Colorado Country Life December 2022 Mountain Parks

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THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE COLORADO RURAL ELECTRIC ASSOCIATION

COMMUNICATIONS STAFF

Mona Neeley, CCC, Publisher/Editor mneeley@coloradocountrylife.org

Cassi Gloe, CCC, Production Manager cgloe@coloradocountrylife.org

Kylee Coleman, Editorial/Admin. Assistant kcoleman@coloradocountrylife.org

ADVERTISING

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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 2022, 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 22.5 cents per month, paid from equity accruing to the member. For nonmembers, a subscription is $10 per year in-state/$16 out-of-state.

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LINKEDIN CONNECTIONS

Colorado Rural Electric Assoc. posted: It was great to reconnect with CREA’s international team that built the co-ops’ project in Guatemala back in September. They did a great job sharing the project with the CREA membership at the annual fall meeting.

FACEBOOK CHATTER

Colorado Country Life reposted Author Nhi Aronheim’s post: I know I have a real fan when...I showed up at a book event this week and the host Kay had a stack of the Colorado Country Life magazines, with me on the front cover. I was shocked asking how she got all the magazines to give to everyone at the event. She responded, “I drove to the magazine’s corporate office to get them just because of you.” Truly touched at the love and kindness! book review issue.

“Winter Wonderland” by Dennis Howard, a consumer-member of San Isabel Electric Association.

Holiday Wishes

Hoping for peace and harmony and, maybe, a little Die Hard

BY KENT SINGER EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

One of the best ways to start an argument during the holiday season is to proclaim that It’s a Wonderful Life is the best holiday movie or TV show ever.

While it’s hard to argue with this classic starring Jimmy Stewart and Donna Reed, many other shows have to be in the running: How the Grinch Stole Christmas (the one with Jim Carrey); A Charlie Brown Christmas (with the timeless soundtrack by the Vince Guaraldi trio); the Home Alone series; and, of course Die Hard. What says Christmas more than a terrorist attack on a Los Angeles office building?

But for my money, the best holiday TV show is the annual highlight reel of the last 40 years of Christmas sketches on Saturday Night Live. Since I’m an old guy, I saw most of those sketches when they first aired, so there’s probably a bit of nostalgia involved in seeing them again every year. And while I’ve had a hard time understanding either the comedy or music on SNL in recent years (I realize this is largely because I’m a baby boomer and the show’s target audience is millennials and Gen Zers), some of the holiday sketches are classics.

At the risk of being the “get off my lawn” guy, I have to admit I long for the earlier days

of SNL and the cast members that included people like Bill Murray, Gilda Radner and John Belushi and guest hosts like Steve Martin.

I think about Steve Martin during the holiday season in particular because of a bit he did called “A Holiday Wish” back in the early ’90s. If you remember, Martin starts off the piece with a holiday wish that “all the children of the world join hands and sing together in the spirit of harmony and peace” but soon moves on to more, uh, selfish wishes.

So, with apologies to Steve Martin, here are my simple holiday wishes:

My first holiday wish is that all people of the world live together in peace and harmony.

My second holiday wish is that all drivers of all vehicles everywhere stop at stop signs and stoplights. This means that when you come to a stoplight or stop sign, you actually stop your vehicle. No rolling stops, no brief pauses, no stop and go, but a complete stop where your vehicle’s wheels actually stop rolling. I guarantee that observing this simple courtesy (not to mention traffic law) would improve everyone’s life immensely. You are not going to save any time by rolling through that stop sign or light and you may just ruin someone’s day. So please, just stop.

My third holiday wish is that everyone respects the queue: no cuts in line. Whether

it’s the grocery store, the dry cleaners, a concert venue, a parking spot, merging on the highway, wherever: You know where you are in line and you know who was first. There is such a thing as karma, and line-cutters are destined to endure a lifetime of bad juju.

My fourth holiday wish is that all airlines stop selling the middle seats in every row. Talk about a “Wonderful Life”!

And, finally, my fifth holiday wish is that we all stop watching those news and sports channels where the hosts and panelists compete to see who can yell the loudest. You don’t need this nonsense anytime and you especially don’t need it during the holidays. Change the channel and catch something more calming: maybe another showing of Die Hard

So those are my humble holiday wishes. If I can’t have all of them, I’ll stick with my first wish and pray for peace and harmony around the world. My best to you and yours this holiday season!

Kent Singer is the executive director of CREA and offers a statewide perspective on issues affecting electric cooperatives. CREA is the trade association for 21 Colorado electric distribution co-ops and one power supply co-op.

KENT SINGER

LETTERS TO

Lighting up the holidays

BY MONA NEELEY EDITOR

Have you heard the urban legend that our tradition of outdoor Christmas lights started in Denver?

MONA NEELEY

There’s a story that, back in 1914, a local electrician, David Dwight Sturgeon, wanted to bring Christmas cheer to his bedridden son. He came up with the idea of connecting light bulbs dipped in red and green paint to a strand of electrical wire. He then wrapped that wire around an evergreen tree outside his son’s window.

The story of his actions grew when local boosters, including The Denver Post, promoted Sturgeon’s tree as the country’s first illuminated outdoor Christmas tree — despite Thomas Edison having introduced an outdoor electric light Christmas display in the late 1800s.

By 1919, the cost of Christmas lights had dropped and the tradition of outdoor displays spread across the country. By 1938, Denver’s city and county building was decorated with Christmas lights that are now a cherished tradition. Today, the building is illuminated with more than 600,000 lights that remain on until the end of the annual National Western Stock Show.

Wherever the idea came from, I love the twinkling lights of Christmas. They remind me of the star that shone in the dark sky more than 2,000 years ago. Merry Christmas.

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.

THE EDITOR

When to Run the Dishwasher

I have a time-delay setting on my dishwasher and clothes washer. Does it make any differ ence what time I run these appliances? If so, when is the best time to set them?

Name withheld by request

Poudre Valley REA consumer-member

EDITOR’S NOTE: Not all electric co-ops offer timeof-use rates, which offer a lower rate during off-peak times of electric use and a higher rate during on-peak, high-demand times. But, any time you can utilize your electric appliances during off-peak times is beneficial to you and your co-op. It helps maintain a dependable, affordable electric grid by spreading usage throughout the day. This helps your co-op avoid peaks of electrical demands, which is when electricity costs more. In Colorado, high energy demand happens in the late afternoon and evening.

Refrigerate that Meat

The holiday efficiency tips (November ’22) were all good, except the part where she said that hot foods should be cooled down to room temperature before putting them in the refrigerator. That does not apply to meat. Meat should be refrigerated as soon as possible after the meal to prevent any possibility of bacteria growing.

Donnamae Stevens, Cortez Empire Electric consumer-member

Small Modular Reactors

Why hasn’t CREA advocated for the use of clean, small modular reactor technology as an alternative to the undependable and environmentally damaging solar and wind technologies. Studies show SMR technol ogy is feasible, environmentally friendly and economically attractive.

Milo Cress, Cotopaxi

SCDEA consumer-member

EDITOR’S NOTE: CREA hosted a panel titled “Small Modular Reactors: The Key to a Carbon Free Future?” at its November 7 Energy Innovation Summit. Visit crea.coop/innovations-summit-powerpoints/.

thoughts about CCL

visit

Reader Engagement page at coloradocountrylife.coop/ reader-engagement. Mail your letter to Editor Mona Neeley, 5400 Washington St., Denver, CO 80216 or email mneeley@ coloradocountrylife.org. Include name and address. Letters may be edited for length.

Stay Snug and Save Energy

Winterizing your home helps you save money

BY MIRANDA BOUTELLE

Winterizing is an important step in keeping your home cozy and your bills low. These tried-and-true methods will ensure that your home is sealed tightly and ready for colder weather.

Insulating pipes and water heater

You can raise the water temperature inside your home’s water pipes by 2 to 4 degrees by insulating the pipes, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. Insulating allows you to turn down the heat on your water heater, saving energy and money.

Start by insulating the pipes coming out of your water heater. If you have a gas water heater, keep pipe insulation at least 6 inches away from the flue. Insulate hot and cold water lines. The latter can prevent conden sation and freezing pipes.

Insulating your water heater can save 7% to 16% on water-heating costs, the DOE says. Insulation kits are available at hardware stores. Remember: Don’t obstruct the pres sure relief valve, thermostats or access valves.

Fireplace dampers

A fireplace can draw the warm air out of the house, cooling it down or causing your heating system to use more energy.

If you have a wood-burning fireplace, close the damper when your fire is extin guished. An open damper in the winter allows heated air to escape.

LEARN MORE ONLINE ASK THE ENERGY EXPERT

Some gas fireplaces require a damper to remain permanently open so gas can vent out of the home. Check the specifications of your unit to ensure safe operation.

Best practices for closing off parts of a home

There’s been a lot of debate about closing off rooms or parts of the home to save energy. Best practices depend on the type of heat source.

If you have a zonal heating system, where individual areas are controlled sepa rately, you can close doors and heat only the areas you use. Examples of zonal systems are wall heaters, baseboard heat, hydronic radiant heat, radiators, and ductless heat pumps, also called “mini-splits.” Keep areas with plumbing or waterlines warm enough so pipes do not freeze.

If you have a central forced-air heating system, leave doors open to all heated areas. Closing doors and/or register dampers forces the system to work harder, uses more energy and can shorten the life of heating equipment.

Boutelle, the director of operations and customer engagement at Efficiency Services Group in Oregon, writes on energy-efficiency topics for the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association.

Miranda

’TIS THE SEASON TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE

BY MARK JOHNSTON GENERAL MANAGER

It’s a Wonderful Life is my favorite Christmas movie. Jimmy Stewart portrayed the unforgettable George Bailey, a man who had given up his personal dreams to help others in his community. It’s a storyline that gets me thinking about our country’s rich history of giving.

In 1887, a Denver woman, a priest, two ministers and a rabbi got together. It sounds like the beginning of a bad joke. But Frances Jacobs, Myron Reed, William O’Ryan, Dean Hart and William Friedman didn’t walk into a bar. Instead, they focused their efforts on making Denver a better place. Together, they created an organization that collected funds for local charities, coordinated relief and offered emergency assistance grants. That first year, they raised $21,700 for this cause (equivalent to more than $500,000 in today’s dollars), and in the process created an organization that would one day become the United Way.

In 1891, Salvation Army Captain Joseph McFee was distraught because so many poor people in San Francisco were going hungry. During the holiday season, he envisioned providing them with a free

Christmas dinner. He only had one major hurdle to overcome: funding the cause.

Where would the money come from?

He lay awake nights, worrying and praying about how to feed 1,000 of the city’s poor on Christmas Day. Then it came to him: He remembered how at Stage Landing in Liverpool, England, there was a large, iron kettle called “Simpson’s Pot” that passers-by tossed in a coin or two to help the needy.

The next day, he placed a similar pot at the Oakland Ferry Landing at the foot of Market Street. Beside the pot, he placed a sign that read, “Keep the Pot Boiling.” Soon, he had the money to feed the needy. Six years later, the kettle idea spread from the West Coast to Boston. That year, the combined effort nationwide resulted in 150,000 Christmas dinners served. Today, the Salvation Army assists more than 4.5 million people during Thanksgiving and Christmas.

This same spirit founded and defines electric cooperatives like MPE: people helping people. You are the reason that numerous individuals and charities receive funds each year. Through our Operation Round Up program, MPE consumers

MARK JOHNSTON

voluntarily round up their electric bill to the next dollar. Additionally, our consumers’ unclaimed patronage capital supports local schools, college- and techschool-bound students, businesses and individuals through MPE’s Education Fund. Every day, Mountain Parks employees give their time and talents to be coaches, board members, volunteers and other essential cogs in our community.

You, too, can make a difference by giving. Not just money, but, like our employees, you can give your time to help an organization that helps others — maybe volunteer in your child’s school or help the local food bank distribute meals to the elderly.

Whatever you do, this holiday season, we encourage you to make a difference. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from your Mountain Parks family.

HOLIDAY GIFTS FOR THE TECHIES IN YOUR LIFE

1. ENDER-3 S1 PLUS 3D PRINTER

Create cutlery, bottle openers, hinges, wrenches, combs, planters and more! Approximate cost: $500. Rebecca Plush, ACCT 1012706

2.

LEGO® TECHNIC TOYS & COLLECTIBLES

Ideal for the remote-controlled hobbiest in your life. Build an RC car, plane or motorbike — all with LEGO. Approximate cost: $150-500.

3.

EMBER TEMPERATURE CONTROL SMART MUG

Tired of reheating your coffee because you got busy? With the Ember, you can program the exact temperature you want to keep your coffee. Approximate cost: $120. Nathan Depuydt, ACCT 1025147

4. BARXBUDDY

BUSY BALL

Dog shopping done! This pet toy is an interac tive, rechargeable, randomized-motion play ball. Approximate cost: $50.

5.

Destination Granby.

KOREHEALTH KORESCALE G2 SMART SCALE

Measures BMI, body fat, muscle mass, bone loss, metabolic age and protein levels. Approximate cost: $100.

EVEN OUT IN THE COLD,

BY ADAM PAULSON MPE MANAGER OF OPERATIONS

No one I know likes power outages or even slight interrup tions that cause oven clocks to reset to midnight. What causes this? Numerous things, including heavy snow, strong winds, osprey dropping 4-foot branches on power lines and even an occasional wind-blown boat tarp flying 15 feet in the air.

On average, MPE consumers, many of them with homes situated between lodgepole pines, experience less than two hours of outages per year. That’s right in line with the national average. It’s a testament to the resilience of our grid and the efficiency of our operation.

Line work is one of the most dangerous professions in the country — right up there with logging, piloting aircraft, mining and fighting fires. Despite the risk, every job on this list is essential to our way of life. David Boals, ACCT 1029304

Here’s something you might not know: MPE’s lineworkers perform most grid maintenance when power lines are energized with more than 14,000 volts. It sounds dangerous, and it is. We could de-energize the grid for maintenance. But we work lines “hot” so that you experience minimal service interruption.

At MPE, our lineworkers undergo extensive safety training to perform hot work safely. This includes:

• Learning to (essentially) simulate a bird on wire

• Regular truck inspections, to ensure our vehicles’ insulating features are intact

• Frequent personal protective equipment inspections — insulated gloves, insulated sleeves and other gear

• Six months to two years of lineworker school, then a four-year, 8,000-hour apprenticeship for journeyman lineworker certification

up in a bucket truck wearing a half-inch thick rubber glove and sleeves, we feel the electricity buzzing through the gloves. And, believe it or not, most lineworkers know more about trigonometry than you would ever guess (to anchor guy wires at the proper angle, for example).

So the next time you have to reset your oven clock, know this: Our crews are out there in the storms, at night, on weekends, holidays, 24/7 trying our best to minimize your inconvenience. That’s because, for us, it is all about you.

For more real-time outage information, please visit our outage map, accessible from our website.

MPE lineworkers go out in all conditions to keep your electricity flowing.

From our co-op family to yours, wishing you a joyous holiday season and a happy and peaceful New Year!

WAYS TO $AVE If you own a vacation rental

BY LINDSAY MCCANN MEMBER SERVICE SPECIALIST

• Place a “friendly reminder” by the front door, asking guests to turn down heat when leaving for the day.

• Consider installing a programmable thermostat so you can control the heat remotely. MPE offers rebates for these: mpei.com/rebates

• Provide extra throw blankets in the lounging areas.

• Use flannel sheets and extra blankets on the beds.

Mountain Parks Electric to REFUND More than $2 Million

ESSAY CONTEST Attention High School Students: Boost Your

College Applications

• To enter, submit an energy-related, 500-word or less essay, short video or other project to rtaylor@mpei.com by Friday, January 6, 2023.

• 1st place prize — all-expense-paid, weeklong trip to Washington, D.C. (much more extensive than a traditional 8th grade D.C. trip)

• 2nd place prize — all-expense-paid, weeklong trip to Youth Leadership Camp in Clark, Colorado.

• More information — mpei.com/scholarships-and-youth-programs

In December, Mountain Parks Electric will be returning $2.2 million to its consumers. As a not-for-profit utility (a co-op), on a regular basis, MPE returns its profits based on margins earned from the sale of electricity. In the co-op world, this is known as capital credit retirement. The $2.2 million reflects margins earned from electric sales in 1995, 1996 and 2001.

MPE’s margins are not refunded in the year they are earned due to the co-op’s significant start-up costs. To construct its grid and electrify its rural service area 76 years ago, MPE borrowed a significant amount of money. If MPE were to fully repay its debt from retail energy rates, the price of electricity would be unaffordable for many, if not most. Even so, MPE’s equity stands at more than 50%, higher than the national average for electric co-ops.

Since 1977, MPE has retired more than $19 million of capital credits to consumers.

“By returning these capital credits, we are demonstrating in a very tangible way that Mountain Parks Electric is owned by those it serves,” said Mark Johnston, MPE general manager. “This retirement will infuse cash into our communities just in time for the holidays.”

The refunds will be issued the first week of December in the form of mailed checks if the amount is $50 or greater or as a bill credit for anything less than $50.

For more information about your MPE capital credits, email capitalcredits@mpei.com.

Electric Industry Leaders Talk Innovation

The future of the electric industry was the focus of the Monday, November 7, CREA Energy Innovations Summit. More than 300 leaders from electric cooperatives, munic ipal power companies, Colorado’s investor-owned utilities, the renewable energy industry, government entities, the legislature and other industry segments gathered in Westminster for a day of panel discussions.

The event opened with CREA Executive Director Kent Singer facilitating a conversation between Tri-State G&T CEO Duane Highley and Xcel Energy President Robert Kenney. They shared

their ideas on the challenges ahead and how, with the right policies in place and support from government, they might navigate the future.

Lunch speaker Robert Chapman, senior vice president of energy delivery at EPRI, a national research center, talked about reliability and resilience in a net zero economy.

The day closed with a panel of co-op managers discussing how their co-ops are evolving to meet their consumer-members’ expec tations and needs.

ELECTRIC CO-OP DIRECTORS COMPLETE EDUCATION

Serving on an electric co-op board of directors takes dedication and a commitment of time. Directors must not only attend monthly board meetings and a variety of conferences, but they are also encouraged to complete education courses designed to help them understand the electric industry, the co-op business

model and what it takes to run a successful cooperative.

Recently, the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association acknowledged the directors throughout the country who have completed various phases of their electric cooperative education. In Colorado, seven new directors received their Credentialed

Cooperative Director certificates. Another five Colorado directors earned their Board Leadership certificates after completing the next phase of their classes. Another eight directors earned their Director Gold certif icates for continuing their education.

CREA Executive Director Kent Singer and Xcel President Robert Kenney listen as Tri-State G&T CEO Duane Highley makes a point during the opening session of the CREA Energy Innovations Summit.

Robert Chapman, senior vice president of energy delivery at EPRI, talks about new technology needed to get to a net zero energy economy while maintaining the reliability of the electric industry.

Terex displays an all-electric bucket truck at the vendor fair that was part of the CREA Energy Innovations Summit.

Make Food Fun this Holiday Season

Spread smiles with a delightful snowman charcuterie board

BY AMY HIGGINS | RECIPES@COLORADOCOUNTRYLIFE.ORG

Last Christmas, my sister-in-law gifted me the charming cookbook Beautiful Boards: 50 Amazing Snack Boards for Any Occasion by Maegan Brown. Since then, I have built her “Football Board,” her “Pancake Board” and a handful of her “Anytime Boards.” For the holidays, I just had to try her “Winter Wonderland Board,” which I adapted with ingredients from my local supermarket. I can certainly say The BakerMama blogger (thebakermama.com) and author knows how to keep the conversation going with these aptly named beautiful boards. One of the best things about charcuterie board recipes is that you can substitute any of the ingredients to suit your liking. Just one attempt at this version and there’s no doubt that Beautiful Boards will soon be a staple in your kitchen.

Enter our contest to win a copy of Beautiful Boards. Visit Contests at coloradocountrylife.coop for details on how to enter.

Snowman Charcuterie Board

Adapted from the “Winter Wonderland Board” featured in Beautiful Boards by Maegan Brown, The BakerMama.

1 4-inch round cheese (I used mozzarella)

2 6-inch round spreadable cheeses (I used Mexican fresco cheese, but I suggest a cheese with less moisture)

1 (3-ounce) bag white cheddar mini rice cakes

2 sandwich cookies (such as Oreos)

24 ounces blueberries

1 baby carrot

1 red licorice strip

1 beef stick

3 slices provolone cheese, cut into snowflake shapes using cookie cutter

1/4 cup blueberry jam

1/4 cup blueberry yogurt

14 scallop-edged crackers

2 cups popcorn

5 biscotti cookies

1/2 cup yogurt-covered raisins

1/2 cup miniature marshmallows

Directions

1. Place the 4-inch cheese round at the top center of the serving board and then place the two remaining cheese rounds below to create the body of the snowman.

2. To build the hat, take one mini rice cake and place it atop the snowman’s head; stack the two sandwich cookies atop the rice cake.

3. Position six blueberries on the snowman’s face to form the eyes and mouth; place three blueberries on the middle cheese round for buttons. Next, place the baby carrot on the face for the nose.

4. Cut the licorice strip in half to make the scarf; trim as needed.

5. Cut the beef stick in half and insert the pieces in the middle cheese round to create arms.

6. Scatter the remaining blueberries at the top third of the board to add the sky. Take the three snowflake-shaped provolone cheese slices and place them atop the blueberries. Place the jam in a small serving bowl and position bowl on the middle right side of board.

7. Place the yogurt in a small serving bowl and position the bowl to the middle left of board. Line the crackers around one side of the bottom cheese round.

8. Spread the popcorn across the bottom of the board to create the snow. On the bottom left, place the biscotti cookies in the space between the yogurt serving bowl and popcorn.

Spread the yogurt-covered raisins and marshmallows in the empty spaces on the left side of the board.

On the right side of the board, stack the rice cakes along the bottom side of the jam serving bowl. Fill the remaining empty space above the serving bowl with peanuts.

Enjoy! Snap a picture and share it with us at facebook.com/COCountryLife.

For more charcuterie board ideas, try, Maegan Brown’s Everyday Board and Christmas Tree Board. Get the recipe at coloradocountrylife.coop.

ELECTRIFY AND SAVE

ENERGY-EFFICIENCY HELPS FARMERS AND RANCHERS SAVE

Through time-of-use rate incentives and irrigation motor rebates, our Nebraska members are helping their agriculture customers save thousands on operating costs. Mike Blomenkamp has lived in Wheat Belt Public Power District’s service territory since 1989 and grows corn, alfalfa and oats, among other crops. When he modernized his operations to increase energy efficiency, he saved about $1,000 by using Tri-State and Wheat Belt rebates for new irrigation motors and approximately $25,000 by operating during non-peak hours.

To learn more about rebates and incentives for electrification programs or a reduced cost on-farm energy assessment, contact your local electric utility. Visit us at www.tristate.coop/BE

Tri-State is a not-for-profit power supplier to cooperatives and public power districts in Colorado, Nebraska, New Mexico and Wyoming.

AT TRI-STATE WE’RE DELIVERING MORE AFFORDABLE ELECTRICITY

Agriculture is the lifeblood of Tri-State’s service territories in the rural West. Our ranchers and farmers depend on affordable energy for their operations. With rebates and time-of-use incentives they can count on more money in their pockets when they adopt energy-efficient practices.

Powering community, powering life. That’s the cooperative difference.

THE OF REINDEER on Colorado Ranches Magic

BY SUZIE ROMIG

Most mornings, rancher April Cochrane looks forward to grab bing a green halter and going for a 2-mile walk with her animal companion at her side.

That morning ritual is not with the fami ly’s 160-pound guard dog, Clyde, or even with their 70-pound black and white mutt, Kibbles. Cochrane walks with a 100-pound female reindeer named Mouse.

For the first few days in the halter, young Mouse bucked and pulled. But after three weeks, she was fully halter trained.

“I do very much enjoy walking Mouse. It’s relaxing,” Cochrane said.

“Halter training is a long process, and some reindeer are much more difficult than others,” she explained. “Except when we are really busy, I try every morning to put all three calves in their halters and spend at least 15 minutes trying to lead each one individually.”

The Cochrane family — including mom April, husband Dustin and teenagers, Aspen and Harley — live on a 5,000-acre cattle ranch in the unincorporated community

of Coalmont southwest of Walden in Mountain Parks Electric’s service territory in Jackson County. The family’s Colorado Reindeer Ranch started with the arrival of its first reindeer in fall 2021. Today there are 12 reindeer on the ranch.

The ranch is one of approximately 10 reindeer operations across Colorado including Noel Productions in Eagle County, Laughing Valley Ranch in Idaho Springs and The Jessen Reindeer Ranch near Loveland.

Reindeer ranchers say they fall in love

Photo by Chris Becea, Morning Light Photography.

with the usually docile and friendly animals with beautiful antlers and they add them to their existing hobby ranch or agricultural operations. The owners relish showing their reindeer to the public, and December is the perfect month for families to interact with reindeer at public holiday events.

Two active associations, the Reindeer Owners and Breeders Association based in Wisconsin and the Reindeer Farmers Association in Alaska, help support rein deer ranchers and farmers who raise and own the domesticated livestock for hobby or commercial purposes. ROBA Vice President Daryl Simon in Minnesota esti mates North America is home to some 150 reindeer operations, with about one-third of those actually participating in breeding

to produce calves. The other two-thirds of ranches may care for three or four reindeer for events, Simon said.

“ROBA is dedicated to the promotion of reindeer farming as an agricultural pursuit and serves its members through its website, conferences and publications to provide leadership in maintaining quality stan dards,” according to the association website.

Farm-raised reindeer are curious and likeable animals that are easy to fence, feed and train to pull, according to ROBA. Reindeer do not require large areas or facil ities and can thrive on commercial feeds. ROBA reports reindeer are more common in the northern states but are now raised in many parts of the U.S., including as far south as Texas, Mississippi and Tennessee.

Fifth-generation dairy farmer David McIntosh, a United Power consum er-member in Brighton, milks up to 600 dairy cows three times a day, yet last year he

added three young reindeer named Kristoff, Juniper and Cranberry, dubbing his opera tion Riverdale Reindeer.

“I have admired reindeer since I was a young boy, learning everything I could about these amazing and majestic crea tures. As my knowledge grew, so too did my desire to one day own reindeer of my own,” McIntosh explained. “Over the last few years, I have met many amazing people who have the same drive and passions for reindeer as I do.”

McIntosh and other ranchers said health issues need to be monitored closely in rein deer, but raising reindeer is rewarding.

“I’ve worked with a lot of animals throughout my life, and there is nothing like reindeer,” McIntosh said. “They have a vastly changing personality throughout the year and are beautiful animals. They completely change color from chocolate brown in the summer to silver in the winter.”

FUN REINDEER FACTS:

• Reindeer are time-consuming, endearing animals. They wouldn’t be reindeer without the human aspect.

• Colorado owners say reindeer love the winters and eat snow for water. In the summers, owners keep the animals cool with barns or sheds with fans, shade sails, misters or wading pools.

• Reindeer make a clicking sound that comes from their ankles when they walk. Their tendons snap over bones in their feet to produce the clicking that helps the herd stay in contact in a snowstorm.

• Reindeer have a gestation period of about seven months and give birth in the spring.

• Reindeer are unique in the deer family in that both males and females grow and shed their antlers each year.

• They completely change color from chocolate brown in the summer to silver in the winter.

April and Dustin Cochrane and their teenagers, Aspen and Harley, stand with two of the 12 reindeer on their 5,000-acre cattle ranch southwest of Walden.

Photo by Chris Becea, Morning Light Photography.

The owners relish showing their reindeer to the public, and December is the perfect month for families to interact with reindeer at public holiday events.”

McIntosh said he enjoys how his rein deer seem eager to see him each morning and grunt for food. He said his bull likes to eat raisins out of his hand.

“It’s really interesting how they talk to you and tell you what they want,” McIntosh said. “You get really, really attached to the reindeer since you spend so much time working with them and training them.”

Some reindeer ranchers say training and interacting with the animals, which are a smaller cousin to wild caribou, is akin to training a horse. Some longtime owners say they can teach reindeer a few commands, and some have trained them to walk to a mark for a movie or holiday concert appearance.

“Reindeer are time-consuming animals, because the more time you put into a rein deer, the more you are going to get out. Reindeer wouldn’t be reindeer without the human aspect,” said Mike Jablonski, a rein deer rancher for 25 years in New York and current president of the nonprofit ROBA.

“Most of the people (reindeer owners) have a really big heart and care about animals. It’s not about the money; it’s about the animal,” Jablonski said.

The association president noted that raising reindeer for meat in the U.S. is rare since the animals are “worth more per hour (at events) than per pound.”

“Reindeer meat is some of the best meat — lean and tender — but they are worth more in value to me for teaching chil dren and for what they bring to families,” Jablonski said.

Aspen Cochrane, 14, attired in a sundress and cowboy boots and walking in the reindeer pens on a warm late summer afternoon in Coalmont, said she prefers reindeer to larger, standoffish cows.

Harley Cochrane, 13, holding a feeding pan with an oat mixture while petting and feeding each reindeer, said he finds the rein deer “calm, interesting and very different from cattle with a different attitude.”

The Cochrane’s ranch, located at 8,200 feet in elevation, has been in April’s family for 33 years. April and Dustin began running the ranch in 2007. They have 300 head of Angus and Hereford cross cattle and grow mountain hay. But these days cattle ranching is not a highly lucrative occupation, so the family decided to add the reindeer operation. That’s in addition to operating a professional sign shop out of their large barn and operating an Airbnb in a renovated 110-year-old farmhouse often used by snowmobilers who explore the

Rabbit Ears Pass area to the west.

Many of the bed-and-breakfast guests enjoy hand feeding and petting the reindeer, Cochrane said.

“They’ve never seen a reindeer, and it’s interesting to learn about them. They always wonder about the clicking in their hooves,” Cochrane noted.

The endearing animals make a clicking sound that comes from their ankles when they walk. Experts explain the reindeers’ tendons snap over bones in their feet to produce the clicking that helps the herd stay in contact in a snowstorm.

Colorado owners say reindeer love the winters and eat snow for water. In the summers, owners keep the animals cool with barns or sheds with fans, shade sails, misters or wading pools.

The Cochranes are concentrating on expanding to create a breeding herd. In mid-September, they traveled to Minnesota to pick up three new young reindeer. The family hopes to have five breeding pairs soon and to train several larger reindeer to pull a small sleigh to offer rides for tourists.

In September, two reindeer bulls at the ranch were sans antlers, which were removed to avoid injuries during the two-month rutting season that runs from late summer into early fall. Reindeer have a gestation period of about seven months and give birth in the spring.

Some of the reindeer ranches in Colorado encourage on-site, visitors, yet largely, the ranchers bring their friendly reindeer with their large, picturesque antlers to family-oriented holiday events. Lucky for photographers and fans, rein deer are unique in the deer family in that both males and females grow and shed their antlers each year.

Raising reindeer can be a good bonding

“Reindeer ranchers say they fall in love with the usually docile and friendly animals with beautiful antlers and they add them to their existing hobby ranch or agricultural operations.

experience for families. At The Jessen Reindeer Ranch, the family’s 10-year-old daughter, Maddi, and 8-year-old son, Bodhi, help raise the reindeer calves, owner Chris Jessen said. The whole family recently watched a reindeer give birth.

“We actively, as a family, participate in raising the reindeer, and that’s one of the most rewarding parts to be able to do that as a family,” Jessen said.

The Jessen Reindeer Ranch is in Poudre Valley REA’s territory. Located at 7,000 feet in elevation near Loveland, the ranch raises the second-string team for Santa, according to tales the family likes to tell at holiday events.

“We are Santa’s backup training facility. When his reindeer get tired, Santa lands at our property, and he takes our reindeer and leaves a note of whom he took and where they went,” Jessen said. “He’s used several of our reindeer.”

Jessen, who serves as director of the western region for ROBA, said his family has cared for various domestic pets, live stock and a few exotic animals through the years. They now have two camels just for riding and have raised miniature donkeys, alpaca, miniature cattle and even a kangaroo.

“Perhaps it is Chris’ Norwegian roots that led us to these truly magnificent creatures, or it simply could be that they seem magical by nature. That love led to researching, studying and meeting reindeer ranch owners across the United States,” the ranch’s website explains.

Currently the Loveland area ranch has 10 reindeer that are “our babies,” Jessen said. The reindeer attended eight events last Christmas season ranging from city festivals to corporate parties, but the ranch received 90 additional inquiries.

“We don’t make a living; we like the animals,” said Jessen, who also works as a power system operator for Platte River

Power Authority.

One indicator of the stability of raising reindeer as an agricultural business is the current healthy price for calves.

Rancher Simon said he sells calves for about $12,000 compared to about $4,000 when he started in the business 29 years ago. Adult reindeer may sell for about $18,000. Simon sells about 12 to 15 calves per year to fellow reindeer operations, but he receives 30 to 40 additional inquiries for calves.

Hannah Fritz, a second-generation deer farmer with a ranch in Eagle County, focuses on the educational exhibition of the domesticated livestock. Fritz said public interest in a unique outdoor experience such as interacting with reindeer expanded during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Jessen said the most rewarding part of reindeer ranching is watching the children who visit the holiday events. He delights in

“just the pure magic on their faces seeing an animal that is somewhat of a fairy tale to them that they can meet in person.”

Writer Suzie Romig of Steamboat Springs, who has written several cover stories for Colorado Country Life, will be watching for familiar reindeer flying overhead on December 24.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

• Reindeer Owners and Breeders Assoc. www.reindeerowners.com

• Reindeer Farmers Association www.reindeerfarmersassociation.org

• Colorado Reindeer Ranch www.coloradoreindeer.com

• The Jessen Reindeer Ranch www.jessenreindeerranch.com

• Noel Productions www.noelproductionsllc.com

The sun sets on visitors at The Jessen Reindeer Ranch. Photo courtesy of Jessen Reindeer Ranch.

Burgeoning Blooms in the Wintertime

Low-maintenance plants to help raise your spirits

BY VICKI SPENCER MASTER GARDENER | GARDENING@COLORADOCOUNTRYLIFE.ORG

By the time December rolls around, I really miss the cheerful colors I enjoyed during early morning summer walks past my neighbors’ gardens. My yearning for color is one reason why I’m drawn to plants that flower during the winter. Over time, I’ve learned that, with proper care, some outdoor plants can brighten the house with winter blossoms.

Since pansies are heartier than they appear, often surviving winter cold, I tried growing some indoors. They surprised me with fragrant winter blooms after I planted them in containers with good potting soil, placed them in a sunny location, and fertilized occa sionally. I found violas will also bloom throughout the winter with similar care. By keeping them in the kitchen, I’m reminded that they make edible garnishes on serving plates or add a festive flair to cake decorations. Deadheading pansy and viola winter blossoms encourages more blossoms to appear.

During the holidays, I enjoy potted evergreen shrubs, which I decorate to match different themes. The dark green, red-tinted leaves and bright red berries of wintergreen plant (Gaultheria procumbens) practically shout “Merry Christmas!” As a bonus, its edible fruits have a mildly sweet wintergreen taste. Plant winter green in acidic, well-drained soil and keep out of direct sunlight. It doesn’t need to be watered often.

Winter heath (Erica carnea) is another flowering evergreen shrub. Its deep rose-pink flowers open in late winter and billow over dark green foliage that develop pink tips in spring. It’s a low-maintenance plant and produces more vibrant colors with at least 6 hours of sunlight.

Only recently have I tried growing winter-tolerant hellebores indoors. Their long-lasting, fragrant flowers bloom in a wide range of colors, and their serrated leaves

provide an interesting contrast to heart-shaped philodendron leaves. Hellebores do best in filtered sun or darker areas resem bling the light in shady gardens. Plant in well-drained, organic soil but keep moist.

Clivias (Clivia gardenii) are often considered the perfect houseplant because they are low maintenance and resilient. Although Clivias typi cally bloom outdoors from April to June, you can get them to bloom indoors after providing a cold period of 25–30 days. Then, place them in a windowsill and keep them on the dry side to promote flowering. Its slender, tubular flowers will appear as orange clusters with green tips. Remove spent flowers by cutting near the base of flower stems to promote more blossoms.

Sedum, which is typically grown as a ground cover, is known for its colorful foliage. It makes a lovely indoor plant that often produces delicate sprays of flowers in the winter. Jade plant is another succu lent with thick, oval-shaped leaves that produces delicate white flowers in late winter. It is precious in Chinese culture, symbolizing good fortune and prosperity. Both succulent plants should be placed in pots with drainage holes and should not be watered too often.

If you grow any of these low-maintenance plants indoors, their beautiful blossoms will raise your spirits during bleak winter months when flowers are scarce.

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

LEARN MORE ONLINE

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

Winter heath

Clivias

Bringing Light, Receiving Joy

Lives are changed as lineworkers bring electricity

BY MONA NEELEY PUBLISHER/EDITOR

There will be lights this Christmas in the small, remote Guatemalan village of La Montanita de la Virgen, thanks to electric cooperatives in Colorado and Oklahoma. And, 16 lineworkers here in the United States will celebrate the holidays with a special appreciation for all they have.

The lights came on for the first time in mid-September in La Montanita in the municipality of San Pedro Pinula. Life is slowly changing as the villagers enjoy the benefits of electricity.

A team of 16 lineworkers, including four from Colorado’s electric co-ops, spent August 29 to September 16 in the rural Guatemalan

mountain community building power lines to bring electricity to the area. The men installed 5 miles of primary line, 3.5 miles of secondary line and six transformers to extend the country’s power grid to the remote village. They also wired 81 homes, two churches and the elementary school as part of a project coordinated by NRECA International.

It was grueling work for the lineworkers, who worked without the benefits of their usual bucket trucks and other power tools. Instead, they climbed each pole with their spikes, used block and tackle configurations to lift transformers and heavy spools of wire, pulled that wire by hand across deep valleys

Meet the Colorado Team

GUATEMALA

Bringing electricity to remote areas in developing countries takes electric cooperatives back to their roots.”

—

Kent Singer, CREA executive

director

The inside and outside of a typical village home.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY STUDIO 1441

Left to right:

Nathaniel Pennell Mountain View Electric Association lineman Trenton Jole Holy Cross Energy lineman

Clayton Shonk White River Electric Association lineman Zeb Birch Grand Valley Power lineman

and up mountainsides, and generally did their line work the way it was done years ago in the States.

“Bringing electricity to remote areas in developing countries takes electric coop eratives back to their roots,” noted CREA Executive Director Kent Singer. Being part of a project like this helps lineworkers appre ciate where Colorado’s electric co-ops got their start, with neighbor helping neighbor to set those first poles and string the first wires.

That was how it was in Guatemala, too. The villagers were invested in this project and provided assistance where they could.

La Montanita is a remote mountain community of about 560 people located off a gravel road and up a dirt trail. Homes are spread throughout a large area that surrounds the school, church and dirt soccer field at the center of the community. Much more like homes spread out through Colorado’s rural co-op territories than a town with streets and nearby neighbors, the community, brought its people together to help the American line workers complete this project.

Prior to the Colorado-Oklahoma team arriving, men in the village installed the power poles and anchors outside of homes after working together to carry the poles to each site and dig the holes. Then, when the Americans arrived, the men, young and old, took turns helping wherever they could.

They climbed trees, carried equipment and helped pull line, especially when it had to go up a mountainside. There was one long span across a deep, wide river valley, remembered project leader Damon Lester, an Oklahoma lineman. The American team expected it to take most of the day to get the line from one side to the other. It took 45 minutes, Lester noted with a wry smile.

Once the team was set on one side of the chasm and the wire was ready, villagers took off with the heavy line. They were down one side, across the small river and up the other side to the pole the team had ready on the other side, Lester explained. It took no time at all.

That’s how the villagers were, said Trenton Jole, a lineman from Holy Cross Energy headquartered in Glenwood Springs. They would take turns helping the Americans in between working in their small corn fields on the sides of the mountains since it was planting time. They would hand plant a field and then show up the next day to help on the electrification project.

Grand Valley Power lineman Zeb Birch remembers an older man who was on the village council. He was there to help the team even though he didn’t have the equipment or, even any good shoes. “His shoes were completely blown open,” Birch said.

Many of the younger men had backpacks to carry tools, rope and other supplies, but this older man didn’t have that either. He

had an old sack that he used for carrying sand. It had been repaired and a handle rigged on it so he could carry whatever he needed — he was there to help bring elec tricity to his village.

Most of the homes in the village also didn’t have much. The linemen who wired the homes saw inside those homes. They saw how the kids did their homework by candlelight, how the people made do with what they had.

The homes were mostly built with adobe with tin roofs. Some had dirt floors. Some kitchens were a covered area on the side of the house. Other homes were simply a large room with sleeping hammocks at one end and the kitchen with its fire and workspace at the other end. But the people had pride in what they have. Their kids were clean, their clothes washed on stones at the river that runs through the community.

Nathaniel Pennell uses a chain hoist to put tension on a guy wire.

Lineworkers use pulleys and brute strength to unload a spool of wire.

Villagers help the team pull wire through forested terrain.

Team members, including Zeb Birch (center), prepare wire to be mounted on a pole.

Each of those homes received four light bulbs, two light switches and two electrical outlets. Each homeowner chose where those were placed.

It’s not much, but these people are resil ient. They have built a life for themselves in a place with no running water and, up until now, no electricity.

They are grateful that electricity has now come to their community. “We thank God and the Americans for the gift of electricity,” said Roberto Ramirez Guerra, the mayor of San Pedro Pinula. He has been working with NRECA International, the philanthropic arm of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, since 2019 to bring electricity to this village. The pandemic stalled that prog ress until this year.

He led the celebration on Tuesday, September 13, when all of the villagers turned out to thank the lineworkers who brought light and electricity to their commu nity. There was dancing, songs, poems and speeches as the villagers thanked the Americans for coming to Guatemala and working so hard for three weeks.

It was a bittersweet time for the line workers. They were ready to go home to their families, but they were leaving pieces of themselves behind in a community where they had established deep ties in a short amount of time.

“It was a privilege to use the line work trade to make a positive difference in the lives of the people of La Montanita. Their simplicity, joy and friendship were truly a gift,” said Clayton Shonk of White River Electric in Meeker.

“They can be so happy with so little,” added Nathaniel Pennell of Mountain View Electric, headquartered in Limon.

“We planted a seed that will be harvested for years and years. It’s not going to become a big plant by tomorrow, but it will continue to grow and bear fruit with time,” Lester said. “The elders see it as a convenience. The younger ones see it as opportunity for economic development.”

Access to electricity will enable growth in education, security, health care, economic prosperity and, overall, a better quality of life.

It was a privilege to use the line work trade to make a positive difference in the lives of the people of La Montanita. Their simplicity,

Clayton Shonk, White River Electric lineman

This Christmas, the lights will be on in the village of La Montanita de la Virgen, thanks to the Colorado and Oklahoma line workers who gave of themselves.

“We all believe in giving and doing what it takes,” said Birch, speaking for the entire American team, “yet, I didn’t give a tenth of what I got out of it.”

Editor Mona Neeley, traveling with the leadership team, was in La Montanita when the lights came on in the school.

Water Filters & Backpacks

Thanks to all of the Colorado Country Life readers and electric co-ops and their employees, directors and managers who sent money to purchase water filters and backpacks for the people of La Montanita de la Virgen. The team distributed 100 water filters, one to each family, and 100 backpacks with school supplies.

Leftover funds purchased fans for the school, and also built a new outdoor bathroom.

joy and friendship were truly a gift.” —

Lineworkers, government officials and villagers celebrate the lights coming on at the school in La Montanita de la Virgen, Guatemala.

Trenton Joel hands out one of the 100 water filters purchased with donations from Colorado co-ops and their consumers-member.

Clayton Shonk gets a beautiful view of Guatemala’s mountains as he works atop a pole.

More than Camo & Blaze Orange

Hunting is an escape to the great outdoors

BY DENNIS SMITH | OUTDOORS@COLORADOCOUNTRYLIFE.ORG

There’s a widely held misconception among the general population that big game hunting — and more specifically, deer hunting — is carried on by a blood-thirsty hoard of bumbling, red-necked idiots traipsing about in the woods every autumn outfitted in a ridiculous combination of camouflage clothing and blaze orange over-garments, armed to the teeth with powerful, scope-sighted automatic weapons, laying waste to vast herds of deer and elk for the obscene purpose of hanging their decapitated heads on den walls or out in the shed where the wife can’t see them.

Nothing could be further from the truth. Well, the “bumbling about in the woods” part is somewhat true: Let’s face it, every social group has its share of idiots. And so is the camo and blaze orange thing. But the rest of it is a bunch of — well, you-know-what. First off, deer hunters don’t actually kill very many deer. The annual national success ratio for deer hunters averages around 20%, depending on geographic region, weather and other demographic variables. Those numbers are closely controlled by highly-trained wildlife biologists

and licensing agencies such as the Colorado Department of Parks and Wildlife that, each year, issue X number of licenses based on annual herd counts and how many deer they estimate are roaming the woods, knowing full well that only about 20% of licensed hunters will actually kill one.

One reason the kill rate is so low is because some deer hunters don’t give a hoot if they actually shoot a deer or not; they’re just out there to enjoy some quiet time in the out-of-doors with family and friends, play cribbage in camp, sit by a campfire at night and swap lies about the big buck that got away. Others go to get away from the job, the wife, girlfriend, loan shark, sheriff or other law enforcement types. To be fair, many of us do go in an honest attempt to fill our freezers with nutritious, organic, free-range, drug- and hormonefree, low-fat, low-cholesterol meat.

We don’t always score but when we do, we feel incredibly blessed.

Catch up at coloradocountrylife.coop. Click on Outdoors under Living in Colorado. MISS AN ISSUE?

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

CELEBRATING THE HOLIDAYS

Life-Size Holiday Gingerbread Creation

Christmas by the Pound

These days, it takes hundreds of hours and more than 2,000 pounds of ingredients to create the Broadmoor’s gingerbread display each holiday season.

Last year, 10 pastry chefs started with The Broadmoor’s own gingerbread recipe, which includes 650 eggs, 475 pounds of flour, 128 pounds of molasses and 6 pounds of salt. Then the chefs, along with two carpenters, spend nearly 300 hours turning the baked gingerbread into a life-size chateau.

Themes Throughout the Years

A History of Holiday Cheer Jingle in the holidays with a dramatic life-size gingerbread display that has greeted guests at the The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs for more than 50 years. It all started somewhat simply back in 1964 with over-the-top, but more traditionally sized, gingerbread houses. Those expanded until 2013 when the gingerbread display became life-size. Get more details about this year’s holiday-themed activities

The Broadmoor has created merry-making moments with life-sized gingerbread house displays featuring themes such as “Wilderness Experience” in 2015, “The Broadmoor Centennial” in 2018, “The Pikes Peak Cog Railway” in 2020, and the “Gingerbread Chateau” in 2021. At press time, this year’s theme was still top secret, so be sure to check our website at coloradocountrylife.coop or The Broadmoor’s website at broadmoor. com to find out what the pastry elves have unveiled this year.

READER POETRY

Skiing

The other day I was at our cabin. A powdery snow fell at night And I awoke to a stellar glory Of pine and sky and crystals.

I headed out on cross country skis Along the roads that snake around Rosita. Honeysuckle, Chokecherry, and Paintbrush Entwine our subdivision of Blumenau.

The roads are rarely covered enough For skiing and I shuss-shussed along. But I soon became bored and realized My Nordic affliction.

The roads were too gentle and wide. There was no twist or fear or corner. It was just one long stride after another.

And I realized how like life this is. The speedy downs thrill And the steep ups challenge But the flats stifle.

Riding the joys of life downhill is easy And humping up the steeps is hard but At least you make progress and perhaps People help you along the way.

But the interminable flats are weary And perhaps this is why the pandemic Has so challenged. And why, as a torture, Sisyphus is made to roll the rock up the hill Again and again. It’s not the challenge of the task; It’s the boredom of the repetition.

David C. Reynolds Mountain View Electric consumer-member

Snow Dunes

Soft round drifts

Curling around rocks

In the snow-filled meadow.

Hedgehog mounds

With spiny shards of ice Perching on hidden rocks.

Natural, clear ice-cycles

Hanging from snow-laden trees Molting slowly in the sun.

Weeds bent into corn-husk dolls With billowed, white aprons Eating dollops of ice cream snow.

While I cross-country ski In the winter meadow.

Carol Fortino

San

Isabel Electric consumer- member

Are you a poet?

Do you write poetry?

Submit your best works to our Reader Engagement page at coloradocountrylife.coop or send via email to info@coloradocountrylife.org.

Shadowlands

Winter has come to the rangelands and brought with it diminishing light. Nebulous forms now blanket the sky obscuring the sun’s warming rays.

Nature’s vast nursery of children, whose home is this stark shadowland, wander and paw at once fertile ground trying to keep hunger at bay.

Antelope, dogs, horses and deer, domestic or wild at heart, rely on ones they fear the most to reach out and show them the way.

For human hands are capable of great kindness and terror alike. Compassion dwells deep in each soul, though in some it’s more hidden away.

Winter has come to the rangelands and with it the spirit of hope, that mankind and beast may soon live in peace – for this I will bow down and pray.

Sandy Rinks , a Mountain View Electric consumer-member won a Sweet Reads box for nominating High Prairie Library in Peyton to receive a box of books featured in our annual book review issue.

Cynthia Bullock Mountain View Electric consumer-member

It’s easy to win with Colorado Country Life. Simply take a photo of someone (or a selfie!) with the magazine and submit it on our Reader Engagement page at coloradocountrylife. coop. We’ll draw one photo to win $25 each month. The next deadline is Thursday, December 15. Name, address and co-op must accompany photo. See all of the submitted photos on Facebook at facebook.com/ COCountryLife.

I love how children listen to music and hear it slightly differently. When my son Marcus was 4 years old, he loved the song “Jolly Old Saint Nicholas” which follows with “lean your ear this way.” But he heard it differently and sang loud and clear, “Jolly Old Saint Nicholas, CLEAN your ear this way.”

Pat Berridge, Grand Junction

Grand Valley Power consumer-member

While driving with my granddaughter, she asked me, “Can we stop for a milkshake?” Pausing, she added, “Grandma, I’m craving milk. I think I’m low on lactose intolerance.”

Beverly Shelden, Foss, Oklahoma

San Isabel Electric Association consumer-member

I woke up one morning and my 3-year-old grandson was standing next to my bed. He informed me that my nose makes music when I sleep. If that’s not love, I don’t know what is!

Kelly Kirwan, Monument

Mountain View Electric Association consumer-member

Our little farm girl granddaughter had quite the vocabulary when she was just 2 years old. She’d talk about the side-roll field, the telehandler, the swather, and other farm equipment. One day when her daddy was removing a faulty switch in the kitchen range, she piped up, “Does it need a new alternator?”

Karen Seim, Glade Park

Grand Valley Power consumer-member

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 the published funny stories, and that person will receive $200. Go to our Reader Engagement page at coloradocountrylife. coop to submit your funny story.

Joe Buczkowski, a consumer-member of Mountain View Electric Association, photographs his kids Brendan, Bianca and David with the magazine at the Colosseum in Rome.

Craig Goodknight climbs with CCL to the top of Ben Nevis in Scotland, the highest point in the United Kingdom, in the typical rainy, foggy, windy, chilly weather. Craig is a consumer-member of Grand Valley Power.

Mountain Parks Electric consumer-member Linda Shingleton takes her copy of CCL to Cadillac Mountain, Acadia National Park in Maine.

WINNER: Beach day! Madison, 12 and Reegan, 8 take a break from the ocean to enjoy CCL on the beach at Magens Bay in Saint Thomas, USVI. The girls and their mom Jacki are consumer-members of Poudre Valley REA.

Putting It All on the Board

Colorado treats for tasty charcuterie

Dip and Dunk

Standout Pop Star

One of the top 10 snack foods in America, popcorn, is an excellent option for charcuterie boards. Sterlingbased Colorado Popcorn Company has been serving these marvelous morsels since 1987, adding fun flavors along the way. Choose from Birthday Cake Popcorn, Colorado Style Popcorn, Chocolate English Toffee Popcorn, Jalapeno Cheddar Popcorn and more. The company also sells holidaythemed popcorn tins and gift boxes for various occasions. Find out more at coloradopopcorn.com.

Finger foods benefit from a little extra flavor, and easy options are jams and jellies. Colorado Mountain Jam prepares quality, real-fruit jams and jellies that pair beautifully with crackers, breads and cheeses. Owned by Palisade farmers Brian and Judith Olesen, the business has garnered several Specialty Food Show awards, including Gold Outstanding USDA-Certified Organic Product Awards and a Silver Outstanding Condiment Award. Varieties include fruit jams, wine jellies, beer jellies and honey. For more information, visit coloradomountainjams.com

Cut to the Cheese

Cheese is a classic component to any charcuterie board. Fortunately for Coloradans, there are several local companies that can provide a delicious spread. Fort Collins-based MouCo Cheese Company ( mouco.com ) offers soft-ripened cheese rounds that complement any biscuit, bread or fruit on your board. The same applies to Olathe-based Rocking W Cheese (rockingcheese.com) for its outstanding collection of cheeses that you can slice, segment or shape with a cookie cutter.

Nutty and Nice

Since 1977, Mountain Main Nut & Fruit Co. has built a solid reputation with its line of pop-in-your-mouth products that can be found throughout Colorado. Featuring fresh nuts, candies and dried fruits, Mountain Man’s sweet and savory morsels are the perfect addition to any charcuterie board. See its 2022 Christmas Collection at mtnman.com for an abundance of options to use on your snowman charcuterie board.

“I never had pain-free feet – UNTIL NOW!”

Pain Doctor Recommends Circulation-Boosting ‘Miracle Socks’ for Diabetes and Foot Pain Sufferers!

What part of your tired, swollen, sweaty or achy feet would you like to see go away?

If you suffer from poor circulation, swelling or any condition that makes your feet feel fatigued and sore, then read on to discover the solution that could change your life.

Good news comes in the form of a pain reducing, circulation boosting sock design from DailyNergy.

Better Blood Flow

This ‘miracle sock’ is made from proprietary blend of nylon and poly materials, which are optimally constructed to make a DailyNergy sock.

DailyNergy socks feature graduated compression which exerts the greatest degree of compression at the ankle, and the level of compression gradually decreases up the socks. This forces the blood to move upwards, where there is more space.

Wearing DailyNergy graduated compression socks is the most convenient, quick way of combating muscle soreness and fatigue. By applying the right pressure in the right places, DailyNergy socks help increase blood flow. When you increase the blood flow, your broken down soft tissue can repair itself more quickly.

“Have been wearing only DailyNergy stockings for a while now. After my 12 hr shifts as a nurse they do wonders for my legs, no soreness, no pain. I swear by them. Best investment ever. Thank you!” Maryia S. Doctor recommended:

“Pain, swelling, muscle soreness these are just a few common symptoms not only in athletes but also in people doing normal day to day activities, especially those who suffer from varicose veins.

By utilizing graduated compression technology, which creates more pressure near the ankle and gets looser when moving up the leg, DailyNergy is designed to promote

improved blood circulation within the legs. A medical grade compression level used by DailyNergy socks may help ease foot fatigue, pain, muscle cramps, and improve blood flow, thus promoting heart health.”

Dr. Denys Tsveiuk

“Quality compression sock with an emphasis on compression. These socks maintain their compression for the duration on wear and aren’t too tight/ constricting. Perfect for my bike rides to help with circulation.” LB

Scott Adams, VP of Product Development for DailyNergy says, “Our socks are ideal for diabetics and those suffering from neuropathy or injury from repetitive use. DailyNergy socks can also bring comfort to tired legs within minutes of putting them on, energizing individuals who spend long hours on their feet.”

Goodbye to Pain and Fatigue

“I recently bought a few pairs of DailyNergy socks because I have never wore them before so I wanted to try them. And let me say they helped my feet so much. They were so comfortable to walk around in. And so comfortable to go running in also.” Maritza N

BENEFITS:

Increased blood flow and oxygen 

Reduced swelling and pain 

Wicks away moisture 

Increased range of motion

IDEAL FOR:

FREE SHIPPING!

You can get one pair of DailyNergy socks for only $24.95 Or if you order 3 pair of DailyNergy socks and you will get a 4th pair for FREE! So for a total of $74.85 you will receive a total of 4 pair of DailyNergy socks And you will get free shipping too! For credit/ debit card orders call toll free 1-855-287-1800.

If ordering by check send payment to: MWSB Inc., 834 South Union Street, Olean, New York 147603917.

DailyNergy socks are backed by a satisfaction guarantee so you can experience the short and long term positive results risk free!

These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any dis ease. Results may vary. Dr. Tsvejuk was compensated for his opinion.

Breakthrough design improves blood flow, swelling, boost oxygen flow, and eliminate foot fatigue – naturally in as little as 5 minutes!