Sensi Magazine Colorado - February 2021

MUSH LOVE

Shrooms spice up the bedroom

BE MINE

Valentine’s Day gift guide

C O LO R A D O FEBRUARY 2021

DRIPPING WITH PLEASURE High on Love’s products make sweet sexy

SWEET RELEAF

Debut album from Sensi Presents

Discover something out of this world.

NEW WANA TARTS

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Thank You! TO OUR INCREDIBLE FAMILY & COMMUNITY

FOR EVERYTHING YOU DO! TO OUR CUSTOMERS

I want to take this opportunity to say THANK YOU. I appreciate your support during these uncertain times while we work to keep our stores safe, clean, shelves stocked, and open. The Maggie’s Family has been humbled by the kindness you continue to show us, and more importantly, to each other.

TO OUR ASSOCIATES

I am astonished with your operational excellence and grateful for you, you are the real heroes in this story! Your commitment to Maggie’s Farm and our communities is absolutely inspiring. From our Support Staff to our Farmers and all of our Retail Associates working on the front lines, we couldn’t do what we do without you, THANK YOU. After 10 great years in business, we know we can get through any challenge together.

Bill Conkling & Your Maggie’s Farm Family

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COLORADO SENSI MAGAZINE FEBRUARY 2021

sensimediagroup @sensimagazine @sensimag

36

FEATURES

36 Pleasure is the Purpose A luxury line of sensual skin care products blends in cannabis oils.

46 Mush Love

Fungus could fun up your Valentine’s Day.

56 Home Baked

The rollicking tale of Sticky Fingers Brownies, as told by the daughter of its founder

DEPARTMENTS

15 EDITOR’S NOTE 28 THE LIFE Contributing to your health and happiness 18 THE BUZZ WRAP IT UP Valentine’s News, tips, and tidbits to keep you in the loop INFINITE PORTAL Psychedelic art exhibit meets carnival fun house MOOD MAKER Drop this bath bomb on your Valentine.

SLOW DUDS An antidote to the fast fashion industry GET SWOLE Five exercises to boost your libido LITTLE LIBRARY Good reads on sex, cannabis, and design

Day gift guide

BEAUTIFUL BLOOMS

Skip the roses this February 14.

HOROSCOPE What the stars hold for you

64 THE SCENE Hot happenings and hip hangouts around town DINING WAY OUT Date night in the time of COVID-19.

ON THE COVER

High On Love’s chocolate body paint, much like every other product in its skin care line, is infused with cannabis oil and designed for pleasure.

ORIGINAL PHOTO BY SLAVA_SAMOILENKO, ADOBE STOCK PHOTO EDITS BY JOSH CLARK

72 THE END Great Sand Dunes National Park is the perfect place for stargazing.

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We invite you to go deep in to The Woods

SMALL BATCH GROWN • EXOTIC GENETICS EXTRA LONG CURING PROCESS

EXECUTIVE

Ron Kolb Founder + CEO ron@sensimag.com Mike Mansbridge President Fran Heitkamp Chief Operating Officer Lou Ferris VP of Global Revenue Chris Foltz VP of Global Reach Jade Kolb Director of Project Management BRAND DEVELOPMENT

Richard Guerra Deputy Director of Global Reach Amanda Patrizi Deputy Director of Global Reach Tuva Hank Music Director, Sensi Presents Neil Willis Production Director ADVERTISING

Nancy Reid Director, Team Building, Sensi East Joel Bergeson Director, Team Building, Sensi West EDITORIAL

Stephanie Wilson Co-Founder + Editor in Chief stephanie.wilson@sensimag.com Doug Schnitzspahn Executive Editor doug.schnitzspahn@sensimag.com Robyn Griggs Lawrence Editor at Large Helen Olsson Copy Chief Pamela Bishop, Matt Brady, Mona Van Joseph Contributing Writers MANAGING EDITORS

Tracy Ross Michigan Debbie Hall Nevada Emilie-Noelle Provost New England Jenny Willden Northern California Dawn Garcia Southern California

DESIGN/PRODUCTION

ADVISORY BOARD

Jamie Ezra Mark Creative Director jamie@emagency.com Rheya Tanner Art Director Wendy Mak Designer Josh Clark Designer

Agricor Laboratories Testing Lab Aspen Cannabis Insurance Insurance Services Canyon Cultivation Microdosing Cartology Corporation Cartridge Filling Equipment + Hardware Colorado Cannabis Company THC Coffee Concentrate Supply Co. Recreational Concentrates Emerald Construction Construction Green Edge Trimmers Trimmers Higher Grade Boutique Cannabis Hybrid Payroll Staffing & HR Benefits Jupiter Research Inhalation Hardware Lab Society Extraction Expert + Lab Supplies marQaha Sublinguals + Beverages Monte Fiore Farms Recreational Cultivation Northern Standard History of Cannabis PotGuide Cannabis Culture Source CO Wholesale Consulting Terrapin Care Station Recreational Dispensary Toast Mindful Consumption Uleva Hemp Products Wana Brands Edibles Witlon Inc. Payroll Processing

PUBLISHING

COLORADO Liana Cameris Media Sales Executive, Colorado liana.cameris@sensimag.com Amanda Patrizi Media Sales Executive amanda.patrizi@sensimag.com Nicholas Sheppard Media Sales Executive nicholas.sheppard@sensimag.com Tyler Tarr Media Sales Executive tyler.tarr@sensimag.com SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA Rob Ball Market Director Angelique Kiss Market Director NEVADA Abi Wright Market Director NEW ENGLAND Richard Guerra Market Director Jenna Scandone Media Sales Executive MICHIGAN Jamie Cooper Market Director Ernie Butcher Media Sales Executive Chelsea Carter Media Sales Executive Kile Miller Media Sales Executive Leah Stephens Media Sales Executive Constance Taylor Media Sales Executive NORTHERN CALIFORNIA Nancy Birnbaum Market Director Toni Malvesta Media Sales Executive Sam De La Paz Media Sales Executive

MEDIA PARTNERS

Marijuana Business Daily Minority Cannabis Business Association National Cannabis Industry Association Students for Sensible Drug Policy

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F

EDITOR’S NOTE

Magazine published monthly

by Sensi Media Group LLC.

© 2021 Sensi Media Group. All rights reserved.

For the love of food: this is where we begin.

FIND US ON SOCIAL MEDIA

FAC E B O O K Like Sensi Media Group to infuse your newsfeed with more of our great cannabis lifestyle content.

February is for lovers, and this year we all need to increase our appetite for life.

I’m drawn to water and to warmth, which may be tied to my zodiac sign. Independent and mysterious, Aquarians (myself included) don’t like labels, but we do have a symbol, and it’s the water bearer. There’s nothing I love more than the (typically) annual South Beach Wine and Food Festival, which would typically have me hopping a flight to Miami for some full-contact wine tasting in tents on the sand, two dozen yards from shimmering turquoise waters.

During a typical year, February is our annual restaurant edition, in no small part because of my love for that epicurean festival on the sand. While this year we did take a little break from the norm, we didn’t stray too far from the overarching food theme. Instead of focusing solely on restaurants, given the ever-changing state of pandemic restrictions, we opted instead to focus on the larger topic that drives us to restaurants in the first place: hunger. A desire to satiate that hunger. A desire to eat, to taste, to experience, to enjoy. A desire for a pleasurable experience.

It’s that quest for more pleasure in our lives that led us to our cover feature on the luxe wellness product line, High On Love. One of the brand’s signature products is dark chocolate body paint, which provided the inspiration for this month’s cover of our “taste” edition. It’s more risqué than our standard cover image, and it feels good to push our boundaries.

Because February is for lovers, and we all love to feel good.

With love,

Instead of focusing solely on restaurants, given the everchanging state of pandemic restrictions, we opted instead to focus on the larger topic that drives us to restaurants in the first place: hunger.

TWITTER Follow @sensimag for need-to-know news and views from Sensi headquarters.

I N S TAG R A M Pretty things, pretty places, pretty awesome people: find it all on @sensimagazine

Stephanie Wilson @stephwilll

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The Great Escape Wink World: Portals into the Infinite is a new psychedelic art house meets carnival fun house staged at AREA15 in Las Vegas, and if you’re wondering exactly what it is, you’re not alone. So, here’s a brief synopsis according to the copywriters hired by its creators: “Wink World is a visually and sonically dynamic exhibit created by Chris Wink, who is best known as being one of the three co-founders and the chief creative officer of Blue Man Group. At Wink World: Portals into the Infinite, guests journey through six infinity mirror rooms, each containing a distinct combination 18

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of light, color, sound, and motion.”

Now, that sounds like the kind of Vegas experience we need. We hear that Wink drew upon his well-honed skills as an innovative experience designer, a music composer, and a purveyor of highimpact multimedia entertainment to create a unique exhibit that celebrates life’s infinite possibilities. Think: Blue Man Group on acid during a so-fun-and-definitely-not-terrifying way.

Wink World comprises a series of infinity-mirror rooms with black lights and mind-warping stage effects designed to evoke

“life force” and inspire wonder.

Everyday objects are transformed: ceiling fans become kinetic art, Slinkies and Hoberman spheres come to life as a chorus line of dancers. Nope, not terrifying at all. And definitely not an experience you want to miss, whenever you get back to going places in the world. As of right now, Wink World is open to the public, with social distance protocols in place.

Even if you’re staying put for the time being, you can still enjoy planning where in the world you’ll go next. $18 / area15.com

PHOTOS BY LAURENT VELAZQUEZ

Start planning your next trip to a new art installation in Las Vegas where your imagination can run wild.

CONTRIBUTORS

Matt Brady, Robyn Griggs Lawrence, Helen Olsson, Doug Schnitzspahn

Bath Time

PHOTOS (FROM LEFT) COURTESY OF LIFE ELEMENTS; BY KYLIE FITTS

Try this bath bomb for a soothing explosion.

Want to have a steamy stay-at-home Valentine’s date night? Put Barry White on the sound system, spark up a few rosewood candles, draw a hot bath, and drop in this bath bomb from Life Elements. Named after the Goddess of Love and crafted with 300 mg of organic CBD, the Venus bath bomb will set the mood. Natural ingredients such as sweet orange and sandalwood are blended in to promote intimacy and relaxation. Once you’ve toweled off, play back-rub club with the brand’s small-batch Plant-Based Body Oil, which blends 600 mg of full-spectrum organic hemp-derived CBD and shea butter with ancient nature-based ingredients like Tepezcohuite, a bark extract used by the Mayan culture in the 10th century to treat skin ailments. In addition to serving as a massage aid, the Body Oil can also go undercover in the bedroom as a lubricant.

Venus Bath Bomb, $28; Body Oil, $58 / lifeelements.com

BY THE NUMBERS

$89.4 MILLION Amount Americans spent on legal weed at dispensaries on New Year’s Eve 2020—the single largest day for cannabis sales of the year SOURCE: MJ Freeway + Akerna

9BEST

TH

Colorado Springs’s ranking in WalletHub’s list of the top cities in the country to find a job in 2021, thanks in part to Amazon’s new fulfillment center opening later this year

492,192 RECORDS Number of non-felony cannabis arrest records that have been expunged by Illinois State Police— that’s nearly a half-million people— four years ahead of schedule

SLO YOUR ROLL Slow shopping comes to the Mile High city as an antidote to the fast fashion industry.

What are you wearing? Where’d ya get it? How long have you had it? In the past year, Google searches for sustainable fashion have increased 130 percent. Some stats that will scare you fast: one garbage bag full of clothes is burned or sent to a landfill every second. Over half of fast fashion items are thrown away in less than a year.

Shop / SLO is committed to slowing down the fast fashion industry by bringing sustainability to products and the planet. There’s nothing prickly about these pillows. For decades, women in the High Atlas Mountains have been mixing traditional weaving methods with earth-friendly materials to craft artisan home decor like the pillow shown here, which is made with Moroccan cactus silk, aka sabra silk. Derived from the Saharan aloe vera plant, this plant-based fiber is known for its natural durability and strength. The result: one-of-a-kind sustainable decor pieces that bring a modern worldly vibe into any space. The nomadic Moroccan women who weave these believe that the designs will ward off evil spirits. Use it as a daily meditation cushion or pair it with a statement chair. A portion of the sales is donated to the Whole Planet Foundation to fund microcredit around the globe. Help cut down textile waste and the 14 million tons of fabric Americans toss each year by stuffing the cushions with thrifted pillows, old clothes, newspaper, or plastic grocery bags.

QUICK HIT

Cannabis media co.

Leafly predicts that Florida, a medical-only industry, will overtake Washington and Colorado to become the nation’s second-largest cannabis market in 2021, trailing only California.

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THE BUZZ

Feed Your Mind

The books Sensi editors are reading this month.

Carnal Knowledge: Sex Education You Didn’t Get in School

By Zoë Ligon with photography by Elizabeth Renstrom / Prestel Publishing, $20

PHOTO BY CHRISTIAN BUEHNER, UNSPLASH

HARDER TO LOVE A sudden dip in sex drive can be disturbing. While some might automatically think it’s due to low testosterone, a lot of things can affect libido, including late nights, long hours at work, and underlying relationship issues.

Dr. Myles Spar, chief medical officer of Vault Health—the first men’s telehealth start-up offering direct-to-consumer prescription treatments with testosterone replacement therapy to optimize physical, sexual, and cognitive health—is an expert in integrative men’s health care. Here are Spar’s top five exercises to boost libido.

1. Weight Lifting: Science suggests lifting weights improves sex drive by encouraging your body to produce more testosterone. Since healthy testosterone levels are associated with sexual desire, doing exercises that can increase testosterone may also amp up your libido.

2. High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT): HIIT is an effective fat-burning workout, and it can also bump up your libido. Intense cardiovascular exercise lowers levels of the stress hormone cortisol. Elevated cortisol has been shown to significantly reduce testosterone, so keeping your stress in check is crucial for maintaining a healthy sex drive.

3. Yoga: The number of American men doing yoga grew from 4 million in 2012 to 10 million in 2016. Why are guys suddenly so interested in yoga? Maybe because they’re catching on to the many health benefits this practice provides—including improved sexual health. A 2010 study in the Journal of Sexual Medicine said that yoga improves all sexual functions in men, including desire, performance, erection, and ejaculation control. Plus, because yoga involves stretching and getting your energy flowing, it has the potential to improve your libido and also helps with flexibility.

4. Swimming: Want to enhance your endurance, build muscle, and get a great cardio workout? Go for a swim. Perhaps unsurprisingly, swimming regularly can give you a leg up in the bedroom. In a Harvard study of 160 swimmers, participants in their 60s reported sex lives comparable to people in their 40s who don’t swim.

5. Kegels: You may think of kegels as an exercise for women, but the squeezing of your pubococcygeus (PC) muscle—the one you use to stop the flow of urine midstream—can lead to better sexual endurance and control.

QUICK HIT

Recommended Reading “The Push to Diversify Colorado’s Cannabis Industry” by Kelly Bastone in the January 2021 edition of 5280. Find it on 5280.com.

When it comes to sex, there’s practically no question that Zoë Ligon hasn’t heard and researched. Her Instagram and YouTube videos, as well as product reviews, are extremely popular for their up-front approach. Now, she brings her wealth of experience and open-minded attitude to a sex-positive guidebook that’s honest, inclusive, and right on time.

Lusciously illustrated, the book takes readers through every aspect of sexuality—from body basics and physiology to maintaining healthy relationships. It highlights the usefulness of sex toys in aiding solo and partnered exploration and explains why there should really be no stigma around using these practical tools.

It also includes advice on setting boundaries, being respectful of other people’s gender identities, and thinking outside the orgasm. Elizabeth Renstrom’s dreamy, colorful photographs drive home Ligon’s philosophy that there’s no one right way to have sex. With its focus on intimacy, body positivity, and self-care, Carnal Knowledge can lead you to enjoy sex with security and confidence. (continued on p.25)

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THE BUZZ

BILITIES

BY STEPHANIE WILSON, EDITOR IN CHIEF

1 AIR TIME Don’t let the “aqua” in the name of the 11th astrological sign in the zodiac fool you—Aquarius is a visionary air sign represented by the water bearer. The 10th largest constellation in the zodiac, Aquarius is also one of the oldest, first documented in the second century by a Greek astrologer.

2 FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH Greek mythology links the constellation Aquarius with Ganymede, who, as the story goes, was the hottest dude like ever—so hot that Zeus, the god of thunder himself, just had to have him. The details vary depending on which ancient text you’re reading, but basically Zeus abducted Gany and brought him to Mount Olympus to serve as a cup-bearer and quench his thirst.

(The original thirst trap?) Ganymede was rewarded with eternal youth, which explains why I, an Aquarius, don’t look a day over 39 when by the end of this month I will be 28 days over it.

3 THE AGE OF AQUARIUS But who cares? Age is just a number.

Lying about your age just perpetuates the idea that whatever age you are is somehow bad, that by being that age you are worse than you were before. The Aquarian in me finds this to be bullshit. Don’t buy into the labels, don’t let anyone put you in a box, just be yourself …

4 THIS END UP Oops, I got distracted. That happens to Aquarians.

We’re a bit all over the place because we’re interested in everything. But we don’t like to label ourselves as out-of-the-box thinkers, because we despise labels, we question assumptions, and we do not like being told what to do. Besides, we didn’t see the box anyway; we were lost in our thoughts, which are always flitting from one topic to another as we move through life with an aloof detachment that can come across as cold.

5 LET THE SUN SHINE IN We are cold; we’ve always been cold.

We came into this world in the middle of the winter when the planet couldn’t be farther from the sun. We’ve been chasing that sun ever since. It’s fun; you should come with.

6 DON'T CHA HEAR ME CALLIN' TO YA? Think of your most free-spirited, eccentric friend—the person you call when you’re in the mood for an adventure but avoid when you’ve gotta be up early the next day: they’re probably an Aquarius. You should call and wish them a happy birthday.

High on Design: The New Cannabis Culture Edited by Gestalten + Santiago Rodriguez Tarditi / gestalten.com, $60

Discover how weed has grown into a good-looking business. Consuming the plant and using its derivatives have become legal in several countries and paved the way for a new generation of designsavvy and diverse consumers and entrepreneurs.

High on Design, released in September, showcases the new brands, designs, and creators behind this revolution. While reflecting on the novel aesthetics and trends of contemporary cannabis culture, High on Design also gives a profound view of the phenomenon regarding politics, history, legalization, and society. This is your guide to the best brands, the most stylish dispensaries, the slickest products, and the most creative entrepreneurs.

Milk Blood Heat

By Dantiel W. Moniz

Reading an excerpt whet our appetite for this novel about the sultry lives of Floridians in intergenerational tales that contemplate human connection, race, womanhood, inheritance, and the elemental darkness in us all, as described by the book’s publisher Grove Atlantic. And once you read it, you’ll understand why we’re already craving more from this exciting new author who the publisher calls “one of the most exciting discoveries in today’s literary landscape.” Here’s quick preview: “Once a month, the members gathered in the night, wearing elaborate half-face masks in the likenesses of pigs and dogs and cats that hid their eyes but left their mouths free. While we poured tart cherry mead, fetched fresh cloth napkins, procured new spoons for ones that had fallen, we observed them: a walrus tipping back raw oysters; a big-eyed cow knifing marmalade onto toast; a peacock shimmering in a gold dress, sloshing pink champagne onto the floor.”

Lil’ Nibble A line from the intro to Getting It: A Guide to Hot, Healthy Hookups and Shame-Free Sex from sex educator and Girl Sex 101 author by Allison Moon: “Allison, horniness is like hunger.

It’s a basic bodily function signifying a need.”

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THE BUZZ

David Starfire

SWEET RELEAF

PHOTO COURTESY DAVID STARFIRE

The first compilation album from Sensi’s new record label drops with a mission to bring justice to those incarcerated for cannabis offenses.

Sensi has always been more than just a magazine—it’s a concept and a community. And now it’s a record label, Sensi Presents. The initial offering will not just provide the soundtrack for everything from cooking at home to Zoom dance parties to ski trips, it will make a difference. Fifty percent of the proceeds for the sale of the first album, Sensi Releaf ($22, available through April at sensimag.com/presents), will go to the Last Prisoner Project (lastprisonerproject.org), a nonprofit working to reform cannabis criminal justice and fight inequity when it comes to those serving time for activities that are no longer crimes. A version of the album to be released in April will include commentary from Last Prisoner Project’s Andrew and Steve DeAngelo.

“The main goal of Last Prisoner Project in 2021 is to build on the momentum of 2020,” Andrew DeAngelo

says. “We want to get more cannabis prisoners out and home. We want their records expunged. We want them re-entered into society with good paying jobs, housing, health care, etc.” Andrew is hopeful that new leadership in DC will work with the nonprofit toward that end. “LPP and many others in the cannabis social justice movement are hopeful of partnering with the Biden administration. It remains to be seen if that partnership meets our expectations, but there is optimism right now.”

All the artists on Sensi Releaf are on board with the cause. “I think the Last Prisoner Project is an amazing organization. I’m a firm believer in social justice, and I think it’s wrong to incarcerate people for drug crimes,” says California-based multi-instrumentalist and producer David Starfire, who remixed Dub FX’s track “Fire Every

Day” for this project. “I hope that with this album project that there is more awareness about this issue.”

Releaf will deliver positive vibes as soon as you press play. A wide range of cuts—from Tubby Love and Amber Lily (with Trevor Hall) channeling classic reggae beats in “Chant Up Zion” to transpersonal psychologist AshEL SeaAll SeaSunz dropping mindful funk on “Lady Justice”—keep this compilation moving.

“Sensi Releaf raises money for the cause, and that money goes to get people out of prison,” Andrew says.

“That’s the transactional benefit. The music itself also has many beneficial messages regarding justice that are done in a way that inspires and rejuvenates the soul. It’s a great album to play in the background while working.

It’s also a spectacular cannabis session album for after work.”

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Spread the Love

PUT ON A HAPPY FACE Not Pot CBD Glow Oil $50 / notpot.com

Check out these fun, sexy, cool products Sensi editors really, really want you to try.

Couples that play together stay together, but after almost a year of quarantining together in the same ole space, it can be a challenge to keep your flame burning eternal. Or if you’ve been riding solo all this time, you’re no doubt ready to mix things up a bit. Sensi editors to the rescue. We’ve rounded up some fresh ideas for gifts to bestow upon yourself, your pad, or your pod-partner so you can spice things up a bit. Have fun, and stay lit.

AS YOU WISH Urban Outfitters Get Naked Rainbow Shower Curtain $39 / urbanoutfitters.com

PEES IN A POD Sam Boyce Designs “I Just Wee’d” Art Print (8” x 8”) $19 / society6.com/shitandroses SECRET’S OUT Pink Coco Chill Bath Mat $25 / victoriassecret.com

SPARK OF FUN The Adventure Challenge: Couples Edition $40 / theadventurechallenge.com

HIPPIE AT HEART Face Mask Tie-Dye Kit $38 / uncommongoods.com

BAKED WITH LOVE Wood Envy Baked with Love cutting board $63 / etsy.com/market/ woodenvydotcom

STICK IT IN Love is Love DIY Embroidery Kit $32 / uncommongoods.com

PINK SLIP Nécessaire The Sex Gel $20 / nordstrom.com

RUB A DUB DUB Vertly Soothing Floral Soak Bath Salts with CBD $55 / nordstrom.com

PERMANENTLY BONDED Handpoke Tattoo Kit $49 / etsy.com/shop/manifestoworks

PUFF PIECE Summerland Chongo Bong $195 / welcometosummer.land

ROLLING IN THE DEEP Love is Art Kit—Custom Edition $70 / us.loveisartkit.com

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THE LIFE BLOOMS

Think Beyond the Thorns Skip the roses, but don’t be a prick: give your honey (or yourself) some beautiful blooms this month.

PHOTO BY ISI PARENTE, UNSPLASH

TEXT PAMELA BISHOP

Roses are a hot commodity in February as everyone and their lover gifts them to their beloved as symbols of affection. For most of the year, a dozen of the thorny clichés will run you around $10 to $12 at Safeway or King Soopers. In February, the price doubles at a minimum—and, yes, grocery store roses are the bare minimum. The cost of a dozen long stems at a top area florist like Veldkamp’s spikes to $119

plus delivery for that one day in February.

That’s not love, that’s dumb, and your person doesn’t want to love a dummy who just loves to waste money just because it’s February 14.

Roses on Valentine’s Day are forced tokens of affection, and your sweetie deserves spontaneous showcases of romance.

Whether you’ve been the giver or the receiver of these forced tokens of affection in the past, you

can do better. If in your book, a rose is not a rose by any other name, and you want roses, that’s totally fine—you do you. We just encourage you to buy roses any other month of the year using the funds you saved by opting for tulips or ranunculuses or peonies in February.

(Related aside: if you see peonies for sale in February, you gotta let us know where so we can get some too. It’s not a matter of opinion but of

fact that peonies are far superior to all other flowers at all times, period.

Peonies. Always say yes to peonies.)

So, go ahead and surprise your beloved with some extraordinary out-of-the-heartshaped-box blooms on or around February 14, not because Hallmark has brainwashed you to do so but because you need new ways to say “six feet away from you is six feet too far.”

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HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY

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THE LIFE

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Mona Van Joseph is a professionally licensed intuitive reader in Las Vegas since 2002.

Author, radio host, and columnist, she created the Dice Wisdom app and is available for phone and in-person sessions. mona.vegas

HOROSCOPE

FEBRUARY HOROSCOPE What do the stars hold for you?

TEXT MONA VAN JOSEPH

JAN. 20–FEB. 18

AQUARIUS

life. This will be the month where karma will reward you from all directions. Just be grateful; you’ve earned these marvelous gifts from the universe.

While you know you’ve worked diligently in the last two years, the reward and accolades are still a little bit of a surprise. There is an amazing offer coming to you APR. 20–MAY 20 in the next three months, TAURUS and it will be tempting.

Forces are conspiring for you to pay attention to yourself FEB. 19–MAR. 20 and make sure you nurture PISCES your emotions, body, and viYou are no longer tolerant of tality. An opportunity presentserving other people just be- ed at the end of the month is cause you’re “nice.” Recent worth your consideration. news is compelling you to pay attention to your emoMAY 21–JUNE 20 tional and physical health.

GEMINI Don’t sacrifice your well-be- If you would just sit still ing just to take care of some- long enough to tap into your one else’s lack of planning. creative abilities, the solution to a work issue will MAR. 21–APR. 19 present itself. Ask your highARIES er self for help. The best People have reincarnated to solution will allow you to be your co-creators in this follow your heart.

JUNE 21–JULY 22

CANCER

Avoid going down the rabbit hole and jumping to the worse possible conclusion.

There is help from all the people you’ve helped in the past. Your intuition is trying to nudge you toward a better set of circumstances.

JULY 23–AUG. 22

LEO

Acting on your ideas in the first seven days of the month will connect you with someone of like mind and energy. He or she could be a past work associate, and the reconnection may offer you a job or a worthwhile project.

AUG. 23–SEPT. 22

VIRGO

Your “old life” has proven not to be as beneficial or enjoyable. You’ve had an eye-open-

AQUARIUS, THERE IS AN AMAZING OFFER COMING TO YOU IN THE NEXT THREE MONTHS, AND IT WILL BE TEMPTING.

ing event in recent weeks. has forgotten it). Act as though What you did last month has you are already a success. aided your renewed vision.

Freedom from limits and pain NOV. 22–DEC. 21 is in your vibration.

SAGITTARIUS One of the things you do really SEPT. 23–OCT. 22 well is looking for the best in all LIBRA the people around you. Publicly There’s super powerful vali- present the other things you do dation that the path you’ve well—cooking, sports, leaderchosen over the last two ship, innovation, connection, years will bring you the de- skill, and creativity. sired outcome. Your unique skill set will get the atten- DEC. 22–JAN. 19 tion it deserves.

CAPRICORN You’ve been expecting a disOCT. 23–NOV. 21 ruption for the last several SCORPIO months. It may be your spirYou’re a star—no excuses, no it doesn’t want to be manipprocrastination, and no doubts. ulated into an uncomfortJump into the spotlight and let able situation. Your peace of the pain from the past be for- mind is more important, and gotten (because everyone else you initiate change.

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t’s hard to be human right now.

We’ve all experienced an immense amount of pain this past year as we adapted as best we could to the challenges the pandemic presented. But just as important as the added sources of pain are the missing sources of its lovely opposite: pleasure.

After the year that we’ve all endured, you deserve some pampering. And as you’ve no doubt come to realize, there’s no place like home. Since you can’t freely venture out, turn inward. What can you do to bring more pleasure into your life today?

Angela Mustone has a suggestion. She’s the founder of High On Love, a luxe line of sensual and self-care products blended with cannabis oil, which are designed to help her customers “take pleasure to the next level.” You can guess what she’s alluding to when she suggests bringing more bliss into your life. And given her background in the sexual wellness industry as well as in beauty, Mustone knows a bit about the importance of self-love and self-care.

There’s no shame in heeding her advice: “Buy something for your own pleasure,” she says. “You can—and you deserve—to give yourself happiness.”

Cannabliss This past year, more people than ever turned to cannabis for re-

lief from the toll COVID-19 has taken on their mental well-being.

According to research from New Frontier Data, more than half of current cannabis consumers reported having used cannabis to improve their mental health during the pandemic. And that’s wonderful—cannabis is shown to have all sorts of positive impacts on one’s health, both mentally and physically, and you don’t have to be a medical marijuana patient to reap any of those benefits. The plant may do a body good regardless of the intent of the person putting said plant into or onto their body. And that positive message of cannabis’s potential to help treat a whole host of conditions has not been lost on consumers who turned to cannabis in record numbers in 2020. A study in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society published in October 2020 found that half of the patients surveyed reported using cannabis regularly and mostly for medical purposes. Research-

RESEARCH SUGGESTS Anecdotal evidence abounds that getting high before getting it on is super fun.

ers also found new users were more likely to use cannabis for medical reasons than for recreation.

Which is all well and good, but with all this focus on the medical benefits cannabis may deliver, what’s being lost is the very thing that’s been stripped so unceremoniously from our dayto-day lives over this past year: pleasure. Not just the big pleasurable bliss of getting high, but the smaller pleasures that come with it: the tactile feeling of fluffy nugs in your fingers, the scent of rebellion wafting up from a lit F E B R UA RY 2021

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bowl, the feeling of connection as you pass a joint to your friend, the content you feel when you break into giggles. Pleasure is derived from the whole ritual, including the final outcome of “being high.”

Getting high for the sake of getting high is not a bad thing.

“Everything on the market is for a reason,” Mustone points out.

“It has a purpose. Like you need a justification for using cannabis.

But with High On Love, it’s not about pain—it’s about pleasure.”

The pleasure of carving out time for an extra-special soaking experience. Turn your bath into an at-home ritual with High On Love’s Sensual Bath Oil with lavender to promote calmness and honey to nourish your skin. Planning is the new love language, so plan on making time to make love with yourself or with a partner— you do you or you do him or her or all of the above. Just make sure you’re doing something to bring

some of that special something that’s missing back into your life because pleasure is the gift you can lavish upon yourself, Mustone is quick to remind. Her philosophy of self-love is one we can get behind: “Luxury shouldn’t be withheld; it should be standard.”

The Gucci of Cannabis Mustone is a woman who knows what she wants—and she thinks you’ll enjoy getting to know yourself a little better while using her products. She’s positioning her company as the Gucci of cannabis.

The High On Love line includes blissful bath oils, luxe massage candles, lip-gloss lube, and the brand’s Stimulating Oil, a blend of all-natural oils (including hemp seed) that’s become a cult fave. It’s designed to increase blood flow and promote the production of natural lubricants, making it extra transformative for those experiencing vaginal dryness, discomfort,

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and a decreased libido. The product is the object of many affections, leading it to be crowned the Sex Enhancement Product of the Year 2021 by the adult industry’s leading authority on such things, XBIZ. It also stimulated one of Allure magazine’s writers to gush, “High On Love makes the most delicious CBD lube I’ve ever tried— plus a whole lot of other cannabis sex products that are chic as hell.”

There’s a lot of love in that high praising headline, but let’s focus on the adjective “chic,” which is highly apropos. And one Mustone was aiming for when designing High On Love products, aiming to appeal to our higher sensibilities with the brand’s overall aesthetics—from the logo and the font to the packaging and presentation.

Every choice is refined, with no

finishing touch overlooked in her quest to make the highest quality products that help you get to that finishing touch.

Take, for example, Valentine’s Day top-selling product, Dark Chocolate Body Paint, which retails for $35. Designed as an aphrodisiac in itself, this luscious and rich dark chocolate is made with premium-grade hemp seed

oil, which helps give it a whipped, creamy texture that feels delightful when applied to erogenous zones. The playful kit, which comes with its own branded paintbrush, helps couples reach a new level of intimacy, hopefully releasing euphoric sensations along the way.

With a line of THC products in the works, including an aphrodisiac strain in development in Colorado, Mustone will soon be introducing ways to get even higher on love.

Until then, she wants us to remind ourselves that it’s OK to want to buy something just because you want it. “It’s OK to take care of yourself. Give yourself permission to take care of yourself. It’s OK to love yourself. And right now, it’s needed more than ever. Give yourself more reasons to be happy.”

THE BIG O One small study found that sharing a J with your partner before attempting to share an O can increase the likelihood of intimacy.

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Fungus could fun up your Valentine’s Day. TEXT ROBYN GRIGGS LAWRENCE

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S ty l i s t + Mak e up A rt is t @ h a ir b y c e li a Ce l ia @ T h e P a rl o ur. ne t 3 03 . 4 4 4 . 3 74 7 Th e Pa r l ou r. n e t

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n the South Pacific, legend tells of women writhing in sexual ecstasy after eating mushrooms they found growing wild in the forest. Normans fed grooms a dish made from a pound of mushrooms to prepare them for their wedding night, and Mataco Indians in Chiapas, Mexico, rubbed the red underside of bracket fungus on their faces to boost their sex appeal.

In the Middle Ages, the Catholic Church banned highly sought-after cardoncello mushrooms for the unforgiveable sin of making parishioners horny.

When it comes to sexy time, shrooms have a history.

Flesh colored and globular, they come by their reputation naturally. But not all the 14,000 species of mushrooms have the power of sexual persuasion. Only a handful have stood as aphrodisiac champions down through the centuries. Here’s a rundown of the naughty mushrooms and a little bit about how to eat them, something to chew on when planning your Valentine’s Day.

TRUFFLES Ancient Greeks believed truffles were created when lightning impregnated the earth with its seed, and they’ve been called the earth’s testicles. They have been legendary since ancient Rome, when Pliny offered six ways to prepare the delicacies in his compendium of aphrodisiacs. Napoleon was said to be a fan.

“Truffles. As soon as the word is spoken, it awakens lustful and erotic memories among the skirt-wearing sex and erotic and lustful memories among the beard-wearing sex,” European

gastronome Jean-Anthelme Brillat-Savarin wrote in 1825. “This honorable parallelism comes not only from the fact that this esteemed tuber is delicious, but also because it is still believed to bring about potency, the exercise of which brings sweet pleasure.”

Also known as white diamonds, truffles are one of the most coveted foods in the world, and their price tag—anywhere from $1,500 to $4,000 per pound—reflects that. Like caviar and fine champagne, they seduce by being elusive and expensive. A fungus that lives symbiotically with tree roots, truffles can be found in only a few places on earth. They emit a chemical called androstenol, which is nearly identical to a male pig sex hormone and also found in men’s underarm sweat (there’s no accounting for what turns us humans on). While we swoon for the smell of truffles after they’ve been harvested, human noses don’t have what it takes to find them underground. Pigs and dogs can be trained to root them out

for us, but that’s not cheap.

In Brillat-Savarin’s day, the upper classes showed off by stuffing hens with truffles.

That’s not the best way to enjoy them. To get the most out of truffles, serve them raw, grated or sliced with a truffle slicer (yes, there’s such a thing) over fresh pasta, sauces, soups, risotto, or scrambled eggs. You can also make truffle butter—use it to sauté mushrooms for a real treat—or truffle honey, which is amazing when drizzled over gorgonzola crostini or baked brie. (You can also buy truffle butter and truffle honey in gourmet stores or online.)

MAKE YOUR OWN

TRUFFLE HONEY INGREDIENTS

½ ounce fresh black or white truffles, cleaned 8 ounces raw organic honey INSTRUCTIONS

CORDYCEPS In India and China, Cordyceps sinensis has been used as an aphrodisiac for centuries. Also known as “Himalayan Viagra,” it’s a rare fungus that gets inside a ghost moth caterpillar burrowed in the soil for the winter, then slowly consumes and digests it from within. In the spring, the bright yellow, wormlike fungus blossoms

• Using a microplane grater, grate truffle into honey. Stir until well integrated.

• Replace lid and refrigerate for 48 hours. Keep in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.

Congregating Cordyceps The “caterpillar fungus” is said to be the world’s most valuable parasite.

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Good Shiitake These powerful mushrooms have antiviral, antibacterial, and antifungal properties.

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up and out of the ill-fated caterpillar’s head. Legend has it that Tibetan yak herders were the first to notice their yaks had more energy and vitality when they ate cordyceps, and now it’s being touted as an alternative to pharmaceuticals for combating sexual dysfunction. Eating powdered cordyceps supports blood flow and oxygen supply, and clinical studies have found it supports healthy blood circulation in the penis and increases sperm count and quality.

Wild cordyceps will run you $20,000 per pound and up, but you can buy much cheaper cultured Cordyceps militaris, which is vegan-grown on brown rice or soy (no caterpillars have to die). Eat them raw, cooked in food, or made into tea. They can be sautéed or stewed with meat if you’re a carnivore.

Cordyceps powder can be blended into coffee or chai or added to stirfries, soups, salads, or pasta.

PHOTOS (FROM LEFT) BY ALEXKICH, ADOBE STOCK; JAROSLAV MACHACEK, ADOBE STOCK

REISHI In Asia, reishi mushrooms have been known as the magic mushrooms of the bedroom for thousands of years. Reishi supports the kidney and urinary system, which is the seat of sexual power in traditional Chinese medicine. Great for the brain, emotional well-being, and the immune system, reishi can help the body become more resilient to stress—the No. 1 cock blocker—over time. If you’re considering this one to spice up your Valentine’s Day, be aware that reishi can also put you to sleep.

Reishi powder and dried reishi are readily available at health food stores and online. When buying reishi powder, look for organic brands that use hot-water extraction,

GREAT FOR THE BRAIN, EMOTIONAL WELL-BEING, AND THE IMMUNE SYSTEM, REISHI CAN HELP THE BODY BECOME MORE RESILIENT TO STRESS—THE NO.1 COCK BLOCKER— OVER TIME. which retains the most nutrients.

With a smoky, almost chocolaty flavor, reishi is great in smoothies, teas, and as a coffee alternative.

SHIITAKE Fleshy and juicy, shiitake mushrooms check all the aphrodisiac boxes. They’re full of zinc, which gets the blood flowing and boosts testosterone, and lentinan, which is believed to enhance erectile function. In a study of voles fed shiitake extract for three weeks, males with withering libido saw their sexual motivation restored

with 1.5 times more ejaculations.

Donko shiitake, which have white designs on their tops, are believed to pack the most punch.

You can find shiitakes at your local grocer. Slice the meaty cap and sauté it in olive oil or duck fat. Shiitake pair well with onions, garlic, and ginger. They’re great in stir-fries and soups (miso in particular).

PSILOCYBIN If you believe ethnobotanist Terence McKenna’s Stoned Ape theory of human evolution, the psilocybin mushroom’s aphrodisiac qualities were key to humans’ survival as a species. McKenna wrote that primitive humans’ experimentation with high doses of magic mushrooms increased male potency and opened up worlds of possibilities, like inventing languages and having group sex. “Everyone would get loaded around the campfire and hump in an enormous writhing heap,” McKenna is quoted as saying. These magic mushroom–fueled orgies led to genetic diversification, making humans more disease-resistant.

And with no way to trace who was whose daddy, communities formed to raise children—another leap for humankind.

That’s something to think about, though it’s admittedly a little academic for Valentine’s Day. Bottom line is that many people, including famous ethnobotanists, consider psilocybin an aphrodisiac even though it doesn’t in and of itself increase libido. It does open your mind and cause your brain to pump out the feel-good neurotransmitter serotonin. Your skin gets more sensitive, and touch feels more

MAKE YOUR OWN

VEGAN REISHI GOLDEN MILK

Servings: 2

INGREDIENTS

3 cups plant milk (almond, coconut, oat, cashew) 5 teaspoons maple syrup 1 teaspoon reishi powder 3 teaspoons ground turmeric ¼ teaspoon ground ginger 2 cinnamon sticks 1⁄8 teaspoon ground cardamom Ground pepper, to taste INSTRUCTIONS

• In a saucepan over low heat, whisk ingredients together until well combined. Pour into mugs and serve.

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Psilly Cider

PHOTO BY KICHIGIN19, ADOBE STOCK

Recipe by Kate Avruch / Servings: 2

pleasurable. With the right person or persons, magic mushrooms can spark intense, intimate conversation, mind-blowing orgasms, and cosmic-level cuddling.

Psilocybin mushrooms should be heated to at least 140 degrees Fahrenheit and preferably above 200 degrees Fahrenheit to release their nutrients, get rid of harmful pathogens and toxins, and soften the tissues to make them more digestible. You can eat them fresh, dried and ground, or made into tea. Pairing them with mint and lemon can help ward off any early nausea they might induce.

Legality varies, so find out what you need to know based on where you live if you’re considering a Valentine’s Day trip.

INGREDIENTS

• Loosely layer mushrooms into honey jar in pot of simmering water to warm gently. bottom of a clean half-gallon mason jar. Add the vinegar.

• Taste vinegar mixture and add Place a layer of parchment warmed honey, 1 tablespoon at paper between the metal a time, to taste. lid and the top of the jar so • Store in a glass jar in a cool, the acidic solution doesn’t dark place for up to 6 months. deteriorate the metal rim of the lid. Seal the jar, enclosing the EQUIPMENT N OT E S parchment paper underneath.

Coffee grinder, blender, or You can step up this infusion’s • Place the jar in a warm location knife potency by changing the ratio (but out of direct sunlight) and Two 32-ounce wide-mouth of mushrooms to liquid and allow the vinegar to infuse glass jars enjoy it as a solo shot or in a for a minimum of 7 days and smoothie or your favorite tea.

Wax or parchment paper a maximum of 4 weeks. Shake Avruch also suggests adding Fine mesh strainer the jar daily. other beneficial ingredients, Cheesecloth or coffee filters • Line strainer with cheesecloth including reishi mushrooms, or coffee filter, place over funFunnel garlic cloves, horseradish nel, and strain the liquid into root, grated ginger, rosemary, the second jar. Firmly squeeze INSTRUCTIONS cayenne pepper, citrus, out the mushrooms through oregano, sage, echinacea, • Make sure shrooms are thorthe cheesecloth or coffee filter. cinnamon, black peppercorns, oughly dry. Chop or grind them into small pieces or powder. or rose hips.

• If honey is cold, place the 3 grams dried psilocybin mushrooms 3 ounces unpasteurized apple cider vinegar, or enough to cover the mushrooms Raw honey, to taste (optional)

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Alia Volz grew up embedded deep in cannabis culture.

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H ME BAKED In the 1970s, a free-spirited woman whipped up and hand-delivered marijuana-laced brownies to hippies, artists, and activists in the Bay Area. Her daughter shares her story.

INTRODUCTION TRACY ROSS, BOOK EXCERPT ALIA VOLZ

PHOTO BY DENNIS HEARNE

A

lia Volz grew up in San Francisco, the daughter of the cannabis connoisseur who founded Sticky Fingers Brownies. The company baked and distributed thousands of marijuana brownies per month and helped provide medical marijuana to AIDS patients in San Francisco. In her new memoir, Home Baked: My Mom, Marijuana, and the Stoning of San Francisco (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2020), Volz gives a raucous account of women pioneering the cannabis industry and of a family at home on society’s fringe. What follows are excerpts from Home Baked: *** My mom, Meridy, was a cannabusiness pioneer, the driving force

behind San Francisco’s first high-volume edibles business. For more than 20 years—from the frothy 1970s through the AIDS crisis and the dawn of medical marijuana—Sticky Fingers Brownies produced up to 10,000 potent magic brownies per month in an underground bakery, long before it could be done legally.

I grew up embedded in deep cannabis culture. Of all the stereotypes I’ve encountered, the one that bothers me the most is the notion that cannabusiness is a man’s world in which women are now beginning to claim space. At least here in northern California, the frontier has been female.

ing brownies was a casual way for my mom and her friends to make extra money. That quickly changed.

The timing coincided with a breakthrough in the weed world. A new variety of pot was hitting the streets and sending shock waves throughout the country: California-grown sinsemilla. That summer, an executive editor at High Times dubbed it “superweed” and called its farmers “supergrowers.”

Decades later, seedy weed has gone the way of VHS tapes; only people of a certain age will remember the tedium of deseeding compressed bricks of cannabis by hand—or how mediocre the buzz could be. Up to that point, the *** Sticky Fingers bakers had been Sticky Fingers started in 1976, a cooking with bricks of dusty Mexyear before I was born. At first, sell- ican gold bud. Meanwhile, one of F E B R UA RY 2021

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my mom’s partners, Donald, had a friend up in Humboldt who was growing tall, regal sinsemilla on a hidden sunbathed hillside. The flower was gooey, pert, and garnished with crystals. Like Christmas trees for psychedelic dollhouses.

So, my mom and her partners squeezed into the cab of a beater pickup and headed north across the Golden Gate Bridge in search of fresh magic. Urban civilization gave way to gnarled oaks and butterflies.

Clumps of sycamores wearing slowburn autumnal colors stood in toasted brown fields dotted with cows.

KSAN fuzzed out, sticking them with two Christian stations and one playing country and western. After four hours in the truck, they blew across the Humboldt County line.

At Garberville, a one-horse town with a population of around 800, a funky motel, and a redneck bar called the Branding Iron Saloon, they exited the highway onto an intricate maze of dirt roads. The collapse of the logging industry had flooded the market with large tracts of unwanted land, where rough, swooping hills discouraged people from living in close proximity. Between fragrant redwood groves and slick madrones with blood-colored skin curling away from the lime-green flesh underneath, there were ugly stretches of clear-cut land, scarred and eroded, barren but for stumps and weeds.

Donald’s friend was a burly mountain lesbian who went by Mumser (a nickname taken from the Yiddish word for “bastard”).

She worked with a partner, whom I’ll call “Betty,” in the secretive Garberville woods—part of a community of women growers.

Betty came from tending their crop to meet with the Sticky

Fingers crew topless—wearing nothing but dirty jeans and muck books—and my mom was in awe.

“They just completely owned the running-around-topless-with-saggy-boobs-and-pooping-in-an-outhouse thing,” she says, looking back. She had never met women so unconcerned with how society might judge them. My mom, who always struggled with her body image, thought they were fabulous: Amazons of Humboldt. *** “It was all for fun,” Mumser says now, reflecting on the early days.

“We didn’t come up here to grow.

We didn’t! We just wanted to be in the country.”

She and Betty had left San Francisco for the woods in about 1972, enamored with the notion of living on the fat of the earth. Donald helped Mumser build her cabin using homesteading catalogs and how-to manuals. The result was rickety, full of chinks and corners that didn’t quite meet.

This was during a rare moment in US history when the pace of urban migration slowed to a crawl. The once-flourishing Humboldt lumber industry was dying out from over-logging, and land was cheap.

Back-to-the-landers erected cabins and outhouses, planted sustenance gardens, raised goats and chickens, and set about living rustically. But while you’re planting tomatoes—and buying weed from someone else— you might as well plant your own weed. Then, while you’re planting your own weed, you might as well plant extra to sell. Perhaps you’ll want to upgrade from an outhouse to a flushing toilet. And how are you going to pay for a septic tank on or-

ganic tomatoes and welfare checks? Volz with her mother, Back then, sinsemilla techniques Meridy. were new to California. One had to kill the male cannabis plants before they could pollinate the females, so that the females would ooze gooey psychoactive resin instead of producing seeds. But the differences between male and female plants are subtle and apparent only at certain stages. And you couldn’t take your questions to Google.

Friends taught one another.

The 1976 publication of Sinsemilla: Marijuana Flowers by Jim Richardson and Arik Woods was a turning point. It’s a handsome coffee-table book with more space dedicated to photographs than words. The sparse writing makes an impact. Part practical manual, part pot porn, it gives step-by-step instructions that one doesn’t have to be a horticulturist to understand.

And the language is so suggestive that it’s tempting to read it aloud in a phone-sex voice: “The virgin blossoms swell with sexual energy eager for consummation. But the breeze brings no pollen and the rhythm continues to intensify.... As F E B R UA RY 2021

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the last pistils come into the tips, the clusters turn pure white. The pods swell and the resinous coating thickens. The true sweetness of the flowers comes forth and becomes so strong it is almost too much to bear.”

Macrophotography shot with the same erotic sensibility accompanies the writing. Seed pods shaped like vulvas, pistils that look like erect penises. It’s over the top but also useful. Woods’s sensual photos taught new growers to identify the sex organs at various stages—when to kill males, when to wait, and when to harvest mature females. This book passed from hippie to hippie in the California backwoods. It made the delicate art of farming sinsemilla appear accessible, even fun.

In reality, it was hard labor.

Mumser and Betty built a hilltop water tank and ran lines to their patch, then lugged soil and fertilizer into the woods in 50-pound sacks. Rabbits, deer, caterpillars, molds, fungi, and human thieves posed constant threats. In late summer, when the females produced psychoactive resin, every day of sunshine made the product stronger. But an early frost could ruin everything. Timing was crucial. Once harvested, the plants hung to dry on hooks in the cabins, where the growers watched obsessively for signs of mildew. At any stage, local police or federal drug enforcement could seize everything—including their freedom at a time when growing a single plant was a felony.

By the time Sticky Fingers came around, they had it down. Their farm was small but mighty, and their homegrown packed a punch.

All these years later, the aroma of our home bakery remains sharp in my mind. It was round and earthy: notes of crushed ponderosa pine needles, dusty manzanita, moss from the lazy Eel River, and backroad dirt.

In the ’70s, Meridy Volz was a cannabusiness pioneer.

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My mom and her crew crammed garbage bags of shake into ... the pickup and drove slowly, carefully home, crossing the Golden Gate with a profound sense of relief. *** As impressed as my mom was with the flower from Mumser’s farm, she was looking for something else. Their bud was too expensive—and too strong—to use in high-volume baking. Through experimenting, Sticky Fingers had discovered they could use sinsemilla “shake”—the leafy detritus left over from trimming—and still come out with brownies that were more potent than anything made with the bricks of Mexican gold they’d been buying.

This benefitted everyone. The shake left over after trimming was a liability to the growers. Though it lacked street value, it would count the same as expensive bud in a bust.

In the eyes of the law, a pound was a pound. The Garberville women had been mulching or burning

their shake to get rid of it. They sold it to Sticky Fingers for just $50 a pound—one sixth of what they paid for Mexican gold. This increased the bakery’s profit exponentially while also helping the growers.

My mom and her crew crammed garbage bags of shake into an antique icebox in the back of the pickup and drove slowly, carefully home, crossing the Golden Gate with a profound sense of relief.

The new extra-potent sinsemilla brownies caused a sensation in San Francisco, and the rest is history. *** Between 1976 and 1998, Sticky Fingers Brownies went through several iterations, growing or shrinking with the demands of each era. In the mid-80s, when HIV/AIDS was rampant in San Francisco, Sticky

Fingers became part of the medical-marijuana underground, getting soothing cannabis into the bodies of those who needed it most. Through all its changes, Sticky Fingers remained a woman-run business with close ties to the wholesome outdoor growing communities of Humboldt and Mendocino counties, and the nature-worshipping gardeners who made their homes among the redwoods.

All these years later, the aroma of our home bakery remains sharp in my mind. In the days before hybridization brought us strains smelling of blueberry muffins and Girl Scout cookies, the odor was tied to the land. It was round and earthy: notes of crushed ponderosa pine needles, dusty manzanita, moss from the lazy Eel River, and backroad dirt.

The scent of Northern California.

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The Wolf’s Tailor

Outdoor Dining is In If it weren’t for the pandemic, we’d be paying extra for the opportunity to dine in the novel igloos, greenhouses, and yurts that have popped up at top restaurants in the area. Here’s just a taste of what’s out there waiting to satiate your taste buds.

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The Wolf’s Tailor Tented dining rooms add to the rustic flair of this award-winning eatery whose name is a nod to the craftsman who fashioned sheep’s clothing for the sly wolf. Parties of two to six can reserve a table inside the new patio tents,

where a private fireplace adds to the ambiance, and groups of two to four are welcome in the Tailor’s greenhouses, which are warmed by heaters.

The Winter Entrust experience in the private tents ($125 per person) is a tasting menu that

showcases Japanese clay pot cooking known as donabe. “Donabe cooking is all about sharing,” the restaurateurs describe, “and it teaches the concept of ichigo-ichie—every moment is a once-ina-lifetime treasure.” thewolfstailor.com

PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE WOLF’S TAILOR

Welcome to date night in the time of COVID-19.

grandmother’s table”— can be secured with a prepaid reservation for parties of two to five ($55 per person plus add-ons). It’s a unique dining experience in an outdoor heated environment, with a menu built around specific regional cuisine.

TOP: Citizen Rail CENTER: Bar Dough

PHOTOS (FROM TOP) COURTESY OF CITIZEN RAIL, BAR DOUGH

bardoughdenver.com

Citizen Rail Nosh on something delicious in one of this downtown hot spot’s exclusive dining igloos, located on the second-floor terrace overlooking Union Station.

Available every night and for Sunday Brunch, each igloo-shaped plastic bubble seats four to six people and reservations can be made through OpenTable. For smaller parties, dining arrangements can be made with the GM Jason Gordon by phone, 720-592-1361. citizenrail.com

Cart-Driver Now open for patio dining on a first-come, first-serve basis, this favorite RiNo spot is also taking reservations for its greenhouses. (Open Tuesday through Sunday.) A new date-night offering includes a green salad, bread and butter, one daisy pizza—or upgrade to your favorite pie—and a bottle of locally sourced Attimo white wine or Vallevo Montepulciano for $60.

Stop by on Tuesdays, and they’ll be serving Attimo wine and MonVin prosecco carafes for $30 as well as Crooked Stave Von Pilsner and Four Noses IPA pitchers for $10. cart-driver.com

Bar Dough New greenhouses allow the top-rated establishment to offer a slew of different options for your dining pleasure.

Reservations for lunch in the greenhouses are available for parties of

two to five people with a $15 deposit per person that’s refunded upon arrival. Each seating is limited to 90 minutes.

One of the private greenhouses—dubbed Tavolina Della Nonna, which means “your

Ace Eat Serve The Ace Eat Serve Igloo Experience runs $75 for two hours, accommodating up to eight people who can nosh on the full menu.

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THE SCENE

is the best part—they even have live music on Saturdays. During the weekly Ace Patio Après, which runs from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m., you’ll find

encourage dressing for the weather, Ace has weekly giveaways for best hat, best mask, and best retro ski outfit. And to encourage people to show up, there’s sizzling angry lobster over fire, steam soup dumplings, hot ramen, Vietnamese Suntory Toki hot coffee, and hot sake carafes.

Guitarist Shawn Eckels will headline the Après party on February 6.

Don your mask, show off your best winter struts from a social distance, Suntory igloos, firepit and feel what it’s like to lounges, and mushroom be out and around huheaters keeping everymans having a good time one nice and toasty, again. But FFS, wear provided they’re wearing your mask. proper winter gear. To aceeatserve.com

Annette The only seating available at this Stanley Marketplace mainstay is on the patio in small, single-party greenhouses and a yurt in the plaza in front of the restaurant. Annette is taking reservations one month in advance for its award-winning cuisine.

ABOVE: Annette TOP & LEFT: Ace Eat Serve

annettescratchtotable.com

Lots more outdoor and indoor dining options abound throughout Colorado.

The Colorado tourism board has rounded up a complete list for your perusal at colorado.com.

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P R O M OT I O N A L F E AT U R E LIGHTSHADE

Seeing the Light Colorado’s Lightshade dispensary is a beacon for social responsibility, pioneering civic efforts to overcome racial disparities in today’s cannabis industry.

B

lack Americans have long had a history with cannabis that is distinctly different than that of white Americans. People of color have disproportionately suffered criminal conviction and incarceration from the US war on drugs. And Black Americans haven’t entered the legal cannabis industry at the same levels as white Americans either. That is slowly changing. It’s important to recognize these advances, especially during Black History Month.

Today, cannabis industry efforts to right the wrongs of the past run the

otherwise have it,” Harris says.

Lightshade, Colorado’s premier cannabis dispensary, was one of the first cannabis businesses in the state to pioneer a social responsibility platform and give back to its community in ways that benefit Black consumers and its Black employees.

Reuben Droughns, NFL veteran and Super Bowl champion, reviews products and cannabis topics for the company’s popular Doobin’ with Reuben video series.

“Lightshade has given me a platform “Lightshade to educate others about cannabis prod- has given me ucts,” Droughns says. “Doobin’ with a platform Reuben has provided me with a unique to educate opportunity to advocate for the use of others about cannabis to help with pain managecannabis ment and anxiety relief, two things of products importance to athletes of all kinds.” … and to Lightshade recently supported a series of monthly expungement clinics advocate designed to help people of color and for the use others negatively impacted by the of cannabis war on drugs for low-level marijuana to help crimes. Though Colorado enacted legiswith pain lation in 2020 to aid in this effort, many management Black Americans have less access to information and advocacy, so the clinics and anxiety relief.” provided needed assistance.

Lightshade’s efforts to promote equal- —Reuben Droughns, ity and equity can shine as an example NFL veteran and to the industry this month and beyond. cannabis advocate

gamut from prisoner-release programs and criminal expungement initiatives to ensure that Black Americans have a greater role in an industry that remains largely white, especially at its leadership levels.

Charisse Harris, Lightshade’s vice president of compliance and auditing, has spearheaded efforts to identify minority employees and mentor them for promotion within the organization. Her program has been so positively received that it is primed for further growth.

“Lightshade has supported my Lightshade mission to help give greater leadership High-End Colorado Dispensaries opportunities to people who might not lightshade.com

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THE END

Half the Park is after Dark With a combination of dry air, little light pollution, and high elevation, Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve is a surreal portal to the stars—so much so that in 2019, Great Sand Dunes was certified as an International Dark Sky Park by the International Dark Sky Association. So, if you’ve got stored-up wishes to unleash upon those twinkling lights in the sky, start charting out your great summer escape now.

To see the most stars, plan your visit for moonless nights, or nights with a late moonrise. Or go the opposite route and head out during a full moon for a night walk on the dunes—no need for a flashlight.

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ence. Right now, the average temps range from the low teens to the high 30s on any given day, and you don’t want to go camping in that. Not that the park’s Piñon Flats campground is open, mind you—it’s closed for the season through the spring.

(If you’re so inclined, backcountry permits are available.)

If you want to go this summer, direct your browser to recreation.gov to snag one of the park’s 86 campsites, all bookable in advance—and advance booking, especially for peak season camping, is definitely recommended. Since we’ve all been cooped up indoors for like an eternity now, assume that every day the campground is open is peak season this year, and it’s open from April 1 to October 30.

PHOTO BY VINCENT LEDVINA, UNSPLASH

Want to get into the great wide-open this summer?

Plan now.

Discover something out of this world.

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