Columns

Back-to-school season brings a mix of emotions for students, parents and teachers alike. For some kids, the first day of school is filled with excitement and anticipation. For others, it’s marked by anxiety, uncertainty or even dread. And for many, it’s a complicated mix...

So you’ve planted only “deer resistant” plants but last night your coneflowers were eaten. You’ve been waiting all season to cut some for a bouquet. What else can you do to save your flowers from thirsty deer? Here are some techniques that may help....

As the last echoes of summer fade, school bells are ringing once again and students are streaming back into classrooms. Walking through town these past few weeks, it’s been fun to see the backpacks, the first-day smiles and that renewed sense of energy that...

“The U.S. innovates, China replicates, and Europe regulates.” —The Christian Science Monitor Developed Markets, Frontier Markets and Emerging Markets Trump tariffs (roughly 25%) punish American consumers, suppliers and foreigners (who will seek new customers), so investors turn to Developed Markets, but since the 1990s European productivity...

With those big brown doe eyes and the cute fawns, who doesn’t enjoy seeing deer, as long as they’re not in your yard. Around my place they only visit very occasionally, which is the worst as I forget they might come at any time...

“or a nation to try to tax itself into prosperity is like a man standing in a bucket and trying to lift himself up by the handle.” —Winston S. Churchill Trump imposed tariffs that Yale’s Budget Lab averages at 18.3%—way higher than 2% under Biden....

My Butterfly Bush (buddleja dividii) has started to bloom and it’s a Western Swallowtail butterfly magnet. Butterfly species each have their own life cycle and habits and it’s fascinating to watch them as they go about their lives. I live on Boulder Creek where the...

It’s been a cooler summer than the past few years. I’ve probably jinxed it now by mentioning that, thereby ensuring August will be a scorcher. But for now plants are happy they haven’t had to cope much with the “dreaded over-86-degree” weather when they...

After the stroke, and now in long-term care, the State has become the legal conservator of her estate. Her checking accounts were depleted, and a court-appointed executor was assigned to ensure that the care facility is paid first. She had discussed putting her home in...

The student loan crisis makes credit repair seem all the more urgent, with interest restarting in 2023, payments marked late in 2024 and collections beginning May 5, 2025. Smartasset.com says the average 2025 California student loan balance is $38,354. With 42.5 million borrowers, roughly...