By Amaya Gayle Gregory “As you know, I follow the war every day. I’m not going numb… and will do everything I can to stop it. This is not just Ukrainian PR. I’ve seen pics from all over the country of Ukrainian soldiers protecting animals.” Sky Otter. For lifetimes, we have survived by going numb … and in our numbness nothing changed. If anything, the diconnect continued to build, to worsen. Today’s world is hard to experience, devastatingly hard. Friends and families are torn apart, taking sides, hating each other — the fallout of partisanship reminds me of stories about…
Author: Tommy
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By Rabbi Alicia Magal Shalom and greetings from the Rabbi, Board of Directors, and congregation of the Jewish Community of Sedona and the Verde Valley. All the services, classes, and programs are listed on the synagogue website. Come join us either in person or online. See jcsvv.org for instructions to register for in-person services or online links. On Friday, June 3, a Friday evening service, led by Rabbi Alicia Magal, begins at 5:30 pm both in person and on Zoom, and livestreamed for members and their invitees. Congregants participate by lighting candles, doing a reading, or having an Aliyah for the Torah…
… a small sample of the life that is lived daily at Lake Pleasant and for that matter, near water throughout Arizona and the rest of the world. While some of us engage in acts of silliness and lose our minds to those useful, but wasteful digital things we call smart phones, life goes on all around us and it is not dependent on the latest email, sms message or twitter post … life is lived in the real world where it counts! We were on the water by 6AM this morning and almost immediately we were engaged with wildlife…
Sedona News – The Mary D. Fisher Theatre is honored to be the home for the Met Live Opera programs for the 2021-2022 season, presented by the Sedona International Film Festival. The season will conclude with Brett Dean’s “Hamlet” on Saturday, June 4. There will be one show at 10 a.m. — a live simulcast as it is happening at the Met! Plan to come early as John Steinbrunner will lead a pre-opera talk one hour before the production. When Australian composer Brett Dean’s “Hamlet” had its world premiere at the Glyndebourne Festival in 2017, The Guardian declared, “New opera…
Verde Valley News – In consultation and coordination with the U.S. Forest Service, Yavapai County, and other fire agencies, Verde Valley Fire District will be entering into Stage II fire restrictions beginning 8:00 a.m. on Thursday, May 26, 2022. Stage II fire restrictions prohibit all solid fueled open fires, fire pits and campfires. Fireworks and other pyrotechnic displays are prohibited, unless permitted by the Fire Inspector. Also prohibited is the outdoor use of equipment that generates sparks or open flames; including, but not limited to: Welding equipment, grinders, and chainsaws. Commercial operators may apply for a hot work permit. During…
…on my flight back from Falcon Field on May 20th 2014 I saw the initial smoke columns rising from Oak Creek Canyon from what was named the Slide Fire and I documented the fire nearly every day that it was burning and a number of photo journalists up to get photos on several occasion. It was a nasty fire and the USFS did an amazing job on it. On numerous occasions during the fire, Sedona and environs had all but disappeared in the smoke. This was the beginning to a summer that saw Sedona, the plateau and surrounding areas buried…
Sedona News – Many respected theater critics consider the 1959 Broadway musical Gypsy to be the greatest American musical of the 20th century. Loosely based on the life of burlesque queen Gypsy Rose Lee and her relationship with a domineering stage mother, the original production featured the iconic Ethel Merman as “Mama Rose.” The character of Rose’s younger daughter “Dainty June” was played by then 21-year-old Lane Bradbury, a debutante from Atlanta, GA with just one previous Broadway credit on her resume. Sixty-three years after Bradbury opened in Gypsy—singing songs composed by Jule Styne with lyrics by Stephen Sondheim—“Dainty June” is coming to Sedona in…
Camp Verde News – The theme for this year’s Summer Reading Program (SRP) is Oceans of Possibilities. The Children’s Library has put together 6 weeks of activities designed to encourage summer reading and help children keep learning through hands-on, informal STEM activities that promote creativity and discovery. The season kicks off on Thursday, June 2 at 10:00a in the Library’s 1st-floor Terracotta Room with a memorable, fun-filled presentation by Jan Sandwich as Mother Goose. Using the theme, Oceans of Possibilities, she will interact with the children through stories, songs, magic, and more. Children ages 0-12 are invited to participate in…
By Amaya Gayle Gregory We pack up their lunch, make sure they have their gym clothes and books, and bundle them into the car or out to the bus stop, take a deep breath and begin our day. School’s kind of a free period for parenting, or at least for a lot of parents. Do kids think about yesterday’s school shooting as they are being methodically herded out the door? Yesterday’s? There’s always a yesterday’s school shooting it seems. Do parents? We seem to forget pretty quickly, moving onto the next one, and then the next until we simply can’t…
By Amaya Gayle Gregory The external appearance of life cannot demonstrate awakening. Life appears in all its shapes and sizes, forms and fascinations. It does its dance, sings its song, appears as all appearances: disasters and blessings, joy and sorrow, illness and health, poverty and wealth, regardless of one’s understanding. The thinking mind, the compare and contrast mechanism, says if I awaken my world will be repaired. I will have enough. I will be okay. The holy grail of finally-getting-it will heal all things in my life and at long last I will be able to relax and enjoy, have…
… and these photos are a sample of what I experienced on the lake today … think the sounds of nature, birds singing songs, donkeys braying, water lapping the sides of the boat, light winds moving the foliage and bringing fresh scents from everywhere … life in all its wonder. Enjoy the photos and imagine yourself alone in nature seeing and experiencing these sights yourself … find a way to do it in real time and you will be changed forever. Have a beautiful day … keep breathing … be kind. Cheers, Ted Go afield and dream and forget; and…
Verde Valley News – Due to warmer weather conditions, increased fire danger, and for public safety, Coconino National Forest will implement Stage 2 fire restrictions beginning 8 a.m. Thursday, May 26. The forest has been under Stage 1 fire restrictions since May 5, which prohibit campfires across the forest and limits them to developed recreations sites only. However, with warmer and windy weather, as well as key criteria being met, stricter fire restrictions will be implemented across the entire national forest–including developed recreation sites. Stage 2 fire restrictions prohibit the following: Building, maintaining, or using a fire, campfire, or stove…
Sedona News – The Sedona Heritage Museum presents Michael Peach in a performance of his original show “Fool Me Twice!” on Saturday, June 4 at 1:30 p.m. Poet and historical researcher, Peach’s program is inspired by his investigations into Sedona and Arizona history. Sedona audiences have grown to love his style of blending original ‘cowboy’ poetry, tall tales, and historical humor as he exposes local mythology and takes a tongue-in-cheek look at quirky incidents from the past using jokes, storytelling, and first person narrative. As is customary with Mike’s shows, this one incorporates the spirit of the Old West with…
Camp Verde News – Camp Verde Community Library invites organizations, clubs, businesses, families, individuals, etc. looking for a community service project to participate in a new volunteer program at the library. Join volunteers from the library and volunteers from the University of AZ Yavapai County Extension Master Gardeners on Saturday, June 11 at 8:00a for a planting day to kick off the library’s new Adopt-a-Plot program. The idea of the Adopt-a-Plot program is to offer distinct plots around the library building to organizations, clubs, individuals, families, etc. to plant, maintain, and beautify. Inspired by the Adopt-a-Highway program, Adopt-a-Plot encourages…
Verde Valley News – Celebrating their 50th anniversary all year, this month’s Verde Village Property Owner Association (VVPOA) fundraising dinner event on Friday, June 24 features a one-hour hula show performed by the Cottonwood-based Hālau Hula Nāpuaokaleiʻilima under the direction of Kumu Hula Kēhau Chrisman. Enjoy a Hawaiian dinner menu (or a vegan menu choice is available) at 5PM and entertainment beginning at 6PM. All monthly dinners are open to the public. The Verde Village Property Owner Association (VVPOA) organized back in the 1970’s as a “Property Owners Association”, which is different from a HOA (Home Owners Association), as membership is completely voluntary and no…