Does Washing Produce Get Rid of Bacteria?

Does Washing Produce Get Rid of Bacteria?

Wow - take a few moments to read the above post! It's time to start visiting this list of farmer's markets near Tucson that I recently compiled. Here,
I'll share!

Farmers' Markets

Alan Ward Downtown Mercado: south lawn of the Main Library, 101 N. Stone Ave., 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., Wednesdays, October through May; 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., Wednesdays, June through September (339-4008).

Broadway Village Farmers' Market: 2926 E. Broadway Blvd., 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., Fridays (603-8116).

Cat Mountain Station: 2740 S. Kinney Road, 8 a.m. to noon, the second Saturday of each month (578-8795).

Community Food Bank: 3003 S. Country Club Road, 8 a.m. to noon, Tuesdays (622-0525).

El Presidio Plaza Park Mercado: 115 N. Church Ave., 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Fridays (339-4008).

Farmers' Market at Park Place Mall: 5870 E. Broadway Blvd., 1 to 6 p.m., Tuesdays (603-8116).

Farmers' Market at Tucson Mall: 4500 N. Oracle Road, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Thursdays (293-7330).

Green Things: 3235 E. Allen Road, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., Sundays (299-9471).

Marana Farm Stand: 12375 N. Heritage Park Drive, Marana, 4 to 7 p.m., Mondays (622-0525, ext. 242).

Oracle Farmers' Market: 2805 N. Triangle L Ranch Road, 9 a.m. to noon, Saturdays (896-2123).
Oro Valley Farmers' Market: Town Hall at the corner of La Cañada Drive and Naranja Road, 8 a.m. to noon, Saturdays (882-2157).

Plaza Palomino: 2970 N. Swan Road, winter: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturdays; summer: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Saturdays (www.plazapalomino.com).

Rincon Valley Farmers' Market: 12500 E. Old Spanish Trail, winter: 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturdays; summer: 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., Saturdays (591-2276).

St. Philip's Plaza Saturday Farmers' Market: St. Philip's Plaza, southeast corner of River Road and Campbell Avenue, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturdays (603-8116).

Santa Cruz River Farmers' Market: Northeast Corner of Speedway Boulevard and Riverview boulevards, 4 to 7 p.m., Thursdays (622-0525).

Tucson Farmers' Market: St. Philip's Plaza, southeast corner of River Road and Campbell Avenue, winter: 8 a.m. to noon, Sundays; summer: 8 a.m. to noon, Sundays (882-2157).

Tucson's Green Art and Farmers' Market: 8995 E. Tanque Verde Road; 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Friday and Saturday (982-2645)

Udall Park Farmers' Market: Morris K. Udall Regional Center, 7200 E. Tanque Verde Road, 8 a.m. to noon, Fridays (882-2157).

Hospital and Emergency Care in Tucson AZ

My mother recently took two unexpected trips to the emergency room at St. Joseph's hospital here in Tucson, AZ. She had never been admitted in emergency care before and was a bit scare, bewildered, and worried, not to mention - in health crises.

The local papers sometimes feature stories on the poor health care and worse customer service one receives in Tucson medical care. For those of you who read my blog, you know I'll often comment on restaurant service, so I felt "duty-bound" to share a bit of my mother's experience. For the sake of brevity, I'll leave out most details of her illness. (She is under medication and recovering nicely, thank you!)

During trip #1 - We encountered a young man who took her immediate vitals, etc. in emergency entrance lobby. Polite, funny, looked my mother in the eye. Wow. She was given a room in less than 20 minutes at a time many were suffering from swine flu. The doctor himself came and got me out of waiting after she was situated and assured me she was being taken care of. She went through a battery of tests and every clerk, assistant, technician, etc. was kind, thoughtful, and unhurried. I especially remember one wheeling her down for a CatSkan singing..."Money, money money money...Muh...neee (Pink Floyd)

Ten days later she was re-admitted again with immediate entrance and was situated in a ward room until admittance. During her initial ward visit she was seen by the general hospitalist doctor, the pulmanary specialist, an internist, a respiratory specialist, and her cardiologist from the previous visit was notified. All were polite, kind, thoughtful, unhurried, and many showed a nice sense of humor trying to help my elderly mother relax and recover. During her stay of two days the nurses were kind and quick to answer pages, cleaning staff hummed and talked to the patients politely, and medical staff explained things to my mother, complete with written instructions.

Sure, there were a few glitches and incorrectly written precriptions, etc. but for the sake of the overall experience, I choose to disregard those things right now. I am glad I was with my mother to figure out all the medications, etc. afterwards, for sure.

Bottom line?? Hats off to the staff of St. Joseph's hospital here in Tucson. Thank you for your bedside manner and humane demeanor. It's what hospital and health care SHOULD be, and for my mother's two experiences - was. May all of you experience the same care should you find yourselves in a similar situation some day. Thank you.

Ballad of the Barren Backyard

Ballad of the Barren Backyard

I sit...waiting

Uncared for, forgotten

Windswept

In my solitude hearing echoes of the children

I can see them:

Splashing toddlers in the pool; playing tag

Teenagers lounging, gossiping, giggling

Sunburst smiles warming my gardener's soul


I let the wind take me away on the dust of my palate

Seeking the trickle of water over picturesque boulders

Poetry of landscape; the aroma of desert bloom

I hear my owners' laments --words I only understand as "someday"

I feel empty. I AM empty...


There are so few rainy days in Tucson...

How long does it take to save for one?


So, the Arizona Star is having a backyard contest. Here's the story:

"Hey You! Yeah, you. Is your backyard ugly? We mean, really, really ugly. It's OK to admit it. In fact, it's to your advantage if you admit it, because there's this contest, see, and you could win a yard makeover worth up to $30,000. Here's what you have to do: Submit up to two pictures of your "backyard beast" along with 100 words or fewer describing why your yard needs some major help. It's OK — we're not here to judge. Well, that's not quite true. Readers will weigh in on the entries, as well as a panel of judges that will render a final decision. The winning yard will be featured in a future At Home section. The Beautify Your Backyard Beast Contest is sponsored by Premier Backyard Design Center, Premier Pools & Spas, Flame Connection and Turf Tek LLC. To submit an entry and see contest rules, go online to: go.azstarnet.com/backyard."

After some thought about what to say, I figured no one really wanted to hear another real estate story, this time featuring ROCCO AND I, and how my townhome hasn't sold for over 16 months being on the market, and we have two mortgages, and the price/value has dropped over $70,000 and so we won't EVER get a back yard now...in fact, if it doesn't sell soon, we may be giving away BOTH BACKYARDS to the bank, its getting so ugly. See...isn't a poem so much better? EVERYONE has a hard luck story...but I haven't seen one poem as of my submission the day before deadline. (There were some great rhyming poems submitted! (8/08)