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Scotts Valley
July 5, 2025

The Mountain Gardener | Plant California Natives Now

With cooler weather and some rain, fall weather is here in the Santa Cruz Mountains. If you’re thinking about what plants you might want to add to your garden this planting season, California native plants are well suited to planting at this time of...

Strictly Business | Opposite of East

I am perpetually on the lookout for fresh insights and novel viewpoints for local businesses whose products and services command our attention and investment.  I listen for businesses that triumph over trials and offer ways to further brand and develop my business and yours. The...

TherapyWorks | 5 Essential Elements of a Healthy Relationship

There’s no denying that relationships are hard. Maintaining connection and keeping the spark alive when life gets overwhelming and stressful can be hard. But with focus, attention and commitment, you can build and sustain a thriving relationship.  While no relationship is perfect, there are some...

Strictly Business | Women’s Evolution Retreat — A Sanctuary for Renewal & Growth

The roots of women’s retreats may be less documented, but their surge in popularity in recent decades reflects the growing emphasis on self-care, wellness and women's empowerment. Today, retreats are recognized as powerful tools for helping women disconnect from daily pressures, realign with their...

Plain Talk About Food | Elegant Ladies

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...

Guest Column | Are You One of the Few?

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...

The Mountain Gardener | How to Create a Beautiful Garden

Fall is a good time to design and plant a new garden. I love to read those articles in gardening magazines with titles like “How to Create a Complete Backyard in a Weekend” or “This Front Yard in Just One Year.” If you're like...

Plain Talk About Food | Molasses, The Dark Tide

While pouring the dark, thick and very sticky molasses from its bottle this morning, I thought about the people who drowned during the Great Boston Molasses Flood of 1919, one hundred and five years ago. On the docks of Boston Harbor, Purity Distilling company had...

Fitness | Benefits of Strong Knees

Fitness knees
How are your knees? Knees are one of the largest and most complex joints of the body, your knees are crucial to movement, which means protecting knee joints should be a priority. Knees bear your body weight, allowing the full range of motion of...

The Grey Christmas Blouse

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...

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News Briefs

News Briefs | Published July 4, 2025

Tree removal leads to temporary closure on Big Basin Highway Caltrans will temporarily close a section of southbound Highway 236 (Big Basin Highway) left on...