The Mountain Gardener | Tips for Planting Success This Season
With our gardens coming to life at this time of year, we are hopeful that each plant will achieve its full potential during this growing season. But that doesn’t always turn out to be the case and sometimes it’s hard to figure out what...
Strictly Business | Using AI Without Losing Your Human Magic
To my business readership and leadership audience: as AI platforms boost efficiency, how do we ensure we maintain authentic, human-centered leadership rather than becoming overly dependent on automation?
Are we using automation while still maintaining emotional presence?
I use ChatGPT. I attend AI conferences. I explore...
TherapyWorks | Relationships & Mental Health: Why Connection Matters
When we think about mental health, we often picture stress, anxiety, burnout or life transitions. But one of the most powerful influences on our emotional well-being isn’t something we manage alone—it’s our relationships.
Our connections with partners, friends, family members shape how safe we feel...
The Mountain Gardener | Allergy Season is Upon Us Once Again
I live on Boulder Creek, where the native red alder is in full bloom. Their catkins release wind-borne pollen, which along with the redwoods wreak havoc for my friends with seasonal allergies. According to Pollen.com, the allergy alert today is medium high. Birches and...
Finance | Small Corporations in Financial Planning
“I selected an S Corporation to safeguard my personal assets through limited liability protection while enjoying pass-through taxation, allowing business profits to flow directly to my individual tax return and avoiding the double taxation faced by C Corps.”—Marwan Mezher
Many taxpayers build lasting companies with...
Fitness | Posture Correction with Core Strength
How is your posture and how do you know if you have good or poor posture? To test your posture, you can simply check yourself at home. This involves standing with your head, shoulder blades and glutes against a wall, with heels 2-4 inches...
Plain Talk About Food | X’s and O’s
“Tis better to have loved and lost, than never to have loved at all.” —Alfre Lord Tennyson
Each day as “Eventide” approaches, I find myself looking at my sweet Hubby’s empty chair that sits alongside mine and repeatedly remind myself that I have been so...
The Mountain Gardener | Love is In the Air: Plant Reproduction
One of my favorite classes when I attended Cal Poly San Luis Obispo was Plant Taxonomy. On the surface the subject sounds a little dry, but the professor was all about plant reproduction, which is quite exciting and more varied than you think. So...
Guest Viewpoint | Fifth District Focus Enters Second Year
I ran to represent the Fifth District, and that means making sure our mountain communities are heard and that county decisions reflect the realities people are living every day.
As I enter my second year, we are facing serious challenges—harmful federal policy changes, climate-driven disasters...
Scotts Valley School Bell | Schools Focus on Growth, Wellness and Funding
I hope you all have been enjoying the warm weather—it’s hard to believe it’s the middle of winter. There’s a lot to cover this month, so let’s dive in.
At our last few board meetings, we’ve been reviewing our latest academic testing results from the...
Central Coast Good Fire Fair returns Saturday to Henry Cowell Redwoods...
California State Parks will host the third Central Coast Good Fire Fair and demonstration burn Saturday, Oct. 10, at Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park.
The...





















