Kiwanis of the Valleys

I went from being a renter to a homeowner in 1984 because I got sick and tired of those friendly little notices in my mailbox every six months cheerfully notifying me that the rent on my apartment was going up another fifty bucks a month.

Local ocean fishing has been big news and mostly consisting of negative press. The combination of crab closures due to domoic acid counts and the Santa CruzHarbor shoaled up has created great hardship for local fishermen.

There seems to be some confusion when it comes to understanding the difference between palliative care and hospice. They are both distinctive medical disciplines and often work together.

 A Facebook friend recently posted a picture of gummosis on her dwarf nectarine. While pruning her fruit trees she found the sticky stuff and shared her plight. While some folks post pictures of babies and political opinions on their Facebook page, my friends post pictures of plants and their fruit trees. Yes, if you haven’t already done so, this is the time to winter prune fruit trees and apply dormant spray to fend off diseases and insect pests. With rainfall expected throughout the spring, this is not the year to omit this important task.

Generally, my hubby stays clear of the kitchen near dinner time not wanting to slow the progress from ‘stove to plate’ so to speak, but last night was different. The meat marinating in the Ziploc bag had caught his eye and I saw him glancing at the clock as if to question how long it would be until the contents of the bag would be on his plate.

I have an Autumnalis flowering cherry tree that blooms year round. The last blooming cycle started in late November and it’s still blooming now despite heavy rains. This tree came into my life 20 years ago as a bare root tree. Now, we’re old friends.

Winter storms and large swells have shifted sand and brought barred surf perch. There is something about walking the beach between winter storms as the ocean rages and clouds form a backdrop while fishing for winter perch. The energy from the ocean as you comb the beach in search of treasures and fish is exciting. Walking the beach for perch is also a great way to burn a few holiday calories.