Columns

As I reflect on 2022, it’s difficult to imagine another year that brought as much change to Santa Cruz County in terms of policymaking and planning. As we continued recovering from the CZU Fire and Covid-19 pandemic, the Board of Supervisors completed a number...

It’s that time of year when the dahlia exhibitions are held. I missed a couple already but the Santa Cruz County Fair is still going on this weekend and there’s always a huge display there. Last year a dark magenta cactus dahlia was my...

I believe it was Thomas Jefferson who postulated that the government closest to the people governs best. That maxim is being sorely tested each and every year as the edicts and mandates flow wildly from our state government in Sacramento to over-burdened cities and...

Twas the night before Christmas and all through the garden,The creatures were stirring, the deer got a pardon. The hummingbird feeders were hung by the chimney with care,In hopes that the Anna's soon would be there.  The flowering cherries were nestled all snug in their beds,While...

The official beginning of summer welcomes warmer weather, longer days and many opportunities to be active. Being outdoors makes us feel good and, as we have learned during these past few Covid-filled years, it benefits both our mental and physical health. For years, I have...

When Juliet tells Romeo that “a rose by any other name would smell as sweet,” she must have been referring to the Compassion rose. Actually, this line is not in the original version of Shakespeare’s play but was an edit in 1599, according to...

File this under the heading “Be careful what you wish for.” The Dog Days of Summer aren’t even here yet, but the thermometer is inching toward 100 degrees. How’s your garden looking? All plants need water—even those that are tolerant of our summer dry conditions....

“Almost Heaven, West Virginia, Blue Ridge Mountains, Shenandoah River,” … sang vocalist John Denver As a little girl from the “southside” of Aberdeen, Wash., almost everything I played with was handmade and we ate “at home,” and almost every meal included my aunt Betty’s buttermilk...

Alaska, where the Crows created the world And the Ravens brought the sunlight - Native quote I have been in Alaska and my hometown of Aberdeen, Washington for the past two weeks and my traveling shoes are beginning to show serious wear, not to mention wear on...

So many power outages these days. I’ve needed to set up a portable propane heater as well as start a fire in the fireplace to keep warm. I know even with ventilation there are lots of potential pollutants that have found their way into...