Swing into Spring

Swing into spring

Ring-a-ding-ding
Let the birdie sing
Perched on a swing
Ring-a-ling-ling
Like bells on a string
He announces spring
Ring-a-bling-bling
Doing his thing
The bluebird king
Ding-a ring-ring
Fell on his bling
Messed up everything
Even his wing
But he still can sing
A song of spring!

Parmesan Potato Chips.......by Joyce oroz

How sweet it is!
Fried yams or sweet potatoes make chewy, crunchy, salty, sweet treats. Use as a side dish or just pork them down as a healthy snack. Actually, I make them my whole lunch because I can’t stop eating these wonderful chips. I usually make two servings and then eat both of them. Oink, oink.
Parmesan Potato Chips—2 servings
One large or two small yams or sweet potatoes sliced thin.
Pour ¼ cup grapeseed oil
in ceramic no-stick fry pan.
Heat the oil and fry 8 to
10 chips at a time over medium heat until golden on both sides. Place on plate
and sprinkle sea salt to taste.
Shake parmesan cheese over all chips. Oink, oink!

San Benito Open Studios........by Joyce Oroz

It’s coming soon—the San Benito Open Studios Art
Tour, set for the weekend of April 28—29, 2012, 10:00 to 4:00. One of the best
shows in the state and you are invited!
The San Benito County Arts Council hosts the annual
tour every spring throughout San Benito County, including Aromas, Hollister and
San Juan Batista. It offers the public a unique opportunity to visit local
artists’ studios, shop for original artwork and experience how and where work
is created. For the artists, it is a wonderful opportunity to build
relationships and gain experience in exhibiting their work.
Open Studios Art
Tour highlights the work of artists such as Barb Francis, Steve Snyder, Darlene
Boyd, Jane Rekedal and Gayle Sleznick and many others, fifteen in all. You are
invited to visit artist’s studios featuring photography, paintings, sculptures,
textiles, handmade jewelry, quilts, stained glass, clay and a rural winery that
designs unique, hand-painted labels for their boutique wines.
The Blak Sage
Gallery will host a Preview Exhibition of Open Studio Artists’ work and the
work of Emerging Artists from March 31st to April 26th. A
Preview Reception will be held on April 13, from 5:00 to 8:00 pm at the Gallery
and will feature the Hollister Downtown Association’s Charming Chairs Silent
Auction, wine from local vintners, music and a chance to win fabulous prizes.
The Open Studios
map and artist directory will be available at
the Blak Sage Gallery, 727 San Benito Street, and at various artists’ studios
and galleries. You may also download a copy at http://www.sanbenitoarts.org/.
For more information, please contact Jennifer at 636-2787 or info@sanbenitoarts.org.

Possessions .......Joyce Oroz

“Many wealthy people are little more than Janitors of their
possessions.” Frank Lloyd Wright
How many possessions does one need to ensure happiness? I
think family and friends ensure our happiness and possessions are the icing on
the cake. Icing can be bad for you, make you fat and mess up your blood sugar. Maybe
it’s better to concentrate on family and friends instead of collecting,
guarding and caring for the “stuff” in the garage, on the shelves, in the
closets and in the attic. It’s the family-cake and the friend-cake that matter.
So take a big bite of life and enjoy the people around you. A little icing won’t
hurt.

Secure the Ranch........by Joyce oroz

If you have not read a copy of Secure the Ranch, here's a little taste of what Josephine is up against. She arrives at the Munger Mansion ready for work, only to find that someone has spray-painted serious threats across the newly painted walls.

“You must be one ah them mural painters they
brought in,” Stan said. “Nice tah meet ya. Guess you folks can go home now.
I'll be here until tomorrow mornin', keepin' watch.”
I couldn't resist asking a couple
questions.
“Have you seen the perpetrator ... I
mean, do you know who wrote on the walls?”
“Oh yeah, Chester called in about
some mischief up here. Too bad.” Stan lowered his thick eyebrows and shook his
head slowly. “Kids!”
“It's a little nerve wracking if you know what
I mean. Have you seen any strangers up here, or a Mastiff? What do you think is
going on?”
“Ma'am, I don't know what's goin’ on, as you
say, but I did see a truck come up here in the middle of the night last week.
Them boys saw me and took off in a hurry. Didn't see no dog.”
“Do you happen to know the former owners of
this property?”
“I never met old man Herman, but I did have a
few run-ins with those crazy grandsons of his. Years back, I was a deputy
sheriff and them boys was always in trouble.
Not big trouble, they was just light fingered, pot smokin'
troublemakers. Think I saw Damon's truck parked in front of Mac's Bar the other
day. Hard to miss a pickup with that much rust.”
My blood moved a little faster as my
heart pounded and my brain strained to connect the dots. “What color is the
truck? Could it be the same one you saw here, in the middle of the night?”
“Damon's truck is mostly spots of gray primer,
except for all that rust.” Stan scratched his bristly chins. “It's a big ol'
Dodge. By the sound of the engine, might be the same truck. Maybe, maybe not. Couldn't
say, bein' it was dark and all.”

What's going on in this joint?........

Maybe it’s time to be kind to
your joints—they will thank you later. Here is some good advice.

Most everyone realizes that to fully appreciate all life
has to offer you want healthy joints that are comfortable and flexible.*
Healthy joints make it more enjoyable to play ball with your grandson… go for a
walk with your wife (or husband)… play golf. Fun stuff… The ‘stuff’ of which
memories are made.
What strategies can you
use to help keep your joints healthy and flexible?*

Exercise.
There's a common urban legend that exercise is bad for your joints

Most
people have little appreciation for how powerful exercise can be in supporting
joint function. Vigorous low-impact exercise is beneficial – for your joints,
as well as for cardiovascular, pulmonary, and other systems in your body. It's
simply a myth that you can 'wear down' your knees just from average levels of
exercise – and/or normal activity. In fact, inactivity causes your muscles to
become weaker and actually works against optimal
joint flexibility and comfort.

One
caution, however, when using this valuable tool, you need to start slowly if
you have not been exercising regularly, and build up to higher activity levels
otherwise you risk incurring an injury that could really set you back. If
typical vigorous exercise is not easy for you, try walking, tai chi and yoga…
as they are very low impact, yet offer many health benefits.

One of the
outstanding benefits of exercise is its ability to help you achieve and
maintain your ideal weight – which is highly beneficial to your joints.
Overweight and obese people compromise joint comfort more than those who are
carrying their ideal load. Each additional kilogram (2.2 pounds) of body mass
increases the compressive load over your knee by roughly 4 kilograms (nearly 9
pounds).

Research
shows that a weight loss of as little as 11 pounds can have a positive effect
on joint function. And those who are at their optimal weight experience
increased joint health as compared to those who are obese or overweight. So you
go full circle – losing weight reduces the load on your joints and makes it
easier to exercise, and exercising helps you lose weight and supports your
joint health.
Eliminate
sugar and starchy carbs from your diet. And definitely stop drinking soda.
These foods do absolutely nothing to support healthy joints or a healthy body.
In fact, their potential for damage is well documented. I believe you should
limit your total fructose from ALL sources to no more than 25 grams per day, as
it raises uric acid levels, which is hard on your joints. Now, chances are, you
consume substantially more than 25 grams per day. Approximately ¼ of Americans
consume a whopping 134 grams of fructose every
day!
Within your
25 grams of fructose, you could consider including some tart cherries or
concentrated tart cherry juice. They contain anthocyanins and bioflavonoids,
which help support a healthy immune response for your joints and whole body
health.
Vitamin D
also supports a healthy immune response. Please recognize that during the fall,
winter and early spring in most of the U.S., Canada, and Europe, your vitamin D
levels can drop precipitously. If your levels fall, you give up the support
this vitamin offers for your joints and your whole body.

Get plenty of omega-3 fatty acids from krill or high quality fish oil. Omega-3's
support your joint health.
© Copyright
1997-
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2012 Dr. Joseph Mercola. All Rights Reserved.

Smartest gal in town......by Joyce oroz

I have to walk
early in the morning,
before my brain figures out what I'm doing...I heard that somewhere, but it’s
true. To clear out the brain fog my husband gulps his morning coffee, I chug
some green tea and Sandy drinks water from the…never mind. So who has the most
energy in the morning? You betcha, it’s Sandy. She sprints out the door on her
way to a satisfying cat-chase. She’s dynamite on wheels while my husband and I
gulp more coffee and tea and push hard on the gas and brake peddles all the way
to our exercise classes. We arrive home exhausted. Sandy naps the afternoon
away, but stays physical as she chases cats in her dreams, legs galloping, body
twitching. I bet she burns more calories asleep than I burn all week. Here’s to
Sandy, smartest gal I know.

Nutty Story........by Joyce Oroz

Here's a nutty story for you. I can relate to this story because the black crows living on and around my property eat walnuts from the neighbor's walnut tree. These birds are big, healthy and live forever--what more proof do we need that walnuts are good for us?

Story at-a-glance

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) sent a warning letter to Diamond Food for making truthful, science-backed health claims about the omega-3 fats in walnuts. Because the research cited health claims that omega-3 fats in walnuts may prevent or protect against disease, the FDA said walnuts would be considered “new drugs” and as such would require a new drug application to become FDA-approved. Under current FDA law, if a food or natural supplement makes a medical claim, it's automatically classified as a drug. Regulations currently prohibit manufacturers of dietary supplements or producers of food from referring to any scientific study documenting the potential effect of the substance on a health condition, punishable by large fines and even jail, even if the science is completely credible and true. You can help by supporting the Free Speech about Science Act (HR 1364), a landmark legislation that would change FDA regulations so that manufacturers and producers may reference legitimate, peer-reviewed scientific studies without converting a natural food or dietary supplement into an "unapproved drug." Dr. Mercola.........As unbelievable as it sounds, current law makes it illegal for food producers to share certain types of scientific information with you. So when Diamond Food relayed health information about the omega-3 fats in walnuts on product packaging and also on their Web site, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) attacked, even though the information was entirely true.

Romp and Play.......by Joyce Oroz

This old barn is an Aromas icon, symbol of earth renewing
itself in Spring and home to happy sheep. How do I know the sheep are happy? Duh,
when it’s cold outside they have their own blanket to keep them warm, lots of
green grass to nibble on, no school or work to worry about, free haircuts once
a year and a perfect view of Aromas from their hillside.
However, I could be wrong. Maybe the sheep hate their mean
old landlord, their barn is obviously falling apart and haircuts give them
chills. Maybe they are tired of grass and can’t find any chocolate. At least
the picture reminds us that spring is coming, the perfect time for everyone to
romp and play.