Marana News October 26, 2022

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Farm shares peaceful vibe with guestsNameless Hero

He gave all in Korea, but was buried without ID. Read about how one soldier’s family worked to give him back his name

Mercado Flea Market

Find hidden treasures and give old items new life at the monthly Mercado Flea Market

Wheel of Fortune

Spin the wheel, win prizes: Wheel of Fortune comes to Tucson

Group works to elevate women

BY TOM LEYDE Tucson Local Media

Two Oro Valley women who founded a group to support female business owners are seeing the group expand and grow in oth er communities.

Hilda Ramirez and Nelly Holst formed Women Entre preneurs of Oro Valley in 2019 with the vision of empowering and elevating women.

The group provides mentor ship, business education and

financial literacy to its 41 mem bers. As a group, members also become members of the Oro Valley Chamber of Commerce. There are monthly meetings featuring speakers on issues that affect women-owned busi nesses and a monthly coffee so cial open to members only.

Ramirez, a native of Mexico, was an Army wife for 21 years before her husband retired. She is a busi ness consultant who works with startups and owner of a European coffee house in Catalina. Ramirez also is a Realtor and notary.

When she and her husband left military life and moved to Oro Valley, Ramirez said, it was a major lifestyle change. “I wanted to have a group where women felt welcome and with out judgment and for profes sional experience,” she said.

Ramirez met Holst at a ven dor event and started talking about forming a group for women and doing their own events. “Nelly has been my big gest supporter,” she said. “She’s always been beside me. She’s

BY KAREN SCHAFFNER Tucson Local Media

Trick or treat may soon be over but there’s still time to remember loved ones, both past and present, while munching on pie or pan de muerto at the Dia de Los Muertos November to Re member Santa Marana Farm Fair on Sun day, Nov. 6. A second fair is planned for Sunday, Dec. 4.

It’s a mouthful but so is the event. Within the 6 acres of the Santa Marana Christmas Tree Ranch on Sagebrush Road, guests will find plenty of family-friendly fun, including eats, goats who beg to be petted, a couple of antique shops, and even baby Christmas trees.

Live, potted Afghan pine trees will be available for purchase. The species origi nated in Afghanistan, hence the name, but those origins make them particularly suited to a dry, hot climate.

This is the brainchild of Troy and Jodi Yahraes, who own the ranch and thought it would be nice to share what they have with the public.

“First of all, it’s Marana; we’ve always liked Marana,” Jodi said. “It’s very peaceful out here.”

On any given day, it is pleasantly quiet, but it probably won’t be so on fair day. That’s when you can walk and eat while strolling

Members of Women Entrepreneurs of Oro Valley meet at Urban Grove in Oro Valley. (Women Entrepreneurs of Oro Valley/Submitted)

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BY KATYA MEN DOZA

The Explorer and Marana News is published every Wednesday and distributed free of charge to homes and in single-copy locations throughout the Northwest Tucson. To find out where you can pick up a free copy of the Explorer and Marana News, go to www.TucsonLocalMedia.com

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HALLOWEEN

ARTS

Wednesday, Oct. 26Wednesday, Nov. 2

• The Arizona History Mu seum continues its compel ling exhibition, “Los De sconocidos: The Migrant Quilt Project,” through February. The exhibit fea tures a collection of hand made quilts by migrants who have died seeking refuge in the United States, including the names of those who have been iden tified as “desconocido” for the unknown. Recurring weekly, Tuesdays through Saturdays. For more in formation about museum hours and ticket pricing visit, arizonahistorical society.org. The Arizona Historical Society, Arizona History Museum, 949 E. Second Street.

Friday, Oct. 28

continues its free Friday Night Concerts series at Steam Pump Ranch from 7 to 9:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 28. Listen to the classic rock cover band Element 119 and enjoy a variety of food trucks, nonalcohol ic and alcoholic beverag es available for purchase. Outside alcohol is not per mitted. The Friday night concert series takes place every first Friday of the fall months until November. To check out the future lineup visit, orovalleyaz. gov. Steam Pump Ranch, 10901 N. Oracle Road.

WARNING! PERIPHERAL NEUROPATHY AND CHRONIC PAIN TREATMENTS NOT WORKING!!

To

Explorer/Marana

• The Tucson Museum of Art and Historic Block presents Howl at the Museum from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, Oct. 28. Explore between the mu seum’s scares and screams, enjoy sounds from local DJ Humblelianess and live mu sic by Birds & Arrows, bur lesque performances, a cos tume contest, Whiskey del Bac’s Del Back Showdown, art-making activities and more. Tickets cost $35 per member, $40 for nonmem bers. This is a 21-and-older event. For more informa tion about Howl’s food, drinks and entertainment, visit tucsonmuseumofart. org. Tucson Museum of Art and Historic Block, 140 N. Main Avenue.

LIVE MUSIC Friday, Oct. 28

• Oro Valley Parks & Rec

SPECIAL EVENTS

Thursday, Oct. 27 - Sunday, Nov. 6

• The Yume Japanese Gar dens of Tucson present the Fall Ikebana Festival, occurring multiple dates and times. Also known as, “the way of the flow

See HOT PICKS

Oro Valley, AZ – When it comes to chronic pain and/ or neuropathy, the most common doctor-prescribed treatment is drugs like Gabapentin, Lyrica, Cymbalta, and Neurontin. The problem with antidepressants or anti-seizure medications like these is that they offer purely symptomatic relief, as opposed to targeting and treating the root of the problem. Worse, these drugs often trigger an onset of uncomfortable, painful, and sometimes harmful side effects.

The only way to effectively treat chronic pain and/or peripheral neuropathy is by targeting the source, which is the result of nerve damage owing to inadequate blood flow to the nerves in the hands and feet. This often causes weakness, numbness, tingling, pain, and balance problems. A lack of nutrients causes the nerves to degenerate – an insidious and often painful process.

cannot survive, and thus, slowly die. This leads to those painful and frustrating consequences we were talking about earlier, like weakness, numbness, tingling, balance issues, and perhaps even a burning sensation.

The drugs your doctor might prescribe will temporarily conceal the problems, putting a “BandAid” over a situation that will only continue to deteriorate without further action.

Thankfully, Oro Valley is the birthplace of a brandnew facility that sheds new light on this pressing problem of peripheral neuropathy and chronic pain. The company is trailblazing the medical industry by replacing outdated drugs and symptomatic reprieves with an advanced machine that targets the root of the problem at hand.

1. Finding the underlying cause

2. Determining the extent of the nerve damage (above 95% nerve loss is rarely treatable)

3. The amount of treatment required for the patient’s unique condition

Arrowhead Physical Medicine in Oro Valley, AZ uses a state-of-the-art electric cell signaling systems worth $100,000.00. Th is ground-breaking treatment is engineered to achieve the following, accompanied by advanced diagnostics and a basic skin biopsy to accurately analyze results:

1. Increases blood flow

2. Stimulates and strengthens small fiber nerves

3. Improves brain-based pain

The treatment works by delivering energy to the affected area(s) at varying wavelengths, from low- to middle-frequency signals, while also using Amplitude Modulated (AM) and Frequency Modulated (FM) signaling.

It’s completely painless!

THE GREAT NEWS IS THAT THIS TREATMENT IS COVERED BY MEDICARE, MEDICAID, AND MOST INSURANCES!!

The number of treatments required varies from patient to patient, and can only be determined following an in-depth neurological and vascular examination. As long as you have less than 95% nerve damage, there is hope!

Arrowhead Physical Medicine begins by analyzing the extent of the nerve damage – a complimentary service for your friends and family. Each examcomprises a detailed sensory evaluation, extensive peripheral vascular testing, and comprehensive analysis of neuropathy findings.

Arrowhead Physical Medicine will be offering this free chronic pain and neuropathy severity evaluation will be available until October 31st, 2022. Call (520) 934 0130 to make an appointment

Due to our very busy office schedule, we are limiting this offer to the first 10 c allers YOU DO NOT HAVE TO SUFFER ANOTHER MINUTE, CALL (520) 934 0130 NOW!!

We are extremely busy, so we are unavailable, please leave a voice message and we will get back to you as soon as possible.

As displayed in figure 1 above, the nerves are surrounded by diseased, withered blood vessels. A lack of sufficient nutrients means the nerves

Effective neuropathy treatment relies on the following three factors:

Depending on your coverage, your peripheral neuropathy treatment could cost almost nothing – or be absolutely free.

Arrowhead Physical Medicine 10425 N. Oracle Rd., Suite 125 Oro Valley, AZ, 85737

A niece’s crusade, military scientists led to ID of war vet

BY RITHWIK KALALE AND MIKENZIE HAMMEL Cronkite News

It was a bittersweet afternoon at South Lawn Cemetery as family, friends and members of the armed forces gathered to say goodbye, finally, to a Korean War veteran whose remains went unidentified for over 70 years.

Felix Yanez was a Douglas native and avid musician before joining the Army. He was assigned to the 19th Infantry Regi ment, 24th Infantry Division, and deployed to South Korea on July 4, 1950 – shortly af ter North Korea invaded.

Less than two weeks later, according to the Army, Pvt. Yanez was reported killed in action by an enemy mortar blast. He was just 19.

In March 1951, some remains – now known to be his – were recovered south of Tuman-ni, South Korea. They were desig nated with a number, X-789, and buried in the United Nations Memorial Cemetery in Tanggok, South Korea.

What followed was a yearslong crusade by Yanez’s niece, who was born years after he died, and military scientists to identify the soldier and bring him home.

“I kind of felt that if I wasn’t doing this, would

he be forgotten? You know, people would re member him, but would they remember him?” said Tammi Shreeve, 49, of Ogden, Utah, who led the charge on behalf of Yanez’s family.

His recovery is part of ongoing efforts by the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, or DPAA, to identify the remains of service mem bers dating back to World War II. This year alone, more than 100 individuals have been identified and their family members notified.

Veronica Keyes is a forensic anthropol ogist with the DPAA identification lab, which is housed at Joint Base Pearl Har

bor-Hickam in Hawaii.

“We are constantly re visiting these cases and saying, ‘What else can we do? Has anything changed? Has anything new devel oped? Can we try some thing again? Can we try something a little differ ent?’” she said.

The process is complex. Recovery teams are de ployed around the world to conduct excavation mis sions that last anywhere from one month to several. Remains and any artifacts that are unearthed – uni forms, ID tags – are then sent to the Hawaii lab.

Scientists, who are not told whom the military members might be to ensure their analyses are unbiased, then examine skeletal remains and compare DNA to samples col lected from relatives to produce a biological profile that includes gender, race, stature and age at death. Dental records and chest radio graphs are also key to the final identification.

“We can get down to three or four (poten tial individuals), but we need something else

to be able to differentiate between them,” Keyes said. “If we don’t have dental records or chest radiographs, then it kind of limits what we can do to narrow down that list.”

The DPAA has an online FamWeb to share and swap information with families whose military members have never been recovered, and it holds annual update meetings where relatives can meet with officials to learn more.

In Yanez’s case, several attempts were made to identify the remains marked X-789 from 1951 to 1954, according to the DPAA. After those proved unsuccessful, his remains were shipped to Ha waii in 1956, along with hundreds of others, and buried at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, known as Punchbowl, in Honolulu.

In July 2018, the DPAA proposed a plan to disinter 652 Korean War “unknowns” from the cemetery, and in August 2019, scientists disinterred X-789 and began an examination of the remains.

Long before that, Shreeve had begun at tending DPAA briefings and seminars and learning more about her uncle – like how he and a friend joined the military on a dare.

“Going to the meetings, I was like a sponge,” Shreeve said. “I just absorbed as much knowledge as I could … any story I

WOMEN from Page 1

always been beside me. She’s great.”

Holst is originally from Peru and moved to Oro Valley 15 years ago from Simi Val ley, California. She is a nutrition advocate and works for Juice Plus.

There are some 12.3 million wom en-owned businesses in the United States, generating about $1.8 million in revenue. Women control $20 trillion in annual spending and that number is expected to increase to $28 trillion in coming years. In Arizona, about 20.9% of employer busi nesses were owned by women in 2020.

“We’re looking to grow because there’s a need for women entrepreneurs to collabo rate with each other,” Holst said.

A chapter of the group recently formed in Marana, and another will form next month in Catalina. Other chapters are expected to start in Green Valley and Santa Rita Ranch.

What are the benefits of joining the group?

“I feel one of them is we’re able to refer

businesses with each other,” Holst said. “And the support. ... We’re able to brain storm. We listen to each other.”

The membership of Women Entrepre neurs of Oro Valley includes women in law, insurance, marketing, photography, health, landscaping, travel, wine and finance.

“When I meet someone new (in the group) their stories are just amazing,” Ramirez said.

Every year Women Entrepreneurs of Oro Valley holds a luncheon event with busi ness booths by professional women. “We just want to tell the community that we’re here for them, to elevate women and sup port their businesses,” Ramirez said.

“It’s a pleasure for me, it’s a blessing,” Holst said about her involvement in the group. “It always comes back. Whatever you put in it’s always coming back to you. The group is very positive. They give good feedback and they’re always there to help you.”

Women Entrepreneurs of Oro Valley weofov.com

Left: Nelly Holst is originally from Peru and moved to Oro Valley 15 years ago from Simi Valley, California. (Nelly Holst/Submitted) Right: Hilda Ramirez, a native of Mexico, was an Army wife for 21 years before her husband retired. (Hilda Ramirez/Submitted)

See WAR

Connie Cintron places a red rose on the casket of her broth er, Pvt. Felix Yanez, at South Lawn Cemetery in Tucson on Sept. 3. (Samantha Chow/Cronkite News)

food truck row, shop the vendors and listen to a live band. That’s the fun. There’s plenty to look at, plenty to eat and plenty to listen to. There’s even a shaded area to sit and listen.

“We really like the country feel out here but it’s never going to be, like, rock or R&B,” Jodi said. “It’s going to be something soothing and fun for families.”

Because November’s fair day falls close to Dia de los Muertos, there will be skull painting for the kids, among other fun ac tivities.

The couple began hosting the fair right after the pandemic, when people started going out more.

“We literally had maybe 100 people and 10 to 12 vendors (at the first fair),” Troy said. “Since then, we have now reached 60 vendors and 2,000 to 3,000 people.”

Despite the many visitors, Troy said there has never been an unpleasant incident and everyone seems happy. Even the fourlegged visitors.

“We are a pet-friendly ranch,” Jodi said. “Anybody can bring their animals out here on a leash.”

“People are looking for family-environ ment entertainment where you don’t have to break the bank,” Troy added. “It’s not $20 like (other venues). It’s five bucks and the kids have something to do and dad can go watch the band and have a hamburger and there’s plenty of shopping for mom.”

Also on the ranch are two buildings, the larger one built by the couple, that house the Resale Ranch, which used to be located on Oracle Road. It’s a sort-of antique shop where Jodi sells items both antique and just plain used. She does a lot of picking and

estate-sale buying so you might find old tools — lots of those — and Army surplus containers, old sewing patterns, Catholic relics, and candy cigarettes of the type you might remember from childhood. The Re sale Ranch building is packed, practically stuffed, from floor to ceiling.

Across the way, next to the Pie Facto ry which is really a stand where they sell freshly made pies, and the Santa Marana Snack Shack, where they sell hot dogs and such, is the other antique shop that Jodi calls the Furniture Shop. It’s a shipping container, so much smaller than the other building, but here there are end tables with twisted barley legs or easy chairs or even a mirror or two. Guests never know what they will find.

The Resale ranch is open not just on fair

day but Wednesdays through Fridays, too.

Walk past a patch of pine tree seedlings and you will find a largish pen where you can feed several happy-looking goats. Chickens and ducks live there, too. If you need it, there’s a building where you may purchase sacks of dog, chicken, bird or goat food. Although they don’t mean to have bug food, Jodi said bugs and cobwebs are a reality on a farm.

“If you’re coming to a farm, you better re alize that there’s going to be bugs and cob webs,” Jodi said.

Even so, both Jodi and Troy want guests to enjoy their ranch just as much as they do.

“If you’re looking for somewhere to go and just relax and enjoy the farmland and the goats and the activities that we offer, then we’re here,” Jodi said. “It’s a nice little

getaway.”

Two days before Thanksgiving, Troy and Jodi bring in dozens of Christmas trees for sale. The ranch will be open for those who want to begin their Christmas with a precut tree. Troy said it’s a festive day.

“Come Thanksgiving is when the Christ mas season starts,” Jodi said. “Thanksgiving Day we open for the pre-cut trees and we have Santa Claus here. We’ve got hot choc olate, treats, a full-blown Christmas store with lots of Christmas stuff to buy. We’re go ing to have a fire pit and Christmas music.”

“It’s a new tradition,” Troy added.

The Dia de Los Muertos November to Remember Santa Marana Farm Fair

WHEN: 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 6. Resale Ranch is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.

WHERE: The Santa Marana Christmas Tree Farm, 13645 W. Sagebrush Road, Marana

COST: $5 for parking, INFO: maranachristmastreefarm.com, facebook.com/maranaxmastreefarm

(Left) In addition to the Resale Ranch, where you will find a number of used items for sale, there’s a stationary carousel kids may play on. (Center) Some of the trees being wrangled at the Santa Marana Christmas Tree Ranch, where a monthly fair will take place on Nov. 6. (Right) Inside the Retail Ranch, a selection of candy the owner remembers from her childhood is for sale. (Photo by Noelle Haro-Gomex)

SANTA MARANA from Page 1

Inside the Resale Ranch, a small room houses an enormous collection of Christmas items. (Photo by Noelle Haro-Gomez)

Used furniture is housed in a shipping container. (Photo by Noelle Haro-Gomez)

could get my hands on about him. I would stand up and say his name and then people would come up to me and say, ‘I know him.’”

Shreeve relayed what she learned to fam ily members and persuaded them to share DNA samples with the lab.

“It was kind of a quest to try and con vince people,” she recalled.

Keyes said identifying remains from the Korean War often proves challenging, be cause some boxes contain remains from more than one person.

“Once we started analyzing them, it be came clear that these remains were very co-mingled,” she said. “So the first task was just segregating them back to individuals and then doing further testing for identification.”

Timothy McMahon, director of the De partment of Defense’s DNA Operations, said embalming powder used in the 1950s poses another obstacle because it contami nates DNA, making extraction and analysis nearly impossible.

“Think of a jar that has a million jelly beans in it and they’re all different colors, but there’s only maybe 50 white jelly beans in there,” he said. “If I told you to go in there and grab all 50 of those in one shot,

Left: Fort Huachuca Select Honor Guard members Jacob Fowler, back, and Jake Nowaczyk perform a flag-folding ceremony for Pvt. Felix Yanez at South Lawn Cemetery in Tucson on Sept. 3. The flag is folded 13 times in remembrance of the original 13 colonies. (Samantha Chow/Cronkite News) Right: Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency personnel carry cases containing possible remains of unidentified service members during a dignified transfer in 2016 at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii. The remains, repatriated from Laos, were later examined by forensic anthropologists for possible identification. (Tech. Sgt. Kathrine Dodd/DPAA)

you wouldn’t be able to do it.

“So what we did is we developed a meth od that would bind to white jelly beans. … Then we used a magnet that pulls the white jelly beans up.

“It took us from 1999 to 2016 – and sci ence to catch up – for us to develop a meth od to get the DNA and get results from it.”

Yanez’s remains finally were identified

on July 13. And in September, Shreeve and other relatives gathered to celebrate his life – and lay him to rest.

During the service, Yanez’s military uni form was displayed in an open casket, next to a photo of him as a young man.

Those who delivered eulogies, including Shreeve, had one thing in common: They’d never met Yanez but were inspired by sto

ries they’d heard about him. One of Yanez’s nephews joined the military because of him.

Susan Kee, a Korean War historian who spoke at the service, said that without Yanez’s contributions to the war effort, her parents could never have lived free in South Korea.

At the cemetery, the deacon performed a ro

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Mercado Flea boasts creative wares each month

BY HOPE PETERS

Local Media

Mercado Flea Market is open the second Sunday of each month through May. Held on the sidewalks and park ing lots on Avenida del Convento in the Mercado District, the market features 46 local vendors selling antique, vintage and pre-owned goods and collectibles. The next one is 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Nov. 13 and it contin ues Dec. 11, Jan. 8, Feb. 12, March 12, April 9 and May 14.

This is the fifth year for the market, ac cording to manager Carl Hanni.

“The crowds were definitely down during the pandemic, but they have totally come back,” Hanni said.

“They are bigger than ever before. We didn’t cancel one of the years or anything, the worst of it (COVID-19) was happening during the summer months and we were not there (in the summer).

“We certainly have several hundred, if not thousands of people come through on any given flea market. The encouraging thing is that they keep getting bigger. That’s what

Above: Rugs, quilts and throws/covers for sale during the 2021-2022 Mercado Flea Market.

Above Right: Distinctive pottery and scarves are popular items at the Mercado Flea Mar ket. (Carl Hanni/Courtesy)

you want.”

Hanni said the number of vendors is fixed, as it didn’t have room to expand, even though the interest was there.

“We probably have more vendors who want spaces than we have spaces for,” Han ni said.

The shape of the flea market has changed over the years, due to construction in and around the Mercado District, he said. How ever, he’s pleased with this season’s format.

“We have had to adapt to the construction, so the flea market now looks differently than it did two or three years ago,” Hanni added.

has two stops along the flea market. Several local restaurants and retailers, coffeeshops, Westbound Bar and La Estrella Bakery are in the Mercado San Agustin and MSA Annex are all open during the market.

Mercado Flea Market Mercado District

Avenida del Convento

Between Congress and Cushing streets 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. the second Sunday of each month through May 520-461-1107 mercadodistrict.com flea@mercadodistrict.com

known as MEND

Some one-of-a-kind vendor goods available at last year’s Mercado Flea Market. (Carl Hanni/Courtesy)

“We have the best setup design we have ever had. We opened up a whole new area last year, 2021-2022, across from the annex. We expanded out to a lot over there and that allowed us to add eight more vendors. So that was the big change.”

There is on-site parking, and the streetcar

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Latina startup cultivates community, uplifts creatives

BY KATYA MENDOZA

As the founder of the local network ing group for Latina entrepreneurs the Tucson Creative Comadres (TCC), Fabiola Bedoya cultivates a sense of belonging by promoting commu nity and collaboration.

It was a pipe dream that blossomed into a monthly meet-up group and growing social network community. Through it, Bedoya encourages Tucson Latinas to uplift and seek support from each other. Their most popular event, Cafecito & Chill, brings to gether comadres to discuss ideas, promote their businesses or even just to spill the fri joles.

Most recently, Bedoya participated in the Startup Tucson’s 2022 Idea Funding Pitch Competition to present her idea to a panel of judges. She made it as far as the second down-select round on Oct. 5, competing against over 50 other companies. Although just falling short of the Main Stage prize, she is still eligible to win the Adelante Ari

Left: Alejandra Foerg at the Cafecito and Chill event on Sept. 18 at Cartel Roasting Co. Foerg, who hails from Nogales, Arizona, is a post partum doula. Her small business, La Chuparosa, offers “sacred care for all of life’s cycles.”

Center: Ali Baxley of Ali B Confectionary at the Cafecito and Chill event on Sept. 18 at Cartel Roasting Co. Baxley is a Latina cookier, who bakes and decorates custom sugar cookies.

Right: Founder of the Tucson Creative Comadres group, Fabiola Bedoya, at Cafecito and Chill on Sept. 18, at Cartel Roasting Co. Bedoya, recently applied for the Startup Tucson Idea Funding Pitch Competition for the Tucson Creative Comadres and is in the second down-se lect round of the competition. (Angie Roberts/Submitted)

zona and Social Impact prizes, both worth $5,000 each.

“I started through (my pitch) strong and

the questions were very engaging that I got from the judges, that gave me hope that they were invested in what my plans were

with the possible funding and what the big

See LATINAS

plans are for this group,” Bedoya said.

A graduate of the University of Arizona College of Fine Arts, Bedoya said it didn’t teach the fundamentals of building a small business.

“That’s what you are, you have to put yourself out there and market yourself.”

Just before graduation, she learned her peers were in a similar spot.

“A lot of people didn’t really know what they wanted to do because they weren’t sure how to go about it,” she said.

She had taken it upon herself to attend entrepreneurial workshops and network ing events such as Techstars Startup Week end Arizona during the fall of 2020. It's a three-day program for aspiring startup entrepreneurs to collaborate with experts and other aspiring creators to turn an idea into a minimal viable product to present in front of a panel of judges. After gradua tion, she applied for an Idea Funding Pitch Competition through Startup Tucson that centered BIPOC creatives the following spring of 2021.

“I made it two rounds in and (received) positive feedback that I (could) put in my back pocket,” Bedoya said.

Her second time around in the compe tition, had she moved forward to the final round in November, would have allowed her to present during the TenWest Festival. The grant would have helped her build a website with a directory of Latina creatives, allowing the online community to expand outside of Tucson; a working space for affordable workshops and funding for be hind-the-scenes business fees.

“I want to build a big storytelling aspect of a creative entrepreneur journey and highlight different artists,” Bedoya said

Through her research of the Hispanic community, Bedoya found that the culture brought additional challenges to the pur suit of a creative or artistic career.

“If you’re a first-generation, you know your parents came here and worked hard to provide for their kids and they want to see their kids succeed and not struggle like they (did),” Bedoya said.

It is embedded in the culture to pursue an education and get a well-paying job that has benefits.

“One night I was like, ‘You know what, you gathered all the data about creatives and their pain points, let’s start looking at Latina stats;’ as soon as I started picking up

on the Latina pay gap, something lit a fire in me,” Bedoya said.

After becoming a mother, she knew she couldn’t attend as many workshops because kids weren’t allowed in those spaces. She noted a need for Latinas and mothers with in the entrepreneurial community.

“The first meeting I launched free of charge and honestly I used a $25 gift card that I got from attending a focus group and $10 of my own,” Bedoya said. “I wanted to test it out first.”

About 10 attendees came to the first meeting, including Erica Cantua, a local painter and muralist of Erixaart, who met Bedoya through a mutual friend at a popup flea market at Borderlands Brewing Co. in 2018. Since the first meeting, Cantua said the attendees have “grown every month.”

Cantua, who quit her job last year to pursue art full-time, painted the mural on Speedway and Columbus, on the west-fac ing wall of the Tucson Appliance Company. She is working on constructing a mobile art shop out of a yellow school bus.

“My mission and vision have always been the same, to help creatives succeed with the tools to be able to catapult themselves as a small business,” Bedoya said. “Even if

they just need help learning how to market themselves as artists or (making) connec tions, or (accessing) resources.”

Bedoya, who is a full-time marketing coordinator for Goodwill Industries of Southern Arizona and a single parent, said she’s been exploring her place within the community and developing community engagement through social media.

“I make sure I know what people are do ing, what accomplishments they’ve done and make them feel seen,” Bedoya said. “If I am paying attention, then they know that I care, and I do care.”

Ali Baxley of Ali B Confectionary said Tucson Creative Comadres “popped up on Instagram.” A full-time Latina cookier who makes pretty cookies, wanted to join a creative and supportive community, a common sentiment heard throughout las comadres.

“I was referred to (Tucson Creative Co madres) by a friend,” said Marcia Fragoso, small business owner of SocialBuzzAZ, a bartending and catering service. “That’s really all it is, small business owners being able to talk to one another and getting to meet people and hearing what inspired

See LATINAS Page

5th Annual Estate Event

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Tuesday, Nov. 15th - Saturday, Nov. 19th Tuesday-Friday 10am to 2pm

Saturday 9am to 2pm

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ers,” Ikebana is the meditative art of Japa nese floral arranging. This art, which dates back to the 15th century incorporates na ture with an emphasis of lines, shapes and form throughout the arrangement and the hand of the arranger. General admission tickets $18, members $10, children under 15, $5. Tickets include entry to the gardens. For information on times and dates, visit tickettailor.com. Yume Japanese Gardens of Tucson, 2130 N. Alvernon Way.

Friday, Oct. 28

• Hotel Congress presents Tucson’s biggest Halloween party, “Nightmare on Con gress Street,” at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 28. To kick off Halloween weekend, the haunted Hotel Congress will have live music from King Quice, the Surfbroads, Early Black and others, spooky vendors and food and drink specials and two costume contests with the chance to win up to $2,000 in cash and prizes. The 21-and-older event’s cover is $17.51. For more information vis it, dice.fm. Hotel Congress, 311 E. Con gress Street.

Friday, Oct. 28 and Saturday, Oct. 29

• Tohono Chul Botanical Gardens and Gal leries hosts its autumn series, Brewin’ at the Chul, Friday, Oct. 28 and Saturday, Oct. 29, through Saturday, Nov. 26. From 5 to 9 p.m., visitors can enjoy the grounds after hours free of admission, as well as a delectable rotating food menu that in cludes Achiote citrus marinated chicken, Sonoran hot dogs, fried calamari and more from the Garden Bistro. Sip on a craft beer or refreshing prickly pear mar garita while you enjoy live music by Pari sian musician, Naim Amor on Friday, or guitarist Derdog on Saturday. Entertain ment is from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. For a full list of performers throughout the series and the menu, visit tohonochul.org. To hono Chul, 7366 N. Paseo Del Norte.

Saturday, Oct. 29 and Sunday, Oct. 30

• Pumpkin (spice) season is here, so grab the family and take a day trip down to Willcox for Apple Annie’s Orchards, Fall Pumpkin Celebration, throughout the month of October. Take a hayride or get lost in the corn maze as you enjoy the fall weather at the pumpkin patch located at The Farm on 6405 W. Williams Road. Ap ple Annie’s Orchard is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., no charge for admission but bring money for produce purchases and hay

ride tickets. For more information about seasonal produce availability or Apple Annie’s Orchard visit, appleannies.com or call the 520-384-2084.

Sunday, Oct. 30

• Head to the Flandrau Planetarium on Sunday, Oct. 30, for Spooktacular Science on Halloween Eve! Around 2 p.m. attend the classic live star talk, “Spooky Tucson Sky” with a haunting twist or at 3 p.m., for a livelier “Fright Lights,” show with classic Halloween hits. Join the Hellfire Club at 5 p.m. and take a trip to the Upside Down for the Laser Stranger Things light show. Whichever show you choose, surround yourself with 4K resolution laser lights, moody synths or ’80s pop hits. Tickets sold separately. Other spooky activities include colorful chemistry, planet paint ing, brain jars, slime station and more. Ticket pricing is $9 for adults, $7 kids 4 to 17 and college students and $8 for se niors and military personnel. For more information visit, flandrau.org/, Flandrau Science Center & Planetarium, 1601 E. University Boulevard.

Tuesday, Nov. 1 - Saturday, Nov. 5

• Startup Tucson presents the TenWest Impact Festival starting Tuesday, Nov. 1 through Saturday, Nov. 5. Established in 2015, the festival has been a communi ty-oriented event for local, regional and national entrepreneurs to come together to collaborate on creative solutions with so cial, environmental and economic impact. The five-day innovation festival is for all ages and includes keynote speakers, oppor tunities for networking, presentations and more. This year’s festival kicks off the first block party with local vendors and regional music. For more information on how to get involved and how to purchase tickets, visit tenwest.com. The TenWest Impact Festival will be held at various locations through out Downtown Tucson.

CLASSES AND PROGRAMS

Wednesday, Oct. 26 - Saturday, Oct. 29

• For the month of October, the Sonoran Glass School hosts its annual Pumpkin Fi esta. From 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., SGS offers its popular Make Your Own Pumpkin Expe rience, when participants can pick colors and design elements and work with SGS artists to create their own glass pumpkin. This event costs $115 per pumpkin, res

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Game show hits the stage with trips, cash

BY CHRISTINA FUOCO-KARASINSKI Tucson Local Media

Clay Aiken wasn’t overly sold when he was approached to host the “Wheel of Fortune Live” tour.

“I wasn’t skeptical, I’d say,” Aiken explained.

“‘Wheel of Fortune’ is legendary and there’s no game show that’s more popular in the America, etc. How to make it work live was something I was very curious about and — holy crap — it does work. It really does.”

The tour comes to The Linda Ronstadt Music Hall, formerly the Tucson Music Hall, on Thursday, Nov. 3, and Harrah’s Ak-Chin Casino on Friday, Nov. 4, and Sat urday, Nov. 5, with Aiken as host.

“It’s so fun,” he said. “Audiences lose their absolute minds. I’ve been on tour 11 times on my own with my own shows. In all the years I’ve been touring, I wish I had audi ences who were that fun, but I’m not giving away trips to Paris at my concerts. They have a reason to be more excited about ‘Wheel of Fortune.’ It’s really fun to watch.”

Aiken recently starred on Broadway, alongside Ruben Studdard, in “Ruben & Clay’s First Annual Christmas Carol Fami ly Fun Pageant Spectacular Reunion Show” at the Imperial Theater.

This came 10 years after Aiken’s Broad way debut in Monty Python’s “Spamalot.” On the heels of “American Idol,” he became the first artist to have his first single debut at No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart.

debut of a holiday album.

The father to son Parker, Aiken served nine years as a UNICEF ambassador and in 2003, he co-founded, with Diane Bubel, what is now the National Inclusion Project to advocate and increase opportunities for children with disabilities to be included in extracurricular activities (such as summer

“Wheel of Fortune Live”

WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 3

WHERE: The Linda Ronstadt Music Hall, formerly the Tucson Music Hall, 260 S. Church Avenue, Tucson

COST: Tickets start at $38

INFO: 520-791-4101, tucsonmusichall.org

During “Wheel of Fortune Live,” guests can audition to go on stage and feel like they stepped into the game show. Random ly selected players will have the chance to spin a replica of the iconic wheel and solve the puzzles to win prizes, including up to $10,000 in cash and trips to the likes of Paris and Hawaii at every show. Additionally, hundreds of audience members can win cash and prizes.

Clay Aiken hosts “Wheel of Fortune Live” at The Linda Ronstadt Music Hall and Harrah’s Ak-Chin Casino in November. (Clay Aiken/Submitted)

His subsequent album, “Measure of a Man,” also debuted at No. 1 with the high est first week sales by a debut artist. His 2004 holiday release, “Merry Christmas with Love,” set a record for the fastest-sell ing holiday album of the SoundScan era and remains tied for the highest charting

WHEN: 8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 4, and Saturday, Nov. 5

WHERE: Harrah’s Ak-Chin Casino, 15406 Maricopa Road, Maricopa

COST: Tickets start at $38.50

INFO: caesars.com/harrahs-ak-chin/shows

Softball Coach

sary ceremony and gave a crucifix to Yanez’s sisters, Lupe Salazar and Connie Cintron, and assured them that because of his good deeds, Yanez would prosper in the afterlife. Family members then placed red roses on Yanez’s cas ket, and it was lowered into the ground.

LATINAS from Page 9 them.

“I want people to bounce ideas off of each other and have that support,” said An gie Roberts, a local wedding photographer who owns CandidSol.

Alejandra Foerg, a postpartum doula

Shreeve said she hoped the journey to identify her uncle serves to bring her fam ily closer together, and she intends to help other service members’ families get the same closure she now has. She is set to be a guest speaker at next year’s DPAA Korean and Cold War briefing in Washington, D.C.

who recently moved back to be closer to her home of Nogales, Arizona, was also looking for the company of like-minded individuals with whom to share and con tribute her gifts.

Through networking events like the Cafecito and Chill, comadres are able to cultivate connections in an accessible and

“If you have a loved one who was killed in a war and their remains have not been identi fied, I encourage you to get a hold of the DPAA … and learn everything you can,” she said.

“Don’t give up hope.”

Yanez received many posthumous honors, including a Purple Heart. His name is record

relaxed setting.

“I just know where I want to take this and branch out to a general creative comadres community online and travel to smaller places that may not have this kind of thing,” Bedoya said. “I want them to know that they’re a part of something.”

ed on the Courts of the Missing monument at Punchbowl cemetery, along with soldiers who remain unknown. One day soon, Yanez will receive a rosette next to his name – to show that he has been identified, at last.

For more stories from Cronkite News, visit cronkitenews.azpbs.org.

Tucson Creative Comadres’ Flower Crown Workshop

WHEN: 10 to 11:45 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 29

WHERE: Tannas Botannas, 4226 S. Sixth Avenue, Tucson COST: $25

INFO: @tucsoncreativecomadres on Instagram

HOT PICKS from Page 11

ervations are required. Proceeds from the program support SGS and its youth edu cation programming. For information on how to make your reservation and other ongoing activities, visit sonoranglass.org.

Sonoran Glass School, 633 W. 19th Street.

FAMILY FRIENDLY

Thursday, Oct. 27 - Sunday, Oct. 30

• For the last spooky weekend of the season,

head to Nightfall at Old Tucson Studios. Its full-force return offers a more immer sive storyline that invites the whole fam ily to follow clues and engage with cast members in order to uncover multiple mysteries throughout the night. Visitors are encouraged to purchase tickets ahead of time, due to the park’s timed-entry ap proach on nightfallaz.com. $35 for adults; $30 children ages 5 to 11; free for children through age 4. Parking is $5. Nightfall at

Old Tucson Studios, 201 S. Kinney Road. Saturday, Oct. 29

• Oro Valley Parks and Recreation bring back the Halloween Spooktacular from 5 to 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 29. This event, hosted at the Oro Valley Community & Recreation Center, will have a live DJ, arts and crafts, games, a trick or treat lane and more. Admission is free and includes can dy. The town of Oro Valley is asking vis itors to park at the Oro Valley Town Hall parking lot (11000 N. La Cañada Drive) due to limited parking at the Community Center. For a reference map, visit oroval leyaz.gov. Oro Valley Community & Rec

reation Center, 10555 N. La Cañada Dr. Saturday, Oct. 29 and Sunday, Oct. 30

• The Reid Park Zoo invites guests to Boo at the Zoo for a “bewitching evening” Friday, Oct. 21 to Sunday, Oct. 23. From 6-8:30 p.m., friends and family of the Reid Park Zoo can show off their “boo-ti ful” costumes, visit the Rancho Sahuari ta Fall Festival Zone to play games, visit trick-or-treat stations and spooky scenes, and more. Tickets will be sold with entry times, $11 for zoo members and $13 for general admission. For timed ticket infor mation visit reidparkzoo.org. Reid Park Zoo, 3400 Zoo Court.

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camps and after-school programs) with their nondisabled peers.

Aiken is looking forward to bringing “Wheel of Fortune” back to Arizona.

“Everyone in America is a fan of ‘Wheel of Fortune,’” he said. “It’s been on for 40 years. Even if you’re not a nightly viewer, you’ve seen clips on YouTube. Holy crap.

“‘Jeopardy’ is wonderful, sure. There’s only a subset of people who are smart enough for that. ‘Wheel of Fortune’ is the most accessible and approachable game show. We can all sit at home and play it. To do that in person and get to spin the wheel, I’m surprised it took this long.”

WHEEL OF FORTUNE from Page 11

November 4–6, 2022

3302 E. Speedway, El Rancho Center Tucson, AZ 85716

Friday, 3–6 p.m. (members only) Saturday, 10 a.m.–3 p.m. Sunday, 11 a.m.–2 p.m.

For more information, visit TucsonMuseumofArt.org/TreasureHouse

Connect Premium. Fall Button does not detect 100% of falls. If able, users should always push theirhelp button when they need assistance. Fall Button is not intended to replace a caregiver for users dealing with serious health issues. Service availability and access/coverage on the AT&T network is not available everywhere and at all times. Current GPS locationmay not always be available in every situation. MobileHelp is a registered trademark. Patented technology. MobileHelp is an FDA registered company.

Athlete of the Week: Elizabeth Thrausch

BY TOM DANEHY Tucson Local Media Columnist

Elizabeth Thrausch thought her high school volleyball career would end this week. Her indoor volleyball sea son is wrapping up this week. Her se nior night was Oct. 24, and the team closes out its season at Pueblo on Oct. 27.

In the past, she played club volleyball in the off-season, but skipped it this year to concentrate on her studies and getting into college.

But what the setter really wanted to do was play beach volleyball in the spring. Alas, Flowing Wells is the only one of the Northwest schools that does not field a beach volleyball team. The TUSD schools don’t offer the sport, but it is quite popular at Amphi, Canyon Del Oro, Marana, Pusch Ridge and Marana Mountain View.

(Amphi actually has spectacular courts, nestled in between the big gym and the softball field. But Flowing Wells has none. Mountain View doesn’t have courts, but they use courts at a nearby church for their

home games.)

She has been accepted at the UA and NAU, but she hasn’t made up her mind yet as to where she’ll go. She does know that she wants to study education, with the hopes of someday being an elementa ry school teacher, “Maybe second grade through fourth grade. Anything after that, the kids…” Her voice trails off.

Her mother went to NAU and, like many former Lumberjacks, she tells the stories of the snow and cold with this odd gleam in her eye. It’s like the kid who slides down a bannister backward, not knowing that there’s a knob at the bottom of the ban nister, just waiting to inflict seven kinds of pain. However, when he reaches the bot tom and takes the whuppin’, he doesn’t tell anybody about the knob. Instead, he en courages his best friend to try it, knowing that it won’t be quite as awful when he has

Trusted Source for Community News

someone else living in the House of Pain.

She works part-time as a lifeguard at the Oro Valley Community Center. Her favor ite subject is English and she prefers read ing over writing. When told that the an swer to the question of one’s favorite class is always math, she responds with a hearty “Ohhh, no!”

The conversation went back to beach vol leyball and she was told that the Arizona Interscholastic Association has a rule that states if a school doesn’t offer a particular sport, a student-athlete in good standing can go play that sport at another school. They generally have to play it at the school that is geographically closest to their own. (That would be Amphi.)

At first intrigued, then fired up, she said, “Several of my friends and I have been talking about playing beach for a long time. We might just become part-time Panthers.”

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Elizabeth Thrausch has been accepted at the UA and NAU. (Elizabeth Thrausch/Submitted)

EXTRA POINT WITH TOM DANEHY SPORTS &RECREATION

UA’s defense is being shredded

BY TOM DANEHY Tucson Local Media Columnist

The UA has given up 49 points in each of its last three games. Not basketball games—football games! That’s a sus tained whuppin’ of biblical proportions. They gave up 49 points to Cal, which later scored only 13 points in a loss to Colorado, the worst team in major-college football.

I’m tempted to ask the question, “Do you know how hard it is to give up 49 points three games in a row?” But apparently, it’s not hard at all. Oct. 15 was Arizona’s bye week. They probably gave up 30 or so points that day.

To be fair, Tennessee, which sits at the No. 3 spot in the current coaches’ poll, gave up 49 points to Alabama last week — and won! Southern Cal scored 42 points at Utah and lost. Scoring is up everywhere and there are several reasons for it. For one, the most dy namic (although not necessarily the best) young football players gravitate to the offen sive side because that’s where the flash, the fame, and the funds are. While a rush end or a middle linebacker might be more import ant to a team’s success, the money goes to the quarterback and the wide receivers.

Rams fans don’t buy Aaron Donald jer seys; they buy Cooper Kupp jerseys.

For almost a century, the prevailing wisdom in football was that defense wins championships. Hold the opposing team under 20 points, create some turnovers (a fumble recovery here, an interception there,

giving your offense a couple extra posses sions), and you can eke out a 21-17 victory. It was a formula that worked for generations.

Now that formula has been corrupted by this new emphasis on offense. First team to 50 wins.

It’s interesting. In basketball, players are taught from an early age that defense, like re bounding, is 90% desire. You have to have some skill (coordination, footwork) but a lot of it is heart. You have to want to stop your man (or woman). It’s different in football. There are different positions that require different re sponsibilities. Linemen have to fight off blocks, linebackers must flow to the ball, and defensive backs have to cover certain areas, perchance to make a play on a thrown pass.

Old person alert: A million years ago, when dinosaurs roamed the Earth and I played football, I was a defensive back. It was my job to cover receivers who were going out for a pass and to either not let them catch it or to tackle them as soon as they did. My crusty old coach (actually, my high-school coach was in his late 20s) pre ferred that I do the former, but, failing that, had a strong insistence on the latter.

My coach would get two basketball players who were used to playing man-to-man de fense on the court and put them at corner back, saying “That’s your man. Guard him!”

We hardly ever see that anymore. De fenses have to be these intricate schemes, with different zones and different respon sibilities on every play. I sometimes wonder if defensive coordinators aren’t psyching

themselves out and making it overly com plicated. You know how lawyers will use 40 words when four would do and then employ polysyllabic terms when “wrong” would suffice. Defensive coordinators will use a hyperflex double-drop z-wing spread without considering the possibility that “Guard that dude!” might just work.

Again, we must recognize that Arizona’s is not the only defense that is being shred ded. At this point in the season, Oregon is probably the best team in the Pac-12, but the Ducks have a 49-3 beatdown stain on their season record. (There’s that “49” number again. It’s like the 37 that pops up in probability all the time, perhaps because, in math, 1/e is .37. Sorry, I went full math nerd there for a moment. The 49 shows up because bad defensive teams are giving up a ridiculous seven touchdowns in one game.)

The problem is that as a long-suffering and occasionally exultant Arizona fan, it’s driving me crazy that the Fisch Fix is so lopsided. The offense is money! The Cats rolled up 500 yards and nearly 40 points against Washington and still lost by double figures. It seems like that shouldn’t happen.

Arizona was dreadful on both sides of the ball under previous coach Kevin Sumlin and we all knew that it would take time. But this is painful. It just seems logical that it would be easier to fix a defense than to trot out a high-flying offense, but that hasn’t been the case.

Arizona’s next four opponents (USC, Utah, UCLA and Washington State) have a com bined record of 21-6. These next four weeks probably aren’t going to be pretty.

I wonder if there is a way to program the TiVo to just record the Cats when they are on offense.

TOWN OF ORO VALLEY

A FREE, FAMILY-FRIENDLY EVENT!

SATURDAY, OCT. 29,

– 8

Valley Community & Recreation Center 10555 N. La Cañada Dr.

Featuring fun Halloween games, a live DJ, food trucks, crafts and a trickor-treat lane hosted by local businesses. Food and beverages (including alcoholic and non-alcoholic) will be available for purchase. www.orovalleyaz.gov |

Down

between “ready” and “go”

in

League of Own”

medical checkup

it?”

Many a Yemeni

one might not marry no matter what!

fallout

author Morrison

Magnum ___ (masterpiece)

Fit together, as gearwheel teeth

get-together with cones and scoops

Implementable with expertise and expert ease or how the starred clues’ answers can be taken?

Lack of objectivity

___ de los Muertos (Day of the Dead)

Casual Friday castoffs

Aliens, in brief

try harder” car rental company

High-flying toy

One way to reduce one’s sentence?

Junk email

Tortoise’s rival in a fable

Banking conveniences, for short

Poem of exaltation

Let-down for Rapunzel?

Make a

support seeker,

to fix or

Met Gala,

By Holiday Mathis

ARIES (March 21-April 19). While it’s not possible to control what other people want, it’s certainly within your realm to entice the senses, spark interesting ideas that are fascinating to engage with and generally create the sort of atmosphere people want to be around. This week, you’ll use your skills to attract and per suade.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20). The week will bring a wealth of ideas, from the bra zen to the bizarre to the brilliant. Theo retical knowledge can do nothing for you, though; the real test is in the application. It’s better to pick one and try it out than to know of a thousand you don’t act on. It’s also an ideal week for networking. You’re naturally charming and curious.

GEMINI (May 21-June 21). Keep working on your idea until it requires very little, if any, explanation. You’ll know when it’s ready because it will be very easy to relay -- you will not have to fan the spark of un derstanding for too long before it catches on. Leonardo da Vinci suggested, “Sim plicity is the ultimate sophistication.”

CANCER (June 22-July 22). Though you’re not exactly a mind reader, your empathy and intuition allow you to make pretty good guesses about what’s hap pening for others this week, and you’ll make your moves accordingly. You real ize that what others demonstrate is likely only the tip of the iceberg of what they are really feeling.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). You’ve extended yourself to understand and contribute to people’s worlds. Not everyone can get out of themselves in this way. It takes confidence and intellectual flexibility. It takes courage and an inner core of secu rity. Because you’ve often been the one to leave comfortable realms, you’re ex panded. You become a bit of everything you learn.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). When you work alone, it can be difficult to deter mine how you compare with others in the marketplace. You welcome the in sights of those who can help you see it from another perspective. These are the opinions that will help you to grow. In do

ing so, you won’t lose a thing. Everyone you’ve ever been is inside you.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). There is noth ing more exhilarating than generosity. As you contribute to the lives of others, you will become aware of the difference you are making. And so, the act of giving doesn’t imply sacrifice, rather it often re sults in unexpectedly receiving quite a lot in return.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). Optimism is the fountain of youth. Hope regenerates your cells and restores your spirit. Peo ple you reach out to may be reserved until they understand what you want and how they can help. So make it easy for them -- talk about what you need to move forward.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). Using your imagination as a flight machine, you can go wherever your inner pilot desires. It takes more mental discipline than you’d think to keep the journey aloft, though when you learn to fortify and fuel your imagination, it really will take you anywhere you want to go.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). Tension is the basis of all music. It holds the string; it pins the melody to its resolution or ir resolution. Tension keeps the action taut. Don’t be afraid of the missteps and un resolved connections. Chances are, they hold the most exquisite tension. Without conflict, no stories exist. Embrace it.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). Once you’ve mastered a task, there is a very short window of time in which you enjoy repeating your success to good effect. But you’ll need a new challenge soon enough. This week brings reminders to savor where you are in the journey. There is no stage inherently better than another. These are the good old days.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). The nature of the opportunity won’t be indicated in its title -- only in the work itself. To know if an opportunity is right for you, look at what skills are being honed inside it. Will the job afford you a chance to fill in the gaps of your knowledge, sharpen your talent or strengthen your weakness?

out of

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on a sched.

serpent in “Antony and Cleopatra”