Mountain Mama
Healthy Tidbits
SLV Crime Blotter
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Volume 10: Issue: 10
The History of Halloween
by Autumn Savoy This year, Halloween falls on Sunday, October 31. After a year off, we are thrilled to attend Trick or Treat Street in Boulder Creek, Ben lomond and Felton, with your little costumed goblins to gather treats. You know to attend the Witches Ball the night before at the Brookdale Lodge. But do you know the true meaning of Halloween? It’s my favorite holiday, and it is very interesting to learn about. Gather ‘round! All Saint’s Day started all the way back in 906 A.D. In fact, the festival was initially held in the Spring, then later moved to November 1st. In 1000 A.D. November 2nd became All Soul’s Day, to honor (you guessed it) the dead. All Soul’s Day was celebrated much like how we currently celebrate Halloween, with costumed attire, parades, and bonfires. This is where Trick or Treating came from, in the form of handing out soul *************ECRWSSEDDM**************** Postal Customer Boulder Creek CA 95006 Felton CA 95018, Ben Lomond CA 95005
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cakes in exchange for prayers for the dead. The difference between All Hallow’s Eve (or Halloween) and Samhain, is Halloween is always held on October 31, Samhain is held in the middle between the fall and winter equinox, it’s a seasonal Wiccan celebration. Samhain is historic in itself, beginning as a Celtic holiday, peppered with bewitching pagan rituals, fire festivals, and sacrificing farm animals for the harvest meals. In the UK, their New Year began on November 1st. It was believed that the living and the dead coexisted on this First Night. Creepy! It wasn’t until the 1800’s that Halloween became more of the fun holiday that we know and love today. It was no longer solely about tricks and witchcraft. Halloween today means haunted houses, spooky parties, carving Jack o’ Lanterns, and perhaps a pagan ritual or two, just for old time’s sake. Speaking of Jack o’ Lanterns, as the story goes “Jack” was a generic name for a man when you didn’t know his name. Therefore, a man you didn’t know carrying a lantern became Jack o’ Lantern. Silly! Carving a pumpkin, potato, Continued page 3
October-November 2021
Halloween in Boulder Creek 2019. Photos by SLV Steve
Explore Mid-County History in New Book on the Lumber Industry in the Late 1800s
They came with axes. They came with oxen. They came with greed. Nearly 150 years ago, a group of venture capitalists began the clear-cutting of what became The Forest of Nisene Marks. By 1902, the decimation along Aptos Creek was complete, leaving behind nothing but broken trees and barren hills as far as the eye could see. In his new book, The Reign of the
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Lumber Barons, local researcher Ronald G. Powell chronicles the golden age of the lumber industry in the hills above Aptos and Corralitos at the end of the nineteenth century. Through first-hand accounts, newspaper clippings, and personal explorations, he examines how Santa Cruz County’s entrepreneurs systematically harvested tens of thousands of old-growth trees to produce lumber used in Continued page 8
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letter from the publisher Happy Fall My Friends, As the first rain drops fall and the chill in the air grows every day I want to take a moment to say thank you. Maybe it is the upcoming Thanksgiving that reminds me how grateful I am to live among such wonderful people. Here in the mountains life is never boring. We are always facing some kind of challenge and we always overcome it together. Thank you all for standing together and thank you for always being there for each other.
All our hearts go out to the family who lost everything this month. Such an amazing kid. My son barely takes off the all stars sweatshirt which has his name. This Thanksgiving my family will be thankful for each other and pray for a little peace for the family. Tomorrow is never promised so lets all remember to appreciate each other. Thank you for being my town, my community and my friends. Happy Thanksgiving. Wendy Sigmund
opinion Hi Stefan (and your SWRCB colleagues), As one of several hundred customers of Big Basin Water Company (BBW) in Boulder Creek, California, I’m writing to you because we want to know what the State regulatory agency is doing to fix our very broken water system that continues to endanger our health. We understand that the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) set several deadlines for BBW owner Jim Moore to comply with, and that he’s missed at least some. But we don’t know what the consequences are for failure to comply or whether you’ve actually carried out any enforcement. What requirements were mandated? Have any been fulfilled? We see no difference. This situation is much more urgent than you may realize, directly affecting our drinking water quality and, consequently, our health. On many occasions since last year’s CZU Lightning Complex Fire destroyed much of BBW’s infrastructure, there’ve been many water outages and leaks that affected water quality. Yet in nearly every incident, unless we customers happen to look at the BBW website at the exact right time when BBW gets around to posting a notice— or happen to notice the specific Nextdoor social media posts at the exact right time—we have no idea that our water, in our part of the system, might be contaminated, or to what degree. By the time anyone ever gets notified of a boil order or do-not-boil order—if we get notified at all—enough time has passed to make people sick by drinking or washing with it. In a recent event I experienced, my water ran brown off and on for two days. A more recent and more dangerous event causing a boil order left people ignorant for hours, during which time they could have drunk the water and become ill. Both were reported in this Santa Cruz Sentinel article. The company is nearly impossible to communicate with: only two people with cellphones who NEVER answer them. As their website
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now states, there is only an answering service with people taking messages, many of which never get a callback and may—or more likely may not—get any physical response. My emails in my recent two-day incident were never answered. Only after I raised a ruckus on Nextdoor did Jim Moore show up to fix my local leak, and even then, no one explained why my water was running brown. Did that mean we could boil it and drink it? Boil it but only wash certain things with it? Or not boil it at all and have to go buy bottled water? How are we supposed to know if we’re not being notified? I finally insisted the answering service call the office and get them to tell me what it meant. But this was relayed to me by the service’s employee, not a company employee. It’s a miracle that no one has yet become ill from tardy notice, or lack of notification, as far as I know. I’m sick of hearing that this privately-held company only has two employees. For the first 20 years I lived here, that was OK. But since the fire, it’s not been run like—nor is it serving its customers like—an actual public utility. What happened to the possible annexation of this dysfunctional, broken company and its broken system by the robust, fully-functional San Lorenzo Valley Water District? Why isn’t your agency doing what only it can do, which is take over BBW and make this transfer happen? It’s my understanding that, as indicated by a recent survey, most of us customers want this annexation. I sure do. Some of us customers have heard for months now that the SWRCB is doing “something” to help fix our ongoing water supply and water quality problems. Many people are afraid to stick their necks out to contact their elected officials or the media about this, fearing blowback from Jim Moore or his son. Many of them are also afraid to write or call the SWRCB office, assuming they even know you exist. And most of them don’t because they’re too busy trying to rebuild Continued page 6
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SLV History
Halloween History ground; imagine a huge, ovalshaped turnip, from 6 to 20 feet across the top, and all the way from 2 to 7 feet deep, and you have a fair idea of the “Burl” as it is found in its native state. Boulder Creek is the only place on the Pacific Slope where the prospecting, mining and preparation of these monster freaks is carried on as a business. It was here their discovery was made, and it was established as a rival of eastern and foreign hardwoods for decorative, furnishing and finishing purposes, through the investigation and experiments of A. J. Baldwin, a Boulder Creek resident, and from whom it takes its name, “Baldwin Burl,” by which it is known to the trade.
Baldwin’s Burl MAMMOTH REDWOOD BURL “MINED” ON THE TIMBER CLAIM OF GEORGE HARTMAN, ON KING (sic) CREEK, FOUR MILES ABOVE BOULDER CREEK. - Excerpt from the Mountain Echo, February 3, 1912 Transcribed by Lisa Robinson Sempervirens “Burl” Redwood is a vegetable growth that is rapidly disappearing, partaking much of the nature of a freak, and is pre-eminently a California vegetable monstrosity. It is never found other than under the ground, and only as the root of the “Sequoia Sempervirens.” Don’t confuse “Burl” with “curly redwood” or “birdseye”; “curly redwood” is a wavy grain of the
wood split from the trunk of the tree; “birdseye” grows in the form of an excrescence or wart, on the trunk of the tree, above ground, and while it slightly resembles “Burl,” it is wholly lacking the beautiful effects of flowers, leaves and tracings of nature that appear in the grain of polished “Burl.” Both “curly redwood” and “birdseye” are found in all species of redwood, “Burl” only in the Sequoia Sempervirens. “Burl” grows like a turnip, in the
by Lisa Robinson In 1904, Andrew Jackson Baldwin, a redwood artist, noticed that there was a huge burl on the road to Big Basin. In fact, when the road first opened it ran right over the burl. Over the next twenty years, the traffic slowly eroded the soil and the burl became an obstruction. No one realized its value until it was examined by Baldwin. He negotiated a deal for its extraction with the owner of the land, Fannie Welch, and mined the enormous “turnip.” It was circular, twenty-seven feet in diameter and from one to three feet thick. In order to transport it to Joseph Peery’s sawmill it had to be cut into forty-three sections. It was estimated to yield 10,000 board feet of beautiful burl lumber; at half the going rate of $2 per board foot, that’s $10,000. Several of the milled boards were one and a half inches thick, twofeet wide and ten feet long, which he purportedly sold for saloon bar tops. The boards and planks were considered “the finest lot of burl redwood that has ever been cut in the state.”
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turnup on any root vegetable and putting in your window was said to ward off evil spirits. Have you carved yours yet? In 2021, the National Retail Federation predicts $10.14 billion will be spent on Halloween. All Saint’s Day, Samhain, and Halloween mean spooky decorations in and outside of your home, strings of lights, costumes for you, the kids, grandparents and the pets. With bags of tiny candy bars for Trick or Treaters, giant pumpkins for carving, Halloween has become big business! It’s also become fun, familiar and traditional, such as my family’s in watching It’s the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown, Hocus Pocus and The Nightmare Before Christmas. Netflix and chill at it’s finest! Halloween also means the beginning of the rainy season here in the mountains. Gentle rain is starting to fall. It is time to consider stockpiling some seasoned firewood, readying the generator and keeping a full gas tank. But first, gather some trick or treat candy bars, pop some popcorn and enjoy all the spooky festivities of the Halloween season. Happy Halloween, Samhain, All Soul’s and All Saint’s Days!
Photo by SLV Steve
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Taking the Bull by the horns with humans, it’s also confusing the animal world. Recent research shows our climate change is also having an impact on turtle nesting sites as it alters the temperature of the sand which then affects whether the hatchlings are male or female. Sea levels are rising and the waters are becoming warmer for longer periods of time. The longer the drought continues, it threatens our crops and freshwater supplies and affects animals from the polar bears in Alaska to the turtles in South Africa.
The World Is Changing by Kevin Foster It’s quite obvious that we are seeing changes in the world constantly. In the animal world, we are seeing changes due to weather patterns and drought. In mammals, we are seeing mating cycles changing. For instance, we at our animal rescue just received a baby
kit raccoon. Mating season for raccoons generally falls between January and June. Most females begin reproducing around age 1. The female has a 65 day gestation period and usually gives birth to 3 to 5 kits in the spring. Receiving a less than two week old raccoon in mid October shows signs that climate change is not only messing
THE MOUNTAINEAR Winterize in a Weekend
by MaryBeth McLaughlin & MJ Stearns of Room Real Estate Have you been putting off winterizing your home? As cold weather approaches, it is important to take a few preventative measures to protect your home through the chilly months. Winterizing is generally a task that can be done relatively inexpensively, but will make a big difference in how comfortable your home is, and could end up saving you money on energy bills. Why you should winterize your house: It’s important to winterize your house each year to save on heating costs and prevent potential damage to your furnace, plumbing and roof. Winterizing your home is a process, but you should wrap up any outdoor work in the fall before it gets too cold to work outside. You can tackle the indoor projects last.
Winterization Checklist 1. Furnace Tune-Up This one’s easy. All you have to do is call to your HVAC professional and schedule a time for them to come out. An annual tune-up keeps your furnace running efficiently. If you’re handy, you can do some furnace maintenance yourself.
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2. Check for Air Leaks If your house feels drafty, check the weather-stripping around doors. It might be time to replace it. 3. Check Your Roof Loose or missing shingles invite roof leaks. This can be checked with a quick visual inspection. 4. Add Insulation An extra layer of insulation in attics or crawl spaces can pay huge dividends in energy savings. 5. Clean Gutters Leaves and debris in gutters and downspouts restricts the flow of water .
Right here in the Santa Cruz mountains we are seeing lots of changes. Some changes I have noticed due to climate variables are how it’s affecting bird life; birds are laying eggs earlier in the year than usual, and birds that are migrating are arriving at the nesting ground and are showing up much earlier. I’ve seen reports in some countries that the birds don’t even leave any longer due to the climate being sustainable for them all year round. With that being said, what are the ways we can help? Oftentimes we fan to run clockwise (many newer fans have a switch) it will push the toasty air back down into the room. You may even be able to shave a few degrees off your thermostat setting (and a few dollars off your monthly bill) because of it. 9. Flush the water heater Particles and sediment can collect over time in the bottom of your water heater, hindering the unit’s efficiency. Flush the water through the drain valve to clear out the material and keep your heater functioning at its best.
can’t change what is happening but we can try to be beneficial in what is taking place. Small things can help in big ways such as artificial watering holes. Small water sources for wildlife have such a great impact that most people don’t take into consideration. Healthy gardens and landscaping also have a great impact on wildlife that most don’t realize; from birds to deer and our pollinators. Bees and butterflies have such a huge impact on the ecosystem. Adding an additional milkweed plant to your garden would unknowingly make a positive impact. Since we can’t fix it all in one big push, if 75% of the world would adapt and help our wildlife with small things now, I believe it would lessen the possibility of extinction for several species in the years to come. Every day is an opportunity to make tomorrow even better. Photo credit Native Animal rescue, a Racoon kit received October 10, 2021
of Energy suggests keeping the thermostat at 68 degrees Fahrenheit when you’re at home. Lower the thermostat a few degrees while you’re away or sleeping. Switching your thermostat out for a programmable version is a good idea. It’ll let you customize your heating so the system doesn’t run when you don’t need it, keeping your home comfortable and bills down.
11. Protect your plants You’ll need to bring plants and flowering trees inside before the cold sets in. Typically, you should bring your 10. Get a programmable thermoplants in before temstat peratures dip below 45 SWITCH NOW. SAVE ALL YEAR. In the Winter, the Department degrees Fahrenheit. W/24-mo. agmt. Savings based on comparison to previous price.
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6. Doors and Windows Examine doors and windows for gaps where warm air can escape. Caulk or apply weatherstripping around problem draft areas. Install double pane windows to increase energy efficiency. 7. Roofing, Chimneys and Decks Have a contractor look for damaged roof shingles and loose gutters. Make sure chimneys and wood stoves are cleaned early in the season. Give your deck a fresh coat of sealer to protect it from the Winter elements. 8. Reverse your ceiling fans. Everyone knows heat rises, but here’s a little-known winter energy tip: If you switch your ceiling
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Healthy Tidbits Roots Market that mix easily and are very effective.
Eating to Optimize Our Immune Systems by Marcey Klein BS, NC Yes, we can eat to enhance and help our immune systems stay healthy, and in fact, we can eat to nourish all of our body systems. Sometimes we feel a disconnect from what we put in our mouths, we eat for pleasure, convenience, or what just tastes good, not really checking to see if it’s a rich source of clean nutrition. Here is some information that can guide us in choosing our meals in a more educated direction to help not only our immune systems, but to help bring down our inflammation, assist our digestive system, our livers, and the elimination process. Tip one, more than 70% of our im-
October-November 2021
mune system lies in our digestive systems. The beneficial bacteria in our gut create a barrier from harmful intruders, it also communicates and updates our immune system since what we consume was once outside the body and can give the system new information. It’s important to eat what our good gut bacteria like in order to keep them happy and more likely to stay put. These are prebiotics, also known as soluble fibers. Some foods that are high in prebiotics include Jerusalem artichokes, onions, garlic, leeks, asparagus, bananas, barley, oats, flax seeds, jicama, potatoes, leafy green vegetables, avocados, wheat germ, and wheat berries. There are also several prebiotic fiber supplements we carry at Wild
Another important food for our immune health is cooked mushrooms. That is because they are high in selenium, a necessary component for our immune system to fight the flu, and a great antioxidant helping us combat those free radicals trying to break down our cells and DNA. Shiitake and maitake mushrooms are high in a nutrient called beta glucan that help our immune cells to communicate more efficiently. If you find that you have a severely deficient immune system, or just want to stay healthy while others out there are getting sick around you, there are several mushroom immune formulas we carry at Wild Roots that can help you out. Fermented foods help to replenish our good bacteria. Try to get some in your body every day in various ways. I will have yogurt or kefir with my breakfast, there are probiotic strains in my green drink, I have kombucha with my lunch, and I will have a splash of the gut shot (which is the brine from raw sauerkraut) with my vegetable juice with my dinner. These good bacteria in turn keep us happy; literally, our gut is referred to as our second brain. It produces a significant amount of serotonin along with communicating with our immune systems.
port our immune systems and also help keep our inflammation down, important in overall health and prevention. Make a delicious soup with these grated in and also some garlic, which is a terrific antimicrobial. Be sure to squeeze in some lemon, great for liver detox, and throw in some of the cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, arugula, brussel sprouts, cabbage, bok choy, or kale. The high sulfur compounds in them makes them great for liver detox, helping the body remove harmful estrogens linked to cancer. Be sure to watch your refined sugar, flour, and processed food intake, as these depress the immune system, use up necessary vitamins and minerals to metabolize them, and feed the bad bacteria. Also remember to stay hydrated, warm teas are wonderful this time of year, and citrus fruits and juices with the pulp give us bioavailable vitamin C and bioflavonoids. Stay well, eat for health, move the body, and stay positive! And stop on by to Wild Roots in Boulder Creek to say hi, or if you want more tidbits on health and nutrition. Bon Appetit, to your health!
Ginger and turmeric can help sup-
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One Tribe Spirit astonishing at best. And still we go on day after day in our zombie lives, thinking “it’s not ME!”. No, it is not just someone else, it is all of us. Not until we all STOP, and finally admit we do not have all the answers, and be not only willing, but excited and insistent on positive change throughout every aspect of our lives, our homes, our families, and friends will we see the tides turn. Good news is, it can happen very quickly if we all do it together. A single arrow will break easily, but many arrows are hard to bend.
Hopi Rainmakers by Robert Shields
Where is The Wisdom of The Elders? ~ Tis the Season of Our Ancestors, Listen to Their Whispers ~ by Lori Suzanne Holetz We approach All’s Hallowed Eve and All Saints Day… and as the veils between the worlds of the living and the dead thin in this season, we are closer to the lands our ancestors live within. It is a time to pause, be very quiet and still, and listen… for their whispers. Listening well, they will give us the jewels of the answers we seek. Pause and listen. In the whirl of the madness that is today’s everyday life, we forget the wisdom of the lessons of our ancestors. With the events of the massive wildland fires we are experiencing here in California, might we be finally learning to turn back to the Native Elders and the Indigenous Tribes of the lands to learn what they did for thousands of years to manage the environment, the landscape, and the shifting, changing times they lived through. This is not new to
humans who were and are living in harmony with the natural world. It is only new to those of us who have come from other places and forgotten the traditions and lifestyles of our ancestors. Yes, times change, and we have certainly entered an unprecedented technological time space; for good, bad, or indifferent. Humans have changed too, and we have never been so profoundly intelligent, so connected and yet so severely disconnected; with ourselves, our families, our communities, our environment, or the world at large. Our tremendous and destructive activities upon the face of Mother Earth have escalated to disastrous proportions in less that 120 years… never so fast, never so invasive, never so completely throughout everything. More destruction than in the thousands and thousands of years human sapiens have existed on this planet. Think about that for a moment. It is nonetheless
“But what can I do today within my life? Surely I won’t make that much of a difference.” Surely you can! It’s time. We don’t have the luxury of endless time any longer, we don’t have the time to sit around and wait for the bigger influencers, bigger corporations, bigger politics, bigger money to make the changes so we might follow. We each and every human being, need to be a leader within our own lives, insisting on doing the right thing in all ways, shapes, and forms, in everything we do, every moment of every day. Many small changes add up to big change, therein lies powerful magic we each possess. There is no other way any longer. As I have repeated time and again, there are no more tomorrows to waste. So maybe this year, as the chill of the winds arrives, the days darken earlier and we go inside, do that! Go inside yourself, your life and look carefully, just observe and ask yourself where you can do a better good for the greater whole. And then just listen. If you are willing,
you will hear them whispering to you, giving you the answers you seek. Do not deny them their genuine love for you, and the greater whole and heed their words. They are closer now, the Spirits of you and me past, our Ancestors. They hold the answers, and the secrets we all need to know. A flower does not mourn its own passing of season, for it is in peace in the knowing it will bloom again. Happy Autumn and a Blessed, Magical All’s Hallowed Eve!
Opinion Letter Continued... their lives after the fire, even a year later. Many feel as I do. So I speak for them, too. You are our last hope—the only State body we know that can enforce the safety of our water supply and thus, our health. What are you doing to protect us? And when and how are you going to tell us all what that is? I await your response. Yours most sincerely, Ann R. Thryft 15520 Big Basin Way Boulder Creek, CA 95006 831-338-8228—no texts, voice only
13136 Highway 9 in Boulder Creek Local Artists Crystals Goddesses Magickal Tools Mermaids & Fairies Dragons & Skulls Tarot & Books Handcrafting Natural Soaps, Oils, Candles &
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The Joyous Kitchen Chevre Crumbles Makes 4 salad bowl sized servings
Warm Brussels Sprouts Salad with Citrus Vinaigrette, Maple Candied Pecans and Chevre by Joy Stewart I serve this flavor packed side dish at every Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner. It is always very popular. How to describe this dish? Well, it’s packed full of bold flavors that somehow all end up coming together harmoniously. Earthy sprouts lose some of their cabbage-y funk when roasted with orange zest and they are a perfect, slightly sweet compliment to the tangy orange-thyme vinaigrette.
Maple toasted pecans add a sweet crunchy pop that perfectly compliments the mildly sharp chevre crumbles. Try it. It may make a brussels sprouts convert out of you. The recipe makes just about twice the maple toasted pecans needed for the salad. I’ve doubled the amount because they make an awesome snack! Citrus Roasted Brussels Sprouts Salad with Orange Thyme Vinaigrette, Maple Roasted Pecans and
On the Water Front by Mark Dolson SLVWD Moving Ahead with Planned Improvements / A Response to Director Fultz. The October 7th SLVWD Board Meeting was mostly devoted to fairly routine contract approvals (all by a vote of 5-0): The Board approved a $286,080 contract with the lowest bidder (Sandis Engineering) for its 2021 Capital Improvement Project Pipeline (which involves replacing about 1.6 miles of pipeline along with the Blue Ridge Tank). The Board approved a $171,000 contract with the lowest bidder (Sandis Engineering) for a sister project, design of the 2021 FEMA Pipeline Project (which involves replacing about 2000 feet of undersized pipeline and the Eckley Booster Station). The Board approved a $41,000 Phase 1 conceptual design contract with MME Civil and Structural Engineers for the permanent repair of the District’s pipeline at Huckleberry Island. This project includes a topographic survey, plans and specifications for a new bridge crossing, and about 700 feet of 12” pipeline rerouting. The Board approved a plan to upgrade its Springbrook utility
October-November 2021
billing software to take advantage of the company’s new cloud-based operation and associated new features. The Board also approved a resolution that will enable it to continue meeting via Zoom while the District develops the capability to hold hybrid meetings (which will allow for simultaneous in-person and remote attendees). Lastly, the Board approved immediate next steps for further investigating and potentially accommodating inquiries from the Forest Springs and Bracken Brae mutual water companies (serving 128 and 24 connections in an adjoining service area off of Big Basin Highway), each of whom has expressed interest in possibly being consolidated into SLVWD in the wake of substantial fire damage. The District is applying for $4.29 million in State grant support to enable the necessary upgrades, but the required discussions and agreements are still at only a very preliminary stage. I also want to take this opportunity to address a recent letter to the editor in which SLVWD Board Member Bob Fultz took issue with my article “Understanding the Proposed SLVWD CZU Fire Recovery Surcharge” in the July edition of the Santa Cruz Mountain Bulletin. Director Fultz disparaged what I wrote as “an opinion piece … masquerading as
2 lbs. brussel sprouts, cleaned, trimmed and cut in half 2 large navel oranges 3 Tablespoons olive oil 1 shallot clove, roughly chopped 4 sprigs thyme 1 cup pecans 3 Tablespoons chevre crumbles 2 Tablespoons maple syrup 1 Tablespoon sherry or rice wine 2 Tablespoons white wine or champagne vinegar 1/2 - 1 Tablespoon stone ground dijon mustard freshly ground black pepper and salt to taste Preheat the oven to 375. In a mixing bowl pour the maple syrup onto the pecans and toss to coat thoroughly. When the oven is hot, bake pecans for 3-5 minutes. Meanwhile, zest one of the oranges into the brussel sprouts. Season sprouts with salt and pepper. Toss sprouts, zest and season-
a news article” because I did not (in his view) provide a sufficiently detailed recapitulation of the arguments and calculations that he presented in various public forums as part of his unsuccessful effort to promote public rejection of the District’s Fire Recovery Surcharge. Ironically, Director Fultz’s letter is, itself, basically an opinion piece that makes very little effort to engage with the substance of my reporting. There are three aspects of his response though, that I think deserve further comment. First, my article clearly identified the key facts and outlined the various possible responses and their consequences. It referenced the arguments that Director Fultz was (and still is) putting forward, but it also identified (in a way that Director Fultz does not) the problematic aspects of these arguments. This is precisely what a responsible and objective news analysis article should do. Second, I worry that because Director Fultz writes persuasively (and, I think, sincerely), it would be easy for readers to be misled. They would have no way of knowing that he is citing facts selectively and without relevant context, and that, in some cases, his assertions are simply false or grossly misleading. The bottom line is that the District’s expenses are very real, and the cost savings that Director Fultz is envisioning are purely hypothetical. The entire
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ings with 1 1/2 Tablespoons of the olive oil. Set toasted pecans aside to cool. Turn the oven up to 400. Spread sprouts in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the sprouts are thoroughly tender. Zest the other orange and squeeze the juice from both oranges into a blender or food processor. Add shallots, remaining olive oil, stripped off thyme leaves (discard woody stems), dijon mustard, rice wine/sherry and vinegar. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Pulse in 3 second bursts until shallot has been thoroughly incorporated into the dressing. Toss sprouts with dressing and sprinkle with chevre crumbles and 1/2 cup toasted pecans. Serve as a starter or side dish and enjoy!
Board is united in wanting to promote improvements in operating efficiency, but the District does not yet have a concrete plan for achieving these improvements. In the absence of such a plan, the revenue restrictions that Director Fultz is promoting will have significant negative consequences that Director Fultz never addresses. Third, it is generally considered a best practice of good governance for all Board members to accept Board decisions as final, even when they are on record opposing these decisions. There are two obvious reasons for this: (1) deliberative bodies need to be able to make decisions and move on, rather than endlessly relitigating specific contentious issues, and (2) Board meetings generally provide the most effective venue for collectively analyzing and assessing competing arguments. Board members are certainly free to publicly voice their dissent, but Director Fultz’s campaign in this case was to persuade the public to reject the assessment of competent elected officials by overriding the decision of his four fellow Directors through a one-sided presentation of hypotheticals in the media. This was an unfortunate breach of the accepted norms of good governance. The next Board of Directors meeting is scheduled for 6:30 PM on October 21st.
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Mountain Mama
Here Turkey Turkey The idea of living off the grid includes producing your own food. That does not always mean growing it. If you want to be completely off grid and you don’t want to be a vegetarian then the sad deed must be done. That is right, slaughtering your meat. As we come up to Thanksgiving I am reminded of that traditional meal featuring turkey. I am reminded of that everyday when a rafter walks through my yard. A rafter as we all know is a group or flock of turkeys. Just kidding, I had to look it up. For the record it is not legal to kill
a turkey in Santa Cruz County. You can raise one for your Thanksgiving meal but don’t shoot your big beautiful neighbors; the turkeys. But if you were not here in Santa Cruz Mountains, but rather out in the wilder cuts, you could shoot your main Thanksgiving course. I have some suggestions for that. First, shooting a wild animal with a gun is not so hard. It is hard to pull the trigger, at least for me, but the rest is messy and does not take a whole lot of skill. I am sure there are some out there that will disagree. Go ahead and write me a letter about it if you would like. However, shooting a turkey with a bow is much more challenging and needs a lot more skill to achieve success. According to Turkey Hunting 101 from Bow Hunters, turkeys are not so easy to get with a bow. They see in full color, they have tele-
scopic sight, and excellent hearing. In addition they respond well to turkey calls.
ture is about 170°F when the thermometer is inserted into the meaty part of the breast.
So, for me, I would rather get my dinner at Johnnies or Wild Roots. But if you have to or want to and are not in Santa Cruz County, try using a bow. My favorite place to get bows and learn the art is Bullseye Archery in Scotts Valley. They have everything you might want or need for Archery. Have fun and be safe.
Remove from the oven. Rest for 15 minutes before carving.
How to cook a wild (or not) turkey: 1 turkey (14 lbs.) 1⁄2 cup unsalted butter, softened 1 clove garlic, peeled and minced 2 tsp. salt, divided 1 1⁄2 tsp. ground black pepper, divided 1 sprig rosemary
It is not easy to keep a turkey juicy. Simply putting it in a hot dry oven never helps. I always add water to the bottom of the roasting pan to keep it from drying out, or there is another fun way to keep that wild turkey juicy while embracing your inner redneck. Put a half can of beer under the turkey. Use a turkey holder made of wire to keep the turkey upright and then put it on the grill. Enjoy and Happy Thanksgiving! santacruzmountainmama@gmail. com
Directions:
New Book -
Preheat the oven to 325°F.
the development of the Bay Area.
Rinse turkey and pat dry.
The stories of the county’s lumber barons are revealed in detail, with highlights of their lives and careers in relation to their activities on the former Mexican land grant known as Rancho Soquel Augmentation. The book examines John Brown, Charles Ford, John Porter, William Dougherty, Frederick Hihn, the Grovers, Timothy Hopkins, and many others.
Combine butter, garlic, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1⁄2 teaspoon pepper. Carefully spread the butter mixture between the skin and meat of the turkey, trying not to tear the skin. Sprinkle the cavity with remaining salt and pepper and stuff with orange slices and rosemary. Truss the legs and place the turkey in a roasting pan.
Continued
Yet this new history also uncovers the lives of those who lived in the logging towns and camps of the Santa Cruz Mountains—places such as Loma Prieta and Valencia. These were normal people, living normal lives with their families.
CALL BY JUNE 30 Roast for about 3 hours, basting with pan juices every 30 minutes.
to scheduleCook youruntilFREE in-home consultation the internal temperaThis is a sequel to 2020’s The
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Tragedy of Martina Castro and is part two of The History of Rancho Soquel Augmentation series. Based on archived manuscripts produced by Powell prior to his death in 2010, this series has been masterfully edited and enhanced by local historian Derek R. Whaley, who has expanded the original text and updated sources throughout. The Reign of the Lumber Barons: Part Two of The History of Rancho Soquel Augmentation by Zayante Publishing is available now on Amazon.com.
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October-November 2021
Event Calendar: November 2021 Friday October 22 13 Days of Halloween on the Wharf 10/19/2021 - 10/31/2021 (all day) Location: Santa Cruz Wharf 21 Municipal Wharf Santa Cruz. Join us for 13 days of frightful fun on the Santa Cruz Wharf October 19 - 31! Take part in the Great Pumpkin BINGO Hunt, snap a photo at our scenic photo booth, and enjoy festive Wharf specials ALL 13 days! It all kicks off October 19!
Saturday October 23 Santa Cruz Mountains Vintners’ Festival 10:00 am – Sun, Oct 24, 4:00 pm Elevate your taste with wines of the Santa Cruz Mountains. Perfect for wine enthusiasts and newbies alike, Santa Cruz Mountains Vintners’ Festival is a weekend of discovery. 917.268.4690 winesofthesantacruzmountains.com The Halloween Experience 12:00 pm – 8:00 pm Haunted House and Mask Making Festival on Saturday, October 23rd Haunted House and Mask Making Mask Making from 12-4pm Family-friendly Haunted House from 12-3pm (FREE) Scary Version of the Haunted House 6-8pm ($5 admission) Join the Thrill the World Dance at 3pm on Saturday, October 23rd. London Nelson Community Center 301 Center St, Santa Cruz
Saturday October 30 Witches Ball at the Brookdale Lodge 7:00 pm - 1:00 am A scary good time. Live music by Groovy Judy, Costume contest, Witches hat contest, Tarot readings by Emelia, food and multiple bars. 21 years and older please. Get your tickets at btrevents.com. See you there! Santa Cruz Afoot Ghost Tours 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm Learn the surprising dark side that hides beneath the chill facade of this sun-kissed city. Your tour begins at one of Santa Cruz’s most sinister spots under the “Lost
Boys” trestle bridge where you’ll learn about the curse of the Holy Cross. This section of the river is full of spine-tingling tales of sinister hauntings, a poltergeist, and a cold case murder. karendewrance@gmail.com, Santacruzafoot.com 408-348-8154
Sunday October 31 Halloween Trick or Treat in Downtown Boulder Creek Halloween After Party 6-10pm 13333 Middleton Ave. Boulder Creek Head over to our downtown facility for the perfect way to end Halloween night. There will be music, dancing, and dinner available from River Dogs. Haunted walkway scenes created by the Boy Scout Troop 623 and a selfie photo opp. We hope you will stop by to have some fun and let the sugar wear off!
11am-4pm 1st Sundays at the Wrigley Building Lot, 2801 Mission St. Santa Cruz. Time to get that holiday shopping on!! Featuring LOCAL art, handmade & vintage shopping + Food trucks & pop-ups and LIVE MUSIC...all outdoors at the Old Wrigley Parking Lot on Mission. FREE admission! FREE & Easy Parking! Friendly leashed pups are welcome! LIVE MUSIC by Pacific Ave Band from 1-4pm! Presented by your friends at SCM Makers Market & Food Trucks A Go Go. Visit scmmakersmarket.com for more info.
Sunday November 14
First Friday Santa Cruz 5-9pm at various locations around Santa Cruz County. Visit firstfridaysantacruz.com for the full list of participating businesses, galleries and studios.
CLIMATE EMERGENCY DISCUSSION 1:00 pm -3-00 pm CLIMATE EMERGENCY Presented by Alekz Londos This is an eco-open mic, discussion, encouraging support and networking towards sustainable solutions FREE EVENT [21+] and potluck at the Blue Lagoon every Sunday from 3-5pm PST Alekz is an international freelance photojournalist, environmentalist and disaster relief expert with two decades of experience. Virtual SantaCruz.Com Event URL:https://www. santacruz.com/events/climate-emergency-discussion-at-blue-lagoon-on-pacific-ave-95060nov-14th-202
Saturday November 6
Thursday November 25
Santa Cruz Sea Glass & Ocean Art Festival Saturday, November 6 & Sunday, November 7 Santa Cruz Boardwalk 400 Beach St Santa Cruz Looking for unique gifts? Learn about collecting sea glass and shop for beautiful jewelry and crafts from local artists. $5 admission helps support ocean conservation. Full bar & great food too!
Thanksgiving
Friday November 5
Sunday November 7 The Westside Marketplace
Saturday November 27 8th Annual SCM Holiday Makers Market in FELTON! 10am-4pm at the Felton Community Hall, 6191 Highway 9, Felton. Shop with 30 local artsist and makers and support Mountain Community Resources’ silent auction. Shop Small this Holiday! www.scmmakersmarket. com for more info.
SLV Crime Blotter 10/15/2021 21:10 BROOKDALE - LARCENY VEHICLE Assault with a deadly weapon, battery, and resisting arrest. The responsible subject was taken into custody.
hicle and POSS CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE.
10/14/2021 10:47 TWO BAR RD BOULDER CREEK - MISSING PERSON, a person who left their residence. The person returned on their own will.
09/30/2021 12:08 GLEN ARBOR RD BEN LOMOND - THREATS This report details a subject that made threats to another person. During the commission of the threats being made, the subject used derogatory names in regard to the victim’s sexual orientation. Patrol to follow-up with the investigation.
10/14/2021 12:30 K HILL HOUSE RD BOULDER CREEK - FRAUD in which an unknown subject fraudulently withdrew approximately $3,000 dollars from a prepaid checking account. No suspect information.
09/29/2021 03:55 IRWIN WAY BOULDER CREEK - OUTSTANDING WARRANT Person was cited for a local outstanding misdemeanor warrant, provided a court date and released at the scene
10/13/2021 02:46 FELTON - TRAFFIC INCIDENT A dirt bike failed to yield during a traffic enforcement stop and was unable to be located.
09/29/2021 11:40 HIGHWAY 9 FELTON - ASSAULT 09/29/2021 17:41 DOUBLE BOGEY DR BOULDER CREEK - WARRANT OF ARREST A subject was arrested for local misdemeanor bench warrants
10/09/2021 06:12 BOULDER CREEK, Arrest made charges include POSSESSION DESTRUCTIVE DEVICE, LOADED RIFLE IN Ve-
October-November 2021
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- Support Local Business Computer & Cell Repair
Andrew Savoy Computer and cell phone repair, broken screens or broken computers are my specialties 831-278-2210
Event Planning
Financial Services
Pest Control Mountain Home Pest Control
Bayview Residential Brokerage Paula Ruth Smith Loan Originator/Sr. Processor 650.529.4702 paula@bayres.net bayviewresidential. com DRE# is 02047332 and NMLS# is 1703342
Termites & General Pests Botanical Alternatives Available FREE Competitive Bids 831-338-0888
Weddings, parties, and events. Contact Wendy Sigmund beneaththeredwoods @gmail.com
Mobile Help MobileHelp, America’s Premier Mobile Medical Alert System. Whether You’re Home or Away. For Safety and Peace of Mind. No Long Term Contracts! Free Brochure! Call Today! 1-831-534-3008
If you can dream it, we can make it! Call for a free quote.
Tree Service
Sunderland Tree Service (831) 338-2197
Plumbing
831-335-1393 thehoneybucketman.com
Coverage for 350 plus procedures. Real dental insurance - NOT just a discount plan. Do not wait! Call now! Get your FREE Dental Information Kit with all the details! 1-877621-0147 www. dental50plus.com/ santacruz #6258
Blueprints & Permits Randy Hudson Designs
Complete Septic Services The Honey Bucket Man
Dental Insurance Physicians Mutual Insurance Company
831-241-3036
Septic Service
Kunz Valley Trash Recycling & Hauling Weekly, Bi-weekly & Monthly Pick-ups www.kunzvalleytrash.com kunzvalleytrash@ hughes.net 831-338-9050
Handyman Matthew Sigmund Handyman & Custom Woodworking
Trash & Recycling
Apollo Drain & Rotto Service 831-338-3203
Expert drafting, Additons, Remodels New Construction You name it. Extensive local experience. RandyHudsonDesigns.com
831-345-0750
DIRECTV Switch and Save! $49.99/month. Select All-Included Package. 155 Channels. 1000s of Shows/Movies On Demand. FREE Genie HD DVR Upgrade. Premium movie channels, FREE for 3 mos! Call
Publish Your Book
Valley Women’s Club
Become a published author! Publications sold at all major secular & specialty Christian bookstores. CALL Christian Faith Publishing for your FREE author submission kit. 1-855-566-0504
Portable Oxygen
Portable Oxygen Concentrator May Be Covered by Medicare! Reclaim independence and mobility with the compact design and long-lasting battery of Inogen One. Free information kit! Call 866-531-0150
PO Box 574 Ben Lomond CA valleywomansclub.org
Mountain Community Resources
6124 Hwy 9 Felton 831-688-8840
BC Recreation & Park Boulder Creek Recreation & Parks District Hallie Greene 13333 Middleton Ave Boulder Creek, CA 831-338-4144
- SCM Bulletin Staff Publisher: Wendy Sigmund-Mountain Publishing, LLC Editor: Lori Suzanne Holetz Layout: Bree Karpavage Contributors: Robert Arne, Dee Ash, Mark Dolsom, Kevin Foster, Lori Suzanne Holetz, Taylor Kimble , Marcey Klein, Marybeth McLaughlin, Lisa Robinson, MJ Stearns, Joy Stewart Photographers: Steve Kuehl , Chucke Walkden The Santa Cruz Mountain Bulletin 6265 Hwy 9 Felton CA 95018 831-508-0033 | scmbulletin@gmail.com | wendy.mountainpublishing@gmail.com www.santacruzmountainbulletin.net www.facebook.com/santacruzmountainbulletin Mountain Publishing mountainpublishing.net info@mountainpublishing.net Subscription Info: 1 Year for $50.00. FREE locally. The opinions expressed herein belong to the writers, and do not necessarily reflect those of the Santa Cruz Mountain Bulletin (SCM Bulletin). SCM Bulletin is not responsible for the content of any of the advertising herein, nor does publication imply endorsement. Written permission from the publisher of the SCM Bulletin is required to reprint this issue of the SCM Bulletin in part or in whole.
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October-November 2021
wITCHES bALL OCTOBER 30, 2021. 7 PM
Live Music by Groovy Judy
Three full bars
Costume Contest Witches Hat contest Food Trucks
Tickets at BTRevents.com
October-November 2021
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610 Mitchell Drive $1,100,000
• • • •
$1,250,000
DIN
G
IN ND
Ridgetop 2213 sqft home 5 bed/2.5 bath Open floor plan Two car garage
G
IN ND
25555 Hutchinson Rd
E
L SA
$129,000
PE
• • • •
• • • •
Boulder Creek
3309 sqft remodeled two story home 3 bed/2 bath Oversized wrap around redwood decks Off the grid, solar owned
$2,460,000
PE
• • • •
2.7 acre Lot Private paved road Only minutes to highway 17 Usable flat areas
$224,500
D
L SO
• • • •
200 Branson Ranch Road
E
L SA
Los Gatos
15530 Forest Hill Drive
18065 Moonrise Road
LE
A GS
N PE
Boulder Creek
Boulder Creek
0.4 acres Cul-de-sac, mostly flat lot Home was 1548 sqft 2b2b Within Bear Creek Estates
Lot 01 Highway 9
$275,000
Boulder Creek
• • • •
Gorgeous 3,128 sqft house 4 bed / 2.5 bath 1200 sqft art studio Fully licensed greenhouse
Boulder Creek
26.2 acres 5 miles from Boulder Creek Zoned TP (Timber Production) Utilities available
View more properties at: www.santacruzmountainrealestate.com
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October-November 2021