A clipped ear on a kitten or a blue line on a puppy’s belly is a signature of compassion, a small mark of sterilization that stands between chaos and care. An unwanted kitten, left to the streets, transforms in a matter of months into a feral tomcat. Because cats can produce litters of up to […]
Elizabeth Key
Posted inEnvironment
Saving soil with AVLT
Founded in 1967, Aspen Valley Land Trust (AVLT) is a local, nonprofit land trust dedicated to protecting special places and open spaces. It serves a region stretching from the Roaring Fork and Middle Colorado River valleys from the top of Independence Pass and out west to De Beque. Through conservation easements on private land, the […]
Posted inColumns
Motherhood unfolding
Initially, I was cavalier about motherhood, treating reproduction as an experience to be had — an item to be checked off a bucket list. After two years of trying, pregnancy became an obsession, measured in doctor’s visits, sperm counts and the painful flushing of contrast dye through my fallopian tubes. When the pregnancy tests finally […]
Posted inNews
Slowin’ ‘your roll’ in Redstone
Editor’s note:Elizabeth Key is a resident of Redstone. With summer coming, the Redstone community is preparing for some likely troublesome traffic, since the north-south thoroughfare has been converted into a dead end due to the reconstruction of the South Bridge — the main entrance into the village. Residents on the north end of the Boulevard, […]
Posted inOpinion
Wine, beer, not everything is clear with Redstone’s liquor licensing
In many ways, Redstone is the last frontier of regulation, full of colorful personalities, differing opinions and little governmental oversight. Falling under Unincorporated Pitkin County, our sheriff is based in Aspen, over an hour away, the fire department is located in Carbondale and the closest thing we have to a town government is our chamber […]
Posted inEducation
Hunting Season 101
A few weeks ago, I went to call for my dog and discovered a rifle-toting, camouflage-clad hunter just beyond my porch. I started yelling, “Hey, hey—” stumbling to find words as he took to the woods along the community path. I stopped short, deciding I was barking up the wrong tree by yelling at a […]
Posted inOpinion
Bear in mind
As a Colorado native, I have traditionally bristled at the comparison of nuisance bears to overgrown city rats. Nestled in the White River National Forest, I see myself more like Goldilocks living in the bears’ home. I estimate five bears are habitating around my one-acre lot that serves as a conduit to their water source: […]
Posted inColumns
Local nature-based preschool challenged by state regulations
During the pandemic, when the school cafeteria became a potential breeding ground for a deadly disease, I searched for the sanctuary of a pod school, reducing the number of children mine would interact with. I discovered the refuge of Waldkinder through word-of-mouth and pulled my daughter out of her first-grade public school class. This outdoor […]
Posted inColumns
Monopoly money and a weighted dice
A few weeks ago, my 6-year-old son asked me to play the 2017 Monopoly Aspen Special Edition game. During setup, I marveled at how the game’s landmarks still stood in a city that wealth has obliterated. My son caught onto the game swiftly, and I soon found myself in a position of being land-rich and […]
Posted inColumns, Opinion, Uncategorized
Guest Column: Wheels on the bus
During the past few years, Roaring Fork School District children have circled the Valley on ever-lengthening bus routes. After years of the pandemic-inspired “mommy bus,” I recently returned to the school bus system. I was shocked to discover that a seven-minute car ride can take up to two hours on the bus. I imagined my […]