Columns

By The Scotts Valley Advocates  The Scotts Valley Community Christmas Tree lit up on Nov. 27, continuing a tradition dating 30 years. The Scotts Valley Park Advocates felt strongly about the importance of supporting the installation of the tree lighting for the community given the...

By Bruce McPherson, County Supervisor It’s an understandable instinct at the end of each calendar year to wrap up undone business and start the new year fresh. Unfortunately, 2020 will not afford us that opportunity as two big issues will carry over into 2021 and...

With the holiday season upon us, I like colorful plants on my tabletop and window sill. But how safe are holiday plants for pets like my cat Archer and dog Sherman or for small children? I have a beautiful poinsettia on the table and, soon,...

Once upon a time when our area was underwater there were no parks or trails or trees or gardens. I'm thankful that our mountains rose from an ancient ocean so we could enjoy this beautiful place we call home.  I'm thankful for the Bigleaf maples that shower me with...

Whether you want them to or not all gardens change with time. It’s part of nature that the fittest survive. Possibly you have different ideas of what you want your garden to look like but it’s hard to fool Mother Nature. Several years ago...

Every drop of rain that hits bare soil is destructive. Over 3,000 years ago the Chinese protected their soil from erosion and increased fertility by planting cover crops. Early Nile Valley inhabitants also practiced this method of agriculture as did first century Romans. Lupines...

As we move into November, there is a lot of progress being made on supporting recovery from the CZU Lightning Complex fires—preparing residents to rebuild and protecting the community at-large from the likely hazard of debris flows. Crews working for the Environmental Protection Agency have...

Maaliea Wilbur TherapyWorks Being a kid or teen is hard. It’s even harder in 2020. Kids are resilient, but they also have emotions just like adults. They get anxious, stressed, sad, angry and depressed. It is one of our goals at TherapyWorks to provide resources and...

Are you out of your fitness routine? Getting back into exercise when you’ve taken time off can be intimidating. You may feel a little lost on where to start. It doesn’t matter how much Covid-19 couch time you’ve had during your exercise hiatus, you...

Resilience, gratitude, and patience.  So much has happened since my last column in June, I don’t even know where to begin. This time last year, we were dealing with PSPS power outages that we thought were very disruptive and challenging. Little did we know… A...