# 544 - 4th January, 2017

    Greetings one and all. Are you are sitting comfortably? Then I shall begin…
    Well 2017 is upon us and may it be happy and healthy for one and all... Any New Year’s Resolutions? These are difficult to maintain of course and perhaps we should not put too much pressure on ourselves. As Benjamin Franklin so wisely once advised, “Resolve to perform what you ought to do; then perform without fail what you have resolved.” Easy right? Anyway, that’s your first Quote of the Week… With the dawn of a New Year fast approaching, and with new resolutions bursting forth, for a second Quote of the Week let me offer you these wise words by Gore Vidal to think about as a possible resolution for 2017 – “Never miss a chance to have sex or appear on television” – difficult to argue with, I’d say...

    Restaurant update: Traveling northwest along Highway 128, here we go with a basic guide to evening dining in the Valley, starting in Boonville:… Lauren’s Restaurant (895-3869) continues with their regular hours of Lunch on Thursday-Sunday, 11.30am-2.30pm, and Dinner on Tuesday-Saturday, 5-9pm. Natalie’s Sunday Suppers are soon to be introduced at Lauren’s - an exciting and comforting new option for Valley diners… Libby’s is closed for good, but Lizbby’s is a new Mexican restaurant opening soon in downtown Boonville at the site formerly occupied by The Boonville Saloon/Lodge/etc, that is planning to serve much of Libby’s menu thanks to the training of their cooks by Libby and husband Jose themselves - hmm, interesting… The Buckhorn remains closed but a large cormorant did tell me that discussions are continuing with interested parties, although these things take time so I would suggest that there will probably be no draft Guinness or Dry martinis available in the Valley until the early spring… The Boonville Hotel ( 895-2210) is now closed on Mondays, “until the apple blossoms show”, but remains open Thursday thru’ Sunday for their family-style, prix fixe menu… Aquarelle Café and Wine Bar (895-2767) is closed until the second week of February… The Redwood Drive-In (895-3441) is open all the time! Well almost. And not for the first time I enjoyed a very good breakfast burrito from there that proved to be a very effective hangover cure… Moving up the Valley to just before Philo we find Stone and Embers (895-3471) which has resumed their usual hours of Friday thru’ Tuesday, serving from noon till 6pm… In Philo itself, Libby’s is no more. It has ceased to be. It's expired and gone to meet its maker. This is a late restaurant. Bereft of life, it rests in peace. It's rung down the curtain and joined the choir invisible. This is an ex-place to enjoy wonderful food. Yes, Libby’s is permanently closed… An finally, in the Deep End of The Floodgate, from The Bewildered Pig’s Mama Pig herself, I am able to share these words, “We have our regular hours this week (and last) as normal. My only caveat to opening on Christmas Eve and NYE was that we had enough ressies to ask our wonderful staff to come in on such special holidays. There’s not been a problem with that ~ we’ve been full, and we are open!” Call 8954-2088 for further details! The Pig will then be closed from January 1 to 17 inclusive!… And that’s all for now - eat, drink, and be merry…

    Public Service Announcements (P.S.A.’s)… Calendars and pens at the ready… #545 - The Vets from the Mendocino Animal Hospital have one visit this month to the Anderson Valley Farm Supply on Highway 128, north of Philo, and that’s next week on Thursday, January 12. They will be here twice in February (2 and 23). New customers and their pets are always welcome and previous visitors should be aware that they can call 462-8833 and the vets will bring your pet’s charts with them - making this an even better service than it already is!… #546 - I believe that the Mendocino Bookmobile returns to the Valley next Tuesday, January 10. Phone 463-4694 for confirmation. They are usually here on alternate Tuesdays for 45 minutes at each of these places and times: 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 - Need a burn permit? From 11am to 3pm on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays you can get one from the Firehouse in Boonville. Call 895-2020 for more information or stop by and you will be efficiently served with a smile - trust me on this… #548 - The A.V Museum is now closed for the winter… #549 - No more Barn Sales until the spring…
    As a bonus P.S.A. here is the menu for the Community lunches and dinners over the next week in the Senior Center at the Veterans’ Building in Boonville. The Center asks for a $6 donation from seniors for both lunches and dinners and charges $7 for Non-seniors for lunches and $8 for the dinners… Tomorrow, Thursday, January 5, the lunch, served by Marti Titus and her crew at Noon, will be Vegetable & Beef Soup with Birthday cupcakes for dessert… Then, next Tuesday, January 10, the evening meal served at 6pm, will feature  Chicken Enchiladas with Carrot Cake for dessert. And following this dinner there will be a folk dance class… All meals include vegetables, salad bar, and fruit, plus milk, coffee, tea, and lemonade. What a deal - it maybe the best value for money you’ll get all week!… Tai Chi is now available every Tuesday at 11am, while on Thursdays at 11am it is Kathy’s Easy-stretch Yoga class. Also on Thursdays, the Active Life Club runs from 10am to 2pm and features games, crafts, and music. The Senior Center/Community Bus goes to Ukiah on Monday's and also Santa Rosa on the first Wednesday of the month (today!). These trips fill up fast so don't forget to sign up early at 489-1175… Hopefully you will be able to attend some of these events and certainly the lunches and dinners, and remember – ALL ages are welcome! Hope to see you there…
    I’m outta here - I’ve got see a man about a sheep… Besides, that’s enough for now, so until we talk again - be careful out there; if you break a leg don’t come running to me; stay out of the ditches; be wary of strangers with more dogs than teeth; show love to your pets, they will be faithful and true to you to the last beat of their hearts; ‘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… Oh, and of course, one final request, “Let us prey”… Sometimes poking, often stroking, but almost always humbly yours, Turkey Vulture - still wallowing in the honor of having the 2nd tallest tree (343.6 feet) in Hendy Woods named after me and my ilk…
p.s. Just time to re-remind those who think badly of us that a fellow by the name of Charles Darwin said about Turkey Vultures, “A disgusting bird whose bald scarlet head is formed to wallow in putridity” – Thanks for the compliment, Charlie…
p.p.s. You can contact me with words of support/abuse either through the Letters Page or by e-mail at
p.p.p.s. Keep on humming, Hummingbird… Missing the Venerable Pheasant… On the sheep, Grace…