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Every year about this time, I get excited about what fruit trees I'm going to recommend for those who want to start a home orchard or add to their edible gardens. Will this be the year you get a Cox's Orange Pippin apple or an American Golden Russet? Maybe an oldie but goodie like a Golden Delicious apple will become the treasure of your family. But, then again, there's the Mutsu, a favorite of connoisseurs, which might get the nod.

It's not just another garden show, it's the world-renowned San Francisco Flower and Garden show — and it was the perfect start to spring at the end of March.

In the year 2025, cities and towns across the country will be planning and executing some fairly audacious infrastructure projects. The State of New York plans to expand the Hudson Tunnel along the northeast corridor; Interstate 5 along the West Coast will undergo its...

Once long ago, just to the south of Boulder Creek, there was another small town called Lorenzo. This unimaginatively named settlement was the brainchild of local lumberman and entrepreneur, Joseph Wilburn Peery.

The Church of San Agustin, nestled in the hills above Santa Cruz, is named after the original Mexican Land Grant, “San Agustin Ranchero,” which comprises all of the Scotts Valley area. The parish was established in 1969, three years after the small community of Scotts Valley incorporated into a city. A house on the property was remodeled to become the parish rectory. The first Mass was celebrated in a field next this house on June 8, 1969 by our first pastor, Father Michael MacDonald. Mass was also celebrated at the Scotts Valley School and then in an enlarged converted barn/garage on the property until ground breaking for the new multipurpose building began in September of 1969. The building was completed the following year in September of 1970. Our beautiful Spanish mission style cross was fashioned by the San Agustin Men’s Committee from a Santa Cruz Mountain redwood tree. Its dedication in April 1971 marked the first Easter in the new chapel. The Sante Fe train bell hanging over the church was given to the parish by the Weinmann family and installed in April of 1972 and later dedicated to the memory of our first pastor, Father Mac. 

Whether you celebrated Christmas, Kwanzaa or Hanukkah, this time of year is special to each of us in our own way. We really do greet friends and neighbors with a bigger smile and a warm holiday wish when we see them on the street, at a community event or even in a store.

From her sprawling ranch-style home not far from Lockewood Lane in Scotts Valley, novelist Christine Z. Mason beckons readers who enjoy intricate plotting, fascinating characters and an exciting story.