I get bombarded every day with press releases from every corner of the earth. Today I received an op-ed piece from a guy in Dallas extolling the virtues of oil speculators and denigrating President Obama’s attempts to “reign them in.” I wrote back: “Sorry, not for us. And you don’t ‘reign in’ oil speculators, you ‘rein’ them in ... unless you want to crown them king, which it sounds like you want to do. So maybe that was a Freudian slip.”

A Bombshell Opens in theRailroad District

In the heart of the Railroad District at 340 A Street, #5, just a few blocks from Main Street, you will find Bombshell, Ashland’s newest boutique and consignment shop. The store owner, Sarah Sherman,has created a space full of affordable shopping with the feel and selection of an upscale boutique.
Customers can peruse designer labels and vintage finds, all at bargain prices; or snag that perfect pair of heels among the latest trends in the new shoe section.
Sarah has been a clothing connoisseur her entire life and moved to the Rogue Valley eight years ago from Orange County, California, where she studied business at Vanguard University.
“I moved here with plans to open a coffee shop, but decided against that and settled into real estate,” Sarah said. “This is my first time in retail sales, but I’ve been a shopper my whole life and have a lot of knowledge of what and what not to do. I have wanted to open some sort of business for a long time and considered several options, but this one I decided I was most passionate about.”
She will also continue to sell real estate with Gateway in Ashland. “I believe that in a down economy there is great opportunity for entrepreneurs,” she said. “I have always been a dreamer and a risk taker, and decided I would regret it if I didn’t
try.”Her product line features new shoes and designer consignment including a men’s and a vintage section, plus the consignment of furs and wedding gowns.
“We have lots of designer jeans, summer dresses and leather,” Sarah explained. “Having an upscale and fun boutique feel was important to me.”
The store’s design includes oversized lux- ury dressing rooms and a large lounge area for a friend to wait comfortably. “My consignment policies will differ from most
others in that I will let consigners set the price if they wish,” Sarah said. “Items will never be donated after any period of time. My main goal is to provide designer clothing and vintage you can’t buy in the Rogue Valley, but at much lower costs than in a metropolitan area.”
Bombshell is also becoming a very happening area for First Friday Art Walk, with live music, store giveaways and drinks from 5-7pm.
For more information, visit bombshellashland. com. You can also follow Bombshell on Facebook for special promotions, new arrivals and events at facebook.com/bombshellashland. The phone number is 541-261-1236.

 In-Home Vet Care with Kathleen Blackshear

When Spot doesn’t want to go to the vet, the only alternative is for the vet to come to him. And for Kathleen Blackshear, D.V.M., of Blackshear Veterinary Housecalls, that’s exactly what she does.
“I practice holistic, integrative veterinary medicine in the home,” she said. “An initial house call visit will usually take an hour to get a good, complete history and do a comprehensive examination and consultation with the owner.”
Kathleen moved to the Rogue Valley with her dog (Cooper) and cat two years from Albuquerque, New Mexico. It was while she was in vet school at Washington State that she got exposed to Oregon.
“Of course, I fell in love with the state,” she said. “I grew up in New Mexico and moved back there after vet school. I owned a vet house calls practice there until 2010, when I took time off to explore and vacation over the west. I came to southern Oregon to visit a couple of close friends from vet school, and bingo, I fell immediately in love with the Rogue Valley and moved to Ashland.”
Kathleen has worked exclusively with “companion animals” (dog and cat) all her career, and loves the advantages of a house call practice. “It’s better for the patient,” she said. “The animals are minimally stressed, as they think I’m just a new friend of Mom or Dad. I believe it enables me to get a better examination. I also recently completed the IVAS’s (International Veterinary Acupuncture Society) 150+-hour basic course, so I am now offering acupuncture treatments too. This works particularly well in a home situation.” A lot of factors go into assessing the health of any animal. “I like to look at the patient as a whole,” Kathleen said. “In other words, if your dog has an ear infection ... well, what diet does he eat? I have always asked about diet because a mediocre diet often leads to chronic problems. I also look at environmental factors and personality types.”
In addition, Kathleen offers hospice care and at-home euthanasia. She uses a variety of tools to improve the health of the animal, from nutrition and Western medicine to Chinese herbal meds or acupuncture.
“I also do routine vaccinations and nail trims,” she said. “When it comes to big cases, I refer right away to specialists for radiology, emergencies, and dental surgeries.”
For more information, Kathleen and her office assistant Cooper can be reached at 541-301-4459.

Optimizing Your Brain Harmony

At Ashland Brain Harmony, owners Deborah Josephson and Dan Altman want to help you create balance and harmony in your brain.
Using EEG sensors connected to a person’s head in a variety of locations, the sensors detect the energy patterns of the brain lobes and transmit the frequencies to a computer software. The brain then “hears” itself through stereo earphones and starts balancing and harmonizing.
The technique, Brainwave Optimization, is part of Brain State Technologies, founded by Lee Gerdes in 2001 after healing himself from severe post-traumatic stress disorder.
“Ashland Brain Harmony is one of over 200 affiliates worldwide that use this technology,” Deborah said. “It has served over 40,000 clients. For thousands of years, people have sought to train their own brain by enabling it to become its own mirror through meditation. Brainwave Optimization takes a step beyond to achieve deep relaxation and highly controlled self- regulation.”
Deborah and Dan each relocated to Ashland via different routes. Deborah moved here in 2009 after a long career in Social Services in Minnesota.
Dan originally settled here in 1990 and returned in 2005 after living in Maui for four years. Despite a wonderful marriage, family and success in co-founding two software start-ups, he “did not experience the peace of mind and sense of well-being” he was seeking.
“After embarking on a full-time spiritual and personal growth journey, I was led to Brainwave Optimization work,” Dan said. “This brain training proved to be so potent and life- changing for me and others that I wanted to learn as much as I could and bring this work to others.”
Deborah went to Sedona, Arizona, in October 2010 to have her brain balanced and harmonized. “I’ve always been a happy person but have really moved into joy,” she said. “Just because your brain is balanced doesn’t mean life’s challenges disappear. It only means you’re better equipped to deal with life. I thought I slept well before, but now I know what great sleep is.”
Some of the benefits of Brainwave Optimization include stress-free weight management, reduction of anxiety and fear, enhanced memory and focus, increased creativity, and an expanded sense of well-being and peace.
There are ten sessions of about two hours each, over a week or two. “It is more effective to have this intense schedule,” Deborah said. “We have clients fill out surveys at three weeks, then at three months, and more than 80% have positive changes.”
For more information, the phone number is 541-482-1542. The office is located at 180 Lithia Way, Suite 206.

Trunk Sale at Fredi Lawrence’s

Frederica Lawrence Fine Clothing (37 E. Main in Ashland) will be hosting its annual “Sympli Trunk Show” June 28-July 1. They will be showing the fall line of this Canadian company, and you can order your favorite style in your size. The fabric is dasy to travel with--just wash and dry, no ironing.
For more info, call 541-482-3954.

Celtic Festival at Wellsprings

Raven Branch Productions will present a Celtic Festival of the Sun June 29th to July 1st at the Wellsprings of Ashland, 2253 Highway 99.
Join them for three days of Celtic music, myth and magic with music and dance performances and workshops. For more info, call 1-855-489-4277 or go to celticfestivalofthe sun.com.
Summer Karate Program Ashland Karate Academy will be hosting a summer program for kids June 19 through August 30. The courses will teach self-defense, self- confidence, discipline and social skills. The summer program is only $230 and includes uniforms and patch with membership. Classes are each Tuesday and Thursday from 3:30 to 4:30, which translates to less than $9 per class.

Yoga Festival Coming to Ashland

Rasa Center for Yoga & Wellness will host its first annual yoga, music and art festival held in Ashland June 29-July 1st.
The yoga center will feature international yoga educator Max Strom, singer/songwriter Donna De Lory, who toured extensively with Madonna, and classical yoga historian and teacher Eric Shaw. It will also host many favorite Southern Oregon teachers, musicians and artists.
Illahe Galley in Ashland will feature an Art Exhibit for Rasa Revolution’s artists on Friday evening, June 29, from 5:30-7:30pm.
Donna De Lory will perform in concert on Saturday evening, June 30. Yoga & music will be held all throughout the weekend starting Friday noon.
The yoga & music line-up will be listed on Rasa Yoga Center’s website, and tickets may be purchased online (www.rasayogacenter.com) or at participating studios such as Ashland Yoga Center and Om Sweet Om in Talent, as well as both of Rasa Yoga studios in Medford and Ashland.
Call 541-245-2667 for more information.