The Mountain Gardener
You can feel it. When school starts, Indian summer usually starts, too, and already we’re basking in lots of sunshine.
Comedy Corner: A visit to Mount Hermon Road Speedway
I live in Felton and recently accepted a temp job at a company in Scotts Valley. Driving to Scotts Valley around 7:30 a.m. is rather new for me, and until I have had my first cup of coffee, I tend to be completely oblivious to my surroundings — except for a morning several weeks ago.
The Mountain Gardener: Deer-resistant plants are stars of the mountain garden
Recently, I stood just inside my screen door watching a young doe and her fawn browse on plants that are supposed to be deer-resistant.
Off Hours: Flyin’ and floatin’
Three-day weekends are welcomed throughout the year, but especially so in the summer. The Labor Day holiday is particularly sweet; it generally marks the imminent start of the school year — a final wild weekend before locals get their ’hood back from the tourists and parent get a break from having to occupy and entertain their kids 24-7.
New Faces
* Twins Alden Scott Lemus and Beau Dylan Lemus were born to Katrina Elan Ramey and Michael Raymond Lemus of Ben Lomond on July 23, 2010, at Dominican Hospital in Santa Cruz. Alden, born at 12:58 p.m., weighed 5 pounds, 1 ounce, and Beau, born at 1 p.m., weighed 5 pounds, 3 ounces.
Wine Lover: Blending versus single-varietal depends on place
There are many competing paradigms in the world of vino, and one of the most intriguing is whether winemakers should blend their wines together or bottle their wines individually by varietal.
Your Health: CPR updated
What would you do if you saw someone collapse and fall to the ground in front of you? Some might panic and do nothing. Some might at least call for help, and others might attempt some form of CPR.
Let’s Go Fishin’: Big animals make a big impression in the bay
While fishing in the Monterey Bay tends to be my main focus in this column, I have to give respect to the amazing marine mammals in the outer waters, as well.
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. Check out www.pressbanner.com to submit your own listings that will appear in our online Datebook.
It’s the law: To guard teens, stop the enablers
When I was a teenager and knew everything, I reveled in the countless Hollywood movies that depicted teenagers saving the universe. We were always smarter and quicker than those slow-witted adults, whether they were parents or the authorities. Our decision-making prowess was nonpareil. It never occurred to me that those feeble parents were once super-smart, quick teenagers. How they went slow and dorky, I just don’t know.
News Briefs | Published July 4, 2025
Tree removal leads to temporary closure on Big Basin Highway
Caltrans will temporarily close a section of southbound Highway 236 (Big Basin Highway) left on...