Columns Archives

What a Corridor Is, and Why It Fits in a Mountain Yard

October 20, 2026November 6, 2026 Linda Skeffmountaingarden, wildlifecorridor, wildlifegardening

By Linda Skeff Wildlife has a tunnel under Highway 17 at Laurel Curve. The animals chose the location. Years of camera surveys, roadkill records, and collar data showed where they were already trying to cross, and the Land Trust of Santa Cruz County, Caltrans, the UC Santa Cruz Puma Project, and Pathways for Wildlife built there. A bobcat used it… Read More

Columns Real Estate Tourism

Nobody Wants to Visit Santa Cruz County? Not So Fast.

October 19, 2026October 31, 2026 slvpost.comboardwalk, realestate, santacruz, SantaCruzCounty

By MaryBeth McLaughlin In real estate, we like to say it’s all about location. But every location has a backstory, and in Santa Cruz County that backstory often explains why things are the way they are today: why a parking lot sits where it does, why so much of our redwood land is protected, why a university sits on a… Read More

Astrology Columns

Manifesting Beauty, Grace and Understanding | October 2026 Horoscope

October 2, 2026October 5, 2026 slvpost.com

By Catie Cadge PhD Every fall season, the turning of the leaves and the shortening of our days prepare us for the coming of Samhain or Halloween. We reflect upon the sweet sorrow of life’s impermanence. This month begins with Venus stopping in sky and turning retrograde at 08°29’ Scorpio on October 3rd. The retrograde motion of Venus in Scorpio… Read More

Column: Gale McCreary Columns Pets

The Bored Puppy Problem

September 28, 2026October 4, 2026 Gale McCreary

How to Keep Your New Puppy Happy By Gale McCreary, Whinny Hill Aussies A bored puppy can be a problem puppy. If as you’ve heard, one dog year equals seven human years, then one day in the life of a puppy is like a week. And when you leave your new puppy home alone for one hour, it’s like a… Read More

Columns Real Estate

Before the Rains Come: A Mountain Homeowner’s Late-Summer Checklist

September 19, 2026September 30, 2026 slvpost.com

Here in the Santa Cruz Mountains, September is an interesting in-between season. The hills are dry, fire season is still very much on our minds, and yet those of us who have lived here for a while know that the first real rains can arrive before we’ve gotten around to everything on our list. That makes September one of the… Read More

Columns Environment Gardening

The Hidden Journey of a Wild Ginger Seed

September 5, 2026September 11, 2026 Linda Skeff

By Linda Skeff Right now, along the shaded creek banks and in the redwoods of the San Lorenzo Valley, a small transaction is taking place — one most people walk past without noticing. Ants are moving seeds. It may look like nothing more than an ant carrying something slightly too large for its body. But when that ant is carrying… Read More

Astrology Columns

September Horoscope: Flashes of Revelation

September 4, 2026September 11, 2026 slvpost.com

By Catie Cadge, PhD Autumn equinox is upon us, Santa Cruz stargazers. Summer’s gone, my, oh my. But wait! We have three weeks left in Virgo season before Sun enters Libra – let’s make the most of our last days of summer! I think of the lyrics of Box of Rain by Robert Hunter, “Look out of any window, any… Read More

Column: Tom Andersen Columns Food & Drink

Pickled Rhubarb

August 30, 2026September 7, 2026 Thomas Andersen

Plus Oatmeal Rhubarb Cookies By Tom Andersen Like many of you, I’ve been here most of my life, but my family roots are in the midwest — way over there just to the left of Minnesota, the spiritual home of rhubarb and I swear the famed strawberry rhubarb pie. Rhubarb plants in that part of the world are passed down… Read More

Astrology Columns

August Horoscope: Artistic Expression and Creative Endeavors

August 3, 2026August 20, 2026 slvpost.com and Catie Cadge, PhD

By Catie Cadge PhD The beginning of August marks Lammas, an Old English harvest celebration. It is a time of summer’s greatest bounty from mother earth. Early August unfolds in the heart of Leo season! Leo the lion bursts forth with creative gifts, a generous spirit and a joyful expression of life. The height of summer is upon us in… Read More

Columns Environment Gardening

French Broom: The Plant That Fire Loves

July 28, 2026August 7, 2026 slvpost.com

From the Ground Up: Invasive of the Month: French Broom By Linda Skeff By now, French Broom (Genista monspessulana) is everywhere — blanketing hillsides, lining neighborhood roadsides, spreading in dense walls along Route 236 and Mount Hermon Road. It has been here so long that many of us barely notice it anymore. That familiarity is part of the problem. Introduced… Read More