Unless you've spent the last month or two on another planet or under a big rock, by now you are well aware of the fact that this year is, in fact, the "Year of the Dog" on the Chinese calendar. This event last occurred in 1994 (and before that in 1982, 1970, 1958, 1946 and so on).

The Napa Valley is in for a treat when the Temptations, the Grammy award-winning, quintessential Motown recording group and one of the most successful American singing quintets of all time, appear tomorrow night at 8 p.m. at Yountville's Lincoln Theater.

Last weekend at the Napa Valley Opera House, "The Flying Karamazov Brothers" lit up the stage with their amazing juggling routines, but we in the audience were treated to more -- much more.

A bar stool, a microphone and a can of Diet Pepsi -- that's all Paula Poundstone needs to make an audience laugh until it hurts. Poundstone, one of the country's foremost humorists and stand-up comedians, takes the stage for one show this Saturday night at Yountville's Lincoln Theater.

Sometimes a play looms so large in theater history that it's possible to feel like one knows it, even if one has never actually seen it.

Sultry San Francisco jazz singer Kim Nalley is teaming up with international Hammond B-3 organ legend Rhoda Scott at Copia this weekend.

Boys of the Lough

They're all golden

Imagine living in fear of your domestic partner. Wondering if tonight will be the night that you or your children are abused?

Story by Pat Stanley, Photos by Lianne Milton

Several years ago in a writing class we were given the topic, "Hair," for the next assignment. When later we shared our work, I was struck by the impassioned feelings expressed, especially by the women in the group. The men tended to write about their first barbershop experience or the wonders of their girlfriend's hair. But for us women it was obvious that hair was a subject close to our hearts.

Napa Community Seventh-day Adventist Church

Education

Other than what they've picked up by watching "M*A*S*H" or from a relative or family friend who served in the protracted Korean War, Americans know very little about the eastern Asian peninsula bordered by the Sea of Japan and the Yellow Sea.

Peter Pahk, executive chef, Silverado Resort

Pahk, Oestreich share chef of the year title

BATON ROUGE, La. -- If you have had one of those weeks with problems at work, fatigue at home, too much traffic and family making demands, you need a big dose of comfort food. What better to calm the soul than a good beef brisket?

Sharpening your sense of taste, learning to identify and understand different flavors, will take your cooking to a new level. And as your mental catalog of flavors builds up, so will knowledge of how they layer and interact. This entrancing -- and endless -- process of learning is given a savory endorsement in the March issue of Cooking Light magazine, in a feature about using all five senses when you cook.

Vincent Nattress, executive chef, Meadowood

Each year, 130 Bay Area floral designers take on the daunting task of recreating or interpreting master works from San Francisco's Fine Arts Museums collections. This year, the 22nd annual Bouquets to Art returns on Monday to the new de Young museum after a temporary relocation to the Legion of Honor during the de Young's construction.

You've prepared yourself for big disasters -- like earthquakes and floods -- by storing drinking water and supplies. But it's important to prepare for little disasters, too. Don't wait until a pipe bursts to start looking for a plumber. Don't wait until power's out to find an electrician.

Like carbon monoxide, you can't see, smell or taste radon, but the gas may be a problem in your home.

Irish moss conjures up images of soft, lush greenery, of plants carpeting the ground and swallowing up ruins of a craggy Irish castle. Seems like a plant you could even use to replace a patch of lawn? Well, not so fast.

Though it has not been grabbing headlines of late, Phytophthora ramorum, the organism that causes Sudden Oak Death and foliar and stem disease in many plants, is alive and showing up in more plants and places around the world.

"Orchids are the most highly evolved flowering plant on the planet," said Debra Atwood, owner of Napa Valley Orchids and a member of the Napa Valley Orchid Society. "Every 10th plant on the planet is an orchid and there are over 30,000 different species of orchids growing on every continent on earth, with the exception of Antarctica. There are orchids that grow in water, underground, through snow and in the desert."

One day last year, I noticed that a Scotch broom had been planted in the street strip next to my driveway. The neighbor was thrilled with her choice. "I thought the yellow flowers were pretty, so I bought it," she said.