These past couple of months have ignited quite the discussion throughout Santa Cruz County. Between colder weather, the spontaneous reopening and closing of Ross Camp, the Harm Reduction Coalition’s proposals for new syringe exchanges, and the Santa Cruz County Syringe Services listening sessions, most dinner tables in our community are abuzz with this difficult topic.  How can we best help, while limiting, the homeless population, syringe litter, and high rate of drug addiction in our county?  How do we provide shelters and services for healthier injections, but not enable a surge without progress?

On November 13th, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Leslie Chavez and Sara Clevenger, two of authors of 100 Things to do in Santa Cruz Before You Die.  We met up at Coffee Cat, their favorite cafe in Scotts Valley.  Both Leslie and Sara were quite charming and excited to chat about their new book, which is part of a national series and available in Bookshop Santa Cruz and on Amazon. 

The San Lorenzo Valley Museum had a record number of attendees (145) for their 10th annual Veterans Day dinner at Scopazzi’s in Boulder Creek this Monday.  The Santa Cruz county veterans and community members present were entertained with music, food, and speeches throughout the event. The dinner guests also helped the organization Vets 4 Vets kick off Operation Warm Embrace 2019 by collecting throw blankets. Their goal is to gift 200 veterans with cozy plush throws. 

Ben Lomond writer Logan Ryan, age 8, took 2nd place at the Southern California PBS Writers Contest award ceremony in June. His 2nd grade teacher, Gabrielle Brick, told Logan about the contest, and he decided to enter in May. Logan’s mom Brianne Ryan said, “Logan's teacher and I are so proud he won second place out of hundreds of competitors.”

You Asked For It: Shade Gardening Ideas

The Chinese hold some of the best-kept secrets in the world of cooking; a few of these I have long-ago discovered and use in many of the recipes I cook today. 

Both people and their animals can find veterinary visits a nerve-wracking experience. But you don’t need too! Annual wellness visits (as well as visit for medical concerns) are an important part of your pets’ health. There are some steps you can take to make it more pleasant.