Opinion

Q: Our 14-year-old daughter developed a rash on her hand and arm. We took her to two different dermatologists before we finally got a diagnosis. She has contagious ecthyma, something I never heard of before. Her dermatologist asked if we have any sheep or goats. We have three new pet goats. He told us that this is a contagious skin disease she caught from those goats. But we checked, and none of the "kids" have any skin condition. Is this a common problem you see very often? Where does it come from? Our daughter is horrified what her friends will think so she wears long sleeves everyday to school.

Here are some tips for ergonomic holiday-making:

Sitting on a table in my living room is a lovely leaf-shaped ceramic bowl, a gift from local artist Polly Gariaeff. It came to me by way of an unexpected stroke of serendipity, which began at the Nov. 4 Gilroy City Council meeting.

Here are six things you need to know about Social Security for 2014. For clarity's sake, here is a rundown of what is changing next year, and what isn't.

I began writing this column nearly five years ago. Since then, when I meet someone new, while we are shaking hands, they sometimes say, "Oh, you're the guy who likes to hike." I smile and nod in agreement, but in the back of my mind, I realize that's not quite true.

Raising adolescents these days is not easy and experiencing some amount of difficulty is normal.

The 2013 holiday season is already upon us, and there are a wide variety of entertaining performances and exhibits available for local residents to enjoy. The following list is just a sampling of pleasant ways to enhance this time of year.

Like many pets, kittens and cats are considered part of the family. People have such a close bond with cats, so it is no surprise we want to spoil them every so often. The next time your kitten or cat deserves a treat, instead of reaching for the factory-created ones in a pouch, consider one of the three recipes for homemade cat treats I feature today.

Q: I heard that male calico cats are extremely rare and valuable. Is this true? And why haven’t people tried to cash in on this?