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The rain last week was welcomed by all of us who like to watch things grow. There's a patch of grass growing beside a creek where I live that is the brightest neon green I've ever seen. Whether you call it apple green, lime green or chartreuse, it shouts that spring officially started Tuesday, March 20, the vernal equinox.

Getting caught out in the rain last month was a timely reminder that the rainy season will soon be upon us. The “Farmer's Almanac” predicts our "winter will be much rainier and cooler than normal." Weather bloggers are posting an impressive number of charts and figures that predict a general dry trend, while the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says we have an equal chance of precipitation totals going either way.

Shawn Smith of Santa Cruz has carried shrapnel in his brain since April 13, 2004 when he led his squadron of Marines in the battle of Fallujah. As part of Operation Iraqi Freedom, Sgt. Smith and his men located and retrieved classified material and coalition weapons from a U.S. helicopter that had been shot down in Fallujah, Iraq.

Last year my hubby and I agreed to do away with gifts; gifts that were expected, gifts that television and newspapers tell us we should buy, even gifts for our animals. We are at that stage in life where fortunately we really need nothing. When I put this no gift idea to Hubby Norm instantly a wave of relief spread across his face.

Santa Cruz Public Libraries and the Santa Cruz County Poet Laureate (SCCPL), in partnership with Urban Word, are celebrating the inaugural cohort of five finalists for Santa Cruz County Youth Poet Laureate (2024-25). This free celebration will take place at the Kuumbwa Jazz Center, 320-2...

On March 9, 225 contestants and 30 volunteers came together to fish, have fun and raise money for Monterey Bay Salmon and Trout Project at the Sand Crab Classic Perch Tournament.

Each year I wait for them in my garden and so do the robins, varied thrush, jays, spotted towhees, grosbeaks and band-tailed pigeons. The fruit of sambucus mexicana, a California native plant, is relished by an incredible number of songbirds. The creamy flower clusters in the spring are a favorite of bees and other beneficial insects. My Western Elderberry grows tall and gangly in the shade of a California bay tree, shorter and more compact in the sun. Their exuberance for life makes me happy just to watch them provide for so many other species.