Columns

I’m so proud of myself. I write about all the important things to do in the early spring garden but often I don’t get to them myself. Seems there’s that book I’m reading or birding, hiking or wildflower walks that take priority. But this...

Some Santa Cruz Mountain residents have taxes so simple they fit on form 1040 alone—wages and pensions—and they don’t need an alphabet to complicate their taxes. The IRS divides income into three “baskets”—ordinary, capital gains and passive—and discourages offsetting losses from one basket from...

How’s your stretching game? Think of how your body feels waking up each morning. Now, try bending down. Are you able to pick things up with ease? If you move around each day with a stiff body, that can all change with a few...

Everywhere I look, it’s green—forest green, apple green, olive green, fern green, sage green, chartreuse green. Even all those showy flowering trees blooming now will soon be sporting bright green leaves.  Since moving to the Santa Cruz Mountains in the late ’80s I have always...

When you have kids who live in L.A., you find a way to visit that city on a regular basis. And when you add a sweet granddaughter to the mix, the visitation intervals really intensify. I am not, however, a fan of the drive.  I...

“Laughter is brightest where food is best.” —Irish Proverb I love cooking for people, especially when the guests are people I have never met, or perhaps for people who have paid a large sum of money to be guests at my table, with the proceeds...

While it might sound selfish or impossible to make time for self-care during stressful times of your life, self-care is crucial to keep you healthy, happy and balanced. During stressful periods in our lives we tend to focus outward, disregarding ourselves and our needs....

California’s Arbor Day is celebrated on March 9 this year. It’s actually a whole week in honor of famed horticulturist Luther Burbank’s birthday. The day is celebrated on different dates around the world because one of the features of Arbor Day is the planting...

As a beacon of innovation and enlightenment, TEDx Santa Cruz shines brightly on our community’s horizon, inviting us to explore the depths of human creativity and ingenuity countywide. This year’s theme, “Rising Together,” features 22 talented and insightful individuals sharing their perspectives. TEDx Santa Cruz Firstly,...

To design the coolest toys in the smallest boxes, local tech firms offer engineers and managers not just quarter-million-dollar salaries, insurance and 401(k)s—but discounts or call options on stocks. This strategy eases corporate cash flow to gain and retain the brightest engineers and managers...