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A month or so ago Kaz pulled me out of our back door to look way up at a huge oak next to our house. “See that?” “Yes, I see it. Oh, shit.” We stood pondering what to do about a huge limb that had snapped almost all the way through with die back already becoming visible, No telling when or how it would come crashing down. Kaz worried that sooner or later it would descend destroying everything in its path - maybe even one of us.  Tom and Amber Berryman We knew who to call because weeks before I’d taken a number from the Oracle Post Office bulletin board from a guy who offered local “tree service”. At the time neither of us had heard of Tom Berryman but I gave a call about some tree work we needed done. He turned out to be incredibly skilled not to mention well equipped and dispatched three dead oaks in a day and a half. In the process we learned he and his wife Amber had just moved to Oracle and live in our neighborhood. Kind of amazing!
So responding to our urgent call he arranges to come by after he gets off work in Metro Phoenix, no less. He and Amber show up with ladder, climbing ropes, chain saw, trailer and chipper and go to work. Tom and Amber had that dangerous broken limb cut, lowered, and chipped in a short order. Tom and Amber are building a local business (while he continues to work full time in Metro Phoenix). Another big plus for our neighborhood, town, and the trees we revere. Berryman's Tree Service - (928)231-4749
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  Heather and Andrew have begun to school us on the virtues of goatscaping! Goats are pretty remarkable creatures willing to take on some very tough assignments. Like helping to clear land overrun by catclaw and other noxious weeds.  Their work on the triangle of land around the Oracle Post Office is the subject of what's fast becoming local lore. They're so damn good at what they do! Even long time residents like Ruben Perez marvel.  By getting into the weeds, they quicken the hearts of property owners like Kaz and me looking to defend against the threat of fire while beautifying the terrain. And they add their own aesthetic touch by finding special places to rest and recuperate from their arduous work day!  Resting in the Women's Monument created by Fox McGrew and Darrell Klesch  They showed up early and went to work on the Triangle next to the Oracle Post Office.  Kaz and goat whisperer Lily Started on the western tip where American Avenue intersects with Old Mount Lemmon Highway.  When I arrived 15 minutes before the advertised start of today's Monday Lunch, the Oracle Community Center parking lot was full and the hall was packed. The OCC President delivered the news at the door: "Sold out!" Whaaat? I began to turn away when Kaz, who I had dropped off a few minutes earlier, waved a ticket in my direction and in I went.  Bailey Macneill I was very glad to make the cut!  Dana Mayorga The attraction was food prepared by the two women behind Oracle's buzzy new restaurant start-up - The Riot Grill. Judging by the wall-to-wall affirmation of the food and the enthusiam shared at the gathering we have a winner on our collective hands. It turned out there was enough for everybody! Maybe not a "miracle of the loaves and fishes" but mighty impressive.
If you're so inclined, offer support for this "boot strap" venture here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/riotgrill/riot-grill One disturbing fact jumps out from a reading of the Road Safety Assessment (RSA) study commissioned by Pinal County for American Avenue. Here it is: Many of the safety improvements identified in the document can and should be made right now! Here's an example:  That's one of several related to "road paintings" ... not just pavement striping but also stop bars that provide vital info to alert drivers how far to nose into cross traffic and crosswalks that slow traffic and alert drivers to pedestrians.
The engineering consultants also identify bushes obscuring driver's sight lines, warning lights not functioning, and signage mis-located. So what gives? Why not do what seems basic maintenance...immediately? Pinal County officials should carefully review the RSA document, identify what can and should be done right now, and authorize those actions without delay. -------------------------------- |
AuthorKaz and I moved to Oracle in 1979. The house we bought dated to the late 1940s. With little advance knowledge of the place, we set out to build a new life together, intending to settle in and raise a family. 
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