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The Scotts Valley High girls varsity soccer team defeated the visiting San Lorenzo Valley High 3-1 on Tuesday, Jan. 7 and the boys followed suit with a 3-0 win the following day.

 Have you ever had any of these experiences?

Maybe we can't improve on Mother Nature but can we learn from her to make our own gardens more beautiful. My late summer travels this year took me to Lake Mary in the Mammoth Lake area where I began to get ideas. This small Sierra lake formed in a depression in the glacial moraine below majestic Crystal Crag. Dozens of small streams keep the meadows blooming with wildflowers even in August. Huge granite slabs and obsidian domes create an impressive landscape. Everywhere I looked I saw how the plants, stone and water came together to make a combination that would look incredible in a regular garden.

Recently I visited a garden of glass, and it was spectacular.

The Japanese call them Living Treasures — elders who have been officially designated as “holders of important intangible resources.” If our community gave such awards, Fred McPherson would certainly be a recipient.

First, I am so sorry. There is nothing quite like losing the foundation from underneath you. Please know that you are not alone… though there will be days that go by where you feel as though you are. Please know that there is a community here for you when you are ready. Give yourself time to grieve however you need to and know that it is okay to receive help and assistance (every one of us will need to ask for help at one point in our lives). Try and find a few trusted friends/family members that can be your pillars of support so that they can assist in carrying some of the weight on your shoulders.

The former Aviza property near Scotts Valley’s Skypark appears to be nearly ready to receive a clean bill of health from environmental inspectors, after more than three decades of federal “Super Fund” cleanup activity.