Rethink the lawn and save money too
Water is a precious and vital resource. Our bodies are about 60 percent water and our brain—a whopping 70 percent. Less than 1 percent of the water on the Earth, however, is suitable for human consumption. With the population increasing and the water supply...
Allergy mitigation landscaping
According to historical records for our area the pollen count is mostly moderate in February. Depending on the weather, Pollen.com and Pollenlibrary.com show medium to high counts only for a few days this month. If you’re an allergy sufferer you don’t need a website...
Let Hybrid Learning begin
By Roger L. Snyder, Scotts Valley School Bell
At last we have good news to share with our community on the move to bring students, teachers and staff back together on campus at our Scotts Valley schools. Assuming that there are no last-minute regulation changes, starting...
Controlling diseases and pests on fruit trees
I love it when a nice reader takes the time to call me to suggest a topic they’d like to see me write about or remind them what needs to be done at a certain time of year. Take Helen, who lives in Spring...
An entrepreneur with a giving spirit
What do you get when you combine a community builder, entrepreneur and innovative problem solver? Greg Wimp.
In 2020, Greg, owner of four local Togo’s businesses in Santa Cruz County, donated thousands of sandwiches throughout our county to fire evacuees, first responders, frontline workers, salon...
My comfort food of choice
The word “comfort” became synonymous along with food in the last 10 years or so; “Comfort Food” it’s called. Martha Stewart wrote a cookbook entitled “Favorite Comfort Foods,” foods that make you feel good for breakfast, dinner and midnight snacks.
Of course, these foods are...
Relationship Wellness Month
February is Relationship Wellness Month. While working on a healthy relationship should be a year round effort, this time of year is a great opportunity to assess your relationship, nurture it and improve areas in your relationship like connection and communication.
When talking about relationship...
Vitamin B12
In 1885 an English physician and scientist, Thomas Addison discovered a disease with symptoms including pallor, shortness of breath, jaundice, weight loss and muscle spasms. The cause of the disease was unknown, and it was generally fatal. It became known as Addison's anemia (now...
Planting bare root edibles
Now is the time to add ornamentals and edibles like fruit, nuts, berries and vegetables while they’re available in bare root form. They are easy to plant, economical and establish quickly.
How delicious does a Sweet Treat Pluerry sound? This is a first of its...
Winter’s bold fruit
The Persimmon tree first caught my eye many years ago as I turned onto Highway 9 near my Ben Lomond home. Only minutes earlier I had been pondering about my choice of dessert for our annual Winter Solstice celebratory dinner.
This tree seems to magically...
Authorities release the identities of two slain men discovered on Skyline...
The names of the two men whose bodies were found in a pickup truck in the Santa Cruz Mountains last month were released Tuesday...