# 483 - 4th November, 2015

    Greetings one and all. Are you are sitting comfortably? Then I shall begin…
    Many local people will no doubt be disappointed to hear that forty-year Valley resident, Diane Herron, will soon be departing to be with her family in Medford, Oregon. Diane has been a significant contributor to Valley life over those years in numerous ways. She was one of the bartenders when The Buckhorn Saloon first opened in 1987 and for many years was the representative here for Tri-Chem Embroidery home parties and later the Valley’s Avon representative. She was at The Buckhorn, and later the Brewery tasting room for seventeen years  in total before winding down to retirement with a part-time stint at the Rookie-Too gallery. She was involved with a number of Valley groups and organizations, including the founding days of the Valley’s branch of the ICW (Independent Career Women) Organization, of which she was the President at one time; the American Legion Auxiliary; treasurer for the Meadow Estate Water Company – the local water board for the subdivision where she lives; and an active member of the Unity Club, and the Boon Town Players; not to mention a frequent presence on the Valley social scene, whatever the occasion.
    Five years ago, Diane said to me, “In the 1990s I became good friends with a local man, Jim Bowen, and we were close companions for  a number years until he passed in 1998. I ‘inherited’ his son Jim Jr., of ‘All-Phase Electric’, and Jim’s daughter Michaela, who calls me ‘Grandma.’ My own son Steven has two children, my granddaughter Melissa who is twenty-five and my grandson Louis, twenty-one. Steven lives in Medford, Oregon where he originally moved with his job at Georgia Pacific, and where he now works as manager of a manufacturing plant... I really enjoy the company of my close friends here in the Valley - Carolyn Eigenman, Liz Dusenberry, and Jeanne Nickless, amongst others, and should also mention Cindy and Kirk Wilder, Larry and Janet Lombard, Jim and Jeanne Nickless, Jerry and Barbara Bowers, and Ross and Joyce Murray. I am lucky to have good neighbors here, particularly Frank Wyant and Lucille Estes.”
    Perhaps somewhat prophetically, certainly poignantly, she added, “I do miss my family and if I could somehow gather my friends with me I’d move us all to Oregon and have the best of both worlds”… Well, with that in mind, I’m sure Diane would love to welcome any number of people to her new home as she begins her next adventure… The very best wishes of many Valley folks are with you, Diane!…

    Public Service Announcements (P.S.A.’s)… Calendars and pens at the ready… #336 - The Vets from the Mendocino Animal Hospital will be visiting the Valley on just one occasion this month - that’s Thursday, November 19 at the Anderson Valley Farm Supply on Highway 128, north of Philo. They will be here twice in December… #337 - This Saturday evening (Nov 7) sees a special film presentation at The Grange with a couple of shorts shown from 6pm followed by the main event at 7pm - The Growing Garden - a documentary spanning twenty years about what determines the direction of our lives - many of you may have seen the original film with such an idea - ‘7-Up’ and it’s several sequels. The filmmaker is attending and there will be a Q and A with her afterwards. Admission is donation-based and all proceeds go to the Europe Refugee Relief Fund… #338 - The Boonville Farmers’ Market is off this Saturday but will return the following week, Saturday, November 14 to its winter venue, The Boonville General Store, from 10am-12:30 pm each Saturday. For more info call Cindy at 895-2949… #339 - The A.V. Lending Library, run by The Unity Club, is open at The Fairgrounds on Tuesdays 1.30-4.30pm and Saturdays 2-4pm… #340 - The County Dump is open from 9am-4pm Tuesday, Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday. Remember, no dead animals! (see below**). F.Y.I., the Recycling Center in Boonville is open Wednesday-Saturday, 9-4pm (489-2033)… #341 - The Anderson Valley Grange is having its regular second Sunday Pancake Breakfast on November 8 from 8:30-11am. Prices range from $5-10 - kids through hungry folks, for a delicious, locally-sourced breakfast. Choices include pancakes (gluten-free is available; no gluten-extra I am disappointed to report), eggs, and bacon, with a choice of juice, tea or coffee included… #342 - Next Wednesday, November 11, I am led to believe that the ‘Second Wednesday Drumming Circle’ will be returning to The Grange from 7-9pm. To confirm, perhaps call Andy at 895-3020… #343 - The monthly Barn Sale held at The Big Barn on A.V. Way is set for Saturday/Sunday, November 14/15…
    As a bonus P.S.A. here is the menu for the Community lunches and dinners over the next week in 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, November 5, the lunch, served by Marti Titus and her crew at Noon, will be Sesame Chicken, with Kahlua Cake for dessert… Then, next Tuesday evening, November 10 at 6pm, the dinner will feature Pineapple Pepper Chicken and Wendy’s Oatmeal Cookies 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, 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…
**… A couple of regulars at the Three-Dot expressed their frustration at loading up their trucks with trash and recycling and then driving to the County Dump in the hills a little west of Boonville on Mountain View Road only to find it closed last Saturday afternoon… I guess that’s another phone call one has to make before making plans - last week I talked about the advisability of calling first about the sometimes broken fresh water dispensing machine at Lemons Market in Philo. Oh, well, country life, I guess… The number for the Dump is 895-3569 and checking first is probably well worth the effort - meanwhile, the Dump opening hours appear in the P.S.A.’s above…
… I spotted many Valley folks dressed up in odd attire and out on the town for Halloween last weekend. Unfortunately, a couple of those whom I complimented on their outfits were not pleased with my remarks - they claimed that they were not in costumes… Oops…
… A.V. High School sports play-offs begin this week with the Boys’ Soccer team attempting to win their fourth successive postseason Championship for small schools… In the quarter-final, the team will face San Francisco Waldorf School at Tom Smith Field in Boonville on the afternoon of Saturday, November 7 with a 2pm kick-off - your support would be greatly appreciated. Should they be victorious in this game, the semi-final would be next Wednesday, same time and place… Meanwhile the Football team will play their final game of the year in the ‘Redwood Bowl’ at Upper Lake after finishing the regular season tied with the Cougars. Kick-off is 2pm… The Volleyball girls will get their seeding and play-off draw next week after another excellent season has been completed…

    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; if you break a leg don’t come running to me; 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
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…