Columns

Fall is a good time to design and plant a new garden. I love to read those articles in gardening magazines with titles like “How to Create a Complete Backyard in a Weekend” or “This Front Yard in Just One Year.” If you're like...

When I look back on four decades of public service, there is one issue that has remained a top priority for me and the people I have had the privilege to represent in county and state government: Protecting our local environment. As a member of...

The roots of women’s retreats may be less documented, but their surge in popularity in recent decades reflects the growing emphasis on self-care, wellness and women's empowerment. Today, retreats are recognized as powerful tools for helping women disconnect from daily pressures, realign with their...

While pouring the dark, thick and very sticky molasses from its bottle this morning, I thought about the people who drowned during the Great Boston Molasses Flood of 1919, one hundred and five years ago. On the docks of Boston Harbor, Purity Distilling company had...

My friend Evan is a computer whiz and designed my website and blog. He is often researching on the internet and forwards me interesting tidbits of information about plants whenever he comes across something exceptional. I am always amazed at what nature does to...

What happens if you don’t pay taxes? The IRS, or FTB, writes to say you owe and you concede the amount. To remind us all that taxes are compulsory and no say on expenditures, the IRS can prosecute for tax fraud, but courts and...

Coming from a meeting with a client in Scotts Valley today, I saw a really well designed dry creek bed. I didn’t get a picture today, but I’ll go back, it was that good. How will this year’s La Niña affect our rainfall? According...

Entering Skypark last Saturday, during the Multicultural Fair, I heard the first words from “The Lion King" being sung by students, doing their best rendition of the “Circle of Life.” Being blasted by 95-plus temperatures, I surmised the production had thought of everything, even...

As a licensed therapist and mental health expert, I have seen firsthand how the stigma surrounding suicide and mental health challenges can prevent individuals from seeking the help they need. The fear of judgment can deter people from seeking professional care, opening up to...

“All of us at some time or other, need help. Whether we are giving or receiving help, each one of us has something valuable to bring to this world. That’s one of the things that connects us as neighbors in our own ways, each...