Visiting family during the holidays can be less stressful
Just in case visiting family during the holidays feels more like going to the dentist than “Joy to the World,” let me tell you how I handled this reality in my own life.
The Mountain Gardener: Winter natives keep birds in the garden
There's no way around it. January may signal the start of the new year, but most of our plants still have the day off. I need inspiration on these cold mornings when most of my plants are asleep.
The Mountain Gardener: Small spaces can be wonderful places
He told me that his was a one-of-a-kind garden. Unique in such a small space. He asked if I would I be interested in visiting some time. I love being invited to tour all types of gardens, but I had an inkling that the garden of Rich Merrill, former Director of the Horticulture Dept. and Professor Emeritus at Cabrillo College, would be something special.
Your Health: Doctor becomes patient as cancer journey begins
For every article I write, I start research on my subject of choice and find I’m always learning something new, or I find the research to be very interesting. This week I’ve been forced to study up on a subject that I didn’t know much about, but only because it was something I was just diagnosed with: multiple myeloma. This is a cancer of the plasma cells which is growing in my bone marrow.
The Mountain Gardener: Properly remove cover crops to reveal better soil
Orin Martin of the Alan Chadwick Garden on the University of California, Santa Cruz campus is widely admired for his incredible knowledge and skills as a master orchardist, horticulturalist and teacher. I was lucky when, a couple of years ago, he visited a group of fellow designers and brought his favorite russet apples. Another time, he brought a dozen different kinds of potatoes that we roasted, critiqued and thoroughly enjoyed.
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...