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“We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.” —Winston Churchill Often when I am in Santa Cruz and near Shopper’s Corner Market, I pop in to visit their meat counter. Their array of beautifully displayed cuts...

Once upon a time when our area was under waterthere were no parks or trails or trees or gardens.I'm thankful that our mountains rose from an ancient oceanso we could enjoy this beautiful place we call home.  I'm thankful for the Big-Leaf maplesthat shower me...

“or a nation to try to tax itself into prosperity is like a man standing in a bucket and trying to lift himself up by the handle.” —Winston S. Churchill Trump imposed tariffs that Yale’s Budget Lab averages at 18.3%—way higher than 2% under Biden....

How strong is your lower body? Having a strong lower body can help you move with ease and function throughout the day. While improving posture and preventing injury. Making daily tasks like walking, running, jumping and even squatting down to reach for something easier. Lower...

Even though my kids are all-grown-up, nothing pleases me more than hearing them tell me how much they love my cooking, and often they will comment on the food they are eating, food that tastes “just like Grandma used to make.” Grandma Anna, my mother-in-law,...

Starting one’s own business is an archetypal American dream and I have personally prepared Schedule C proprietorships as small as part-time jewelry sales gigs or as large as a property management business that pulled in over a million dollars a year. Twenty percent of returns...

I live on Boulder Creek where the native red alder is in full bloom. Their catkins release wind-borne pollen, which along with the redwoods wreak havoc with my friends with seasonal allergies. According to Pollen.com, the allergy alert today is medium high at 7.4....

Recently I designed a garden for someone who asked for lots of blue in her landscape. “Good choice,” I said. I did have to chuckle when she also requested lavender plants that were blue and not lavender. I admit I was stumped there, but...

I’ve been on this planet for quite a few years now, so why is it always hard for me to get my head around the fact that the calendar has turned over to another year and the days are getting longer. A new gardening...

“Adam did not want the apple for the apple’s sake; he wanted it because it was forbidden.” —Mark Twain Home for me in the 1940s was uncle and aunt’s eight-bedroom boarding house in Aberdeen, Wash. My mind is filled with only happy memories, memories that...