Columns

It’s beginning to look like Halloween in my neighborhood with chrysanthemums and pumpkins on porches, skeletons and ghouls decorating front doors and posts on Facebook about tarantula sightings as the spiders go about their fall mating ritual. It’s the plants that get my attention...

Many years ago I started writing a book about gardening in the Santa Cruz Mountains. One of many interesting subjects I researched was the different soils we have here in the mountains. I don’t need to tell you if you garden in dense clay,...

“171,000 people experience homelessness daily. California is home to… 30% of the nation’s homeless population, and half the nation’s unsheltered population.” —Kushel, Moore, et al., “Toward a New Understanding” (2023) We all play musical chairs in Santa Cruz County because 80,000 new residents since 1980...

“Our advice—that term life is a better deal for most families—hasn't changed.” —Consumer Reports Life insurance agents somehow think that life insurance is the ultimate solution to family financial planning. As a former Primerica Financial Services amateur, I cried “Buy Term and Invest the Difference!”...

Homeowners may gloat at long-term home price growth, but others struggle to enjoy the blessings of mountain home ownership. Redfin states: “In November 2023, Santa Cruz home prices were down 20.8% compared to last year, selling for a median price of $1.2M.” With interest rates...

October is Depression Awareness Month. Depression is a silent battle that millions of people face. It's a complex mental health condition that doesn't discriminate. It can affect anyone, regardless of age, gender, background or circumstances. While depression is a mental illness, its impact extends...

I believe that envy is one of the seven deadly sins and any decent person should avoid that sentiment at all costs. But when I look at and experience the downtowns of all the other cities in the county, a little bit of jealousy...

It happened last Sunday morning at 2am. That’s when daylight saving time ended and clocks went back an hour. Sure I got an extra hour sleep, but the end of daylight saving time signals to me that autumn is really here in our mild...

I’d been waiting for the tour of Griggs Wholesale nursery in Watsonville for a while. This company bought Suncrest Nursery last year and has breathed new life into it. A favorite for years, Suncrest had a reputation for excellence and this new version is...

The day wasn’t turning out to be one of the “best” in my life…I had forgotten to marinate my skirt steak hours before, and the dinner I was preparing had a lack-luster appearance to it, and as my hubby Norm walked by, I cried...