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...

We are all drawn to different colors in a garden. Some of us like soft, pastel shades while others like strong, jewel tones. They are all great in my book. This year Pantone has chosen Magenta as the 2023 Color of the Year and...

San Francisco’s Chinatown was my hubby and my destination to celebrate the Chinese New Year the first year we married. 1974 was the Year of the Tiger according to the Chinese Zodiac, and Norm and I, along with our blended family of four children set...

As we approach the holidays and 2022 concludes, I want to express my appreciation for the great work of City Manager Mali LaGoe and Scotts Valley’s exceptional staff. As mayor this past year, I also want to share my appreciation to the community, which...

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 blouse was grey, and the most beautiful blouse that this little 8-year-old girl had ever seen in her short lifetime. The blouse had ruffles on its sleeves and a ruffled ascot at its neckline; I couldn’t take my eyes off the blouse that...

We all have traditions that we look forward to every year during the holidays. For some it’s the annual trip to the Christmas tree farm. For others it’s planning a holiday get-together with friends and family. While decorating my tree this year I thought...

I have a cat named Archer. He’s a little too vocal sometimes but thankfully, he doesn’t chew on plants. If he did or if small children were about during the holidays I’d be sure to put some of my holiday plants out of their...

Their business tagline is ‘Boutique Photographers and soon-to-be-best friends.’  We meet great people at networking events, so while attending the Women’s Business Network-SLV on Nov. 17, I met two businesswomen whose enthusiasm for their work was contagious, inspiring this article. Shannon Somers and Christina Re...

“The world is indeed full of peril, and in it many dark places; but still there is much that is fair, and though in all lands love is now mingled with grief, it grows perhaps more the greater. All we have to decide is what to do...