CONTRAST

from Redstone June July 2022

Wednesday through Sunday

A Sherpa family from Nepal loses everything in the Marshall fire near Boulder

By Don Moore Redstone Review

LYONS – “I was making lunch when I looked out the window and saw a huge tree blow over,” said Karma Sherpa. It was not going to be an ordinary day.

On December 30, 2021, the kids were still on winter break and their mother Dafuti was working in Boulder. Karma was home caring for Sonam, 14 and Sonia, 3 when what was to become known as the Marshall Fire burned their house to the ground, taking with it virtually everything they owned.

Karma is the eighth of nine children who grew up in Chhulemu, Nepal a village of about 30 Sherpa families. Sherpas are a group of people living in the shadows of Mount Everest and other mountains boasting heights half again taller than Colorado’s highest.

He was born at a time when communists ruled the country and to keep the masses ignorant, the Maoists denied education to the general population. Authorities would mete out harsh punishment to those who learned to read and write, including the severing of a hand of a rulebreaker.

Even though the population was illiterate, Karma’s father had learned to read enough to be able to advise others about the nature of documents they were asked to sign, especially those coming from the government. The entire family farmed their small plot of land for food to eat, and from the fees Karma’s dad earned, the family subsisted.

When his father died the family was thrown into abject poverty. Karma was

three years old. “We had a small farm and I remember my mother going out at night to work the land,” Karma said. His older siblings pitched in and the family stayed together. They were able to put food on the table and kept a roof over their heads. Moore “We had no money for clothes, so I took two flat boards and tied them to the bottoms of my feet to wear as shoes,” he said. At 16 Karma got his first real job as a porter for Westerners hiking on treks. It was grueling work carrying heavy loads up to 100 to 120 pounds on his back, earning only $.60 a day. Yet, luck came about when one of those adventurers, a Swiss woman, saw Karma’s potential but for his lack of education. She arranged and paid for him to live in Kathmandu and obtain the rudiments of an education, which included learning both English and French, useful languages in general, and specifically when engaging hikers on treks. He started making some money and met Americans who encouraged him to come to the U.S. The

From left: Karma, Dafuti, Sonia, and Sonam Sherpa. The Sherpa family lost their home in the Marshll fire in December 2021.

Continue Sherpa on Page 13

Gardening adds years to your life and life to your years

By Sara Erickson Redstone Review

PHOTO BY GAUTAM BHAN

LYONS – The Lyons Garden Club Mountain Blooms Garden Tour is this Saturday, June 18, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., rain or shine.

The link to registration and all details about the tour can be found at the Lyons Garden Club website: www.lyonsgardenclub.com. In-person registration will be available on Saturday beginning at 8 a.m. at Sandstone Park.

The tour is self-guided and the sites are somewhat farflung across town, so driving, golf carting or biking will be necessary. Remember to bring water, sunblock and a hat as (hopefully) the sun will be shining. We encourage you to support local businesses in town and stop for a bite to eat or shopping at one of the wonderful shops and eateries in town.

We have ten inspiring gardens, nine new to the tour this year and one back by popular demand (a beautiful garden featuring an amazing vegetable section and loads of flowers.) We also have had a couple of hosts tell us they may have live musical accompaniment when visitors tour their gardens. We know all visitors will be respectful of the host’s gardens. Children are welcome; unfortunately pets need to stay home.

We will have a drawing for registrants for one of two fabulous hanging baskets from the Flower Bin in Longmont. Anyone who registers will be automatically entered in the drawing.

Lyons Garden Club is grateful to our generous sponsors which include Cemex, St. Vrain Market, HGB Designs, Moxie Bread Company, Rabbit Brush Gallery, Flower Bin, The Tucker Group, Gateway Realty, Laura Levy Group, McCann Real Estate, Botanical Interests, and Bent Heirlooms.

St. Vrain Market, HGB Designs, Moxie Bread Company, Western Stars Gallery, Rabbit Brush Gallery and more are offering a ten percent discount to tour participants who present their maps upon any purchase. Check your map for participating businesses.

Proceeds from the event will go towards maintaining our current gardens at town sites at the West Wall – where the Bears reside – and the Butterfly Garden across the street, purchase of tools, seeds and other supplies and supporting gardening projects throughout Lyons.

Lyons Garden Club welcomes new members. Visit our website for details about our club and our projects. During late spring/summer, every Tuesday from 8:30 to 9:30ish, you can find us working at the West Wall or the Butterfly Garden. Come over and say hello.

We also want to give a shout out to our fellow gardeners who also work hard to make Lyons more beautiful. The Weed Posse and Colorado Botanical Garden. Thanks for your great work, friends. Come join us on Saturday.