Sidesaddle & Company.........coming soon!

Today I want to do a shout-out to the locals of Santa Cruz, San Benito and Monterey counties.

The Aromas Community Grange is proud to present Sidesaddle & Company at the Aromas Grange hall on Saturday, June 2nd, 7:30pm.
Sidesaddle & Co. has been captivating audiences with their unique acoustic sound since 1979. The five members of the band come alive in their repertoire of primarily traditional Bluegrass music, seasoned with vintage Country, Irish, Cajun and Cowboy Western, and including Gospel, Folk, Novelty and Comedy. Billboard Magazine has called their music "superbly melodic." Critics have hailed their performances as "sophisticated and highly entertaining" and their harmonies "impeccable."
Tickets will be $15 and are available at Marshall's Grocery, Aromas Feed, and Vertigo Coffee in San Juan Bautista, or online at   Brownpapertickets.com    or for $18 at the door.
This concert will be a benefit for the Aromas Grange.
For more information and to get a map please go to       www.aromasgrange.org

Open Studios starts tomorrow......by Joyce Oroz

Hear Ye, hear ye, hitch up the horses, charge up the golf cart, gas up the Cadi because Open Studios starts tomorrow, April 28 and Sunday the 29^th,   10:00 to 4:00.  It’s funner than fun, it’s interesting and it’s local for all you Santa Cruz, Monterey, Gilroy folks who don't want to drive too far out of your comfort zone. Just head out to the green hills of Hollister, San Juan Batista and Aromas for a FREE, self-guided tour of studios and workshops where original artwork is being created. Meet the artisans, ask questions and learn about various methods and materials. Don’t forget to shop for the perfect Mother’s Day gift—or just take Mom on the tour with you.

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 in Hollister, San Juan and Aromas. The tour features 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 Open Studios map and artist directory is available at the Blak Sage Gallery, 727 San Benito Street, and at various artists’ studios and galleries.  You may also download a copy at www.sanbenitoarts.org. For more information, please contact Jennifer at 636-2787 or info@sanbenitoarts.org. See you there!

Tired of Change......by Joyce Oroz

As many of you in blogland know, I have published 183 blog stories in the last 14 months. My friends set up the blog for me, published my work for me and later encouraged me to take control and publish my own blogs. I stepped out of my usual brain-fog, gathered up some courage and jumped into blogging one year ago.

To me a dashboard was something with a speedometer a clock and radio attached to it. Not in Blogland. A dashboard is the control panel, the place where you arrange your words and pictures to be published. After months of trial and error, I finally had the process figured out. And you know what happens when you think you’re doing great and have too much pride going. Wham! Blogspot changed everything. If you are reading this it means I was finally able to figure out the new hurdles, at least enough of them for a basic presentation. Blogspot, are you listening? I’m not a thechie and I DON”T LIKE CHANGE.

April Snow......by Joyce Riley

Blossoms fall, branches bend,

And Crocus bows to winter’s end;

Yet, even as the snow is falling,

I hear the sounds of springtime calling.

Melting ice begins to flow.

A neighbor’s rooster starts to crow.

And Robin, singing to his mate,

Doesn’t care that spring is late.

So, with boots and parka on,

I sweep the porch and tend the lawn.

Then, upon the windowsill

Place a blooming daffodil.

Santa unveiled.....by Joyce oroz

I have experimented with finger paints, crayons, chalk, charcoal,
ink, a zillion types of paint and a glob of clay. Some people can turn a lump of clay into a beautiful work of art—a vase, a bowl, some beads. My clay can’t make up its mind. One minute it’s a collapsing frog….squished into a bust of the Dolly Lama….reshaped into a lopsided bowl that looks like ice cream in hot weather. Three dimensional isn’t my strong suit. My DNA is not the same as Rodin. Auguste Rodin once said….. “I choose a block of marble and chop off whatever I don’t need.”
Yeah, right. I’ll try it sometime. Actually, I know a lady who can
do that with a chunk of wood. Barbara Scoles, (official Aromas Hills Artisan) sculpts her way through blocks of wood everyday, pulling out the characters locked inside (usually Santas). They aren’t just Santas. They are exquisite Santas, each one different than all the others. Each one holding a candle, a teddy bear, a puppy, a giant frog, a sack of toys—you name it, if they don’t have what you want, you ask Barbara to create a Santa with things in your life you treasure such as your cat, your antique doll or your view of the mountains. www.barbarascoles.com

A link to Good Health........Jill Troderman

Today I have important information from my friend, Jill Troderman,
NC about the food we eat. She suggests you go online to http://foodrevolution.org/ and sign up for the FREE, online Food Revolution Summit—find out the truth about food for yourself. John Robbins writes about healthy eating.
John Robbins could have inherited the Baskin-Robbins fortune and empire. But he walked away from all the money and the power. Why? He simply didn't want to devote his life to selling ice cream after realizing it makes people unhealthy. So he decided to make a change. Over the last 25 years, his books about healthy eating and healthy living (including bestseller Diet for a New America) have sold millions
of copies and been translated into more than 30 languages.
Ocean Robbins was born in a log cabin built by his parents, and
grew up eating food they grew together. At age 16, he co-founded an
organization called YES! (Youth for Environmental Sanity) that he directed for the next 20 years. YES! has reached more than 650,000 students in school assemblies, and organized seminars and gatherings for leaders from 65+ nations. Ocean's work took him all over the world where he saw first-hand the powerful impact of the food we eat, not just on our health, but on people and economies everywhere.
Now John Robbins and his son, Ocean Robbins, have gathered together the most revolutionary scientists, doctors and nutritionists for the first ever, international food revolution summit. They are on a mission to help YOU heal, grow and thrive.
Right now there are lots of people concerned about the future of food who want reliable, up to date information from sources they can trust.
We created this virtual summit as a way to help. Sure, there have been thousands of books, conferences, documentaries and seminars on
food. But I'm proud to announce that this is the first virtual global food
revolution summit, ever! I have hand picked all the leaders and experts to bring you the best of the best. I wanted to make this wealth of totally up-to-date information FREE to everyone, so sign up and tell your friends.
Now from Jill: Welcome Aboard and I am sure we will all be inspired. Afterwards or even before, please join me for online or in person nutritional counseling so we can put into practice what we learn.
JIll Troderman, NC, Soquel, CA Holistic Family Nutrition

4841 Soquel Dr., Soquel, CA 95073
P.S. Please join us and discover what these
fascinating people can share with you to help you and your family thrive. Pass it on!
Why The Food Revolution Summit? Why now?
A tomato crossed with a... flounder? What??? You probably already know that big agribusiness is genetically engineering your food. They don't care about the long-term health problems these practices bring. These corporations are filling your plate with chemicals, and spending billions marketing processed foods that get people addicted for life. Now it's time to find out how you and your family can LEARN MORE and take ACTION. If you're already interested in eating well, this summit will share some groundbreaking new health-information that may surprise you. Even if you're unfamiliar with what it means to eat healthy-there will be plenty of easy tips to get you feeling great about what you eat, and where it comes from. Sign up for the 2012 Food Summit Revolution to learn more.http://foodrevolution.org/http://foodrevolution.org/

Javelina in a Haboob........by Joyce Oroz

Ever see a Javelina in a haboob? Arizona is like another world, a
different planet. My comfort zone has been the California coastal Redwoods, mild temperatures, sandy beaches and sushi bars. You can imagine my shock-turning to curiosity concerning the cacti and unusual animal life in the Arizona desert. Leaving the big city behind, one cannot miss the adorable groupings of hairy brown donkeys wandering the landscape. Palo verde trees abound, just look for trees
with gobs of yellow flowers supported by a green trunk and green branches. If that’s not exciting enough, guess who comes out at night and trashes the homeowner’s trash? It’s the Javelina (have-a-leen-ah) a mammal related to the pig, the hippopotamus and Donald Duck. It roots for food until the owner’s property looks like a haboob hit it. What’s a haboob? A dust storm, yikes!—only in Arizona. If all that isn’t enough, stick around for the spectacular sunsets!

TSA verses little old lady.......by Joyce Oroz

I buckled up and the plane rattled down the runway until it passed
some magical marker and suddenly lifted its belly full of passengers into the air. My mind flashed back to the cattle arrangement I had zigzagged through, the stripping of shoes and the threat of x-ray. As I stood in line with other shoeless travelers, a rickety old white woman in a wheel chair was forced to stand in front of the big “X” machine for a picture session which went on and on and on because she was unable to hold her body still. Her ruffled dress swayed as her arms stretched and flailed above her head. Mr. TSA coached and encouraged the lady as he stood ready to catch her if necessary. A gentleman standing in front of me saw the disgraceful situation and darted sideways to another line. I followed him. We passed through with no pat-down, no x-ray and no wacky wanding what-so-ever. So let’s all thank the TSA for keeping us safe from little old ladies in wheelchairs and for spending ten
times the money as previous private companies. Our tax money, actually.

Glued to her work......by Joyce Oroz

There is a woman who lives in a small, out-of-the-way Arizona
desert town. Most of the town’s residents know her as the kindly elderly woman who creates books for children out of magazine and calendar pictures. She donates the picture books to children’s hospitals all over Arizona, California and Oregon, including St. Vincent de Paul and El Zaribah Shrine. You might ask why, at age 89, she works so hard.
Five years ago Dorothy became a widow. Instead of feeling sorry
for herself, she began collaging flower pots and various items around her house to make them colorful. She had so much fun cutting, gluing and creating, she began making collage placemats. She had the placemats laminated and gave many of them to the local fire house and senior center to dress up their tables.
But Dorothy had another idea. She cut and glued magazine pictures
of puppies, kittens, ponies and all things cuddly and cute until she had created many two-sided pages. She tied the pages together with colorful ribbons, creating little picture books and sent a couple dozen off to a very grateful Schriner’s hospital. When she heard that the sick children loved the books, she stepped up production. As of April 2012, she has made and sent 1,372 books to various hospitals, spreading the smiles—hers included.
And she just happens to be my mom!

Dorothy's placemats can be purchased at the Dragonfly Gallery in Aromas.