AT WHAT POINT does endless summer become oppressive? For me, early January 2022. As we go to press this week, it’s 70 degrees on the valley floors but last week there were mini-blizzards up in the hills. A North County old timer tells me the recent snows at the higher elevations — upper Spyrock, the Pinches Ranch — knocked down thousands of trees. “There have been bigger snows but they didn't knock down nearly this many trees,” he said.
THE ANDERSON VALLEY SENIOR CENTER is hiring for a cook. It is 14 hours a week job, 5 hours (8-1) on Tuesdays and Thursdays, plus flexible hours to be worked as needed to order/prep/fill out reports. Menus are provided. Pay starts at $18.00+ an hour depending on experience. The cook helps supervise the assistant cook and the dishwasher. The cook needs to be organized, work well with others and pass the state required food handlers’ class. The position is open until filled: Contact Renee at 707-895-3609 or 707-621-3843
NO COVID IN AV SCHOOLS
Dear Anderson Valley Community,
I am pleased to report that the Wednesday pool testing results returned negative for the entire district. We have implemented twice a week testing post-holiday break, but we will be scaling it back to our original once a week on Wednesday beginning the week of March 7. We will evaluate conditions as the data indicates.
Have a wonderful weekend!
PS. I am sure you have been following stories in the media that new California guidance will be coming out next week that may affect masking protocols in schools. We have not received any pre-notice from our Public Health Officer relating to what the changes will be. As always, we follow the guidance of our Public Health Department. As we receive information, we will forward it to you. Please continue to follow the existing guidance until we have an official policy change from Public Health.
Louise Simson, Superintendent
Anderson Valley Unified School District
Cell: 707-684-1017
FREE FOOD PHILO (formerly known as Love to Table) is distributing meals in town to those in need. We cook nourishing meals using produce from our farm and others, and would love to offer you a warm lunch on Monday Feb 28. If you could use a home cooked meal, or have a friend in mind who would, please call or text Arline Bloom (415) 308-3575, who will head up distribution in town.
~ This week’s menu ~
- Meat Chili
- Cornbread
- Garden Salad
- Plum Jam Bars
Thank you for letting us be of service.
For more information on Free Food Philo / Love to Table, check out: https://unconditionalfreedom.org/love-to-table/
Our meal this week is made possible with donations from New Agrarian Collective, Big Mesa Farmstead, Sonoma County Meat Co., Sierra Nevada Cheese Company, Central Milling
A NEWLY ARRIVED LOCAL ASKS: What’s the story with the antique business in Boonville across from the parking lot for fairgrounds and real estate place ? I walk my dog by there a lot and they are never open.
THE SHOP is owned by Pearl Thomasson, singular, of Boonville. Pearl has been known to open for business at unpredictable times, but over the past few years, not open, and all that intriguing stuff inside has remained beyond the ogling public.
A READER WRITES: “Do you have any idea of the status of the water/sewer project? I am evidently left out on AV Way and have never received a map or a word from AVCSD about the project. Why are they going down AV Way? I live on AV Way like everyone else. I was told the poor AVCSD people who are volunteers and doing this for the community without pay, “sob sob”, work so hard… and it’s all my fault that I don’t know what’s going on. Really? It’s my fault? This is the only administrative group in Boonville who has any authority to do anything for the town and they don’t have the wherewithal or ability to reach out to the community on a regular basis, to put posters around, to send out a mailing every 6 months….SOMETHING! That’s ridiculous. Nor do they seem to have the time to notify people on a street THEY have decided to service outside of the town. Apparently they went door to door to talk to everyone on AV Way. Not me. Are they going too far out of town? Why not focus primarily on the downtown where the septic has all gone bad? Take care of the village first.
CONTINUING: “Boonville is the weirdest place.. How could this project be going on for years and to this day no one really gets what is being proposed and what is really going on? Or get updates or mailings? I guess they were pilloried by a woman named Joan [Burroughs] who wrote in your paper, according to CSD, about the whole project. Everything she said was wrong?
“SOMETHING seems fishy to me when they speak about the costs to homeowners… and how it would allow more building on parcels. It all makes no sense the way this is being managed. They want votes from people who really have no vital information?
“Anyway, I’m complaining and am told I should not because I never called anyone on the board. I didn’t even know about this project until last year when I was too preoccupied to even think about this phantom water project.. I found out in a casual conversation with my neighbors in the Fall…from a map I guess…that I am excluded.
“AFTER reading their website, it still seems supremely unclear to me. Water without sewer? In Mendocino years ago they finally put in a sewer system but never managed to put in a water system in that tiny town. Everyone in the town of Mendocino ran out of water last summer. The water table there is extremely low and sparse. Maybe they couldn’t take water from anywhere close enough….Who knows? Did anyone on the CSD talk to the people in Mendocino who managed that project?
“WITH this drought….where are they going to get a reliable water source if everyone is running out of water? Will they be able to take the water off your property from your well? Do they have a right to take it if a majority votes YES. Where is the information about the proposed water sources? What if those wells they identify dry up if the drought intensifies? Tearing out your septic? Really? $30-50 a month for a water bill… Not possible in this day and age.”
THE EDITOR SPEAKING: It's all burbling along, but I agree we haven't been updated in some time. I hope one of the proponents will update us all as to where the water and sewer project presently stands.
LABEBA ALKHATTAT: “I hope you are having a fantastic Winter. My family and I are currently looking for a new place to homestead where we can live in a sustainable way, garden, farm and steward land in an eco-conscious way. We have many years experience as organic farmers and gardeners including family ancestry connected to agriculture. I grew up in a multi-generational ranching family. Agriculture has always been a part of my life. It is the roots of living in harmony with nature. We have photographs of previous gardens available, resumes and references. We are ready to continue farming growing healthful food for both our family and community. Our skill set includes: Planting, harvesting orchard care, farmers market experience, farm to table cuisine, small scale farming and backyard kitchen gardening, animal husbandry, bees wax candles, making ceramics, fiber, land crafts and more. The Roots Gardeners- L&J rootsgardens@yahoo.com
THAT NICE STORY in Forbes about the Disco Ranch and its popular proprietor, Wendy Lamer, listed wineries I've never heard of owned by people I've never heard of, none of whom have checked in with their new community's beloved weekly. As progress marches by I seem to have missed the parades, me the guy who was personal friends with the founders of the Anderson Valley wine business when giants walked The Valley floor — Deron Edmeades; Tony Husch; Jed Steele; Al Green. I think we shoulda quit while we were ahead, back when Mike Shapiro and Steve Tylicki assured me, “Vineyards in the hills? Never happen.” That was '92, as I recall, when there were a mere 1200 acres planted in grapes, many of those acres site-prepped with methyl bromide to a depth of 12 feet. Today, there are upwards of 2600 acres planted in grapes, many of them in the hills, most of them, except for the late, great Milla Handley and a couple others, planted in chemically-dependent vineyards, the run-off from which has knocked off the frogs and fouled the local streams, much of their water diverted to illegally installed vineyard ponds.
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