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One of my friends mentioned a magazine article about how cats communicate and he asked me what I thought. Everyone agrees that most cats try to talk to us, especially when they’re hungry and it’s dinner time. Researchers have spent huge amounts of time and money trying to get inside the minds of domestic felines. (What a great job that must be; imagine getting paid to analyze kitty-cat conversations.)

Each spring, Bishop Patrick McGrath formulates a list of priests who will be assigned to different churches in the Diocese of San Jose. Then in July these priests must pull up stakes and move to a new parish. The process may be painful, as they leave behind familiar surroundings, friends and colleagues to face the unknown in a new rectory, church and community.

Creative, unique and inventive are understated adjectives when describing “Priscilla Queen Of The Desert.” The line “pushing the envelope” was made for this show, a production where the star is the award-winning costumes by Tim Chappel and Lizzy Gardiner and a bus, which comes onstage and helps an out-of-the-box story unfold. Written by Stephen Elliott and Allan Scott, directed by Simon Phillips and choreography by Ross Coleman, this jukebox musical uses pop songs as its score and romps through a story that has great humor and - at times - heart-wrenching moments.

I always get excited about the summer bounty of vegetables that grow in the home garden or found at the farmers’ market or the farm stand. Eating them while they are in season is the key to their superior quality.

Got this from reader Kris: “I’m curious about the color of the new taco restaurant on First Street – who on earth approved it? It makes Mi Pueblo look subdued! Is the entire 64 count of Crayola colors on the approved city list for exterior colors?” Funny thing, got essentially the same email on the “new taco place on the corner of 10th and Monterey” so I’m not sure if there’s a new taco place patrol out there or what. Do know that the new taco place at 10th and Monterey is a colorful and welcome sight as far as I’m concerned. I’ve passed it almost daily going to and from the office and it’s been a weed infested, broken glass, crumbling, empty, rat hole mess for years. Paint it bright orange and put a pink bow on it as long as the paint’s fresh, the property is clean and the lights are on. As soon as it opens, I’m going for lunch.

Our local grape vines have been thriving throughout the warm summer, the leaves soaking up the sunshine and clusters of grapes hanging heavily from the vines. Our wine growers have been busy with canopy management - pulling selected leaves from the vines to give the best sunlight exposure and air movement to the fruit. Veraison (when grapes start to ripen and change from green to purple) has come early this year, attracting birds and other critters that are looking for a tasty meal. But even though the grapes are turning color, they aren't ripe enough yet - so nets are draped over the rows to protect them from being picked clean by hungry birds.

Long before they took the plot from the opera “La Boheme” and created a contemporary version that became the Broadway hit “Rent,” Douglass Wallop and George Abbott took “Faust” and turned it into a rollicking, joyous, wacky tribute to baseball and enduring faithfulness. “Damn Yankees” is a feel good romp that has all the elements of a great musical. “Damn Yankees” opened on Broadway May 5, 1955 and starred Gwen Verdon with choreography by Bob Fosse. It walked away with eight 1956 Tony Awards and has continued to captivate audiences around the world through the years.