Your Health: Start new year with healthy resolutions
As we prepare to leave the old year behind and greet the New Year, I would like to propose the following health-related resolutions:
The Mountain Gardener: A gardener’s 12 days of Christmas
Here is a Christmas carol medley written especially for readers here in the Santa Cruz Mountains.
Off Hours: Privacy protection not easy to come by in digital world
I had to call on my friend, Dave The Destroyer, the other day. In spite of up-to-date antivirus protection for my computer, a Trojan horse slipped through.
Dear Santa…
The Press Banner invited local residents to share their letters to Santa. Here is a sampling.
The Wine Lover: Give some thought to how you store wine
Storing wine correctly is important, even for those who never keep a bottle of wine in the house for more than a week or two. A variety of dos and don’ts will ensure that your wine stays good until you’re ready to drink it.
Year of Firsts: Dad’s visit sheds light on mountain living
When my dad flew out for Thanksgiving, I couldn’t wait to show him my new home in the Santa Cruz Mountains. He couldn’t wait to buy me a chain saw! So began a new phase in our father-daughter relationship.
The Mountain Gardener: Simple steps can protect from cold snaps
Frozen flakes of rich, yellow ginkgo leaves at the base of my trees wasn’t what I had in mind when I wrote last week’s column. I watched them land with a soft thud on the frosty ground this morning.
Let’s Go Fishin’: San Lorenzo steelhead wait for more rain
The San Lorenzo River opened to steelhead fishing Dec. 1 with low flows and very little interest from anglers. The flows are less than 50 cubic feet per second, but with more storms on the horizon, new fish will enter the river soon.
Your Health: Treat little ones’ cough, cold with care
Over-the-counter cough and cold medications to alleviate cold symptoms in young children are being largely withdrawn from pharmacy shelves. This is because of unintentional misuse or overdose of these medications causing harm and, rarely, death, especially in children younger than 2.
Three candidates vie for two Scotts Valley council seats
Mike Zeller, the director of programming and project delivery for the Transportation Agency for Monterey County, is the relative newcomer on the Scotts Valley...












