Lizzie Oglesby will be speaking at the Oxford Newcomers Club reception and meeting on Tuesday, October 13, 2009

I will be speaking on behalf of the Oxford Artist's Guild at the Oxford Newcomers Club meeting and reception at the Powerhouse Community Arts Center on Tuesday, October 13, at 5:30pm. I'm very excited to tell those attending about the Guild and about our fantastic show that is currently on display at the Powerhouse. See you there, Newcomers!

Mark your calendar for Yappy Hour Halloween at Parrish's Pub on the Oxford square - October 27th, 2009

Mark your calendars for the next Yappy Hour!
It's all most Halloween!
Tuesday, October 27th at Parrish's Pub on the Oxford square from 6 pm to 8 pm. Feel free to bring your furry friends with you and dress them in a Halloween Costume; best dressed wins a prize! Enjoy LIVE music, food, beverages, & yappy-tizers for your pets. We will serve alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages.

Please bring only well socialized & friendly pets!

The cost is $5 for adults and $3 for children.

All proceeds go to the building fund for the new OLHS shelter!

Save The Brilliant Easel Art School in Oxford, Mississippi, Today!

It seems many of the cool businesses in our town are struggling and/or closing up. I got an SOS from The Brilliant Easel this morning. They are trying to raise $2500.00 this weekend to stay up and running.

I know we are all strapped. I would hate to see an art school such as this one close up. It is located on North Lamar where the old Purple Haze store was. The fundraiser starts today, Friday October 9th, at noon, so if you want to donate any money, they will gladly take it.

I do not have much, but I will donate to the cause. Everyone needs art.

For any questions call Chandra Williams at 832-9339.

I wish we could have saved the Amp, Fig Tree produce and Mississippi Handmade (the latter is not gone but in Tula now) and all the other cool places that are folding up, but I did not know until it was too late. Let’s not let this happen with The Brilliant Easel.

They said any amount will help.

- Andi Bedsworth

Yappy Hour 2 - a great party at Taylor's Pub! Submit your pet to the ZooToo Ghoulish Pet Photo Contest

Crispy just had some yappytizers.

Submit your pet portraits and click to vote on the latest uploads!

Click here to learn more.

Honey Bee Bakery in Oxford, MS has a Grove Tailgating Menu...

If you are not spending all of your pocket change at Honey Bee Bakery, I don't know what you are so busy doing. I was so excited to find out that Honey Bee has a "Grove Menu" for all of your tailgating needs. Go Rebels!

Honey Bee Grove Menu - as of 10-3-2009

Sandwiches (per dozen) $14
- Roasted Pork
- Pimento Cheese
-Tarragon roasted chicken salad

Fresh Platters * seasonal selection
- Fruit*
- Vegetable*
Small (10-12 servings) $25
Large (20-25 servings) $50

Sweets
- Cookies (per dozen) $11
- Brownie Bites (per dozen) $11
- Variety Platter - small (10-12 servings) $25 or large (20-25 servings) $50

Fresh Drink Mixers (made in house - size of full wine bottle) $10
- Mojito
- Mint Julep
- Bloody Mary
As you can see in the background of this pic, Honey Bee uses the Brown Family Dairy's milk, a locally produced organic milk.

French country bread

Honey Bee coffee

Pear and Almond Tart

Chocolate Marshmellow Cake

Praline Pecan Coffee Cake

Local Organic Eggs

Free Samples!!!

Yappy Hour at Taylor's Pub tonight!!

Come enjoy Yappy Hour! Proceeds benefit the Oxford-Lafayette Humane Society!

Tuesday, September 29th at Taylor's Pub from 6 pm to 8 pm.

Feel free to bring your furry friends with you and let them enjoy the company of other animals and yappy appetizers! Please bring only well socialized and friendly pets! The cost is $5 for adults and $3 for children. All proceeds will go into the building fund for our new shelter. We will serve alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages and have plenty of delicious treats for you and your pets!

I am so thrilled that they used my photographs on their website - check it out!

Show your support for Ravine on Monday, October 5th, 9am on the second floor of the Chancery Court

I was so spoiled this past weekend and got to have Sunday brunch at Ravine, one of my favorite restaurants in Oxford. Everyone loves to visit Oxford and eat on "the square", which is the historic center of downtown. But when you live in Oxford, you can get really tired of the square. It's too packed on football weekends, and there are all these cute places and restaurants that are elsewhere - it's so refreshing to "meander away from the square..."

french crepes with orange zest, strawberries, coconut, and whipped cream (and a side of fried potatoes)

benediction- two poached eggs on muffins with country ham, hollandaise

I feel so bad for the owner of Ravine, up against these crazy liquor laws of Lafayette county. I don't understand why, in the face of this sad economy, Oxford doesn't change their old laws at least to aid potential profits from tourism! Haven't these lawmakers heard of having a mimosa with Sunday brunch?

The latest from Joel at Ravine...

I was hoping to update each of you on our pursuit of a Sunday sales exemption from the state of Mississippi. As well, I am attempting to galvanize more public support for our cause.

I have attempted to work the State tax commission behind the scenes, and to no avail. Apparently, the new chair of the commission, Ed Morgan, has made a political decision to not issue any more Sunday exemptions in Lafayette County. My next option is quite the long shot-- getting the Lafayette County Board of Supervisors to send off a petition to the MSTC, asking for my hours to be amended on Sunday.

I have had two supervisors tell me that there is a lot of opposition against my selling alcohol for six hours on Sunday. I keep asking where all of this anti-alcohol sentiment is coming from, since I have had no one email, write, or call in opposition. No picket lines in front of the restaurant, no sit-ins, etc. I am thus asking those of you who believe in what we're trying to accomplish to come out to the next Supervisor's meeting and support our petition.

My goal in asking this is to demonstrate to the board that there is a significant population, a silent majority, of citizens who have no problem with our having limited Sunday alcohol sales. We are a respectable, responsible, contributing member of the community, and are being unfairly targeted because of others' abuses in the past.

The meeting is Monday, October 5th, at 9 a.m., on the second floor of the Chancery building. I know many of you will be hard at work that day, but if you can take half an hour of your time and be present on our behalf, Cori, myself, and the entire ravine staff would be most grateful.

In any event, I sincerely appreciate all of the encouragement and patience you all have shown throughout this process. Hope to see you on the 5th!

Thanks,

Joel
Joel Miller
ravine
53 cr 321
oxford, ms 38655
oxfordravine.com
662.234.4555

Ravine restaurant in Oxford to have live music on Sunday nights!

The latest from Joel, at Ravine:

We had a great success with the tomato dinner this week, and many people got a sneak peak at our new wine list. I had many more people show interest in attending than we had room for, so we are planning a second tasting this month to accommodate demand.

There will be another wine pairing on September 23, at 6 pm, and the cost will still be $25. I am trying to work out a tomato supply from my farmer in Taylor, and I should be able to put on the same tasting. If not, we will most likely prepare a food menu, and then build the wines from our new list around the food.

Also, we will have a guest wine guru for the 23rd-- his name is Joseph Thompson, a recent addition to the team here at ravine. He has a great amount of experience with wine, including a lengthy stint as a wine steward in California. Have no fear, Dr Juergens is still with us, just thought an occasional change would be interesting.

If you have not already signed up, please call me at your earliest convenience to secure a spot!

Finally, we are going to begin a series of live music performances here at ravine on Sundays. This will go along with our Sunday Supper theme of a casual, relaxed atmosphere with a great prix fixe menu. The price will remain the same, there will be no cover charge, and we will have some delicious sangria available to anyone who might like to come and try a glass! This week, it will be the blues and folk duo of Jake Fussell and Jamison Hollister. Come and check it out.

Thanks as always,

Joel
Joel Miller
ravine 53 cr 321 oxford, ms 38655 oxfordravine.com 662.234.4555

Gee, that's sweLL! Laurie Fisher and Lizzie Oglesby sell art at the B.B. King Museum's one year anniversary!

Oxford artists Laurie Fisher and Lizzie Oglesby will sell original paintings, photography, note cards and handmade jewelry at the one year anniversary celebration of the B.B. King Museum in Indianola, Mississippi, Saturday, September 12, 10am - 2pm. Come celebrate with us!
B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center
400 Second Street
Indianola, MS 38751

So much goodness! Don't forget to take advantage of the Midtown Farmer's Market before the season ends!

First, I've been meaning to give a shout out to BP gas stations. On the long drive from Virginia to Mississippi, I picked up a few snacks after getting gas at a BP station in Alabama - and the man working the register put all of my snacks in this cute paper bag! The bag was made of recycled paper and the bottow of the bag asked users to please recycle the bag as well. Way to go, BP, your branding and choice of bag made me love to buy gas from you even more! (Read this to find out why I try to always buy gas from BP.)

The Midtown Farmer's market in Oxford, Mississippi is winding down. The official end date of the market will be the last Wednesday in September, the 30th. The market is located on the north side of the Mid-town Shopping Center parking lot on North Lamar Boulevard (click for map).

One thing worth trying is the Brown Family Dairy's milk. You can buy it at the Midtown Farmer's Market - or the Farmer's Market store is also selling it. You get a discount on your next bottle if you bring your used bottle back.

Sunflowers are $1.00 each at the Midtown Farmer's market.

Ravine unveils their new liquor license and wine list!

The latest from Joel at Ravine:

A long overdue hello to you,

Needless to say, I have missed having the food and wine pairings each month here at ravine. It has been 4 long months without the fun and excitement of creating a tasting menu, and we are ready to resume.

The next wine and food pairing will be on Wednesday, September 9th, starting at 6 pm. The theme will be the luscious fruit of the South, the tomato. A five course meal will be paired with wines from the mind of Dr Juergens, as he and I have been planning this meal all summer. The entree course will involve a choice of beef or fish, an unusual twist to our pairings. The cost of the pairing will be $25 per person, if you are interested, I suggest calling ravine right away. This event will surely sell out quite quickly, as we are only accepting 60 people for the event.

The big news is that this pairing will mark the unveiling of our liquor license and wine list. Acquiring our liquor license/resort status has been a challenge that we are still confronting. One positive effect is that now we can serve better wines without having to constantly raise the price of the tasting. Also, we can afford to be a bit more generous with our pours as well.

A simple reminder to some, a note to those new to the email list: the reservations for the pairing must be taken over the phone, a credit card number is required, and you will be charged for cancellations less than 48 hours prior to the event. In other words, if you cancel after 6 pm the preceding Monday, we do have to charge your card. This ensures that there are no empty seats, and everyone who wishes to attend are able.

Thanks as always,

JoelJoel Miller ravine 53 cr 321 oxford, ms 38655 oxfordravine.com 662.234.4555

Yappy Hour at the Powerhouse to occur monthly!

The first Yappy Hour was a huge success! View more pictures from the event here.

Come enjoy Yappy Hour every last Tuesday of the month starting Tuesday, August 25th from 6pm to 8pm at at the Powerhouse to benefit the Oxford Lafayette Humane Society! Feel free to bring your furry friends with you and let them enjoy the company of other animals and yappy appetizers! The cost is $5 for adults and $3 for children. All proceeds will go to the building of our new shelter. We will serve alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages and have plenty of delicious treats for you and your pets! Please bring your pets if they are socialized and friendly!

Check out the Oxford Lafeyette Humane Society website to see images of what the shelter looks like now and what the new plans are for the new and improved shelter!!!

Lack of solar flares to cause global cooling?

According to some, global cooling may be on the rise. Due to a lack of recent solar flares, we may be looking at a much cooler climate than expected. (I still think we should stop trashing our planet, despite global cooling or warming! Pollution = bad.) I have been googling global cooling all morning and have found no reliable source of data or news that speaks scientifically or without social bias about this matter. I did, however, find this interesting video about the demise of the Vikings due to global cooling so many centuries ago.

The latest news in the case of resort status discrimination facing my favorite Oxford restaurant: Ravine

A letter from Joel Miller:

Hello again,

I try my best to make the mass emails that I send out appealing and pleasant. Alas, I am dealing with the state of Mississippi, and they are attempting to thwart my business plans every step of the way.

I have been informed by the secretary of the MS State Tax Commission that our appeal for Sunday sales will not be considered at all. There was no reason given for this, nor any explanation as to why another business in Lafayette County has full resort status and ravine does not.

For any of you receiving this that may be unaware, resort status can be granted to places in the state, allowing for on-premise alcohol sales. Usually, resort status in Mississippi means that sales may happen 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. We were not granted full resort status (nor do we want it) for reasons unknown. Our sales were restricted to regular city of Oxford hours, meaning no Sunday sales. Our appeal to the MSTC was for a small, 10 hour window of sales on Sunday to match our existing business hours.

I plan on appearing before the MSTC at their regular meeting in Madison to inquire as to why we are being arbitrarily discriminated against. As well, I plan on attempting to speak in front of the Lafayette County Board of Supervisors to appeal for their help.

I am sending out this email for 2 reasons: to update those interested on what has been happening, as well as to ask for any advice or help on this matter.

I know that many of you have written appeal letters to the MSTC (all apparently ignored), and have asked me personally why we have restricted resort status while another restaurant in the county has no such restrictions. Also, I have had some people offer to get more involved if necessary.

Well, it is time to become more involved-- I would really like to know why there is a double standard for resort status here in Lafayette County.

If you happen to have experience or knowledge in these matters, let me know. Otherwise, I will keep everyone updated on how you might express your support for ravine more fully to the state.

Thanks for your enduring support,

Joel+Cori+Henry

Joel Miller
ravine
53 cr 321
oxford, ms
38655
oxfordravine.com
662.234.4555

The Naked Bee - love it!

I discovered The Naked Bee a couple months ago and cannot get over this one particular lotion:

Orange Blosson Honey!

This is a great organic product, reasonably priced considering how long this small tube has lasted - and it is MADE IN THE USA and sold all over the nation. Their business is based in Gray, TN but it seems they are so big that they are managed out of La Mesa, CA. If you are into finding paraben and phtalate-free lotions, this stuff is great and a nice change from all the Burt's Bees products!

Check out the website for all of The Naked Bee's products. They also have a store locator function so that you can find a store near you. I have been buying The Naked Bee products from the little gift shop inside of the Gin Mill Mall (or Gin Mill Galleries -as it is called on their website) in Indianola, Mississippi.