Greetings one and all. Are you are sitting comfortably? Then I shall begin. Let’s move straight into a few of the topics and Valley events under discussion this week at The Three-Dot Lounge— “Moans, Groans, Good Thoughts, and Rampant (yet surprisingly reliable) Rumors” from my favorite gathering place in the Valley.
…Update from Crab Feed Central. There were originally 325 tickets available for this wonderful annual event taking place on Saturday, February 6, when folks from all walks of life in the Valley community will sit down to eat together. By Monday morning there were about 20 remaining. These may be gone by the time you read this, but by calling Gloria Ross at 895-3071 you can go on a waiting list for any cancellations that inevitably occur.
…Hummingbird and I visited the newly-opened Bewildered Pig at the Floodgate in the Deep End last weekend. The restaurant looks wonderful, the ambience works very well, and the service was excellent. I won’t go into the food details; you can find out for yourselves, suffice to say it was delectable, and the twenty or so local folks there to whom I talked all had very positive things to say. This is good news for the owners obviously, but surely they already believe that everything is good. Why wouldn’t they? What they might instead be wondering is if there were any adverse comments that customers could share so that they may make adjustments. With that in mind, here’s a couple of observations, neither associated with the dishes themselves which, as I mentioned, were excellent. I felt that the local wines, certainly the reds, were nearly all quite prohibitively priced and, for the first time that I can remember when dining here in the Valley, we ordered a bottle from elsewhere, a Petite Syrah from Napa. We cannot pay overinflated prices that are beyond our means for the local “stuff,” although quite a few of the locals who were present quite possibly did. Another slight criticism is that there was no bread provided. I know we are a gluten-free obsessed society these days but some dishes cry out for bread as a way of fully enjoying all of the succulent sauce on the plate. The pork shank was such a dish and, in my humble opinion, for $32 it should come with complimentary bread if the customer requests. However, bread was available, appearing as a menu item. a “surprising” $8 for a few slices from Fort Bragg Bakery. delicious though they were. Nevertheless, overall it was a very pleasant experience on every level and we shall certainly return. PS. A locals night on Sundays or Mondays will probably work well at some point. I’m just sayin.”
…I usually do my own research when it comes to the local restaurant scene but last week I learned the date of the Aquarelle Wine Bar and Cafe’s re-opening from an assistant. He was wrong and obviously he has now been “dealt with” for making such an error. I apologize for any inconvenience and can inform you that in actuality they are opening on Friday, February 12. I myself can confirm that they are working on a new look, a refocused menu, and will have the excellent chef/owner Christina Jones back at the helm. Meanwhile, the re-opening date for Libby’s Restaurant in Philo remains “a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma.”
…Among the 14 punctuation marks in English, the ; is called a semi-colon, and the ) is a closing parenthesis. When coupled together like this ;) most people under 50 would tell you that this is a winky-face in modern email/text/social media parlance. However, some readers may recall that in ancient times, the semi-colon was often used to separate parts of archaic written devices known as complete sentences, while parentheses were curved notations used to contain further thoughts or qualifying remarks within these devices. A “winky-face” indeed? And they say things have changed for the better?!
Onward. Public Service Announcements. #543. The General Knowledge and Trivia Quiz held at Lauren’s Restaurant is now on its winter/spring schedule of 7pm on the 2nd and 4th Thursdays of every month. that means there will be one tomorrow, Thursday, January 28. #544. The Vets from the Mendocino Animal Hospital have no more visits this month but they will be at the AV Farm Supply on Highway 128, north of Philo, on two occasions next month. February 4 and 25. #545. The Boonville Farmers Market continues every Saturday at its winter venue, outside The Boonville General Store from 10am-12:30 pm. Cindy: 895-2949. #546. 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. #547. The AV Lending Library, run by The Unity Club, is open at The Fairgrounds on Tuesdays 1.30-4.30pm and Saturdays 2-4pm. #548. The County Dump is open from 9am-4pm Tuesday, Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday. Remember, no dead animals! The number for the Dump is 895-3569 and checking first to see that they are open is probably well worth the small effort. The Recycling Center in Boonville at The Fairgrounds parking lot is open Wednesday-Saturday, 9-4pm (489-2033).
Here is the menu for the Community lunches over the next week in the Senior Center at the Veterans Building in Boonville. The Center asks for a $6 donation from seniors and charges $7 for Non-seniors. Tomorrow, Thursday, January 28, the lunch, served by Marti Titus and her crew at Noon, will be Oven Fried Chicken & Potatoes, and Lemon Bars for dessert. Then, next Tuesday, February 2, the first lunch of the month will, as always, feature Meat Loaf, Mashed Potatoes and Gravy, with Birthday Cupcakes for dessert. All meals include vegetables, salad bar, and fruit, plus milk, coffee, tea, and lemonade. What a deal. Maybe the best $7 you’ll spend all week! Hopefully you will be able to attend, and remember. ALL ages are welcome! Hope to see you there.
Finally, back the Three-Dot to hear from one of our regulars, The Old Buzzard, who provides us with another installment in his “Signs that the Apocalypse is Approaching.”
Buzzard reports, “My predictions in last weekend’s NFL Conference Championship games went 1-for-2 when my pick of a Patriots win went down against an impressive Denver defensive effort, but I bounced back on Sunday afternoon with the Panthers humiliation of Arizona. I am now 8-for-10 on the NFL play-offs overall. Acceptable in any gambling situation, certainly one that is “for entertainment purposes only”! The much-anticipated Super Bowl pick will appear next week.
“Meanwhile, let’s move on to an almost as important topic: the race for the Presidency. I don’t think that many “real” socialists would regard Bernie Sanders as one of their ilk. Unfortunately, many folks in this country think of this term as a “dirty” word, and using it to describe him, as many people are doing, both supporters and opponents alike, is going to scare off a great number of possible followers. Sanders, whom I expect would be good company over a burger and beer, seems to be a decent, rational fellow with enlightened, left-leaning beliefs compared to many American politicians, but he is certainly not a socialist and what he’s talking about isn’t socialism of any type or form. I would call it social democracy, and there is not much wrong with that. Meanwhile, staying with presidential politics, I was just wondering. the Italian fascist dictator, Benito Mussolini, was summarily executed by anti-fascist partisans in 1945; Donald Trump was born in 1946. Coincidence or reincarnation? I think you know. And while we’ll on the subject of The Donald, the Republican debates are deplorable, classless, third-rate, and witless spectacles. I imagine sitting down for a chat with any of the these particular candidates over a burger and beer would be a most unpleasant, and ultimately dull, experience. Not at all what I would be looking for in a chat with a possible US President. These “debates” basically present Trump’s brutish pontifications while the rest of the candidates remain too fearful of upsetting a large part of the right wing electorate to contradict his outlandish and odious proposals. Trump’s continuing success is, given the possible consequences in November, quite disturbing, and a huge indication that the Apocalypse is Approaching.”
I’m outta here, and taking Buzzard with me. Besides we’ve got see a man about a sheep. So, until we talk again, Keep the Faith; be careful out there; if you break a leg don’t come running to me; stay out of the ditches; think good thoughts; be wary of strangers with more dogs than teeth; be kind and show love to your pets; and may your god go with you. A final request, “Let us prey.” Sometimes poking, often stroking, but almost always humbly yours, Turkey Vulture. Contact me through the Letters Page or at turkeyvulture9@gmail.com.
PS. Skylark, read any good books lately? Hi, Silver Swan. behaving yourself? Hopefully not! Everything cool with you, O.J.? Of course it is.
Libby’s re-opened today! If they had fancy cloth napkins before I neglected to notice, but they have them now. I had the carne asada tostada, and it was quite lovely.