Posts by Joanna England

• 
• • Joanna England
  • Staff Writer
  • Joanna doesn't live in Oak Cliff, but she admires it (enviously, even) from her East Dallas abode. She's obsessed with photography, good food, knitting socks, and tending her zoo, which includes two dogs, two cats, several chickens, and one husband.

• Rob Shearer Uncovers His Meat on Video

  IT WAS BRISKET, PEOPLE! Get your minds out of the gutter.

  I was a little taken aback to hear that Cassie MacGregor and Rob Shearer, two stylish Bishop Avenue residents, were featured on a hunting and outdoors show. The two were smoking meat and enjoying life at Classic Canyon Ranch, a whitetail deer farm in the Texas hill country.

  There are lots of hats in the episode. For a fun clip, fast forward to 19:36. Shearer unveils a delicious-looking plate of brisket (nice bark!) at 20:48.

  By Joanna England Mar. 20, 2012 | 1:48 pm | No Comments | Comments RSS

• Weather Updates Interrupt Local Television Programming a Record Number of Times

  OK, so I don’t know if it was a record, but jeez, you’d think with all of the weather updates it was TEOTWAWKI.

  With that said, did you have any storm-related damage in your neighborhood? Any flooding on your street? Or perhaps any cool pictures of lightening?

  If so, send ‘em on in to joanna (dot) england (at) peoplenewspapers (dot) com.

  By Joanna England Mar. 20, 2012 | 10:41 am | 1 Comment | Comments RSS

• High Winds Have Claimed First Victim

  

  Photo: Genny Rowley

  
  Katrina Whatley reports that her three-story palm tree was decapitated by high winds, a byproduct of the incoming storm cell.

  Fellow Oak Cliff resident Van Johnson said the tree was perhaps the oldest and tallest palm tree in Dallas. A tragedy, for sure.

  Have you seen any storm damage? Better batten down the hatches, as the storm could hit Dallas at 6 p.m. North Texas is under a tornado watch until 10 p.m.

  By Joanna England Mar. 19, 2012 | 3:57 pm | No Comments | Comments RSS

• Hello, My Name is Joanna And I’m a Yarnaholic

  

  I made these baby socks just a few days before my son Cooper was born.

  
  So, I have a yarn problem.

  I am a knitting addict and yarn tourist. I have between five and 10 projects on the needles at all times. I have a ridiculous yarn and fiber stash. Yarn store owners know me on a first-name basis.

  Which leads me to my problem: There is no yarn store in Oak Cliff! Yes, you can learn how to knit at Oil and Cotton, but you can’t get your yarn fix there. You can buy fabric and learn to sew at Make and Made, but I haven’t seen any yarn on the shelves.

  I find it ridiculous that there are so many crafty people in North Oak Cliff, and yet the closes yarn store is in Uptown (the Shabby Sheep). Not that I don’t love the Shabby Sheep, I just wish there was a yarn store close by.

  Anyone else feel the same way? What kind of business do you think needs to open in North Oak Cliff?

  By Joanna England Mar. 19, 2012 | 10:31 am | No Comments | Comments RSS

• What’s Cookin’ in The Cliff?

  
  Weather forecasts are predicting another rainy weekend for Dallas. It’s a bummer if your primary mode of transportation is a bicycle, because there’s a lot to do this weekend and you’re going to get soaked going back and forth.

  It’s also the end of Spring Break for a lot of people. So, there’s that.

  Gary Garrison is speaking tonight at the Bishop Arts Theater Center. He’ll be discussing growing new audiences and developing the theater. Head over at 7 p.m. to hear him do his thing.

  I’m just going to assume that, if you’re going to be at the Greenville Avenue St. Paddy’s Day parade, you’re going to be riding your bike. From my perspective, there’s really no other reason to be at that drunk-fest.

  Locally, there is fun to be had tomorrow at the Winnetka Heights wine tasting. No, there aren’t Irish wines (unless you count whisky as a wine, and then the answer is yes). But there’s plenty fun to be had!

  But if you’re looking to do something a little more low-key, Preservation Dallas has your number. There’ll be a tour of the Calvary Baptist Church, which is currently preparing for a wide-reaching restoration. Head over to 1822 West Tenth Street at 10:30 a.m.

  Got something else going on? Leave a comment!

  By Joanna England Mar. 16, 2012 | 12:36 pm | No Comments | Comments RSS

• Jeff Harris Tells The Country About How Awesome Bolsa is

  Portrait – Jeff Harris from HandPicked Nation on Vimeo.

  I’m as excited about the upcoming Texas growing season as Bolsa chef Jeff Harris is. Mostly it’s to see what’s in my Urban Acres co-op box. But I’m pretty stoked to find out what cool seasonal dishes Harris will come up with.

  By Joanna England Mar. 16, 2012 | 12:15 pm | No Comments | Comments RSS

• One Pit Bull Shot, Killed After Attacking DPD Officer

  Did you hear gunfire near the Bishop Arts District at around 5 p.m. last night?

  Dallas Police Deputy Chief Jesse Reyes said officers were responding to a call regarding two loose pit bulls in the Dallas Land and Loan area, according to this Dallas Morning News report.

  When one of the pit bulls attacked a DPD officer, he shot the dog an unknown number of times, hitting it in the throat. The dog, which crawled under a nearby truck, died later. The other pit bull escaped.

  The two dogs were circling a wheelchair-bound man, who is thought to be the dogs’ owner, near 12th Street and Llewellyn Avenue. The man was also injured, but it is unknown if his non-life threatening wounds were due to a stray bullet or the dogs.

  By Joanna England Mar. 16, 2012 | 10:43 am | No Comments | Comments RSS

• Kings Highway Woman Starts North Oak Cliff Pet Registry

  I’m not naming any names, but there are two pretty notorious yellow lab mixes that are all too good at escaping their owners’ yard. And, I’d estimate, about a third of the posts on many neighborhood association Facebook walls are about found or missing pets.

  Maybe you’re not on Facebook as much as I am, or as Amelia Cardenas, for that matter. For all the people with pets who need a few extra sets of eyes to look after them, Cardenas started the North Oak Cliff Pet Registry.

  It’s easy to join, she says, and once you do, your pets’ description, along with information to help them make a safe return, will be accessible by your helpful neighbors.

  To register your pets or to find out more, email nocpetregistry@gmail.com.

  By Joanna England Mar. 16, 2012 | 10:06 am | 2 Comments | Comments RSS

• Visit With Scott Griggs at Tonight’s Kings Highway Quarterly Meeting

  Kings Highway Conservation District is having their quarterly get together at Nova tonight, and there’ll be pizza and libations.

  If that doesn’t interest you — and really, I’m not sure why it wouldn’t — District 3 City Councilman Scott Griggs will be there, too.

  Get there at 6 p.m. to call dibs on the short-rib pizza.

  Kings Highway’s lovely redesigned website has more information, if you are so inclined.

  By Joanna England Mar. 15, 2012 | 12:15 pm | No Comments | Comments RSS

• It’s Pi Day, And Norma’s is Celebrating in a Very Nerdy Way

  
  We already celebrated Pie Day, but today we recognize Pi Day, as in 3.14, or the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter.

  Right now, Norma’s is running a little contest:

  Today is Pi (3.14) Day. EVALUATE your appreciation for pie and math at Norma’s Cafe with one of our yummy pies. Whether you like coconut, chocolate, lemon or chocolate-peanut butter, ADD on a SEGMENT of PI for the SUM of a great meal. Don’t just LIMIT yourself to one slice; get a WHOLE NUMBER to go! Share this status with your friends for a chance to enter to win one free Mile High Cream Pie! That’s our kind of math!

  By Joanna England Mar. 14, 2012 | 11:42 am | No Comments | Comments RSS