Greetings one and all. Are you are sitting comfortably? Then I shall begin. A little over four years ago, Jack Kevorkian, the American pathologist and most famously the euthanasia activist, died at the age of 83. I mention this as a result of some recent personal experiences of being around many elderly folks with no quality of life remaining, the kind of people whom Kevorkian believed should be able to end their lives with some dignity intact. He is best known for publicly championing a terminal patient's right to die via physician-assisted suicide, and admitted to assisting at least 130 patients to that end. He famously said, “Dying is not a crime,” but the moral and legal wrangling continues to surround this contentious issue. Meanwhile, several regulars at the Three-Dot, myself included, raised our glasses on the anniversary of the death of the man who said, “My aim in helping the patient was not to cause death. My aim was to end suffering. It's got to be decriminalized.” Having recently seen first hand the awful quality of life endured by many terminally ill patients, I could not agree more.
In Europe, it is a well-known option to send loved ones to Switzerland where the permissive legal environment is unique, and has given rise to at least four assisted-suicide organizations. The Netherlands also has similar options, as do a number of nations in northwestern Europe. With that in mind, what more appropriate Quote of the Week could you ask for than these words from German philosopher, Friedrich Nietzsche, “One should die proudly when it is no longer possible to live proudly.”
Now that I’ve cheered you all up, let’s move on to the Public Service Announcements. # 618. The Vets from the Mendocino Animal Hospital will be in town at the AV Farm Supply tomorrow, Thursday, July 2. Call 462-8833 for further details. They set up at the AV Farm Supply from 2pm to 3.30pm and to avoid a line perhaps go around 3pm. you will definitely be seen. New customers and their pets are always welcome. Their next visit will be until August. #619. Coming to The Grange tomorrow evening, July 2, will be a special live show of “First Person Plural,” a series of original monologues performed by six women. It is for one night only at 7pm; doors open at 6.30pm and there is a $5-$10 entrance fee. #620. The Boonville Farmers Market continues at its regular summer location in the parking lot at the Boonville Hotel. It runs from 10-12:30 and you are encouraged to come by with your locally grown or made food or crafts, to sell or trade, or just stop in to check out and buy some of the wonderful produce etc on sale. For more info, call Cindy at 895-2949. #621. The AV Lending Library run by The Unity Club is open Tuesday and Saturday at The Fairgrounds: Tuesday 1.30-4.30pm and Saturday 2-4pm. #622. The County Dump is open from 9am-4pm Tuesday, Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday. Remember, no dead animals! #623. The Old Fashioned Fourth of July Celebration at the Boonville Fairgrounds sponsored by the AV Education Foundation, is this Saturday, July 4 from noon to 4pm. $4 adult; under 14 free. Events include: children's costume parade with prizes, water balloon toss and relay races, cake auction, bouncy house, face painting, cake auction, chicken clucking/rooster crowing contest, tug of war for children, Deep Enders vs High Rollers adult tug of war. Food available for purchase: Lion's Club BBQ tri-tip sandwiches, hot dogs, Mexican lunch plate, lemonade and root beer floats, wine and beer, blackberry and apple pie, baked goods. Questions: call Gail Gester 895-2344.
The Senior Center at the Veterans Building in Boonville will be closed for a week from Monday, June 29 to Monday, July 6, so that a new stove can be installed. There will be no community lunches or dinners served at the Center during this time. They will re-open for lunch on Tuesday, July 7 when the lunch, served by Marti Titus and her crew at Noon, will be Chicken quesadillas with all the trimmings, and Mango cake for dessert. The Center asks for a $6 donation from seniors and charges $7 for Non-seniors. Hopefully you will be able to attend, and remember. ALL ages are welcome! See you there.
Moving quickly on to a few of the topics and Valley events under discussion this week at The Three-Dot Lounge — “Moans, Groans, Good Thoughts, and Rampant (yet surprisingly reliable) Rumors” from my favorite gathering place in the Valley.
…The popular monthly Guest Chef Dinners that the Senior Center has presented through the summer months for the past four years have come to an end. It was a good run given the amount of work each one takes and now the Senior Center Board is moving on with other ideas for their fundraising. However, the good news is that a couple of the off-shoots from those events, the Summer Roasted Pig Luau (August 1) and Fal Allen’s Octoberfest Dinner, will continue and “Ya gotta like that.” Meanwhile, here is a list of the Chefs who presented 17 such enjoyable and unique dining experiences over the years: 2011. Tom Rodrigues, Diana Charles, Corey Morse, and Fal Allen and Crew; 2012. Marilyn Pronsolino, Tom Rodrigues, Jared Titus, Star White, and Fal Allen and Crew; 2013. Philo Ridge Winery, Dean Titus, Chris Rossi, Matt Ward, and Fal Allen; 2014. David Knight, Chris Rossi, and of course, Fal Allen and Crew.
…Several Three-Dot regulars, who have also frequented The Buckhorn for many years, have commented on the very officious signs that have been recently posted by “Offstreet Studio Management” in the parking lot between the pub/restaurant and the Farrer Building. In relatively small print, the signs state, among several things, that the space is to be used as parking for, I quote exactly, “Farrar Property tenants, patrons, and residents only.” This is news to most folks, and many Buckhorn customers have expressed dismay at the postings, being very aware that the space has been used by customers of that establishment and its predecessors for almost 30 years. One might assume there has been some sort of accident to act as a catalyst for these new postings, and I would agree that the parking is a little tight, but over all that time surely virtually everyone using the space, from both buildings, has maneuvered carefully. It will be interesting to see how this is enforced, and the repercussions if it is. Meanwhile, assuming it is true (and why would we doubt the folks at Offstreet Studio Management / The Boonville Hotel?), then the signs would probably have been a lesser target for derision had they spelt the name of the building they represented correctly. It is “Farrer,” not “Farrar.” Dear, oh, dear.
…On a far more pleasing note, Karen Ottobani contacted me to say, “Ross Murray, the Valley’s oldest man at 96 years old* spent about two hours on Sunday afternoon checking out the scene at the Sierra Nevada Music Festival. He enjoyed a salmon dinner and took home a delicious chocolate mousse brownie for later. He saw Monty Morris on the Village stage and thought the dance troupe (those lovely ladies in fishnet stockings) had “good moves.” Not bad coming from a professional Hollywood dancer! I think he really enjoyed the artful activity all around both the town and his new abode at the nearby Elder Home. However, with a big smile he commented that “It ain't the fair.” Karen also mentioned to me that the event’s producers gave Ross a complimentary ticket. After all, he is most likely the oldest ever attendee. (*The Valley’s oldest resident is 97-year old Freda Fox; Ross is second).
…From our 3-Dot regular, The Old Buzzard, comes another in his insightful series. “Signs that the Apocalypse is Approaching.” Buzzard reports, “In the past week I have made some phone calls that would strongly suggest that such an event is nearly upon us. I called United Airlines at San Francisco airport to check on a flight arrival time and was told by a machine that there would be a 35-minute wait time to get such information. Not very helpful. I called Pet Meds to order some heartworm medication for my dog. I was pleasantly surprised to be told that there were no calls ahead of me, but then had to inexplicably listen to about three minutes of annoying music before someone came on the line. I called my mother’s doctor’s office to check on whether the secretary had set up an appointment for her at a specialist’s. I was told they did not know and could not check if the secretary had made the appointment because she was on vacation and they did not know the password to her email messages that would have contained such information. Life in the modern world, I guess.”
I feel your angst, Buzzard, but I’m outtahere. I’ve got see a man about a sheep. 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; please remember to keep your windows cracked if you have pets in your vehicle; and may your god go with you. A final request, “Let us prey.” Sometimes poking, often stroking, but almost always humbly yours, Turkey Vulture.
(Contact me with words of support/abuse through the Letters Page or at turkeyvulture9@gmail.com. PS. On the sheep, Grace. … Hi, Silver Swan. Behaving yourself? Hopefully not! … Keep on humming, Hummingbird.)
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