Columns

With cooler weather and some rain, fall weather is here in the Santa Cruz Mountains. If you’re thinking about what plants you might want to add to your garden this planting season, California native plants are well suited to planting at this time of...

Enjoying a spectacular sunset on a warm evening in the summertime is one of life’s simple pleasures. Peach and orange tones bounce off the bottom of gauzy cirrus clouds as they streak across the sky. Combine these warm colors with varying shades of blue...

Wow… summer sure went by quickly. I hope you and your families have all had a chance to enjoy our great weather, take a vacation, celebrate July 4 and our city’s 60th birthday. Your Scotts Valley schools kicked off last week, and as you...

“A recipe has no soul. You, as the cook, must bring soul to the recipe.” —Thomas Keller “Are you free on Sunday?” this good-looking man I had just met asked, and then he said, “I’d like to invite you to my new home for a...

I’ve been worried about the bees lately. Can’t be easy being a bee given the severe weather we’ve had this winter. They’ve also had to deal with habitat loss, pesticides, climate change, pests like mites and pathogens such as viruses, bacteria and fungi. What...

Hayek’s “Use of Knowledge in Society” illustrates the profound challenges that well-meaning but arrogant market planners have faced from widely dispersed market knowledge inadequately understood by domineering politicians, technical engineers, greedy corporations and suffering consumers. Artificial Intelligence and battery-powered cars demand more energy. France and...

As a small city operating with only 6.5% of its residents’ property tax revenue, Scotts Valley faces significant financial challenges in providing essential services. However, thanks to the support of our community, we are moving forward with renewed optimism. The passage of Measure X in...

Summer is winding down. It’s still warm during the day but the nights are cool and there’s less and less daylight hours. The soil is still warm so it’s the perfect time to start thinking about planting. Like the saying goes, “gardening is a...

As the pandemic wanes, we are moving, going outdoors, connecting and mingling with others because hope is in the air. We are getting full of it. So, I decided to go out on the town, downtown Felton. A Wee-bit of History In the '90s, I moved...

I’m vacationing this week in Oregon, visiting my webmaster Evan in Eugene and also my friend Janie who lives in the historic mining town of Jacksonville near Ashland. We have taken several trips together, including the Mayan ruins in Mexico and birding in Southeast...