NO MORE GATE FEES FOR ANY AV SPORTS. From Superintendent Simson: “We are going to discontinue collecting gate fees for all sports (except what is required for playoffs). Leigh is allocating money to pay officials etc... in some of our community engagement funds. My hope is this will allow greater community participation, drive up our snack shack revenue, and alleviate some hassle for the office staff in getting all of this ready, counted, and deposited. We still need staff to supervise the games as that is required by the league, but by not being tied to the front gate, you can cruise the gym, occasionally the outdoors and not be tied to the front door. I hope that helps folks being willing to sign up too.”
EXCITING WEEK so far for Renee Lee, the multi-tasking director of the Anderson Valley Senior Center who makes all her many tasks look easy. First, the Senior Center bus is robbed of its catalytic converter — “It's covered by insurance but our insurance is $500 deductible. That’s 83 senior meals!,” Renee laments. Then, just this afternoon about 2, “I came home with my house completely full of smoke. I tried calling AVFD to see if I could get someone to just make sure I didn’t have an attic or chimney fire. I was hoping Fal [Allen] or Angela [Dewitt] could just make a quick stop. They said hang up and call 911. Sooo…five trucks and a bunch of firefighters from Cal-Fire and AVFD later, my quiet street is a huge spectacle. I feel like a total idiot even though they said I did the right thing. I told 911 that there weren't any flames but they all came anyway. They thoroughly inspected my chimney and attic to be sure. Opened flue and hot coals fanned by the air blowing down causing the wood stove to “burp” was probably the culprit. Ugh! Another argument to get rid of wood heat altogether!”
FODOR SAYS, skip Mendocino, “which has acutely felt the impact of California's drought. Normally soggy Mendocino has seen scant rainfall; currently, it's 22 inches short of normal for the year. It's the second-driest year on record, going back almost 130 years. In 2021, some restaurants and hotels began paying to truck in water as Mendocino's aquifers became depleted. Fodor's says it doesn't want people to boycott the areas they highlight; instead, they suggest giving those locations “a break” to recover and to travel as responsibly as possible by conserving water, supporting companies that are committed to sustainability and booking trips in the shoulder season.”
ED INQUIRY: What's the “shoulder season”?
JUST IN. The Major reminds me that Johnny Schmitt once explained to him that the “tourist season” is roughly from Memorial Day to Labor Day. The “shoulder season” is a reference to the weeks and months before Memorial Day and after Labor Day when many B&Bs and hotels have less than full occupancy and the marketing efforts are targeted towards those months before and after the tourist season. The Winter Season is typically January to March when business is off and some tourist operations simply close or offer limited hours and services.
WHY WE NEED a resident deputy. A series of petty thefts, highlighted this week by the theft of the catalytic converter off the Senior Center bus, has locals complaining. And don’t forget aggressively loud late night music from The Valley’s growing idiot sector. There are thefts and there are annoying trespasses by kids drinking and leaving their trash behind, one of whom, during late night merriment, left his sweatshirt, sunglasses and his class schedule with his name on it at the high school near a bunch of empty White Claw cans. None of this separately is a big deal, but cumulatively leaves a lawless impression. Former resident deputies Squires and Walker knew who was doing what without even leaving their homes, but the criminally-disposed always know where the cops are. Or aren't.
BILL KIMBERLIN: Took the SMART train from Larkspur Landing to Santa Rosa Railroad Square. Lots of fun seeing stuff you can't see from the highway. It will be all electric when finished and will go to Ukiah and beyond when all the Biden Billions kick in next year. Lots of knockers in Boonville and elsewhere but they don't have their facts straight. Yes, it is currently a six gear diesel engine but that was only to get it going more quickly. Absolutely smooth, stress free ride. We had a ball and this was our second trip. You can now go from the Ferry Building in San Francisco by ferry on a world class ride and then to Marin, and by train to Santa Rosa.
I USED to get sick at least once every winter, some years several times, until it finally occurred to me to stay out of crowds during the cold months. My crowds were movie theaters, some of whose audiences sounded like they'd come straight out of tb wards, hacking and hocking throughout the film. Haven't suffered so much as a cold in several years simply by staying home from October to May.
MARY PAT PALMER:
The Alembic Copper still in which I make Hydrosols. Years ago I wrote an article, The Alchemical Allure of Herbology, that was published in the American Herbalist Guild newsletter. Here is a link to that article: https://herbalenergetics.com/writing-2
PETIT TETON FARM, south of Boonville on Highway 128, has a wonderful selection of unique, farm-grown and farm-made local gifts which we are happy to ship for you. We would love to see you come by to select them or we can email you a complete list of our offerings and we'll ship whatever you want to wherever you would like. The selections range from almost all imaginable jams (and a few you've not yet dreamed of), to soups, a range of hot sauces from hot to hotter, and a wide selection of pickles and sauces. Give us a call 707.684.4146, email us at farmer@petitteton.com, or stop by 8:30-4:30 any day but Sunday when we're open 12-4:30.
BOON BOX SUBSCRIPTIONS from the Boonville Barn Collective are now available! The Boon Box is a mix between a subscription box and a CSA. You pay for all 3 boxes up front, get chiles from our farm delivered in three boxes, and help support our farm with the funds we need to get the next growing year started. You also get satisfaction for helping a small farm during the time of the year when farming input costs are high! As a “thanks” for your upfront investment, you receive the products at a 10% discount.
The first box of the year ships in early December, followed by March and July. It makes a great gift for friends and family as well as the perfect way to keep your kitchen stocked with chiles during the year. If you purchase the Boon Box for yourself and live here in the valley, we will provide an extra $39 worth of goods from the farm to cover the shipping costs that are included in the overall price.
There are 3 different versions of the Boon Box available this year that have no beans, 5 pounds of beans, and 10 pounds of beans included. Check out more details here on our website or shoot Krissy an email (krissy@boonvillebarn.com) if you have more questions. Our website is also full of our Boonville grown chiles. If you'd like to place an order online and pickup at our office, use the code ILIVEHERE at checkout to remove shipping costs. Krissy will reach out to schedule pickup. You can also find Boonville Barn goods at The Farmhouse Mercantile, The Boonville Hotel, Disco Ranch, AV Market, Pennyroyal Farms, Toulouse, Drew Cellars, Sun & Cricket, and the Ukiah Co-Op.
THE BOONVILLE GINGERBREAD PROJECT RETURNS
We are bringing it back. A day event of sweet gingerbread house building at the Boonville hotel, Saturday, December 10th!
Build a sweet house with your little person and have a kid friendly lunch. You can book online at boonvillehotel.com. Hope to see your smiling faces!
Actually, it should have read “shoulder seasons”; spring and autumn, the seasons on either side of summer.