Columns

My friend, Grace, visited the other day. She’s almost 7 years old now and is really getting into plants, flowers and especially the birds that visit my little garden. She spent a lot of time quietly watching and listening to all the songbirds, hummingbirds...

Sometimes the people making the biggest difference in our community aren’t the ones seeking attention. They are simply showing up every day, solving problems and helping their neighbors. That perfectly describes Mike Boffy, our downtown Felton Farmers Insurance agent. For many San Lorenzo Valley residents,...

As August approaches, Scotts Valley is preparing to celebrate 60 years since becoming a city. In September 1960, residents learned of plans to build a cemetery in the middle of Scotts Valley, not far from Santa’s Village. Residents organized a protest attending a County Planning...

Contrary to the belief that Bagels and Lox were first contrived by the Jewish people, this delicious concoction made its way to America in the early 20th century by the Scandinavian fishermen as they immigrated through New York’s Ellis Island. Homes did not have refrigerators,...

I read about a study in France a while ago that suggests that humans are quickly altering the way flowers are reproducing, and it’s happening in just 20 generations. Toxic pesticides and vanishing habitats have driven down the populations of bees and other pollinators,...

“By their own admission, Fannie executives loosened their mortgage standards to regain market share (the profit motive), as well as to meet government housing mandates (the government-policy motive).” —James Hagerty, “The Fateful History of Fannie Mae,” p.195 Housing shortages and mortgage solutions are not new;...

You can hear them a long way before you see them. I’m talking about the hundreds of honey bees feasting on the highly nutritious pollen of the Crape Myrtle blossoms. I confess I don’t know a lot about keeping bees. I even had to...

“...fava beans and a nice Chianti.” —Hannibal Lecter After seeing the movie, “The Silence of the Lambs,” for many years I had a difficult time separating Anthony Hopkins from his role of (flesh-eating) Hannibal Lecter and cooking fava beans, which I really love to eat. I...

“Building costs are still high. There’s more we can do. This bill is nearly 50 provisions, but the problem is even bigger,” Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) stated. Congress submitted the “21st Century Road to Housing Act” for Presidential approval as Trump said the bill was...

I used to live in Bonny Doon where a huge Tasmanian Tree Fern grew without care on the “lower forty.” It was over 50 years old at the time of the fire having been planted by the original builder of the house. I guess...