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...
Our Community Must Remain Vigilant
Winter weather has begun, even if the official start to winter is still weeks away. And while we desperately need the rain, we must be on guard for the dangers it can present.
The large storm that drenched Santa Cruz County on the evening of...
The Mountain Gardener | Growing the Best Dogwoods
When the dogwoods start to bloom, I’m torn between the flowering crabapples and cherries and wisteria and lilacs. But those huge dogwood flowers—or more precisely, bracts—get my attention every time I drive along the thoroughfares of San Lorenzo and Scotts Valley.
Most of us are...
Fragrance in the garden
A couple of years ago I bought a dwarf butterfly bush and planted it in a pot near my entry. It’s one of the plants that came back from the roots after the fire and it now lives on my deck but in a...
Letters to the Editor, July 30
Let’s keep our water rates affordable
I think the numbers and logic regarding a proposed San Lorenzo Valley Water District surcharge simply do not add up. Water rates fund operations, reserves and long-term debt. Large infrastructure projects, including those required due to fire damages, are...
A Day in the ER With Dignity Health
The phone rang, and my doctor’s assistant was on the other end.
“Janet, our office is not equipped to help you; you must go to the ER (emergency room) today.”
I was almost out the door heading to a 1:1 meeting over the hill before the...
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...
