Dia de San Juan Photos

Thanks to everyone who made it out to the Dia de San Juan fiesta last week. Here are a few of the pictures. Click here to see the rest of the pictures.

Don't miss the Dia de San Juan Festival tonight!

Click here for an article from the Tucson Weekly about the event. See you tonight!

Feed me . . . please!

Our compost heap is devouring everything we give it and is hungry for more. Don't be shy about contributing your kitchen scraps, napkins, coffee filters and clippings/trimmings from your patio gardens. Previous posts have elaborated on some of the unusual possibilities, so please go for it.

Last weekend Roger and I sprinkled in a small load of powdery, well-seasoned horse manure gathered from the stable at the foot of Sentinel Peak. It's already being absorbed. We're also turning the pile (with the pitch fork) and adding water every few days.

A couple of notes:

Thin stems (about the thickness of a pencil) from yard clippings are fine, but please cut them up. That helps them decompose more quickly and makes the pile easier to turn.

Ordinarily eggshells are fine, but our soil already has too much whatever is in eggshells, so no eggshells please (I know, boooo).

It's not a huge deal but, when you're making your dump run, take a second to bury your stuff below the surface of the heap (there's a shovel behind the rusty fence). It makes for a more tidy appearance and allows decomposition to begin immediately.

Thank you . . . and Mr. Compost thanks you too!

Eating mesquite . . .

Here's a feature produced by Channel 12 about Brad Lancaster and Desert Harvesters, the organization that will be presenting 'mesquite from tree to table' this evening at Mercado San Agustin. 

Wondering why you saw the Mayor and 75 other people in the 'hood yesterday?

Hi all,

In case you were wondering about the flurry of foot-traffic and the two large tour buses in the neighborhood yesterday, it was a Rio Nuevo tour led by Mayor Walkup and hosted by the organization: Women Impacting Tucson.

The contact person for this organization, Kris Thompson, sent an email today with the group's response to the Mercado District. Here is an excerpt from her email:

"We really enjoyed our tour of the Mercado and new homes last night. What an exceptional development. Everyone kept talking about this hidden jewel during our tour. We were SO impressed! "

Just thought I should share this with you all. Have a great weekend! If you would like more information on this organization, please just shoot me an email at amy@gadsdencompany.com.

Items for Our Compost

I am undoubtedly the least educated for composting so I did some searching. Here's a list of stuff I didn't know could be added - and a website that might be of interest. http://vegweb.com/composting/what.shtml

• paper napkins
• freezer burned veggies
• pet hair
• potash rock
• post-it notes
• freezer burned fruit
• wood chips
• lint from behind the fridge
• hay
• popcorn

Eat Mesquite: this Saturday in the MSA Courtyard!

Tumamoc walk - time change

There is a contingent (does three count?) walking Tumamoc on Thursday and Friday, but we are going to meet in the plaza at 5:30am. All early walkers are welcome to join us! See you there, rise and shine!

Surveillance at El Casino

Want to see Josh "eat it"? Want to see Jane "Pick it"?. Want to see Gene "Down it"? Want to see Suzanne "Bring it"? Want to see Anne-Marie "Swing it?" How about Melissa "Digging it"? Or Erica "doing it"—with her mother, yikes! or Phil and Ross "Avoiding it"? Then you must "Check it"...

Important TPD Info re: 4th of July Procedures

I met TPD Officer Joe Bermudez today as he was trying to deliver this flyer door-to-door without much success.  I offered to scan it and put it on our blog.  

It's important info if you plan on being here for the 4th fireworks and especially if you're going to have guests

Roger

Check this out

Here is a link to an amazing project that was recently, partially, completed in NYC. I bring it to our attention because it IS cool and it shows what can be done with perseverance by motivated, creative, forward thinkers, like well, us.

Tumamoc Friday A.M.

Going week by week at this point, but there is a little contingent going up Tumamoc Friday a.m. - just show up in the plaza at 6:15 - either Jane or Jennifer will drive.

Compost 101

For fellow composters:

Here's a link to a nice under sink compost bin we used "on the farm" that works very well. It is vented with a charcoal filter (which we never replaced) so the stuff has a chance of staying aerobic and there is little to no smell under the sink. It's rectangular shape makes getting junk into it more easy than a similar area round opening. Hey, and it's "Green"!

Sweet Nourishment

Janice Emily Bowers in her book recommended by Gordon in a previous mailing: A Full Life in a Small Place addresses composting in her chapter called Sweet Nourishment: "The process could hardly be simpler. You start with kitchen scraps - melon rinds, squash innards, carrot peelings, lasagna, (it's ok, but must be plain no meat, sauce, etc.), the butt ends of cucumbers & eggplants, fingernail parings (yuck), moldy bread, cat fur (watch out Jude!), bottle corks, coffee filters (with grounds), paper towels, anything organic except bones, meat, fat & egg shells. [Bones take too long to decay, fat slows the process down, meat stinks (attracts critters) &, in the desert, eggshells add calcium to soils that already contain too much.] Then you pile your scraps in alternating layers with dry plant material & green plant material, wetting each layer as you add it. Once a week or once a month you turn the pile, moving the bottom to the top, the top to the bottom and sides to the middle. Turning aerates the contents & keeps the pile from becoming smelly & soggy. Magically, it ...... becomes transformed into cumbly granules that smell like rich soil in the woods." By popular demand, we thought we would experiment with one swale, the most east one, Gene spent his Sunday collecting dried leaves & needles from the river walk. So layer #1 has started! You are invited to add table scraps as recommended by Janice but please bury them into the dry materials, so we don't start harvesting flies, etc. As soon as we get the water going & pile turning, we may be able to see some results!

Bollard repair

Thanks to Dave’s able skills, the work to repair the bollards has begun. The good news is that it only took about 2 hours to repair 15 damaged posts in the immediate plaza area. The bad news . . . upon inspection almost all of the remaining bollards in the Mercado are either loose or completely detached . . . about 65 altogether. On the original install plain mortar was used, incorrectly, to attach the caps. Before the fix we chipped off as much as we could. For the repair Dave used thin set, which has a kind of glue in it. Hopefully - fingers crossed - that will work. If it doesn't, we have some other ideas. Dave did such a nice job, you can't tell a repair was made. Over the course of the morning we had some onlookers. Initially, James was there to entertain, but later grabbed a dustpan to help Ross (not shown) cleanup all the broken mortar. Among the rubberneckers - Dave's biggest fan - who stopped by to inspect and provide moral support . . .

Downtown Directory

By popular demand, here's a comprehensive directory with links to places to eat, drink and shop in the immediate downtown - 4th Avenue area. 

It's back on...

Hi everyone,

After hearing of the alleged cancellation of the Dia de San Juan (DSJ) Baile, I deleted the blog post.  Alas, the Baile is still going to happen!  Last night's DSJ committee meeting was jam-packed with West-siders who voiced their enthusiasm about the Baile, suggesting that we deserve a party before we roast in the late afternoon heat the following week at the DSJ festival.  A few people offered nostalgic anecdotes about the rich history of the El Casino Ballroom.  This venue sounds like a perfect balance of funky and magical.

The Baile will be Saturday, June 13th from 6pm - 1am at the historic El Casino Ballroom. There will be a series of musical performances including Hollywood Knights and DJ Pepe Galvez, and from what I understand, the dance floor will be lively.

Tickets are $10 in advance and $12 at the door.  The proceeds will support the historic Dia de San Juan festival.  If you would like me to deliver tickets to you, please email me at amy@gadsdencompany.com.

911 call

Well, I seem to be in the news a bit lately. But you don't call 911 around here without raising a little curiosity. :-) This morning when a friend and I returned from a walk up Tumamoc, we saw a young man who had fallen off his bicycle lying on the ground in the alley just south of Dante's office. We determined he was breathing and he mumbled he was OK before passing out again. We couldn't wake him a second time; to make sure he was "OK" (relative term here), we called to have someone check him out. The paramedics roused him, checked his blood sugar when he told them he was a diabetic, and determined he had been drinking quite heavily. They sat him up for a minute and soon he was able to pick up his bike and be on his way. Most likely he was headed for some shade under a tree by the riverbank. So, your tax dollars at work....I was actually gratified to know that #1. the young man wasn't seriously hurt or ill and #2. the EMTs found our street quickly and were able to thread a big fat fire truck back here quite easily.

Leak on Higos

Still leaking plenty of water in the same old place as of this morning (Sat.) Not sure where we are in the reparation process that I know is underway, but just thought I'd update.

Nailed from behind

Our Wed. a.m. jaunt up A mountain took a turn for the weird this a.m. when a loose pit bull on Cedar St. singled me out as the weakest of the pack (or at least the handiest) and bit my calf :-( A couple of small puncture wounds - could have been much worse. Though none of us had had our coffee yet, my stalwart companions reacted quickly; one phoned the police, animal control and gave our whereabouts while two others bravely followed the dog (not mentioning any names, thank you, Suz ! ), inquiring along the way until they determined where the dog lived....right on Congress. The owner took responsibility for the dog and apologized.

After a police report was made, we continued up the hill, cause - ya gotta get that exercise, right? I had a visit from a very professional Animal Control officer after I got home. Apparently a young child let the dog out of a secure yard; he had been adopted from the Shelter, but his vaccination and license had expired. So they will hold and observe him for 10 days to make sure he isn't sick and then the owner can reclaim him provided she can afford to bail him out - boarding fee, shots, license. So - the dog is off the streets (another woman reported he had chased her young daughter), the owners have learned another of life's great lessons - as have I... aggressive animals attack from the side or behind, so keep them in front of you. And I have learned I am due for a tetanus shot. oh joy.