Colorado Country Life KC August 2013

[August 2013]

Gridiron’s Symbol of Courage

[contents]

August 2013 [cover] Photo courtesy of the University of Texas.

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16

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4 Viewpoint

16 Freddie Steinmark

22 Gardening

5 Letters 6 Calendar 7 Co-op News 12 NewsClips 14 Colorado Fire Report

20 Recipes Get fanatical with your favorite wrap

24 Outdoors

The electric co-ops lose a respected friend in Randy Udall

A look back at a gridiron great who was a symbol of courage

fillings for fun football food

It may be sizzling outside but you can still plant flowers in hot weather Fishing is sometimes more faith than skill

25 Energy Tips

Weather stripping can help seal your attic access

29 Funny Stories 30 Discoveries

Co-ops get involved to keep members safe, lights on

29

486

the number of homes destroyed in the Black Forest Fire

1972

the year the Freddie Steinmark Award was launched

45

the number of beverage cans the Flip-Box can hold

COMMUNICATIONS STAFF: Mona Neeley, CCC, Publisher/Editor@303-455-4111; mneeley@coloradocountrylife.org Donna Wallin, Associate Editor; dwallin@coloradocountrylife.org • Amy Higgins, Editorial Assistant/Writer; ahiggins@coloradocountrylife.org ADVERTISING: Kris Wendtland@303-902-7276, advertising@coloradocountrylife.org; NCM@800-626-1181

The official publication of the Colorado Rural Electric Association || Volume 44, Number 08

OFFICERS: Bob Bledsoe [Tri-State] President; Bill Midcap [Fort Morgan] Vice President; Don Kaufman [Sangre de Cristo] Secretary; Jack Schneider [Poudre Valley] Treasurer; Kent Singer [CREA] Executive Director BOARD OF DIRECTORS: Bill Patterson [Delta-Montrose]; John Porter [Empire]; Don McClaskey [Grand Valley]; John Vader [Gunnison]; Jim Lueck [Highline]; Megan Gilman [Holy Cross]; Dan Mills, Tim Power [K.C.]; Jeff Burman [La Plata]; Stan Cazier [Mountain Parks]; B.D. Paddock [Mountain View]; Debbie Rose [San Isabel]; Eleanor Valdez [San Luis Valley]; Dave Alexander, Kevin Ritter [San Miguel]; Randy Phillips [Southeast]; Jim Jaeger, Ron Asche [United Power]; Bill Jordan [White River]; Stuart Travis [Y-W]; Scott McGill [Yampa Valley]; Basin Electric, CoBank, Moon Lake Electric, Wheatland Electric [Associate Members]

EDITORIAL: Denver Corporate Office, 5400 Washington Street, Denver, CO 80216; Phone: 303-455-4111 • Email: mneeley@coloradocountrylife.org • Website: coloradocountrylife.coop • Facebook: facebook.com/COCountryLifw • Twitter: @COCountryLife Colorado Country Life (USPS 469-400/ISSN 1090-2503) is published monthly for $9/$15 per year by Colorado Rural Electric Association, 5400 N. Washington Street, Denver, CO 80216. Periodical postage paid at Denver, Colorado.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Colorado Country Life, 5400 N. Washington Street, Denver, CO 80216 Publication of an advertisement in Colorado Country Life does not imply endorsement by any Colorado rural electric cooperative or the Colorado Rural Electric Association. Editorial opinions published in Colorado Country Life magazine shall pertain to issues affecting rural electric cooperatives, rural communities and citizens. The opinion of CREA is not necessarily that of any particular cooperative or individual.

[viewpoint]

Saying Goodbye Too Soon

The electric co-op community loses a respected friend in Randy Udall

BY KENT SINGER || CREA EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR || KSINGER@COLORADOREA.ORG

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All of us in the electric co-op family were saddened to hear about the recent passing of Randy Udall, a prominent environmentalist and renewable energy advocate who resided in Carbondale. Randy apparently died of natural causes while hiking in the beautiful Kent Singer Wind River Range in central Wyoming.

Randy was an energy policy expert and a founder of the Community Office for Resource Efficiency (CORE), a nonprofit organization headquartered in the Roaring Fork Valley that focuses on sustainability issues and supports renewable energy and energy efficiency. While Randy was a passionate advocate of this “new energy” paradigm, he also understood the challenges of making a rapid transition to renewables and the benefits of the existing system and the reliable and affordable electricity that it provides. As a member-owner of Holy Cross Energy, Randy was also a strong believer in the electric co-op business model.

I first met Randy several years ago when I was the attorney for Holy Cross Energy and Randy was a consultant to the company. Randy was a gifted communicator, and he had the unique ability to explain complicated power generation and delivery issues in a way that everyone could understand. He was an important resource in the development of the Holy Cross “WECARE” (With Efficiency, Conservation and Renewable Energy) program, a program that provides financial support to member-owners who wish to install solar panels or purchase energy-efficient appliances.

Randy was also concerned about greenhouse gas emissions and he recognized the value of reducing methane emissions as a valuable greenhouse gas mitigation strategy. To that end, he supported a bill that was introduced in the 2012 session of the Colorado legislature that would have expanded the types of resources that are eligible under the Colorado renewable energy standard to include electricity generated from methane escaping from coal mines.

Despite the fact that other environmental groups opposed the bill on the grounds that it would reduce the amount of renewables from wind and solar, Randy

testified in support of the bill. He testified that the reduction of methane that would result from the bill’s passage would reduce greenhouse gases more than all of the wind and solar installations in Colorado. This was not a popular position for him to take among his peers in the environmental community, but it was simply a true statement. The bill did not pass in 2012, but the coal mine methane provisions were included in this year’s Senate Bill 13-252, which did pass. While we did not support SB 13-252, we did support the provisions that broadened the base of eligible resources by including coal mine methane under the Renewable Energy Standards.

I always enjoyed Randy’s insightful and often funny presentations about the energy industry and had a chance to hear him speak twice this summer. His speeches covered a lot of ground (not unlike, as I understand it, the way he hiked) but it was clear that one of his favorite anecdotes was about the people of Samso, an island off the coast of Denmark. Some years back, these 4,000 or so hearty Danes decided to go completely off the grid and provide heating and electricity with local resources like wind, solar and biomass. Randy’s passion for the ingenuity of projects like the one on Samso resonated when he spoke and he was able to connect with his audience in a way that few speakers can.

I last talked to Randy at the annual meeting of the Delta-Montrose Electric Association in Hotchkiss on June 14 where he gave another thought-provoking presentation as the keynote speaker. While I am grateful to have had the chance to say hello that day, I regret that we will not get together for lunch as planned. I always valued his advice on how the electric co-ops and the environmental community could work together more productively.

Randy Udall will be missed not only by his family and friends but also by many in the electric co-op family who had the good fortune of crossing paths with him over the years. He was a true Colorado treasure, and we are saying goodbye much too soon.

Kent Singer, Executive Director

FOLLOW EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR KENT SINGER’S BLOG AT COLORADOREABLOG.WORDPRESS.COM. ColoradoCountryLife.coop 4 August 2013

[letters] Frozen Facts

The article “Freezer Fable” (Energy Tips, June ’13) seems only half analyzed. I believe that it takes the stated energy to freeze water and air. But that misses the main point of freezing water.

My freezer is full of frozen water.

Not because I want the freezer to cool quickly after the door is closed. For us it’s a defensive measure against loss of power.

Analyze this: How quickly will an empty freezer warm from frozen to 40 degrees after a power failure? How quickly will a freezer half full of hundreds of dollars of frozen food warm from frozen to 40 degrees?

Now the main point: How quickly will a freezer half full of frozen food and half full of frozen water warm to 40 degrees when the power goes out? Frozen water is a safety valve against spoiled food.

Art Charette, Allison

Co-ops and Renewables

When President (John) Kennedy challenged us to go to the moon by the end of the 1960s, the engineers didn’t sit around moaning that it was “too much, too soon.”

They got down to work and made it happen. The Colorado Rural Electric Association and its ilk should quit wasting time, money and energy whining about the renewables mandate and get to work making it happen.

Eilene Lyon, Durango

It appears to me that going along with the solar and wind myth has already resulted in substantial rate increases, with even more pain to come courtesy of Senate Bill 13-252. Certainly our current model of fossil fuel use is not sustainable. The answer, however, must be technology that is productive at a rate greater than 25 percent. Please use your monthly magazine to tell us the truth, even if it is not what we want to hear and goes against what is being promulgated by the pop media.

Brynn Johns, Bayfield

Got a comment? Something to say? Send your letter to the editor by mail to Colorado Country Life, 5400 Washington St., Denver, CO 80216 or email mneeley@coloradocountrylife.org. You MUST include your name and full address. The full address will not be published. Letters may be edited for length.

ColoradoCountryLife.coop August 2013 5

[calendar]

[August] August 10 Bellvue Craft Fair & Quilt Show 33689 Poudre Canyon Hwy 9 am-4 pm • periwink@frii. com August 10-11 Buena Vista Gold Rush Days McPhelemy Park fourteenernet.com/goldrush

August 16-18 Vernon Olde Tyme Saturday Various Vernon locations oldetymesaturday.com

August 24-25 Brush Prairie Biker Rally Morgan County Fairgrounds 970-842-2666

August 16-17 Wheat Ridge Carnation Festival Anderson Park thecarnationfestival.com

August 24 Creede “Pants on Fire” Show for Kids Creede Repertory Theatre 11 am • creederep.com

August 17 La Veta Cuchara Hermosa Home and Garden Tour Various La Veta Locations 1-5 pm • 719-742-3565

August 24 Florence WMV Rotary Golf Tournament Sumo Golf Course 10 am • wetmountainvalley rotary.org

August 10 Eads August 17-18 Maine Street Bash Near Salida Maine Street 6 pm-12 am • eadscolorado.org Guided Tours Hutchinson Homestead Ranch 719-539-3160 • colleenjoyp@ August 10 hotmail.com Estes Park Rocky Mountain Chuck August 20 Wagon Cook-Off Pagosa Springs Stanley Fairgrounds Full Moon Program 970-669-5151 Chimney Rock Great House 6:30 pm • 970-883-5359 August 10 Salida August 22-25 Colin Davin Guitar Concert Aspen Salida High School MountainSummit: 719-539-6467 • salida Mountainfilm in Aspen aspenconcerts.org Wheeler Opera House wheeleroperahouse.com August 10-11 Winter Park August 23-25 Pancake Breakfast Parking Lot Next to Craft Fair Kiowa Campdrafting Clinic 970-531-2978 and Competition Elbert County Fairgrounds August 15 303-621-5836 • kiowa Durango countryc@earthlink.net A Neil Simon Summer: “They’re Playing Our Song” August 23-24 Durango Arts Center Meeker 7:30 pm • durangoarts.org Meekerpalooza /a-neil-simon-summer Downtown Meeker meekerpalooza.com August 15-18 Durango August 23-24 TrueWest Railfest Mesa Verde Durango & Silverton Narrow Mesa Verde Country Food, Gauge Railroad Wine & Art Festival durangotrain.com Various Mesa Verde Locations mesaverdecountry.com August 16-17 Pagosa Springs August 23-September 2 Friends of the Library Pueblo Used Book Sale Colorado State Fair Centerpoint Church Colorado State Fairgrounds 970-264-2209 coloradostatefair.com

ColoradoCountryLife.coop 6 August 2013

August 27 Denver Free Admission Day Denver Botanic Gardens botanicgardens.org August 29-September 2 Mancos Sugar Pine Ranch Rally Sugar Pine Ranch sugarpineranchrally.com August 30-September 2 Denver A Taste of Colorado Civic Center Park atasteofcolorado.com August 30-September 1 Snowmass Village Jazz Aspen Snowmass Labor Day Festival Snowmass Town Park stayaspensnowmass.com/ events/upcoming August 31-September 2 Colorado Springs Colorado Balloon Classic Memorial Park balloonclassic.com

[September] September 4-8 Meeker Meeker Classic Sheepdog Championship Trials Highway 13 meekersheepdog.com September 5-8 Estes Park Longs Peak Scottish-IrishHighland Festival Fairgrounds at Stanley Park scotfest.com September 6-8 Denver Colorado Fall Home Show Colorado Convention Center gardeningcolorado.com September 7 Eads Bash Dash 5K Trail Run/Walk Jackson’s Pond & Wildlife Area 7 am • eadscolorado.org September 7 Elbert Schoolhouse 100-Year Celebration Lincoln School 1-4 pm • 303-233-7499 September 7-8 Lakewood Festival Italiano Belmar belmarcolorado.com September 7-8 Salida Salida Fiber Festival Riverside Park 9 am-5 pm • salidafiber festival.org

August 31 Salida Salida Mountain Wine Festival Riverside Park 11 am-6 pm • nowthisis colorado.com

SEND CALENDAR ITEMS

TWO MONTHS IN ADVANCE TO:

}

Calendar, Colorado Country Life, 5400 N. Washington St., Denver, CO 80216; fax to 303-455-2807; or email calendar@coloradocountrylife. org. Items will be printed on a space available basis. For more information on these and other events, visit coloradocountrylife.coop.

K.C. ELECTRIC ASSOCIATION

[Country News] Welcome to SmartHub In August, K.C. Electric will launch a new self-service customer portal named SmartHub. The portal will be available through your computer or mobile devices (Apple or Android). This article will focus on the app for mobile devices. Accessing the customer portal by selecting the link at www.kcelectric.coop will be similar. You will be able to make selections of notifications by email or text message on the web link.

To Access your app store: Go to Google Play or the Apple App Store and search for the free SmartHub app.

Note that there are other apps with similar names, so make sure you have the right one. Look for this icon.

[George Stahlecker 1101460002]

After installation of SmartHub, search for K.C. Electric Log in using your existing account information or register as a new user.

If you need to register, you will need your account number and the name on your account exactly as printed on your bill statement. [Marian Hart 206200012]

Contact us at kchugo@kcelectric.coop or by calling 719-743-2431 if you have any questions about SmartHub. ColoradoCountryLife.coop August 2013 7

[Country News]

ColoradoCountryLife.coop 8 August 2013

[Country News]

ColoradoCountryLife.coop August 2013 9

[Country News]

A Celebrity In Our Midst BEN ORRELL || MEMBER SERVICES SPECIALIST || BORRELL@KCELECTRIC.COOP

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Jessica Borns, who is the director of The Bee Hive Assisted Living facility in Hugo, contacted me and said she had a resident with a story that really should be told. She said that Lloyd Parmalee was the founder and first president of the Colorado Country Music Hall of Fame. I have known Lloyd and his daughter and son-in-law for a couple of years but had no idea of his passion for county music.

I quickly set up an interview. (Win• Jerry Schulte 922030002) Lloyd worked for Colorado Department of Transportation as a heavy equipment mechanic in Aurora for 30 years. He retired in 1986. Well before his retirement he began to work with musicians, and he describes himself as a promoter. He had an idea in his head that there needed to be a country music hall of fame in Colorado, and one night he and Rudy Grand and a couple more friends got together and decided to give it a go. Initially it was the Aurora Pro Country Music Hall of Fame. He said “that one just didn’t go over so well” partly because of the name, and he changed the name to the Colorado Country Music Hall of Fame and they were off and running.

They established a board of directors to run the organization, and Lloyd was elected as the first president. I asked Lloyd what was the goal of the organization. “To promote country music, pure and simple,” he said. They established a separate board to nominate groups or individuals to be inducted.

Most of the inductees are Colorado groups and

individuals, but they do reach out to “national” musicians as well. (Margie Schiferl 1107530001) The first inductees were admitted in 1998. In order to be considered, the group or individual must have a sustained body of work that excels. The actual award given is different each year. Some years it is a plaque and some years it is a glass statue.

I asked Lloyd what his primary role was as president. He said the group is governed by the board of directors and as president he was head of that board. He said that a lot of his time was spent finding groups that were willing to support the CCMHOF. Thanks to him the CCMHOF now has a list of groups of musicians and bands that are willing to play for free at functions that are conducive to promoting country music. They are all professional musicians who are willing to lend their talents to the cause. [Larry Mangus 1104670005] I asked him how much of his time the presidency took. “A lot,” he said, “and it took a toll on my health. I had two heart surgeries, but I wouldn’t have missed it for anything. I got to meet a lot of interesting people.

I met a governor, Charlie Pride, Johnnie Rodriguez and Jake Jabs.” Jake Jabs I questioned.

Each month, K.C. Electric offers consumers a chance to “Yes, Jake is a guitar earn a $10 credit on their next electric bill. If you recogplayer among his many nize your 10-digit account number in this magazine, call other talents. He plays well.”

719-743-2431 and ask for your credit. It couldn’t be easier.

I asked Lloyd if the In June Joanne Wolf of Seibert called to claim her savings CCMHOF had met its and David Wilms of Cheyenne Wells called to win a prize. original goals. “No,” he said, Get acquainted with your account number, read your “we originally hoped for a Colorado Country Life magazine and pick up the phone. museum and a home base.

That’s all the energy you’ll need to To date we don’t have that, claim your energy bucks. perhaps in the future.” Still You must claim your credit durCCMHOF has come a long ing the month in which your name way and has a loyal fan base. appears in the magazine (check the I was curious as to what date on the front cover). type of county music Lloyd liked. He said he likes the old-style music that includes

CLAIM YOUR CREDIT ON YOUR BILL

ColoradoCountryLife.coop 10 August 2013

Lloyd Parmalee waltzes, polkas and two-step.

“How about Bob Wills?” I asked. “Absolutely,” he responded. I mentioned that I liked a fiddle in country music and he smiled broadly and said his father had played a fiddle and he agreed a fiddle is a necessity. (George Stahlecker 1101460002) As I did story prep I sent an email to the Colorado Country Music Hall of Fame and they graciously responded. What happened next is doubly cool. They had not known that Lloyd was living at The Bee Hive and requested that I notify the director that they would like to come down and do a concert as a tribute to Lloyd. Jessica jumped on the idea and contacted them quickly. That event took place on July 21 at the Lincoln County Fairgrounds.

This was a special show for the first sitting president of the Colorado Country Music Hall of Fame. The CCMHOF people brought groups of their own and also sought out local talent to showcase. It was a night to remember. Lloyd received a plaque from the mayor of Hugo making him “Honorary Mayor of Hugo” for a day.

Lloyd hasn’t been active in the Colorado Country Music Hall of Fame for several years now, but he still loves country music and has a zest for life in general. As I left I waved goodbye to Jessica and I noticed a twinkle in Lloyd’s eye. I turned back to find out more. “I have been accusing Jessica of trying to start a relationship,” he joked. From the other side of the wall came the reply, “Only if he starts paying all the bills.” He was laughing as I went out the door.

ColoradoCountryLife.coop September 2012 11

[newsclips]

Colorado’s Electric Co-ops Pedal the Plains They Power

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When the Pedal the Plains bicycle tour brings more than 1,000 bicyclists to southeastern Colorado September 20-22, Colorado’s Touchstone Energy Cooperatives will be there to help celebrate the area’s agricultural roots and frontier heritage.

Colorado Country Life and the Colorado Rural Electric Association will be joined by 14 electric co-ops and other partners to help sponsor this one-of-a-kind cycling event, which will make its way through electric co-op territory from Eads to Lamar to La Junta and back to Eads.

The electric co-ops, which have been providing electric power to these eastern plains for more than 75 years, are also sponsoring a Powering the Plains team of cyclists who will ride to raise money for Energy Outreach Colorado. EOC is a nonprofit organization that helps struggling Colorado families pay their heat bills.

You can help the co-ops and their Powering the Plains team raise money to keep Coloradans warm this winter by visiting www.poweringtheplains.coop. There you will find a link to a form you can fill out and send in with your tax-deductible donation.

There will also be more information presented on Colorado Touchstone Energy Cooperatives during the exhibitions Friday in Lamar, Saturday in La Junta and Sunday in Eads.

Sponsors for Colorado’s Touchstone Energy Cooperatives include: • Colorado Rural Electric Association • Colorado Country Life • Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association • Empire Electric Association • Highline Electric Association • Holy Cross Energy • K.C. Electric Association • Keep Electricity Affordable • Morgan Country Rural Electric Association

• Mountain View Electric Association • Poudre Valley Rural Electric Association • San Isabel Electric Association • San Miguel Power Association • Southeast Colorado Power Association • United Power • White River Electric Association • Y-W Electric Association • Rothgerber Johnson & Lyons LLP

Readers’ Response to Question

BY MONA NEELEY, PUBLISHER/EDITOR

In July we asked: When it comes to power lines, substations and transformer boxes, which is more important to you, cost or aesthetics?

The emails were interesting in that the responses were fairly evenly split between cost and aesthetics. What was more interesting were comments from readers who said that the question set up a false choice. Others accused us of trying to lead readers to a specific answer with the questions we ask each month.

We have been asking these questions for just over two years now.

We don’t consider any of the results verifiable and we aren’t making decisions based on answers to these questions. What we are hoping for is more discussion among our readers on these topics.

JOIN THE DISCUSSION. Here’s a new question for August.

How do you think reliable, affordable electricity affects jobs in Colorado?

Send your answer to info@coloradocountrylife.org.

ColoradoCountryLife.coop 12 August 2013

[newsclips] ELECTRIC CO-OPS SPONSOR BLACK FOREST FIRE RELIEF FUND

CO-OPS SET TO SPONSOR LIVESTOCK SALE AT FAIR

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Nearly 500 electric co-op members had their homes and businesses destroyed in the June Black Forest Fire northeast of Colorado Springs. Since then, electric co-ops and their members throughout Colorado have come together to help these members of Mountain View Electric Association recover by making a donation to the Black Forest Fire Electric Co-op Relief Fund.

The Colorado Rural Electric Association established this relief fund to raise money that will be donated to charitable organizations assisting those within the fire area. The fund will accept donations through August 12.

Tax-deductible donations may be sent to the Black Forest Fire Electric Co-op Relief Fund by mailing a check or money order made payable to CEEI/Black Forest Fire Fund to: Colorado Rural Electric Association/Black Forest Fire Fund, 5400 Washington St., Denver, CO 80216. Include your name, address, email and phone number. Please note if you need a receipt for your records.

Credit cards cannot be accepted. CEEI is CREA’s 501(c)(3) organization.

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Premier livestock from across Colorado will be on display at the Touchstone Energy Cooperatives Junior Livestock Sale at the Colorado State Fair Tuesday, August 27 in Pueblo. The grand champion, reserve champion and first through third place animals in seven animal categories will be sold.

The sale, the largest 4-H and FFA event of its kind in the state, brought in $478,800 from buying groups last year. The sale is sponsored each year by Colorado Country Life, the Colorado Rural Electric Association, the Colorado Rural Electric Member Service group, Tri-State Generation and Transmission and 18 of Colorado’s electric co-ops.

ColoradoCountryLife.coop August 2013 13

[industry]

Fires Ignite Commitment to Community Co-ops get involved to keep members safe and the lights on

BY AMY HIGGINS || EDITORIAL ASSISTANT/WRITER || AHIGGINS@COLORADOCOUNTRYLIFE.ORG

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During trying times, the true spirit of Coloradans rises from the smoke — without a doubt, this caring nature has been highlighted during the recent wildfires. From fundraisers, donations and plain old hospitality, Coloradans expressed commitment to the community. We know this because we hear about it from our local news sources, but some of this caring nature is not so easily recognized; it occurs in the background.

Photo by Colorado Office of Emergency Management

East Peak Fire Lightning struck on June 19 in Huerfano County where the East Peak Fire began its rampage. As of July 11, more than 13,000 acres, 13 homes and four outbuildings are were consumed by the fire.

As firefighters were busily working to contain and put out the fires, major concerns arose about the Spanish Peaks Regional Health Center and Veterans Affairs Hospital in Walsenburg. The hospital is the only medical facility south of Pueblo to Trinidad, and several military veterans are housed in the hospital’s nursing home. Directly behind the facility were two large, full propane tanks, so the nearby trees and brush were of considerable concern.

“County resources were already stretched pretty thin so they were not sure how to do fire mitigation in the area,” said Ashley Valdez, San Isabel Electric Association communications manager. “SIEA Chief Operating Officer Dennis Astley volunteered not only our tree trimming crew and line apprenA SIEA mitigation crewmember cleans tices to clear the area, but all of our equipment to do so.” up debris around the Spanish Peaks Regional Health Center/VA Hospital “These veterans have fought for our country. It’s our turn now,” Astley said regarding the circumin Walsenburg. stances. “We will do everything we can to protect their home.”

Eight SIEA tree trimmers and apprentice linemen worked with the hospital groundskeepers to clear the area. They worked feverishly and, in less than two days, cleared a 500-foot perimeter around the hospital.

“The look of relief on the faces of Huerfano County officials and Colorado Emergency and Homeland Security officials said it all when San Isabel Electric Association offered our crews and equipment to clear the area,” Valdez said. “We heard over and over again how appreciative the folks at the hospital were. It was almost as if that simple offer gave them hope to know they had a chance of saving the facility if the fire became an issue.”

Fortunately, the hospital was spared from the inferno.

“I still believe our crews provided a valuable service.”

Valdez said. “Having the mitigation done allows the hospital personnel to concentrate on what is truly important: caring for the patients and putting evacuation in place if necessary.

“Our crews came in on their scheduled days off, didn’t hesitate to get the work done, had a great attitude and were willing to go above and beyond the call of duty to help the hospital personnel,” Valdez continued. “Additionally, the leadership shown by Dennis Astley was very beneficial in the situation. It’s just one more example of how SIEA rises to the challenge to make a difference in our members’ lives.”

Seven members of the San Isabel Electric mitigation crew take a short break.

ColoradoCountryLife.coop 14 August 2013

The Black Forest Fire, the most destructive forest fire in Colorado history, started on June 11. It burned more than 14,000 acres, destroyed nearly 500 homes and took the lives of two individuals.

And it all occurred in Mountain View Electric Association territory.

According to a MVEA press release, the fire also damaged transmission lines supplying power to five substations affecting nearly 11,000 MVEA meters.

MVEA crews quickly rerouted and restored electricity to 8,000 within an hour and then continued to work on restoring power on the remaining meters as soon as possible.

On June 20, a combined total of 70 MVEA linemen, tree trimmers, staking technicians and engineers were working with contractors from Foothills Energy and Asplundh Tree Expert Company to restore damaged lines.

Now that the smoke is clearing, home owners, business owners and MVEA staff are working to rebuild.

For MVEA, 21 miles of line need to be evaluated. There are 800 poles and 500 trees per mile of line that need to be assessed. “Some burns are pretty obvious, but some poles are burned on the inside, ruining the integrity,” said

Photo by MVEA lineman, Todd Lockwood

Black Forest Fire

A somber image of the destruction caused by the Black Forest Fire.

Sarah Schafer, MVEA member services representative. For this reason, crews are conducting pole-by-pole inspections to find the extent of damage.

“For our linemen to do their job, they need the support of our entire team including engineering, material handlers and people on the phone taking calls,” the press release read. “All MVEA employees are dedicated to getting the power restored as quickly as possible without jeopardizing the safety of the returning public and of our crews.”

West Fork Complex Fire On June 5, lightning struck in San Luis Valley Rural Electric Cooperative territory, and the resulting fire made its way through the San Juan and Rio Grande National Forests. Fueled by beetle-killed trees, the West Fork Complex Fire spread quickly.

Without fail, SLVREC staff showed dedication to its community, working tenaciously to help those working to put out the fire and fix the damage left in its wake. On June 21, SLVREC crews started working the fire. There were eight guys to a crew working 14hour days and two linemen stationed at Freemon’s Ranch and South Fork working 24-hour shifts.

“For three weeks they cleared hundreds of trees and bushes from under our transmission line from South Fork to Creede,” said Cheryl Jones-Seneff, SLVREC member services representative.

In addition, staff remained on call for two weeks covering the radio, phones and numerous meetings.

Donations for the Black Forest Fire will be accepted until August 12. See page 13 for more information.

In the Background

Fueled by beetle-killed trees, fire rages through the forests in San Luis Valley Rural Electric Cooperative territory.

Many of your electric cooperative’s staff members are not only trying to keep the lights on, but they’re also getting involved with their communities. And while they may not be spotlighted on your local news channel, they are out there helping their fellow Coloradans.

Just look a little closer in the background.

ColoradoCountryLife.coop August 2013 15

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Forty-seven years ago, Freddie Joe Steinmark was honored as the greatest high school athlete in Colorado, just a few months after leading the Wheat Ridge Farmers to their first state championship. That year, he won the Golden Helmet Award

Freddie Steinmark

as Colorado’s best scholarathlete.

GRIDIRON’s

Symbol

of

CO UR A G E ColoradoCountryLife.coop 16 August 2013

BY JIM DENT

University of Texas players touch a photo of Freddie Steinmark as they head to the field.

Almost a half century later, Steinmark’s memory still lives in his native state, just as it does at the University of Texas, where he was an All-Southwest Conference safety in 1969 and a member of the national championship team that defeated Arkansas 15-14 in the “Big Shoot-out.’’

After leaving Colorado in 1967, Steinmark would become a national symbol of courage for his fight against bone cancer.

Even today, Texas players still touch his photo before running down the tunnel and onto the field at Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin.

No doubt, Colorado fans have never forgotten him. The Freddie Steinmark Award, was launched in 1972, is still awarded to the best male and female high school athletes of the year.

Most of all, Coloradans remember his performance against Lakewood High School in one of the biggest high school games of 1966. Because of the 20-year dominance of Lakewood, Wheat Ridge had not won a district title since 1946.

The Tigers were 38-1-1 for the previous four years. Even the Wheat Ridge players held doubts they could win.

“We were intimidated by Lakewood,’’ Wheat Ridge quartwice that distance. terback Roger Behler said. “They were the same size, but they W heat Ridge fans carried Steinmark off the field after the always beat us at football. Tom Hancock was a hell of a coach, 19-13 victory. Holding a statistics sheet while meeting the and he built the Tigers into a great program.’’ press, Hancock said, “That young man (Steinmark) is one of That year, Wheat Ridge countered with a new coach from the most remarkable athletes I’ve ever seen. According to our Texas, John “Red’’ Coats. The players were impressed with statistics, he had 18 unassisted tackles.’’

Coats because he brought the Dallas Cowboys-style multiple In the jubilant locker room after the game, Coats bellowed, offense to the team. He was a bowlegged, freckle-faced, wise“Here’s what I think we should do. I think we should go out cracking coach who feared nothing. and win ourselves a Colorado state championship.’’ It was an Coats was blessed with two great running backs: Steinmark ambitious goal since Wheat Ridge had never won state. and Bobby Mitchell. Steinmark was the 5-foot-10-inch, W heat Ridge shredded its next five opponents by the 145-pound scatback and Mitchell a bigger, long-striding combined score of 173-13, then rolled through the playoffs all power runner. The Farmers were 4-0 going into the biggest the way to the state championship game against the George game of ’66 and Lakewood was also undefeated. Everything Washington Patriots of Denver. On a frigid and windy day at seemed in order for the Farmers to break the Lakewood jinx if Bears Stadium, Behler rolled right and found himself throwSteinmark’s fractured right hand did not slow them down. ing into a gale. Because of Steinmark’s speed, Behler heaved W heat Ridge was 13-0 at halftime, but the score was tied the ball as far as he could and Steinmark still had to slow 13-13 going into the fourth quarter. Facing a third-and-eight down to catch it at the 10-yard line, trotting into the end zone at the Lakewood 23-yard line, Coats called Behler to the sidefor a 6-0 lead. The Farmers led 12-7 in the final five minutes line time-out and said, “Just give the damn ball to Freddie!’’ as Steinmark intercepted two passes inside the 30-yard line to On 42-trap, Steinmark took off up the seal the championship. middle like a rifle shot. The hole was To the surprise of everyone, Steinmark was Freddie opened by guard Stan Politano. Steinmark not recruited by a single Division I university. planted his right foot and swerved to the Steinmark, was a Meanwhile, Mitchell was sought by almost left sideline. Denver Post high school writer 100 teams. Not even the University of Coloscrappy football rado, located less than 30 miles away, offered Irv Moss once wrote, “Steinmark changes direction like a fly in flight.’’ In the blink Steinmark a scholarship. player whose of an eye, Steinmark shot back across the Late in the recruiting season, the Univerfield, all the way to the right sideline. At the sity of Texas was the first big-time program heroic story Lakewood 30-yard line, Steinmark straightto develop an interest in Steinmark. Texas riveted the ened his course and headed for the end zone. defensive coordinator Mike Campbell was No one was going to catch him. The official watching Mitchell in a game when he noted nation. distance was 77 yards, but he ran about the quickness of another player, Steinmark. [continued on page 18] ColoradoCountryLife.coop August 2013 17

[continued from page 17]

Campbell convinced head coach Darrell Royal to watch game film. Royal then dispatched Texas assistant coach Fred Akers on a fact-finding mission to Wheat Ridge. Akers knocked on the Steinmark door, and a slight youngster greeted him with a big smile. Akers actually thought it was Steinmark’s younger brother, Sammy, who was six years younger.

“The kid looked like he was 15 years old,’’ Akers recalled.

“At first, I couldn’t believe we were recruiting him.’’

On his recruiting trip, Steinmark feared that the coaches in Austin would take one look at his small frame and send him home. So he wore high-heeled cowboy boots, hoping he would look taller.

After the two-hour flight, Steinmark was escorted into Royal’s office. He sat across the long, oaken desk from the legendary coach and listened to words he could barely believe.

“Son, let me tell you something very interesting,’’ Royal said. “I didn’t get to the University of Oklahoma until 1946 because of the war. I was 25 and just about your size. I quarterbacked the Oklahoma Sooners to a national championship.

On defense, I broke the record for interceptions. I don’t care how big you are. I was just a runt and I got it done.’’

That day Steinmark committed to the University of Texas. Playing for the freshman Shorthorns team during an unbeaten five-game schedule, Steinmark led the conference in interceptions with four. He returned a punt 76 yards for a touchdown against Texas A&M. Everything was clicking for the young man. Freddie was making good grades, attending daily Catholic mass and living the ideal life. He strolled campus with blond-haired beauty Linda Wheeler, his girlfriend since the eighth grade.

On the first day of preseason drills in 1968, Steinmark replaced Scooter Monzingo as the safety on the varsity defense. It was rare when Royal began a season with a sophomore in the starting lineup, but Steinmark, with his speed and agility, offered the perfect antidote to some of the country’s best passing attacks.

The Longhorns began the season on a ragged note, tying Houston and losing to a mediocre Texas Tech team.

Freddie But with James Street replacSteinmark ing Bill Bradley at quarterand Linda Wheeler. back, the wishbone began to roll in the third game against Oklahoma State.

The Longhorns won eight straight games and pummeled Tennessee 36-13 in the Cotton Bowl, finishing the season as the third-ranked team in the country. Steinmark had led the league with five interceptions and the prospects for his junior season seemed even brighter.

ColoradoCountryLife.coop 18 August 2013

The start of the 1969 season generated enormous hope as America’s sporting press trumpeted Texas as a possible national champion. The ABC network convinced Texas and Arkansas to move their mid-October game to December 6 with the prospect of playing on national television for the collegiate title.

Steinmark was named to the preseason All-Southwest Conference team. But he had developed a bad limp, and the Texas coaches were keeping an eye on him. In the early part of the season, Steinmark tried to hide his pain. Finally, Akers insisted that he undergo treatment from trainer Frank Medina, who initially diagnosed the injury as a charley horse that would heal in time. Steinmark limped his way through the season, intercepting only one pass but somehow holding on to his starting job.

In early December, Arkansas and Texas were 9-0 and ranked one-two on December 6 in Fayetteville. ABC’s dream game had come to fruition. Steinmark was limping so badly in pregame warm-ups that his friend and defensive tackle Bill Zapalac began to call him “Ratso,’’ after the gimpy, third-rate con man played by Dustin Hoffman in the movie “Midnight Cowboy.’’

The Texas coaches considered benching Steinmark but recognized he had played a major role in the team’s 18-game winning streak.

With Razorback Stadium packed and roaring, Arkansas built a 14-0 lead through three quarters. Hogs wide receiver Chuck Dicus had badly beaten Steinmark for one of the touchdowns. Miraculously, Street opened the fourth quarter by rolling left, then splitting the Arkansas defense with a 42-yard dash to the end zone. He also converted the twopoint play. With 6:32 remaining, he passed 43 yards to Randy Peschel on fourth down to set up another touchdown. Jim

[continued from page 18]

Bertelsen’s 1-yard touchdown run, and Happy Feller’s extra point kick, made it 15-14.

That deficit was almost erased on Arkansas’s next possession. The Hogs targeted Steinmark on a post route by Dicus.

The little safety showed his gumption by grabbing the AllAmerican wide receiver’s jersey as he ran past. The penalty moved the Hogs to the 7-yard line, but at least they did not score. Three plays later, Steinmark’s gamble paid off as Danny Lester intercepted quarterback Bill Montgomery at the goal, killing the threat.

Three days after the victory, Steinmark finally confessed his pain to Royal. The coach sent him for X-rays, and a few hours later, Steinmark learned he might have a tumor at the tip of his left thighbone. He was flown to Houston’s MD Anderson Cancer Center and a biopsy was scheduled. Royal caught the next flight back from New York, where his team was receiving the MacArthur Trophy as the national champion. He paced the hospital’s hallways, repeating the same phrase: “I can’t believe this is happening.’’

The biopsy revealed that Steinmark had played most of the season with almost an inch of his femur devoured by cancer.

The leg was amputated at the hip. But Steinmark was not about to be beaten by osteosarcoma. He was up and walking on crutches within a few days, and soon announced that he would stand on the sideline during the Texas-Notre Dame Cotton Bowl. He watched as his team rallied once more in the fourth quarter to defeat the Irish 21-17.

Freddie Steinmark and President Richard Nixon

During the next several months, Steinmark went to the White House to meet President Richard Nixon. He learned to water ski and play golf on one leg. But his condition continued to deteriorate.

Over the Christmas holidays of 1970, Freddie and Linda went to see the newly released “Love Story,’’ a movie about two Harvard students, Jennifer Cavilleri (Ali McGraw) and Oliver Barrett IV (Ryan O’Neal). Oliver marries Jenny, and she is soon stricken with deadly leukemia.

Linda and Freddie were rendered speechless. After the movie, standing outside in the falling snow, Freddie leaned

Freddie Steinmark stands on the sidelines at the Texas-Notre Dame Cotton Bowl.

on his crutches with a tear rolling down his cheek. “We just watched our future,” he said.

Freddie died on June 6, 1971, and the service held in Denver drew one of the largest crowds the state had ever seen for a funeral.

The glorious life of Freddie Steinmark spanned 22 years, five months and nine days. He was one of the most courageous players ever, according to all who knew him.

“Freddie was George Gipp without all of the hype,” said his close friend and teammate Tom Campbell.

“Freddie gave us all a road map for life,’’ recalled former student trainer Spanky Stephens. Freddie Steinmark was a player not easily forgotten.

Jim Dent is the author of Courage Beyond the Game: The Freddie Steinmark Story, a biography of this Colorado high school player drafted by the University of Texas.

Read the history of Colorado’s, Freddie Steimark Award and about its winners at colorado countrylife.coop. Go to Living in Colorado then Feature Story, then the list in the upper right.

ColoradoCountryLife.coop August 2013 19

[recipes]

Tailgating Tidbits: It’s a Wrap

Get fanatical with your favorite fillings for wonderous wraps

BY AMY HIGGINS || AHIGGINS@COLORADOCOUNTRYLIFE.ORG Appetizer Option For a fun finger food you can pass around at the big game, tightly wrap up wraps and slice into 1-inch pinwheels.

W

Wraps are convenient meal options that are simple to assemble and can be made with practically any ingredients.

Start with the conventional flour, wheat or corn tortilla varieties or jazz up your wrap even more with sun-dried tomato or spinach tortillas. The sky’s the limit for filling options: spreads, veggies, fruits, meats, cheeses. After that’s decided, just wrap it up.

At your next tailgating party, barbecue or picnic, fix up some delicious wraps with your favorite ingredients or try one of our picks.

and Horseradish Wraps Beef

1 jar (16 ounces) sliced pickled beets 1/2 cup shredded carrots 1 tablespoon prepared horseradish 1/2 cup spreadable cheese (such as goat cheese or herb and garlic soft cheese) 2 large soft flour tortillas (about 10- to 12-inch diameter) 10 green onions (green part only) 10 thin slices deli roast beef

Have a Wrap Bar Set out a variety of tortillas and toppings at your next tailgating party so guests can build their own wraps.

This way, you won’t have to worry about guests with picky palates.

Drain beets; chop. Discard beet liquid. In medium bowl, combine beets, carrots and horseradish. Spread 1/4 cup cheese evenly over each tortilla, leaving 1-inch border. Arrange 5 green onions (do not chop) on each; press lightly into cheese. Place 5 slices beef on each tortilla covering green onions, then sprinkle beet mixture evenly over beef.

Roll up in parallel direction of the green onions.

Wrap each roll tightly in plastic wrap. Refrigerate up to 4 hours. To serve, remove plastic wrap; cut each tortilla into 2 pieces.

ColoradoCountryLife.coop 20 August 2013

Courtesy of SENECA FOODS/Aunt Nellie’s Beets

Italian Wrap 1/2 cup shredded rotisserie chicken 1/2 cup finely sliced spinach leaves 1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese 1 tablespoon finely chopped sun-dried tomatoes 1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh basil 2 tablespoons oven-roasted garlic Parmesan sandwich spread 1 10-inch sun-dried tomato basil tortilla Stir together chicken, spinach, cheese, tomatoes, basil and sandwich spread. Spoon onto tortilla and spread to edges; roll up. To serve, cut tortilla into 2 pieces.

Courtesy of Hidden Valley

ColoradoCountryLife.coop April 2013 21

[gardening]

Break the Rules: Planting in Summer’s Heat It may be sizzling outdoors, but you can still plant in hot weather

BY KRIS WETHERBEE

T

There are times when breaking the rules is a good thing, such as the long held belief that planting in the heat of summer is a no-no. The rule of thumb has always been to plant in spring and fall when the weather is cooler. But a rising temperature doesn’t mean you can’t continue to fill the empty spaces in your garden with plants.

You can successfully plant new perennials, annuals and shrubs in the heat of summer as long as the plant has spent the last several months in a container. Any shock from transplanting is essentially eliminated since you didn’t actually dig up the plant. Summer conditions may still cause new plantings some stress, but it’s nothing that the following planting techniques and summertime tips can’t overcome.

Finding the right spot

One of the great things about planting in summer is that most plants are in their full flush of growth.

This allows you to better visualize the total effect because you can actually see its form along with the color of its foliage or flowers. The added dimensional aspect also helps in knowing where to place the plant in your garden.

Any time a plant goes in the ground, you should match the plant’s growth habits to the garden site. This is true in any season, but especially so in summer when rising temperatures, bright sunlight and drying winds can be at their most extreme.

When planted in full sun on a hot summer day, the plant may wilt before it has a chance to situate its roots. In this case, you can still successfully plant in summer by giving the plant what it prefers — a partly shady location. If you’re set on putting the plant in a sunny location, another option is to temporarily shade the new planting for the first week or so using a light-colored umbrella, shade cloth or other structure that provides some protection from the sun.

Planting particulars

It’s best to plant on a cloudy day or in the cooler temperatures of late evening. This will minimize weather-related plant stress and transpiration loss from the plant’s leaves.

Basic planting steps apply whether you’re planting in spring, summer or fall: dig a hole a little deeper and about twice as wide as the plant’s root ball; fill the hole with water and let it drain; gently work the root ball loose with your hands or a garden fork; put the plant into position and backfill with good soil mixed with a little compost; tamp the soil to stabilize the plant and remove any air pockets; and then water thoroughly.

ColoradoCountryLife.coop 22 August 2013

After the fact

Immediately after planting, give your plants an advantage over summer heat by applying a 2- to 3-inch layer of organic mulch, such as compost, shredded leaves, nut hulls or bark dust. This will help conserve soil moisture and keep down weeds, which compete for water and nutrients.

For the first two waterings, feed the new plantings with a dilute solution of fish emulsion or liquid seaweed to help them quickly settle into their new environment. During the first week or so you may need to water daily or every other day depending on the weather, the soil type and the plant’s growing requirements. After that it’s important to keep the soil slightly moist until the plant becomes established in the garden. For most perennials and shrubs that usually occurs after the first growing season.

It only takes a little extra attention and a few simple techniques to help new summer plantings thrive. So go ahead and take advantage of summer plant sales and fill in those empty spaces in your yard. The result can be amazingly beautiful.

Writer Kris Wetherbee specializes in the areas of gardening, food and outdoor living. Her publishing credits include more than 60 regional, national and international magazines, and she is the author of Oregon Farmers’ Market Cookbook and Guide and Washington Farmers’ Market Cookbook and Guide.

SEE C O L O R A D O

See

ColoradoCountryLife.coop August 2013 23

[outdoors]

BLACK FOREST FIRE ELECTRIC CO-OP RELIEF FUND Hundreds of our fellow electric co-op members lost their homes and businesses when the Black Forest Fire burned through their community in June. Thousands of others have been affected by the fire. Colorado’s electric co-ops have established a fund to raise support for these coop members. All funds raised will be donated to a charitable organization working with those affected by the fire.

Black Forest Fire Electric Co-op Relief Fund Make checks payable to CEEI*/Black Forest Fire Fund.

Credit cards cannot be accepted. *CEEI is CREA’s 501 (c) (3) organization.

Donation amount $______________________ Name:_______________________________ Address: ______________________________ City/State/ZIP:_________________________ Email:_______________________________ Phone:______________________________ Donations will be accepted until August 12, 2013.

THANK YOU for YOUR

DONATION

ColoradoCountryLife.coop 24 August 2013

Emerging on Greatness Fishing is sometimes more faith than skill

BY DENNIS SMITH

M

My old logbook shows I fished the Big Thompson a couple of times in late June last year, just in time to catch what was probably the tail end of the green drake hatch. I was surprised to learn that the leadwing coachman — a big, wet fly pattern originally tied to mimic the Isonychia bicolor mayfly nymph of Catskill fame — apparently also passes for an acceptable western green drake emerger on our Colorado rivers. In fact, I’m fairly certain of it.

I was fishing a long riffle just upstream from the Idylwild Dam one morning when the big drakes started popping up on the surface. There weren’t clouds of them by any means, but there were always three or four of them riding the riffle in front of me or fluttering upstream on the wind.

The trout noticed them immediately. I’m certain of that, too, because I watched two nice rainbows gobbling the flies in some heavy water not 15 feet away from me.

I quickly tied on a big, green, hair-wing dry fly and hooked a couple of smallish rainbows on it, but the bigger fish I’d seen raising wouldn’t touch it. Over the next 20 minutes, I switched to a Colorado Dun, a quill-bodied green drake, a Royal Wulff, and even a big, no-hackle compara dun, which was definitely wrong for that rough water, but what the hell, I was frantic.

Nada. Whether it was the wrong fly,

sloppy casting or bad karma, I couldn’t get the big fish to take a dry fly. Finally, I began to wonder if they were actually eating the emergers just below the surface.

I didn’t have anything in my wet fly boxes that I knew to be a green drake emerger imitation, so I tied on the leadwing coachman, laid it out across the riffle, let it swing downstream toward that place where I’d seen the big trout working and lifted it to the surface just as it got there.

Bam! A big rainbow grabbed the fly, catapulted into the air three times and shot upstream taking several yards of line with it so fast that, for a minute, I thought I was going to lose it. If it had been just that one fish, I’d have figured it for a fluke, but I hooked seven or eight more nice ones in short order on that fly, so I’m beginning to think otherwise.

I know those fish could have mistaken that big, peacock-bodied fly for anything from a leech to a stone fly nymph, but I like to think that when they saw it rising up in front of them, they thought, “Quick! green drake emerger! Bite it!”

After all, fly-fishing is sometimes more about faith than skill, and if you have enough faith in a fly, it will actually become whatever you want it to be. In this case, I believe the leadwing coachman became a green drake emerger. In fact, I’m fairly certain of it.

Miss an issue? Catch up at coloradocountrylife.coop. Click on Outdoors.

Colorado's Touchstone Energy Cooperatives Team

[energy tips]

SIMPLE SEALING

No-hassle energy savings tips for those drafty attic doors

Helping to raise money to help those who struggle to pay their heating bills

BY JAMES DULLEY

H

How can you easily insulate an attic access cover?

Powering the Plains Ride with or sponsor Colorado's Touchstone Energy Cooperatives' Team A team of representatives from local electric co-ops will ride in this year’s Pedal the Plains bicycle tour of eastern Colorado. They will ride from Eads to Lamar to LaJunta and back to Eads September 20-22.

If you would like to ride with the team, call Donna at 303-455-4111.

If you would like to sponsor the team and help raise money for Energy Outreach Colorado, fill out the form below and send it with your check. Make check payable to CEEI/EOC.

Sponsor our team and help to raise money for To send your tax-deductible donation, fill out this form and send it and a check to: CREA/Pedal the Plains, 5400 Washington St., Denver, CO 80216

Name: Address: City: State: ZIP: I would like to contribute: 0$20 0$50

0$75

0 OTHER $

0Please send receipt

COLORADO’S TOUCHSTONE ENERGY COOPERATIVES BIKE TEAM SPONSORS Tri-State Generation and Transmission Colorado Rural Electric Association Colorado Country Life Empire Electric Association Highline Electric Association Holy Cross Energy K.C. Electric Association Morgan County Rural Electric Association Mountain View Electric Association Poudre Valley Rural Electric Association San Isabel Electric Association San Miguel Power Association Southeast Colorado Power Association United Power White River Electric Association Y-W Electric Association Rothgerber Johnson & Lyons LLP Keep Electricity Affordable

The simplest way to insulate an attic access cover is to attach insulation to the top of the cover and weather stripping underneath where it rests on the lip of the opening. Measure the cover to make sure it fits the opening, with the cover overlapping the molding lip so the weather stripping seals well. If you have to make a new cover, a piece of 1/2-inch drywall works well and is fire resistant.

Before you add weather stripping to the molding lip, place the cover over it and check whether it’s even. The lip often consists of pieces nailed to the sides of the opening that aren’t level. You may have to pry a side or two loose and reattach it.

If it’s uneven, it will be difficult to get a good seal under the cover no matter how compliant the weather stripping is.

Notice the black weather stripping In my own on the top of the molding and the foam insulation on top of the cover. house, I first nailed a piece of 1/2-inch drywall to the plywood cover to give it some additional weight.

Next, I glued a few layers of 3/4-inch polyurethane foam sheets on top of it. I added four layers to get 3 inches of foam insulation. I used foil-faced insulation so it would reflect the heat from the hot roof back up during the summer.

The next step is to attach adhesivebacked foam weather stripping to the top edge of the lip around the opening.

Use thick foam to accommodate any out-of-level edges. The weight of the plywood and drywall should be adequate to compress the foam weather stripping.

For more information on insulating your attic, visit coloradocountrylife.coop.

Click on Energy Tips.

DONATIONS WILL BENEFIT ENERGY OUTREACH COLORADO ColoradoCountryLife.coop August 2013 25

WiseSaver Replace dirty air conditioner filters every month. Dirty filters restrict airflow, which causes the air conditioner to run longer.

ColoradoCountryLife.coop 26 August 2013

[marketplace] Advertise in MarketPlace Call Kris at 303-902-7276

ColoradoCountryLife.coop August 2013 27

[classifieds] TO PLACE A CLASSIFIED AD Please type or print your ad on a separate paper.

Indicate how many months you would like your ad to run and which month to start. There is a minimum of 12 words at $1.63 per word/month. Be sure to include your full name and address for our records. Check MUST accompany this order or call to pay by credit card. Send your ad before the 10th of the month to: mail: Colorado Country Life

5400 Washington St., Denver, CO 80216 phone: 303-902-7276 fax: 303-455-2807 email: classifieds@coloradocountrylife.org

ANTIQUES ANTIQUE RESTORATION STUDIO — Antique conservation. Quality craftsmanship since 1974. Bayfield, CO, www.antiqueresdurango.com 970-884-1937. (988-08-13) ANTIQUES ON ACADEMY, September 7 & 8 - Colorado Springs Event Center, 3960 Palmer Park Blvd.

(Academy Blvd. at Palmer Park), Saturday 9-5, Sunday 10-4, $3.50 admission or 2 for $6.00. Plan now to attend! Info: Jo Peterson 719-5961022 jopete48@aol.com. (510-08-13) CHAIR CANING, hand caning, machine caning, fiber rush caning. Pueblo West, 719-547-0723. chaanita@q.com (858-10-14)

ANTLERS ANTLER CHANDELIERS made only from REAL antlers. We are the manufacturer and we sell all of our products at wholesale prices; save as much as 60% from store prices.

Many other antler products and mounts, including 5’ moose mount, 56” elk mount and giant moose paddles. Showroom open May 15 through October 15 in Granby, CO. 15 years at this location, over 900 satisfied customers! Designers: We can provide you a single item or a whole houseful. Call! 970-627-3053.

(085-09-13)

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES (These opportunities have not been investigated by Colorado Country Life.)

LEGITIMATE WORK AT HOME opportunity. No sales, investment, risk. Training/website provided.

Monthly income plus bonuses, benefits. Call Carrie 303-579-4207, www.workathomeunited.com/ ourabundance (932-10-13)

ColoradoCountryLife.coop 28 August 2013

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES

PIANO TUNING PAYS. Learn with American School home-study course. Tools included. Call for info.

800-497-9793. (158-01-14) REDUCED $50,000 — 14 spacious motel rooms, beauty shop (rented), studio apartment, lovely owners’ quarters. Good Business. Many repeat guests. Completely remodeled. Call Betty 719-263-4773 or cell 719-251-1554 (025-10-13) WORK LESS & LIVE MORE! MiaBellaNation.com Department #745 (831-11-13)

CARS/TRUCKS/BOATS 50 SUBARUS! (1995-2012) Outbacks, Foresters, Imprezas, Tribecas & more! Great prices! Warranties available! Dealer: www.Monument Motors.com 719-481-9900 (57408-13)

CEMETERIES GOLDEN CEMETERY – 2 lots for sale, side by side, Masonic section.

Contact Bill 970-724-3282 (121-08-13)

CLOCK REPAIR & RESTORATION DURANGO AREA. CLOCKS of all kinds repaired. Antique and modern. Clocks bought and sold. Call Robert 970-247-7729, bob.scott@ usa.net (109-09-13)

EVENTS SALIDA FIBER FESTIVAL, September 7-8, Riverside Park. Vendors selling fiber, yarn, textiles, fiber-related supplies, finished products, more!

Demonstrations and children’s activities. Visit www.salidafiber festival.org for vendor list. (06208-13)

FOOD

HOBBIES & CRAFTS

REAL ESTATE

BIGGEST LITTLE CORNERSTONE CAFÉ in Eaton, Colorado. Super green chili !! 130 1st Street. (09410-13)

Books, classes, crocheting, weaving, spinning, natural dye extracts, Jacquard and Gaywool dyes. www. tablerockllamas.com Colorado Springs, 866-495-7747 (791-09-13)

GRAND JUNCTION HORSE FARM, 3130 A 1/2 Rd, 3550+ sq. ft. home on 14 acres. Newly remodeled, new central air, new boiler, new water heater, new roof, half brick ranch w/new vinyl siding. 5 bdrm, 3 1/2 bath, living room, dining room, large kitchen, large family room.

New carpet/tile/wood floors.

Full horse barn w/indoor stalls & outside runs. All steel fencing, arenas, loafing sheds on large pastures. Additional fencing around home & inground heated pool. RV building (50x28’), two large ponds, etc. $625,000. Ginny 970-260-9629, Terry 970-261-3001, Gtraudt@ edbozarth.com 3% to 6% to any REALTOR w/buyer (946-12-13)

FOR SALE 40+ YEARS OF EMBROIDERY, crewel, needlepoint supplies. Some hard-to-find items, colors. 970-8845094, evenings. (124-09-13) DIESEL GENERATOR 7000W, 12hp, new, $5000. Honda gas-powered 300gpm 3x3 centrifugal trash pump, new, $900. Gas-powered 5.5 Honda 10gpm air compressor, new, $950.

970-493-4524 or RStienmier@digis. net (120-08-13) FIREWOOD – Blocked 15-17” (not split). Average load $50. You pick up, West Loveland area. 720-3523580 (939-01-14) GRASSFED YAK AND BISON MEAT for sale. Delicious and nutritious.

Delivery available. Fourth, half, or whole. 720-256-3364 (029-11-13) OXYGEN CONCENTRATORS - $380 with warranty. Also sell portable concentrators and oxygen supplies.

Repair and service of equipment.

Aspen Concentrator Repair Service 719-471-9895 (040-08-13)

FREE FREE BIBLE VERSES against Free-Will theology as 2 Timothy 2:25-26 and God-loves-everybody psychology as John 10:25-29. Dr. Edwin Vrell, Bible Theologian, 2210 Main, #304, Longmont, CO 80501, 303-772-8825 (995-09-13) FREE BOOKS/DVDS. Soon the “Mark of the Beast” will be enforced as Church and State unite!

Let the Bible reveal. The Bible Says, POB 99, Lenoir City, TN 37771. thebiblesaystruth@yahoo.com 888-211-1715. (814-08-13)

HELP WANTED $400 WEEKLY ASSEMBLING PRODUCTS FROM HOME. For free information, send SASE: Home Assembly – CC, Box 450, New Britain, CT 06050-0450.

EARN $55,000/YR PART TIME in the farm equipment and livestock appraisal business. Ag background required. Classroom and home study courses available. 800-4887570 or visit www.amagappraisers. com (935-10-13)

HORSES GREAT BOARDING, RIDING, tack/ feed storage. 14723 LCR 32, Sterling.

970-520-6640, 970-520-6419.

(125-08-13)

MACHINERY & PARTS SAWMILL EXCHANGE: North America’s largest source of used portable sawmills and commercial equipment for woodlot owners and sawmill operations. Over 800 listings. THE place to sell equipment.

800-459-2148 www.sawmill exchange.com . (267-09-13)

QUILTS AWARD WINNING LONG-ARM QUILTING Services - Karen Niemi, 303-470-9309, http://creative. stitching.home.comcast.net, creative.stitching@comcast.net (846-08-13)

REAL ESTATE 1.6 ACRE BEAUTIFUL COUNTRY HOME, 1850sf, 3bd, 2ba, 30x45 garage, orchard, drip irrigation, extraordinary yard, LaJunta, 970310-6659 (122-09-13) 160 ACRES IN BEAUTIFUL PARADOX VALLEY, CO. Live stream, abundant wildlife, excellent hunting, underground utilities, $329,000.

970-564-1581 (123-08-13) ARROWHEAD, CIMARRON, CO. Level, treed lot. ALL utilities in place (underground). 2 sheds, graveled driveway/parking, much more.

Community has many amenities.

Evenings 512-229-7826 (109-09-13) DURANGO, CO., see all listings, residential and land. Call Linda Crowther, Keller Williams Realty, 970-749-2088. DurangoColorado. com (107-10-13) GRAND COUNTY, 5 acres, metal building with living quarters, shop, RV garage, barn, corrals, pasture with live creek. $385,000. tinyurl. com/ColoradoMultipurposeOn 5acres (119-08-13)

PAGOSA SPRINGS – Vacation Home Management, “Need someone you can trust to care for your home while you’re away?” Call Pagosa Home Manager, LLC. A family owned & operated company with over 25 years property management experience. Licensed, bonded, insured. Call Rod Manning 970-946-0626 www.PagosaHome Manager.com (111-11-13) TURN-KEY CATTLE/HORSE RANCH. NM-Colo. border, 5 miles to Navajo Lake. Approx. 110 acres, 80 shares water ponds, springs, home, barns.

E-mail for pictures, dbenesch@ earthlink.net (018-08-13) WANTED: PROPERTY TO LEASE for hunting, fishing. We offer landowners numerous benefits. Hunting club also looking for new members.

303-460-0273 (069-08-13)

RELIGION BECOME AN ORDAINED Minister by correspondence study. Founded in 1988. Free info. Ministers for Christ Outreach, PMB 767, 6630 W Cactus, B107, Glendale, AZ 85304. http:// www.ordination.org (441-12-13)

TICKETS NFR & PBR RODEO TICKETS – Las Vegas. All seating levels available.

Call 1-888-NFR-rodeo (1-888-6377633) or www.NFR-Rodeo.com. *BBB Member; Since 1990. (912-11-13)

VACATIONS EXPERIENCE CENTRAL EUROPE with us! Private and small groups. www. euroamtravelclub.com or call Frank at 970-749-5824. (115-09-13)

[funny stories] VACATION RENTAL

WANTED TO BUY

WANTED TO BUY

KAUAI VACATION RENTAL, 2bdr, full kitchen. Minutes from beaches. $600/wk. 808-245-6500; makana crest.com; kauaiweddings.com.

(756-05-14)

OLD COLORADO LIVESTOCK brand books prior to 1975. Call Wes 303757-8553. (889-08-13)

OLD POCKET WATCHES – working or non-working and old repair material. Bob 719-859-4209 watch doctor@hotmail.com. (870-12-13)

KONA, HAWAII, Paradise Villa condo located on the 18th fairway of Kona Country Club with sweeping ocean views; 3bdr, 2ba specials.

(503) 369-2638; www.konacondo. info (116-11-13)

WANTED TO BUY NAVAJO RUGS, old and recent, native baskets, pottery. Tribal Rugs, Salida. 719-539-5363, b_inaz@ hotmail.com (817-08-13)

OLD COWBOY STUFF–hats, boots, spurs, chaps, Indian rugs, baskets, etc. ANYTHING OLD! Mining & railroad memorabilia, ore carts! We buy whole estates. We’ll come to you! Call 970-759-3455 or 970-5651256. (871-11-13) OLD GAS AND OIL items: Gas pumps, advertising signs, globes, etc. Pieces, parts, etc. considered. Also 1932-34 Ford cars and trucks, parts and pieces, too. Any condition. Brandon, 719-250-5721.

(519-11-13)

VINTAGE FISHING TACKLE. I buy rods, reels, lures, creels, etc.

References available. Call Gary at 970-222-2181. (960-08-13) WANT TO PURCHASE minerals and other oil/gas interests. Send details to: PO Box 13557, Denver, CO 80201.

(402-03-14) WE PAY CASH for minerals and oil/ gas interests, producing and nonproducing. 800-733-8122 (099-02-14)

A CCL SUBSCRIPTION IS A GREAT GIFT Did you know that you could get a Colorado Country Life subscription for $9 in-state and $15 out-of-state?

Just call the nice people at CCL at 303-455-4111.

Thanks, my sister is in Arizona and always wants the news from home.

I’ll get her a subscription for her birthday.

On an afternoon while the Black Forest Fire was being contained, it started to rain near our home. My 6-year-old daughter commented, “I think they’re turning the sprinklers on to full spit!”

Deborah Randall, Peyton

An old man placed an order for one hamburger, French fries and a drink. He unwrapped the plain hamburger and carefully cut it in half, placing one half in front of his wife. Next, he carefully counted out the French fries, dividing them into two piles and neatly placed one pile in front of his wife. The old man took a sip of the drink and then his wife took a sip and set the cup down between them.

As he began to eat his few bites of hamburger, a young man whispered to his girlfriend, “That poor old couple; all they can afford is one meal for the two of them.”

As the old man ate his fries the young man came to the table and politely offered to buy another meal for the couple. The old man said, “We’re just fine. We’re used to sharing everything.”

As he started back to his table, the young man noticed the little old lady hadn’t eaten a bite. She sat there watching her husband eat his food, occasionally taking turns sipping the drink.

Again, the young man came over and begged them to let him buy another meal for them. This time the old woman said, “No, thank you. We are used to sharing everything.”

“I’m curious, though,” the young man said. “You’re not eating. What is it you’re waiting for?”

“The teeth,” she answered.

Christina Milo, Lakewood

My grandson and I were traveling across the drought-ravaged grasslands of the Oklahoma panhandle and southern Colorado. He was entertaining himself by practicing his reading skills on the road signs.

As we crossed the state line into Colorado, he read out loud, “Welcome to colorful Colorado.” He thought for a minute and then asked, “Grandma, were they being sarcastic when they put that sign up?”

Laurie Schroder, Campo We pay $15 to each person who submits a funny story that’s printed in the magazine. At the end of the year, we draw one name from those submitting jokes and that person will receive $150. Send your 2013 stories to Colorado Country Life, 5400 Washington St., Denver, CO 80216 or email funnystories@coloradocountrylife.org. Don’t forget to include your mailing address, so we can send you a check.

ColoradoCountryLife.coop August 2013 29

[discoveries]

Flip-Box

Get a Grip

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The Flip-Box is an iceless cooler that keeps foods and drinks at a consistent temperature for hours. Made from an ultra-durable industrialstrength material called Neopolen, the Flip-Box retains heat or cold for up to six hours.

With a 26-quart capacity, the Flip-Box is large enough to hold up to 45 cans, but folds down compactly for easy storage. When your Flip-Box gets dirty, just disassemble and run it through the dishwasher.

The Flip-Box costs $29.99 through sport-brella.com and local sporting goods retailers.

To learn how to enter to win this great cooler, visit coloradocountrylife.coop and click on Contests. Good Luck.

Colorado Outdoor Games

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Colorado Joes makes cornhole even cooler with Colorado-inspired designs. These regulation-size gems are handcrafted in Denver, but lighter to carry than traditional cornhole games.

Each set has foldaway legs and a strong urethane finish and comes with four red and four yellow regulation-size cornhole bags.

Colorado Joes’ cornhole games cost around $175. For more information, call 303-956-8160 or visit colorado joes.com.

Non-Sticky Situation

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Get the grease and grime off your grill grate with Non-Stick Grill Wipes.

These handy wipes grab debris left on your grill’s cooking surface and oil the grate for the next use.

Grill Wipes attach to grill brushes of all sizes. A set of three Grill Wipes costs $8.99. To order or to find a local retailer, call 877-900-8415 or visit gratechef.com.

ColoradoCountryLife.coop 30 August 2013

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At your next tailgating party you can flip burgers with one hand and pop open your favorite bottled beverage with the other with the GrabOpener.

Created by Denverdweller Mark Manger, the GrabOpener requires a firm grip to open bottles, but because of its special design only one hand is needed to do it.

The GrabOpener sells for $16 to $22 and comes in blue, red, orange, green, black and silver. For more information, call 303-477-2196 or visit gropener.com.

TAILGATE PARTY PLATE

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Guests won’t have to take a seat to eat at your tailgating party because Drink & Plate makes it possible to carry food and drink with one hand, leaving the other hand available for shakes, high-fives, bumps, nudges, you name it.

Drink & Plate dishes come in several colors and, for an extra charge, can be customized with a logo. Sets of six start around $20. Available at drinkandplate. com or qvc.com. For more information, call 888-717-5283.