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June Coloring
In the Mountains
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June Editor Note
Editor’s Note To say these are confusing times is an understatement. With all of our scientific knowledge and advancement, a pandemic has sent us back to a primitive world, when family and tribes were central to life. Despite the high tech gadgets that keep us linked, there are still the daily questions: What comes next? When can we see our friends? Is it safe outside? What will school be like when and if it opens?The only reassuring note we saw in the news today was the Disneyland is planning to open in the middle of July. At least that was a smile we could pass on to the kids…although, like…
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Suzanne Fiore
Local Artist Spotlight Suzanne Fiore Suzanne’s love of animals, nature, monsters, pop-culture, and storytelling has molded her into the artist she is today. She creates illustrations in both traditional and digital media. Would you love to own one of her one of a kind pieces? You can visit her website fiorecreation.com. Follow Fiore Creations on social media to see her imagination come to life @fiorecreation on Instagram and Facebook.Your kids can get hands-on instruction from this talented artist either through one-on-one lessons or at Santa Cruz Mountains Art Center’s camps or after school programs. Suzanne received her BFA in traditional illustration from the Academy of Art University, San Francisco. She…
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Grief
Walk Gently with Grief BY LINDA KAY Shortly after the Shelter in Place order was issued, I ventured to the grocery store. In almost every aisle there were employees wiping down surfaces, trying to keep shoppers free from the coronavirus. On one hand I was grateful that the store was taking this threat so seriously, on the other hand it made me terribly sad. Tears started falling. The reality of our new reality seemed to hit home that day. I went home and didn’t want to do anything. I finally laid down and took a long nap. This is not me. This is not how I generally respond to life.…
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Kitchen Witchery
A Little Kitchen Witchery BY GRETCHEN HEIMSOTH I make magic in my kitchen!! Think I am kidding? The love I infuse in my food and herb garden provides me with an abundant supply of little, fragrant green soldiers, and there is some serious alchemy. Many Generals to name in this culinary army, rosemary, thyme, the powerhouse oregano, cumin, garlic, cloves, the list is endless. We are going to focus on four common kitchen herbs. It may be a little counter-intuitive, but dried herbs offer higher antioxidant values than their fresh counterparts. Antioxidants are compounds that inhibit oxidation (think rust) from free radicals (a host of angry molecules we get bombarded…
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Not Labor
When it’s Not Really Labor BY LAURA MAXSON All labors are unique. Some begin with a bang and move right into active labor. Other times, contractions build for a bit, then stop with real labor starting hours, days or even weeks later. But what happens when poky contractions feel like labor, but persist often for several days, without kicking over to active labor? This is called prodromal labor. Because prodromal labor and normal labor have similar beginnings, it’s important for a person to pace themselves until active labor. How can we recognize real labor? Generally, it’s a labor pattern consisting of longer, stronger and closer contractions. Once the contractions…
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Oral Health
Keeping Up with Oral Health During Shelter in Place BY SEPIDEH TAHJVAEI, CHIEF DENTAL OFFICER, FROM DIENTES COMMUNITY DENTAL Remember that list of things parents would remind kids to do before leaving for school? “Do you have your backpack? Lunch? Did you brush your teeth?” Now that kids do not leave for school, the trigger (leaving the house) no longer reminds us of the important habit of brushing teeth in the morning. Parents have had to make many adjustments to their parenting routines to maintain a balance during homeschooling and sheltering in place. For parents of very young children, brushing the teeth of a wiggly, cooped-up toddler may be the…
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Fire Safety
Fire Season is Upon Us Can the Firefighters Find, Access, and Defend Your Home Safely? BY FIRESAFE SANTA CRUZ EDUCATION & OUTREACH COMMITTEE Could firefighters find your home in the middle of the night and protect it from an advancing wildland fire? Fire season is rapidly approaching, and now is the time to make sure emergency responders can get to your home safely and quickly. Use the time you may now unexpectedly have available due to the coronavirus shelter-in-place orders to work around your home and driveway. Finding your homeIf you live in a rural area, make sure your primary access road is identified with a non-flammable sign and has…
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Parenting Teens
Parenting Teens During Uncertain Times BY NICOLE M. YOUNG, MSW So much has happened – and not happened – in the last few months because of COVID-19. Schools and many child care facilities closed. Businesses closed or rapidly changed the way they serve customers. Parks and beaches closed, then reopened, then closed during peak hours of the day. Proms, graduations, birthday parties, and holiday gatherings were canceled, postponed, or changed to virtual gatherings. Many parents took on the additional job of overseeing distance learning, and many others lost their jobs and are struggling financially. Some days, the pace of change and level of stress caused by COVID-19 is dizzying and…
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Zoom
Staying Safe on Zoom BY ERIK CHALHOUB Most teachers are relying on video conferencing platforms to instruct their students since COVID-19 has forced schools to go virtual. When used correctly, these platforms can be the next best thing to being there in person. Teachers can share slides and interact with their students through voice and text dialogue. But like everything in existence, it only takes a few bad apples to ruin the experience for the rest of us.Instances of “Zoom-bombing” have risen dramatically over the past few months. The term, named after the popular Zoom video conferencing platform, refers to when an uninvited user logs into a public meeting and…
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Fathers Story
When a Father Has to Let Go of His Son BY JASON GARNER Some friends come by for a visit with their 18-month-old. After a few minutes of peek-a-boo and smiles behind daddy, she’s running around the house. Laughing. Falling down. Crying. “Doggie!” She screams and my dog jumps. She runs and cries some more. “TV!” She wants to watch Elmo. I buy an episode. “Melmo!” She giggles, throws her arms up, and sways along. She’s adorable, a tornado, the Energizer Bunny with dimples and a diaper. The whole house is exhausted. “Does this stage last long?” Her mother asks earnestly. My son is moving out. He’s turned 20 and…
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OFB
Open for Business Adventure Sports Unlimited303 Potrero Street, #15, Santa Cruz831.458.3648asudoit.comAdventure Sports Unlimited, where Santa Cruz learns to love the water! Come play with us! Alison K. Jackson, DDS Children’s Dentistrywww.santacruzkidsdentist.com We are seeing patients again! We missed you! Check our website for updates and changes. Please don’t hesitate to call us. Coast Benefits & Insurance Services 905 W. Linden Rd. Watsonville, CA 95076 831-728-4977 CoastBenefits.net Coast Benefits & Insurance Services has been marketing individual, small group insurance plans and Medicare counseling and enrollment in Medigap Supplemental plans since 1999. Encompass Community ServicesYouth & Family Counseling831-429-8350encompasscs.org/youth_services_counselingEncompass Community Services offers FREE comprehensive mental health and substance use counseling for Santa…
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Pet Adoption
Pet Adoption Frenzy Since Shelter in Place Order People Who Put off Getting a Pet are Picking Them up Now BY NATALYA DRESZER There has been a frenzy of animal adoptions since the Shelter in Place Order in March, according to animal shelters in Santa Cruz County. Erika Anderson, 27, is the Program and Development Manager at the Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter. She said there hasn’t been an influx in animals available for adoption, but animals are being adopted as soon as they’re available. “It’s crazy, because as soon as we put them on the website available for adoption they’re pretty much adopted,” Anderson said, “Especially with dogs.” Even…
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Spring Concert
The Show Must Go On BY PAIGE BERARDO Like most schools, the Kirby School campus in Santa Cruz is normally a hive of activity during spring semester. Now classrooms once filled with pre-finals jitters and the pomp of closing weeks of school are still. The school is COVID quiet — except for one room. Our Choral and Instrumental Directors, Alex Koppel and Ricardo Anzaldo — wearing masks and with at least 6’ in between one another — are busily redesigning the recording studio to produce a socially-distant Digital Spring Concert. Historically, Kirby’s Spring Music Concert is an annual celebration; a pageant of talent and hard work. It includes a special…
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Grad Signs
Plant a Sign for Seniors BY SUKI WESSLING When you drive around Aptos neighborhoods, you can’t miss the signs. They popped up last month as if by magic in front of homes with graduating seniors. But it wasn’t magic in the beginning. It was actually from a chance meeting between two moms that the project began.A huge disappointment Sandi Kolossa struggles to find the right word for how her family was feeling in late April. “When the rest of the school year was called off, there was that little moment of, especially for the senior, my son, I think that disappointment is—I don’t even know what the right word is—harsh?…
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My Quarantine Learning Journey
My Quarantine Learning Journey BY GRACE TIMAN Quarantine, a time when worries fill our minds about the uncertain future, and my own mind hasn’t been focused on anything but school assignments. As a part of the generation raised with technology, it has always been a significant part of my life. I never thought, however, that I would have to rely on a laptop for my attendance. Within a week of school cancellation our entire school had swiftly adjusted to the online requirement. Although grateful for the timely changes, it came with some setbacks. I had never heard of Zoom before and only three of my teachers posted on Google Classroom,…
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Distance Learning Success
Distance Learning Success BY SUKI WESSLING Looking for the silver lining in a COVID cloud, or making lemonade out of viral lemons? Choose your metaphor for what’s happening around Santa Cruz County now that we’ve parented and educated through quarantine. Educators around the county, at first teaching by the seats of their pajama pants, not only learned to adjust and cope, but also to consider the bright side of this new teaching model they were thrust into. Below we share insights and successes from preschool through high school, from public school to private school. Our teachers are a resourceful, committed bunch! Westlake Elementary As a paraeducator, I don’t usually get…
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SLV Rocks
SLV Rocks Out to Feed Families On April 15, SLVHS Math Teacher Rob Lahey reached out to SLVUSD Superintendent Dr. Laurie Bruton with an idea to help SLV residents amidst the COVID-19 crisis. Both of them had been wondering how to pool the SLV community resources and allow neighbors to help neighbors. After two days, they created SLV Food For Families. In one month, $31,000 has been raised. Families in need can apply through the district web page. Each week the fund has given out $10,000. Trying to rally the community and entertain at the same time, Rob Lahey started creating playlists via youtube of local musicians. Each week Lahey…
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Relinquishing
Relinquishing BY LISA CATTERALL She decided to free herself, dance into the wind, create a new language. And birds fluttered around her, writing “yes” in the sky. With their beautiful markings, exotic eyes and streamlined shape, White-tailed Kites almost seem like a fantasy bird, dreamed up by a writer doing a story about wizards and dragons. They have long white wings, flashing red eyes, and they are the shape of a falcon. They have a unique ability to hover in the midst of wind in one place, waiting for their prey to pass beneath. They also love storms. While many animals hunker down in their burrows or under their umbrella…
