56.3 F
Scotts Valley
March 8, 2026

The Mountain Gardener: Spring is coming — be prepared

It seems to me that I'm still waiting for winter to start. I look hopefully each week at the weather forecast, hoping to see a storm developing.

The Mountain Gardener: Know your mountainous climate zone

Gardening is a tricky thing up here in the Santa Cruz Mountains.

Datebook

- Submit Datebook items to [email protected], or drop off press releases or photos at 5215 Scotts Valley Drive, Ste. F, Scotts Valley 95066. Deadline is 5 p.m. Tuesday. Entries are subject to editing, and publication is not guaranteed.

Pet Spot: Winter care for mountain pets

Winter can be just as hard on pets as it is on humans. Wolves and mountain lions might live outdoors and thrive, but that doesn’t mean our dogs or cats should, too.

Wine Lover: An analysis of wine making

Making wine must be one of the most fundamentally simple processes there is. Essentially, all you need to do is pick grapes, crush them and allow the natural sugar in the juice to turn into alcohol. It's as basic as yeast eat sugar and make alcoholic juice.

Your Health: Antibiotics explained

In a recent column, I said that antibiotics are usually not necessary to treat most upper-respiratory infections. I have been asked to discuss antibiotics in more detail.

New Faces

- Kayden Alessio Koppe, son of D’Ambra Dawn Graham and Anthony Mario Koppe of Brookdale, was born at 10:45 p.m. Jan. 8, 2012, at Dominican Hospital in Santa Cruz. He weighed 5 pounds, 11 ounces.

The Mountain Gardener: Dreaming of summer roses

I'm daydreaming about the flowers of spring and summer. What could be more impressive than a big, fragrant, jewel-toned rose? There are some great new ones out this year that I have my eye on. Maybe you have room for one more.

Datebook

- Submit Datebook items to [email protected], or drop off press releases or photos at 5215 Scotts Valley Drive, Ste. F, Scotts Valley 95066. Deadline is 5 p.m. Tuesday.

Sustainable living: ‘Re-Skilling’ for an uncertain tomorrow

Many of us know how to set up a home wireless network, assemble a children’s bicycle, scour the web for cheap air fares, and perform other tasks that define contemporary life for many Americans.

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traffic safety roadwork signs and light

Vegetation control project to impact Highway 17 north of Scotts Valley...

Caltrans crews will conduct a vegetation control project north of Scotts Valley next week, which will result in the daytime closure of one lane...