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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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?
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.
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.
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.
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.
