# 390 - January 22nd, 2014
Greetings one and
all – if you are sitting comfortably then I shall begin… Let’s begin with the
bad news - Laughing Dog Books in the heart of Boonville is closing! Owner of
our local bookstore, Loretta Houck, courteously informed me of her upsetting
decision that is sad for both her and the community. If Borders Books and
Barnes & Noble were either closing completely or cutting back, then I
suppose it’s not surprising that a little in dependent book store in the Valley
cannot survive, and yet I thought it would. I guess folks just don’t read
actual books anymore, and I have little doubt that very few school kids do. It
is too bad, and a depressing sign of the times. LDB was not just any old
bookshop either, but a very well organized one, with an eclectic range of books
and related items. Loretta and husband Dan did a splendid job and were a very
positive addition to the Valley’s commercial scene, not to mention their
support of Valley events in terms of selling tickets and being the 'home' for at least two book
clubs that held their monthly meetings at the venue.
It's
impossible not to feel the loss, a sense of cultural diminishment even. I guess
the majority of folks no longer like to read 'by hand', or read at all unless
it’s on the computer. Personally, I much prefer physical contact with the
printed page to scrolling pages on a screen. Everything changes, I am regularly
reminded, but as newspapers, magazines, books, and bookstores flatten into
screens and more screens, I'm far from convinced that all change is for the
better. Meanwhile I am sure Valley readers will wish Loretta well for her next
venture and, at least for now, as a die-hard Seattle Seahawk fan, she can enjoy
basking in Super Bowl fever for a couple of weeks…
Public
Service Announcements (P.S.A.’s)… Calendars and pens at the ready… #435 - The Boonville
Winter Market continues every Saturday morning at the Boonville General Store
from 11am-1pm. This weekend it’s your chance to get some of the ‘world famous’
Onion starts from Mr. Onions himself - Bill Harper!... #436 - Saturday,
February 25 is the last Saturday of the month and
that means the Community Sing returns to
Lauren’s Restaurant. Lily and Zoe Jacobsen will be the song leaders and lyrics
will be provided, although you will know many of the songs I’m sure... #437
- Sold out! I’m referring to the ‘Original’ Crab Feed, the 12th such
event since the first one back in 2003, which will take place this Saturday,
February 1, at The Apple Hall. Remember it is not an alcohol-free event
but hopefully those who make judgments on such gatherings will forgive us for
our ‘sins.’... #438 - The Vets from the Mendocino Animal Hospital will be in
town once more in January - and that’s tomorrow, Thursday, January 23! They
will be at the A.V. Farm Supply from 2pm to 3.30pm and no matter what time you
arrive your pet will be seen. Call 462-8833 for further details. New customers
and their pets are always welcome. The Vets have two visits planned for
Thursdays next month - February 6 and 20…
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. and beyond…
… As one regular wisely observed the other day,
“Sometimes a Guinness and a bowl of French fries at Lauren’s Restaurant is all
a man needs to complete a satisfactory day”...
… Aquarelle Restaurant in Boonville is re-opening this
weekend, Friday, January 24th… Like all local businesses they rely
on Valley folks for support more than ever during the winter months and, as
I’ve said many times, ‘Eating out is fun’…
… The first of the Valley’s two Crab Feed took place
last Saturday at the Apple Hall in Boonville and many 3-Dot regulars were in
attendance. This event benefits the Senior Center, their 9th such
one, although the first couple were actually crab cioppino dinners. Anyway,
once again it was sold out and I heard many folks talk of a wonderful time,
with tasty crab, salad, and bread, followed by a good if lengthy raffle and
silent auction. I obviously attended and regular readers may be surprised to
learn that I was neither the first to arrive nor the last to leave (although it
was close) as I have been on previous occasions. It felt good just to be a part
of this event and its excellent cause as the community sat down to eat together
and make their contribution - it doesn’t get much better than that…
… The health care system, or lack thereof, in this
country has been in a shocking mess for years, and viewed with incredulity by
citizens of most western democracies and others. It was time to grow up, do the
right thing, and take care of the citizens. So why was it not done in an
efficient, comprehensive, and orderly manner? Just asking…
… We now know that the Super Bowl on February 1 will
feature Denver against Seattle. Most folks around here don’t care. A couple of
crucial calls went incorrectly against San Francisco, together with a couple of
sloppy turnovers, as they went down fighting in Seattle, while Denver never
really looked in trouble against New England. By some folk’s reckoning, the
49ers have arguably been the ‘best team’ in the NFL over the past three seasons.
They are tied with New England for best regular season record in that time and
have competed in three successive NFC Championship Games - but will not have a
Super Bowl victory to show for it… Being a sports fan is never easy and at the
end of the day, as we all know, there is only one winner… With that in mind how
about this comment on sports by doom-and-gloom, yet quite brilliant author,
George Orwell, for your Quote of the Week, “Serious sports has nothing to do
with fair play. It is bound up with hatred, jealousy, boastfulness, and
sadistic pleasure in witnessing violence; in other words it is war minus the
shooting”... Difficult to argue with George on that one, particularly after
watching that Niners v Seahawks game left me feeling like I’d lost a war…
… From our 3-Dot regular, The Old Buzzard, comes another
in his insightful series – ‘Signs that the Apocalypse is Approaching’… Buzzard
reports, “Texas remaining as part of the U.S. is one powerful reason why the
Apocalypse will continue to approach - let the bastards secede if they want to,
I say… When a mayor of one of its major cities, Annise Parker of Houston, has
to come to California to get married to her partner, as Texas does not
recognize gay marriage, this perpetuates yet another example of the state’s
narrow-minded mentality. What a place! A place where more than half the
citizens do not believe in evolution or that humans are causing global warming;
and a place which also does not recognize that cowboy hats look stupid when
worn with suits and that Tex Mex food is Mexican food without the flavor. They
should also recognize the fact that the rest of the country really does not
give a **** about the Alamo… Phew, that felt good - and I didn’t even begin to
talk about the fire ants, big hair, terrible tasting water, scorpions, and the
ridiculous weather… How did I last three years there?...”
Thanks
for your input, Buzzard… Well now I think it’s time to take my leave… 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 - and please ask
him, her, or it, to send us some rain…
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. On the sheep, Grace…
p.p.p.s. Hi, George – hope you and Sheila are well…
p.p.p.p.s. Hi, Silver Swan – behaving yourself?
Hopefully not!
posted by Turkey Vulture @ 10:05 AM
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