Opinion

It’s hard to believe, but as you read this, we’ve just completed six weeks of the “new” school year. And there’s a lot going on, so let’s dive in. This month, we continue our district-wide focus on math across all grade levels, partnering with the...

Soil is a wonderful thing. It grows our food, anchors our trees and provides a foundation under our feet. But it sure can be hard to work with when it’s not the soft, crumbly loam that many plants prefer. It’s amazing that anything grows...

“History Doesn't Repeat Itself, But It Often Rhymes.” —Mark Twain Tragic economic poetry with unprincipled presidents rhymes all too often. Trump and Nixon challenged the Constitution and made pacts with devils paid with fiat money to win elections. Nixon left communists shamefully ruling Vietnam, while...

How efficient is your reaction time? Think back, when was the last time you tripped but caught yourself from falling. Did you know your nervous system has a millisecond to react the right muscles to prevent a fall when you trip. If that signal...

Summer is winding down. It’s still warm during the day, but the nights are cool and there’s less and less daylight hours. The soil is still warm, so it’s the perfect time to start thinking about planting. Like the saying goes, “gardening is a...

Fridays, as a small child, was a very important day of the week; this was the day Uncle would reach deep into his pocket of his bib overalls, sorting out a dime and a nickel, my week’s allowance for helping Aunt in her kitchen. Friday...

Every August, my feed fills up with first-day-of-school photos. Backpacks bigger than the kids wearing them. Gap-toothed grins on the porch. New shoes, fresh haircuts, eager anticipation. I love those photos. But after years of working with families, here's what I've learned. The first day...

Adding California natives to my collection of container plants has been a goal for a long time. Besides attracting birds and wildlife to the garden, they use less water than most container plants, plus they are beautiful. Since I have limited ground to garden,...

When Heather Lewis Sebring asks older adults about moving, she does not begin with boxes, floor plans or what needs to go. She starts with a much better question: “What would you like your life to be full of in the next 10 years?” More travel?...

The City of Scotts Valley celebrated our city’s 60th Birthday during the first week of August. It couldn’t have happened without the hard work and dedication of Parks and Recreation, particularly Division Manager Allison Pfefferkorn and her staff, as well as the Scotts Valley...