Columns

1. Financial Planning is budgeting to allocate money that finances dreams. At age 20, Sam simply cooked the finest barbecue cuisine for Sequoia weddings and Roaring Camp cookoffs, savoring each bite, then experimenting. Our culinary hero dreamt of becoming a Michelin star chef who ran...

“In a recent nationwide survey of working age Americans, 79% agree that the nation faces a retirement savings crisis…more than half of Americans (55%) are concerned that they cannot achieve financial security in retirement.” —Dan Doonan, Forbes Do not buy stocks because market timing feels...

When the huge numbers of California Tortoiseshell butterflies showed up around here on June 10, I learned a lot about the different species of ceanothus and how dependent we are on this plant. Because most of us live near or in a Wildland Urban...

Children can get anxiety just like adults. Whether it’s adjusting to the changes at school or home, social anxiety, separation anxiety, or generalized anxiety disorder, it’s important to recognize the signs of anxiety in children, take them seriously, and know how to support your...

I’m vacationing this week in Oregon, visiting my webmaster Evan in Eugene and also my friend Janie who lives in the historic mining town of Jacksonville near Ashland. We have taken several trips together, including the Mayan ruins in Mexico and birding in Southeast...

Just when I was in a hurry, I made the mistake of choosing the grocery cart with the “wonky” wheel. Sometime ago, CNN did a story about those grocery carts with their wonky wheels and the reason they are not immediately replaced—$200 a cart;...

My house in Bonny Doon burned down on Aug. 19, 2020. I know this because my neighbor sent me a photo the next day after the fire had moved on down the slope. The next spring quite a few of my plants were making...

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...

A Facebook friend posts photos taken of her yard with lots of turkeys and deer families. How can you not love a picture of those cute fawns covered with spots? There's something about babies. You know that feeling when you see a new infant...

Years ago, a dear friend upgraded me to a Piggy Bank as she was tired of watching me put my nickels and dimes into a mason jar after my weekly grocery shopping. Only nickels and dimes went into that jar, a habit I’ve had...