# 389 - January 15th, 2014

Greetings one and all – if you are sitting comfortably then I shall begin… Well, the ‘bad preacher’ (rain) came into the Valley on Saturday morning but by the afternoon he had gone - thus not behaving like a ‘bad preacher’ at all, for as we know, just like the rain, normally a bad preacher doesn’t know when to leave. Now we are faced with basking in mid-70s temperatures for a week or so as the creeks, ponds, and rivers continue to dry up. Come back soon, ‘bad preacher’, we really would like you stay around for a while…

       This coming Monday, January 20, is the day on which we observe Martin Luther King’s birthday, and with the world facing so much chaos and uncertainty, and witnessing hatred, cruelty, and conflict in so many places, it certainly seems as appropriate a time as ever to pay heed to his words, “We must learn to live together as brothers, or perish together as fools”… And that concise and perceptive remark, as true today as on the day he uttered it, is your Quote of the Week…

       Public Service Announcements (P.S.A.’s)… Calendars and pens at the ready… #118 - The monthly ‘Open Mic’ night at Lauren’s resumes this Saturday, January 18 at 9pm. All are welcome - musicians, singers, poets, writers, impressionists, comedians, actors, fire-eaters, sword-swallowers, ventriloquists, raconteurs, exotic dancers, animal callers, etc. (Mimes are not really welcome)… #119 - The first of the two wonderful Crab Feed events, the one that benefits the A.V. Senior Center, will be held this coming weekend, on Saturday, January 18, in the Apple Hall in Boonville... And then there is the Original Crab Feed scheduled for Saturday, February 1, also at The Apple Hall. To get tickets for the big night out on January 18, contact Gina Pardini at 895-3609 or buy them at A.V. Market, Laughing Dog Books, Lemons Market, and Rossi’s Hardware. For the feast on Feb 1, call Gloria Ross (895-3071), Eva Holcomb (895-3307), or John Schultz (895-9552), or buy them at Laughing Dog Books. Remember - both ‘Feeds’ sell out every year and neither is an alcohol-free event. Hopefully, those who make judgments on such events will forgive us for our ‘sins.’... #120 - The Vets from the Mendocino Animal Hospital will be in town at the A.V. Farm on two occasions in January 2014 - Thursdays, Jan 16 and 23. Call 462-8833 for further details. New customers and their pets are always welcome… #121 - On Saturday, February 15 at The Grange in Philo, the A.V. Education Foundation will present their 2014 marquee event - “Heads-Up - Back by Peculiar Demand” featuring stars of film, television, and stage - Valley resident René Auberjonois and his good friend Howard Hesseman. These two appeared here for the same cause a couple of years ago in what was a wonderful evening of entertainment and now have a new ‘set’ that they will be presenting exclusively for the Valley, the profits from which will go to high school student scholarships, trips, etc. The event will feature a Happy Hour with drinks and appetizers at 7pm with the show following at 8pm. For advanced tickets ($25 adults; $10 Under 18), call Lanny at 895-2644 or Dick at 895-2561…

       As a bonus P.S.A. here is the menu for the next week at the Senior Center at the Veterans Hall in Boonville… The Center asks for a $6 donation from Seniors and charges $7 for Non-Seniors for lunches … Tomorrow, Thursday, January 16, the lunch, always served by Marti Titus and her crew at 12.15pm, will be Breakfast for Lunch – Baked French Toast, Scrambled Eggs, Sausage, Barley Salad, with Breakfast Cookies for dessert… Then next Tuesday, January 21, the menu will feature Parmesan Baked Tilapia, Brown Rice, Brussels sprouts, Arugula Salad, Strawberry and Sour Cream Crumb Bars for dessert... Remember, all ages are welcome!... Hope to see you there…

       Moving quickly on to a few of the topics and Valley events under discussion this week at The Three-Dot Lounge – yes it’s “Moans, Groans, Good Thoughts, and Rampant (and often Reliable) Rumors” from my favorite gathering place in the Valley where people get together and share their thoughts about life in A.V.…

… The 49ers go marching on and there should be quite a gathering at The Buckhorn, Boonville for their Conference Championship game at Seattle. It will be tough to reach the Super Bowl (Feb 2), but by eating platefuls of spicy wings and sipping one or two pints of Guinness I hope to do my bit for the cause… p.s. The Buckhorn’s full liquor license will be in operation in the next couple of weeks or so…

… Restaurant updates… Our fine local restaurant, Aquarelle, will re-open after its holiday break next week - Friday, January 24… Libby’s CalMex restaurant in Philo remains closed for the holidays and Stone and Embers at The Madrones is closing for the month to do a little reorganizing. As a result of such developments, we at the 3-Dot are making Squirrel pies and Entrails soup in record numbers. Obviously the Sheep Eyes salad is a good seller all year round…

…Who is the moronic motorcyclist who insists on tearing along Hwy 128 at approximately 80 mph just north of Boonville at various times during the week and on Sunday afternoons in particular? The noise of his engine as he roars into the distance is most unsettling as you anticipate a deafening screech and crash at any moment. Hopefully he doesn’t kill anyone and the worst that happens to him is that his bike is wrecked and he has to wear a neck brace for a few months…

… A number of regulars have expressed sadness at the sight of the ghostly downtown building that until recently housed The Buckhorn Saloon (formerly the Lodge) and Anel’s Restaurant. All that remains there is the ‘Pick and Pay’ as landlord Dave Johnson of Sonoma continues to hold on to a building that would be so much better in a local person’s hands. It’s not yet the awful blight that is the Ricard Building at the south end of town, (why anyone hasn’t torched that ugly thing and fed the owner to the pigs I do not know) but it may be a matter of time before it is... 

… Why can’t we have a proper sidewalk in Boonville, one that would make it easy for folks, the elderly in particular, to walk from one end of the ‘shopping district’ to the other without dealing with so many potholes and uneven surfaces? This does not mean we are suddenly Napa. Some might say it would resemble Cloverdale - and what is so wrong with that? Isn’t it time to wise up and do the right thing?...

… Let’s do something about these issues. “Restlessness and discontent are the necessities of progress” that’s what I say, although Thomas Edison said it first…

… Meanwhile, my No. 1 Fan, “Confused of Comptche, California” stopped by the 3-Dot and it sounds like he will soon be moving on to bigger and better things. He told the assembled regulars, “I couldn't believe my luck the other day when I received an envelope on which were printed the words 'Check Inside. You Could Already Have Won Half A Million Dollars.' And sure enough, there inside the envelope was half a million dollars in crisp new £100 bills.”…Unbelievable!

       I’m outta here… So, until we talk again – ‘Keep the Faith’; be careful out there; stay out of the ditches; think good thoughts; and may your god go with you… Oh, and of course, one final request, “Let us prey”… Humbly yours, Turkey Vulture

p.s. You can contact me with words of support/abuse either through the Letters Page or by e-mail at <turkeyvulture1@earthlink.net>

p.p.s. Keep on wagging that tail, Fred…

p.p.p.s. Is that ‘lafter’ I hear, Carroll?...

p.p.p.p.s. Keep up the good work, Round-eyed Robin