Community

Whether you want them to or not all gardens change with time. It’s part of nature that the fittest survive. Possibly you have different ideas of what you want your garden to look like but it’s hard to fool Mother Nature. Several years ago...

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!

By Colly Gruczelak, Plain Talk About Food Pulling the last tray of maraschino cookies from the oven I noticed that darkness was descending on our Ben Lomond neighborhood and I worked quickly to finish my cleanup. Settling into a chair in front of my kitchen...

Claire English, now a 4th grader at BrookKnollElementary School in ScottsValley, was born a healthy baby that loved to laugh and play. However, after her first birthday, she was not able to pull herself up to stand. When she was two years old, she was diagnosed with a rare genetic disorder called Rett Syndrome.

We all celebrate the holidays in a different way. Each family has its own traditions and warm memories from years gone by. Some of us celebrate Christmas, some Hanukkah, some Kwanzaa. Many of our traditional Christmas customs originate from Winter Solstice celebrations. The plants...

Once upon a time when our area was underwater there were no parks or trails or trees or gardens. I'm thankful that our mountains rose from an ancient ocean so we could enjoy this beautiful place we call home.  I'm thankful for the Bigleaf maples that shower me with...

T’was the night before Christmas and all through the garden, The creatures were stirring, the deer got a pardon.  The hummingbird feeders were hung by the chimney with care, In hopes that the Anna’s soon would be there.  The flowering cherries were nestled all snug in their beds, While...

How many of us are short on time, but still want to get our training in. We don’t necessarily need to spend an hour or more training each day. The benefits of shorter sessions provide increased flexibility in your daily schedule and allow you...

It was a sell-out crowd for the big Alfred Hitchcock Festival opener last weekend at the new performing arts center in Scotts Valley. The life-size bird replica on his left shoulder of one attendee was proof of just how engaged local residents were in the...