open from 9am - 4pm Tuesday, Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday. Remember, no dead animals!… #549 - The Barn Sale returns on the first weekend of the month next week - that’s Saturday and Sunday, September 5/6…
    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, August 27, the lunch, served by Marti Titus and her crew at Noon, will be Parmesan Breaded Fish with Chocolate Revel Bars for dessert… Then, next Tuesday, September 1, the lunch will feature Meatloaf, Mashed Potatoes with gravy, and 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’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 shall quickly put my pants on and continue…
… School started this past Monday and a good thing too… Flying around the school on ‘opening day’, I was impressed by the vibrant enthusiasm shown by teachers and students alike. However, while regular readers will know that I am far from prudish, I was nonplussed by the fact that the school dress code seems as if it will be severely tested over the coming weeks… I have asked this before, but when is a school uniform going to be introduced? An idea that has many more benefits than flaws despite what some people will no doubt think…
… Talking of the school, how refreshing to see a few of our local teachers enjoying a glass of wine or a pint of beer together at The Buckhorn on Friday evening following a long week of preparation for the new semester. Some folks may think this is not a good thing, as if it in some way might detract from their abilities as teachers. What utter nonsense… If my offspring went to a school where the teachers got together for a chat and a drink on a Friday evening, I would be very pleased in the belief that an exchange of ideas and team spirit was being fostered. Alternatively, if this activity was frowned upon, I would fear the lack of a broad-minded and enlightened education being received by the fruits of my loin… Just sayin’…
… The Connecticut Cormorant, a dear friend of many, many years, stopped by the Three-Dot this past weekend and proceeded to devour vast quantities of beer and cigarettes, while unceasingly indulging in the kind of nefarious activities generally associated with those who embrace the hedonistic lifestyle. Among all the pleasure-seeking, he also found some moments for quiet reflection and managed to share his skills in the art of bird feather arranging with some local folks that included Hummingbird and the Larger Breasted Warbler… He commented how remarkably welcoming he found the Valley, and that he had made more friends here in one week than he might in one year back on the east coast… You’re welcome, sir, and let’s hope it’s not too long before your next visit…
… Myself and many other regulars thoroughly enjoyed Sunday’s Lions Club ti-tip bbq benefit for the A.V. Volunteer Ambulance department that was attended by about 120 people in the glade at The Fairgrounds. Led by Chairman Bill Harper and his crew of lions and lionesses, this organization continues to lead the way in the Valley in terms of its benevolence and continuing enthusiasm for the causes they support and the hard work they put in. And they do it with a smile too!… The introduction of ribs to the menu was a masterstroke that has been a long-time coming… As for the music, provided by the Joe Blow Band, many in the crowd recognized that the recently added lead female vocalist Stephanie clearly has potential and she could go far… Yes - a fine afternoon in the Valley was had by one and all…
   
    Well now I think it’s time to take my leave. Besides I’ve got see a man about a sheep… So, that’s enough, “take me drunk, I’m home,” and 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…

# 472 - 19th August, 2015

Greetings one and all. Are you are sitting comfortably? Then I shall begin… I am taking a break this week so the column will consist of just the Public Service Announcements and other brief salutations and greetings. I shall return, hopefully revitalized, next week…

    Public Service Announcements (P.S.A.’s)… Calendars and pens at the ready… #864 - The next Lions Club fundraising bbq at the Fairgrounds in Boonville is this coming Sunday, August 23 from 4pm-7pm and will benefit the A.V. Volunteer Ambulance… #865 - Saturday, August 22 sees the 11th annual Yorkville Highlands Wine Festival that will include tasting award-winning Yorkville wines made and grown within the region, delicious regional cuisine, music, a tempting silent auction, a grape stomp, and other wild and wacky games. This year’s event takes place from Noon to 5pm at Meyer Family Cellars on Highway 128, between Yorkville and Boonville. $45 for tickets - contact Matt Meyer at 707 895-2341 or check on their web site… #866 - The Vets from the Mendocino Animal Hospital will be visiting the Valley on one more occasion this month - tomorrow, Thursdays, August 20 at the usual time, 2pm-3.30pm, at the Anderson Valley Farm Supply on Highway 128, north of Philo… #867 - The Mendocino Bookmobile returns to the Valley on Tuesday, August 25. 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… #868 - 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, August 20, the lunch, served by Marti Titus and her crew at Noon, will be Vodka sauce with sausage and pasta, with Triple Chocolate for dessert… Then, next Tuesday evening, August 25 at 6pm, the dinner will feature Honey Mustard Chicken and Cherry Crisp 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… 

    Well now I think it’s time to take my leave; as you probably realize, I’ve got see a man about a sheep… So, that’s enough for now - “take me drunk, I’m home,” and 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. On the sheep, Grace… Keep on humming, Hummingbird…Missing the Venerable Pheasant everyday…

# 471 - 12th August, 2015

Greetings one and all. Are you are sitting comfortably? Then I shall begin…
    Statistics continue to support the impression created by the grim sequence of mass shootings in this country that such incidents are becoming more common. These are frequently highlighted by the ramshackle system of background checks for gun-buyers. Gun lobbyists and their allies say the answer is for more law-abiding Americans to carry guns in colleges, or shopping malls, or churches. This impulse to self-defense in kind is natural - but surely mistaken… Does keeping guns or carrying them around make people safer? All research suggests it does not. In fact keeping guns at home doubles the risk of a resulting homicide. This holds for not just for homes, but for states and countries: more guns means more gun-related murders, tragic accidents and suicides… And when it comes to those who carry concealed weapons, it is far more likely for someone to perpetrate a mass shooting than to be called upon to defend themselves and prevent such occurrences - gun-wielding bystanders rarely curtail killings. However, we now have a situation wherein well-meaning, fearful individuals take the seemingly rational decision to arm themselves. Almost all of them plan to be prudent with their guns. Alas, that is not always the case…

    With this in mind, what better topic for your Quotes of the Week than a range of comments on guns and gun control?… Here we go… First we have this confused ramble from the inexplicably reestablished Ronald Reagan, who said, “As long as there are guns, the individual that wants a gun for a crime is going to have one and going to get it. The only person who’s going to be penalized and have difficulty is the law-abiding citizen, who then cannot have it if he wants protection - the protection of a weapon in his home, for home protection” - thank you for clearing that up, Ron, now go back to talking to Bonzo… Next we turn to Johnny Carson who was more succinct but of the same ilk when he commented, “You can get more with a kind word and a gun than you can with a kind word alone”… For some common sense let’s go to Robert F. Kennedy who said almost fifty years ago, “With all the violence and murder and killings we’ve had in the United States, I think you will agree that we must keep firearms from people who have no business with guns”… Finally, let’s turn to Sigmond Freud’s thoughts on what he deems to be a problem humankind has faced for a long time - “The very emphasis of the commandment: Thou shall not kill, makes it certain that we are descended from an endlessly long chain of generations of murderers, whose love of murder was in their blood as it is perhaps also in ours”… Not very comforting is it?…

    Public Service Announcements (P.S.A.’s)… Calendars and pens at the ready…
    #718 - The Vets from the Mendocino Animal Hospital will be visiting the Valley on two occasions this month - that’s tomorrow, Thursdays, August 13 and again next week, August 20 at the usual time, 2pm-3.30pm, at the Anderson Valley Farm Supply on Highway 128, north of Philo… #719 - There will be a special event to benefit the Senior Center on Saturday, August 15 - the annual Summer Roasted Pig Luau. Happy Hour is at 5pm with a dinner served at 6pm that will feature Molokai Shrimp salad, Roasted Pig, Potato and macaroni salad, Asian slaw, and Pineapple Upside Down cake. Mai Tais and Strawberry daiquiris plus local beer and wines will be available. Tickets are pre-sale only for $35 that includes dinner and one complimentary drink plus your donation to the Senior Center. Buy them at the Center, Rossi’s Hardware, Lemons’ Market, or the A.V. Market…#720 - Also on Saturday, August 15, it’s the Open Mic at Lauren's Restaurant in downtown Boonville. Dinner served 5 to 9 before the Open mic starts at 9 pm. 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! For more information call 895-3869… #721 - 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 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… #722 - 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… #723 - The County Dump on Mountain View Road, a mile or so outside Boonville, is open from 9am - 4pm Tuesday, Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday. Remember, no dead animals!… #724 - The A.V. Food Bank is every 3rd Tuesday and that’s next week, August 18. Gardeners, farmers and produce growers of all kinds, please remember Food Bank days as a place to donate your extra produce.  It will be greatly appreciated.  Please drop off on the Monday before, behind 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… #725 - And here’s an early heads-up for the next Lions Club fundraising bbq at the Fairgrounds in Boonville. This one is on Sunday, August 23 from 4pm-7pm and will benefit the A.V. Volunteer Ambulance…

    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, August 13, the lunch, always served by Marti Titus and her crew at Noon, will be General Tso Chicken, with Orange Cream Dessert for dessert… Then, next Tuesday, August 18, the lunch will feature Ground Beef Tacos with all the fixings and Coconut and Lime-berry 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… 

    The Three-Dot Lounge is closed this week so I am unable to report on the “Moans, Groans, Good Thoughts, and Rampant (yet surprisingly reliable) Rumors” from my favorite gathering place in the Valley…
    I think it’s time to take my leave… Besides I’ve got see a man about a sheep… So, that’s enough, “take me drunk, I’m home,” and 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. Keep on wagging that tail, Fred… Hi, Silver Swan – behaving yourself? Hopefully not!… Keep up the good work, Round-eyed Robin…

# 470 - 5th August, 2015

Greetings one and all. Are you are sitting comfortably? Then I shall begin…. Lots of P.S.A.’s this week so no space for the usual ‘fascinating’ opening paragraph and the inevitable segue into your Quotes of the Week. Next time… Meanwhile, here we go…

    Public Service Announcements (P.S.A.’s)… Calendars and pens at the ready… #712 - This coming Saturday, August 8, Guitar Shorty returns to the Navarro General Store. Opening acts begin at 3.30pm with The Mighty T-Bones, followed by The Thorn Petals at 5pm. Shorty goes on at 6pm while the bbq featuring grill master Guy Kephart will be going all day long - sounds like a classic Deep End Day… #713 - The 37th Annual Wine Competition Awards Ceremony and Dinner is this Friday, August 7 at the Boonville Fairgrounds Redwood Grove at 6:30pm. The competition is open to any wineries whose grapes were grown in Mendocino County and awards will be presented in 21 categories. This year’s dinner features Chef Janelle Weaver who will be opening The Bewildered Pig restaurant at The Floodgate sometime soon apparently. Tickets are $60… #714 - That same evening, August 7, sees the First Friday Film Club’s next presentation at The Grange. Social hour begins at 6pm, (please bring a snack), with the films starting at 7pm and there is no admission charge. The first of these is a locally made 2014 short documentary called ‘Fish-friendly Wine’ and this will be followed by 2015’s ‘The Russian River,’ an award-winning documentary movie about the value of an American watershed … #715 - The 15th annual Boonville Aviation Knowledge and Folklore Convention - aka ‘Airport Day,’ is this Saturday, August 8. Festivities begin at Noon and if you are staying for dinner at 5pm please bring a pot for the potluck; drinks are provided. It’s at the corner of Estate Drive and Airport Road at the Boonville Airport and is a free fun day all about mostly small, old airplanes. For safety concerns all dogs must be leashed. Further info call Cindy or Kirk at 707 895-2949… #716 - The Anderson Valley Grange is having its regular second Sunday Pancake Breakfast on August 9 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; gluten extra is not - somewhat discriminatory one has to say), eggs, and bacon, with a choice of juice, tea or coffee included… #717 - For those wondering, or even wandering, there will be no second Wednesday drumming circles at The Grange until October… #718 - The Vets from the Mendocino Animal Hospital will be visiting the Valley on two occasions this 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… #719 - There will be a special event to benefit the Senior Center on Saturday August 15 - the annual Summer Roasted Pig Luau. Happy Hour is at 5pm with a dinner served at 6pm that will feature Molokai Shrimp salad, Roasted Pig, Potato and macaroni salad, Asian slaw, and Pineapple Upside Down cake. Mai Tais and Strawberry daiquiris plus local beer and wines will be available. Tickets are pre-sale only for $35 and include dinner and one complimentary drink plus your donation to the Senior Center. Buy them at the Center, Rossi’s Hardware, Lemons’ Market, or the A.V. Market… #720 - The Mendocino Bookmobile returns to the Valley on Tuesday, August 11. 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… #721 - 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’… #722 - And finally this week, an early heads-up for the next Lions Club fundraising bbq at the Fairgrounds in Boonville. This one is on Sunday, August 23 from 4pm-7pm and will benefit the A.V. Volunteer Ambulance… And that’s your lot for this week - busy enough for ya?    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, August 6, the lunch, served by Marti Titus and her crew at Noon, will be Chicken Curry, Brown Rice, with Raspberry Whip for dessert… Then, next Tuesday evening, August 11 at 6pm, the dinner will feature  Spaghetti with Meat Sauce,and Cream 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 or $8 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 shall quickly put my pants on and continue… Let’s start with a couple of moans and groans…
… Win today’s world, it seems that we all know too much about each other… Social media has some benefits certainly, but in terms of human development and interaction it’s dumbing us all down - in my humble opinion of course… Do we really need to be constantly reminded what a fantastic time someone is having while eating a ham sandwich…
… At the end of a largely unintelligible conversation with an AT&T customer service representative sitting in an office somewhere in India, I found it somewhat obnoxious of the man/woman (difficult to tell) to advise me not to text and drive…  
… Why do so many young people have so little time for their grandparents? Of course there are exceptions, but a large section of the next generation choose not to take advantage of an often wonderful source of advice and wisdom… In so many cases they are missing out on some valuable ‘stuff’ and it appears to me that many of them can ill afford to do so given what they apparently do seem to value as important and useful…
… And now on to some good thoughts and reliable rumors…Hummingbird joined the regulars at the Three-Dot to share with us what a lovely time was had by all at the pre-wedding bbq and pond party up on Gschwend Road in anticipation of the special day for Jesse Smith, the younger of Val and Tom Smith’s two sons, and his new wife Katie. Of the many positive things she had to say about the event, one that stood out to me was that Tom, who tragically died following a car accident with a drunk driver in 2010, would have been very proud of his family and the hospitality they provided for many family and friends… We still miss you around here, Tom…
… Several folks talked in similarly glowing terms of the memorial for Hayes Brennan held on Sunday afternoon at the grassy area behind the main hall at The Fairgrounds… Like Tom Smith through his involvement with school sports and the Variety Show, Hayes was a major contributor to the Valley community during his almost 40 years here in which, apart from teaching at the Bachmann School, he was a volunteer driver for the A.V. Ambulance service, served on the Elder Home Board for ten years; was on the Health Center Board, and was a docent at the A.V. Museum and a board member of the A.V. Historical Society… His ‘send-off’ at the weekend was a well-attended gathering by the many people upon whom he made such a positive impact… Good to know you, Hayes - have fun with the Pomo’s…

    Well now I think it’s time to take my leave... Besides I’ve got see a man about a sheep… So, “take me drunk, I’m home” and until we talk again, please ‘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 know 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. Stop by some time…
p.s. You can contact me with words of support/abuse either through the Letters Page or by e-mail at
p.p.s. Missing the Venerable Pheasant everyday… On the sheep, Grace… Keep on humming, Hummingbird…