Columns

Students face challenges beyond the pressure to succeed academically. Parents hear about many of these issues as their children move through middle school, high school and beyond. These challenges include peer pressure, drugs, harassment, bullying, discrimination and low self-esteem. How can we help our young...

Millions of Americans are affected by mental health conditions every year. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, approximately 1 in 5 adults in the U.S.—43.8 million, or 21%—experiences mental illness in a given year; and we know this is increasingly an issue...

When the dogwoods start to bloom, I’m torn between the flowering crabapples and cherries and wisteria and lilacs. But those huge dogwood flowers—or more precisely, bracts—get my attention every time I drive along the thoroughfares of San Lorenzo and Scotts Valley.  Most of us are...

If you have never buried your face in a pillowcase or pulled sheets over your head at night that have been drying in the morning sunshine, you have missed one of life’s greatest gifts. And to sit under a clothesline while drinking that first...

This year Earth Day is focusing on climate change. Earth Day is always a celebration of the natural beauty of our planet reminding us that we need to keep it healthy. Always on April 22, Earth Day is a day of education about environmental...

Fitness is not just for the younger community. As you age, moving your body daily is one of the most important things you can do for your physical and mental health. It can prevent or delay many of the health problems that seem to...

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...

It’s clear that storm fatigue is a real thing. From overhearing conversations in the grocery store line to hearing folks express gratitude for their good luck, or even finding silver linings in their misfortunes, it seems like everyone is feeling the effects of these...

To appease clientele dining in a restaurant while waiting for their food to be served, a basket of bread or rolls along with a dish of cubes of butter is generally brought to the table. If you are in an Italian restaurant, often you...

Most of us around here either live in a forest or near one. We are no strangers to nature as some city dwellers might be. We often spend time on a trail. You know the feeling you get when you are out walking slowly...