All Local, All The Time
All Local, All The Time
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Ok. Life can bring great joys and great disappointments. In the face of adversity, do you despair or embrace it? For example, last week, I was wearing sandals and a tank top. This week I was planning to hike Mt. Sanitas but instead found myself bundled in a sweater cuddling my electric blanket. By the way, it is only in the high thirties. By February the mid-thirties will seem downright balmy. Abrupt changes can be a jolt. But before long, we get used to the change and fluctuations in the...
Ok. Was I the only one who thought "trunk-or-treat" was a typo? Seriously. I soon realized I saw the words too often together for "trunk" to be a typo. But I still didn't understand what trunk-or-treat meant for longer than I want to admit. What was happening here? And was there really an elephant involved? I figured it had to be a social distancing remnant of COVID. But after a little googling, I learned trunk-or-treating has been around for at least 10 years, well before COVID. Where have I...
Ok. Halloween is just around the corner. It is the only time of year when that much-maligned color, orange, is front and center. Orange somehow connotes "scary," doesn't it? When did orange get such a bad rap? After all, it is a completely natural color. Orange is found in pumpkins, oranges, flowers, and Tang. I am not talking about peach or coral. I am talking about straight-up orange. Yet, it is hard to find orange so predominant at any other time of year. Nowhere is this more obvious than in...
Ok. Back in my minivan days, my children would sit next to each other in the back seat. It was never long before I heard, "Stop touching me, Joey." This would be answered with, "I am not touching you." "Yes, you are!" "No, you are touching me!" Then, "Mommm, make Joey stop touching me." I would then usually reply, "Both of you, sit on your hands!" People feel strongly about their personal space. We have all instinctively taken one step back when someone talks too close to you. If someone sits...
Ok. Here comes the rain again. Who didn't love that sweet smelling, ground drenching rain that fell on Saturday night and into Sunday? Didn't we all sleep well under the sound of a soothing blanket of water falling gently on our homes and gardens? It wasn't a torrential downpour, and it wasn't accompanied by near hurricane force winds. It was just rain. What a relief! I love a rainy night. But you know what that means? The grass will once again be green, the flowers will perk up and we will...
Ok. Remember when we used to read Time, Newsweek, TV Guide, People, and Rolling Stone? I am talking about magazines and newspapers made from paper. The kind you hold in your hands. My parents had the LA Times, the Sunday New York Times and the Wall Street Journal delivered to our front door. Reading the newspaper was a welcome ritual. They collected every issue of National Geographic. That magazine's stunning photos singlehandedly opened the world to small town America. We learned about African...
Ok. File this under "Men are From Mars, Women are From Venus." It is a big filing cabinet so make a little room for this. Men buy things. Women buy things. People buy everything from houses to rubberbands. Women tend to be the purchasers of items that fit into a bag. I am thinking about groceries, clothes, and household goods. This is why in many households, it seems men take for granted that certain household items simply appear. For example, tissues, food, toilet paper, underwear, and band...
Ok. I bet at some point on Labor Day you said, "It feels like a Sunday, doesn't it?" That happens all the time. And then Tuesday feels like a Monday and Wednesday feels like a Tuesday and so it goes, messing up your whole week. Except it isn't just Labor Day that might confuse your routine. Often a Saturday feels like Sunday and if Friday is a holiday, it can feel like a Saturday. The good news in that case is that you get two Saturdays in a row. First, let's address the obvious - days are just...
Three writers for the Left Hand Valley Courier, Deborah Cameron, Vicky Dorvee, and Elise S. Marylander, were recognized at the Colorado Press Association (CPA) awards banquet for their articles from 2023 in the CPA's Better News Contest. Judging is conducted anonymously by journalists from another state, and awards are presented based upon size and type of publication. The Courier is a Class 5 publication as a weekly newspaper in a small community. Cameron, who writes for the Courier as well as...
Ok. We all love our phones. We don't go anywhere without them. We can hardly leave a room without taking our phones with us. We text, get our news, play games, share Instagram stories, and regularly go down the TikTok rabbit hole on our phones. Where we used to have an encyclopedia, now we have Wikipedia and all that Google has to offer. We take pictures and videos with abandon. You can just as easily make a hotel reservation in Tokyo as you can call your mom. We are all oddly attached to our...
Ok. Can we all take a deep breath after the first week of school? That first week is a little rough, don’t you think? All the fuss, anxiety, and logistical planning comes to head with the start of school. Whether you are a parent of a student or the student, it’s a tumultuous time. In the blink of an eye, the lazy days of summer end and the regimen of school begins. I am also sure you are familiar with the sleepy, whiny, anxiety that permeates the house around the start of school. Yes, it com...
Ok. My daughter once told me that to make friends, you should always say "yes" to invitations and overtures. I thought that was very good advice. And it is. Of course, until it isn't. Saying "yes" is something many of us do constantly. Do you want to have lunch? Will you stay late after work? Will you work this weekend? Will you join the parent teacher organization at school? Will you be the president? At some point, you must have some boundaries. They must be clear and respected. But first you...
Ok. Do you remember when you believed that consuming anything with fat was bad for you? How about when eggs were "the perfect food?" And we all had a friend who wouldn't give up their Blackberry because it was superior to anything else on the market. And don't get me started on Betamax. Well, we all know what happened to those beliefs. Fat became a necessary part of nutrition. It turns out eggs have a lot of cholesterol (well, the yolk anyway). And those Blackberry users now have iPhones. I...
Ok. Remember watching "Bewitched" and "I Dream of Jeannie" on television? Remember Aunt Bea on "The Andy Griffith Show?" I couldn't get enough of any of those shows back in the day. Samantha, a witch, could clean the house with a twitch of her nose. She could transport to Paris, call her parents, call Doctor Bombay, and turn people into animals in a snap. Jeannie, a genie, just had to blink and anything she wished for appeared. How great was that? They were the most powerful women on TV in the...
Ok. You know how they say color influences your mood? Stores are decorated in colors that apparently make you want to buy. Casinos are decorated to make you gamble. School walls are a color that is supposed to help concentration. You catch my drift. So, when it comes to decorating your house, you have to think about your goals. Serenity? Cozy? Creative? A friend of mine who recently moved to Niwot told me she is struggling to decorate her home. No kidding! It's difficult and fraught with...
Ok. Although summer may have just officially begun, with the 4th of July upon us, it feels like we are smack in the middle of summer. Which makes me think of summer camp. Maybe you went to summer camp, or your children went or are going to summer camp. No matter your perspective, you probably have an opinion about the experience. Some people loved going to camp as a child, some loved having their children go. Others, like me, felt going to summer camp was a miserable experience, and I have never...
Ok. Was that the summer solstice that just passed by? June 20 was the day when the sun hit its northernmost spot in the sky. You know what that means? It is just a slow downhill ride to winter. We are told the longest day of the year was just a week ago. Are we to believe that today is shorter than yesterday? Let's just pause right there and remind ourselves there are always 24 hours in a day. So, days aren't really getting longer or shorter at all. Are they? That is one of those concepts that...
Ok. Let's talk a little bit about ice. Ice? Yes, ice. Ice is one of those love 'em/hate 'em items that we take for granted. Here is what I mean. We love our ice. We love it in our summertime lemonade and iced tea, in our coolers, in a bag held against a sprain. If you have ever had a party, you understand the cry of "Did you get ice?" Followed by "Go back and get another bag!" If you have ever traveled to Europe, you know that ice is just not a thing there. There will be no ice in your Diet...
Ok. Travel season has officially begun. Whether it is a trip to the Bahamas, Tokyo, Disney World, the Grand Canyon or Denali National Park, many of us are planning, buying and packing. It is the packing part that is most vexing. I have been packing for a trip to Arizona for two weeks. Well, when I say "packing," I mean packing in my head. I tend to overthink these things. I have found if I put things in the suitcase too early, I tend to take something out to either use it or exchange it for...
Ok. You know how they say, "April showers bring May flowers?" Well, it is May and for color-deprived Coloradans, May can never come too soon. Suddenly trees have a welcome aura of green and then the parade of flowers begins. First the crocus, then hyacinth, then daffodils and tulips. We are currently at the iris stage in the lineup with peonies on deck. They will soon be followed by daisies, roses and everything else batting clean-up. Instant lift to the gray winter spirits! Mother's Day...
Ok. It is graduation time of year again. Niwot High School, CU Boulder, various preschools and elementary schools are all celebrating the launch of a flock of graduates who have completed the requisite tasks to "level up." Let's talk about that for a moment. "Graduate" means to complete. Commencement means to begin or start anew. So, a graduation commencement ceremony marks both an ending and a beginning You "graduate" to the next level while at the same time "commence" something new. While you...
Ok. I believe that there are no such things as coincidences. Merriam-Webster defines coincidence as "the occurrence of events that happen at the same time by accident but seem to have some connection." However, the Oxford Dictionary of English's definition is "a remarkable concurrence of events or circumstances that have no apparent causal connection with one another." Connection or no connection? I think there is usually a connection. Of course, some things happen "by accident" like dropping a...
Ok. There is nothing like a long power outage to put things in perspective. Recently, in anticipation of what became nearly 100 mph wind gusts, Xcel shut down the power in many areas to avoid potential wildfires. The wind itself also took out other power lines resulting in over 150,000 customers without power for anywhere from a few hours to four days. I was one of them. Maybe you were too. We think we are ready for something like that, but are we really? Even with (very) little notice, there is...
Ok. How do we feel about artificial intelligence? First, the term "artificial intelligence" sounds like something from outer space to me. So, I approach the whole concept with some trepidation at the outset. Artificial intelligence, or "A.I.," has many common uses including self-driving vehicles, fraud detection by your bank and facial recognition. And don't forget that our friends, Alexa and Siri, are complete products of artificial intelligence. But, for now, let's talk about the kind of A.I....
The City of Boulder, through its Open Space and Mountain Parks Department, announced an effort to seek public input on a collaborative land stewardship plan to be developed for the site of the former Fort Chambers near Boulder Creek, just east of 63rd Street and south of Jay Road in the Gunbarrel area. The city purchased the property in 2018. The city has recently worked with Arapaho and Cheyenne Tribal Representatives on a plan to use the land, now owned by the City of Boulder, to acknowledge...
Ok. For some reason, lately the subject of haircuts keeps coming up in conversation. Maybe because spring is springing, we all want to spruce up a bit. Often the topic revolves around the rising cost of getting shorn. Add color to the mix, and you can pay a lot more than an average car payment. People spend some big money on their hair. A woman's haircut used to be about $30. Now, it can be as high as $250. For just a cut. Add color and you might be in the $400+ range. Plus tip. Don't get me...
Ok. It's that time of year again. You know what I am talking about. No, I don't mean Daylight Savings Time even though that is always worth a discussion. I am talking about that other "spring-ahead" event this time of year. You know what I mean. As the weather warms, robins hop around your yard, crocuses appear and the air smells irresistibly fresh. If you are like me, you can't stop yourself from throwing open the windows and giving in to the urge to do a little spring cleaning. Just to be...
Ok. When was the last time you went out to play? I don't mean the last time you went out to a play. I mean like when we were kids. We used to go out to play in the morning and come home for dinner. A day of play. Every day. Neighbor kids would ring the doorbell and ask, "Can Joey come out to play?" When was the last time a friend of yours called to ask you to come out to play? I bet it has been a long time. "Play" has taken on a whole new meaning as an adult. Swimming or skiing used to be...
Ok. We have all misplaced something at times. Well, some might say "lost" something. One term is just more hopeful than the other. You can't find your keys. You can't find your wallet. You can't find your purse. But are they really "lost," or are they just not yet "found?" Recently, I couldn't find my glasses. I knew I had them the night before. I looked in the car, both under the seats and between the seats. I emptied my purse three times. I looked in every room and retraced my steps. It was...
Ok. Three of my siblings just went to the Sphere in Las Vegas to see U2. They all agreed it was an incredible show. And as good as it was to see Bono, the star of the show was the Sphere. Interestingly the demographics looked to be people between the ages of 35 and 70. Think about it. U2 was formed in 1976 and the band had its heyday in the 80s. Still, 40 years later, they pack the Sphere night after night, with seating for 18,600 people (older people don't stand or it would hold 20,000). The...
Ok. Snow laid a thick coat over Niwot this last weekend and reminded me of the excitement of "snow days." Whatever happened to "snow days?" Remember those days when you would wake up to a blanket of snow and listen to the radio or watch the T.V. at 6:00 a.m. for "school closures?" We would huddle in the darkness of dawn desperately hoping they would name our school. We waited to know if we had to go get ready for school. We would cheer when we came to "St. Vrain Valley Schools." Sadly, that...
Ok. I consider myself a pro at supermarket shopping. I started "going to the store" for my mom since I could drive. Things have changed since then. I recently went to the market and after frantically trying to find that particular chocolate brownie Quest bar my husband likes, the special kale and avocados my daughter prefers, and a jar of tahini so I don't have to make it myself, I was inevitability faced with the dilemma of how to check out and still make my dental appointment on time. So, I...
Ok. I have a friend whose primary language is not English. Sometimes she will ask me to explain something she heard that just doesn’t make any sense to her. For example, she recently asked me what “long in the tooth” means. She couldn’t figure out why someone thought long teeth were either an appropriate thing to comment upon or that it had anything to do with anything. Of course, I responded by telling her to get off her high horse and look it up. Well, needless to say, that didn’t go swimmi...
OK. We have all seen the 1937 Disney animated movie “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.” Or have we? My son says he has never seen it, but I assure you, he has. I grew up going to the movie theater whenever “Snow White” was showing, with great excitement. It may not be “Avatar,” but it was a breakthrough miracle of animation in its time. Of course, I related to Snow White, the beautiful housekeeper who happens to be a princess. She was beautiful, could sing with the birds, had an Evil Queen stepm...
Ok. January looms ahead. Is it just me, or does it feel like January is the longest month of the year? After all the hoopla of the holidays, January tends to be pretty quiet. You have pushed the reset button on the year and now it's time to get your life back to "normal." The visitors have left, your kitchen is relatively back in order and aside from Martin Luther King Day, not much to look forward to. I like to have something to look forward to on the calendar. And I have nothing on the...
Ok. 2023 is just about over and 2024 is patiently waiting to arrive. It is the time of year usually set aside for reflection. At the same time, it is the time of year when we are pretty exhausted from the holidays. The week between Christmas and New Year's is when work is slow, visitors start to leave, and the house is a mess. In other words, you are out of your routine and don't really know what to do with yourself. I am not sure that this is the optimal time to be making new year's...
Let's talk about gift giving. 'Tis the season, after all. But, whether it's Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, a birthday, a baby shower, or a wedding, gift giving can be fraught with peril. Gift choices seem to fall into two camps: Easy and hard. When offered a gift registry, it is easy. You simply look at the price point, the category and decide. Help for a honeymoon? Part of a $1000 stroller? Or a cookie sheet. You know it will be welcome and the recipient will be pleased because, well, they...
Ok. We are in the middle of that hectic time between Thanksgiving and New Year's where the vast number of tasks staring at you can be overwhelming. Tasks in addition to your normal life's tasks. It doesn't help anxiety levels when everywhere you go, someone asks, "So, are you ready for Christmas?" Do I look ready for Christmas? My hair is standing on end, and I have twenty notes with Christmas present ideas falling out of my purse. Let's streamline the process a bit. What makes the holiday...
As expected, Colorado's girls dominated the 2023 Nike Cross Nationals (NXN) Saturday, Dec. 2, in Portland, Oregon, but no one was more dominant than Niwot's Addison Ritzenhein who now adds the title of National Champion to her growing list of credentials. Ritzenhein, just a sophomore, came into the 18th Nike national race expected to be one of the top five or six finishers in the race, but splashed through the mud and deep standing water on Portland's Glendoveer Golf Course to outpace in-state...
Ok. We put up our Christmas tree this past weekend. When I say "put up our Christmas tree," I mean it is upright with lights on it. Most of the lights even work. We consider that a victory. We used to put up a live tree every year. Two of them. One in the living room and one in the family room. Also a small tree in each of the kids' rooms. I was an overachiever, I know. I can't imagine how I did that. I am now down to one now. We eventually decided it was environmentally irresponsible to kill...
OK. Thanksgiving just happened and we are all probably still recovering. People generally love Thanksgiving. They stop their day-to-day routine and visit with friends and family, many of whom they may not have seen since the same time last year. It is also an opportunity to pause and reflect upon what you are thankful for and express that thanks to those who should hear it. It truly is a beloved holiday. If people are willing to travel huge distances, prepare for weeks, spend a lot of money,...
Ok. We are all thankful for many things in our lives. When it's time to go around the Thanksgiving table and recite all the things we are thankful for, I get a little choked up. I am certainly thankful for my husband, my family, my friends, and my health. I am thankful for the roof over my head, the food on the table, my dog, Emma, and so very thankful for the angels among us. I am thankful for my job, lunch with my friend and my book clubs. I am thankful for that incredible view of the...
Elise Marylander, who has served as Assistant Editor of the Left Hand Valley Courier since July 2022, has dropped "Assistant" from her title, and is now the Editor of the Courier. Bruce Warren, who had served in dual roles of Managing Editor and Editor of the Courier since April 2022 when former editor Jocelyn Rowley left to take a full-time position with a Loveland newspaper, will continue to serve as Managing Editor of the Courier. Marylander's duties as Editor include determining content for...
Ok. It’s that pumpkin spice latte time of year. Seriously, that’s a big thing. I guess when the weather gets colder, people just have a hankering for pumpkin. It used to be just pumpkin pie and pumpkin bread. Now it’s pumpkin candles, pumpkin sauces, pumpkin soup, pumpkin cheesecake, pumpkin muffins, and even pumpkin ravioli. But let’s get back to that harbinger of the holiday season, pumpkin spice latte. Remember when your choices for coffee were black or with cream and/or sugar? That was it....
Ok. Daylight Savings Time strikes again. You might remember how I feel about it. But here's the thing. We gained an hour. But did we really? No. We just go to bed later and get up earlier. Or is it the other way around? In any event, the days seem shorter, the wind is ripping the leaves off the trees, and the weather is bound to get colder. We all know what cold weather around here can mean. But I had to learn the hard way. When I first moved to Colorado from sunny California in March of that...
Ok. I have Covid. I have no idea where I got it since I barely go anywhere. But what I do know is that Covid is no fun. And not funny. I know some people have mild cases, others have serious symptoms, and many have long term effects. In my case, so far, it is like a bad cold. I'm fine. I am one of those lucky people who rarely get sick. My husband, on the other hand, just has to hear that a cold or flu or a stomach ailment is "going around" and he starts coming down with every symptom. So being...
Ok. Halloween is looming. It’s the first holiday wave. Undoubtedly, some of you have been buying and eating candy since Labor Day. Many have been making costumes, buying costumes or just thinking about costumes for weeks. Those messy pumpkins have been carefully carved. It is a big deal for all the kids (and adults) to go trick or treating and bring home all that loot just to consume it all in one big tummy ache. But let’s review. Halloween is not for everyone. Basically, people fall into two...
Ok. Fall has arrived. Or, as I like to say, "autumn" has arrived. What happened to that word "autumn?" It's a pretty word for a pretty time of year without the negative implications of "fall." "Fall" sounds a bit dangerous, don't you think? I don't need reminders of the icy roads ahead. Fun fact: The autumnal equinox occurred on Sept. 23 and marks the end of summer and the beginning of autumn. The sun is directly above the equator on the equinox. That is all well and good from a scientific...
Ok. Remember when you were a kid and all you wanted out of that long road trip to some great destination like Mount Rushmore was to stop at a motel for the night and get into the swimming pool? I do. My parents and six children traveled across the country at least five times. Each time, all I could think about was whether the next Motel 6 or Best Western had a swimming pool. And we would happily forgo dinner to throw on our bathing suits and jump into an often over-chlorinated indoor swamp of a...
Ok. Why does bread have such a bad rap? Bread has been around since the beginning of time. Basically, flour and water, it is a staple in one form or another around the world. The centerpiece of any gathering, a symbol of community and hospitality, bread is a mainstay of every meal. Toast for breakfast, sandwiches at lunch and a good hunk of bread at dinner to wipe up your gravy. At what point did bread become a bad thing? Today bread is often considered a high carb, low fiber, low protein, low n...
