A California Online Magazine with Local Focus and Global Appeal
Well, here we are, nearing the end of what has been a very disruptive twelve months. We’ve all been faced with changes. Our workplaces, schools and social outlets have been turned inside out and backwards in order to remain functioning during the pandemic. But this year might be remembered as more than one of turmoil and loss. It could also go down in history as that time when the performing arts hijacked Zoom.
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Once upon a time, there was a little girl who loved to play “store.” Fascinated with cash registers and display counters (as well as the Wizard of Oz), she dreamed of someday running a retail establishment of her own.
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The year 2020 will no doubt be remembered as one of the worst ever. It’s been a stressful, divisive time, with Covid-19 in the forefront, putting our resiliency and sanity to the test.
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For the past seven months, we’ve been on a seemingly never-ending emotional roller coaster ride and for many, these feelings have become commonplace. We’ve been bombarded from all directions by social unrest, political upheaval, international health crises, natural disasters, and deep personal loss. Our schedules, diets and sleep cycles have been disrupted. In short, the world has been thrown for a loop.
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What do the following have in common: An upgraded Nancy Drew, Santana, a black and white cat, and a clarinet player named Vic Ratto. I’ll give you a few minutes to think about it.
Did you figure it out? No? OK, this eclectic cast of characters has influenced, or is the product of, Jeff Bowman’s vivid imagination.
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When you think of locally-owned, family-operated businesses, what comes to mind? I’m guessing it’s a restaurant or maybe a hardware store. Perhaps it’s a nursery or place that sells pet supplies. But there’s one Valley-based company you may not be aware of, in spite of it’s achievements.
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Here we are in the 12th week of the COVID-19 pandemic and the accompanying shutdown, with a return to normal—whatever that was—still far away. We’ve worked from home, done our best to keep our kids mentally stimulated without going flat-out mental ourselves, practiced social distancing on those rare occasions when we braved going out in public, and embraced facial coverings as a fashion accessory.
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Sometimes it feels as though we have overdosed on digital imagery. Good or bad, it’s everywhere. Animated billboards. Movies. Selfies. TV commercials. Magazines. It’s fast, easy, and fairly inexpensive.
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Chocolate. Ooohhh, yes. This delicacy has been around for over two-thousand years, and it’s as powerful as it ever was. Just the word alone conjures up all kinds of imagery, doesn’t it? Maybe it’s the miniature candy bars in your trick-or-treat bag on Halloween or a big bunny in your Easter basket. It has been featured in literature and film: a sensual pleasure in Chocolat, concealing a hidden treasure in Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and administered as medication in the Hogwarts infirmary in the beloved Harry Potter series. Ancient civilizations used it for currency and as components in rituals. This delicious treat is also one of the most frequently given gifts for Christmas. I’m not surprised – are you?
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Let’s assume you are someone who includes meat in your diet, whether it’s because you have certain nutritional goals or you just enjoy a steak or burger now and then. Got that? Now, what if you are concerned about the quality of that meat, the way in which it is produced, and how the livestock is raised. You could spend a ridiculous amount of time searching online and end up with not much more than eye strain.
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Good things come in small packages, and few people know the truth of this old saying more than Joel and Margie Weber. They’re the founders/owners/operators of Rocky Oaks Goat Creamery in Clovis, producers of a variety of unique, hand-crafted artisan goat cheeses.
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When I was a kid, something I could always count on during the summer was an excursion “out to the country” to pick produce. Peaches, strawberries, corn, and black-eyed peas were readily available at you-pick farms scattered throughout the rural areas just outside Fresno.
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For women “of a certain age” who are interested in a dance performance experience, it can be difficult to find a school or group that’s the right fit. Classes marketed as being “for seniors” give the impression that if you’re over 50 you’re as breakable as glass, while some performance groups have a creepy, patronizing approach that can be downright insulting: “Look at them go! And to think they’re all over 60 years of age, wow!” Yeah, right.
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Throughout the week we will be posting reviews here of Rogue shows! Check back several times a day! And then go out and enjoy the Rogue Festival! To check out our Rogue muse article & some Rogue performer preview articles go to our Arts & Entertainment section. Check out our Rogue show reviews that will be going up all week!
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Meet Pete, who, according to his foster mom “is a huge sweetheart”! Not only is he a fuzzy wuzzy sweetheart, but he also has a big, happy, motorboat purr that he generously shares to announce his sweetness! He loves to play and enjoys every single toy he meets! This irresistible boy is a big boy and a hugely loving addition in a wonderful forever home of his own. Could sweet purrasaurus Pete be the great new addition in your loving family? Peter was adopted and returned by his original family at no fault of his own, there was a illness in the family, he might need some time to adjust to his new family. Pete is available from the Cat House on the Kings.
