All Local, All The Time
All Local, All The Time
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Ok. Why is it when you have a doctor's appointment, you are asked to come 15 minutes early to "check in and fill out forms?" I try to do that ahead of time from home, but I arrive early anyway because they asked me to. You arrive early, they check you in again, and then you wait. I have clocked over a 45-minute wait before hearing my name called. You are then escorted to an exam room where the nurse or assistant asks a few questions (most of which you already answered on their forms), types on...
Ok. It's that vacation planning time of year. After figuring out the when and the where of your trip, you inevitably find yourself swiping Tripadvisor trying to find the perfect hotel or Airbnb to settle in for five days away from the luxuries and familiarity of home. Location, amenities, size, and local food options all factor into this daunting task. As any seasoned traveler would tell you, ratings are not always helpful. Why do the Travelodge and the Four Seasons have the same rating? A five-...
Ok. I am confused by dress codes. They can be problematic because there is no consistent rulebook. We recently received a wedding invitation that said "semi formal." I thought that was pretty straightforward. Semi formal seems to me to mean men in suits and women in cocktail dresses. I am so wrong. After attending a couple of "semi formal" events, I realize that today, "semi formal" means simply "not formal." Basically, I think it means that you can wear anything you want, except a tuxedo. If...
Ok. You know how they say, "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure?" Well, Benjamin Franklin was right. For example, do you tie your shoelaces once or do you double-tie them? Yesterday I was walking Emma, our dog, and I nearly tripped on my untied shoelaces. I looked down to see one foot on top of my lace and thought, "I could fall head first onto the pavement and break a hip or something." What is so hard about double-tying my shoes? It isn't hard to do, but it takes longer than tying...
Ok. What is on your mind these days? If you are like me, your mind has become a little numb during the recent deep freeze. Below-zero weather snaps happen every year, yet they always seem to take everyone by surprise. I hear, "It is so cold out there. It has never been this cold." It has. And it will be again next year. I am not a meteorologist, but I think we are probably about done with this year's deep-freezes. "Whew!" Right? Not so fast. Don't wish it all away. Do you remember Admiral Boom...
Ok. You know what is not ok? When you fall for one of those ubiquitous "loss leaders" without knowing what you are getting into. You know how it goes. You can't believe your good luck when you are offered a subscription for $1 for a year or a two-for-one deal you just can't pass up? Let me warn you, my friend, if it seems like you can't pass it up, you can. These "deals" are like a shiny penny that once grabbed, turns into a dark pouncing piece of stealth. Let me give you a couple of examples....
Ok. Call me old school, but when I get a text from someone I barely know that starts with "Hey," I assume it is spam. Who says just, "Hey?" Apparently, everyone. The manner in which we communicate has changed in my lifetime. We used to start a letter with "Dear Mr. Smith." Now, we start a text with "Hey." What happened there? Does anyone born after 1970 even remember what a letter is today? Letter writing is a lost art with which our children are unfamiliar. To review, a letter is where you put...
Ok. I was recently digging into that filing cabinet labeled "The Differences Between Men and Women," and stumbled upon that universal issue of getting dressed in the morning. Specifically, let's talk about men getting dressed at any time. Disclaimer: I asked my husband if it was okay that I throw him slightly under the bus on this one, and he agreed because, well, it is humor that keeps a marriage alive. Or so they say. So, with a gentle nudge onto the third rail, I offer him some observations...
Ok. One of my New Year's resolutions is to "lighten up." I can think of few better places to lighten up than discussing that poor maligned condiment that is often one of the first foods to be tossed out when going on an after-holidays diet. Yes, I am talking about mayonnaise. Either you love it or hate it. Let me offer a little background. I love condiments of all kinds. I love mustard of every ilk, including Dijon, brown, spicy, yellow, and horseradish-filled. I love aioli, salad dressings,...
Ok. 2025 has just entered the building. Does that mean it is time to take a swing at New Year's resolutions? Do we decide to lose weight, get a new job, or call our moms more often? Here is what I think. It is time to restart and reboot. Like your computer or your refrigerator's water filter, sometimes you just have to reset it to see clearly. It is like a mental cleanse. Erase the board, clear the cache, start over. I cannot count how many times my computer gets "clogged up" and it just won't...
Ok. Are you stressing out about the holidays? Maybe you are someone who doesn't give the holidays much attention. Or you might be somewhere in the middle. The holidays bring a gamut of feelings and depending on where you are in life, the excitement, or in some cases, anxiety, changes over the years. The meaning of the holidays also transforms a bit. When you are very young Christmas is filled with excitement and anticipation. The most stressful thing you worry about is talking to Santa. I must...
Ok. You have probably heard the phrase, "The power of the written word." Somehow putting words on paper packs a punch. The law clearly recognizes the impact of and the difference between the written word and the spoken word when they made "slander" (a spoken defamatory statement) and "libel" (a written defamatory statement) two distinct bad acts. Libel has historically been treated as the more egregious of the two, and it is not hard to see why. Writing something down gives it a bit of...
Ok. Do you remember when you first learned about Thanksgiving? It probably included the tale of Pilgrims sailing to America and befriending some Indians, after which they had a turkey feast in thanks for the Indians’ help surviving the winter. Wow, that was a lot to unpack as a child. In a nutshell, this song, sung to the tune “We Gather Together,” I learned in first grade summed up all I knew about Thanksgiving: “The year 1620 the Pilgrims came over. The good ship Mayflower brought them ac...
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...
