OUR LITTLE TOWN is a pretty nice place to live. From the sweet Easter coloring contest at Safeway (you should see the size of the bunnies and baskets they’ve been giving away) to the hills full of chickens and goats and other farm pets, Montclair is unique. But like any town, people come and go — and change is always in the wind. So after eight years, it’s time to say good-bye to Michael Silverman and What the Traveller Saw.

His store was eclectic and exciting — a place that opened your eyes to the cultures and creations of far away places. His shop had a spirit and soul that will really be missed when he moves to Solano Avenue in Berkeley next month.

“I’ve made a lot of friends,” Silverman says, adding he’ll miss all the people who came in just to see his big sleepy Bernese mountain dog, Tara.

The thought of two locations crossed his mind, but it wasn’t financially feasible. On Solano Avenue, he’ll have a much bigger store in a high-traffic area.

So what happens to his space at 6128 La Salle Avenue? The good news is that long-time landlord, Ann Steppen, has carefully chosen another one-of-a-kind shop for this location. In just a few weeks, we’ll have a new culinary shop called Someone’s in the Kitchen, owned by a local entrepreneur, Jennifer Sandstrom. I’m sure she’ll do well with all the interest in eating, these days.

Other rumblings

Montclair may be getting a farmers market. It’s just a “seedling” of an idea right now, but it’s being explored by the Montclair Village Association. The board supports the idea and is looking at sites for a produce mart on Sundays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Feel free to send me your comments, and I’ll pass them on to the powers that be.

Kids on stage

Congratulations to the Montclair 4H club for winning first place recently at Skit Night. Local dad Robert Ferguson says eight Alameda County clubs had three months to come up with their skits — which had to fit a “back to the future” theme.

The Montclair kids won with a plot that included 4H suddenly disappearing from the planet — leaving the children completely memorized by TV and junk food. Somehow it doesn’t seem that far fetched, but thank goodness it was only science fiction. The 4H clubs are alive and well as healthy outlets for our kids.

E-mail bag

Thanks to local Realtor Keith Sjoholm (Prudential California Realty) for spotting another positive travel piece on Oakland. The Sunday, April 18, New York Times had an article by local writer Megan Harlan — “The quirky heart of the East Bay.”

Her favorite Oakland haunts include A Cote, the trendy French cafe on College Ave, Everett and Jones BBQ — with its “tasty goop sauce” — and, of course, Yoshi’s and the Claremont, where you can dance and drink with the beautiful people. Rockridge gets a lot of ink in this story, but there’s nary a word on Montclair Village. Hmmmm.

Mail mania

It’s a clear case of the squeaky wheel getting the grease. After years and years of begging for a new Montclair mail drop, we now have three!

The U.S. Postal Service has responded in triplicate with a box at Mountain and Colton, another at Mountain and Scout, and a brand new box near the 7-Eleven on Thornhill — which went in last week.

The drive-by box at Colton is getting so much. One reader reported that it was practically overflowing the other day. Maybe the next step is to increase the number of pick-ups, at least at that box.

Minding manners

What is the proper etiquette for saving a seat on an airplane? On a sold out Southwest flight, just after boarding, I marked my seat with a magazine and water bottle before heading to the lavatory. Upon returning, I found a young woman in my seat.

“Did you see my things here?” I asked. “Yes I did,” she replied defiantly, “but you can’t save a seat here.”

It was like an episode of Seinfeld, I thought, as I struggled for words. “It’s called manners,” I blurted out as I found another seat. “It’s called an airplane,” she fired back, rolling her eyes.

So much for the friendly skies.

FARMS IN MONTCLAIR? You might be surprised at the number of folks who have chickens, goats and all manner of livestock in the hills. Take the Hawkey family, for instance. They’ve got a pair of goats, two rabbits and, count ’em — nine chickens.

You might say it’s a zoo at their house, but well worth it when you consider they don’t need a weed wacker and rarely buy eggs. And they aren’t the only ones.

Hills resident Liz Taylor says, “Your readers might be interested to know what a pleasant addition a few pet hens can be. Not only will they consume your kitchen scraps, they are also death on snails, flies, ticks and other pests.”

She says the steady supply of fresh eggs will put any store bought eggs to shame, not to mention the fertilizer the chickens provide, quite naturally. It’s no wonder Montclair has a thriving 4H chapter with the pet project of … raising chickens.

Speaking of animals

Knowing my penchant for cats, at least two readers have sent me clippings on how to keep tabby from turning your garden into a personal litter box. The best idea calls for spreading red pepper flakes liberally around your plants. Pussy soon learns that these spicy flakes are not fun on the tongue — thus they avoid padding through the peppered plant mixture.

E-mail bag

Thanks to Barbara Harrison for the kind words on my April 2 tribute to Crogan’s owner Bob Gattis. “We have just come off a long week of good-byes to our dearest friend of 30-plus years, and continue to be moved by the number of people who were affected by Bob’s spirit and largess,” she writes. “Though you didn’t know him, I think you got his essence. His wife, Anne, will be very pleased by your kind words.”

Snail mail

Business is reportedly picking up at the new drive-by mailbox at Mountain and Colton. Reader Nancy, aka “the slipper lady,” says she was mailing a check to the Waste Management Co. and had to wait for two cars that were ahead of her in the drop-off line. “Then as I started to drive away, another car pulled up to the box behind me. That was four drops within about 1 minute! Fantastic!!!” she adds (with triple exclamation points).

Innkeeper update

After a nationwide search, two new innkeepers are running the bed and breakfast at the East Bay’s own East Brother Light Station. The Spelmans bring an interesting blend of talents to this unique job.

Lucien Spelman is a first officer for Hornblower Cruises and has taught sailing on Lake Merritt. (He’s licensed to take guests by boat to and from the island). Isabella Spellman has been managing the Emeryville Marina and loves horticulture and interior design. Moving to the island (off the Richmond/San Rafael Bridge) means more room for both of them. They’ll be living in a house, now, instead of on a boat.

Flower power

Thanks to reader Kathy Castaldi for telling me about an East Bay woman who’s painting the town orange. Kathy says a co-worker gave her poppy seeds to plant and told her they were from a San Leandro woman with an organization called Native Daughters of the Golden West.

“One of their “missions” is planting poppy seeds all over California — so if you send a self-addressed stamped envelope to her, she’ll send you back poppy seeds to plant,” says Castaldi.

Indeed, the flower gal’s name is Carolyn Barber, writer her care of El Cereso Parlor #207, 2470 Washington Avenue #19, San Leandro, CA 94577. Native Daughters of the Golden West has been a fraternal organization for over a century, working to save the environment.

Speaking French

The Town Crier gets some interesting phone messages, but rarely in a foreign language. Reader Michelle DeRobertis had me pulling out my French/English dictionary the other day, when she told me her daughter, Nicola DeRobertis, a senior at St. Mary’s College High School, had tied for first place in a French speaking contest. Congratulations, Nicola, and merci, Michelle.

AS A JOURNALIST, sometimes you write a piece so provocative that it triggers a strong, visceral reaction from readers. I got this reaction from a story on a chicken.

Last week’s column piece on a plucky clucker created more excitement than a fox in a hen house. The brave bird has been living in the trees and the brush along Paso Robles Road in Montclair, scratching out a living thanks to folks like Linda Lorentzen, who’s been feeding the feathered fugitive.

Lorentzen swears it’s a rooster and even calls him Brewster. “He’s been living in the oak tree every night,” she says, “and he seems to like sourdough bread crumbs.”

Meanwhile, neighbor Loralyn Perry says she’s been looking after the little guy, too. “It’s kind of cool to have one (a rooster, chicken or whatever) in the neighborhood,” she crows, adding “I’d miss him if he were gone.”

Then there’s Andy Hawkey, the hills mother who says that bird is actually her daughter’s chicken — a Golden Pencilled Hamburg. “Catalina flew the coop during a real stormy night about five weeks ago and has been living down there,” she says.

But apparently, no longer. Hawkey says her husband and two daughters were able to lure “Catty” into a little wire cage baited with corn and propped up with a stick and a string. They say she’s back in her coop, although it’s a little snug these days with the addition of eight new baby chicks.

Apparently we’ve just scratched the surface of this animal tale. Is Catalina the famous fowl that everyone’s been feeding? What about neighbors who claim they saw a bird being dropped from a white pick-up truck? And just how many Easter Eggs are hidden in the hills? Tune in next Friday for, “As the Bird Turns.”

In remembrance

In the wake of last week’s death of Crogan’s owner Bob Gattis, reader Kelly Powers shares this story about the man who helped so many in our town. She says she was collecting donations for the Corpus Christi School Walkathon when she walked into Crogan’s after their big fire in 1999.

“Bob was sitting in this charred, smoking hulk of a building, working two phone lines at a desk with a little lamp on it,” Powers recalls. “This may not be the best time to ask for a donation,” she said sheepishly. Ever patient, Gattis replied, “I promise I’ll give next year Kelly.” And he did.

Abundance of spring

Nothing beats the beauty of Yosemite National Park in spring. Watching the waterfalls, recently, I realized the awesome power of nature. Millions of gallons of melting snow were tumbling over the granite rocks — a sound that echoed off the canyon walls. The valley floor was spongy and green, with wild-flowers springing up around vernal ponds. And the Merced River was robust and full and ready for summer tourists. What a wondrous place to have so close to our own back yard.

What’s my line?

Here’s a guy with an unusual line of work. Joey Huynh teaches yoga, and not just to hills folks like you and me. He’s been to San Quentin — where he taught inmates how to de-compress with the “downward dog.”

Huynh says he was really apprehensive about going into the prison last month, because he didn’t know how he’d be received or what kind of shape the inmates were in.

“It was actually a lot of fun, and they were pretty aware of their bodies,” he says. In such a hard place, it makes sense that the inmates’ favorite pose incorporated martial arts.

And finally

The hills are alive with . . . “The Sound of Music.”

If you’re a closet yodeler or just love the soundtrack from this musical, have I got an event for you. The “Sing Along Sound of Music” is coming to Landmark’s California Theater in Berkeley tonight through April 15.

Grab your lederhosen and head for this highly imaginative interactive show where the audience sings along with the classic film (subtitles provided). If you’ve ever wanted to be in a musical, this is your chance! For tickets call 866-468-3399.

LIFE IS SO FRAGILE. One minute you’re here on this wild ride — the next minute you’re gone, often without warning. I don’t mean to be somber, I’ve just been thinking about the death of Bob Gattis, the owner of Crogan’s.

I didn’t know Bob, but I sure knew his place. I brought my wedding party to Crogan’s and had some wonderful anniversary dinners there. One night in particular, my husband and I had a window table during a rare September thunderstorm. We toasted to our good health that night as we watched a spectacular light show.

Bob Gattis is gone, and the bar and restaurant seem quiet this week. But slowly, the laughter will return. The conversation, the slaps on the back and the clinking of glasses in a place where “everybody knows your name.”

Crogan’s isn’t just a Montclair institution — it’s a tribute to a man who knew how to live.

Stealing mail

The Bay Area is a lot of things to a lot of people. But to mail thieves, it’s easy pickings.

“The only place in the nation where mail theft occurs more frequently than here is Phoenix, Arizona,” says hills Postal Inspector Ryan McAlhaney, who has been keeping an eye on the growing mail theft problem in our own neighborhoods.

Luckily, it’s a crime that’s easily prevented — with a simple device called a locked mailbox. Not the cheap ones you see in some chain stores, but a good, sturdy lock box with a deep well to hold the mail.

Thanks to the Montclair Safety and Improvement Council, specially discounted models are on display in front of California Savings Bank at 1998 Mountain Blvd. Additional signs with photos of the boxes, order forms and literature are at J&J Hardware at 1962 Mountain; Montclair Hardware at 2011 Mountain, Keyosk/Golden State Locksmith at 6206 La Salle Ave., and at both the Montclair and Piedmont Avenue post offices.

You can also order a box online at http://www.montclairsic.org.

Speaking of mailboxes

Lorraine Adams, a 50-year resident of Montclair, says she’s so excited about the new drive-by mailbox on Mountain at Colton. But like others, she’s worried that there hasn’t been enough notice to potential customers.

That may change soon. Word has it the Postal Service may help pay for a flier with tips on preventing mail theft and a map to the new drop box site.

Chicken riddle

Why did the chicken cross the road? Probably because it didn’t have a choice — after being dumped on Paso Robles Drive in Montclair.

Hills neighbors report that somebody in a white pickup truck dropped a Road Island Red in the road a couple of weeks ago, then took off. If you see this “free range chicken,” give me a call so we can find it a good home.

Speaking of animals

An Oakland policeman helped out a hills native the other day. It was a disoriented deer, obviously in shock from some kind of trauma.

The officer had a makeshift leash on the animal’s neck and was standing alongside Shepherd Canyon Road, patiently waiting for help.

Meanwhile, reader Steve Harris says he’s been seeing an animal of a different kind on his hikes in Marin County. On at least two occasions, he has spotted bobcats.