# 548 - 1st February, 2017

    Greetings one and all. Are you are sitting comfortably? Then I shall begin…
    First let’s have a little recap or, some might say, a disclaimer!…For those of you unaware of what this column of “Vulture-journalism” is all about let me take a brief-ish moment to explain. ‘A Bird’s Eye View” is simply the opinions of an observer of the human condition who gets out and about in The Valley more than most and is therefore able to offer, somewhat irreverently and perhaps amusingly, a different set of viewpoints to those held by others who write herein. The column hopefully entertains readers and sometimes informs them and is presented in an easily read, ‘light’ style, in contrast to much of the A.V.A.’s more well-written and ‘heavier’ articles…
    Here’s a cruel but fair summing up by my good friend, The Old Crow, “Turkey Vulture likes to eat and drink. He criticizes, he encourages. He is curmudgeonly one moment and good-natured the next. He moans and groans. He rambles. He claims to be “humble” but frequently isn’t. He likes to push people’s buttons. He calls a spade a spade and keeps it real. Perhaps most important of all, he loves Anderson Valley”… And that’s your ‘Quote of the Week’…

    The Turkey Vulture’s Restaurant Report - Evening Dining in the Valley… Lauren’s Restaurant continues with their lunches (Thursday - Sunday) and dinners (Tuesday - Saturday)… Lizbby's in downtown Boonville will open “soon”… I am reliably informed that The Buckhorn plans to open by in early April - that means no draft Guinness for St. Patrick’s available here in the Valley, but I am assured it won’t be long after that to wait. Meanwhile, surely they will need some quality control meetings around March 17?…  Aquarelle plans to reopen in mid-February… Stone and Embers will increase hours into the evening in the spring but currently remain noon to 6pm, Thursday to Tuesday… The Bewildered Pig! down in the Deep End, is open Wednesday - Sunday, 5:30-9pm… The Boonville Hotel’s Table 128 restaurant continues to serve their family style, prix fixe meals from Friday to Sunday… Monday evening dining at this time? - Boonville’s Redwood Drive-In!...
    Public Service Announcements (P.S.A.’s)… Calendars and pens at the ready… #544 - The Vets from the Mendocino Animal Hospital return to the Anderson Valley Farm Supply on Highway 128, north of Philo, tomorrow, February 2 from 2-3.30pm.     To avoid a line perhaps turn up at around 3pm - you will definitely be seen. They will return one more time this month - in three weeks time, on February 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!… #545 - 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… #546 - I believe that the Mendocino Bookmobile returns to the Valley next Tuesday, February 7. 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 - The A.V Museum is closed for the winter… #548 - No more Barn Sales until the spring…#549 - And finally another reminder that the second of our two Valley Crab Feeds is this coming Saturday night. I have been told that the event is sold out but there is a waiting list for tickets that are returned before the event. Call Gloria Ross at 895-3071 to get on that list…
    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, February 2, the lunch, served by Marti Titus and her crew at Noon, will be Meat Loaf, Mashed potatoes and gravy, with Birthday Cupcakes for dessert… Then, next Tuesday, February 7, the evening meal served at 6pm, will feature General Tso Chicken and Kahlua Cake for dessert. Following the dinner there will be Bingo at 7pm. 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. 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…

    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 (yet surprisingly reliable) Rumors” from my favorite gathering place in the Valley, a somewhat secret location that sees people get together and share their thoughts about life in Anderson Valley and often far beyond, and where we subscribe to the Winston Churchill philosophy that “A lie will get halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to put on its pants”… So, with that in mind, I shall quickly put my pants on and continue…
… Natalie’s Pop-Up Sunday Supper at Lauren’s Restaurant had a successful opening night this last weekend with big thumbs up for the spicy wings, the jalapeño peppers stuffed with cream cheese and wrapped in bacon (who wouldn’t give a thumbs up to that?), the meatloaf, and the fried chicken… The new cozy ambience also had many folks singing its praises… The next Pop-up will be Sunday, February 26…
… The weather finally calmed down for a few very beautiful days, but as you read this I imagine we are once again under siege from the elements… Hopefully not enough to close the schools…
… The Donald Trump Watch… In this week’s thrilling episode, our mighty leader said he plans a “major investigation” into voter fraud. He claims, without any evidence whatsoever, that 3m-5m illegal immigrants cast fraudulent ballots, causing him to lose the popular vote. Mr Trump also signed an executive order to build a Mexican border wall, and expressed his support, in a television interview, for the use of torture against terrorist suspects… More divisive comments,  alternative facts, and off-the-chart behavior next week… And coming in the not too different future will surely be ‘Donald’s Decision’ - “Should I push the nuclear button or not - they did piss me off after all?”… This prediction follows the move by the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists to move the hands of its Doomsday Clock forward by 30 seconds, to two and a half minutes to midnight, in response to Trump’s “unsettling” and “ill-considered” comments about the use of nuclear weapons, growing concern over North Korea, and worries about relations with Russia. This is the closest the clock has been to midnight since 1953… I’m just sayin’…

    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; think good thoughts; ‘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 - saddened but ultimately comforted in the knowledge that the old hare has safely moved to his new burrow in the sky…
p.s. You can contact me with words of support/abuse either through the Letters Page or by e-mail at
p.p.s. Skylark – read any good books lately?… Hi, Silver Swan – behaving yourself? Hopefully not!… Everything cool with you, O.J.? Of course it is…