Your backyard might be home to a fig, pomegranate or quince tree and chances are you have no idea what to do with it. You know the fruit on the tree is edible, but when it comes to growing, pruning and grafting these trees, well, you might need some help.

Get a professional look at the world of heirloom fruit trees when Jesús García chats about his work with the Kino Heritage Fruit Trees Project all while showing workshoppers tips on the propagation and maintenance of these unique trees. 

On Thursday, Feb, 26 from 9 a.m. - 3 p.m., García will kick off the class at the Sonoran Desert Museum, located at 2021 North Kinney Road, where he will discuss the historical significance of these trees. After some hands-on care instruction, he will end the class at the base of A Mountain with a guided tour of the Mission Garden, which was central to the Kino Heritage Fruit Trees Project.

Registration for the Heirloom Fruit Trees workshop is $54 for members and $59 for non-members and is available online, along with more information, on the Sonoran Desert Museum website.

A big plastic banner outside of an empty storefront read "Indian Frybread Coming Soon" on the corner of St. Mary's Road and Grande Avenue. Well, that soon is now because Manna from Heaven is finally open and slinging up frybread, burritos, dorado tacos and more.

The small stand is clean, modest and very welcoming, with about ten seats inside and several more seats on the detached back patio. The menu lists frybread options including plain ($3), honey and powdered sugar topped ($4), green chile ($8.50), red chile ($8.50), beans ($4) and Navajo taco-style ($6) with beans, lettuce, tomato and cheese. There's also fried tacos filled with beef and green or red chile burritos, along with red and white menudo in a range of sizes, including the exciting and a little intimidating gallon size for $15.99. That's a lot of menudo.

Since the menudo was only available Friday and Saturday, I ordered a green chile frybread with beans, cheese and lettuce. As you wait in line at the small restaurant, you can peer into the kitchen via the pass through window next to the register and see the frybread being made. Although, once ordered, my frybread totaled to about $10 with the add-ons, it was clear when it came to my table that I was getting my money's worth. The frybread itself is about eight inches in circumference and piled with your chosen toppings. 

While the green chile was flavorful and salty, the frybread itself really stole the show. Whether you're religious, the name Manna from Heaven seems fitting to describe these little fried miracles because they're so puffy and airy, you can't help but compare them to clouds—except, you know, they're delicious. 

As far as drinks are concerned, bottles of soda are available, but that's about it. However, the only thing you really need on the side of your frybread is the house salsa, which comes deceptively hidden in ketchup bottles. Don't be fooled: it isn't ketchup at all, but rather bright, fresh and spicy salsa that adds life to the heaviness of the frybread's toppings. Okay, maybe you should bring some water if you're not a soda drinker, but you get my point. 

Manna from Heaven is now open Mondays through Thursdays from 11 a.m. until 8 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. until 10 p.m. at 1118 West St. Marys Road.

Superintendent of Public Instruction Diane Douglas was in Tucson yesterday to meet, for the second time since stepping into office, with Tucson Unified School District Superintendent H.T. Sanchez and do some classroom visiting at Rincon High School.

I imagine the visit was related to the notice of noncompliance sent to the district in January by former schools chief and anonymous angry blogger John Huppenthal, since Douglas sat in a history class taught from the Mexican-American perspective.

TUSD is supposed to clear by March 4 all issues the state has with how certain teachers are implementing history and English from a Mexican-American and African-American perspective.

As we know by now, if the district doesn't comply, they could lose 10 percent of monthly state aide. 

The pair originally met last month in Phoenix to discuss a plan and the reasons TUSD was found in violation of the state's anti-Mexican-American studies law. During that meeting,  Douglas invited Sanchez to be a part of the Latino Education Advisory Committee, which will ensure state courses and programs have a Latino presence. 

“I continue to be encouraged that Superintendent Sanchez is working with the state to bring coursework into compliance with the law,” Douglas said in a statement. “It was very valuable for both of us to make an unannounced visit together to monitor the progress of these changes in one of the classrooms. I hope we can continue our cooperation, bring the coursework into legal compliance, and build a strong and lasting relationship with TUSD.”

Sanchez had similar words.

“Our conversation was very positive and constructive,” he said. “I feel our teachers are on the right path. The students at Rincon were engaged in learning and the teacher whose class we visited had prepared and delivered a thoughtful lesson.”

Douglas also went to Florence, and today she will visit Fort Huachuca and Hereford. 

Two people told me they took a robocall poll a few days ago. Apparently there were four questions. Two were a variation on the question, "Do you think the Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction position should be elected or appointed?" The other two asked what the respondent thinks of Diane Douglas and Doug Ducey.

Well, that was fast. The poll is clearly a response to the fight over last week's firing and reinstatement of two Board of Education employees, which means it must have been created over the weekend. My understanding is, robopolls are cheap, quick and easy to put together, meaning they don't take much in the way of time, effort or deep pockets, so lots of people could be behind it. Logic tells me it's people in the Ducey camp. They would be most interested in testing the waters to see if they could make the Ed Supe a gubernatorial appointee, as the position is in many states, so they would never again have to face choices like, say, the anti-Common Core and loose cannon Douglas or the progressive, Democratic David Garcia.

So, is Ducey money behind the poll? Is it the Arizona Chamber of Commerce? The Lisa Graham Keegan/Craig Barrett coalition? The "shadow faction of charter school operators" Douglas wrote about, headed by Board of Ed president and founder of Challenge Charter School Greg Miller working in tandem with the Arizona Charter Schools Association? All of the above?

It would be very interesting to learn the answer.

Welcome back comic book folks! This week in Talking Comics, Cynthia and Malcolm review NAMELESS! Story by Grant Morrison, with art by Chris Burnham and Nathan Fairbairn.

You're going to want to pay attention to this one! It's all about dreams and has a few parallels to the 2010 movie "Inception." Also, there are fishpeople.

Saving the world through dreams. It's Inception meets Armageddon in a comic book.
Malcolm also gives us a glimpse into the dark-world of his nightmares, it's TERRIFYING!

Thanks to James Alvarez for help with video shooting and editing. Talking Comics is brought to you by Heroes & Villains comic book store.

Barbecue, live blues music and a whole bunch of classic cars will be yours to experience on Saturday, Feb, 21 when the Cruise, BBQ & Blues Car Show takes over the Oro Valley Marketplace. 

Attendees can gaze longingly at hundreds of vintage rides as judges give out over 40 different trophies, including Best of Show, Best Interior, Best Paint, Best Engine and People’s Choice. Once you've had your fill of automobile envy, you can fill up on mesquite-smoked barbecue like brisket and tri-tip courtesy of Western Smoke BBQ. The George Howard Band and Bluz Nite will also be performing at 1 p.m. and 11 a.m., respectively. 

For the kids, who can enter for free if they're 10 years of age or younger, jumping castles and activities will be there to keep them occupied while adults enjoy all of the cars and blues and food they can handle. Tickets for adults are $5 and proceeds go towards school arts programs and keeping community art events alive in the region.

You can check out the Cruise, BBQ & Blues Car Show on Saturday from 10 a.m.to 3 p.m.

For all of you Lolipop Records devotees, it's time to set aside your stacks of cassette tapes and head to the Flycatcher on Friday, Feb. 20. Cobalt Cranes are stopping into town and their recent album "Days in the Sun" is dark and moody neo-psych at its finest with a dash of grunge for good measure.

Fronted by aquamarine hair sporting Tim Foley, the band originally started in LA as a duo with Foley and bassist Kate Beutel. Now on tour with a full band, Cobalt Cranes will be joined by local artists Wight Lhite and La Cerca when they play Flycatcher on Friday starting at 9 p.m. Tickets for the show are $5.

Check out Cobalt Cranes' "Flowers on Your Grave," which kind of sounds like a mix of the Black Angels with some Blur a la "There's No Other Way."

Pass the popcorn, folks—or maybe the nachos and beer, depending on your choice of couch-side refreshments as you watch your favorite sport. For political junkies like me who prefer political sparring to sports, this looks like the first few minutes of a classic matchup.

Ed Supe Diane Douglas fired two Board of Education employees. Then Ducey reinstated them and the Board of Ed agreed, with Douglas casting the only dissenting vote. Douglas made a semi-conciliatory statement in a press conference, and some people reported that as a sign she was backing down. How they got that impression after reading her bare-knuckles press release accusing Ducey of refusing to take her calls, saying he'd created a "shadow faction of charter school operators" and claiming he was hoping for low state test scores to drive students to charters, I'll never know. Them's fighting words, not the statement of someone who's making nice.

The reinstated employees returned to work Tuesday. Douglas could have blocked the door like George Wallace when he tried to stop school integration, or she could have barred them from their computers, but she didn't. Instead, she let the board employees in, then insisted that they couldn't discuss education matters with the rest of the staff and, more important, had to report directly to her, not to the board. That's not backing down. Backing down would have been if she tried to block their way and failed. That's changing tactics in an attempt to better her position.

It turned out to be a clever tactical move, because it forced the Board of Education to react.

In a response delivered Tuesday evening, attorney Mary O’Grady, who represents the board, told Douglas attorney Steve Tully that the board has concerns with Douglas’ requests of the two employees. She emphasized that Thompson and Vazquez work for the board and that Douglas cannot direct their work in a way that undermines the board’s duties and authority.

“Just as you noted that you will oppose efforts to undermine the Superintendent’s statutory authority, the Board will also oppose efforts to undermine its authority or any failure to adhere to the Superintendent’s responsibilities to implement the policies established by the board,” O’Grady wrote.

O’Grady emphatically rejected Douglas’ insistence that Thompson and Vazquez must report directly to her.

“The Feb. 16 letter asserts that Ms. Thompson and Ms. Vazquez ‘report to Superintendent Douglas.’ No, they don’t,” O’Grady said, referencing Tully’s letter to her on Monday.

Cooking for yourself at home can save you cash and it can also be a good outlet for your culinary creative energy. However, by the end of the meal, there's a good chance you've built up a small pile of odds and ends off of veggies, fruits and more. Unless you're an avid gardener and already have your own compost situation figured out, this food waste probably just gets thrown in the trash. Shannon Sartin calls this "compost guilt"—but you don't have to feel it anymore.

Sartin looked at her recycle bin and she looked at her garbage can. She knew composting the food was the way to go, but didn't want to have her own compost pile in her backyard. So, she enlisted her sister Moira's help to start a food waste pick up service called Scraps on Scraps.

Just one year in, Sartin's service boasts over 100 users all over Tucson with an estimated 35,000 pounds of food waste given to the Community Food Bank's farm Las Milpitas to turn into very usable compost, which in turn helps grow nutritious food for people who have limited access to it normally. Sartin says, in this way, she's lending a hand in the "redistribution of food wealth" from the astronomical amount of food wasted in this country alone every year to the people that truly need it. 

"It's about closing gap of what we're wasting and what we can give back out," Sartin says. "We need to change and shift the way that we look at food insecurity."

For users of Sartin's unique service, the process is fairly simple. Drop-off customers can go to either St. Philip's Plaza Farmers Market on Sunday or the farmers market at Mercado San Agustin on Thursday to exchange full buckets for empty ones at the Scraps on Scraps table for $7 per month. For $13 per month, users can opt for bi-weekly home pick ups. The goal was to make the service easy and flexible for everyone.

"It's an extra step but its not like something you have to mentally be like 'oh man, I have to do this,'" she says. "I maybe put out my garbage once per month now."


Sartin, who lives with her daughter, says leaving this example for her child is important. 

"Conscious consumerism is the driving base of the movement we're in right now. It's about who you're supporting and why," she says. "I want my daughter to know and be conscious of where what she's getting comes from."

It hasn't all been easy though. For starters, Sartin and her sister have never run a business before.

"I thought, 'I'm not writing a business plan cause I think business plans are bullshit.' Let's just buy some buckets," she says. "When it comes down to solving a problem, it's on me. It's been so unbelievably rewarding—and challenging."

Now she works full time and her sister goes to school full time, meaning work on Scraps on Scraps happens after hours, despite the fact that neither of them get paid for the work they do. Aside from time, the sheer issue of the bucket they would used was a challenge in itself, though they eventually found one that sealed so users of their service could keep the bucket in their kitchens without a rotting food smell. With many of the initial kinks worked out, Sartin is looking to expand to commercial customers and go into lower income neighborhoods, ideally packaging the business concept into something that could be done in any city anywhere.

In the end, Sartin's main goal is simple: "Waste less, use more, and compost what you don't."

Yesterday afternoon a federal court approved a settlement in a suit against state-run prisons' health care and excessive and improper use of solitary confinement (which oftentimes resulted in deaths that could have been prevented) on behalf of more than 33,000 inmates. The hearing was scheduled for 1:30 p.m. and the decision was out by 6 p.m.

“Today’s settlement will save lives, bringing drastic improvements to a prison system where the sick grew sicker and even died due to insufficient medical attention. At last, the Arizona Department of Corrections will provide its prisoners with adequate medical, mental health, and dental care. This is what the Constitution and our consciences demand," said David Fathi, the director of the ACLU’s National Prison Project.

The terms of the settlement were drafted last October by the ACLU, ACLU of Arizona and the Prison Law Office and the corrections department.

Now that it's been OKed, the state corrections department is required to meet more than 100 health care performance measures, including monitoring prisoners with diabetes, hypertension and other chronic conditions, caring for pregnant prisoners, as well as providing dental care, according to the ACLU of Arizona.

Prisoners with serious mental illness have to get a minimum of 19 hours per week outside their cell, rather than the previous six hours a week, and mental health treatment and other programs are a requirement. 

There will be ongoing monitoring and oversight by the prisoners' lawyer to make sure the state is following through with the settlement.

The lawsuit was filed back in 2012, but it wasn't until last summer that the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals unanimously ruled that the inmates could proceed with it. 

Read the settlement here.