My friend Syd died the other day. Sydney “Pops” Osenga was 94 years old and a resident of Mount Hermon since 1963. I first met Syd about 15 years ago, when he was a patient of mine. I felt a kindred spirit with him, and we struck up a friendship that grew over the years.

Scotts Valley Host Lions

Annah Terii Dowling was born at 2:55 p.m. Feb. 2, 2011, to Leila Jamillah Janbay and Timothy Dawling of Boulder Creek. She was delivered at Dominican Hospital in Santa Cruz and weighed 5 pounds, 4 ounces.

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.

Asking shoppers to think twice about finding the lowest possible price during a recession (I find the term “jobless recovery” insulting) might seem like a nonstarter. After all, non-wealthy families everywhere have had to tighten the belt in the past few years, so shopping for bargains is a no-brainer.

Anybody with enough money can turn a spare bedroom into a temperature-controlled wine palace. This column is meant for those people who are not necessarily serious wine collectors, but have enough wine that it’s worth storing it properly. Storing wine responsibly is not only easy but essential for anybody who keeps wine on hand for more than a few months.