Columns

This week I decided to cook one of my oldest and most labor-intensive desserts that took many trials and errors in the process of getting just right: Flambéed Crepe Suzettes. Now, this creation requires making the crepes and having on hand oranges, lemons, Grand...

Hopefully these cold mornings will be a thing of the past by the time you read this. My plants were much happier right after the rains when nights were mild. I’m waiting patiently for the buds on my pink flowering currant to start showing...

The Next-Door Neighborhood website, daily, has someone asking for cardboard moving boxes or having used moving boxes to give away. I smile reading those ads, remembering my own little cardboard box that I had for 40 years. Life, to me as a very young child,...

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...

The call came last week reminding me of a much awaited annual holiday event. The Kelly’s wreath making party in Felton is something I look forward to each year to kick off the season.  The holiday season just wouldn’t be complete without a day spent...

This spring, Scotts Valley City Council held public workshops to discuss the City’s long-standing strategic goals. City Manager Mali LaGoe led the Council through a series of questions and discussion topics to update and prioritize staff’s focus to achieve the listed goals. Metrics were...

Chairman Mao once paraded landlords before crowds to their deaths and many today would confiscate landlord’s control over property without recompense. When tax clients ask why the rich pay few taxes, I puzzle depreciation expenses, passive income and Trump’s Section 199 qualified business income...

72/Rate of Return ≈ Years to Double Value Old as the Renaissance, this simplified rule should be shouted from rooftops, emblazoned on blimps and taught in every schoolroom. The consequences are profound: Save now for babes in arms. Indifferent to your future, let salespeople whimper....

Vines are beautiful to look at when in bloom or fall color. Fragrant vines can scent the air when you’re sitting outside on the patio. Vines can make a quick screen from the next-door neighbor. They can help create distinct garden rooms. And best...

Why is everyone talking about housing? Housing is too expensive and there are not enough homes. Many Scotts Valley workers cannot afford to live here, which increases traffic and makes it harder for businesses to hire and keep good staff.  Some residents would like Scotts...