Colorado Country Life July 2011

[July [March 2011] 2011]

Sheepdog Trials Herding crowds to Meeker

[contents]

July 2011 [features] 14 Taking an Energy Detour

Engaged co-op members help reduce

energy traffic, electric bills

16 Meeker’s Gone to the Dogs?

Meeker Classic Sheepdog Championship

Trials promote business and entertainment in co-op community

14

[columns] 22 Kids in the Kitchen

Easy-to-fix summer snacks add to

fun activities

23 Garden Design

16

24 Outdoors

[departments] 4

Bow ties and ice cream cones — do fish care what fly you use?

25 Energy Tips

Viewpoint

Co-op families, businesses, communities need access to affordable energy

5 Letters 6 Calendar 7 Co-op News 12 NewsClips 20 Fire in Colorado 30 Discoveries

30 [cover]

Proportion and unity will enhance beauty of home landscape

Balancing room temperature promotes comfort

22

22

29

Photograph by Ellen Robinson, who captured the essence of the border collies competing at the Meeker Classic Sheepdog Championship.

COMMUNICATIONS STAFF: Mona Neeley, CCC, Publisher/Editor; Donna Norris, Associate Editor, Laura Magzis, Administrative Assistant/Writer ADVERTISING: Kris Wendtland@303-902-7276; NCM@800-626-1181

The official publication of the Colorado Rural Electric Association Volume 42, Number 07

OFFICERS: Chris Morgan [Gunnison] President; Bob Bledsoe [Tri-State] Vice President; Bill Midcap [Fort Morgan] Secretary; Don Kaufman [Sangre De Cristo] Treasurer; Kent Singer [CREA] Executive Director BOARD OF DIRECTORS: John Porter [Empire]; Sylvia Spangler [Grand Valley]; Jim Lueck [Highline]; Michael Glass [Holy Cross]; Dan Mills [K.C.]; Tom Compton [La Plata]; Stan Cazier [Mountain Parks]; B.D. Paddock [Mountain View]; Jack Schneider [Poudre Valley]; Joseph Costa, Reg Rudolph [San Isabel]; Mike Rierson, John Villyard [San Luis Valley]; Paul Erickson [Sangre De Cristo]; Mark Grasmick [Southeast]; Jim Jaeger [United Power]; Bill Jordan [White River]; Stuart Travis [Y-W]; Sam Haslem [Yampa Valley]; Basin Electric, CoBank, Moon Lake Electric, Wheatland Electric [Associate Members]

EDITORIAL: Denver Corporate Office, 5400 N. Washington Street, Denver, CO 80216; Phone: 303-455-4111 • Email: MNeeley@coloradocountrylife.org • Website: coloradocountrylife.coop • Facebook: Colorado Country Life • Twitter: @COCountryLife Colorado Country Life (USPS 469-400/ISSN 1090-2503) is published monthly for $9/$15 per year by Colorado Rural Electric Association, 5400 N. Washington Street, Denver, CO 80216. Periodical postage paid at Denver, Colorado.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Colorado Country Life, 5400 N. Washington Street, Denver, CO 80216 Publication of an advertisement in Colorado Country Life does not imply endorsement by any Colorado rural electric cooperative or the Colorado Rural Electric Association. Editorial opinions published in Colorado Country Life magazine shall pertain to issues affecting rural electric cooperatives, rural communities and citizens. The opinion of CREA is not necessarily that of any particular cooperative or individual.

[viewpoint]

Keep Electricity Affordable Co-op families, businesses, communities need access to affordable energy

BY KENT SINGER CREA EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR KSINGER@COLORADOREA.ORG

O

Over the last year or so, the Environmental Protection Agency has proposed a series of regulations that are likely to increase the costs of electricity production. It is estimated that all of these rules could lead to the closure of coalfired power plants across the country with an estimated capacity of 30 to 70 gigawatts. That is 10 to 22 percent of the total capacity now available.

Some may say that is a good thing; we should be shutting down coal plants. After all, can’t we replace that power with renewable generation and natural gas-fired plants? Well, it’s just not that easy.

First of all, while Colorado electric utilities have made huge strides in integrating new wind and solar generation facilities into their power supply, those resources still only amount to a small percentage of their electricity production. Because of the intermittent nature of these resources, all of Colorado’s utilities depend on coal- and natural gas-fired power plants to provide the vast majority of the kilowatt-hours needed by their customers. In order to maintain the levels of reliable service that our member-owners deserve and expect, we must continue to operate baseload, coal-fired plants that can be dispatched 24 hours a day.

But in addition to providing reliable power, we have a responsibility to co-op member-owners to do our best to make electricity an affordable commodity in Colorado. The cost of electricity is important not only to your household budget, but it is also a component of every service you receive and product you purchase. Higher electricity costs are a drag on any economy, but particularly one that is already facing many other challenges.

ColoradoCountryLife.coop 4 July 2011

If you question whether electricity prices can really impact a state’s economy, you need to look no further than California. Over the past decade, California has lost 640,000 factory jobs (34 percent of its manufacturing base) and 1.5 million residents. The cost of living in California is about one-third higher than the national average. While there are multiple reasons for this decline, the fact that Pacific Gas and Electric’s top tier residential electricity rate is $0.40/kWh (about four times the average rate in Colorado) is not helpful.

To some, these projected higher costs of power generation are an opportunity for making gains in the stock market.

In a recent article, an analyst from

able and affordable electric service and we don’t see increased environmental regulations as an opportunity to retrofit old plants or build new plants and earn a profit from our members.

The Colorado Rural Electric Association is joining co-op power supplier Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association to bring this message of keeping affordable electricity to Colorado. The electric co-ops in Colorado are concerned about the increasing pressures on electricity costs and we are committed to encouraging our policymakers to consider cost, when thinking about environmental regulations and energy policy.

This does not mean that we will disregard our duty to provide power in an environmentally responsible way.

Tri-State and all the power generators

CREA is joining co-op power supplier Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association to bring this message of keeping affordable electricity to Colorado. The electric co-ops in Colorado are concerned about the increasing pressures on electricity costs, and we are committed to encouraging our policymakers to consider cost when thinking about environmental regulations and energy policy.

UBS Investment Research concluded that the new environmental rules are the “most demanding in a decade” and will result in a “golden goose” for investor-owned utilities and investors.

In other words, as the costs of producing electricity go up, so do opportunities for utilities to make more money. A chief executive of one merchant power generator recently stated that his company’s earnings would be higher “from increases in market prices as a result of industry retirement.”

This kind of thinking is simply inconsistent with the electric co-op business model. We are not interested in profits because we are nonprofit utilities. We are interested in safe, reli-

in Colorado have invested hundreds of millions of dollars to comply with federal and state air quality standards. As a result, the emissions from Colorado power plants have been dramatically reduced over the last 10 to 15 years.

We believe we can provide electricity in an environmentally responsible and affordable manner today, but the “affordable” part of that equation will be a challenge if all of the regulations currently proposed are implemented.

[letters] Correction

Editor’s note: The website for the Pikes Peak Derby Dames roller derby team was listed incorrectly in the June issue. The correct URL is www.pikespeakderbydames. com. We apologize for our error.

Calculating All Costs

When calculating the cost of producing electricity, there is no free ride when it comes to environmental costs.

Burning coal may be cheaper financially compared to various renewables, but this is only because many of the environmental costs are externalized.

Dave VanManen, Beulah

Delicious Reading

You had a recipe for Lamb Lollipops (March ’11). I called Scanga Meats in Salida and ordered three racks of their Colorado lamb. My husband and one of my nieces fixed them and they were wonderful — a real keeper recipe and a winner. A bit fussy to fix but well worth the time. We also fixed the Twice-baked Colorado Russet Potatoes. It was a marvelous meal.

I want to thank you for the always good recipes. I enjoy your magazine and look forward to it each month.

Joan C. Innes, Buena Vista

Woodpecker Identified

We enjoy bird watching at our home in the Black Forest and see several types of woodpeckers, but we’ve never seen one matching the picture with your Discoveries article “Wings Along the Water” (May ’11). A quick search revealed that the bird in the picture is the great spotted woodpecker, which is found not in North America but in Europe, Asia and parts of North Africa.

Jerry Langin-Hooper, Colorado Springs

Send your letter to the editor by mail or email. You must include your name and address to be published. Letters may be edited.

ColoradoCountryLife.coop July 2011 5

[calendar]

[ July] July 9 Elbert Elbert Day Food, car show, live music Russell Gates Mercantile Community Hall western show • 7 am-6 pm

July 13-16 Colorado Springs Pikes Peak or Bust Rodeo Days Norris-Penrose Events Center 1045 Lower Gold Camp Road 719-635-3547 • www.colorado springsrodeo.com July 15-17 Westcliffe Arts and Crafts Fair Hope Lutheran Church 312 S 3rd St • Fr. & Sat 930 am-5pm Sun 10:30 am3 pm • 719-783-4340

July 9 Leadville Antique Bottle Show National Mining Hall of Fame 117 10th St • 9 am-4 pm July 16 303-674-4658 Grand Junction Sound Celebration!

July 9-10 Sweet Adelines choruses Steamboat Springs Robinson Theatre • Mesa State Hot Air Balloon Rodeo 7 pm • dchapman@acsol.net Balloons; arts, crafts festival 970-879-0880 July 16 kara@steamboatchamber.com Durango Christmas in July July 9-15 Learn Christmas historical Creede traditions • Animas Museum Creede Woodcarvers 10 am-4 pm • 970-259-2402 Rendezvous www.animasmuseum.org Classes, show, sales Creede Community Center July 16-17 303-940-3505 Grand Lake Buffalo BBQ Weekend July 9 & 23, August 13 & 27 5K run, parade, food, Salida/Poncha Springs music, games Hutchinson Homestead Grand Lake town park Ranch Tours 970-627-3402 1-3 pm • 719-539-6177 July 16 & 30, August 6 July 9-31 Leadville Durango Wildflower Special Train Rides Music in the Mountains Leadville Colorado & Concerts, family activities Southern Railroad Durango Mountain Resort, 326 E 7th St • 719-486-3936 Fort Lewis College, other www.leadville-train.com/ venues • 970-385-6820 special-tours www.musicinthemountains. com July 19 Denver July 9-October 15 Indigenous Film Series Bayfield Denver Botanic Gardens Bayfield Farmers Market at York St • Gates Hall • 7 pm Roadside Park, US Hwy 160 www.botanicgardens.org Saturdays 8:30 am-12 pm 970-731-2882 July 19-23 Grand Junction July 10-11 Mesa County Fair Leadville 2785 Hwy. 50 Mountain Air Art Fair 970-256-1528 10 am-6 pm www.mesacountyfair.com 719-285-4704 July 20-24 Crested Butte For more information on Crested Butte Wine these activities, visit www. & Food Festival coloradocountrylife.coop.

720-375-5241 Click on Events and discover www.crestedbuttewine.com what’s happening.

ColoradoCountryLife.coop 6 July 2011

July 23 Pueblo Throwing Centered and Off Centered Pots Workshop Prof Victoria Hansen The Cup & Bowl 719-404-3469 www.cupandbowl.org

July 29 Durango Antique/Classic Car Show Food, drink, movie at dusk Three Springs Plaza • 7 pm www.threespringsdurango. com

July 29-31 Breckenridge July 23 Main Street Art Festival Buena Vista 10 am–6 pm • 970-547-9326 Local Art Show www.mountainartfestivals.

Stained glass, quilts, paintings com 29327 Co Rd 358 970-395-6013 July 23-24 Aspen Downtown Aspen Art Festival Wagner Park • 10 am-5 pm 954-472-3755 www.artfestival.com July 23-24 Winter Park Alpine ArtAffair Sat 9-5, Sun 9-4 970-531-1228 www.alpineartaffair.com July 23-30 Calhan El Paso County Fair 366 10th St • 719-520-7880 www.elpasoco.com

[August]

August 5 Kremmling Demolition Derby Middle Park Fairground 7 pm • www.middlepark fairandrodeo.com/demo August 5 Pueblo First Friday Art Walk On/near Union Avenue 5–8 pm • 719-242-6652

August 5-6 Durango Book Sale Durango Public Library Sat 1-5 pm July 24 Sun 9:30 am-2:30 pm Steamboat Springs 970-375-3380 Motorhead Madness Car Show www.facebook.com/friends Yampa St • 970-846-1800 ofthedurangopubliclibrary info@mainstreetsteamboat. com August 6 Grand Lake July 27 History Day at the Denver Kauffman House Museum Native Art in Public Spaces 1-4 pm Lecture by Ryan Rice www.kauffmanhouse.org Denver Botanic Gardens 5:30-8 pm August 6 www.botanicgardens.org Frisco Classic Boat Show July 27-August 1 Frisco Marina Docks Greeley 10 am-2 pm Weld County Fair 970-409-9224 Island Grove Regional Park N 14th Ave • 970-304-6535 SEND CALENDAR www.weldcountyfair.com July 28-30 Pitkin Pitkin Days Fun run/walk, games, contests, food Pitkin Town Hall bsktlover@aol.com

ITEMS

TWO MONTHS IN ADVANCE TO

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

{

Looking for a Recipe?

Have You Joined Us On Facebook?

Find us at www.facebook.com/COCountryLife.

We post extra photos and information on Colorado events. And we’ll direct you to special magazine contacts throughout the month.

See you on Facebook.

Visit our website at www.coloradocountrylife.coop and find great cooking ideas.

You will find recipes for casseroles, salsas, desserts, veggies and so much more.

You will also find previous stories, energy saving tips, gardening advice, classified ads and so much more.

www.coloradocountrylife.coop

ColoradoCountryLife.coop July 2011 11

[newsclips]

ELECTRIC CO-OPS RAISE MONEY FOR KIDS

M

Money for kids with cancer was the goal in late May when several of Colorado’s Touchstone Energy electric co-ops joined country radio station KYGO for a St. Jude Kids Radiothon.

The one-day event raised a record $105,375 to help support children’s cancer treatment at the Memphis, Tennessee, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Tri-State Generation and Transmission, Morgan County Rural Electric Association in Fort Morgan, Poudre Valley REA in Fort Collins and United Power in Brighton were proud to participate.

The live broadcast from Toby Keith’s I Love This Bar & Grill in Denver attracted hundreds of supporters throughout the day and into the evening. A percentage of all restaurant sales that day benefitted St. Jude,

and on-site volunteers answered calls and took donations, including a $3,000 check on behalf of Colorado’s Touchstone Energy co-ops.

Colorado’s northern Front Range electric co-ops have supported the mission of St. Jude through the radiothon for eight years. St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is internationally recognized for its pioneering research and treatment of children with cancer.

And it offers its treatment at no cost to the patients’ families.

Helping support St. Jude is another way Colorado’s Touchstone Energy co-ops demonstrate a core co-op value, commitment to community.

Jim Van Someran of Tri-State presents a KYGO representative with a $3,000 check for the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital during the May Radiothon co-sponsored by Colorado’s Touchstone Energy co-ops.

Efficiencies Offset the Use of More Electricity in Average Home

Nuclear Facts The largest nuclear power plant in the United States is in Palo Verde, 55 miles west of Phoenix, Arizona.

It has been the largest power generator of any kind in the U.S. since 1992. Its three units are capable of generating nearing 4,000 megawatts of electricity.

Palo Verde sits in the desert and does not have access to a large body of water, so it depends on treated effluent from several nearby cities to meet its cooling water needs. The plant recycles approximately 20 billion gallons of wastewater each year.

—Nuclear Energy Institute ColoradoCountryLife.coop 12 July 2011

ALTHOUGH HOMES ARE BEING BUILT MORE energy efficient, residents are filling them with more energy-intensive devices — big-screen televisions and recording devices — according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s most recent Residential Energy Consumption Survey.

In 1978, 69 percent of the average home’s energy use went to space heating and cooling. Better window design, insulation and HVAC equipment cut that amount to 49 percent in 2005, according to the survey. But a 14 percent jump in consumption by electronics has largely kept average energy use steady over the years.

“DVD players and digital video recorders, which

did not exist 15 years ago, are now widespread,” EIA said. “As of 2009, 79 percent of homes had a DVD player and 43 percent had a DVR. Nearly a third of all households also had at least four electronic devices, such as cell phones, plugged in and charging at home.”

More than three-fourths of homes have a computer, and 39 million homes (35 percent) have at least two — almost double what was reported in 2005.

EIA has conducted its Residential Energy Consumption Survey since 1978. Full data from the survey are available at www.eia.gov.

—Solutions News Bulletin

[newsclips]

MEMBERS LOVE THEIR LOCAL ELECTRIC CO-OPS WITH AN AVERAGE SCORE OF 82, NEARLY nine points higher than the average score for investor-owned and municipal-owned utilities, cooperatives defy the downward trend in consumer satisfaction.

According to data released this spring by the American Consumer Satisfaction Index, electric cooperative member-owners are significantly more satisfied with their energy provider than consumers who receive electricity from either an investor-owned utility such as Xcel Energy or a municipal utility.

In a year when consumer satisfaction overall dropped to a two-year low, electric cooperatives received an average satisfaction score of 82, eight points higher than the 74 scored by IOUs and nine points higher than the 73 scored by munis.

This was the first year that the wellregarded ACSI included cooperative utilities as a separate category. The survey included a random sampling of co-op consumer members from across the country.

The average score for electric co-ops topped the 78 earned by FirstEnergy, the top-scoring IOU, and matched the 82 scored by Salt River Project, the top-scoring muni.

“These scores validate the unique co-op business model,” said National Rural Electric Cooperative Association CEO Glenn English. “Owned by the people they serve, cooperatives put affordable electric bills above profits and dividends. At heart, electric co-ops are local consumer advocacy organizations.”

The 723 Touchstone Energy cooperatives in the survey scored even higher with an ACSI score of 83. All of the Colorado Rural Electric Association member co-ops are Touchstone Energy co-ops.

Big Check Delivered to Poudre Valley REA

RUS Administrator Jonathan Adelstein (second from left), representatives from the local offices of Colorado’s U.S. senators and from the office of Rep. Cory Gardner, and local co-op officials are excited about the smart meter improvements that will be financed by the money this ceremonial check will provide.

There was a celebration at Poudre Valley Rural Electric Association’s Windsor headquarters earlier this spring when Rural Utilities Services Administrator Jonathan Adelstein stopped by with a “check” for $43.2 million.

Approved last fall, the RUS loan will finance a four-year construction plan that includes installation and deployment of an advanced metering system or smart grid for the co-op, headquartered in Fort Collins. The loan will also finance 54 miles of new line construction, 186 miles of line improvements, substations, automatic meter infrastructure and more. Adelstein and representatives from the local offices of Colorado’s U.S. senators and from the office of Rep. Cory Gardner (R-Dist. 4) were excited about the AMI, or smart meter improvements, that the loan will facilitate.

The presentation gave PVREA General Manager Brad Gaskill a chance to remind Adelstein, Colorado U.S. Department of Agriculture Director Jim Isgar, and the representatives of Colorado’s congressional delegation of the importance of RUS financing for electric co-ops, which are nonprofit organizations that cannot sell shares or municipal bonds to finance projects.

ELECTRIC CO-OPS LEAD WITH GREEN POWER WHEN IT COMES TO GREEN POWER, ELECTRIC CO-OPS ARE MAKING AN IMPACT, ACCORDING to data compiled by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in its annual review of utility green programs.

Several co-ops made the lab’s top 10 rankings in categories such as percentage of retail sales, customer participation rate and community solar programs. Co-ops scored particularly well in community solar programs, where members receive a credit on their bill for the kilowatt-hours attributable to the solar panel they have purchased or leased.

— ECT.coop

ColoradoCountryLife.coop July 2011 13

[industry]

Taking an Energy Detour Engaged co-op members help reduce energy traffic, costs

BY MEGAN MCKOY-NOE, CCC INFO@COLORADOCOUNTRYLIFE.ORG

Everyone dreads rush hour traffic, even if you only have to deal with it when you visit Denver or Colorado Springs. Many of us often plan our trips accordingly, delaying the drive until after the morning rush and getting in and out before the evening rush hour starts. Imagine how much easier the drive would be round the clock if more folks did the same thing.

That’s what many electric cooperatives are asking members to do during the electricity use “rush hour,” known as “peak demand.”

By working together, co-ops and members are reducing energy use and higher associated power costs during these high-traffic periods.

Electricity can’t be easily stored, so it must be used as soon as it’s generated.

As a result, electric co-ops must be ready to supply enough energy to meet spikes in electricity consumption.

If energy use could be spread more evenly over time instead of peaking once or twice each day, fewer power plants would be needed. In turn, power costs would level out as well.

According to the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, electric co-ops, public power districts and public utility districts can shave 6 percent of their peak demand — that includes about 1,440 megawatts of residential load — through programs known variously as demand-side management, load management or demand response. These measures ColoradoCountryLife.coop 14 July 2011

help keep electric bills affordable.

The North American Electric Reliability Corporation, the nation’s bulk power grid watchdog, estimates America needs to build 135,000 MW of new generation by 2017 to meet growing demand for electricity. Power plants on the drawing board, however, will only deliver 77,000 MW. To fill the generation gap, a 2009 Federal Energy Regulatory Commission assessment found approximately 150,000 MW could be offset by conservation and energy efficiency measures or by lowering peak demand.

Efforts by engaged co-op members to curb energy use during peak times may help to delay new plant construction, at least temporarily.

The rush hour toll We use a steady amount of energy, regardless of whether we’re at home or away. Refrigerators, air-conditioning and heating systems and appliances create baseload power requirements — the minimum amount of electricity your electric co-op needs

to reliably supply all of its members.

Lots of consumers tend to use electricity at the same time — in the morning to warm up the house and get kids ready for school, and later in the day after work when making dinner and settling in for the evening.

The price for power rises and falls depending on the type of fuel (coal, natural gas, nuclear, hydroelectric, etc.) used to generate electricity, and the fuel used often depends on when power is needed.

For example, generating a steady flow of power with a baseload coal, nuclear or hydroelectric facility costs far less than starting up a natural gas peaking plant on a hot, humid summer weekday afternoon or an extremely frigid winter morning.

As a result, when power is required during demand peaks, your electric co-op and, by extension, you as a member pay a steep toll.

Detours save money Up to 75 percent of your monthly electric bill goes directly to purchase power — the rest must be stretched to cover bucket trucks, poles and wire, right-of-way trimming, payroll and other operating expenses.

The easiest way to cut power costs is to use less energy — stay off the road — during rush hour. Some co-ops ask members to stop using energy when electricity use surges.

Others work with large power users, such as irrigators or commercial properties, and ask them to cut back their electric usage during peak hours. All of these programs work.

[industry] “When we started our Beat the Peak program, everybody told us, ‘It won’t work, you can’t measure it, you can’t sustain it,’” recalls Bill Andrew, chief executive officer of Delaware Electric Cooperative. “Today more than 35,000 of our members participate, and 10 percent of the co-ops in the United States have launched similar programs. That’s pretty good.”

With the help of in-home peak indicators and aggressive communication efforts (text alerts, radio ads, emails, social media), the Greenwood, Delaware-based cooperative cut 50 MW off its 345 MW summer peak.

In El Dorado, Kansas, Butler Rural Electric Cooperative faced a 9 percent rate increase. To keep electric bills affordable, the co-op provided incentives for cutting energy use during peak times.

“By allowing our members to decide when to use electricity, they gained more power over their electric bills,” explains Travis Griffin, Butler’s member services and public relations representative. “After a year, we experienced only a 5 percent rate increase because members began shifting when they did certain chores, like washing clothes and running the dishwasher, to off-peak times.”

Managing traffic Some Colorado electric co-ops take peak shaving a step further by installing load control equipment.

Devices attached to electric water heaters, air conditioners and other special appliances can cut demand by briefly switching them off — an action generally unnoticed by the home owners who volunteer to take part.

“Our primary goal is to reduce peak demand and delay construction of new power plants,” explains Stephanie Cornett, senior analyst for East Coast cooperative’s demand-side management effort called “SimpleSaver.” The generation and transmission co-op and its 16 distribution members offer incentives to consumers who let them manage air conditioners and electric

TYPES OF POWER SUPPLIES Here’s a quick look at the types of power plants and fuels used to supply electricity at various times • B aseload: Large, efficient generating stations provide enough dependable electric power at a low cost to meet the minimum level of electricity needed at any given time. They do not start or stop quickly, and instead are run around the clock.

Power sources: Coal, nuclear, hydroelectric, and large natural gas-fired power plants; in some regions biomass and geothermal power stations • I ntermediate load: These plants handle sharp increases in demand, filling the gap between baseload plants

water heaters during peak demand.

“Comfort level is a common concern,” admits Cornett. “I tell participants, ‘You should experience no more than 2 degrees difference in your home, if that much.’ Our cycling strategies are frequent, with extremely brief on and off times — most people never notice a change.”

But the savings on electric bills add up. “Our 2009 research summed it up simply: Folks want to lower their electric bills,” notes Cornett.

“For some a bill credit is a big draw.

Others want to support the environment. The bottom line is most members want to help their local co-op cope with rising costs.”

In Delaware, electric bill savings have been hard to miss. “We lowered our wholesale power costs by $10 million in 2009 and another $1.5 million in 2010,” Andrew reports. “We encourage, educate and inform our members about the role they play in Beat the Peak. Our members want to

and peaking plants. Also known as load-following plants, these facilities are larger and therefore more efficient than peaking plants.

Power sources: Natural gas, coal • P eak load: Expensive and small, these plants can start generating power quickly during times when electricity consumption reaches its highest point. Power sources: Natural gas, diesel fuel

help. If you show people what they can accomplish, they show up big time.”

Help us keep your electric bill affordable The Colorado Rural Electric Association and your local electric co-op remain committed to providing you with affordable power, but there are some costs we can’t control. Our energy efficiency programs help you manage your energy use, and we’re deploying state-of-the-art solutions to help us control operating costs and improve service reliability. For more ways to cut costs, visit www.togetherwesave.coop.

Megan McKoy-Noe, CCC, writes on consumer and cooperative affairs for the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, the Arlington, Virginia-based service arm of the nation’s 900-plus consumer-owned, not-for-profit electric cooperatives. RE Magazine also contributed to this article.

ColoradoCountryLife.coop July 2011 15

Has Meeker Gone to the Dogs?

Every September, this Colorado town becomes the home of the Meeker Classic Sheepdog Championship Trials

BY DENNIS SMITH

“That’ll do, Pig.” I can’t help it. Farmer Hoggett’s humble praise of his pet pig’s performance in the heartwarming 1995 film “Babe,” automatically pops into my head every time someone mentions border collies. If you saw the movie, you’ll remember Babe was the doggedly optimistic barnyard piglet that aspired to win a national sheepdog trial so as to avoid the seeming inevitability of being processed into a pair of smoked hams, a side of bacon and somebody’s pulled pork sandwich.

The film succeeded on several levels: The precocious piglet won first place in the trial and saved its bacon (so to speak). The movie won a coveted Oscar and 17 other awards and grossed over $240 million. Its most unlikely achievement may be that it opened the eyes of unsuspecting audiences around the world to the remarkable talents of border collies and the highly competitive sport of sheepdog “trialing.”

ColoradoCountryLife.coop 16 July 2011

Stock dogs of various pedigrees have existed since prehistoric times, but border collies are a breed unto themselves. Developed and bred in the border country (hence the name) between Scotland and England in the late 19th century specifically to locate, gather and herd flocks of sheep across rugged terrain, they possess an uncanny ability to interpret and control the movements of sheep. And they do it all relying almost entirely on instinct, catlike reflexes, predatory posturing and an intense, intimidating stare known simply as “eye.”

Responding to a variety of vocal commands and whistle signals from skilled handlers, they can also shed, or separate, selected sheep from a flock and pen them with amazing precision. It’s no secret that a single well-trained border collie can do the work of five men on foot or horseback.

The first sheepdog trials evolved as a way for shepherds to test their handling skills and determine the superiority of their individual dogs. They originated in New Zealand’s McKenzie region in the 1860s but spread quickly to Australia,

then Wales, Scotland, Ireland and eventually the U.S., where today they’re enjoying increasing popularity with participants and spectators alike.

Surprisingly, one of the most challenging and prestigious sheepdog trials in the world takes place every fall in Meeker.

This September the town is proud to be celebrating the event’s 25th anniversary.

Interestingly, the name “Meeker Classic” originated This is the beginning of the trial course. The dog watches the handler’s hand as the handler waits for the sheep to in the 1987 when determined little northwest Colorado moun- be set in place at the far end of the course. Once the dog is sent to fetch the sheep, the run and the clock begin. tain town aspired to sponsor a champion sheepdog trial to coming back ever since, joined by other stave off looming economic despair. competitors from around the world to Like the movie “Babe,” the Classic was take a crack at what some have referred to an immediate and smashing success. as “The Mother of All Sheepdog Trials.”

Not only did it draw some of the best Professional trainer and handler Kathy trialing teams in the international circuit Knox confessed that winning the Meeker — thereby saving the town’s financial Classic proved more difficult than winbacon, so to speak — the trial proved ning the Nationals, and she’s done both. to be one of the most demanding the In fact, she won the Nationals before she handlers had ever faced. They’ve been could win at Meeker, which somehow [continued on page 18]

ColoradoCountryLife.coop July 2011 17

When the dog brings the sheep, he does not follow them, he fetches them.

It’s a tricky balance to not hurry too much but keep the sheep going in the right direction. The dog must take control of the sheep and be careful not to push too hard and “blow” the sheep apart.

[continued from page 17] makes the point.

“If you can win at Meeker, you can win anywhere,” said Bud Boudreau. And he should know. Bud and his border collies have accrued a record of top 10 wins spanning 30 years of competition in trials on both sides of the Atlantic, including the World Sheepdog Championships, National Finals, National Nursery Finals and, eventually, the Meeker Classic, an event he’s attended faithfully since its inception 25 years ago.

More than just a formidable competitor, Boudreau also serves as a judge in national competitions and is a lifelong professional trainer responsible for schooling border collies and handlers for working sheep ranches from South Dakota to Texas and as far away as Argentina, where it’s been his distinct pleasure to work with gauchos on the acclaimed ranches of South America. In short, where sheepdogs and trialing are concerned, he’s seen it all and considers the Meeker Classic the “toughest of the tough.”

No other trial in his experience so accurately duplicates the challenge of gathering and moving a flock of sheep under real-world conditions. More than any other, the Classic tests the true potential of a dog and his handler.

“It can also be humbling,” he said and fondly told the story of his first experience at Meeker. “I remember it vividly. You have to understand, these are green sheep, really green …

ColoradoCountryLife.coop 18 July 2011

Handler Red Oliver, Caldwell, Texas, is the oldest handler at the trials. He will be 89 when he competes in 2011. Here he and his dog are “shedding” the sheep.

To shed means to separate two unmarked sheep from the rest of the flock .

brought down from remote alpine pastures and held in isolation until the day of the trial. Some of them had rarely, if ever, seen a human being, much less a stock dog.

“When they saw my collie coming for them, they bolted to the backside of the hill where, unbeknownst to the rest of us, cowboys were at work driving another big flock down from winter pasture. The trial sheep joined up with the cowboys’ flock, and of

thing that can happen on a working ranch. It was the real deal, and many of us were addicted from the get-go.”

Because a fresh batch of sheep is recruited for each run to ensure all teams compete on an equally difficult playing field, other pros had similar bewildering experiences at the Classic that day. Herb “Hub” Holmes, who drew the initial run at the opening event, actually ended up calling his dog off in disbelieving frustration, The dog here is trying to stop a ewe from escaping during the run. It’s a challenge for the dog to maintain control while getting the sheep back to the flock. Losing a sheep from the flock results in disqualification.

course the dog tried to gather the whole shebang. The cowboys didn’t know a trial was underway on the other side of the mountain and tried to drive the dog off. It was a nightmare — which is precisely the point. It was unlike anything any of us had ever encountered at a trial, but it was exactly the sort of

only to discover as the day went on almost nobody’s dogs could handle those wildly unpredictable ewes.

Meeker’s super-spooky range ewes and high-elevation Rocky Mountain terrain may have earned the high praise and enduring respect of competitors, but its townspeople, sponsors, vendors,

shopkeepers, hoteliers and supporting volunteers have turned the occasion into a collective effort that is the talk of the international trialing community.

The entire town mobilizes behind the Classic, and everywhere you go from Main Street to the trial field, something is going on — food and craft festivals, pancake breakfasts, evening barbecues, open air concerts in the town square, dog training demonstrations, lamb cooking classes. Artists from around the world fly in to compete for thousands of dollars in prizes. High schools and middle and elementary schools from surrounding communities schedule educational field trips to the Classic. Bagpipers play, and horse-drawn carriages shuttle spectators back and forth between all the activities. It’s a truly a marvelous undertaking.

Amanda Milliken, 2009 first place winner at Meeker, called it “a happening.” Jack Knox, another world-class trainer and charter Meeker competitor from Scotland who now lives in the U.S., described the atmosphere in Meeker during trial week as “electrifying.” “They talk about Meeker in Scotland, for crying out loud,” he said.

One year Jack Knox met a spectator from Georgia. “Said he came here a few years back on vacation to see the Rockies, doesn’t own a sheepdog and never saw a trial before, but he experienced the Classic and he’s been coming back ever since. It’s that kind of party,” he explained.

In Boudreau’s travels between sheep ranches and trialing events, he often finds himself caught in those spontaneous, small-talk conversations that invariably pop up between complete strangers sharing adjoining airline seats.

“It never fails to amaze me how many of them ask me if I’ve ever heard of Meeker as soon as they find out I train border collies. Seems like everyone knows about it,” he said.

The Classic generates over a million dollars for the local economy and pumps another quarter million into the surrounding region. That’s an economic stimulus package the feds would do well to emulate, and an incredible example of how good old-fashioned American ingenuity, determination and hard work can overcome seemingly impossible odds.

The parallels between the Classic’s success and the movie “Babe” seem obvious enough, but a paraphrased tag line from another inspiring movie comes to mind too: “Build it, and they will come.” Trainers, handlers, hard-working collies and the people of a small mountain town have all come together to put on a show that that pulls crowds from around the world. To which we should all say, “That’ll do, Meeker.”

Dennis Smith is a freelance outdoors writer, photographer and columnist from Loveland.

Dennis writes a monthly outdoors column for Colorado Country Life. His work appears in several national and regional publications.

The course is physically demanding for the dogs.

Often during a run in hot weather, the handler will allow the dog to take time out to go to the water for a drink and to cool off. After each run most dogs make a ritual of visiting the water tank.

THIS YEAR’S CLASSIC DETAILS The Meeker Classic draws trialing teams, judges, artists, vendors and spectators from Canada, the U.S., England, Scotland, Ireland and countries as far away as South Africa either to participate or simply watch the event. Case in point: This year’s judges will be David and Allistair Lyttle, a fatherand-son team from Pettigo, Ireland.

Some Coloradans and U.S. residents arrive with travel trailers and campers in tow to set up in nearby campgrounds, while others opt to book rooms in the local hotels, motels or bed and breakfast inns. For obvious reasons, some trainers, handlers and spectators have to make travel and accommodation arrangements several months in advance of the trial date. You should, too. This is a small mountain town and rooms fill fast.

The Classic is a true “reality show” conducted under live field conditions at the foot of the Colorado Rockies in autumn. In other words, this ain’t Coors Field. Seating is limited, shade is sparse and the weather, while typically beautiful, can be as wildly unpredictable as Meeker’s infamous range ewes, so plan on bringing lawn chairs, umbrellas and/or rain gear, sunscreen, cameras and binoculars.

For directions, campsite info, hoteliers, maps and more detailed information, go to the Classic’s website at www.meekersheep dog.com, consult the Meeker Chamber of Commerce at www.meekerchamber.com, or call at 970-878-5510. See you there.

ColoradoCountryLife.coop July 2011 19

[fire story]

Fires Whip Through Colorado Ranch Lands STORY AND PHOTOS BY LYNN ALLEN

W

While Denver news headlines concentrated on Arizona’s wildfires, southeastern Colorado was fighting its own fires this past month.

Severe drought and wind had turned southeastern Colorado into a tinderbox and lightning supplied the spark.

It was Monday, June 6, when what became known as the Shell Canyon fire started west of Highway 109.

It was the sixth lightning fire in 10 days and with fire crews already stretched thin, ranchers knew they were going to be mostly on their own, at least for a little while. Friends and family arrived with the volunteer departments available, and the fight commenced. And a fight it was.

With winds over 30 miles per hour, the fire ran east first, jumped Highway 109, then split, turned around and came back. By Tuesday morning it was two fires spreading exuberantly on both sides of the highway.

Fire had already gobbled over 5,000 acres. The wind came up strong Wednesday morning, shoving the east side fire back toward the highway and the west side fire northwest toward Long and Smith canyons and the heavy growth along those rimrocks.

These two fires were not to be confused with the Callie-Marie fire a few miles to the west scorching chunks of the Piñon Canyon Maneuver site, or the Brice Canyon fire, or the Bear fire, or the Bear Springs fire, or the Salt fire, or the Purgatory fire, or the one burning on Mesa de Mayo. Whether the OV

ColoradoCountryLife.coop 20 July 2011

Mesa fire was a split off the CallieMarie or not is still being debated.

“There is smoke all the way around us,” said ranch owner Kimmi Lewis on Wednesday afternoon, June 8.

“There are four big fires within a few miles of us, and there’s still smoke from that Salt fire, too. They say it’s out, but it’s still smoking.”

The family meeting broke up with sons and daughters scurrying in different directions to open gates for cattle that could be trapped in Smith Canyon, help neighbors evacuate, move equipment and haul water to support crews working along the edges.

Orville Spangler uses his old bulldozer to widen the fire break beside Long Canyon Road, hoping to protect his home, cattle and pasture.

In Long Canyon a consensus had been reached: Widen the county road and use it for a firebreak. Same for the road up Smith. If they could stop the fire there, it couldn’t go down the dry grass in the bottom of the canyon where most of the cattle were.

Within minutes the sound of metal on rock echoed from the rimrocks as loaders, dozers and road graders formed lines and began rolling the thin sod back from the road edges. Although clearing had already reduced the number of trees, there were still some cedar trees to shove over and pile well back from the line.

“Cedars, they’re bad in a fire,”

Kevin Hall and Marty Canterbury take a moment to lighten things up while waiting for a water tank to fill. Hauling water to firefighters is something you can do if you have a pickup and a water tank.

AIR CRANE PROVIDES FIREFIGHTING HELP Cedar trees can explode during a fire, sending burning bits of wood and sap in all directions, violating firebreaks and injuring firefighters.

This Erickson Air Crane was called in to help fight the CallieMarie fire on the Piñon Canyon Maneuver site in southeastern Colorado. It can target its payload of 2,650 gallons of water precisely, making it valuable in rough country fires.

The “snorkel” shown here only needs a puddle of water 18 inches deep and 45 seconds to suck up a load of water.

Two pilots, Roger Douglass of Arkansas and Matt Prach of Nevada, and at least four ground crew members support the crane at all times. The company even brings its own fuel tanker. It costs $2 a second to keep an Air Crane in the air.

warned Marty Canterbury. “They go up like a torch, then explode and scatter fire everywhere.”

“I can’t do much good here,” said rancher Mike Richardson, gesturing at his little skid loader. “I’m going to see if I can save the poles at the wells. If those meter poles burn up, we ain’t got any water, and that would put us in a world of hurt.”

The cattle were still a priority, and hazing them away from danger kept people moving in various directions.

“Bad time for this,” commented Kerry Lewis, pointing to a flock of ravens resettling on something well back into the burned area. “It’s calving time for the elk and fawning season for the deer. And the birds are all nesting.” Then she brightened. “But it should slow down the rattlesnakes.”

Lewis’s Muddy Valley Ranch was lucky. The fire turned at the last second and went straight west, sparing Long Canyon and the lower reaches of Smith Canyon where the major-

ity of the livestock and homes were.

And the firebreak worked. In places the fire burned right up to the road, but the lines held and no homes were lost. By Thursday more fire crews were on scene, freed as other fires came under control. On Friday there were 170 people on the ground working through the canyons, putting out hot spots and battling flare-ups.

“Now, if the weather will just cooperate and give us some rain,” said Lewis. “These thunderstorms need to be bringing us rain, not lightning.”

By magazine deadline in mid-June, Las Animas County alone had lost over 50,000 acres to various fires with another 10,000 burned in neighboring counties. With lightning in the forecast for June 11, weary fire and support crews weren’t betting on any rest soon.

“We thank everybody who has come,” said Las Animas County Commissioner Gary Hill. “There’s county workers out there, and ranchers, volunteer firefighters from all over, and now we have some

Scorched but still on duty. That was the report on most of the electric poles in the burn areas of southeast Colorado.

of the ‘hot shots’ and a management team from Denver. And there’s people bringing in food and water for the crews. We really appreciate all of them.”

Everyone’s help is needed when it’s fire season in Colorado.

Lynn Allen is a freelance writer from Cheraw.

ColoradoCountryLife.coop July 2011 21

[recipes]

Kids in the Kitchen

Easy-to-fix summer snacks add to fun activities

BY LINH TRUONG RECIPES@COLORADOCOUNTRYLIFE.ORG Dehydration Watch children for dehydration warning signs in the summer. Two of the early signs of dehydration in children are fatigue and irritability. If your child seems to have no getup-and-go or is crabby, it’s time to get him out of the heat for a water break.

W

With the kids out of school, the kitchen is the perfect place to spend time doing simple summer activities. Below are some recipes for the kids and grandkids that are easy and fun on a summer day.

Dip ’n’ Roll Strawberry Treats

Peanut Butter and Jelly Stars 2 slices white bread 2 slices whole wheat bread Peanut butter Jelly 1 1/2-inch star cookie cutter Use a star cookie cutter to cut a star out of the center of the slices of white bread (one at a time) and stars out of the slices of whole wheat bread. Fit the whole wheat stars into the star-shaped holes left in the white bread and the white stars into the holes left in the whole wheat bread.

Then have your child use a table knife to smoothly spread on peanut butter and jelly, working slowly to avoid tearing the bread. Assemble the sandwich, then wrap in plastic. Makes 2 star-studded sandwiches.

Watermelon Pop Stars Why Water Calorie-free water is a better drink for your children than soda and even wins out over juice. Juice has nutrition and vitamins and minerals, but the problem is, the more sweet drinks children drink, the more likely they are to be overweight.

ColoradoCountryLife.coop 22 July 2011

Watermelon Popsicle sticks Star-shaped cookie cutter

24 large fresh strawberries 1 cup semisweet chocolate morsels 1 tablespoon vegetable shortening 1 1/2 cups crisped rice cereal skewers Wash strawberries and pat dry with paper towels. In small microwave-safe bowl combine chocolate morsels and shortening. Microwave on high for 1 to 1 1/2 minutes or until melted, stirring every 30 seconds. Place cereal in shallow dish.

Push skewers into strawberries through stem end. Dip in chocolate, allowing excess chocolate to drip off. Roll in cereal. Place on wax paper. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes or until chocolate is firm.

Use a cookie cutter to cut juicy star shapes from 1-inch-thick slices of seedless watermelon. Insert a Popsicle stick into each star, then set the pops on an aluminum foil-lined baking sheet. Cover the stars with another sheet of foil and freeze for 1 hour or until firm.

Love cooking? For more summer snack recipes, visit www.colorado countrylife.coop. Click on Recipes.

[gardening]

A Glimpse of Garden Design Proportion and unity will enhance beauty of home landscape

BY EVE GILMORE WWW.XERISCAPEGARDENS.COM

T

The purpose of ornamental gardens surrounding a home, on one level, is to enhance the beauty of the site.

But zoom out a bit and we can say the larger purpose is to integrate the house with the land, to marry this human-made structure with nature and make it look like it belongs there.

As a graduate of garden design school, I will say that this may be easier said than done. Yet there are certain principles one can learn that will make it more approachable and provide a starting place.

One of the world’s highly respected living designers, John Brookes, states, “Nothing is ever designed in isolation; things do not just happen. There has to be a set of rules governing the patterns we evolve for a garden plan, in order that the ultimate layout will be pleasing as well as workable.”

One of those rules addresses proportion. In Brookes’s book The Book of Garden Design, he notes that most people are adept at using proportion as it relates to the inside of their homes. Somehow, when they go to approach their outdoor living space their natural sense of proportion falls by the wayside. This affects the sizes of elements as they relate to each other as well as to the whole. For example, the size of the deck, outdoor furniture and a garden bed all need to complement each other, just as indoors the pictures on the wall, a rug and a sofa all work together.

To illustrate the use of proportion in a garden, we can apply a rule of thumb that deals with foundation plantings. This planting area right around the house should extend out a distance that is one-third to two-thirds the height of the building at that point. It often doesn’t.

What we usually see is the narrow (18 inches or so wide) bed running along the base of the house. Few plants will fit in this space and even

fewer will look good scrunched up against the foundation. So widen the area for planting around the

WORDS OF WISDOM From a forefather of landscape architecture “Horticultural excellence in the garden can never compensate for a fundamentally bad layout.”

— Thomas Church

house, extending the area out several feet from the base of the house.

This improves the proportions as seen from the outside and allows persons inside the house looking out to see and enjoy the garden.

They will enjoy it even more if unity is also part of the design principles used. When applied successfully, this unity results in all the elements of a garden feeling like they were

A gorgeous garden bed integrates the house beautifully with its surroundings. The generous depth of the planting area around the house and a variety of plants make for an interesting landscape that can be seen from both outside and inside the house.

meant to go together. Harmony is created, and the space feels cohesive.

Unity can be created through repetition, but that is where the artistry of design comes in. Some designers will tell you that there should never be more than 10 different plant species in a design.

That may be boring if no artistry is used in the design of the garden.

So go forth, repeat your plants for unity, be merry with house and land and remember to spark your creativity when placing your 10 plant species in your expanded bed that hides your foundation.

Eve Gilmore is a garden coach, consultant and designer with Gardens

by Eve, LLC, in Durango. Follow her blog at www.xeriscapegardens.com.

Love gardening? Read

previous gardening columns at www.coloradocountrylife.coop.

Click on Gardening.

ColoradoCountryLife.coop July 2011 23

[outdoors]

Fancy Trappings to Lure Fish

Bow ties and ice cream cones — Do fish really care?

BY DENNIS SMITH

F

Fly fishers would probably agree that, of the dozens of supposedly new fly patterns that are introduced to the retail market every year, very few actually qualify as legitimate originals. Most are simply creative rearrangements of old standards tied with new synthetics — tungsten beads, artificial hair, Mylar tinsels and so on. They’re the same flies we’ve been fishing for eons, but they now sport trendy new names, glitzy beads and counterfeit animal hair, feathers or fur.

The same goes for some of the angling gadgetry that’s out there. Years ago, we used 89 cent fingernail clippers to cut fishing line and trim the tag ends of our knots. Today, those same clippers redesigned specifically for fly fishing can cost up to $17. I know; I have a pair. They’re made of anodized titanium and have replaceable surgical steel blades. Far as I can tell they don’t cut any better than the originals, the fish don’t give a hoot one way or the other, and I could have saved a bundle by swiping a pair of toenail clippers from the household medicine chest.

Which is not to say some things can’t be improved upon: This past weekend on a trip to the Delaney Butte Lakes, my son and I experimented with two newly improved midge fly patterns and an air-filled strike indicator called the Thingamabobber.

Both turned out to be winners.

Traditionally, midge patterns were tied with plain old thread, a pinch of rabbit, mole or muskrat fur and a few turns of fine gold or silver wire to suggest the segmented bodies of chironomids. They were called thread midges for obvious reasons, and they caught fish as often as not. Recently though, commercial tyers began adding plastic white bead heads to them and calling them ice cream cones, which they definitely resemble.

Others added bits of white Antron or polypropylene yarn to create the illusion of emerging wing buds or breather gills of the ascending pupae. They look a bit like bow ties and, because midges often buzz about frantically while hatching, ColoradoCountryLife.coop 24 July 2011

The active fish in this quiet lake wonder if this angler has $17 clippers to trim line.

they were aptly named Bow Tie Buzzers. Both are hyped as deadly effective.

Strike indicators are small floating devices of brightly colored cork, yarn or foam attached to the leader some distance above the fly to provide a visual aid in tracking leaders and detecting strikes in moving water. The Thingamabobber is a tiny airfilled balloon that functions like a traditional strike indicator, but when used in conjunction with midge patterns on windblown lakes like the Delaneys, it also provides the rhythmic up-and-down motion of midge pupae ascending to the surface — or so the operating theory goes.

Unfortunately, the first morning we rigged our Thingamabobbers with bow tie buzzers and ice cream cones, the wind refused to blow and the surface of East Delaney Butte Lake was still as death. After a fruitless half hour of Thingamabobber watching, I hollered to Dave that I was going to reel in, get my

camera and take some photos, but just as I lifted my rod, a fish took the bow tie buzzer. I released him and cast back out in the same spot, only to spend another 10 fruitless minutes of bobber watching.

“Okay,” I said, “That’s it. I’m going to get the camera.” Bam! Another fish grabbed the bow tie buzzer. And then another, some minutes later. Every time I announced I was going to get the camera, a fish would strike, and each time it was on the bow tie buzzer. Then Dave announced he was going for a camera, and he caught a fish. And then another.

We now believe we’ve created an original new trout fly. It works only when you threaten to go for your camera, so naturally we’re calling it the camerafly.

Or maybe the shutterbug.

Miss an issue? Catch up at coloradocountrylife.coop.

Click on Outdoors.

[energy tips]

TOO HOT/TOO COLD

Balancing room temps aids comfort BY JAMES DULLEY

T

There are rooms that are either chilly during winter or hot during summer. Are there simple, efficient ways to balance the temperatures in a home?

WE’RE THINKING OF

CHRISTMAS IN JULY Gift-giving time will be here soon and we want our readers to know what you offer.

Call Kris at 303-902-7276 to advertise in the November and December Colorado Country Life.

There are many reasons why various rooms in a house do not stay warm or cool enough even though they have similarly sized ducts.

One reason involves the windows. Southfacing windows can transmit heat into a room, causing it to overheat during summer.

North-facing windows, especially old leaky ones, can make a room chilly during winter.

New windows or insulating shades can help this situation.

The walls of the ducts may be another reason for temperature differences. They may be losing or gaining heat as the air makes its way from the furnace or central air conditioner to the rooms.

Check this by holding a thermometer in the register outlet airflow in each room.

If there is a significant difference in the temperature between two rooms, wrap insulation around as much of the duct as you can reach.

Another reason for uneven temperatures is not enough heated or cooled air is getting to those problem rooms. Check the damper plates in the ducts near the furnace to be sure the ones leading to the problem rooms are not partially closed and blocking airflow.

Try partially closing the dampers leading to the other rooms. You may have to close them quite a bit to notice the effect.

This may force more heated or cooled air to the problem rooms that need it. The settings of the duct dampers to each room will likely have to be changed from summer to winter because the heat gain or loss varies with the changing seasons.

For more information on energy use, visit coloradocountrylife. coop. Click on Energy Tips.

ColoradoCountryLife.coop July 2011 25

[marketplace]

JULY GIVEAWAY 1

2

3

WIN ONE OF THESE PRINTS

4

With sheep herding as our feature story this month, Colorado Country Life is giving away each of these sheep-themed 8x10 matted prints this month. Created by artist Conni Tögel, this lighthearted art was recently featured at Denver’s People’s Fair. Tögel, who lived in Colorado for a decade, is now based in South Carolina.

Log on to www.coloradocountrylife. coop and click on Contests to find out how to win one of these fun prints.

ColoradoCountryLife.coop 26 July 2011

2011 Hawaii Dream Vacation

7-night dream vacation includes roundtrip air for 2, lei greeting on arrival, Send Checks for tickets to: Drawing October luxury hotel12,& rental car.Liz Fiddes

2011 at 6 p.m.

Drawing Tickets October are12, $102011 each. at 6 p.m.

Proceeds benefit: Washington,

Tour, Tickets areD.C., $10Youth each.

Leadership Camp and the Employee Proceeds benefit: Burn Fund Washington, D.C., Youth Tour and Leadership Camp

% Colorado Rural Electricfor Association Send Checks tickets to: 5400LizN.Fiddes Washington St. Denver, CO 80216 % Colorado Rural Electric Association Send a self-addressed stamped 5400 N. Washington St. envelope, and returnCO address labels for each Denver, 80216

Sendticket a self-addressed envelope, purchasedstamped with phone number and return labels for eachchecks along withaddress your check.

(Make ticket purchased phoneRaffle.) number payable with to CWTF along with your check. (Make checks payable to CWTF Raffle.)

[marketplace]

Become a fan of Colorado Country Life

ColoradoCountryLife.coop July 2011 27

[classifieds] TO PLACE A CLASSIFIED AD Please type or print your ad on a separate paper.

Indicate how many months you would like your ad to run and which month to start. There is a minimum of 12 words at $1.63 per word/month.

Be sure to include your full name and address for our records. Check MUST accompany this order or call to pay by credit card. Send your ad to: mail: Colorado Country Life

5400 N. Washington St., Denver, CO 80216 phone: 303-902-7276 fax: 303-455-2807 email: classifieds@coloradocountrylife.org

ANTIQUES

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES

CHAIR CANING, hand caning, machine caning, fiber rush caning. Pueblo West, 719-547-0723. chaanita@aculink.net (858-10-11)

K-LAWN – LAWN FERTILIZING business opportunity. Part-time seasonal work. Be your own boss. NOT a franchise. It’s YOUR business! Training by turf professionals. Superior quality products.

Protected territory. Low startup costs. www.k-lawn.com 800-4459116 (914-07-11)

ANTLERS ANTLER CHANDELIERS made only from REAL antlers. We are the manufacturer and we sell all of our products at wholesale prices; save as much as 60% from store prices.

Many other antler products and mounts, including 5’ Moose Mount, 56” Elk Mount and giant Moose Paddles. Showroom open May 15 through October 15 in Granby, CO. 15 years at this location, over 900 satisfied customers! 970-627-3053.

(105-12-11)

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES (These opportunities have not been investigated by Colorado Country Life.)

LEGITIMATE WORK AT HOME opportunity. No sales. No investment.

No risk. Training/website provided.

Weekly/monthly income plus bonuses and benefits. Call Carrie at 303-579-4207 or fill out form at www.workathomeunited.com/ ourabundance (932-07-11) PIANO TUNING PAYS. Learn with American School home-study course. Tools included. Call for info.

800-497-9793. (158-01-12)

AVON sells – you earn money.

Generous profits. Flexible hours. $10 start up. ISR. 719-550-0242.

(133-07-11)

START YOUR OWN BUSINESS – home/internet. Simply the highest quality candles/gifts/beauty. Enter free drawing. www.naturesbest. scent-team.com (831-07-11)

BECOME A MORTGAGE BROKER. Earn up to $200,000 a year. www.easymoneyathome.com/ ad?pin=7507 or call toll free 800242-0363 Ext. 1405 (911-07-11)

SUCCESSFUL 28-YEAR familyowned outfitting business. Trail rides, sleigh rides, guided hunts.

Durango, CO, 970-749-0858.

(973-07-11)

BUSY, FULL SERVICE, AUTO REPAIR workshop in SW Colorado. Est. 35 yrs. Retiring owner may carry. Solid investment, dependable staff, 6 bays, paint booth, offices. 1-970563-4500. Please ask for Joyce.

(942-09-11)

CARS/TRUCKS/BOATS

INSTANTLY RENEW METAL, rubber, flat roofs. Saves replacement. Email azteccollc@socket.net 573-4899346. (856-08-11)

1985 CADILLAC ELDORADO Biarritz Conv., mint condition, collector’s dream, $15K, 970-522-4600 (899-10-11)

ColoradoCountryLife.coop 28 July 2011

50 SUBARUS! (1995-2010) Outbacks, Foresters, Imprezas, Tribecas & more! Great prices! One-year warranty! Dealer: www.Monument Motors.com 719-481-9900 (57408-12)

CARS/TRUCKS/BOATS

HELP WANTED

POULTRY/GAMEBIRDS

2005 40 FT. ALFA GOLD motorhome, diesel, loaded, 2 slides, non-smokers, new $400K, now $145K, 970-522-4600 (899-10-11)

$400 WEEKLY ASSEMBLING PRODUCTS FROM HOME. For free information, send SASE: Home Assembly – CC, Box 450, New Britain, CT 06050-0450.

FREE – 5 EXOTIC CHICKS or 3 ducks with 100 frypan special @ $35.95 plus shipping. Also Cornish Cross, standard breeds, fancy chicks, ducks, geese, turkeys, bantams, guineas, pheasants, quail, supplies, video. FREE COLOR CATALOG 417-532-4581. Cackle Hatchery – PO Box 529, Lebanon, MO 65536. www. cacklehatchery.com (876-07-11)

CLOCK REPAIR & RESTORATION DURANGO AREA. CLOCKS of all kinds repaired. Antique and modern. Call Robert 970-247-7729.

(109-07-11)

ENERGY GET THE MOST FROM YOUR enery dollar. An affordable energy audit from Chinook Energy can save hundreds in heating/cooling costs, home or business. www.Colorado WindTurbines.com/Chinook Energy. Call to schedule 888-5201258, 970-520-1258 (968-07-11)

EQUIPMENT & SUPPLIES COMMERCIAL WEED AND FIRE spray equipment. 307-660-8563 or visit us at www.oldwyomingbrand company.com (949-08-11)

FARM MACHINERY & PARTS SAWMILL EXCHANGE: North America’s largest source of used portable sawmills and commercial equipment for woodlot owners and sawmill operations. Over 800 listings. THE place to sell equipment.

800-459-2148 www.sawmill exchange.com. (267-09-11)

FINANCIAL SERVICES NEED A LOAN? Members Federal Credit Union can help with your Auto, Home, Credit Card, and more!

Visit www.mbrcu.com or email loans@mbrcu.com (965-07-11)

FOR SALE JACK ROBERTS Original Oil Paintings. Collection of 10 large oils.

Trappers and Indians motif. Grand Junction area. buckandgloria@ yahoo.com (962-07-11)

FREE FREE BOOKS/DVDS. Soon the “Mark of the Beast” will be enforced as Church and State unite!

Let the Bible reveal. The Bible Says, POB 99, Lenoir City, TN 37771. thebiblesaystruth@yahoo.com 888-211-1715. (814-08-11)

HEALTH HEALTH INSURANCE, individual or farm and ranch, watts.david@ planadvisorsllc.com 720-200-3138 ext 150, 1-866-499-7076 ext 150.

(915-09-11)

EARN $4,000/MO. PART-TIME in the livestock or equipment appraisal business. Agricultural background required. Classroom or home study courses available. 800-488-7570. www.amagappraisers.com (93509-11)

HOBBIES & CRAFTS ART TEACHERS wanted for summer classes. Rocky Mountains. Call 941623-3720. (892-08-11) AWARD WINNING LONG-ARM QUILTING — reasonable rates, quick turnaround. Karen Niemi, 303-470-9309, http://creative. stitching.home.comcast.net, creative.stitching@comcast.net (846-08-12) BOOKS, PATTERNS, CLASSES, knitting, dyeing, felting, crocheting, weaving, spinning. www.table rockllamas.com Colorado Springs, 866-495-7747 (791-11-11) GRAND LAKE, CO., ARTS ON PARK AVE., 1117 Park Ave. Art classes. Kids $20, ceramics $10 ea., paint & frame $10. Adults: watercolor $40, oil $75, acrylic $65, pastels $65, drawing $55, includes supplies. 970-531-0139 Karen Norberg (892-08-11)

IMPROVEMENTS & REPAIRS BEE REMOVALS & HOME IMPROVEMENTS, jack of all trades. Northern & central Colorado. Scott, 970-5810400. (975-09-11)

LIVESTOCK FOR SALE OREO CATTLE. Black Belted Galloways. Loveland, CO. Registered and crossbred. 970-667-5333. Donaten@ mesanetworks.net (694-08-11)

LIVESTOCK SERVICES RODEO ROOTS to Modern-Day Cowboys is a western book that makes a great display for those who admire the beauty, majesty, and Western contribution of horses. $25. Call 303-455-4111 to order one today. (106-12-11)

PETS IF YOU HAVE ANIMAL PROBLEMS/ disputes, give me a call. www.Peta. org 719-248-6546 (970-07-11)

REAL ESTATE 35-ACRE PARCELS, overlooking North Sterling Reservoir, ideal for custom home, exc. hunting, 970522-4600. (899-10-11) APARTMENTS $299, RESTAURANT $750, 6 acres fenced $1250, Motel Baron, Roggen, 303-934-2677. (97609-11) ELIZABETH, 36.5 acres, agricultural, half mile north of Walmart. Will carry at 4% on $450,000 – 303-2493218. (977-09-11) GRAND LAKE LAKEFRONT handhewn 5 BR log home and boathouse, $2,600,000, 713-8067478 (971-09-11) LAND WANTED — cash buyer looking to purchase 500-20,000 acres in Colorado. Will consider bail outs, foreclosures, joint ventures, condo/ commercial projects. Will close quickly. Call Joe @ Red Creek Land 719-543-6663. (648-08-11)

RELIGION BECOME AN ORDAINED Minister by correspondence study. Founded in 1988. Free info. Ministers for Christ Outreach, PMB 207, 7549 W Cactus, #104, Peoria, AZ 85381. http://www. ordination.org (441-12-11)

SPECIAL SERVICES LAKE OR POND? Aeration is your 1st step toward improved water quality. Complete systems $199 to $369!! Waterfall? 7,000 gph super hi-efficiency waterfall pump, just 3 amps! $399.99! www.fishpond aerator.com, 608-254-2735. (87912-11)

PLACE AN AD IN CLASSIFIEDS and watch your business grow OR get it sold! Call 303-902-7276 for more information.

[funny stories] SPECIAL SERVICES

WANTED TO BUY

WANTED TO BUY

TELL ME YOUR STORY! As a personal historian, I record your significant life experiences for future generations. Projects can be memoirs, organization histories, family cookbooks, family reunion or remembrance books, or home histories, resulting in a custom book and/or video. www.Retelling.net marybethlagerborg@gmail.com 720-244-4319. (978-07-11)

I WILL BUY YOUR German daggers, helmets and other military items.

Don Simmons, PO Box 4734, Springfield, MO 65808, 417-881-5645.

DSimmons@corpranet.net (470-12-11)

VINTAGE FISHING TACKLE. I buy rods, reels, lures, creels, etc. Call Gary at 970-222-2181 (960-07-11)

TICKETS NFR & PBR RODEO TICKETS – Las Vegas. All seating levels available.

Call 1-888-NFR-rodeo (1-888-6377633) or www.NFR-Rodeo.com. *BBB Member; Since 1990. (912-11-11)

VACATION RENTAL DON’T BE CRABBY – BE WARM! Visit our rental in St. Croix, USVI, no passport needed, directly on the beach. Call 970-482-8999 or check out our website for pictures & info www.stcroixsugarbeach.com (951-07-11) KAUAI VACATION RENTAL, 2bdr, full kitchen. Minutes from beaches. $600/wk. 808-245-6500; maka nacrest.com; kauaiweddings.com.

(756-05-12)

NAVAJO RUGS, old and recent, native baskets, pottery. Tribal Rugs, Salida. 719-539-5363, b_inaz@ hotmail.com (817-10-11) OLD COWBOY STUFF–hats, boots, spurs, chaps, Indian rugs, baskets, etc. ANYTHING OLD! Mining & railroad memorabilia, ore carts! We buy whole estates. We’ll come to you! Call 970-759-3455 or 970-5651256. (871-09-11) OLD GAS AND OIL items: Gas pumps, advertising signs, globes, etc. Pieces, parts, etc. considered.

Also 1932-34 Ford cars and trucks, parts and pieces too. Any condition.

Brandon, 719-250-5721. (519-11-11) OLD POCKET WATCHES – working or non-working and old repair material. Bob 719-859-4209 watchdoctor@hotmail.com. (870-06-12)

WANT TO PURCHASE mineral and other oil/gas interests. Send details to: PO Box 13557, Denver, CO 80201.

(402-02-12) WANTED: JEEP CJ OR WRANGLER. Reasonably priced. No rust buckets.

888-735-5337. (227-09-11) WE PAY CASH FOR minerals and oil/ gas interests, producing and nonproducing. 800-733-8122. (227-09-11)

WEDDINGS DO YOU WANT TO CREATE a magical, romantic, unforgettable wedding on the beach? The NEW Beach Wedding Planning Guide and Workbook shows you how. Download now at www.BeachWedding Magic.com. (106-12-11)

Call Kris at 303-902-7276 to advertise in the classified section.

RODEO BOOK SALE

An old man lived alone in New Jersey. He wanted to plant his annual tomato garden, but it was difficult work as the ground was hard.

His only son, Vincent, who used to help him, was in prison. The old man wrote a letter to his son and described his predicament: Dear Vincent, I am feeling pretty sad because it looks like I won’t be able to plant my tomato garden this year. I’m just getting too old to be digging up a garden plot. I know if you were here my troubles would be over. I know you would be happy to dig the plot for me, like in the old days.

Love, Papa A few days later he received a letter from his son.

Dear Papa, Don’t dig up that garden. That’s where the bodies are buried.

Love, Vinnie At 4 a.m. the next morning, FBI agents and local police arrived and dug up the entire area without finding any bodies. They apologized to the old man and left. That same day the old man received another letter from his son.

Dear Papa, Go ahead and plant the tomatoes now. That’s the best I could do under the circumstances.

Love, Vinnie Joe Fetter, Denver We were excited to once again call Durango home after a 27-year hiatus and decided to celebrate with a nice bottle of wine.

I went into a liquor store where a large sign read: Under 40 we card! I took my purchase to the cash register and the clerk asked politely if he could see my ID card. Since I’m on the downhill side of 65 years of age, I told him I was really flattered that he thought I looked under 40.

“Oh no, that’s not why I asked to see your ID,” he said.

“It’s just that if you’re old enough, you get a discount.”

I got the discount.

Aubrey E. Holderness, Durango

Price cut $20 includes shipping. Order your Colorado’s Rodeo Roots to the Modern Cowboys. Call 303-455-4111. Don’t miss this great deal.

We pay $15 to each person who submits a funny story that’s printed in the magazine. At the end of the year, we draw one name from those submitting jokes and that person will receive $150. Send your 2011 stories to Colorado Country Life, 5400 N. Washington St., Denver, CO 80216 or email funnystories@coloradocountrylife.org.

ColoradoCountryLife.coop July 2011 29

[discoveries]

{

EXPLORE COLORADO

Get to know Colorado this summer. Head out and spend time hiking, biking, boating, the best kept secrets ColovisitingAmong small towns, driving back roads of andexperiencing taking advantage of all rugged outdoors in comfort are the yurts that therado’s Centennial State has to offer.

These Discoveries willinhelp State Forest Park west of Fort Collins. The State you enjoy your visits State throughout the state. encompasses 71,000 acres of forest, jaggedand StartForest with the new Colorado CD put together

by Octavio alpine lakes. along thepainstakingly west side Yolandapeaks Nodaand of Berthoud.

This Located interactive media of by thethe Medicine Bow Mountains andand on the north compiled Nodas includes photos, maps information of theinNever Summer Range,forthe park is home to on all 64end counties the state.

It’s perfect kids. moose and other wildlife crisscrossed Order your copy for $18.95 fromand Noda Audio Visual,with LLC,miles PO trails. CO 80539 or email nodav@comcast.net.

Box 24, of Loveland,

[Load and Lock This Bungee] An innovative adjustable bungee cord is a great help when packing for a trip.

Try the Knotbone Adjustable Bungee from Boulder’s Nite Ize company. With carabiner clips instead of open hooks at each end, the cord will anchor where you want it. Then, using the high-quality cord the bungee is made of and the innovative “knotbone” at the end, you can adjust the cord to the length you need.

As the information at www.niteize. com says, “No more pulling, stretching and re-hooking to get the tension you want.”

Find out more at 800-678-6483.

TOP OFF YOUR TRIP

Do more than keep the sun out of your eyes with a stylish hat from Wallaroo Hat Company in Boulder — keep the sun’s rays off your skin. These colorful, crushable fabric hats fit any head with their drawstring sizing and they offer UV protection rated at more than 50.

You’ll find the hats for men, women and children at REI and at hiking, outdoors and garden shops throughout the state.

Or order your favorite at www. wallaroohats.com.

ColoradoCountryLife.coop 30 July 2011

[SAFETY FIRST] Be prepared for all kinds of roadside emergencies with two unique products from Safe Bright, the 4-in-1 Safety Stick and the 9-in-1 Safety Puck.

Safety Stick is an emergency tool you’ll want to keep handy in the car. This waterproof tool comes with a seat belt cutter and a hammer point that will break glass. It also has a white bulb on the end that can be used as a flashlight and nine flashing red LEDs on the sides.

The best part? It has a strong magnet on the bottom that will attach the tool to any metal surface so the flashing lights can be used as a safety light or so the flashlight end can be positioned to illuminate a work area.

Not enough flash from the Safety Stick? Add the Safety Puck, a versatile warning light. This 4-inch puck-shaped device uses 16 LED lights all around the circumference to flash using nine different patterns. The red lights will flicker, swirl, pulse, flash or provide a flashlight-like beam.

One side of the Safety Puck is magnetic so it can be stuck on the side of a vehicle, providing light visible for up to a half mile. It is durable enough to function in temperatures ranging from 130 degrees to minus 20 degrees Fahrenheit. And the light case is strong enough to withstand being run over by a car.

Find these and other safety products at www.safetybright. com.