Colorado Country Life November 2020 Mountain View

MOUNTAIN VIEW ELECTRIC ASSOCIATION, INC.

NOVEMBER 2020

MOUNTAIN OF MYSTERIES 2020 BOOK REVIEWS

PLUS THE JOY OF CHEESE MAKING

10

WE’RE PUMPED ABOUT HEAT PUMPS

15

A WRITER’S PORTRAIT OF THE ULTIMATE HUNT

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Volume 51

Number 11

November 2020 THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE COLORADO RURAL ELECTRIC ASSOCIATION

“Autumn Day at Rampart Reservoir” by Adrian Veghte, a consumer-member of Mountain View Electric Association.

3 VIEWPOINT

4 LETTERS

5 YOUR CO-OP NEWS

9 ASK THE ENERGY EXPERT

10 RECIPES

11 NEWS CLIPS

12 COVER STORY 2020 BOOK REVIEWS: MOUNTAIN OF MYSTERIES

15 INDUSTRY

16 GARDENING

17 GIFT GUIDE

18 OUTDOORS

19 COMMUNITY EVENTS

20 MARKETPLACE

21 YOUR STORIES

TRY OUR PINTEREST PINCODE Open the Pinterest app on your iPhone or Android phone. Tap your Pinterest camera (up next to the Search bar). Point your phone at the Pincode to instantly access Pins, boards and other ideas on Pinterest. (No need to take a picture!)

COMMUNICATIONS STAFF Mona Neeley, CCC, Publisher/Editor mneeley@coloradocountrylife.org Cassi Gloe, CCC, Production Manager/Designer cgloe@coloradocountrylife.org Kylee Coleman, Editorial/Admin. Assistant kcoleman@coloradocountrylife.org ADVERTISING Kris Wendtland, Ad Representative advertising@coloradocountrylife.org | 303-902-7276 National Advertising Representative, American MainStreet Publications 611 S. Congress Street, Suite 504, Austin, TX 78704 | 800-626-1181 Advertising Standards: Publication of an advertisement in Colorado Country Life does not imply endorsement by any Colorado rural electric cooperative or the Colorado Rural Electric Association.

Colorado Country Life (USPS 469-400/ISSN 1090-2503) is published monthly by Colorado Rural Electric Association, 5400 Washington Street, Denver, CO 80216-1731. Periodical postage paid at Denver, Colorado. ©Copyright 2020, Colorado Rural Electric Association. Call for reprint rights.

EDITORIAL Denver Corporate Office, 5400 Washington Street, Denver, CO 80216 mneeley@coloradocountrylife.org | 303-455-4111 coloradocountrylife.coop | facebook.com/COCountryLife Pinterest.com/COCountryLife | Instagram.com/cocountrylife Twitter.com/COCountryLife | YouTube.com/COCountryLife1 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.

SUBSCRIBERS Report change of address to your local cooperative. Do not send change of address to Colorado Country Life. Cost of subscription for members of participating electric cooperatives is $4.44 per year (37 cents per month), paid from equity accruing to the member. For nonmembers, a subscription is $9 per year in-state/$15 out-of-state.

FACEBOOK CHATTER

POSTMASTER Send address changes to Colorado Country Life, 5400 Washington Street, Denver, CO 80216

Colorado Country Life posted: For #EnergyEfficiency Day we’re sharing these ways to conserve and save money here: https://www.tristategt. org/3-energy-conservation-tips-you-cant-afford-miss

On the

Cover NOVEMBER 2020

22 DISCOVERIES

Monthly Contest

MOUNTAIN OF MYSTERIES

2020 BOOK REVIEWS

Want a free book? You could win one of the books featured in this month’s magazine (pages 12-14 and 22) as well as additional titles featured exclusively on our website.

Visit coloradocountrylife.coop and click on the Contests tab to find out how to enter.

FACEBOOK CHATTER

Books by Colorado authors printed by Colorado publishers on Colorado subjects are featured in this year’s book reviews.

Illustration by Geoff Tice.

Colorado Rural Electric Association posted: Happy National Farmer’s Day! Colorado’s rural electric cooperatives are grateful to our local farmers who help to keep our bellies full of nourishing food!

coloradocountrylife.coop

VIEWPOINT

GIVING THANKS

Despite the pandemic, there is still much to be thankful for

BY KENT SINGER

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

I

think we can all agree that 2020 has been a tough year in Colorado. With an unprecedented pandemic, the closing of many businesses, wildfires, windstorms, social unrest and political turmoil, this year has been an unrelenting test of our collective resolve. With the holidays fast approaching, though, maybe we should take a breath and count our blessings.

I’m especially thankful for: • All my friends and colleagues who work for Colorado’s electric co-ops to keep the lights on every day. This year in particular, the challenges of providing electricity to rural communities have been great. Please thank your co-op staff for a job well done.

• All the doctors, nurses, hospital workers, food preparers, dishwashers, grocery store stockers, trash haulers and many others who kept our essential services available at great personal risk to themselves and their families over the last eight months.

• Netflix.

• Living in a city and state where, after a short drive, I can watch the elk in Rocky Mountain National Park, enjoy a concert at Red Rocks, climb a 14er, ski A-Basin, bike Lookout Mountain or cast a fly in a mountain stream. Only in Colorado.

• The Denver Nuggets, a true basketball team with a bunch of guys whose hearts are even bigger than their talent.

• Lou Brock, Bob Gibson, Tom Seaver, Joe Morgan and the other great baseball players of my youth who have gone to the Field of Dreams this year. Where I grew up, the teachers would set up black-and-white televisions to watch the afternoon World

Series games featuring these Hall of Fame players. Farewell and Godspeed to them all.

• Zoom.

• My co-workers at the CREA who work hard every day to support our electric co-op partners with safety, communications, education and government relations services; you’re the best.

• Rising trout on the Frying Pan River.

• Working with incredible co-op leaders like Jim Lueck of Highline Electric Association who, despite being seriously injured in a farm accident, still attends board meetings and provides direction to CREA and our team.

• Watching the amazing Nolan Arenado make the impossible play look routine.

(Hope this season was not his last hurrah with the Rockies.)

• Our right to vote.

• All the firefighters, law enforcement personnel and other first responders who risked their lives to protect Colorado residents and communities during the many fires and other emergencies that occurred this year.

• Living in a country where most folks work every day to make a living, care for their families and try to make their communities better places to live. Is it perfect? No, but it’s still the best nation on earth.

• Turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, pumpkin pie.

• The opportunity to travel all across Colorado. While those travels have been somewhat limited this year, I’m thankful for the chance to attend the in-person annual meetings held by Yampa Valley

KENT SINGER

Electric Association and Empire Electric Association. (The next time you’re in Cortez, try the chile rellenos at Gustavo’s!)

• The privilege of working with our friends at the Oklahoma Association of Electric Cooperatives and NRECA International to send Colorado and Oklahoma line crews to central and south America to bring electricity to people living in remote villages. The motto of the electric co-op program is that co-ops power communities and empower individuals; the International Program is a way for Colorado’s electric co-ops to show their commitment to these principles.

• I’m thankful to the many scientists and researchers who are developing treatments and vaccines that will one day bring us all back together.

• And of course, I’m thankful for my wife, sister, family and friends. It’s been a crazy year where getting together has been nearly impossible. Once this pandemic is solved, we’ll have a lot of catching up to do.

All of us at CREA hope you and yours are safe and healthy and that your blessings are abundant this Thanksgiving.

Kent Singer is the executive director of the Colorado Rural Electric Association and offers a statewide perspective on issues affecting electric cooperatives. CREA is the trade association for your electric co-op, the 21 other electric co-ops in Colorado and its power supply co-op.

COLOR ADO COUNTRY LIFE NOVEMBER 2020

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LETTERS LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

CCL Readers Send Fan Mail

Thank you for two fascinating articles (August ’20). The story on Marvel Crosson was especially interesting to me, as she was from my Logan County. Then I turn the page to another excellent article on women’s right to vote in Colorado. Both articles were informative and enjoyable.

Helen Duncan, Crook Highline Electric consumer-member Reading the letters in the August issue, I had to wonder if it was “pile on the editor month?” I appreciate the myriad articles that showcase our state and region, our people, our diversity, our different lifestyles. I like the recipes. (On a low-carb diet, I am always looking for fruit and veggie fare.)

Vicki Felmlee, Grand Junction Grand Valley Power consumer-member

SEPTEMBER 2020

PETS THAT MAKE YOU

Best. Issue. Ever.

(September ’20) John Shupe, Cuchara San Isabel Electric consumermember

Great Woman of Flight

I was sorry to hear of Emily Warner’s passing.

(From the Editor, August ’20). She was my first flight instructor. She worked at Clinton Aviation at Denver’s Stapleton airport. I will never forget the day I flew solo. She called my brother, who was a pilot also; he was there when I landed. Very thoughtful of her. I accumulated over 3,000 hours of flight time and became an air traffic controller for 25 years. Over the years, I ran into her at airports — she remembered me. She will be missed.

Donald Anderson, Oak Creek Yampa Valley Electric consumer-member

FROM THE EDITOR

Thankful for the kindness of strangers

BY MONA NEELEY

EDITOR

A

s I write this in early October, my husband and I have just returned from a motorcycle trip to view Colorado’s autumn splendor. It’s a trip that almost didn’t happen.

I got sick our first day out. We were coming down Kenosha Pass into South Park when I got really lightheaded and nauseated — neither of which works well on the back of a Harley-Davidson Road King.

My husband pulled off the road and I got violently sick by the side of Highway 285.

An older couple stopped to check on us, offering a package of wipes and their assistance. Another passerby gave me a bottle of juice she had. And then there was Jody,

2021

Photo Contes t coloradocountrylife.coop

SEND US YOUR LETTERS

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COLOR ADO COUNTRY LIFE NOVEMBER 2020

Mona Neeley is the statewide editor of Colorado Country Life, which is published in coordination with your local electric cooperative. Its goal is to provide information from your local electric co-op to you, its consumer-members.

NOW OPEN FOR ENTRIES

Read full rules and enter online at

Editor Mona Neeley, 5400 Washington St., Denver, CO 80216 or mneeley@ coloradocountrylife.org. Include name and address. Letters may be edited for length.

a woman driving to Telluride, who MONA NEELEY turned around to help.

I couldn’t shake the dizziness and, with it, I couldn’t sit on the back of the bike. Jody offered to drive me to Fairplay while my husband rode the bike.

Once there, we got a room. I drank lots of water and rested as it seemed my problem was a combination of elevation and dehydration. The next morning I was ready to go, but only thanks to the kindness of strangers.

Scan to ENTER NOW

YOUR CO-OP NEWS

THE COOPERATIVE ADVANTAGE

Capital Credits: Every Member Gets a Piece of the Pie

BY JIM HERRON

CEO | HERRONJC@MVEA.ORG

In the last couple of months, through evolving COVID-19 directives, we have spoken often about the importance of supporting the community and serving our co-op members through times of uncertainty. While keeping the lights on is our priority, serving our co-op members — our friends and neighbors — is equally as important. Why? Because the relationship between a co-op and its members is unique.

As a Mountain View Electric Association, Inc., member, you are more than a customer: you are both a member and an owner of the cooperative. Your investment in the cooperative helps to ensure the financial health and stability of the co-op, and is returned to you through the allocation and retirement of capital credits. It’s another aspect of being a co-op member that is unique: when financial conditions allow, every member of an electric co-op gets a piece of the pie.

What are Capital Credits?

Electric cooperatives aren’t like other utilities. When MVEA’s cost of doing business is accounted for, members share in the financial prosperity through the retirement of capital credits. We operate at cost — collecting enough revenue to run the co-op, without the demand to generate profits

like investor-owned corporations. MVEA’s rates and fees are set by an elected Board of Directors to generate revenue to cover operating costs, pay debts on construction loans and provide an emergency financial reserve. Any excess revenues that remain once all expenses have been paid are divided among MVEA members as capital credits.

Capital credits represent your investment in MVEA — your piece of the co-op pie.

Allocation vs. Retirement MVEA members receive a capital credits allocation every year after the cooperative’s audit for the previous year is complete. Net margins, the difference between MVEA’s income and its expenses, are “allocated” or assigned to members who belong to the cooperative during the year in which a net margin is generated. An allocation is your share of the net margins MVEA sets aside into a separate account with your name on it. These are used as operating capital for reliability improvements and maintenance over a period of years. Capital credits allocation notices are provided on your billing statement annually.

A retirement is the amount of cash you receive back from your capital credits allocation. The amount retired is decided annually by the MVEA Board of Directors.

How Do Capital Credits Work?

At the end of the year, MVEA settles all financial matters and determines whether there are excess revenues, called net margins.

When MVEA’s Board of Directors retire capital credits, payments are made to co-op members with a capital credits retirement balance over an amount agreed upon by the Board.

MVEA has retired

$67+ Million to members.*

After a number of years, if financial conditions permit, and MVEA’s mortgage requirements and by-law provisions are met, the Board may decide to retire a set amount of capital credits to its members.

Should the MVEA Board of Directors retire capital credits, details will be available in the December issue (including how payments will be made and the amount of the retirement). If we don’t have your current address, we cannot get your capital credits payment to you—where it belongs.

Be sure to provide us with your new mailing address every time you move.

Make sure to look at your November bill to review your 2019 capital credits allocation. Depending on how long you have been an MVEA member, you may also receive a capital credits retirement payment in December. If you have any questions about your capital credits allocation or retirement, please call 800-388-9881.

Cooperative Membership Has Its Benefits Because electric co-ops operate at cost, any excess revenues, called net margins, are returned to members in the form of capital credits.

MVEA allocates net margins as “capital credits” to members who belong to the co-op during the year in which a net margin is generated.

When MVEA’s financial conditions permit, the Board of Directors may decide to retire (which means pay) capital credits to members.

IN A CO-OP, EVERY MEMBER GETS A PIECE OF THE PIE!

*As of November 1, 2020

You get the credit as an electric co-op member!

JIM HERRON

•

MVEA’s Board of Directors are committed to retiring capital credits. The allocation and retirement of capital credits is one of the most unique and rewarding benefits of being an MVEA electric co-op member.

•

Since 2013, MVEA’s Board has used a hybrid first-in, first-out (FIFO) 80 percent with a last-in, first-out (LIFO) 20 percent capital credits retirement system to increase the number of checks issued to members.

•

Not all co-ops retire capital credits, and not all co-ops retire capital credits in a way that benefits the most members. It’s one aspect of co-op membership that is unique to MVEA.

Check your November bill for your 2019 capital credits allocation and make sure to read the December issue of Colorado Country Life for a capital credits retirement update. Please contact MVEA with any questions you may have about capital credits.

COLOR ADO COUNTRY LIFE NOVEMBER 2020

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YOUR CO-OP NEWS

MVEA Board Members Earn NRECA Director Gold Credentials One member, one vote. Democratic member control is one of the seven cooperative principles that make electric cooperatives unique. Electric cooperatives, such as Mountain View Electric Association, Inc., are governed by a Board of Directors elected by its members. The Board establishes MVEA’s policies, monitors the financial position and the management of the cooperative, to assure that its plans and programs are in keeping with accepted standards of sound business practices. In these matters and other business of the organization, each Director represents the interests of the membership.

Being elected to an electric co-op Board of Directors by a membership of peers is an honor bound with responsibility. It requires dedication to the unique needs of the membership as well as specialized training and education in a technical and innovative industry. Recognizing the importance of specialized training for electric co-op board leadership, the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association created a multi-tiered credentialing program to help directors fulfill their fiduciary duty as elected officials serving on behalf of their membership. The pinnacle of the program is the Director Gold Credential.

The Director Gold is a certificate program geared toward directors who are ready to continue their education beyond the Credentialed Cooperative Director certificate (CCD) and Board

Leadership Certificate (BLC). In order to earn Director Gold, they must first earn CCD and BLC certificates, plus three additional credits. Currently, MVEA is proud to share that two current Directors have earned the NRECA Director Gold Credential, while others have completed courses and earned levels of the credential program with the goal of earning a Director Gold credential in the future. To learn more about the MVEA Board of Directors, visit mvea.coop/boardof-directors.

Barry Springer, District 6, Vice President: Barry Springer was among the first group of electric co-op Directors in the nation to Barry Springer earn the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association’s Director Gold certificate in 2016. He was recertified this year. Barry has been an MVEA Board Director since 2009.

Errol Hertneky, District 3, Assistant Secretary: Errol Hertneky has been an MVEA Board Director since 2013 and earned the Director Gold certificate this year after completing courses geared towards directors who want to elevate their education beyond some of the more basic courses that are Errol Hertneky offered through NRECA.

NRECA Director Education Course Topics The Director Gold credential demonstrates to cooperative members those directors’ ongoing commitment to advancing their knowledge and performing their fiduciary duty to the best of their ability. Showing their commitment to serving MVEA members at the highest level, Hertneky and Springer plan to take continuing director credits through the NRECA education programs to maintain their gold status.

• • • • • • • • • • • • •

Director Duties and Liabilities The Electric Business Board Operations & Process Strategic Planning Financial Decision Making Cooperative Business Model Grassroots Governance Power Supply Risk Management Technology Communications And More

In Memory: B.D. “Bud” Paddock, Retired MVEA Board Member With greatest condolences, Mountain View Electric Association, Inc. announces the passing of retired Board Director, B.D. “Bud” Paddock. Bud was an integral part of MVEA’s history.

He witnessed tremendous changes in the electric industry and put MVEA members at the heart of his decisions in the boardroom. Bud served on the MVEA Board from 1971 to 2017, including serving as MVEA Board Vice President from 1988 through 2014.

For 27 years, Bud was also a member and past president of the Colorado Rural Electric Association (CREA) Board of Directors. During his time with MVEA, he was instrumental in developing programs that support the economic development of rural communities as well as energy efficient and renewable energy programs.

When he retired from the MVEA Board, Bud said it was the MVEA members he served and the employees who made his time memorable. Now, we take the time to remember Bud and his 47 years of service to electric cooperatives. For additional photos and reflections on Bud’s time as an MVEA Board Director, please visit mvea.coop/in-memory-of-bud-paddockretired-board-member.

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COLOR ADO COUNTRY LIFE NOVEMBER 2020

YOUR CO-OP NEWS

A Member-Owned Cooperative

Local. Trusted. Serving You. BOARD OF DIRECTORS

STAY AWAY from sagging or downed

POWER LINES Winter Weather & Power Outage Safety Tips

Fall is the perfect time to prepare for Colorado’s famously unpredictable winter weather. Taking inventory of essential storm readiness supplies on the inside of your home is just as important as taking time to get your property winter ready.

Blowing wind, snow, and ice can knock down power lines and blow trees and limbs onto power lines, ultimately causing power outages. Keep the following safety tips in mind after a storm: •

•

When you see power lines on the ground, stay away, warn others to stay away and contact MVEA or 911. Lines do not have to be arcing or sparking to be live. Any utility wire, including telephone or cable lines that are sagging or down, could be in contact with an energized power line, also making them dangerous. So, stay away from all lines.

Downed trees and power lines do not mix well. Be alert to the possibility that tree limbs or debris may hide an electrical hazard. Downed power lines can energize objects around it, such as chain link fences and metal culverts.

Joseph D. Martin, District 1 President Barry R. Springer, District 6 Vice President Milton L. Mathis, District 4 Secretary-Treasurer Errol Hertneky, District 3 Assistant Secretary Rick L. Gordon, District 2, Director Kevin L. Paddock, District 5, Director Jim Riggins, District 7, Director

Telephone Numbers Toll-Free: (800) 388-9881 (719) 495-2283 Credit Card Pay-By-Phone (877) 999-3415 Falcon Office 11140 E. Woodmen Road Falcon, CO 80831 Limon Office 1655 5th Street • P.O. Box 1600 Limon, CO 80828 Monument Office 15706 Jackson Creek Parkway, Suite 100 Monument, CO 80132

•

Keep in mind that a line that is “dead” could still become energized during power restoration efforts or improper use of generators.

•

Never drive over a downed line. It could cause poles or other equipment to come crashing down.

COVID-19 + MVEA Service Updates www.mvea.coop/covid-19-response

•

If you are in a car that comes in contact with a downed power line, stay in your vehicle. Wait until the utility crew arrives and deenergizes the line.

Warn others not to approach the car. Only exit the car in the case of fire; and, in doing so, be sure to jump out and away from the car with both feet together. Then hop away while continuing to keep both feet together.

Visit our website: www.mvea.coop

•

Visit www.mvea.coop/safe-electricity or visit www.SafeElectricity.org to learn more about storm and outage safety.

Downed trees can create power outages for you and your neighbors. Let’s work together to keep the lights on and be safe!

Office Hours Monday - Thursday • 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Stay Connected: Like. Follow. Share. www.facebook.com/MVEAInc Search for: Mountain View Electric Assn. Inc. www.twitter.com/MVEAInc Search for: Mountain View Electric Association, Inc. This Association is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

Get your property winter storm ready. Look for possible problem trees and contact MVEA. Visit www.mvea.coop/tree-trimming to learn more about MVEA’s tree trimming services.

COLOR ADO COUNTRY LIFE NOVEMBER 2020

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YOUR CO-OP NEWS

We Don’t Just Brighten Homes, We Brighten Futures.

Give the gift that can be used and appreciated this holiday by everyone on your list—the gift of electricity.

High School Sophomores & Juniors Win a Summer Trip!

MVEA Youth Leadership Trip Contest

It’s easy to give a gift of credit on a Mountain View Electric Association, Inc. account for a friend or relative!

Simply fill out the form and return it to any MVEA office or drop box with your check. A gift of credit can be given anytime throughout the year. The recipient’s electric account will be credited in the amount of your gift. For more information, call (800) 388-9881.

High school sophomores and juniors are just a couple of short questions away from an opportunity to win a once-in-a-lifetime all-expenses paid trip. Deadline: Thursday, November 12, 2020.

For contest qualifications and to complete an entry form, visit www.mvea.coop/leadershiptrip.

I would like to provide the following person(s) with a gift of credit of $______ on their MVEA electric account.

Need Cash For College? Win a Scholarship! $27,000 In Scholarships Available

Recipient’s Name:_________________________________

MVEA’s scholarship program includes scholarships to accredited colleges, universities, junior or community colleges, as well as Vocational/Technical Scholarships. Additional scholarships include Power Lineworker Scholarships for students pursuing a career through a lineworker training program, as well as a Power Engineer Scholarship for current college students pursuing a power engineering career. Visit www.mvea.coop/scholarships to learn more. Applications are due by January 18, 2021.

Account Number (if available):_______________________ Property Address:_________________________________ City, State, ZIP:___________________________________ Your Name:______________________________________ Phone Number:___________________________________ Address:________________________________________ City, State, ZIP:___________________________________

Questions? Contact Erica, (719) 494-2654, erica.m@mvea.coop.

□ Enclosed is a check for $___________.

(Please make gifts in $5 increments, i.e. $5, $10, $15, etc.) □ Please check the box if you wish to remain anonymous.

www.mvea.coop • (800) 388-9881

A Member-Owned Cooperative

Stay Connected: Like. Follow. Share.

A Helping Hand To Those In Need

LEAP and Energy Outreach Colorado Bill Payment Assistance Through a partnership with the State of Colorado Department of Human Services, Discover Goodwill administers the Low-Income Energy Assistance Program or LEAP, which provides home heating assistance to households with income up to 60 percent of the Colorado State Median Income. LEAP is a federally funded program that helps eligible hard working Colorado households pay a portion of their winter home heating costs.

To apply or for additional program information, visit the LEAP website at www.colorado.gov/cdhs/LEAP or call (866) 432-8435.The program begins November 1 and applications will be processed as long as funding is available.

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COLOR ADO COUNTRY LIFE NOVEMBER 2020

Energy Outreach Colorado brings together a network of industry, state, and local partners to support, stabilize and sustain Coloradans to afford their energy needs. Their programs include: bill payment assistance, heating system repair/replacement, energy efficiency upgrades, energy education, access to state programs (such as LEAP) that work in partnership with their services.

Visit www.energyoutreach.org/programs to learn more about program qualifications, and how to apply for assistance. For bill payment assistance call (866) 432-8435 (LEAP), for heating system repair or replacement call (855) 469-4328, for general questions call (303) 825-8750.

How to Breathe Easy About Your Home’s Air Quality AND

BR AD THIESSEN

A

lthough some speculate that sealing a home too tight can lead to air quality issues, the truth is the average home loses about half its air volume every hour, so it can be sealed considerably — often at a low cost — and still have more than enough healthy air.

Pollutants are the main cause of poor indoor air quality, and the most dangerous pollutant is carbon monoxide. It can come from furnaces, water heaters or stoves that burn natural gas, propane or wood.

The problem usually occurs in devices that are old, in need of repair or installed or operated in a manner that prevents clear, unobstructed supply and exhaust of combustion air.

How do you ensure healthy indoor air as you increase your home’s energy efficiency? The first strategy, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, is to eliminate or reduce the source of pollution, and the first pollutant to eliminate is carbon monoxide. If you have a combustion furnace, it should be inspected and serviced regularly by a professional. If you have any combustion appliances, it is critical that carbon monoxide detectors are installed.

If you live in an area with radon, which you can determine by checking out the EPA’s radon map, keep it out of your home because it is the second leading cause of lung cancer. Radon tests are inexpensive, and your local health authorities can provide more information. If radon levels are too high, hire a professional to install

LEARN MORE ONLINE Visit coloradocountrylife.coop to learn more about making your home more efficient. Look under the Energy tab.

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Well sealed windows will prevent condensation buildup and help reduce your home’s energy cost.

a system that will divert radon gas to the outside of your home.

The second strategy is ventilation. Your home probably has more than enough natural ventilation from outside air leaking into the home. If you suspect this isn’t adequate, the best way to know for sure is to hire an energy auditor to do a blower door test.

The third and final strategy is to clean the air. The easiest step is to simply change your furnace filter at least once every three months and keep your furnace supply and return air registers free of obstructions. If any rooms do not have an air return, keep the doors open.

We hope these suggestions will be helpful as you seal air leaks in your home while also enjoying fresh, healthy indoor air.

This column was co-written by Pat Keegan and Brad Thiessen of Collaborative Efficiency.

877-788-4078

Energy Efficiency Ways to Save Spending more time in the kitchen during the holiday season? Here’s one way to be more energy efficient: Unplug small kitchen appliances, like toaster ovens and microwaves, when not in use. You could save $10 to $20 per year.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Energy

COLOR ADO COUNTRY LIFE NOVEMBER 2020

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RECIPES

FROMAGE FOR FOODIES Creamy, dreamy cheeses you can make from scratch

BY AMY HIGGINS

Want to try cheese making?

Enter our November contest for your chance to win a copy of Tiny Goat, Big Cheese and a virtual cheese making class with Briar Gate Farm’s The Art of Cheese.

Visit coloradocountrylife. coop and click on the Contests tab to find out how to enter.

WIN A COPY

| RECIPES@COLOR ADOCOUNTRYLIFE.ORG

Get a taste of the joy of cheese making.

K

ate Johnson, founder, owner and lead cheese making instructor at Briar Gate Farm in Longmont, recently added cookbook author to her resume. The cookbook, Tiny Goat, Big Cheese: A Farmto-Table Hobby to Career Odyssey, can help you make delectable cheeses such as chèvre, ricotta, feta, cottage cheese and more from the comfort of your own kitchen. In the book she also offers handy tips for goat keeping and cheese making. Before COVID-19, the award-winning cheese maker offered on-site cheese making classes at the Farm where she raises her Nubian and Nigerian Dwarf dairy goats.

She has since moved to a virtual platform. Check out the variety of upcoming classes at theartofcheese. com and get a taste of cheese making. In the meantime, give this recipe from her blog a go.

Lemony Baked Ricotta with Herbs Part I: Make your Handmade Artisan Ricotta

(You can opt to substitute homemade ricotta with store-bought. For store-bought ricotta, skip to Part II.)

COLOR ADO COUNTRY LIFE NOVEMBER 2020

zest of 1 lemon 1 1/2 teaspoons dried herbs* 2-3 tablespoons olive oil

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

baguette slices

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

10

2-3 cups fresh, warm ricotta

1 gallon whole milk (cow, goat or sheep milk will work) 3 tablespoons butter

STRAIGHT FROM KATE “This is a delicious appetizer recipe that you can make using store-bought ricotta or, better yet, make your own fresh ricotta.

It’s so easy!”

Part II:

Add lemon zest to your warm ricotta and stir. Add 1 teaspoon of your favorite dried herb blend and mix into the lemony ricotta. Put 2 tablespoons of good olive oil in an oven-proof skillet or baking dish and swirl around to coat the dish. Spoon your ricotta mixture into the dish. Drizzle the top with a little more olive oil and sprinkle on remaining herbs. Bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes until bubbly and slightly browned. Serve with lightly toasted baguette slices.

Heat milk in a heavy pot (double-clad stainless steel or enameled cast iron work well) to 185 degrees, stirring regularly to keep from scalding. Once milk is at 185 degrees, remove from heat and stir in apple cider vinegar. Stir for a couple of minutes. You should see curds begin to develop and eventually the milk they are floating in will look somewhat clear with a yellowish tinge. *“I like HerbSalt produced by Gayle’s If you don’t get this clear separation Salts out of Boulder, but you can use between the curds and whey, keep any blend of herbs you like. If your heating up to about 200 degrees and, blend doesn’t contain salt, add a pinch if needed, add another teaspoon or of nice sea salt to bring up the flavor.” two of vinegar. Ladle the curds into a cheesecloth-lined strainer. Drain for 1 minute. Add butter and baking soda; stir to blend.

NEWS CLIPS

Mystery of the Missing Train Car

National Recognition for Colorado Country Life

C

olorado Country Life magazine won three national awards in the recent National Rural Electric Cooperative Association Statewide Editors Association’s Willies Awards.

Competing with 32 other electric cooperative statewide magazines, CCL won one first place award and two awards of merit.

The magazine earned a first place gold award in the “Best Feature Communicating a Cooperative Principle” category with its May story by Amy Higgins titled “Co-ops Come Together During COVID-19.”

Written at the beginning of the pandemic, the story captured how Colorado’s electric co-ops adapted quickly to the new situation while continuing to meet their consumermembers’ needs.

CCL Production Manager/Designer Cassi Gloe won an award of merit in the “Best Cover” category for her April cover design.

Editor/Publisher Mona Neeley won an award of merit in the “Best Column” category for her December From the Editor column titled “Christmas Lights on a Cold, Dark Night.”

ELECTRIC CO-OPS IMPROVE CYBERSECURITY

E

lectric cooperatives received $6 million in a cooperative agreement between the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association and the U.S. Department of Energy to further develop the co-ops’ groundbreaking cybersecurity tool know as Essence.

The tool uses sophisticated, real-time anomaly detection to identify and warn of possible network breaches. The DOE funds will be used for a three-year development, deployment and testing of advanced technology at 55 electric co-ops across the country.

This next step, Essence 2.0, will enable the utility industry to share characteristics of an incident to help detect whether or not a large, coordinated cyberattack is being attempted.

“The DOE award will allow us to continue to advance the platform’s usefulness for industry and strengthen our capabilities for protecting our nation’s power grid,” said Doug Lambert of NRECA’s grid solutions department.

Do you have the missing train car on your back 40?

In the aftermath of World War II, the United States gathered resources to send to its European allies. The “American Friendship Train” traveled to depots across the United States collecting relief items, such as food, clothing and children’s toys, that were then shipped to France, Italy and England.

In response to America’s generosity, France sent a gift-filled decorative train car for each of the 48 states in existence at the time, plus one train car to be shared between Hawaii and Washington, D.C. The train cars were part of what was affectionately known as the “Merci Train,” an homage to the French word for “thank you.” Of the 49 Merci Train cars sent to the United States in 1949, only 43 remain today. Six cars were either scrapped or burned or are simply missing. Colorado’s Merci Train car is missing.

The Colorado Railroad Museum hopes that a Colorado Country Life reader can help. The museum has reason to believe that this special train car ended up on a Colorado ranch that belongs to an American legionnaire.

The missing car is approximately 20 feet long, 8 feet wide and about 8 feet tall. The wheels may still be intact, or it could just be the boxcar alone. It’s possible that the boxcar was repurposed into a storage shed or a chicken coop.

Can you help solve this mystery?

Contact the Colorado Railroad Museum at 720-247-5159 if you know anything about Colorado’s Merci Train car.

COLOR ADO COUNTRY LIFE NOVEMBER 2020

11

COVER STORY

2020 BOOK REVIEWS

MOUNTAIN OF MYSTERIES

REVIEWED BY JULIE SIMPSON Looking for a way to bring some excitement to your life? Look no further than this collection of nail-biting, page-turning, can’tput-it-down mysteries from Colorado authors. From the shores of Nantucket to the vineyards of Oregon, travel with these investigators, sleuths and searchers as they uncover the clues and bring the bad guys to justice. Family secrets will be learned, victims

First Tracks

By Catherine O’Connell Ski patroller Greta Westerlind remembers the roar, the panic and the crushing snow of the avalanche that put her in the hospital. What she can’t remember is why she was on that dangerous part of the mountain in the first place, or why her friend Warren was with her.

He is dead, and she is crippled by amnesia and guilt.

Maybe her confidence in her skiing skill spurred her to make a fatal choice. But when a suspicious furnace malfunction almost kills her again, then someone tries to set her cabin on fire, Greta realizes she and Warren may be the targets in a murder plot. But why?

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COLOR ADO COUNTRY LIFE NOVEMBER 2020

will be avenged and disaster will be averted. More importantly, through all these reads, you will be left guessing until the last chapter.

In addition to mysteries, we also have a great selection of romance, thrillers, young adult and nonfiction titles for you to discover here and on our website at coloradocountrylife.coop.

Happy reading!

From the slopes of Aspen, Colorado, to the famed ski resorts of the Alps, follow Greta through this harrowing mystery of false identities, love and murder.

Death on Tuckernuck

By Francine Mathews

A Category 3 hurricane is bearing down on Nantucket, throwing the usually sleepy off-season seaside community into chaos.

As a part of their job as caretakers, Dionis Mather and her father must evacuate all residents off the private island of Tuckernuck, whether they want to go or not. When she returns one last time to the island, Dionis finds herself trapped, not just by the storm, but by a suspicious person who shouldn’t be there either.

Detective Meredith Folger is supposed to be getting married this weekend, but between the storm and a wrecked private yacht with two gunshot victims aboard, it looks like

her party might be postponed. Despite her personal worries and the raging storm, Merry has to find the murderer wherever he’s holed up against the weather … before he kills again.

A well-written mystery set in unique circumstances, Death on Tuckernuck is the latest engaging Merry Folger thriller by Colorado author Francine Mathews.

Her Perfect Life

By Rebecca Taylor Author Clare Collins seemed to have the perfect life: fame, lots of money and a loving husband. So when she is found dead by her own hand, everyone is asking: Why would someone with everything commit suicide?

No one is more confused than Clare’s sister, Eileen. She always envied the charmed

COVER STORY life her sister led, a life that looked perfect compared to her own mess. Why would Clare throw it all away?

Eileen travels to Clare’s house and learns about the sister she never really knew. Clare’s last novel might hold the key to unlocking the secret burden she carried, the heavy truth that led her to put a bullet in her own heart.

With Her Perfect Life, Colorado author Rebecca Taylor has crafted a thoroughly entertaining page-turner that examines the destructive power of our own false narratives.

Killing Godiva’s Horse

By J. M. Mitchell

New Mexico, Montana, Washington, D.C. and Kenya. What do these places have in common? The clash between environmentalists, corporate business interests and politicians, with park ranger Jack Chastain in the middle of it all.

After a devastating loss in Montana, Jack finds himself again trying to make peace in the middle of a war over public land. This time he must negotiate among a deadbeat rancher, a two-faced politician and the people trying to preserve the presence of wild horses in the national park. After he’s reprimanded for his efforts, Jack travels to Kenya to try to help a fellow ranger continue the research of a murdered scientist. What he learns about poaching in Kenya might just be the key he needs to solve the conflict in New Mexico.

But will the tables be turned on him in a repeat of what happened in Montana?

This dense, well-researched environmental mystery thriller comes out of Colorado author J. M. Mitchell’s own experiences during a long career in the National Park Service.

Virtues of Strangers

Recursion

If you have any association with life in a small, rural town, then you’ll enjoy the Jemma Series by Colorado author Sharon McAnear.

In book six, Virtues of Strangers, Jemma is married to the love of her life with kids and another one on the way.

But when her handsome husband spends more time at work than with her and hires a gorgeous new assistant, will their picture-perfect life implode?

While Chillaton, Texas, gossips about Jemma and Chase, a small town postmistress also investigates the odd affairs of her recently deceased husband. Was he a boring old fisherman or a secret Mafia member?

And what is his connection to the strange old woman who recently moved to town?

A unique blend of mystery and love story, this novel about small-town life draws on the memories of the author’s own grandmother.

What if there was a way to capture a memory, turn it into a computer program and then send it back into the brain so a person could experience it, in real time, all over again?

That’s the technology that Helena Smith wants to develop, motivated by her own mother’s slow decline into the oblivion of Alzheimer’s.

But Helena cannot anticipate the connection her invention makes between memory and the actual fabric of time, or the endlessly twisting and inevitably destructive complications that result. Neither can she untangle the webs that tie her in every timeline to Barry Sutton, an ordinary New York City cop, or the egomaniacal machinations of Marcus Slade. Maybe she can find a way to close the Pandora’s box she opened. Or maybe she should just live her life the best she can before the world ends.

In his craziest, most mind-bending story yet, Colorado author Blake Crouch has created yet another stunning science fiction thriller with Recursion.

By Sharon McAnear

Denver City Justice

By J.v.L. Bell

Mi l lie and D om Drouillard are finally married and ready to settle into marital bliss, tired of the drama that used to follow them wherever they went. But when the infamous blackmailer Widow Ferris is found dead with an icicle through her heart, the people of Denver City start pointing fingers — at Dom. Millie finds that being a wife enhances her penchant for sleuthing as she seeks answers that will prove her husband is innocent of murder. But all men have secrets. If she digs deep enough, will the man she loves turn out to be a secret scoundrel?

Colorado author J.v.L. Bell has crafted another classic whodunit rich with both history and humor.

By Blake Crouch

Safeguard

By John A. Daly What would a group of possible cult-followers want with a long-empty, retired nuclear missile site on the eastern plains of Colorado? For Sean Coleman there has never been anything remotely threatening or dangerous about his solo existence as the caretaker of this rarely visited museum and records archive. He’s drifted through his days and filled his nights with booze.

But once his solitude is interrupted by a mysterious group with guns and the members force their way into the missile site with vague references to a specific timeline, COLOR ADO COUNTRY LIFE NOVEMBER 2020

13

COVER STORY he realizes he has to find his own way out of their mad plan. What was once a slow day on the plains west of Greeley becomes a fight for survival.

The missile silo setting for this fourth book in the Sean Coleman Thriller series by Greeley author John A. Daly actually exists in rural Weld County.

OTHER GENRES

The Dog Who Took Me Up a Mountain

By Rick Crandall and Joseph Cosgriff

All pet owners love their dogs, but every once in a while a special pet comes along that not only makes a life better, but also actually changes it forever. For author Rick Crandall, that special dog was an

MORE BOOKS TO READ Zapata

By Harper McDavid A smart mouth gets the fiery Avery McAndrews in trouble when her insolence offends the son of a Mexican cartel leader. Follow her desperate race across Mexico, one step ahead of a return to captivity, in this book by Denver resident and author Harper McDavid.

Boulder Girl, Remember Me When the Moon Hangs Low

By Cynthia L. Clark

Unrelenting suspense is interwoven with a love story in this first novel

by Colorado author Cynthia Clark. A pretty Boulderite editor hires an unscrupulous locksmith to change the locks at her home after a divorce. The locksmith suffers from delusions and jealousy that keep the reader turning the pages to find out what he’ll do next.

Mesa Verde Victim

By Scott Graham

Fast-paced and filled with deadly double-dealings, this sixth book in Durango

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COLOR ADO COUNTRY LIFE NOVEMBER 2020

Australian terrier named Emme.

Emme didn’t let her show dog status or short legs keep her from climbing Colorado’s 14ers. For Rick, hiking with Emme brought a newfound passion and better physical health in the aftermath of a divorce and financial loss. She may have been small, but Emme’s extraordinary life had a big impact on Rick and others who knew her.

Colorado’s Carlino Brothers: A Bootlegging Empire

By Sam Carlino

Think that all the brutal, moonshine-running, bullets-spraying Mafia action only

author Scott Graham’s National Park Mystery Series includes accusations of murder and a mystery that dates back to the late 1800s. This quick read shares insights into local lore and southwester n C olorado’s historical significance.

happened in New York and Chicago? Think again. Colorado had its own family of gangsters who controlled the alcohol black market during Prohibition: the Carlinos.

Written by the grandson of one of the infamous Carlino brothers, this record of a wild and dangerous time in Colorado history is a well-researched true story that reads like a novel. Sam Carlino traces his family from Italy to Colorado and then to its eventual hasty departure to California.

For an exciting, informative glimpse into Colorado history, complete with fascinating family photos, read this book.

Lewis, a gorgeous, famous football star, walks into her bar, everything changes. This thoroughly entertaining romance is written by an actual Colorado NFL wife.

Stolen Heart The Legend of Carl Draco

By Gary Reilly

This novel mixes contemporary magical realism with the rich tradition of American tall tales to create an entertaining, well-written and utterly unique story that appeals to a variety of readers. This is the 13th posthumously published manuscript of the late author Gary Reilly, who grew up in Colorado.

Blitzed

By Alexa Martin Brynn Sterling built a successful downtown Denver bar, has a close group of girlfriends — including the wives of many Mustangs football players — and enjoys a close relationship with her dad. But when Maxwell

By K.L. McKee The instant Abby Stewart agrees to pretend to be her boss’s fianćee for two weeks, she deeply regrets it.

But the promise she made her dying mother to pay off her con-artist father’s debt continues to hang over her head, and the money her boss offers for the charade would really help.

A feel-good story about family and forgiveness, Stolen Heart takes place within the familiar landscape of the Rocky Mountains.

MORE BOOK REVIEWS ONLINE Read more extensive reviews of these books and others at coloradocountrylife.coop.

INDUSTRY

BY AMY HIGGINS

C

olorado’s electric cooperatives have a reputation of staying on top of innovation and energy efficiency, and while heat pumps aren’t new to the beneficial electricity market, their advancements are.

Cold-climate, air source heat pump (ccASHP) is one of the latest innovations in beneficial electrification. These products can reduce air pollution and energy costs by switching from direct fossil fuels, like propane or natural gas, to electric resources that emit less carbon emissions.

“Overall, [ccASHPs] emit less carbon per unit of heat than burning fossil fuels,” explains Tri-State Generation and Transmission Relationship Manager Peter Rusin. “As [Tri-State] implements its Responsible Energy Plan, over the next four years and over the next 10, that gap is only going to grow compared to propane and natural gas — that’s going to be much better for the environment.”

Rebates available on new coldclimate, air source heat pumps Unlike the heat pumps of years past, today’s heat pumps include variable speed, or inverter, technology that allows them to operate over a wider range of temperatures. “So, instead of going down to 40 or 35 degrees where that heat pump is working before you need a backup, now we’re seeing systems get down to negative 13, negative 20,” Rusin explains. He says this variable speed technology can either eliminate or reduce the need for a backup because of the unit’s ability to carry temperatures much deeper into the extremely cold range, meaning it’s possible that it can be used as a primary heat source.

Granby-based Mountain Parks Electric, the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association and Xergy Consulting recently conducted a pilot study of three homes in

Pump Up the Innovation Colorado’s electric co-ops continue working on advancements in energy

the Fraser area in which the homes were outfitted with ccASHPs. The study showed that one 2-ton ccASHP unit reduced total

commercial applications and it seems it’s going to continue to evolve and grow.”

However, the upfront cost of a few grand

annual heating costs by approximately 30%.

(Visit mpei.com/pilot-programs to read the complete findings.)

These ccASHPs are not only friendlier to the environment, but they are also more cost effective than a propane furnace or resistance baseboard system and safer to operate seeing as you’re essentially eliminating ignitable vapors in your home. “Any time you burn a fossil fuel, you can create carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, hydrocarbons — all these things that really impact your indoor air quality,” says Mike Frailey, relationship manager at Tri-State. “Switching to an air source heat pump eliminates that [emission] from your propane or natural gas furnace. There’s a reduction in the CO2 emissions from an exhaust standpoint, too, such as a chimney.”

Frailey and Rusin share that they’re also seeing commercial interest in ccASHPs. For example, they’re working with a school in Wyoming that is interested in adding 55-tons of heat pump technology to replace a steam boiler system, and state rebates and educated resources could help them cut costs. Frailey adds, “In that specific application, it’s going to be a mix of split systems for some smaller rooms and then they’re doing three 8½-ton packaged rooftop units, so there are

or more might be a drawback for some.

To relieve Colorado’s electric cooperative consumer-members of the cost burden, Tri-State offers a $450 rebate per ton for a new ccASHP and some of Colorado’s electric cooperatives offer rebates of their own.

MPE, for example, offers a rebate of $500 per ton, which could mean $3,000 or more off the consumer’s bottom line when combined with Tri-State’s rebate.

Several Colorado towns are some of the coldest in the nation during the winter, but innovation in the energy sector and a commitment to provide electric co-op consumer-members the safest, most reliable service at the lowest cost possible is at the forefront of every co-op in the state. Products such as ccASHPs can keep Coloradans safe and comfortable during some of the coldest times.

To learn more about ccASHPs, contact your local cooperative. They can assist you in finding knowledgeable contractors to get the job done correctly, rebates to help your bottom line and information on how to stay comfortable in the dead of winter — they are the trusted resources.

Amy Higgins is an award-winning writer who has been writing for Colorado Country Life for nearly a decade, staying up to date on the latest innovations and changes in the electric co-op industry.

COLOR ADO COUNTRY LIFE NOVEMBER 2020

15

GARDENING

Make Mulching Work for Your Garden

BY VICKI SPENCER

MASTER GARDENER | GARDENING@COLOR ADOCOUNTRYLIFE .ORG

W

hen my daughter wanted me to buy a house near her in Arkansas, she found a cute, little bungalow on a mountainside with a miniature hardwood forest in the backyard.

Since I live in Denver, I suggested she hire someone to mow the lawn. At the time, she didn’t think it would be necessary. The lawn area appeared to be so small, she suggested her husband could do it.

That was what she thought in January when the yard was covered with a thick layer of leaves. Fast forward to spring when my son-in-law and grandsons relentlessly raked for days. Little did my daughter know, the lawn was so large it took an entire day to mow after removing the leaves.

Most Coloradans don’t have forests in their yards, but it is important to know what to do with autumn leaves when they begin to fall — allowing them to pile up can damage your lawn. Dense layers of leaves can invite pests and diseases and cause serious problems like snow mold and brown patch, so they should be removed. At the same time, leaving some leaves on the grass can be beneficial since they add nutrients to the soil and feed a number of microbes during decomposition.

Growing up along the Front Range, I remember many people raking leaves into piles and letting all the neighborhood kids jump into them for fun, and then they would rake leaves into piles again for bagging. Today, people don’t seem to have time, so they hire

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COLOR ADO COUNTRY LIFE NOVEMBER 2020

lawn-care workers or use blowers. I prefer raking myself because it’s good exercise, strangely relaxing and quiet, unlike blowers.

Either way, leaves still need to be bagged and hauled away, unless you use them for mulch.

It’s easy to mulch leaves with a mulching mower. If you wait until the leaves dry out — but before they become too dense — you can walk slowly while mowing and let the mulched leaves add to the organic matter in your grass. In the fall, I typically mow every couple weeks even though the grass is no longer growing, just to mulch the leaves.

If the leaves are too thick, I still use my mulching mower, but attach the bag to collect the leaves and then spread the bagged mulch in my garden. I found that about 4 to 6 inches of mulch to be sufficient for perennials. I also spread mulch around the base of shrubs. This protects them from the cold, adds nutrients as the leaves break down over the winter and provides nesting hideaways for bees and butterflies. (Leaves that don’t break down should be removed in the spring or worked into the soil.)

I also add mulch to my vegetable garden and work it into the soil after the last harvest. Finally, I use leftovers to start my winter compost pile.

I know my garden appreciates the added organic matter from leaves because I always have beautiful flowers and a bountiful vegetable harvest without adding fertilizer.

Gardener Vicki Spencer has an eclectic background in conservation, water, natural resources and more.

Tip 1: Allowing leaves to pile up can damage your lawn by inviting pests and diseases and cause serious problems like snow mold and brown patch.

Tip 2: Apply about 4 to 6 inches of mulched leaves to perennials.

Tip 3: Spread mulched leaves around the base of shrubs to help protect them from the cold and add nutrients to the soil.

Tip 4: Leaves that don’t break down should be removed in the spring or worked into the soil.

Tip 5: Apply mulched leaves to your vegetable garden and work it into the soil after the last harvest.

Tip 6: Add any extra leaves to your compost pile.

LEARN MORE ONLINE Read previous gardening columns at coloradocountrylife.coop. Click on Gardening under Living in Colorado.

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| OUTDOORS@COLOR ADOCOUNTRYLIFE.ORG

he dawn came up cold and gray from behind Rams Horn Mountain and brought with it a spitting mist of rain and little flakes of snow. It was mid-September, but it felt more like winter than autumn. Official sunrise was still 35 minutes away, but even in the gloomy morning light we could see clusters of elk scattered across the moraine.

My daughter-in-law Kristy and I had been parked in a gravel turnout on the Fern Lake Road in Rocky Mountain National Park listening to the wildlife serenade of whistles, grunts, mews, roars and bugling elk since 5:15 a.m. We had come to photograph the elk rut and it looked like we were gonna have a good day.

I started doing a lot of my “elk hunting” with a camera instead of a bow or rifle several years ago, not because I lost my love for the hunt — or the meat (I haven’t) — but because I never tire of watching wildlife, and photographing elk gave me another excuse to be out there among the wild creatures.

It soon became clear that with a camera you could hunt more often and in more places without the fees, time restraints and other regulatory restrictions imposed by a seasonal big-game hunting license, assuming you were even able to draw one in the first place — just because you apply for an elk tag is no guarantee you’ll be awarded one.

I’ve also come to appreciate that you can shoot as many big bulls as you can find with a camera, and that it’s far easier to haul a

700-pound bull elk out of the woods on a memory card than it is to pack one out on your back.

Having said that, I confess to doing a lot of my elk hunting in Rocky Mountain National Park where, at the peak of the rut, it’s possible to see as many as a dozen big bulls and scores of cows, yearlings and calves a day, not to mention mule deer bucks, the occasional bull moose, a herd of bighorn sheep, a whole guidebook full of ground squirrels, pikas, marmots, magpies, hawks and God-knows how many different kinds of songbirds.

I love being in elk country any time of year, but even more so in autumn when the aspen groves, alpine meadows, willows and creek bottoms are blazing with fall color.

Having grazed on lush mountain grasses all summer long, the big-game herds are fat, sleek and healthy. They’re as handsome now as they’ll ever be and can make for some really nice photos, but being able to share them with family and friends is the ultimate reward.

Dennis Smith is a freelance outdoors writer and photographer whose work appears nationally. He lives in Loveland.

MISS AN ISSUE? Catch up at coloradocountrylife.coop.

Click on Outdoors.

COMMUNITY EVENTS

Due to COVID-19, some of these events may be canceled, modified or rescheduled. Please contact the host of the events if you have any questions.

November 2020 Select Dates in Nov. and Dec. Golden The Polar Express™ Train Ride Colorado Railroad Museum coloradorailroadmuseum.org

Through December 31 Virtual

Support Local Makers Holiday Shopping supportlocalmakers.com

November 5 Fort Collins

Northern Colorado Astronomical Society Meeting Fort Collins Museum of Discovery 6:15-8 pm • nocoastro.org

November 6 Colorado Springs

The Black Jacket Symphony Presents Led Zeppelin IV Pikes Peak Center for the Performing Arts 8 pm • blackjacketsymphony.com

November 6 Carbondale

“Dia de Los Muertos” First Friday Downtown Main Street 5-9 pm • carbondale.com

November 20-21 Stoneham November 7 Pueblo

Discovery Trail Community Bike Ride Nature & Wildlife Discovery Center’s River Campus Deck 8 am • hikeandlearn.org

November 7 Rangely

Special Olympics’ Polar Plunge Kenny Reservoir 11 am-3 pm • rangelychamber.com

November 7 Virtual

November 16 Virtual

Holiday Show Primitive Junk Market 970-522-6858 sjmarostica@yahoo.com

Pikes Peak YMCA’s Turkey Trot 5K ppymca.org

November 26 Durango

November 21-22 Cortez

Fall Bazaar St. Margaret Mary Church Hall 970-564-1468

November 21 Grand Junction

Loveland Habitat for Humanity’s Builder’s Ball Fundraiser 5:30-7pm • lovelandhh.cbo.io

November 14 Buena Vista

November 19 Virtual

SEND CALENDAR ITEMS

History Colorado Center’s “Justice & Democracy” Presentation 1 and 7 pm • historycolorado.org

November 28 Colorado Springs

Beaver Moon Walk Bear Creek Nature Center Advance Registration Required 4:30-6 pm elpasocountynaturecenters.com

Downtown Tree Lighting Main Street 5-7 pm • downtowngj.org

Gingerbread House Bazaar Buena Vista Community Center 9 am-3 pm • vholzwarth@hotmail.com

Turkey Trot Running Race Fort Lewis College 10 am-12 pm durangorunningclub.org

Calendar, Colorado Country Life, 5400 Washington St., Denver, CO 80216; fax to 303-455-2807; or email calendar@coloradocountrylife.org.

Please send name of event, date, time, venue, brief description, phone number, a photo, if you have one, and email and/or website for more information.

CREATIVE CORNER

READER POETRY Beat the Drum Slowly

Under a Roof of Gold

For Those Who Have Passed

Beat the drum slowly, I need to keep up; Though the long trail is winding And the stoney road rough.

Soaking in gold the way dry earth soaks in unexpected rain

Light falls on the pew Of the church I know.

Grief numbs the heart.

I break the bread of sorrow In the quiet realm of those Lost, Of those close, Of those far away.

Silence is the only comfort.

We have come to know The sunken kingdom of mourning.

We are left with countless names.

We have become the lost pilgrims Of memory crossing The waters of Galilee.

Beat the drum slowly, Slow down the pace; I want to be counted As part of the race.

My body is weak But my spirit is strong; My goal is in sight, But the way is so long.

So, beat the drum slowly, Let me walk close behind, So I might find the rhythm For my peace of mind.

Fawn Lovecchio, Ignacio La Plata Electric Association consumer-member

the outline of the ridge clear the distant tundra furry Letting autumn transition my life in new directions the drive over Weston Pass reminding me how much I love the open space how much I crave a life beyond city limits A world of tomorrows sounds its call Linda Keller, Denver Sangre de Cristo Electric Association consumer-member

Burt Baldwin, Bayfield La Plata Electric Association consumer-member

DO YOU WRITE POETRY? Send us your best work; we’d love to read it.

Submit your poetry via email to: info@coloradocountrylife.org or by mail to: Colorado Country Life, 5400 Washington St., Denver, CO 80216 COLOR ADO COUNTRY LIFE NOVEMBER 2020

19

MARKETPLACE

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Send details to: PO Box 13557, Denver, CO 80201

Buying anvils—blacksmith tools— cast iron (Griswold & Wagner). Old toys – colored pyrex – cowboy hats, boots, & spurs. Will come to you & we buy whole estates!

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for minerals and oil/gas interests, producing and non-producing.

800-733-8122 Gun Store — Very fine Colorado retail gun operation for sale. Supports & promotes local gun enthusiasts with ammunition, targets, protective gear, classes, indoor small arms training simulator, plus new & used pistols, rifles, & shotguns. Currently operated by employees who are experienced hunters, shooters, & instructors.

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20

COLOR ADO COUNTRY LIFE NOVEMBER 2020

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YOUR STORIES

READERS’ PHOTOS

FUNNY STORIES

Michael M. Toler, who has a vacation home in Buena Vista, delights in his catch of a 5-pound rainbow trout while fishing in September 2019.

Several years ago, I was an infantry

K.C. Electric Association consumer-member Francesca Mousel enjoys CCL at home in Cheyenne Wells.

Mike Tallent and his granddaughter Brianna prepare to fish in Summit Reservoir near Mancos. Mike is a consumer-member of Empire Electric Association.

Nate Frazee reads CCL in between plays in Pagosa Springs. He and his family are consumer-members of La Plata Electric.

Empire Electric Association consumer-member Peter Magienlnicki and his kids take CCL to the beach in the Outer Banks of North Carolina.

major in the Army and getting dressed in my camouflage and boots uniform. I was an inspector general at the time and wore only a more formal uniform: Class A “greens.”

I had been in the Army for 15 years by then, with three sons. We lived on post at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, surrounded by soldiers every morning running past our quarters singing in formations. I was wearing the field uniform to inspect training ranges that day. My youngest son, Jeffrey, 6, looked at me in an odd way that morning and asked, “Daddy, are you going to join the Army today?”

I laughed but realized, since he was born, I had only been in office-type jobs, exclusively wearing what appeared to him as a green suit. I answered, “Yes, Jeff, I am joining the Army today.”

Michael M. Toler, New Windsor, New York

I was sitting in the recliner when

my tough Marine husband walked in the room.

He grabbed a pen and started to draw on my big toe. He set the pen down and I looked at my toe and asked, “A truck?”

“A ‘toe’ truck,” he said.

Merrin Sampson, Akron

I took my 5-year-old grandson into

Walmart’s new auto-flush restroom. When we went to leave and the waste didn’t flush, Henry exclaimed, “I think it needs batteries!”

Bill Blomstrom, Yuma

Mountain View Electric consumer-member Teresa Dower takes CCL on her favorite hike.

WINNER: Lee Roberts visits Hovenweep National Monument with CCL. Lee is a consumer-member of Poudre Valley REA.

Take Your Photo with Your Magazine and Win! It’s easy to win with Colorado Country Life. Simply take a photo of someone (or a selfie!) with the magazine and email the photo, your name and address to info@coloradocountrylife. org. We’ll draw one photo to win $25 each month. The next deadline is Monday, November 16. Name, address and co-op must accompany photo. See all of the submitted photos on Facebook at facebook.com/COCountryLife.

We pay $15 to each person who submits a funny story that’s printed in the magazine.

At the end of the year we will draw one name from those submitting funny stories and that person will receive $200. Send your 2019 stories 2020 stories to to Colorado Colorado Country Country Life, Life, 5400 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.

COLOR ADO COUNTRY LIFE NOVEMBER 2020

21

DISCOVERIES

Books for Younger Readers Exciting titles — from picture books to books for teenagers

There’s Something About Sweetie Sweetie Nair is smart, sassy and a star athlete. But, according to her parents, she is fat and that makes her doubt herself.

Ashish Patel’s girlfriend dumps him, and despite his handsome face, he can’t seem to get his confidence back when it comes to girls. In a weak moment, he begrudgingly lets his parents arrange a meeting with Sweetie. There is some chemistry, but can the two young people overcome the voices telling them who they “should” be?

It’s an uplifting story about love and loving yourself by Colorado author Sandhya Menon.

Perfect for young chapter book readers who love horses, this book is a follow-up to this Cortez author’s first book Cowgirls Don’t Quit.

This ballpark-mystery chapter book takes young readers on an adventure during a Colorado Rockies home opener.

4 What’s This Tail Saying?

By Lisa Tawn Bergren

This Colorado author shares 45 easy-to-understand Bible stories, just for young ones.

COLOR ADO COUNTRY LIFE NOVEMBER 2020

Adelaide Ru Fitzhugh thinks Scotland bites. She wants to go to Disney World, but instead her dad accepts a teaching job near Loch Ness for the entire summer.

That means she has to live in a creepy old monastery for three whole months.

But she makes new friends, finds herself pulled into the world of those chasing Nessie the monster, and encounters danger and excitement, both real and imagined.

Nessie Quest is especially perfect for middle school-aged girls. Colorado author Melissa Savage adds emotional depth and good parental conversations to an otherwise lighthearted story.

By David A. Kelly

2 God Gave Us the Bible

22

The pranks, the laughs, the stares, the jokes.

Maisie Fernandez is tired of her weight being the center of attention wherever she goes in this book by Colorado author Donna Cooner. Why can’t anyone, including herself, see beyond her size?

Then she gets an idea: create a social media profile as a pretty, skinny girl and get the most popular boy in school to fall for her. But the lying gets complicated and Maisie begins to see that all those kids she hated for hating her are just as insecure as she is.

But is it too late to overcome her own hate, forgive the others and find a way to love herself?

3 The Colorado Curveball

1 The Free Horse

By Susan Carpenter Noble

Nessie Quest

By Donna Cooner

By Sandhya Menon

More Colorado Kids Books We Recommend

Fake

By Melissa Savage

5 The Tiny Giant

By Barbara Ciletti Illustrated by Cathy Morrison Children can see, through illustrations by a Colorado artist, how a tiny acorn grows into a mighty oak.

4

By Carolyn Combs Illustrated by Cathy Morrison

3

Kids can find out what animal tails are saying when they swish, shake and splash in this colorful picture book, illustrated by a Colorado artist.

1

2

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