The “Luck of the Irish” is spilling into the streets of Sacramento.  The biggest Saint Patrick’s Day celebration in Sacramento is a giant block party.  The City of Sacramento will block off L Street between 15^th and 16^th Streets from 9:00AM to 6:00AM the next day, so there will be plenty of room for everyone that wants to be have a few beverages and feel a little Irish.

Last year, nearly 7,000 people showed up for an all-day event that remained festive and safe; with no incidents, thanks to great security and a great crowd. Who knows, maybe this year will be even bigger, so come down to L Street and check out the fun. Continue Reading »

The City of Sacramento and Department of Parks and Recreation are teaming up to offer FREE seminars to teach us to compost.  I can’t think of a more fun thing to do with my Saturday!  Actually doing the composting stuff and planting a garden, even though it may be therapeutic, is not on the top of the fun list for me.  But I’m all about eating the fruits of my labor.  I love picking red ripe tomatoes from the garden that have that tangy taste of real tomatoes, not those pieces of red cardboard you can buy at the store.  That’s the stuff that motivates me, so if composting will help that experience happen, I’m in.  So, whether you’re looking for therapy or just want to eat the fruit of your labor go green and learn to compost. Continue Reading »

March 13, 2010, at 1:00PM the luck of the Irish will fill the streets of Old Sacramento.  Bagpipes, drum corps, Irish step dancers, over 500 costumed marchers including military regiments, marching bands, uniformed police and fire fighters will all be there for Sacramento’s annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade. Continue Reading »

Get ready for spring with a visit to the Sacramento Zoo, Land Park Drive & 16th Ave, Sacramento, CA 95822.  Saturday, March 6, 2010, from 9:00AM to 4:00PM your zoo admission is your ticket to the Bloomin’ Crazy Plant Festival and Sale. Continue Reading »

The Sacramento Bicycle Advocates (SABA) reported this month that the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey found that Sacramento now has more bike commuters than any other California city, and is 4th nationally behind Portland, Minneapolis and Seattle.  With 2.72% of Sacramento’s commuter trips now by bike, the rate has doubled from just 10 years ago. Continue Reading »

More storms are predicted for this week and Sacramento County’s Department of Water Resources has some tips on how you can prevent flooding in your neighborhood. Combating Neighborhood Flooding Most of the neighborhood flooding is caused from leaves and debris building up in the storm drains making them less efficient. “We’re asking people to keep the grates in their neighborhood clear and to clean their gutters out, especially before a heavy storm,” said Principal Civil Engineer Michael Peterson. Our crews have been answering neighborhood flooding calls that come into our hotline 875-RAIN but are urging residents to do their part. Sandbags If your property has a history of flooding, we encourage property owners to get sandbags and have them on hand. Sandbags are available, inexpensively, at most hardware and home improvement stores. Additional Resources

Website: log onto http://www.msa.saccounty.net/waterresources/stormready/ to monitor local creek levels and for additional storm preparedness tips. Continue Reading »

Dig It: A Guide to Gardening Information on the Internet, Saturday, January 2, 2010, from 10:15AM to 11:45AM at the Sacramento Central Library, 828 I Street Sacramento, CA 95814.  This is a FREE computer class Continue Reading »

Preparing Your Holiday Tree for Recycling Continue Reading »

The water issues potentially impacting our community, and certainly impacting those downstream from us, are about to enter the national spotlight in a big way. 

On Sunday, December 27th, the national show “60 Minutes” will feature a segment about the California Bay-Delta Water Crisis.  The reporter is Lesley Stahl and the show runs from 7-8 pm on CBS (Channel 13).  

Here is a link to a preview of the show. 

http://www.wowowow.com/entertainment/60-minutes-video-california-drought-lesley-stahl-arnold-schwarzenegger-423019

Years ago my Grandmother used to save the pretty bows and wrapping paper from the gifts she received and carefully unwrapped so she could use them again.  She said they were so beautiful she just wanted to share them and she would use them to wrap presents she was giving to someone else.  Grandad told me once that she did that because she lived in the “Great Depression”.  I had no idea what he meant or where this place was, but I was pretty sure it wasn’t that great if they didn’t even buy new wrapping paper and bows for their presents.  After becoming a grownup I realized that this place called the “Great Depression” truly wasn’t so great, but if we remembered some of the lessons they learned back then maybe our lives would be better.  One of the things they learned was to reuse and recycle all sorts of things before it was even cool to be “green”.   

Sounds like the City of Sacramento  might know my Grandmother because they just sent out a notice to customers to reuse and recycle holiday wrapping, bows, and boxes. Continue Reading »