Columns

Wearing something green on St. Patrick’s Day has been a tradition since emigrants, particularly in the United States, transformed the holiday into a largely secular event celebrating all things Irish. Cities with large numbers of Irish immigrants staged parades going back to 1737 in...

Post-operative bra comfort is a topic that gets little attention. But a new SLV business owner, Dr. Lisa Bunin (Lisa B.), has undertaken to change that by producing BraLisa—a super-soft, organic cotton bra, with moderate compression, for women recovering from breast surgery. After having breast...

The back-to-school season can be a time of excitement and anticipation, but can also bring anxiety and stress for children. As parents and caregivers, supporting kids through these transitions is crucial, especially when it comes to their mental health. Why are transitions hard for kids? Transitions...

From San Jose, Sally and her clownish boyfriend braved the twisties through San Lorenzo mountains with excess speed, then alighted at a Ben Lomond bar. Sally was drunk again, partying down at Henfling’s in less than a skirt with makeup to hide age. Flinging...

I look out my sliding glass doors and see tall redwoods and stately oaks, but on the inside I enjoy the green and sometimes flowers of houseplants. I learned long ago to group them where they get enough light to do well. Last year...

We’ve all been there—you know someone is going through a hard time, and you want to help, but you’re not sure what to do or say. You don’t want to make it worse. You don’t want to overstep. So sometimes, we do nothing. We...

The weekend after Thanksgiving I like to get my Christmas tree and put it outside in a bucket of water until I’m ready to bring it inside to decorate. One of my friends has the solution for the longest lasting tree with the most...

“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...

It was one of those almost too bright sunny mornings. You know the kind: Where you have to stop and wait until your eyes adjust to the light when coming back inside. Grabbing the ringing telephone, I heard my stepfather’s voice shouting “come quick.” ...

Hopefully these cold mornings will be a thing of the past by the time you read this. My plants were much happier right after the rains when nights were mild. I’m waiting patiently for the buds on my pink flowering currant to start showing...