The Mountain Gardener | Gardening in the Real World
With our gardens coming to life at this time of year we are hopeful that each plant will achieve its full during this growing season. But that doesn’t always turn out to be the case and sometimes it’s hard to figure out what exactly...
TherapyWorks | Importance of Workplace Wellness
June is Professional Wellness Month. The goal of Professional Wellness month is to shine a light on the important role the workplace plays in creating a holistic environment for employees and how organizations can support the mental and physical wellbeing of their employees.
Why Is...
Guest Column | Scotts Valley Celebrates Public Works Week
National Public Works Week is from May 21 to 27, so let’s take a look at what Public Works does here in Scotts Valley. We have around 20 staff members in Public Works who take care of wastewater, streets, parks, engineering and recreation services.
Wastewater
Did...
The Mountain Gardener | Attracting More Birds, Bees & Butterflies with Natives
It's always a breathtaking experience taking a walk at this time of year. You might see the cobalt blue flowers of ceanothus or a stand of dicentra formosa with their dainty pink bell-shaped flowers backlit in the spring sunlight. Coral bells are in full...
Guest Column | Progress on Regional Water Resource Collaboration
In Santa Cruz County there are seven separate water agencies that serve our community, each with different sources of water, customer demographics and infrastructure ages. As a result, each agency has different needs and approaches to operations and, until recently, operated largely independently of...
Plain Talk About Food | Jumping Frogs
“If the first thing you do in the morning is eat a live frog, you can go through the rest of the day knowing the worst is behind you.” —Mark Twain
The year was 1972 when a friend drove me to the small town of...
The Mountain Gardener | The Wonderful World of Wisteria
Wisteria are one of those vines that you either long for or lament ever having planted. They are all fragrant with a delicious sweet scent that varies from faint to strong to almost overpowering. Bees and hummingbirds love them. Here are some tips to...
Fitness | Stop Comparing Body Types
Ever feel like you wish you had someone else’s body type? Is the body you want always just out of reach? Like no matter what you do, you’ll never quite be slim, strong or fit enough? If this is true, try to not be...
The Mountain Gardener | Filoli Gardens in May
What fun it must have been for the children raised in the 1900s at Filoli Estate. You can just imagine what a kid could do on 654 acres of orchards, fields and gardens creating a maze of places to hide and seek. As gardeners,...
Strictly Business | Lessons from Horses: The Power of Intention
As someone who has held management and leadership positions for most of my career, I was intrigued to learn more about how working with horses can improve leadership skills in the workplace. I had the opportunity to meet Razelle Janice Drescher, owner of Intentional...
News Briefs | Published Sept. 12, 2025
Fun run, emergency preparedness fair set for Saturday
On Saturday, Sept. 13, the City of Santa Cruz will be hosting Race the Wave, a 3K...