We human beings spend a great deal of time seeking happiness and avoiding distress; we do this as a constructive means of handling the inherent ambiguities of human life. Contemplative practices like meditation and Mindful Yoga can be a tremendous aid in this endeavor, because they help us rise above life’s inevitable ups and downs. As a veteran yoga student and teacher, I have to come to appreciate my yoga mat as a living laboratory for training my mind. I’ve found that incorporating mindful practices into yoga improves my emotional and physical health.

You know spring is here when bleeding hearts and tulips are in full bloom; when baseball season begins and song birds start their families. Can you imagine our ground frozen 30 inches down like it is in Chicago's Wrigley Field? My heart goes out to those gardeners still dreaming over seed catalogs

The other day I visited the campus of Stanford University to view something from their archives. The campus is beautiful with flowering trees in bloom everywhere you looked. I was told by a colleague that Stanford has a huge collection of trees, some planted back in the late 1880's when the university was first built and the landscaping installed. The designer, the famed landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted, also created New York's Central Park. I wanted to find a mature specimen of a California native, the Catalina Ironwood, which is listed in their “Encyclopedia of Stanford Trees, Shrubs and Vines.”

The 10thannual Sand Crab Classic Perch Tournament when off without a hitch as anglers had a blast beach fishing and raising money for Monterey Bay Salmon and Trout Project. With 300 entrees and more than 30 volunteers, the event has become a real fun day for all.

Your butcher should be your best friend. In the grocery store, that is.

For the last few years before the Santa Cruz Bonsai Kai club has its annual show I've been honored to visit one of the members for a tour of their personal bonsai collection. Last year, I viewed Marc Shaw's collection in Ben Lomond. Marc is currently serving as president of the club. The year before, I visited former president Ron Anderson's home in Boulder Creek. Both wowed me with their talent creating such amazing specimens.