# 559 - 19th April, 2017

    Greetings one and all. Are you sitting comfortably? Then I shall begin…
    Let’s begin with the Turkey Vulture’s update on ‘Evening Dining in the Valley’… In geographical order, as you travel through the Valley on Highway 128, here is the latest on ‘The Big Eight Eateries’… Lauren’s Restaurant continues with their regular hours of lunch on Thursday-Sunday, 11.30am-2.30pm, and dinner on Tuesday-Saturday, 5-9pm, closed Mondays, with the always special ‘Natalie’s Sunday Supper’ coming up on the last Sunday of the month, April 30 from 4-8pm… Lizbby’s, the new Mexican Restaurant in downtown Boonville, is open every day except Tuesdays, serving breakfast (on Saturday and Sunday) and lunch from 10am-3pm and dinner from 5-8pm… The Buckhorn has re-opened and, not surprisingly given the six month long bar-free world we have been enduring, it seems to have been packed every night since. They are open every day at 11am (10am at weekends), closed on Tuesdays… The Boonville Hotel continues with their family-style, prix fixe menu served Friday thru’ Sunday… The Q and Aquarelle, formerly Aquarelle Cafe and Wine Bar, has also re-opened with a new ‘Santa Maria BBQ’ menu added to previous favorites. Open 4-8pm from Friday thru’ Taco Tuesday… The Redwood Drive-In just keeps on doing what they do, with reliable hours that everyone can remember and rely on (6am-8pm every day!) - don't forget to try the donuts!… Stone and Embers’ spring hours see them open from Noon to 8pm Friday-Sunday and Noon to 4pm on Monday and Tuesday… Finally, down in the Deep End, The Bewildered Pig is open Wednesday-Sunday, 5:30-9pm… And that’s it for now… Join us again next week as we once again travel along the Valley’s Dining Highway… Meanwhile, I encourage you all to eat, drink, and be merry at one of the above establishments whenever you can - remember ‘eating out is fun’…

    Talking of traveling, for your Quotes of the Week here are three of my favorites on this subject. First up, it’s these words from Richard Burton (1925-1984) the Welsh actor nominated seven times for an Academy Award (without ever winning) who said, “Travelers, like poets, are mostly an angry race”… And then there is this comment from Paul Theroux (1941-?) the American travel writer and novelist – “Travel is glamorous only in retrospect”… Finally, how about this from Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) the Irish writer and poet who typically remarked, “I never travel without my diary. One should always have something sensational to read on one’s travels!”…

    Public Service Announcements (P.S.A.’s)… Calendars and pens at the ready… #542 - For the month of April, a Diabetes Workshop will be offered by the A.V. Health Center at the Senior Center on Tuesdays in Spanish from 10am-Noon and on Thursdays in English from 1-3pm. To register please call 707-895-3477… #543 - Historical theater, in the form of the Mendocino County Museum's Road Show, comes to the Anderson Valley Grange in Philo on this Friday, April 21 at 7:30 pm. Step back in time and experience life in Mendocino County during the 19th century through story and song. This year's Museum Road Show tells the true stories of the Frolic shipwreck, and the birth of the lumber industry; schooners and stagecoach lines; the truth about the Mendocino Indian “Wars"; Grace Hudson, her paintings, and her love for the Pomo; and the scandalous and comical tale of the Cattle King of Round Valley and the Fraud Queen of Spiritualism! Advance tickets are $18 Adults; $14 Seniors & Students. For more information visit www.MendocinoMuseum.org. … #544 - The Vets from the Mendocino Animal Hospital have one more visit this month to the Anderson Valley Farm Supply on Highway 128, north of Philo. That is tomorrow, Thursday April 20. To avoid a line perhaps turn up at around 3pm - you will definitely be seen. 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 - The 3rd Annual Anderson Valley Goat Festival will be held from 10am-4pm at the Mendocino County Fairgrounds in Boonville on Saturday April 22, in conjunction with the Wildflower Show - which continues on Sunday too. This fun and informative event  focuses on "everything goat" - workshops on goat care, as well as cheese, yogurt & kefir making; a tour of Pennyroyal Goat Farm and Creamery; a best dressed goat parade; a birria cook-off (spicy goat stew); music by Joe Blow, and more!… #546 - The Boonville Farmers’ Market continues with its Winter location and hours for a couple of more weeks at The Boonville General Store, on Saturdays from 11am-1pm. They will move to the summer venue at the Hotel parking lot in May. For more info, call Cindy at 895-2949… #547 - Need a burn permit? From 11am-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. Lending Library run by The Unity Club is open Tuesdays from 1.30-4.30pm and Saturdays 2-4pm at The Fairgrounds in Boonville… #549 - The County Dump is open from 9am-4pm Tuesday, Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday. Dump Executive Director, Mike Mannix, rewards good customers with a star but will be very harsh with anyone thinking they can leave dead animals!… #550 - And finally this week, I am reliably informed by the Yorkville Master Shepherd that on Saturday, April 29, up on Hulbert Ranch Road, opposite the post office in Yorkville, the Kevin Owens’ Classic sheepdog trial will take place. The fascinating battle in a natural setting of pastures and hills, featuring Man and Dog versus the Ornery Sheep begins at 10am and everyone is welcome to attend - hope to see you there…
    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, April 20, the lunch, served by Marti Titus and her crew at Noon, will be Parmesan Cod followed by Strawberry Lemon bars… Then, next Tuesday, April 25, the evening meal served at 6pm, will feature Sausage in ‘Vodka’ sauce and the fixin’s with Chocolate Amaretto for dessert. 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!… Meanwhile, on Tuesday and Thursday from 9-9.45am the Center offers ‘Young at Heart Exercise’ with Linda Boudoures and Karen DeFalco… Tai Chi is now available every Tuesday at 11am, while on Thursdays at 11am-Noon 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…
… Along with a couple of other 3-Dot regulars, I made my first visit to the  ‘new’ Buckhorn last Friday evening. Business was brisk and apparently even more so later on… The draft Guinness was excellent and from the reduced menu the spicy wings were at the high standard of the location’s previous ‘incarnation’… The new owners have made some small but positive changes and plan to introduce their full menu this week… I humbly believe that a community needs such a gathering place and many, many Valley folks are hoping for the success of this establishment in what has always been a great location…
… Rain, sun, rain, sun, rain, sun - I wish whoever was in charge of this stuff would make their mind up and let’s all move on…
... This week’s 3-Dot discussion point - ‘Is Yorkville in Anderson Valley?’... Well technically and traditionally ‘Yes’. However, geographically there are over ten miles  and several significant hills/ravines/small valleys in between ‘the High Rollers and the rest of us’.’ Not to mention the fact that ii is clearly not physically in the same Valley as Boonville, Philo, and Navarro. So maybe it shouldn’t be part of the Valley. This may a good or bad thing depending on your perspective. I know of several Yorkville folks who believe that they are not included in the overall Valley’s mindset – some of whom are annoyed by that fact and yet some who are quite pleased about this situation... To be discussed further...
… From our 3-Dot regular, The Old Buzzard, comes another in his insightful series – ‘Signs that the Apocalypse is Approaching’… Buzzard reports, “A couple f weeks ago, Cecile Richards, the president of Planned Parenthood, spoke at the Women in the World Summit in New York. These are tricky times for the biggest provider of abortions in America. Last month it had a narrow escape when the government pulled a health-care bill that would have stopped federal funding for family-planning clinics that provide abortions. Now pro-life lawmakers will be looking for another opportunity to strip the organization of government cash. If, as expected, Donald Trump approves a bill restoring states’ right to block access to federal grants for family-planning centers that provide abortions, clinics may close. But the big push will be for a new bill that “defunds” Planned Parenthood nationally. Federal money that flows to clinics cannot be used specifically for abortions, which in any case make up only a small part of Planned Parenthood’s services. Preventing poor Americans from getting the rest of the organization’s family-planning services seems a bad way to fight abortion, but as the Apocalypse approaches in a world that seems to be teetering on the edge, perhaps we should not be surprised…”
   
    Strange and disconcerting times, indeed, Buzzard. Thanks for your latest thoughts on impending doom and gloom… Meanwhile, I’m outta here - I’ve got see a man about a sheep… 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, and please remember to keep your windows cracked if you leave them in your vehicle for any amount of time; 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…
p.s. You can contact me with words of support/abuse either through the Letters Page or by e-mail at
p.p.s. Keep on humming, Hummingbird… Missing the Venerable Pheasant… On the sheep, Grace…