Summer pruning for beauty & health
Everything in the garden is full and lush in June. Your Japanese maple might be getting a little too full for your taste-outgrowing its space, crowding the neighbors, looking like a boring blob. Take the fear out of pruning with these easy steps.
Pruning any...
The Mountain Gardener | Growing Vegetables in Containers, Small Spaces or Shade
I have been gardening for a very long time. But even now I feel I know just a little bit about a whole lot of subjects. Every day I learn something new. Now that spring weather has finally arrived I’m anxious to start planting...
The Mountain Gardener: Fire and renewal
I regularly visit my burned parcel in Bonny Doon to monitor the progress of the redwoods and understory plants. It will take 30-50 years for the forest to regenerate, but it’s trying.
Amazing how Mother Nature takes advantage of voids. Succession plants like native Yerba...
Recognizing Down Syndrome Awareness Month
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...
Eggplant parmesan, please
Eggplant, that beautiful egg-shaped, purple and glossy fruit we order in a restaurant under the name of Eggplant Parmesan, so often comes to us overcooked, bitter and lackluster for want of proper preparation, we are sorry we had not ordered a different entrée.
Now that...
Plain Talk About Food | The Secret of Aunt Betty’s ‘Crust Dust’
Summer fruit season is upon us as those beautiful peaches, pears, plums and now apples are showing up at the local farmers markets. Sadly, I have had to turn down offers from neighbors to share in their bounty, as there is only myself now...
The dog days of summer are here
They’re called the dog days of summer. You know, those sultry days with the hottest summer temperatures. The name “dog star” comes from the ancient Egyptians who called Sirius, the Dog Star, after their god, Osiris. His head in pictograms resembles that of a...
Getting Back Into a Fitness Routine
Are you out of your fitness routine? Getting back into exercise when you’ve taken time off can be intimidating. You may feel a little lost on where to start. It doesn’t matter how much Covid-19 couch time you’ve had during your exercise hiatus, you...
Measure A For the Health of Our Schools
Resilience, gratitude, and patience.
So much has happened since my last column in June, I don’t even know where to begin. This time last year, we were dealing with PSPS power outages that we thought were very disruptive and challenging. Little did we know… A...
New Scotts Valley Council members look forward to making their mark
After first-place finisher Donna Lind, the incumbent for Scotts Valley City Council, local voters selected Steve Clark—a retired law enforcer, known for volunteering around...
