Former Santa Cruz area songbird Lacy J. Dalton says she’s always had a fond place in her heart for Santa Cruz and San Lorenzo Valley, where she grew her folk-country-Americana sound in the hippie era of the late 1960s and early 1970s.

About five years ago. I was checking my credit card account when I noticed a purchase in Albany, New York, with a vendor I didn’t recognize. Since I haven’t been to Albany in about 40 years, I had a sneaky suspicion something was awry. It turned out to be a purchase at an adult bookstore.

You know that growing your own fruit and vegetables can supply your family with fresh-tasting and nutritious food. But what if you don’t have much space for a big garden or an orchard of fruit trees? Nowadays there are many dwarf and compact varieties available for smaller yards and containers. Here are some good ones to try.

The weathered sign that points to the hidden park stands unnoticed by the traffic moving up the mountain. In the small, dusty parking lot, tan oaks and poison oak surround the few cars.

EDITOR,

EDITOR,

The third Saturday in April has been a date that marks the spring opening for trout season for decades. But with more privately owned lakes, there is less water regulated by the state and more areas that do not rely on the traditional opening day. The communities that do rely on opening day have been anticipating the opener and have increased stocking programs and set up derbies to bring more visitors.

Swine influenza (aka swine flu) is most commonly a respiratory infection caused by a virus that up to now has been confined to pigs. There have previously been few reported cases of transmission of this disease to human beings.

There’ll be a whole new look to the kickoff of Christmas season in Scotts Valley.