The persimmon tree caught my eye as I turned onto Highway 9 near my Ben Lomond home. Only moments earlier, I had been pondering on what dessert I should prepare for our gourmet club's monthly dinner.

Master gardeners rock.

Linda Lovelace, operations director for Valley Churches United Missions, learned all about giving at an early age. Her parents had a big influence on her, especially her dad. Helping others was their way of life, whether it was taking home someone who needed a place to stay or giving them a Christmas tree and food for the holidays.

The end of daylight saving time signals to me that autumn is really here in our mild California surroundings. We might not have as many fall-color foliage trees and shrubs as other states, but we love ours just as much. Besides, we don't get snow before Halloween! Can you imagine? Enjoy these crisp mornings and warm days, and to make your garden more compelling, try mixing in trees and shrubs with bold leaves and a wide range of autumn color.

Occupy Wall Street demonstrators are right to protest how the middle class is getting poorer while the rich get richer, but the location of their protests — in the world’s financial capital in New York — should be about 200 miles to the southwest, in Washington, D.C.