# 539 - 30th November, 2016

    Greetings one and all. Are you are sitting comfortably? Then I shall begin…
    Quotes of the Week… Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, a wise man among many fools I would suggest, responded to the election of the bellicose Donald Trump with the comment, ”Rise to the dignity of the office instead of hiding behind your Twitter account”… One has to think that some of this country’s past great leaders are turning in their graves at the prospect of Trump leading the way via his social media comments… Reid then addressed the Democrats in the Senate… “We have a responsibility to be the voice of the millions of Americans sitting at home, afraid that they are unwelcome in Donald Trump's America. We have a responsibility to prevent Trump's bullying, aggressive behavior from becoming normalized in the eyes of Americans...We have a responsibility to say that it is not normal for the KKK to celebrate the election of a President they view as their champion with a victory parade”… Troubled times ahead, I fear…
    On a very different but perhaps equally disturbing topic, “The Ivory Game”, a new Netflix film about poaching in Africa, is executive-produced by Leonardo DiCaprio and backed by Paul Allen, co-founder of Microsoft. The plight of the world’s largest land mammal is desperate: 150,000 have been killed in the past five years. In June, Sergey Yastrzhembsky, a former Russian politician, released “Ivory. A Crime Story”, slamming China (the biggest market for ivory). Other campaigning films include 2014’s Kathryn Bigelow’s “Last Days”, a short animation exploring the link between the ivory trade and terrorism, and “The End of the Wild”, which followed Yao Ming, a Chinese basketball star, to Kenya and South Africa, and which was screened in Beijing. The new film shows another side of Chinese involvement—investigators and whistleblowers on the frontline. But Netflix is not available in China, so it will only reach few ears and eyes there. Meanwhile, Africa’s elephants keep dying as humankind continues to shown its many shortcomings and to threaten the well-being of the earth and its other inhabitants…

    Moving on… Restaurant Report: Holiday updates… Aquarelle Cafe and Wine Bar is open for another couple of weeks (December 12) before taking a well-earned break until around February 10… The Buckhorn remains closed and it is looking unlikely that anyone will on the town in Boonville enjoying a martini/scotch/gin and tonic with family/friends this Christmas - and that is terrible shame in my book… However, except for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, Lauren’s Restaurant is open for the whole holiday period and way beyond - is it any wonder that they have had the support of the community for over twenty years?… Sadly, Libby’s in Philo will open for the final time on Saturday, December 10… That’s all for now, folks…
    Talking of eating, drinking, and being merry, I want to pass on an important P.S.A. in the form of a heads-up on the Valley Crab Feeds that are scheduled for a couple of Saturdays in the first few weeks of the New Year at The Apple Hall in Boonville. I’m giving you plenty of notice because some of you may wish to give Xmas gifts to loved ones in the form of tickets… The first one is the annual benefit for the Senior Center and will be held on Saturday, January 21, tickets are $35 pre-sale; $40 on the door… This will be followed two weeks later by the Original Crab Feed on Saturday, February 4, for which the tickets are $45, the same as last year, but that does include complimentary wine… Tickets for will be on sale at various places throughout the Valley in the upcoming weeks and both are very popular Valley-centric occasions - they WILL sell out; you have been warned…

    Public Service Announcements (P.S.A.’s)… Calendars and pens at the ready… #543 - It’s time to give a plug to the ‘First Friday Film and Social Nite’ that takes place at The Grange on Highway 128 on, believe it or not, the first Friday of the month. That means this Friday, December 2 when the film is a personal favorite - ‘Midnight Run’, a classic comic-action story with a twisted plot featuring Robert Di Niro as one of his infamous quirky characters, Jack Walsh, a bereft divorcee bail bounty hunter and Charles Grodin, as Jonathan Mardukas, a runaway new age accountant.. The movie starts at 7pm, with a social potluck at 6pm… #544 - Tomorrow, December 1, will see the Vets from the Mendocino Animal Hospital making the first of their two visits this month to the Anderson Valley Farm Supply on Highway 128, north of Philo. They will be back for their final visit of the year on Thursday, December 15. To avoid a line perhaps turn up at around 3pm - you will definitely be seen. New customers and their pets are always welcome and previous visitors should be aware that they can call 462-8833 and the vets will bring your pet’s charts with them - making this an even better service than it already is!… #545 - 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 and you will be efficiently served with a smile - trust me on this… #546 - The next Barn Sale, and the last one until the spring, will take place over this upcoming weekend, December 3/4 from 9am-3pm at The Big Barn on A.V. Way just north of Boonville… #547 - The Boonville Farmers’ Market continues with it’s Winter location and hours at The Boonville General Store, on Saturdays from 11am-1pm. For more info, call Cindy at 895-2949… #548 - The A.V. Lending Library run by The Unity Club is open Tuesday and Saturday at The Fairgrounds - Tuesdays from 1.30-4.30pm and Saturdays 2-4pm… #549 - The County Dump is open from 9am-4pm Tuesday, Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday. Dump Executive Director, Mike Mannix, rewards good customers with a star but will be very harsh with anyone thinking they can leave dead animals!…
    As a bonus P.S.A. here is the menu for the Community lunches over the next week in 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, December 1, the lunch, served by Marti Titus and her crew at Noon, will be Meat Loaf, Mashed potatoes and gravy, with Birthday Cupcakes for dessert… Then, next Tuesday, December 6, the lunch will feature Chicken Bleu Casserole with Pecan Pie bars for dessert. All meals include vegetables, salad bar, and fruit, plus milk, coffee, tea, and lemonade. What a deal - it maybe the best value for money you’ll get all week! As this is the 2nd Tuesday of the month, the dinner will be followed by Bingo/Bunco at 7pm… Tai Chi is now available every Tuesday at 11am, while on Thursdays at 11am it is Kathy’s Easy-stretch Yoga class. Also on Thursdays, the Active Life Club runs from 10am to 2pm and features games, crafts, and music. The Senior Center/Community Bus goes to Ukiah on Monday's and also Santa Rosa on the first Wednesday of the month. These trips fill up fast so don't forget to sign up early at 489-1175… 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…

    Nothing to report from The Three-Dot Lounge this week as a general post-election malaise has set in among the usually erudite and opinionated customers… However, you can always rely on The Old Buzzard to have a few words and so here is another addition to his insightful series – ‘Signs that the Apocalypse is Approaching’… Buzzard reports, “I saw a very clear sign that the Apocalypse is approaching when I read the news item in a recent Turkey Vulture column regarding the local high school boys’ soccer team and their defeat in the play-offs following the short-sighted behavior and ensuing suspension of nine players… This incident is symptomatic of a large proportion of today’s youth failing to have any insight, or perhaps even concern, for the consequences of their actions, and rarely being held accountable for those actions. I hear people wax lyrically about the younger generation, pointing out that the previous generations’ time of influence in the world has gone, and that this is now the younger generation’s time… I would love to think they will do a good job, and I’m sure there are many positive-thinking folks who would be convinced of that. However, I am trying to be real here and cannot help but have a horrible feeling that they might possibly f*** it all up”…

        Oh, dear, have I upset somebody? – I’ll get my coat and leave shall I?... Besides, that’s enough for now and I’ve got see a man about a sheep… So, until we talk again – Be careful out there; if you break a leg don’t come running to me; stay out of the ditches; 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; think good thoughts; ‘Keep the Faith’; try to not let life get in the way of living; may your god go with you, and may your dog go with you too… Oh, and of course, one final request, “Let us prey”… Sometimes poking, often stroking, but almost always humbly yours, Turkey Vulture - saddened but ultimately comforted in the knowledge that the old hare has safely moved to his new burrow in the sky…
p.s. You can contact me with words of support/abuse either through the Letters Page or by e-mail at
p.p.s. Hi, George – hope you and Sheila are well…Is that ‘lafter’ I hear, Carroll?… Bobwhite Quail - keep up the knitting!…