Columns

It’s beginning to look like Halloween in my neighborhood with chrysanthemums and pumpkins on porches, skeletons and ghouls decorating front doors and posts on Facebook about tarantula sightings as the spiders go about their fall mating ritual. It’s the plants that get my attention...

The Women’s Evolution Retreat was an enriching experience, one that not only inspired me, but also broadened my perspective on women’s inner power and transformative potential. This year’s lineup was a vibrant mix of leaders in personal growth, wellness, creativity and professional development—each leaving an...

You know that nagging phrase we’ve all heard by our parents growing up, “Now sit up straight!” I bet it didn’t mean much to you as a kid and you hated hearing it, but your parents were right trying to correct you. Posture is a...

This is the time of year to re-imagine your garden. Sure, that cleanup and weed control is an ongoing task, but it’s more fun to picture yourself outside when the weather warms, enjoying that space. What easy things can you do this year to...

Being the type who doesn’t take no for an answer, I’m going to try growing veggies on my shady deck again. I wasn’t very successful a couple years ago. I thought that three hours of hot midday sun would be enough for green beans...

I represent about 150 hotel employees at Scotts Valley hotels as president of the Santa Cruz County Hotel and Lodging Association. They are outstanding ambassadors for our small town, many of whom have dedicated their careers to hospitality. Their livelihoods now face an uncertain future...

What fun it must have been for the children raised in the 1900s at Filoli Estate. You can just imagine what a kid could do on 654 acres of orchards, fields and gardens creating a maze of places to hide and seek. As gardeners,...

My little neighborhood goes all out decorating for Halloween. It’s fun to see what the kids have created with some simple supplies. I only have a small display with a pumpkin, colorful winter squash and mums along with some DIY ghosts made from dinner napkins....

“You are never wrong if you do the right thing.” —Mark Twain Dear Readers, The time has come, after writing this Plain Talk About Food column, to bring it to an end. I began writing under the direction of my editor at that time, Peter Burke....

A couple weeks ago I wrote about including California native plants in your garden. Since I have limited ground to garden, I mostly have containers and have been quite successful as long as I match the sun or shade to the right plant. You’ve...