Columns

Many years ago, I took a group of high school students who belonged to the Interact Club, a Rotary sponsored volunteer group of 14-18-year-olds, to a local community care center to distribute the Christmas gifts each student had purchased with their own money and...

Recently I designed a garden for someone who asked for lots of blue in her landscape. “Good choice,” I said. I did have to chuckle when she also requested lavender plants that were blue and not lavender. I admit I was stumped there, but...

Scotts Valley became a city 57 years ago on Aug. 2, 1966. Scotts Valley is still a young city and still evolving. The city’s population has grown from approximately 3,600 in 1970 to about 12,000 residents living in some 4,600 homes today. Forming a new...

Summer fruit season is upon us as those beautiful peaches, pears, plums and now apples are showing up at the local farmers markets. Sadly, I have had to turn down offers from neighbors to share in their bounty, as there is only myself now...

August already. Plants are growing like there’s no tomorrow. The hummingbirds are my constant companions in the garden and the resident deer population is afoot. I see their tell tale droppings. The young yearlings sample what the older deer are nibbling. There are native...

If you, like me, were born between 1930 and 1946 (worldwide), you are one of the rare surviving senior citizens of this special group. Your age range is between 77 and 93 years old and you are the last who can remember the impact...

How many of us have the mindset of keeping our fitness routine while traveling? We pack our fitness clothes with every intention of starting each morning with a run or a bodyweight session, but that doesn’t always pan out in that exact direction. Instead, we...

My 4-year-old neighbor, Grace, helps me in my garden. She tells me her favorite activity is transplanting. A pro now at loosening roots, she adds just the right amount of soil and waters the new plant in to settle the soil. Watering from the...

Uniting a community in colorful celebration is no small task. It takes a community of hard workers, creative spirits and fun-seeking individuals to weave the tapestry of the upcoming Art, Wine & Beer Festival in Scotts Valley. For years, this event has brought families, dog...

In Washington State, fresh Elberta peaches would begin appearing in local markets in September, but in July, in California, we have just begun to see fresh peaches for home use coming in from Fresno, Tulare and Madera, where processing peaches are grown mostly in...