I'll be vacationing the next week in southern Mexico, traveling east from the state of Chiapas to the Yucatan peninsula. In addition to exploring ruins, waterfalls, cenotes and flamingo breeding grounds, I'll be especially interested in the local plants, which vary from hardwood forests of mahogany and cedar to tropical.

I know this gardening season isn't over yet, but I'm already looking forward to next spring and all the fabulous new plant introductions that will be available for our gardens and patios. Some are already being grown on a limited basis by the wholesale growers, while others won't become available until 2011. Recently, I had the opportunity to view up-close and personal some of these new unique perennials, shrubs and grasses. It's exciting to envision them in our own gardens.

The weather is not the only thing that changes in the fall. Many fishing seasons close and others open at this time of year. Sport fishing, commercial fishing and even our local markets change in regard to what local seafood we can catch or buy.

The housing market in and around Scotts Valley can be broken down into three categories: the good, the bad and the ugly.