Colorado Country Life KC December 2011

December [[March 2011]2011]

Ballads Heartland from the

[contents]

December 2011 [features] 14 Educating the Next

Generation of Leaders

Co-ops show young people the

benefits of co-ops

16 Ballads from the Heartland

Barry Ward’s rich voice, heart-felt lyrics take him around the world

[columns]

14

20 Ready to Entertain

Cookbook outlines everything you

16

need for a great party

22 Keepin’ It Real

Go green for the holidays with

a live Christmas tree

25 Outdoors

[departments]

The heart of the electric co-op difference

5 6 7 12 29 30

Letters Calendar Co-op News NewsClips Funny Stories Discoveries

4

25 Energy Tips

Viewpoint

29 [cover]

esidents fed up with Colorado’s R hunting policies

30

Capture solar heat for inexpensive warmth this winter

20

22

Cover photo of singer Barry Ward by Brent Ward, brentwardphotos.com.

COMMUNICATIONS STAFF: M ona Neeley, CCC, Publisher/Editor@303-455-4111; Donna Norris, Associate Editor • Amy Higgins, 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 12

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]; Don McClaskey [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]; Marcus Wilson [San Miguel]; Paul Erickson [Sangre de Cristo]; Mark Grasmick [Southeast]; Jim Jaeger [United Power]; Bill Jordan [White River]; Stuart Travis [Y-W]; Charles Perry [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]

Commitment to Community The heart of the electric co-op difference

BY KENT SINGER CREA EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR KENT@COLORADOREA.ORG

C

Concern for community — this is one of the seven cooperative principles that distinguishes your local electric co-op from other electric utilities. Your local electric co-op is not owned by an out-of-state conglomerate. It is owned by you, a member-owner Kent Singer of the cooperative. That means that your co-op is not only in business to provide affordable and reliable power, but it also has the interest of the community at heart.

How do electric co-ops connect with their communities and put those community interests at the heart of company decisions? Let’s count the ways: 1. A co-op is a nonprofit operation.

Your electric co-op is not out to make a profit. The co-op only charges what is required to operate the system and cover the costs in a way that meets loan requirements. If there is excess money, called margins in a nonprofit business, the co-op will return those funds to the member-owners in the form of patronage capital checks.

2. Co-ops sponsor local events.

Every electric co-op in Colorado is involved with local schools, civic organizations, 4-H or FFA groups and local governments to help make their communities better places to live.

Electric co-ops sponsor all kinds of events including energy fairs, youth livestock sales and safety programs, just to name a few.

ColoradoCountryLife.coop 4 December 2011

Co-ops across Colorado also show their heart by lending a hand to charitable organizations through donations of money and employee time.

3. Some co-ops offer Round Up programs.

Some of Colorado’s electric co-ops sponsor their own charitable organization funded when members “round up” their electric bill to the next dollar. This change is collected and then made available to individuals and organizations in the community with needs.

A foundation board oversees the program and dispenses the money in ways that benefit the community.

4. Energy audits and rebate programs help members. The electric co-ops are also concerned about wise energy use and your ability to pay your electric bill. The co-ops provide energy audits. Auditors can explain how to properly seal your home for the winter, what appliances will be more efficient and what other options will minimize your energy bill. Many electric co-ops offer rebate programs for energy-efficient appliances and motors that will save you money.

5. Co-ops have a commitment to reliable electric service. Some of Colorado’s electric co-ops got hit hard by the early November snows or in the windstorms that blew through the state at the end of that month.

Co-ops without damage to their lines

sent crews to aid those that were hardest hit. Those with lines down worked around the clock to get the power back on for members.

Some members were without power for days, but that was due to their location and to particular circumstances. It was not due to a lack of concern from the co-op or its employees. It was also not due to a lack of maintenance on the lines.

Some East Coast utilities have seen long outages recently because they have cut back on maintenance to save money and make sure their investors get a good return. Electric co-ops as nonprofit entities don’t have to worry about investors. They have to worry about members and that’s you.

At any Colorado electric co-op it really is all about community. It is the co-op’s community, too. It is where the co-op manager, staff, employees and board members also live and work. Concern for that community is at the heart of “the cooperative difference.”

We at Colorado Rural Electric Association appreciate the cooperative spirit and enjoy working with all of the communities that are part of Colorado’s electric co-op family. We wish all of you a safe and happy holiday season. Have a merry Christmas and a happy New Year.

Executive Director

[letters] Support for Libraries

Today, I am happy to pass along exciting news from the Colorado State Library.

It has recently launched public computer centers in 83 communities around the state. These public computer centers can provide you with access to computer training and assistance with education, job searches, health information and other issues.

For more information about these public computer centers and to find one near your area, visit cde.state.co.us/cdelib/ BTOP.

Sen. Michael F. Bennet, Washington, D.C.

No Nukes

I am greatly opposed to the use and the building of nuclear plants. My son and daughter-in-law had to leave their home in Japan due to the nuclear plant meltdown. (There are reports that) things are still getting worse there. Please, let’s not be foolish.

Clare Watts, Dolores

Hunting Frustrations

Concerning Dennis Smith’s article on the dove opener (October ’11), I agree and would add one more pet peeve. Why does the state wildlife division allow exorbitant trophy fees to be charged by ranchers and landowners to hunt the wild game on their land that belongs to the people of the state of Colorado?

We hunt area 28 every year, and four out of every five years we can only watch the big animals on private land and we cannot pursue them. Colorado is turning into Europe, where only the wealthy can hunt the big guys.

Brad Clay, Castle Rock

Book Reviews

Thank you for including Animalogy: Animal Analogies in the Best Books issue (November ’11). I really appreciate your support.

Cathy Morrison, Fort Collins

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

Wishing our readers a holiday season filled wit h Comfort and Joy. Your Colorado Country Life staff

ColoradoCountryLife.coop December 2011 5

[calendar]

[December] Through December 31 Downtown Denver Grand Illumination light display Union Station to City and County Building 6 pm • denver.org/events/ festivals Through December 30 Pueblo Christmas decorated mansion tour Rosemount Museum Closed Sundays and Mondays 715-545-5290 December 10 Beulah Parade of Lights Starts at dusk at the Beulah High school • 719-485-3937 December 11 Pueblo Yule Log Pueblo Mountain Park Pavilion • 1 p.m. • 719-485-3937 December 15-28 Durango Polar Express train ride Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad Closed on Christmas 5:15 pm • 877-872-4607 December 16 Fort Collins “Clara and the Nutcracker” ballet The Lincoln Center 7 pm • 970-221-6730 December 16 Grand Junction Chocolate Walk through Main Street Enstrom Candies 5:30-9 pm • gjcity.org December 17 Durango “Hark the Neville Angel Sings” show Durango Arts Center 7 pm • 970-259-2606 December 17 Fort Collins Winter Farmers Market Opera Galleria 10 am-3 pm • 970-219-3382 ColoradoCountryLife.coop 6 December 2011

December 17 Golden Santa Claus Train rides Colorado Railroad Museum 9 am-5 pm • 303-279-4591

December 25 Salida Community Christmas Dinner United Methodist Church 11:30 am-3 pm • 719-530-9911

December 17 Grand Junction Holiday Pops with The Texas Tenors Grand Junction High School 7:30 pm • 970-243-6787

Saturdays in January Winter Park Free Horse-Drawn Carriage Rides Cooper Creek Square 4-7 pm • coopercreeksquare. com/calendar.php

December 26 Grand Lake Historical Holiday Celebration January 4 Kauffman House Museum Winter Park 6-9 pm • 970-627-9466 S’mores By the Fire Winter Park Resort December 27 3-4 pm • 303-316-1564 December 17 Denver Highlands Ranch Free Laughter Yoga class January 7 Winter Market Denver Botanic Gardens Granby Town Center South 8-9 am • 720-865-3500 Snowfest Ranch festivities 10 am-3 pm • 303-791-2500 SolVista Basin December 28 5-8 pm • 888-850-4615 December 17 Grand Lake Wiggins Open House January 11 Holiday Craft Show Kauffman House Museum Elizabeth Wiggins Elementary Gym 1-4 pm • 970-627-9466 “My Pencil and I” 10 am-3 pm • 970-380-1888 drawing class December 29 Elizabeth Library December 18 Lone Tree Loveland “One-Man Star Wars Trilogy” 3:30-4:30 pm • 303-646-3416 “Images of Christmas” musical performance January 12-15 Mountain View High School Lone Tree Arts Center 2-4 pm • ci.loveland.co.us 8 pm • lonetreeartscenter.org Aspen/Snowmass Wintersköl winter carnival Snowmass, Aspen Mountain, December 18 December 31 Aspen Highlands and ButSalida Cañon City termilk “The Dresser” theater New Year’s Eve Train 800-525-6200 performance Royal Gorge Route Railroad Salida SteamPlant 6:30 pm • 719-276-4000 January 13-14 2:30 pm • stagelefttheatre.org Evergreen December 31 “Remaining in Orbit” theater December 19 Colorado Springs production Telluride New Year’s Eve Ball Center/Stage Trivia Night Colorado Springs Marriott 7:30 pm • evergreenplayers.org Cornerhouse Grille 7 pm-1 am • major 8:30 pm • 970-728-6207 mandolin.tv January 13 Grand Junction December 21 December 31 Irish Thunder Celtic show Gunnison Downtown Denver Avalon Theatre Jai Yoga class New Year’s Eve Fireworks 6:30 pm • 970-241-0741 Main Street Clinic 16th Street Mall 12-1 pm • 970-275-5987 9 pm and 12 am • denver.org/ January 13 events/festivals Telluride December 23 Elephant Revival concert Crested Butte Sheridan Opera House Holiday Dinner at the Yurt 8:30 pm • 970-728-6363 x 5 Magic Meadows Yurt 6 pm • 970-349-1707 x 3 January 14 January 1 Crested Butte December 24 Denver Metro Pottery Painting Winter Park Christmas Bird Count walks Torchlight Parade & Fireworks South Platte River and Cherry Art Studio, Center for the Arts 2-6 pm • 970-349-7487 x 4 Winter Park Resort Creek areas • 303-814-2723 5:30 pm • 970-726-1564 denveraudubon.org

[ January]

SEND CALENDAR 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.

Happy New Year 2012

K.C. ELECTRIC ASSOCIATION

[Country News] [what’s inside]

2011 Year in Review

n Flagler Gets Exciting News

Employee Safety and Financial Stability Top the List

n Support for Today’s Youth

BY TIMOTHY J. POWER GENERAL MANAGER AND CEO KCHUGO@KCELECTRIC.COOP

n This $1.2 Million Is the Real

Stimulus Package n Snow Storm Prep n Irrigation Meter Reading n The Country Kitchen HUGO OFFICE P.O. Box 8 Hugo, CO 80821-0008 STRATTON OFFICE P.O. Box 285 Stratton, CO 80836-0285 HUGO ADDRESS 422 Third Avenue Hugo, CO 80821 STRATTON ADDRESS 281 Main Street Stratton, CO 80836 719-743-2431 [Hugo] 719-348-5318 [Stratton] www.kcelectric.coop [web] BOARD OF DIRECTORS Kevin Penny [president] Robert Bledsoe [vice president] Terry Tagtmeyer [secretary/treasurer] Danny Mills [asst. secretary/treasurer] James Lewis [director] Jim Michal [director] Luanna Naugle [director] Dave Ritchey [director] Marvin Thaller [director] STAFF Tim Power [general manager] Chance Briscoe [office manager] Ben Orrell [member services specialist] Larry Shutte [operations manager] Paul Norris [line superintendent]

K

K.C. Electric Association saw part of the cooperative model, stability in leadership and members share in these continued employee safety in margins in the form of capital 2011. In June, K.C. Electric credits. In October, K.C. held its annual meeting in Electric’s board of directors Stratton and saw Kevin Penapproved the distribution of ny, Bob Bledsoe and Danny $1.2 million in capital credits.

Mills all get reelected to the (See the article on page 9 board of directors. A couple from board President Kevin Timothy J. Power months later, the company Penny.) was recognized for another year of no lost Next year will see the new rates taking time due to accidents for its employees. effect. (See last month’s Colorado Country This is a great accomplishment for K.C. Life article and the November bill stuffer.)

Electric. The last time an employee lost With K.C. Electric’s solid financial positime due to an accident was back in 2008. tion and cost containment strategies, From a personnel perspective, 2011 was these rate increases ended up being less a relatively quiet year compared to 2010. than were anticipated. That being said, K.C. Electric did see its staking engiwith the cost pressures faced by Tri-State, neer, Clint Hubbell, leave for a job with K.C. Electric and its members need to Tri-State Generation and Transmission. get in a mind-set of expecting annual After some internal reshuffling, K.C. rate increases. The board of directors Electric eventually hired Nathan Rouse as and management will work to keep those an apprentice lineman to work out of the increases as low as possible.

Cheyenne Wells office.

As the year winds down, I am already In the technology arena, K.C. Electric considering the implications of the continued its testing of AMI (advanced elections in November 2012. I encourmetering infrastructure) systems. One of age all K.C. Electric members to make the main advantages of an AMI system to your voices heard by voting. I only hope K.C. Electric will be its automated meter the political ads can wait until after the reading, which will free the linemen to holidays. spend more time maintaining and upgrading the lines and poles throughout the system. As K.C. Electric moves forward with AMI, look for more information in future editions of Colorado Country Life.

Financially, 2011 was another good year for the cooperative. Irrigation and from K.C. Electric! residential sales were slightly higher than expected, resulting in solid margins. As

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year

ColoradoCountryLife.coop December 2011 7

[Country News] Flagler Gets Some Exciting News

BY BEN ORRELL MEMBER SERVICES SPECIALIST

I

I have been told that I am premature on this story and that I should wait until the project is finished. Sorry, this is just too good to pass up. Recently I learned that Robert Ostrowski is building a museum in Flagler. Once I heard I couldn’t get up there quickly enough to find out more.

Bob was more than happy to meet with me but more than a little reluctant to have a story done now. I can be persuasive and I won. I promised him another one once the project is complete.

I met Bob early one morning out on his farm. He had just finishing feeding cattle and we walked to a large shed where he keeps many of the future museum’s relics. We entered the shed, ducked under the neck of a gooseneck trailer and when the lights came on, I simply stood there amazed. The building was simply packed with vintage cars. These are not cars in the process of restoration. No, these are beautiful, historic and drivable.

As we started through the shed he talked about each vehicle briefly. He is an absolute fountain of knowledge about each vehicle and even knows the ownership history of most of them. He has vehicles

ranging from the Model T to touring cars, old pickups, custom cars and cars into the late 80s. Some are convertibles, others have a hard top and a cloth top; many have wooden tops covered in cloth. This is much more than a walk down memory lane; this is truly educational. Amazingly, some are absolutely original and have never even been repainted. (Hope Congregational Church, #1140260000) Some have scrapbooks showing the rebuilding process from a rusted old hulk sitting under a tree. They all run and can be driven.

Bob loves these cars and has been working on cars since he was 8 years old.

Now he wants to put them someplace where they can be enjoyed by everyone.

To that end he has purchased a piece of ground in Flagler on the east side of town.

Basically it will be east of the current Second Central School museum but east of Ruffner Avenue.

When I was there, a concrete slab had been poured and the structure was about ready to start going up. The end product will be an 80- by 150-foot structure.

There will be a series of windows just below roof level to let in maximum natu-

Bob Ostrowski with just a few of his historic and drivable cars. Bob plans to open a museum in Flagler that highlights his collection of automobiles and antique equipment.

ColoradoCountryLife.coop 8 December 2011

ral light. This building will house many of his vehicles. He has an operating steam engine that will likely be housed inside as well.

Outside he plans to have antique equipment set up to be viewed. Much of it will be in operating condition. Bob’s concern is that with the current price of scrap steel, much of this kind of equipment will soon be gone forever.

This museum will be a wonderful addition to Flagler but will become a tourist attraction as well. Bob is extremely creative and has ideas that will make the outside as much fun as the inside of the museum. (Raymond Aldridge, #1100610000) I hope this article is enough to make you curious and that we can all watch this project come to fruition. It could take up to a year to complete. These cars and his equipment need to be seen and enjoyed by as many people as possible, and nothing would make Bob happier.

Support for Today’s Youth At K.C. Electric, we talk a lot about the services we provide to you, our members. But many of our valueadded benefits are directed at a younger audience: children.

It’s important that we support our youngest members, not only to enrich their lives, but also to instill in them the importance of cooperative membership. After all, these youngsters will one day become community and possibly co-op leaders.

For high school seniors, we offer college scholarships. High school juniors have the opportunity to attend the annual Electric Cooperative Youth Tour, where we send a student to Washington, D.C., on a weeklong educational excursion every June.

And for children of all ages, we provide safety demonstrations where K.C. Electric employees go to schools to teach kids about electrical safety. We also support local sports clubs with sponsorships.

Outreach with youth and improving the quality of life in the communities we serve is just one more way we look out for you. (Sunset Trailer Park, #414911002)

[Country News]

This $1.2 Million is the Real Stimulus Package

BY KEVIN PENNY BOARD PRESIDENT

K

K.C. Electric is set apart from many business structures in that it is a cooperative, owned by its members. Yearly, our margins are allocated to our members’ capital credit accounts in proportion to the amount of electricity they used. As you may recall, you receive a card from K.C. Electric showing the amount of capital credits allocated to you for that year and the total amount that remains unpaid. These margins are retained by K.C. Electric for a period of time to help strengthen its financial position.

Members receive an indirect benefit by K.C. Electric’s use of the retained margins, as that requires K.C. Electric to borrow less money. But the biggest benefit is when K.C. Electric pays back the capital credits. (Melanie Linn, #536650015) Annually, your board of directors makes a determination on the amount of capital credits, if any, that the board may retire, while ensuring the financial integrity of the cooperative. This year, directors are retiring $1.2 million. This is in addition to the retirements made to the beneficiaries of deceased patrons. These retirements will be made on a first-in, first-out basis, covering a period of time. If your capital credit amount is $20 or more,

If your capital credit amount is $20 or more, look for a capital credit check in December. look for a capital credit check in December. If your capital credit amount is under $20, then the retirement amount will continue to accrue each year until it reaches $20.

Should you have any questions, please contact a director or the office of K.C. Electric. We are happy to be able to return this amount of capital credit to you, our members, and continue to show the benefits of being a part of this cooperative.

Snow Storm Prep

BY LARRY SHUTTE OPERATION MANAGER

L

Late October brought us a reminder that winter is fast approaching. The couple of inches of snow that fell in our area were minor compared to the 12 inches or more that fell in the Greeley and Fort Collins areas. The Greeley area was without power for nearly four days.

Poudre Valley Rural Electrical Cooperative requested assistance, as it had more than 8,000 consumers out of power. We sent two crews up to help the co-op.

PVREA expected it would take five days to remove all the tree limbs and get power restored to all its consumers.

By the time this goes to print, we may have already experienced another storm. (*Win, Raymond Aldridge, #1100610000) In any event, before we get hit with another storm like this, it would be worth a little time to make sure you are prepared. If you have a standby generator, then make sure it is in good working order and is ready for those unplanned events Mother Nature throws at us. It would also be a good exercise to make sure your double throw switch is in proper working order (or that

you have one installed if you currently do not have one installed for your generator). The double-throw switch is a switch that isolates your generator from the electrical system of your providing utility.

It is designed to protect your generator, as well as anyone working on the power lines that provide you with electricity. As always, keep safety in mind when working with any electrical components.

If you do experience an outage, please let us know as soon as possible. We may be aware of it already, but it never hurts to call us. If we are aware of a large areawide outage, then you will be notified of that when you call.

Have a safe and merry Christmas.

IRRIGATION METER READING Irrigation meters will be read on the following dates: December 28-29 and January 30-31.

FACTS AND FIGURES ON CHRISTMAS TREE FIRES • Between 2003 and 2008, U.S. fire departments responded to an average of 260 home fires per year that started with Christmas trees. These fires caused an average of 14 deaths, 26 injuries and $13.8 million in direct property damage annually.

• Christmas tree fires are not common, but when they occur, they are likely to be serious. On average, one of every 21 reported fires that began with a Christmas tree resulted in death.

• A heat source too close to the Christmas tree started one of every five of these fires. (Gordon Hollowell, #638730012) ColoradoCountryLife.coop December 2011 9

[Country News] THE COUNTRY KITCHEN GRANDMA JENSEN’S DANISH MEATBALLS AND ELNA’S DANISH DUMPLINGS

This is a traditional Danish Christmas Eve supper. This chicken soup with meatballs and dumplings is served over rice with raisins and/or mashed potatoes.

GRIND 1 lb. raw chicken meat 1 onion ADD 3 tablespoons flour 1 cup cracker crumbs 6 tablespoons butter 1 egg 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon pepper

CLAIM YOUR CREDIT ON YOUR BILL Each month, K.C. Electric offers consumers a chance to earn a $10 credit on their next electric bill. If you recognize your 10-digit account number in this magazine, call 719-7432431 and ask for your credit.

It couldn’t be easier.

In October Art Strobel of Bethune, W.C. Ely of Stratton and Randy Wilhite of Cheyenne Wells called to claim their savings and Daniel McCaffrey of Seibert called to win a prize.

Get acquainted with your account number, read your Colorado Country Life magazine and pick up the phone.

That’s all the energy you’ll need to claim your energy bucks.

You must claim your credit during the month in which your name appears in the magazine (check the date on the front cover).

Form into balls and drop into chicken broth.

Next step is to prepare the dumplings that go in the soup with the meatballs.

1 cup boiling water 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup shortening or butter 1 cup flour 4 eggs Bring water, salt and shortening to a boil in a heavy skillet. Add all the flour at once. Cook to a mass or until it slips away from all sides of the kettle. (All of the water will be absorbed by the dough.) Add eggs, one at a time and beat in. Shape with teaspoon into a large almond shape. Drop into a pan of simmering water. When done the dumplings will rise to the top.

Dumpling dough can be made in advance and stored in the refrigerator until ready to go into the pan of simmering water. Do not cover while cooking.

Alice Jensen, Hugo

BEST EVER PIE CRUST

1 cup shortening 2 cups flour 1/3 cup milk 1 tsp. vinegar Dash salt Mix all together and roll out. Enough for two crusts.

Joyce Colvin, Kit Carson ColoradoCountryLife.coop 10 December 2011

During the holiday season, consider using ENERGY STAR-qualified lights and strands to decorate. They use 70 percent less energy than regular lights and last up to 10 times as long. They also give off less heat, reducing the risk of fire.

Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

ColoradoCountryLife.coop December 2011 11

[newsclips]

Iraqi Utility Engineers Visit CREA in November

F

Five visiting Iraqi utility engineers learned how Colorado’s electric co-ops serve their members during a visit with the Colorado Rural Electric Association in mid-November.

As part of a U.S. Department of State international visitor leadership program, Ali Raouf Ahmed, Mohammed Ali Abdullah Hased, Ali H. Abdulkareem, Hussein H. Fayadh and Hazim Rajaa Mukhlif visited Colorado, Florida and Texas. In Colorado, these five electrical engineers and their interpreters visited the Public Utilities Commission, the Office of Consumer Counsel, Xcel Energy and Xcel’s Cherokee power plant in north Denver prior to meeting with CREA Executive Director Kent Singer and his staff at the CREA office.

During the co-op visit, Singer reviewed how electric co-ops in the U.S. were organized in the 1930s to bring electricity to rural

America where only 10 percent of the farms and ranches had electricity. He also explained how electric co-ops continue to serve their members today.

He highlighted the various power generation, transmission and distribution portions of the co-op business model. He also explained how co-ops regulate themselves through their elected boards.

The Iraqi engineers were interested in how rates are determined and how fees for services, such as line extensions, are charged. Iraq’s electric system, which is a government-owned system, is facing challenges because many parts of the system have been damaged in the war. New power plants and new infrastructure are needed.

LOANS FOR POWER LINE UPGRADES ANNOUNCED BY RURAL UTILITIES SERVICE

E RENEWABLE TAX INCENTIVES Should the production tax credit (tax incentives) be extended beyond 2012 for renewable energy projects, such as wind and solar farms?

Vote yes or no by sending your vote and any comments to info@colorado countrylife.org.

Co-op Growth Continues

D

During the last 10 years, electric co-ops have grown about 2 percent a year, 0.8 percent faster than other electric utilities. New data suggests that growth has slowed in the last two years, but co-ops are still growing about 0.6 percent per year compared to 0.2 percent for other electric utilities.

ColoradoCountryLife.coop 12 December 2011

Electric co-ops in Colorado were among those receiving funding announced in October by U.S. Department of Agriculture Under Secretary for Rural Development Dallas Tonsager when he spoke at the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association’s regional meeting in Denver.

The funding will be used to improve distribution systems and smart grid technologies in 27 states, as part of the Rural Utilities Service’s continued focus on investments in infrastructure that create rural jobs.

“This investment in the electric grid will help address the growing need for electric service nationwide and spur job creation by building out rural infrastructure,” Tonsager said. “Smart grid technology can help better manage power use, provide rate stability for businesses and create the climate for job growth in rural America.”

Over $2.1 billion in loans are provided and will fund over $40 million in smart grid technologies and will build or improve nearly 6,000 miles of line.

Funding for distribution cooperatives,

which provide power to consumers, will benefit over 38,000 rural businesses and residents.

Included in the funding are three loans for Colorado projects that will help keep electricity reliable and affordable for rural communities.

Gunnison County Electric Association will receive over $7 million to build or improve nearly 60 miles of line; over $1 million of those funds will go to smart grid technology.

A loan of over $35 million to Highline Electric Association will build or improve over 280 miles of line and includes over $2 million for smart grid technology.

Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association, Inc., owned by 44 distribution cooperatives and providing power to 1.5 million customers across 200,000 square miles in four states, will build or improve over 150 miles of transmission line, upgrade substations and invest over $9 million in smart grid technology with a total of $132 million in loan funds.

All of these funds are issued as loans that will be paid back by the borrowing cooperative, with interest.

[newsclips]

New Plug-In Vehicles Get Rocky Mountain Test

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Six state-of-the-art plug-in electric hybrid trucks are being field tested by electric co-op power supplier Tri-State Generation and Transmission as part of a cost share grant program sponsored by Chrysler and the U.S. Department of Energy.

The heavy-duty Ram 1500 pickups delivered in mid-November to Tri-State’s Northern Colorado Maintenance Center in Frederick will be utilized by Tri-State’s fleet, maintenance and member services personnel.

These unique vehicles were built for rugged day-to-day use to demonstrate the performance of hybrid work trucks in the real world. Tri-State’s role in the development process is to put them through their paces for the next three years alongside the rest of the association’s rolling stock.

“The idea behind DOE’s ‘Advancing Transportation through Vehicle Electrification’ program is to demonstrate advanced

Gov. John Hickenlooper extols the benefits electric vehicles after driving one of Tri-State’s test vehicles.

technologies, reduce our dependence on foreign oil and reduce vehicle emissions,” explained Art Mander, Tri-State’s delivery research strategy manager.

About 140 similar trucks are being deployed across the country, primarily as fleet vehicles for universities, municipalities and electric utilities. Tri-State

is the only organization in the Rocky Mountain West and the only electric cooperative in the nation to be included in the program. The association’s member services personnel plan to display and demonstrate the trucks at member co-op annual meetings during 2012.

United Nations Praise Co-ops

PRAIRIE CHICKEN COULD CHALLENGE WIND PROJECTS The lesser prairie chicken, a striped, ground-dwelling bird, could determine the fate of the wind power industry in states, such as Colorado.

Its numbers are dwindling and its habitat often includes areas where wind farms are being developed.

That development may be interfering with the birds’ breeding grounds.

Public forums are discussing what should be done to protect this bird.

At its official launch of the International Year of Cooperatives 2012, members of the United Nations applauded the important role cooperatives play in society.

“The cooperative movement balances both economic viability and social responsibility,” U.N. Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro said. “They make enormous contributions not only to their members, but also to their communities and societies.”

There are an estimated 1 billion cooperative members worldwide, according to the International Cooperative Alliance; one out of every four people living in the United States is a member of a cooperative, including the 42 million who are electric cooperative members.

“The cooperative business model,

with its unique commitment to members, has proven itself time and time again,” Cooperative Finance Corporation CEO Sheldon Peterson said. “The more member-focused a cooperative is, the more successful it will inevitably be. Lessons learned from this relationship could take us far in addressing the range of economic issues we face today, both globally and here at home.”

The International Year of the Co-op will be celebrated throughout 2012.

—Solutions News Bulletin

Building Energy Use in U.S.:

Heating and cooling and operating buildings in the United States uses an estimated 41 percent of the country’s total energy consumption. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, buildings, both residential and commercial, account for about 40 quadrillion British thermal units or Btus of energy consumption annually.

ColoradoCountryLife.coop December 2011 13

Colorado students enjoying their trip to Washington, D.C, at the FDR Memorial.

Educating the Next Generation of Leaders Co-ops go the extra mile to show young people the benefits of co-op

BY MAGEN HOWARD, CCC Each June, nearly 1,500 high school students, mostly seniors-to-be, descend on Washington, D.C., for the annual Electric Cooperative Youth Tour. During the weeklong event, the participants — all sponsored by their local electric cooperatives — learn about electric cooperatives, American history and the role of the federal government.

Many of Colorado’s electric co-ops are currently taking applications for this tour.

The co-ops are involved because their board members believe in Youth Tour as one way to help educate a vital segment of their consumer base: the children of electric co-op members.

Many of those same co-ops are also taking applications for next summer’s Leadership Camp. There young people from four states will gather to gain leadership skills as they learn more about cooperatives.

“Engaging children is an important part of the cooperative difference,” says Kent Singer, executive director of the Colorado Rural Electric Association, the trade association for Colorado’s electric co-ops. “They’re members in training.”

These kids who live in homes that receive co-op electric service are important to their co-ops. They are tomorrow’s members, board members and employees, but they are also a part of the co-op today. Local electric co-ops provide them with a long list of programs, including Youth Tour, Leadership Camp, college scholarships, classroom projects and more.

In the Classroom

Colorado’s electric cooperatives offer a variety of educational initiatives for kids, such as safety demonstrations, energy efficiency information or explanations of how electricity works. Many co-ops also share the Touchstone Energy Super Energy Saver ColoradoCountryLife.coop 14 December 2011

One of the Youth Tour particpants stands on the steps of the lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.

program with their local schools. This program features cartoon character CFL Charlie and uses classroom activities and take-home items — such as light-switch covers that remind you to turn off the light when you leave the room — to show how simple steps can add up and make a difference in keeping electric bills affordable.

Touchstone Energy, the national brand for local electric coops, has also partnered with Discovery Education to offer Get Charged! Electricity and You curriculum kits designed to teach middle school students about electric cooperatives and electricity in general.

In addition, Touchstone Energy has developed a Schools A+ Energy Efficiency initiative, which partners co-ops with schools to reduce energy use and operating costs by focusing on no-cost and low-cost improvements. A classroom component may be included that enlists students to identify energy-wasting practices.

Concern for Community

Supporting youth programs isn’t just the right thing to do — co-ops have a responsibility to do so, according to the seventh cooperative principle, “concern for community.”

“Electric cooperatives are part of the fabric of the cities and towns they serve. It’s only natural they have a hand improving

the quality of life in their communities,” relates Singer.

College scholarships are a prime example. Each year Colorado’s electric co-ops give away thousands of dollars in higher education scholarships using unclaimed capital credits. Most of these go to high school seniors heading off to college, but some co-ops also offer assistance to older, returning students and to students pursuing careers within the electric utility industry.

Many electric co-ops also sponsor local clubs or school sports teams and community events like holiday parades. Co-ops also go to schools to teach kids about electrical safety, sponsor writing contests and present information at job fairs.

“You can’t find anything that fits better with our cooperative principles of giving back to the community, supporting education, and cooperating than co-op-school partnerships,” Singer concludes. “Schools and co-ops are at the heart of most communities. It is a position we value as we serve our communities with more than electricity.”

To learn more about opportunities for your family, contact your local electric cooperative.

Magen Howard writes on consumer and cooperative affairs for the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, the service organization for the nation’s 900-plus consumer-owned, not-for-profit electric cooperatives.

Students representing co-ops from several states, including Colorado gather for a photo at the Albert Einstein memorial during Washington, D.C., Youth Tour.

ColoradoCountryLife.coop December 2011 15

Barry Ward and his sisters enjoy the new bicycles they found by their Christmas tree.

Ballads from the

FARM FAMILY Well, me and my two sisters snuck up one early Christmas morning, Just to see what was there beneath the tree, There set three brand-new bikes

HEARTLAND

BY GAYLE GRESHAM

His rich baritone voice fills the room and his fingers fly over the strings of his guitar as Barry Ward sings the words of “Farm Family,” one of the songs from his new Christmas CD. The lyrics reflect the foundation of this western

Just as shiny as they could be

singer and musician — family, faith and farm. In fact,

Lord, I thank you for my family

the chorus ends with the line “But the best part of

(from “Farm Family” by Barry Ward, Christmas on the Ranch CD)

a farm is a family,” a tribute to the bonds of family and farm that were part of Barry’s life as he grew up on a farm and, later, as he farmed the land himself.

ColoradoCountryLife.coop 16 December 2011

Barry’s Christmas memories revolve around the Kansas farm where he was raised and where he raised his own children. Both sets of his grandparents lived within two miles of that place.

“We would go to Grandma’s house for a big dinner with all of the family,” Barry recalls. “There was always homemade ice cream — you have to remember this was in southern Kansas where it’s often 75- or 80-degree weather on Christmas day. We played dominos and cards in the afternoon. It was a different time, a slower paced lifestyle.

“When our children were older, we’d go pheasant hunting after Christmas dinner. Our farm had some of the best pheasant hunting in the country,” he continues. “Yes, those were good times.”

Today, Barry and his wife, Victoria, live on a Colorado ranch near Elbert, his home base as he travels throughout the state and the West sharing his songs.

Barry was recently nominated in three categories by the Western Music Association in 2011: Original Song (“Ridin’ Along the Cimarron”); Outstanding Performer – Male; and Outstanding Songwriter.

He also received two nominations from the Academy of Western Music: Western Music Male and Western Music Song, also for “Ridin’ Along the Cimarron.”

Awards and nominations are not his goal. “It is always an honor to be recognized,” he says. “However, it isn’t about me, it’s about the songs. To me, a nomination means someone is connecting with the message in the song.”

And people have connected with his music as he has performed at Carnegie Hall in New York City and in remote African villages in Camaroon. No matter where he performs, his purpose is always to share the music inside of him and the message of his roots.

Music and Farming

You might think an award-winning artist would have started singing and playing guitar at a young age, but in Barry’s case, you would be mistaken.

He wanted to learn to play guitar when he was a child, but never did. He sang some in church, but he didn’t do so well

in a high school singing competition when nerves hijacked his performance.

So, he didn’t start playing the guitar until he was 35 years old and was a farmer working the family land near Copeland, Kansas. He drove 40 miles once a week to Dodge City to take instruction from Ron Rolland, a man who not only taught him the mechanics of guitar playing, but also instilled a passion for the guitar and its voice. Barry learned to play jazz and blues along with basic rhythm guitar, snippets of which can be heard in his music today.

Somebody talked Barry into singing a special song at church one Sunday a few years later. He sang and was asked to sing again. Soon people from other churches began asking him to sing.

Barry continued to farm with his father, spending 10 to 12 hours a day working irrigation or driving a tractor. For Barry, the word “family” was synonymous with “farm.”

He grew up on the same family farm where his father was born and raised.

After graduating from college, Barry returned to carry on the family tradition of farming. He married Victoria and they raised their two sons and their daughter in the same house where Barry grew up.

Farming in a family operation has its own set of difficulties. One afternoon in his early years of farming with his father, Barry and his dad had an argument over something about the farm. The next day Barry’s dad came

MUSIC AND FARMING

Barry Ward recalls family dinners like this one as he writes his songs that capture the importance of family and the land that supports them.

That hadn’t been the plan as Barry didn’t set out to be a western musician. “I never had a single intention of doing what I am doing now,” he says with a chuckle.

After learning to play the guitar, he started writing songs, beginning with one about his grandmother he titled, “Angel’s Heart.” He wrote songs about the family farm, songs revealing his core values. It wasn’t long before he began to get requests to sing at western events.

Barry became known as “The Landsman” because of the ties to farming and the land that he cultivated in his songs.

to him with tears in his eyes and said, “Go, use your college degree and teach and coach. This is no life for you.”

But Barry couldn’t leave the farm; his roots ran too deep. Barry planned to farm until his children took over the farm, expecting his sons to have the same sense of place and ties to the farm as he did.

Barry’s reputation as a quality western singer and performer spread beyond Kansas. The more performances he lined up, the harder it became to keep up with his farming. His children grew up, went to college and started their own [continued on page 18] ColoradoCountryLife.coop December 2011 17

[continued from page 17]

lives. But Barry still believed one day at least one of his sons would return to the farm to carry on the family tradition.

Four years of drought made farming even more difficult, and then Barry’s father passed away. Victoria received a job offer at Western Jubilee Recording Company in Colorado Springs, and she moved to Colorado while Barry stayed in Kansas to take care of the farm.

Barry struggled with grief and depression the next two years, dealing with the death of his father, commuting to Colorado to spend time with Victoria and trying desperately to hold onto the family farm to leave a legacy for his children. Finally, Barry’s sons sat down with him one day and straight out told him they didn’t want to farm and they didn’t want him to hold onto the farm for them. Barry realized it was time to sell the farm and pursue his music career.

Living a New Dream

Three years ago, at the age of 54, Barry sold the farm, packed and moved to Colorado with Victoria to become a fulltime musician. Barry performed 93 shows last year and had already surpassed that number of shows in August of this year. Victoria manages Barry’s career, handling the bookings and promotion while running her own concert promotion business. Barry keeps the road hot with several concert dates every weekend.

“Here I am starting my career and performing with a lot of people who are in the twilight years of their careers,” Barry says with a shake of his head. “There is a season for everything as it says in Ecclesiastes in the Bible and this is our season to do what God’s set out for us to do.

“Selling the farm was the hardest thing I’ve ever done,” Barry says.

“Especially since it was in my family

for four generations. But everything changes, nothing stays the same.”

For Barry, selling the farm felt like he was selling his identity. He’d always been a farmer and that’s who he was.

Barry pauses a moment and says, “A friend told me, ‘That’s who you will always be, no matter where you are or what you are doing.’ And, you know, he’s right. Farming is what I have lived and it is who I am.”

Without the time constraints of farming, Barry devotes his time to writing songs and practicing his songs.

He plays his guitar at least three hours a day when he can, trying to get in at least an hour a day of practice when days are busy. The guitar is more than a rhythm instrument to Barry.

“I play the guitar to enhance the song, using its voice to bring out the meaning of the song,” he says. “I play what I hear.

LIVING A NEW DREAM • LIVING A NEW DREAM

Singer Barry Ward (right) shares his music during a 2010 visit to Camaroon, West Africa.

ColoradoCountryLife.coop ColoradoCountryLife.coop 18 Decemberr 2011 18 December 2011

SMILING KIDS

Africans were fascinated with Barry Ward’s western style.

It is always about the songs, not about me. When it becomes about me, it will be over.”

Barry performs his music in a variety of venues. Along with singing at western storytelling and music festivals, he shares his music and message at churches, events and acoustic societies. “Colorado has an amazing number of acoustic societies like the Cañon Rose Acoustic Society in Cañon City and the Black Rose Acoustic Society in Black Forest,” he says.

In June of 2010, Barry traveled to a mountainous region in Camaroon, West Africa to give eight concerts at five different locations. He was the first western cowboy singer the people had ever seen or heard. Barry wore his cowboy hat constantly. The emblem of the American West fascinated the African people and started many conversations.

The words of Barry’s songs were projected on a screen while he sang.

On the first night, after hearing the first verse and chorus of the first song, 600 Africans natives began singing his western songs along with him — a memory he will never forget. And this happened at every concert.

Even though they’d never experienced the American West, the people really understood what the songs were about.

In 2010, Barry Ward shared his songs of land, faith and family with audiences in Camaroon, West Africa.

Barry’s descriptive songs of land and place were familiar to the African people as well as ties to faith and family. They especially liked it when Barry used the slide on his guitar, a sound they’d never heard before, and cheers and whoops erupted from the crowds.

“It’s hard for me to talk about my trip to Africa,” Barry says. “It was a lifechanging event. There is a whole big, wonderful world out there. Something I never would have discovered if I’d stayed on the farm and not pursued my music career.”

With Christmas around the corner, Barry is pleased to have his “Christmas on the Ranch” CD available. Along with his original song Farm Family, traditional favorites such as “Go Tell It On The Mountain,” and western favorites such as “Christmas on the Line” by Michael Martin Murphey, are also included on Barry’s CD. And what would Christmas be without a treat? Barry is joined on the CD with harmonies by western favorites Liz Masterson and Vern Thomson and Joe Stephenson of Colorado Cowboys for Jesus. Joe’s fiddle and mandolin leads also grace the CD, the perfect complement to Barry’s rich baritone voice.

It is a voice that has taken him to New York City and around the world to

Africa. But it is also a voice tied to the land and used to share with others the value of that land, of family and faith.

Visit http://BarryWardMusic.com for Barry’s schedule and to order “Christmas on the Ranch.”

Gayle Gresham, an Elbert neighbor who also loves the guitar, is a freelance writer.

This is her third article for Colorado Country Life.

Follow Colorado Country Life on Facebook and find out how to win a copy of “Christmas on the Ranch.”

Several copies will be given away during the month of December.

ColoradoCountryLife.coop December 2011 19

[recipes]

Get Ready to Entertain

Cookbook outlines everything you need for a great party

BY MONA NEELEY || MNEELEY@COLORADOCOUNTRYLIFE.ORG LOOKING FOR COOKBOOKS Does your nonprofit have a cookbook?

Send it to us. We’ll review the ones we receive and share a selection of recipes from our favorites.

Send your cookbook to Colorado Country Life, 5400 N. Washington St., Denver, CO 80216.

COOKBOOKS AVAILABLE To order your copy of A Peak at the Springs cookbook email cookbooks@ jlcoloradosprings. org or call 719-632-3855.

Mention that you saw the cookbook in Colorado Country Life and get a special price of only $20 plus tax (regularly $26.95 plus tax).

A

Appetizers, beverages, soups and salads, main courses, sides and desserts — it’s all here in the Junior League of Colorado Springs’ cookbook titled A Peak at the Springs: A Culinary Exploration. Featuring 125 altitude-tested recipes from Colorado Springs area chefs and community members, the fund-raising cookbook offers delicious ways to treat your guests to a delicious time.

Some of the ingredients in a few of the recipes may be a little harder to find in smaller stores, but many of the recipes offer new ways to mix together the more familiar.

Here are some appetizers from the book to get you started.

Spicy Sesame Hot Wings 2 garlic cloves, minced 2 tablespoons soy sauce 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce 2 ½ tablespoons honey 2 teaspoons sesame oil ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper 3 pounds chicken wings 2 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted 2 green onions, thinly sliced black pepper to taste hot pepper flakes to taste Line a 10- by 15-inch baking pan with foil and spray with nonstick olive oil spray to prevent sticking. Process the garlic, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, honey, sesame oil and cayenne pepper in a small food processor until smooth.

Disjoint the wings and discard the tips. Arrange the wings in a single layer in the prepared baking pan. Bake on a rack in the upper third of a preheated 450-degree oven for 20 minutes, turning once. Broil for 5 to 7 minutes on each side or until crisp and golden brown.

Place wings in a serving bowl. Add the sauce and toss to coat the wings evenly. Add the sesame seeds, green onions, black pepper and hot pepper flakes and toss to coat. Serve hot.

For more delicious recipes from this cookbook, visit www.coloradocountrylife.coop. Click on Recipes.

ColoradoCountryLife.coop 20 December 2011

Spicy Sesame Hot Wings

BUTTERY DIJON HAM ROLLS 2 packages small dinner rolls 1 cup butter, softened ¼ onion, finely chopped 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard 1 or 2 dashes Tabasco sauce 1 pounds thinly sliced deli ham 8 ounces Swiss cheese, thinly sliced Cut each roll horizontally into halves.

Mix the butter, onion, Dijon mustard and Tabasco sauce in a bowl. Spread on the cut sides of the rolls.

Layer several slices of ham and one slice of cheese on the bottom half of each roll. Top with the remaining half. Place on a baking sheet.

Bake in a preheated 325-degree oven for 10 minutes or until the cheese melts.

Cool for 5 minutes and cut each into halves.

Gift

GIVING GUIDE CUSTOM — Signs, gates, yard art, home decór, benches, tables, chairs

970-260-5805 or 970-434-8395 Visit us at mccoymetalworx.com

Give a Colorado Country Life subscription.

It’s only $9 in state, $15 out of state.

It’s a great inexpensive gift for friends and family.

Call 303-455-4111 to order.

ColoradoCountryLife.coop December 2011 21

[gardening]

Keepin’ It Real

Go green for the holidays with a live Christmas tree

BY EVE GILMORE MONTANE WWW.XERISCAPEGARDENS.COM

D

Decorating your indoor space for the holidays with an element generally only found in the outdoors, like a tree, can be such an enjoyable way to celebrate.

The widespread American tradition is to put up a cut conifer for the month of December and adorn it with ornaments, right? Well, doing more or less the same with a living tree is another option that has many benefits to the tune of respecting a tree as a living thing and letting it continue to grow once your holiday is past. There are a few tricks to bringing a live tree indoors in the winter and keeping it alive. This article will go over them so you can better decide if it’s an option you’d like to consider.

Top of root ball rises 1-2-inches above grade.

No backfill soil covers top of root ball.

Backfill soil Generally at least covers root ball two structural roots “knees” and should be found in the tapers down to top 1-3 inches of soil. original soil.

Saucer-shaped planting hole, three times root ball diameter.

Tree sits in undisturbed soil.

Finding a fit favorite Your local nursery will be the best place to find live potted trees for holiday use.

White fir and blue spruce are the most commonly purchased potted trees due to their traditional look. They both have short, stiff needles, which are great for heavier ornaments. Ornaments tend to slide off long needled pine trees such as ponderosa and Austrian.

The idea of harboring a live tree is that it will eventually be planted outdoors,

ColoradoCountryLife.coop 22 December 2011

so find its future home in your landscape before committing to care for it and dig the hole before the ground freezes. To keep the soil you remove from freezing solid, store it in the garage or in a large plastic bag.

Remember, even though your tree is small enough to fit in your living room now, it will be large enough to swallow up most living rooms and some houses by the time it matures, so plan accordingly. To avoid the tree breaking dormancy and getting off its natural seasonal cycle, it is recommended that live trees stay indoors for no more than a week. Between Christmas Eve and New Year’s Day is a desirable time for many families.

While it is indoors, the tree should be positioned away from any potential sources of heat, including fireplaces, heating vents and television sets. Keep an eye on the tree’s root ball and make sure it doesn’t dry out. It should be consistently moist but not soggy.

Use small lights instead of large ones to decorate your tree because they will emit less heat. When the holidays are over, keep your tree outside in the pot until the ground thaws enough to plant. Or use your unfrozen backfill soil to plant it properly.

Oh, Christmas tree triumph If you want to successfully transplant your live potted Christmas tree, it is most important to minimize the time it is indoors and to keep the root ball moist. Follow these tips and enjoy your tree inside this holiday season, and then outside, perhaps for as long as you both shall live.

Visit http://cmg.colo state.edu/gardennotes/ 633.pdf to find out how to correctly plant a tree.

Eve Gilmore Montane 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.colordocountrylife.coop.

Click on Gardening.

ColoradoCountryLife.coop December 2011 23

[outdoors]

Jumping Through Hoops

Residents fed up with Colorado’s hunting policies

BY DENNIS SMITH || OUTDOORS@COLORADOCOUNTRYLIFE.ORG

I

AND THE WINNER IS …

Mark Manfredi, an employee at San Isabel Electric Association in Pueblo West, won the October 12 drawing for a Hawaiian dream vacation.

The trip was awarded as part of a fund-raising raffle by the Colorado Women’s Task Force.

Nearly $17,000 was raised for youth programs sponsored by Colorado’s electric cooperatives.

ColoradoCountryLife.coop 24 December 2011

In the break room at the local hook-andbullet store where I occasionally work, I heard someone say, “Geez, I can’t believe what you people have to go through to get a deer tag in this state. I just go back home to hunt.” The remark was made by a young lady who recently moved here from out of state and took a job as a cashier at the store. I didn’t get her name and I don’t know where she moved from, but hers was only one of several similar complaints I’ve heard or received in the form of emails from disgruntled fellow Colorado sportsmen in the weeks following a column I wrote. In that article I expressed my disenchantment with the frustratingly complex body of rules and regulations governing hunting and fishing in Colorado.

Another vocal and more specific comment came from Mark Zehr from Greeley, who relocated to Colorado from New York’s Adirondack Mountains 30-some years ago.

“Things are much simpler back there,” he told me. “Where I come from you can still buy an annual, over-the-counter sportsman’s license for 47 bucks. It’s an all-inclusive hunting and fishing permit that allows you to take the legal limit of deer, bear, turkey, all species of small game, upland game, fish and furbearers during the appropriate seasons. Where hunting units are concerned, New York is divided into two major, seasonal zones rather than hundreds of individually regulated game management units with widely varying season dates and restrictions

like we have here in Colorado. There are a few local exceptions, but, for the most part, New York’s regs are simple, straightforward and easy to understand.”

Then, as if to drive the point home, he added, “Getting a deer tag here is a bureaucratic nightmare. Colorado’s not a hunter-friendly state. I hunt back east.”

A hunter from Castle Rock was even more adamant. He expressed his extreme annoyance with Colorado’s wildlife management policies in an email, calling the Division of Wildlife the “Division of … (well, I can’t write that here).” He’s extremely bewildered and angry that the Division regularly awards up to six big-game licenses or vouchers per species to qualifying landowners and ranchers, who are then allowed to resell them as “trophy tags” at astronomical fees to anyone willing and wealthy enough to pay for them.

The fees can range into the thousands of dollars for a bull elk tag in selected areas.

If you think I’m kidding, search Google for “Colorado Big Game Landowner Tags” and see how many hits you get, or you can specifically check www. landowner-tags-vouchers.com/ to get an idea of what’s going on out there.

In the meantime, you and I would have to submit applications annually and pay administrative fees for up to 10 years and, if we’re lucky, we might finally draw the same license under Colorado’s current process. Or, we could just hunt somewhere else.

Miss an issue? Catch up at www.coloradocountrylife.coop. Click on Outdoors.

[energy tips]

Santa’s Tree

BY MARVIN HASS

The Christmas cookies all were made The Norske lefsa tasted fine.

The braided bread was finished When my wife said it was time.

Standing close behind her And nodding at the tree Santa gave us his approval That gent was smilin’ right at me.

“Put the chains on that ol’ pickup, Oh, won’t this be such fun.

I’ll bring the coffee and the goodies You might get some...when we’re done.”

I yelled...”hey Sa...” he was gone.

My wife gave me that look.

“Oh, I just remembered something from a children’s Christmas book.”

We were headed for the Cottonwood Where the pines are free and tall.

You tramp in snow that’s belly deep Then you slip and slide and crawl.

We fought that tree back to the road.

I began to lash it down then heard the sound of harness bells, on a dime, I spun around.

We scanned the woods with a

miser’s eye Searchin’ for that perfect fir.

Sure enough, where drifts were deepest She spied what might please her.

Santa waved from his open sleigh.

Saw the reindeer and his pack Then they were gone around the bend As I started to wave back.

We finally made it to the tree But the back was mighty bare.

My lovin’ spouse was not deterred As she sniffed that mountain air.

Perfection was required Guess that’s why she married me The search was for Ol’ Tannenbaum That you don’t often see.

I heard her yellin’ off somewhere So I puffed to the timberline.

“You-hoo, I’ve found it, Dear, it’s the sweetest balsam pine.”

“Who you waving to’,” she asked, “You’re acting strange again.”

“Oh, I thought I saw Ol’... guess it must have been the wind.”

My wife was right, you need a tree To honor Christmas day.

It sends a message to your soul To live all year that way.

The tree was grand as always Our Christmas merry too.

Deep in my heart Ol’ Santa lives And I hope he does for you.

Marvin Hass is a farm boy who grew up to work in the rural financial business before retiring to Buena Vista. Since retirement, he as pursued his passion for poetry.

LET THE SUN SHINE IN Capture solar heat for cheap comfort

BY JAMES DULLEY

I

Is there a way to capture the heat that comes in through a window? Can it be used as a regular heat source?

Capture the sun’s heat by building a shallow, 4- by 8-foot flat solar heater. Outside, rest it against the side of your house facing the noon-to-afternoon sun. The box has to be only the depth of standard 2- by 4-inch studs.

Once the box is completed, attach foilbacked rigid foam insulation in the box with the foil facing inside. Paint the foil surface flat black. In the back of the box, cut one hole at the top and one at the bottom and install duct stubs.

Cut holes in your house wall so the duct stubs come indoors.

Cover the front of the box with a sheet of clear acrylic plastic and seal Outside, rests the solar it. The solarheater against the side of your house facing the heated air will noon-to-afternoon sun. flow up and out into your room.

Make airtight indoor covers to seal the duct stubs at night, otherwise the airflow will reverse and actually cool your house.

Trying to use 100-percent solar energy to heat a home while still maintaining acceptable comfort is possible but difficult to do. Have realistic expectations. An initial target of 10 percent savings is reasonable for a do-it-yourself solar project.

For more information on ways to capture solare heat, visit coloradocountrylife.coop. Click on Energy Tips.

ColoradoCountryLife.coop December 2011 25

ColoradoCountryLife.coop 26 December 2011

[marketplace]

KINDLE WINNER Congratulations to Gail Sanchez of Colorado Springs, the student who won the Kindle given away by in the Education section of the October issue of Colorado Country Life.

2012 Colorado Legislative Directory

PARTY STARTER CONTEST Congratulations to Susan Herrera who won our Party Starter contest in the November magazine.

You'll find December giveaways at www.coloradocountrylife.coop. Click on Contests.

You can’t win unless you enter.

Be ready when Colorado’s General Assembly opens its 2012 session in January.

Order directories at crea.coop or call 303-455-4111.

FUNNY STORY WINNER At the end of each year we draw the name of one person who has had a funny story printed and awarded them $150. The 2011 winner is Mary Belle Rafet.

Join us at facebook.com/COCountryLife, share your thoughts and win prizes.

ColoradoCountryLife.coop December 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 ANTIQUES ON THE BOULEVARD Show/Sale, Colorado Springs, January 7-8, 2012, New location for the new year. Rustic Hills Event Center, Palmer Park @ Academy. Contact Jo Peterson 719-596-1022 (510-12-11) CHAIR CANING, hand caning, machine caning, fiber rush caning. Pueblo West, 719-547-0723. chaanita@q.com (858-04-13) FURNITURE RESTORATION. Quality craftsmanship since 1974. Bayfield, CO, www.antiqueresdurango. com 970-884-1937. Prompt service, guaranteed repairs. (988-12-11)

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.)

AVON sells – you earn big. Build sales via internet or local. Flexible hours. $10 start up. ISR. 719-5500242. (133-01-12) GET PAID TO PLAY THE LOTTERY, even if you never win. Visit our website today for more information. www.lottomagiconline. com/?S4465. (911-03-12)

ColoradoCountryLife.coop 28 December 2011

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES INDEPENDENT CONTRACTORS/ dealers. Complete range commercial restoration products. Free guide. Call Janice, 1-800-800-2844 www.andek.com Restores metal, flat roofs, etc. 573-489-9346 (85603-12) LEGITIMATE WORK AT HOME opportunity. No sales, investment, risk. Training/website provided.

Weekly/monthly income plus bonuses, benefits. Call Carrie 303579-4207, www.workathomeunited. com/ourabundance (932-01-12) PIANO TUNING PAYS. Learn with American School home-study course. Tools included. Call for info.

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

CARS/TRUCKS/BOATS 50 SUBARUS! (1995-2010) Outbacks, Foresters, Imprezas, Tribecas & more!

Great prices! One-year warranty!

Dealer: www.MonumentMotors.com 719-481-9900 (574-08-12)

CLOCK REPAIR & RESTORATION DURANGO AREA. CLOCKS of all kinds repaired. Antique and modern. Call Robert 970-247-7729, bob. scott@usa.net (109-03-12)

FINANCIAL SERVICES MODULAR/MOBILE HOME insurance. Very reasonable rates. Auto, motorcycle, TT, home. Insure-All Colorado, 719-646-3358. (905-02-12) NEED A LOAN? Members Federal Credit Union can help with your Auto, Home, Credit Card, and more!

Visit www.mbrcu.com or call 303755-2572. (965-05-12)

FOR SALE

HOBBIES & CRAFTS

REAL ESTATE

200 INSULATORS. All kinds. Best offer. You pick up. Trinidad, 719680-3919 (002-12-11)

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)

RETIREMENT HOME ON GOLF COURSE. Western slope, 3/3, 6th green/7th T-box in front, 4th fairway in back. 1130 Deer Creek Dr., Perry Hotz—Cedaredge, 970-8563173 (006-12-11)

BOOKS, PATTERNS, CLASSES, knitting, felting, crocheting, weaving, spinning, natural dye extracts, Jacquard and Gaywool dyes. www. tablerockllamas.com Colorado Springs, 866-495-7747 (791-05-12)

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 (441-06-12)

HOUSEHOLD HELPS

SPECIAL SERVICES

LOOKING TO REPLACE AMWAY PRODUCTS? Lose your distributor?

I can ship to your home, no hassle, no salesman. Monika Cary 970-7242912. (982-03-12)

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. (879-12-11)

ARIENS SNOWBLOWER, 24# blade/ model 7524 like new. Excellent condition, $600. 303-941-7012 (007-12-11) COIN BANKS with post office doors in walnut or oak. Makes great Christmas gift, 970-463-5633 (005-12-11) FIREWOOD FOR SALE. ~17” cut, not split. Seasoned Ponderosa. You pick up. West Loveland. $66.00 for 8’ pick-up bed. 303-665-5749.

(939-12-11) HEAVY DUTY CATTLEPENS. Portable or permanent; 32x45 working pen w/16’ crowding tub, $3,015.

Call Kenneth 580-876-3699, www. cccattleequipment.com (882-12-11)

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. (814-12-11) FREE SERMONS: • Myth of AntiChrist! • Myth of Secret Rapture!

• Myth of Beast’s Mark! • Myth of Great Tribulation! Pastor Edwin Vrell, 606 Pratt St., #602, Longmont, CO 80501 (995-03-12)

GIFTS AVON – Shop 24/7. Secure online shopping! Nationwide direct delivery. ISR-eRepresentative www.youravon.com/aaronweaver (001-12-11)

HEALTH INFLAMMATION IS CAUSING chronic pain and poor health. Learn what you can do to fight inflammation. Call Bill, 970-565-9100, www.

InflammationBuster.com (004-12-11)

IMPROVEMENTS & REPAIRS GUTTER AND DOWNSPOUT. Reasonable rates. Travel possible.

15 years experience. Colorado Springs area. Dennis, 719-641-6713 (905-02-12)

JEWELRY ANTIQUE PLATINUM WEDDING BAND — I want to buy. Can’t find mine, anywhere. Call Donna at 303-455-4111 or email dnorris@ coloradocountrylife.org.

MELT YOUR GOLD into new jewelry, repair, we buy gold. Black Forest Jeweler 719-495-8816.

(992-01-12)

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 . (267-03-12)

MISCELLANEOUS

RELIGION

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. (912-11-12)

VACATION RENTAL KAUAI VACATION RENTAL, 2bdr, full kitchen. Minutes from beaches. $600/wk. 808-245-6500; makana crest.com; kauaiweddings.com.

(756-05-12) READY FOR YOUR SNOWBIRD TRIP? 3-bedroom home in Chandler, AZ. Gated community with pool. www.ChandlerVacationHome.com (008-01-12)

WANTED TO BUY I WILL BUY YOUR German daggers, helmets and other military items. Don Simmons, PO Box 4734, Springfield, MO 65808, 417-8815645. DSimmons@corpranet.net (470-12-11)

PUT YOUR OLD HOME MOVIES, slides or photos on DVD. 888-6099778 or www.transferguy.com (465-12-11)

NAVAJO RUGS, old and recent, native baskets, pottery. Tribal Rugs, Salida. 719-539-5363, b_inaz@ hotmail.com (817-02-12)

NATURAL MEDICINE EMERGENCY Kit for 21 emergency situations includes book and remedies. www. curanderahealing.com/market.html (003-12-11)

RODEO ROOTS to Modern-Day Cowboys is a fine, fun book about rodeo. Great gift! $15. Call 303-4554111 to order one today. (106-12-11)

OLD COLORADO LIVESTOCK brand books prior to 1975. Call Wes 303757-8553. (889-02-12)

HELP WANTED

MUSIC

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

LEARN TO PLAY GUITAR from the convenience of your own home.

Fast, fun, and guaranteed. www.

LearnGuitarCentral.com. (106-12-11)

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 970-565-1256. (871-01-12)

[funny stories] WANTED TO BUY 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. (519-11-12)

PLACE AN AD IN THE CLASSIFIED SECTION AND WATCH YOUR BUSINESS SNOWBALL IN 2012.

OLD POCKET WATCHES – working or non-working and old repair material. Bob 719-859-4209 watch doctor@hotmail.com. (870-06-12) WANT TO PURCHASE minerals and other oil/gas interests. Send details to: PO Box 13557, Denver, CO 80201.

(402-02-12)

CALL KRIS FOR MORE DETAILS 303-902-7276

RODEO BOOK SALE

My grandsons Andrew, 8, and Kyle, 3, went to visit Santa. Santa asked the boys, “Did you write your letters to Santa?”

Andrew said, “Yes!” Kyle shook his head no.

When they got home, Kyle asked for some paper to write to Santa. With a crayon he made a large “O.” Inside the “O” he made a lowercase “o.” Inside the “o” he made a “Q.” Kyle handed his mom the paper and said, “Will you mail my letters to Santa Claus?”

Delores Nielson, Grand Junction

My nephew Camden went to his school’s Christmas party. Santa was also there asking the children what they wanted for Christmas. After Camden got ready for bedtime that evening, I noticed his pajamas were too tight.

“Maybe Santa will bring you new pajamas for Christmas,” I said.

Camden looked at me for a minute and then said, “Nah. I didn’t order any.”

Stephanie Hunt, Delores

A man was driving around when he saw a sign in front of a broken-down shanty-style house that read “Talking Dog for Sale.” Curious, he rang the doorbell. The owner came to the door and pointed him to the backyard.

In the backyard was a nice-looking Labrador retriever.

“You talk?” the man asked.

“Yep,” said the Lab. After the man recovered from the shock of hearing a dog talk, he asked. “So, what’s your story?”

The Lab looked up and said, “Well, when I discovered that I could talk, I decided I wanted to help the government, so I told the CIA. Before long I was jetting from country to country, sitting in rooms with spies and world leaders, because no one figured a dog would be eavesdropping.

“About eight years later I decided to settle down. I signed up for a job at the airport to do some undercover security, wandering near suspicious characters and listening in. I uncovered some incredible dealings and was awarded a batch of medals.

I got married, had a mess of puppies and now I’m just retired.”

Amazed, the man went back inside and asked the owner what he wanted for the dog.

“Ten dollars,” the owner said.

“Ten dollars?” the man asked. “This dog is amazing! Why on earth are you selling him so cheap?”

“Because he’s a liar. He never did any of that stuff!”

Doug McKelvie, Pagosa Springs

Christmas Special — $15 includes shipping.

Order your Colorado’s Rodeo Roots to Modern-Day 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. This year Mary Belle Rafet is the winner. Send your 2012 stories to Colorado Country Life, 5400 N. Washington St., Denver, CO 80216 or email funnystories@coloradocountrylife.org.

ColoradoCountryLife.coop December 2011 29

[discoveries]

The Power of Giving Not everyone is fortunate enough to have a warm home during the holidays.

According to Energy Outreach Colorado, more than 22 percent of Colorado’s households are low income and cannot afford energy at times.

You can help keep a family warm and comfortable this holiday season by paying a portion or all of the electric bill. Just contact your electric co-op to make a payment on a member’s bill. The co-op will work with you in giving this generous gift of power.

Want to have a broader outreach?

Contribute to Energy Outreach Colorado at energyoutreach.org and contribute to this statewide organization that helps those in need pay their utility bills when the weather gets cold. Let the power of giving shine through.

SOMETHING FOR PETS According to the Dumb Friends League, it is estimated that nationwide 6 to 8 million pets enter animal shelters each year. This holiday season is a good time to help lift the spirits of some of these homeless creatures by making a donation to your local animal welfare organization.

Besides monetary contributions, commonly requested items include pet food, trash bags, paper towels, sandwich bags, dog toys, blankets, batteries, toothbrushes and cotton balls.

Look for your local shelter in the list at animalshelter. org/shelters/Colorado.asp.

[Support Our Troops] Many of our nation’s troops will be serving far from home this holiday season.

Let these men and women know how much you appreciate their service by sending a holiday package to a soldier. Suggested items to send include candy, correspondence items, disposable cameras, DVDs, toothpaste, socks, blankets, sunscreen and prepaid phone cards.

There are several organizations that will help you send a package to a soldier, including Operation Shoebox (operationshoebox.com), Soldiers’ Angels (soldiers angels.org) and Hugs for Our Soldiers (hugsforoursoldiers.org).

According to Operation Shoebox, the post office is no longer accepting mail for Iraq, but you can still send packages to troops around the globe.

ColoradoCountryLife.coop 30 December 2011

[Share the Holiday Spirit] Spread holiday spirit by giving to others in your community. Without spending a dime, you can: • Donate household items that have been collecting dust to a local organization focused on helping those in need. Examples include clothing, holiday decorations, furnishings, toiletries, office supplies and food.

• Visit a local homeless shelter, hospital, retirement community or animal shelter and spend time with those who may not have friends and family.

• Lend a hand to someone who is unable to shovel snow, rake leaves, run errands or complete household projects on their own.

• Donate to a local blood bank.

• Find an organization accepting hair clippings before you cut off a substantial amount of hair. Many organizations provide hairpieces to those whose medical conditions makes them unable to grow their own hair.

• Get a little dirty and help clean up your community. For example, pick up trash or put a fresh coat of paint over graffiti on structures.

If you have cash to spare, make someone’s holiday really special by purchasing items for The Salvation Army’s Angel Giving Tree (angel.jcpenney.com/angel tree/), Toys for Tots (toysfortots.org) or Samaritan’s Purse (samaritanspurse.org).

ENTER TO WIN $ FOR CHARITY

You may know of other great organizations that could use help during this time of year. Please tell us about them at facebook.com/COCountryLife. We’ll randomly choose three of the suggested organizations and make a $100 donation to each one.