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My garden is alive with birds. Butterflies and bees also seem to find it an interesting place to visit.

San Lorenzo Valley Unified School District used to teach just under 2,300 students a year, but that’s dropped to around 2,100. And, unlike in such districts as Los Gatos-Saratoga, where residents pitch in directly through property taxes, SLVUSD gets government education funding based on how...

There are so many great plants that don't require a lot of water to look beautiful. It's always a plus if they attract hummingbirds and other wildlife. Some favorites are so reliable that we consider them tried and true. Who doesn't want to include more plants like this in the garden? On the lookout for cultivars of old favorites, I came across a few that I plan to include this year in my own garden and also in upcoming drought tolerant designs. I'm excited.

When I think of autumn, I think of how the gold leaves of the sycamores and the big leaf maples illumine the forest and the river. And when I think of the river, I think of what Fred McPherson, local naturalist and videographer, has always said; “The river is my teacher.”

I was talking with a neighbor the other day, and I asked him how life was going. He replied, ‘Oh, you know, it’s like an EKG graph; up and down.”  This got me thinking about the heartbeat of life. It does consist of up and down phases. With Covid-19, social justice issues, and politics, this has been a challenging year. These stressors are on top of the other difficulties we are already experiencing in our own personal lives. Then came the fires, which pushed most all of us over the edge into emotional exhaustion. In the heartbeat of life, we are definitely experiencing a down phase on that EKG graph!

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.

I have an Autumnalis flowering cherry tree that blooms year round. The last blooming cycle started in late November and it’s still blooming now despite heavy rains. This tree came into my life 20 years ago as a bare root tree. Now, we’re old friends.

 In between storms, I’m itching to get outside and do something in the garden. It’s too early to cut back the perennials as some frosty nights are sure to come our way between now and mid-March. But it’s just the right time to start pruning the roses. It’s best to prune your roses before they start leafing out or some of their energy will be wasted.