Did you know there is a Madam Ya Ya’s Red Hat Society in our community? Queen Arlene LaBorde knows and she is telling us all about it.

All this talk about “drought tolerant” plants or “water smart” plants is misleading in some ways. What really matters for the success of a plant in your garden is that they are climate smart. You can call the new California garden climate tolerant or climate adapted but it all comes down to the same thing. The plants you choose to grow in your garden should be able to naturally tolerate periods of lower than average water. This doesn’t mean no water during extremely long dry periods. No plant can live without water.

I remember my first San Francisco Landscape Garden show, as it used to be called. The year was 1989 — not long after the event started as a fundraiser for San Francisco Friends of Recreation and Parks. My father and I loved it — all those orchids and bonsai and beautiful gardens!

People with big hearts live in Scotts Valley and the surrounding community!

Who knew there is a huge California connection with the early history of aviation? Local Craig S. Harwood, engineering geologist related to John J. Montgomery, knew. He and Gary B. Fogel wrote, “Quest for Flight: John J. Montgomery and the Dawn of Aviation in the West.”

The 11-0 victory for the San Lorenzo Valley High baseball team for the first game of the 2016 season on Feb. 24 was not the only high point for players and fans that day.

Driving up Love Creek in Ben Lomond it’s hard to imagine the magnitude of the famous slide in 1982 that caused such devastation and loss of life. The ferns are lush now bordering the creek which flows to the San Lorenzo river. I’m on my way to visit an old friend, Chris Howe who is getting his bonsai collection ready for the Santa Cruz Bonsai Kai Club’s 28th Annual show coming up on the first weekend of April. We used to work together at a local nursery and I’m looking forward to seeing his plants.

Kay Mendoza was recently awarded the Hometown Hero Award surrounded by staff and students at Coast Redwood Charter School.