Columns

By Bruce McPherson, County Supervisor This year began like many other years—unpredictable but full of promise. What we experienced, managing twin crises, was a test of our ability to meet the moment and adapt for the future. Although we end 2020 fighting a renewed battle...

Gardens have different personalities. Some gardens mimic nature with plants that attract birds and butterflies and other wildlife and look a bit wild. Some are neat and tidy with perennials lined up evenly along pathways and clipped hedges under the windows. Gardens are a...

Every drop of rain that hits bare soil is destructive. Over 3,000 years ago the Chinese protected their soil from erosion and increased fertility by planting cover crops. Early Nile Valley inhabitants also practiced this method of agriculture as did first century Romans. Lupines...

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...

Let’s get out of our comfort zone when training. Many of us associate training as a chore or we need motivation to workout. Many of us stay in our comfort zone because it’s where we feel safe. Living in our comfort zone helps us...

October is Down Syndrome Awareness Month. This disorder has particular meaning to me because when I married my dear wife Beth, I gained not only a wonderful wife but also an equally incredible Down syndrome brother-in-law named Danny. Coincidentally, Danny had been a patient...

I spent the last week in Palm Springs visiting friends, friends who no longer spend much time in their kitchen. Consequently, I was subjected to many restaurants. Now I’m not complaining, but I did return home knowing that my French Onion soup far surpasses the...

By Colly Gruczelak, Plain Talk about Food While I was cleaning my kitchen after cooking my traditional New Year’s Almond Toffee, I was thinking of how my life has changed since losing my beloved hubby, Norman, and that once again, there would be no writing,...

August already. Plants are growing like there’s no tomorrow. The hummingbirds are my constant companions in the garden and the resident deer population is afoot. I see their tell tale droppings. The young yearlings sample what the older deer are nibbling. There are native...