The death of Gloria Ross this past weekend is tragically sad news for a multitude of Valley folks and a huge loss to the Valley on a number of levels. Gloria was monumental in her contributions to Valley life for many, many years through her dedicated work as librarian and mostly Home Economics teacher at the high school (30 years) and also as a result of her many years of fundraising efforts to help the Catholic church. She was the mainstay of the monthly Barn Sale and organized the best annual Crab Feed this Valley has enjoyed — as anyone who has attended would no doubt say. I visited and spoke with her regularly and she had a wonderfully calm and collected way of expressing her views of the world, and the Valley in particular. She possessed a great sense of right and wrong; a kindness and thoughtfulness that was so refreshing and illuminating to anyone smart enough to listen; an old-school expectation that people try to do the best they could at what they did; and a wisdom and enlightenment that seemed to transcend the everyday thoughts of most of us. Many people will miss her and her favorite place to be, her kitchen, will not be the same.
Her family meant everything to her. ”My husband Jim, my kids (Steve and Jenny), and my grandchildren, Andrea, Justin, and Nicholas are the lights of my life. Giving and receiving hugs from them is something very special to me.” My heart goes out to them at this time. She was a very special person indeed.
From the sublime to the ridiculous, from saint to sinner, “This Trump Thing,” or previously for nearly 250 years, The US Presidency. Controversy surrounding Donald Trump’s blaming of “many sides” for the racially charged violence in Charlottesville, Virginia, continues. While most Americans condemn the actions of hate groups, they are far more aligned with Mr. Trump about what to do with Confederate monuments. YouGov, a pollster, says that of 1,500 Americans asked last weekend, 20% “strongly favor” the statues’ removal from public spaces, and yet 34% “strongly oppose.” That number hides a huge variance in race, age and education: 35% of college-educated black respondents said they were “strongly in favor” of removal. Some 56% of whites over the age of 45 who left school at 16 are strongly opposed. Most of the 700 or so Confederate monuments dotted across the country were erected in the South, just as Jim Crow segregation laws were becoming entrenched. The statues certainly have a historical significance, but surely, if we are trying to live in an enlightened society, wouldn’t they be better kept in museums than in public spaces?
Public Service Announcements:
#543. The monthly Barn Sale Sept is scheduled to take place this coming weekend, Saturday/Sunday, September 2&3, at the Big Barn alongside the St. Elizabeth Seton Catholic Church Refectory on AV Way, just north of Boonville. With the passing of barn sale organizer Gloria Ross, the event cannot be confirmed at this time.
#544. The Vets from the Mendocino Animal Hospital will next be here on Thursdays, September 14 and 28, from 2-4pm at the AV Farm Supply on Highway 128, north of Philo.
#545. The AV Museum is open every Saturday and Sunday from 1-4pm. Situated in The Little Red Schoolhouse next to the Elementary School on AV Way, a perfect place to visit when you have a couple of spare hours on a weekend afternoon. “The Best Little Museum in the West.”
#546. The Bookmobile is scheduled to return next Tuesday, September 5. Phone 463-4694 for confirmation. Usually on alternate Tuesdays for 45 minutes at: Navarro Store 9am (for just 30 minutes before heading out to Comptche); the Floodgate 12.30pm; Philo 1.30pm; Boonville (Apple Hall) 2.30pm.
#547. The Boonville Farmers Market continues Saturdays from 9.30am-noon, at the Boonville Hotel parking lot. More info: Cindy at 895-2949.
Community lunches next week in the Senior Center at the Veterans Building in Boonville ($6 donation from seniors and charges $7 for Non-seniors): Tomorrow, Thursday, August 31, the lunch, served by Marti Titus and her crew at Noon, will be Joe's Chili with ‘Make Your Own Sundae’ for dessert. Next Tuesday, September 5, the lunch features Meat Loaf & Mashed potatoes, gravy, followed by Carrot Cake for dessert. Includes vegetables, salad bar, fruit, plus milk, coffee, tea, and lemonade. Maybe the best value for money all week. ALL ages welcome!
I’m outtahere, something about a man and a sheep. (And space limits.) So, be careful out there; if you break a leg don’t come running to me; stay out of ditches; be wary of strangers with more dogs than teeth; show love to your pets, they will be faithful and true, and remember to keep your windows cracked if you leave them in your vehicle; 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… A final request, “Let us prey.” Humbly yours, Turkey Vulture. Contact me through the Letters Page or at turkeyvulture9@gmail.com. PS. Hi, George; hope you and Sheila are well. Is that ‘lafter’ I hear, Carroll? Bobwhite Quail: keep up the knitting!
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