Finance | Accounting for Your Financial Plan
“In the world of finance, the best accounting is like poetry—precise, impactful and timeless.” —Daniel Adams
Every New Year, calculate your present resources, income, expenditures and cash flow. Eight accounting classes helped me do financial “dream planning” well while proudly wearing CFP therapist, economist and...
Fitness | Lifestyle Change vs. New Year’s Resolution
It’s the time of year when many of us create ambitious New Year’s resolutions and with good intentions to follow through. We reflect on the past year and want certain changes to be made for ourselves in the current year. But, let’s face it,...
The Mountain Gardener | Happy New Year 2025
I’ve been on this planet for quite a few years now, so why is it always hard for me to get my head around the fact that the calendar has turned over to another year and the days are getting longer. A new gardening...
Letters to the Editor | Published Dec. 27, 2024
Community raises concerns over new housing development
We can all agree Santa Cruz County needs affordable housing, but recent moves by lawmakers in Sacramento have created a loophole for one local developer to abuse our planning process and circumvent all restrictions on density, fast-tracking a...
Letters to the Editor | Published Jan. 17, 2025
High density threatens Hidden Glen’s quality of life
Just wanted to quickly tell our story and voice our strong opposition to the proposed Haven Development, Santa Cruz County Application Number: 241369.
We moved to the Hidden Glen neighborhood five years ago, after looking for the perfect...
Mayor’s Message | Weathering the Storms: Scotts Valley Looks Ahead to a Bright 2025
As we step into 2025, we must acknowledge the unprecedented events that recently tested our community's resilience. Our long-held scientific belief that tornadoes do not happen in the Santa Cruz Mountains was dispelled. A week later, we saw historic storms destroy a county landmark...
The Mountain Gardener | Houseplants — Good for You and Your Home
I look out my sliding glass doors and see tall redwoods and stately oaks, but on the inside I enjoy the green and sometimes flowers of houseplants. I learned long ago to group them where they get enough light to do well. Recently I...
Plain Talk About Food | Napkins, Then and Now
“Mae West has been on more laps than a napkin.” —Walter Winchel
Yesterday, while ironing my umpteenth holiday napkin, I was remembering our “napkin box” that hung on the wall in the refectory at our convent in Tacoma, Wash.
Such a simple box with 50 or...
The Mountain Gardener | For the Love of Roses
January is almost over with nary a raindrop. Our days have been lovely and many of my plants have started growing earlier than usual. Guess I can’t put off pruning my Compassion rose any longer. I see some outstanding new rose varieties available for...
Plain Talk About Food | Finally, Dungeness Crab! A Culinary Cautionary Tale
“Be careful what you wish for, it might be more than you can handle.”
That thought immediately came to mind, that late afternoon while staring down the hallway of my apartment building many years ago.
Women and children were at each end of that hallway, some...
Pile burning set for Feb. 10-12 in Ben Lomond and Scotts...
Two pile burns are tentatively planned for Feb. 10-12 in Ben Lomond and Scotts Valley on Land Trust of Santa Cruz County land and...