Columns

The City of Scotts Valley has long been recognized as one of the safest cities in the state. That reputation did not happen by accident. From our earliest days, Chief Gerald Pittenger and later Chief Steve Walpole Sr. embraced what we now call community...

Let’s get out of our comfort zone when training. Many of us associate training as a chore or we need motivation to workout. Many of us stay in our comfort zone because it’s where we feel safe. Living in our comfort zone helps us...

This month marks the end of an era in Scotts Valley. For as long as I can remember, the name Walpole has been synonymous with the Scotts Valley Police Department. Steve Walpole Sr. once led our department as chief, and in 2017 his son,...

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...

Coming from a meeting with a client in Scotts Valley today, I saw a really well designed dry creek bed. I didn’t get a picture today, but I’ll go back, it was that good. How will this year’s La Niña affect our rainfall? According...

I simply cannot pass a display of blackberries at any fruit stand without buying at least one “clamshell” of those luscious berries, which are my favorite fruit. Last week Safeway had a special “two for one” and I came home with four; two for a...

The word “comfort” became synonymous along with food in the last 10 years or so; “Comfort Food” it’s called. Martha Stewart wrote a cookbook entitled “Favorite Comfort Foods,” foods that make you feel good for breakfast, dinner and midnight snacks.   Of course, these foods are...

As the year winds down, life naturally slows just enough for us to catch our breath. It’s a moment to look at the routine, the relationships and the everyday choices that shaped our year. At TherapyWorks, we see reflection not as a heavy process...

I’ve yet to come across a client who doesn’t want ornamental grasses in their garden. Well, everybody except my friend, Sue, who is allergic and was not a happy camper earlier in the summer. It’s hard to top the dramatic sight of an ornamental grass...

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...