# 505 - 6th April, 2016

    Greetings one and all. Are you are sitting comfortably? Then I shall begin…
    The Unpresidential Race for the Presidency… Hillary Clinton is more popular than The Donald with general election voters according to ‘reputable polls.’ However, those same polls also reflect that she still has the highest unfavorable rating - 53% - of any Democratic candidate in the past 30 years. To many, she fails the basic trust and likability tests. Antipathy towards the political class, containing ‘professional’ (in a derogatory sense) politicians like Clinton and a number of the Republican candidates, explains the rise of protest candidates like Trump and Bernie Sanders - who is a career politician but hardly a man of the establishment. The billionaire Trump has risen to the top of a shallow Republican talent pool. The best that the GOP establishment could come up with - Jeb Bush, Marco Rubio, Chris Christie and John Kasich - managed between them to win only three contests, in Minnesota and Puerto Rico (Rubio) and Ohio (Kasich). However, whether they are products of the establishment or protest candidates like Trump and Sanders, rarely have those running for high office been held in such low esteem. So with polls repeatedly suggesting that both Clinton and Trump are viewed unfavorably by a majority of Americans, with historically unprecedented negative ratings, America is heading towards a ‘lesser of two evils’ style of presidential election. Such a great country deserves so much more…

    So with that in mind, let’s have some comments on leadership for your Quotes of the Week… As a woman and head of a continuously embattled Israeli, former leader Golda Meir had many vital decisions on issues that one may not wish the likes of Trump to face. She wisely observed “A leader who doesn’t hesitate before he sends his nation into battle is not fit to be a leader”… And for a second relevant quote, I turn to the Bible and Matthew 15:14, “If the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch”… It’s up to you…

    Public Service Announcements (P.S.A.’s)… Calendars and pens at the ready…
… #479 - The Vets from the Mendocino Animal Hospital will be at the Anderson Valley Farm Supply on Highway 128, north of Philo, on two occasions this month - on April 14 and 28… #480 - The Boonville Farmers’ Market continues every Saturday thru’ April, at its winter venue outside The Boonville General Store from 10.30am-1pm. For more info call Cindy at 895-2949… #481 - Need a burn permit? From 11am to 3pm on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays you can get one from the Firehouse in Boonville. Call 895-2020 for more information or stop by - you will be efficiently served with a smile - trust me on this…#482 - 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… #483 - The County Dump is open from 9am-4pm Tuesday, Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday. Remember, no dead animals!  The new ‘Dump Guy’ is Mike Mannix, adding his name to a salubrious group of folks who have previously held that position. The number for the Dump is 895-3569 and checking first to see that they are open is probably well worth the small effort. F.Y.I., the Recycling Center in Boonville at The Fairgrounds’ parking lot is open Wednesday -Saturday, 9-4pm (489-2033)… #484 - I am led to believe that the ‘Second Wednesday Drumming Circle’ will be taking place at The Grange on Wednesday, April 13, from 7-9pm. To confirm, perhaps call Andy at 895-3020… #485 - The Anderson Valley Grange is having its regular second Sunday Pancake Breakfast on April 10 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 served), eggs, and bacon, with a choice of juice, tea or coffee included… #486 and #487 - Two busy weekends are approaching - on Saturday/Sunday, April 23/24 its the annual Wildflower Show presented by the Unity Club, with the 2nd Annual Goat Festival taking place on that Saturday afternoon; and then the following weekend, on Saturday, April 30, it’s the 25th Annual Anderson Valley Beer Festival… Both events will take place at the Fairgrounds in Boonville…

    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, April 7, the lunch, served by Marti Titus and her crew at Noon, will be Chicken Alfredo and Pasta with Chocolate Amaretto for dessert… Then, next Tuesday evening, April 12 at 6pm, the dinner will feature Ham and 
Twice-baked potatoes, with Banana Split 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! As this is the 2nd Tuesday of the month, the dinner will be followed by Bingo at 7pm… Tai Chi is now available every Tuesday from 10-11am, while on Thursdays at the same time it is the water color painting class, leading into yoga at 11am… Hopefully you will be able to attend some of these events and certainly the lunches and dinners, 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…
… Mendocino Crime Watch… Sheriff Tom Allman announced at the weekend that he wishes to interview a man wearing high heels and frilly panties, but District Attorney C. David Eyster has insisted that the  Sheriff must wear his regular uniform…
… Many regulars, and none more so than myself, continue to be puzzled and perplexed with regards to the trend to serve Shepherd’s Pie with beef inside? Sometimes it’s Turkey?? And even Elk??!!… What is the world coming to? It’s Shepherd’s Pie - the name gives a huge clue that it is lamb which should be featured, along with various vegetables that must include peas, onions, and carrots, plus creamy mashed potatoes on top of course, in what can be a delicious taste-bud tantalizing and stomach-satisfying dish… Trust me on this - you can thank me later… Incidentally, a similar dish does have beef, but with puff pastry on top instead of mashed potatoes. This is called Cottage Pie by the cognoscenti among us… Seems like the ideal time to share the old classic - Q: What do you get if you cross an angry sheep and a moody cow? A: An animal that's in a baaaaaaaad moooooood… You can laugh now…
… Sunday was a truly beautiful day in the Valley… As I meandered along Highway 128 from Boonville to The Nest, a flight of about fifteen miles, I could not help but think that, with a couple of pints of Guinness inside me, Hummingbird waiting to greet me, and a delicious ‘proper’ Shepherd’s Pie’ in the oven, it really does not get much better than this…
… From our 3-Dot regular, The Old Buzzard, comes another in his insightful series – ‘The Approach of the Apocalypse’… Buzzard reports, “I have nothing of any interest to anyone to say at this point”… Why can’t more folks be like that?...

        I’m outta here - I’ve got see a man about a sheep… Besides, that’s enough for now, so “please take me drunk, I’m home,” and 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; show love to your pets, they will be faithful and true to you to the last beat of their hearts; 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. Keep on humming, Hummingbird… Missing the Venerable Pheasant everyday… On the sheep, Grace…
p.p.p.s.Just time to re-remind those who think badly of us that a fellow by the name of Charles Darwin said about Turkey Vultures, “A disgusting bird whose bald scarlet head is formed to wallow in putridity” – Thanks for the compliment, kind sir…