A longtime educator is trying to “balance the board” of the Scotts Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees in the upcoming election. George St. Clair, who has worked extensively in education, as a teacher and a tutorial center coordinator among other roles, believes he has an inside look at how school administration works “at all levels.”

It was an especially fragrant bouquet of roses on my dining table this week that got me thinking about what an incredible thing our sense of smell is. It’s the only sense that has a direct connection to our brains. We can detect at least a trillion distinct scents. Our scent cells are renewed every 30 to 60 days. Some of the most pleasurable scents, according to recent research, include vanilla, some orange scents, cinnamon, crayons and cookies. I don’t have any crayon or cookie scented flowers but wouldn’t that be a great addition in the garden?

Scotts Valley City Council race is shaping up to be between two incumbent city council members and a political newcomer. Scotts Valley resident Derek Timm will be running against current city council member Stephanie Aguilar and Mayor Jim Reed for one of two available seats in this year’s election.

All plants need water- even those that are tolerant of our summer dry conditions. Water makes up 90-98 percent of every plant we grow. It's needed for photosynthesis, as well as reproduction and defense against pests.

 Last week, Mattress Recycling Council (MRC) and the Bye Bye Mattress Program announced Assemblymember Mark Stone (D-Monterey Bay) as a recipient of the 2018 Environmental Stewardship Award for his outstanding commitment toward protecting California’s coastline from illegal development and advancing policies to strengthen clean water supplies. The Environmental Stewardship Award recognizes and commends California legislators who have made significant contributions toward protecting California’s environment and who best exemplify environmental stewardship.

They’re called the Dog Days of summer. You know those sultry days with the hottest summer temperatures. The Romans associated the hot weather between July 24th and August 24th with the star Sirius which they considered to be the “Dog Star” because it’s the brightest star in the constellation Canis Major (Large Dog). The Old Farmer’s Almanac uses slightly different dates but the Dog Days of summer are definitely here.

While harvesting blueberries at a friends’ garden I started thinking of the color blue and why it appeals to all of us gardeners. I was taking care of this fabulous garden while the owners were out of town so I had a lot of time to enjoy all of the plants including the blue flowering ones.

Citizens for Orderly Growth in Scotts Valley (CFOG) is a recently organized, “educational and collaborative” advocacy group that has every intention of becoming a grassroots force to be reckoned with in the face of “uncontrolled growth” in Scotts Valley, according to its organizers .

Dealing with one of the worst droughts on record and then the largest, most destructive wildfires in California’s history, the Secretary of California’s Natural Resources Agency has his hands full. The Natural Resource Agency is a sprawling, cabinet-level state agency overseeing and coordinating 25 different departments, from Cal Fire to the Department of Water Resources with a lot to coordinate over the last several years.