Greetings one and all. If you are sitting comfortably I shall begin. This week Anderson Valley will commemorate Veterans Day (officially Tuesday Nov. 11) — the annual Veterans Day of Remembrance service at Evergreen Cemetery on AV Way just north of Boonville. This important gathering of Valley folks, to which everyone is welcome and is encouraged to attend, will take place on Sunday, November 9 at 10.30am. It should be stressed that this occasion is neither a political nor religious event. It offers a chance for us to show support and gratitude for both those who gave their lives or were wounded in wars of the past, and for those who have served or continue to serve so that we may have the freedoms and liberties that we continue to enjoy today. In terms of taking a deep breath and thinking about what really matters, this is one of the more important community gatherings of the year. Despite its significance it will take less than an hour so please think seriously about attending. Hopefully I’ll see you there. (N.B. A little inclement weather will not postpone this ceremony; after all, those we are remembering went through far worse I’m sure, but in the event of significant rain, the event will move to the Veterans Hall/Senior Center in Boonville. Different place, same time: 10.30am.)
Accordingly, I’d like to share with you the “The Remembrance,” a few poignant words from the very moving poem “For the Fallen” by Laurence Binyon, written during the First World War, sadly and unknowingly titled “the war to end all wars.”
They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.
Public Service Announcements. Calendars and pens at the ready. #919. Unfortunately there are no planned visits to the Valley by the Vets from the Mendocino Animal Hospital for November. Hopefully they will be back in December. #920. The Boonville Winter Market begins this coming Saturday, November 8, in front of the Boonville General Store in downtown Boonville, from 10am-12:30pm. “Come on down with your locally grown or made food or crafts, to sell or trade.” Or just go as a customer and buy some goodies. For more info, call Cindy at 895-2949. #921. The AV Grange is having its regular second Sunday Local Organic Pancake and Egg Breakfast on November 9, from 8:30-11am. Breakfast is from $5-$10 for kids through hungry folks sizes, with Mendocino Grain Project wheat and local bacon and eggs. Gluten free available. (Phew; that’s a relief!)
Here are Community lunch and dinner menus over the next week at the Senior Center in the Veterans Building in Boonville. $6 donation from Seniors for both lunches and dinners; $7 for Non-seniors for lunches and $8 for the dinners. Tomorrow, Thursday, November 6, the lunch, always served by Marti Titus and her crew at 12.15pm, will be Sesame Chicken, Noodles, Spinach, Asian Slaw, Tabbouleh Salad, and Coconut-Lime Berry Cake for dessert. Then, next Tuesday evening, November 11 at 6pm, the dinner will feature Pork Roast, Twice Baked Potatoes, Butternut Squash, Bulgur Salad, and Strawberry Gelatin, with Pumpkin Gooey Cake for dessert. As this is the 2nd Tuesday of the month, the dinner will be followed by Bingo at 7pm. Remember, ALL ages are welcome! Hope to see you there.
Topics and Valley events at The Three-Dot Lounge — yes, Moans, Groans, Good Thoughts, and Rampant (and surprisingly reliable) Rumors from my favorite gathering place in the Valley.
…First up. did you vote? If not, then any complaining about the government is not really valid.
…The ElderHome has plans afoot for two new occupants from our senior community before the end of the year, and for that the rest of the community is presumably very pleased.
…How was your Halloween? Well, while many of you were no doubt enjoying the Dark Carnival’s “Down the Rabbit Hole” event at The Grange, some folks were saving Valley civilization, such as it is. Yes, many brave citizens were caught up in the annual “Battle on the Streets of Boonville” between The Zombies and The Angry Villagers, thankfully won once again by the Villagers who included several 3-Dot regulars. With their burning torches and sharpened pitchforks, the “good guys” saved the town from those walking corpses who would no doubt have made things very difficult around here had they been victorious, certainly with their plans to ban all speed limits, bring in a Starbucks and a Taco Bell, invite outsiders to plant even more “ego”-vines, open a medical marijuana dispensary in the school cafeteria, and shockingly install former Brewery Supremo “King” Ken Allen as Mayor of Anderson Valley. It was a narrow escape thanks to those citizens who stood and fought against the odds, and in the magnificent words of a certain Mr. W. Churchill, “Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed, by so many, to so few.”
…Along with a couple of regulars, Hummingbird and myself recently attended an event where the tacos served up were made by Gordo Torales. Wow! In my humble opinion, these were the best flavor of “real” Mexico in the Valley that I have tasted in some time. Now before anyone hops on their burro and rebukes me for putting Gordo’s tacos above the Mexican culinary delights at Libby’s, I am only saying that they were more “Mexican” than Libby’s, which does marvelous food obviously but which in my opinion is actually more CalMex than the “real thing.” Trust El Gallinazo on this, or just ask any Mexican friend you may have who has eaten courtesy of Gordo.
…Several regulars at The Three-Dot plan to attend the Guy Fawkes celebration and bonfire at Carsey Castle at the corner of Hwys 128 and 253 tonight, November 5, at dusk. Hope to see you there, but first I suggest you read below.
…From our 3-Dot regular, The Old Buzzard, comes another in his insightful series. “Signs that the Apocalypse is Approaching.” Buzzard reports, “Guy Fawkes Night, also known as Bonfire Night and Firework Night, is an annual commemoration observed on 5 November, primarily in Great Britain. Its history begins with the events of 5 November 1605, when Guy Fawkes, a member of the Gunpowder Plot hatched by provincial Catholics, was arrested while guarding explosives the plotters had placed beneath the House of Lords in London. Celebrating the fact that the protestant King James I had survived the attempt on his life, people lit bonfires around London, and months later the introduction of the Observance of 5th November Act enforced an annual public day of thanksgiving for the plot's failure. What disturbs me is the lack of such an attempt on the Senate and/or House of Representatives buildings in this country. Surely this apathy on the part of the citizenry and their apparent acceptance of the miserable efforts to govern by folks ‘working’ at those locations is a sign that the Apocalypse is Approaching!?”
Oh, dear, has Buzzard upset somebody? So, 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; remember to keep your windows cracked if you have pets in your vehicle; and may your god go with you. And, “Let us prey.” Humbly yours, Turkey Vulture. Contact me with words of support/abuse through the Letters Page or at turkeyvulture1@earthlink.net. PS. On the sheep, Grace. Hi, Silver Swan, behaving yourself? Hopefully not! Bobwhite Quail: keep on knitting!
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