Columns

A reasonable person is able and willing to reason. Such a person is respectful of logic, not suspicious of it, and is willing to follow the argument wherever it leads. This requires a certain amount of humility, an acknowledgment that one could be wrong. Such a person is capable of listening to the other side […]

Having experienced several big-city transit systems — San Francisco, Chicago, Denver — I can testify that RFTA is a gem. When I moved here, I was astonished to learn that the Roaring Fork Transportation Agency is Colorado’s second-largest transit system, after Denver! (Huh, Colorado Springs?) Interestingly enough Colorado leads the nation in rural public transportation. […]

I don’t care what culture you identify with the most, or how amazing or superior you may think your culture is to others. Every single group has its eyebrow-raising, kooky, cultural neuroses, and we Mexicans are no different. As most of you know by now, I mostly consider myself American Mountain Girl (it’s a real […]

My horoscope said I may be experiencing an “existential crisis” this week. Nailed it. Luckily, it’s not a permanent condition, and according to the stars, should clear up by the weekend… After a natural disaster we often see people who have just lost everything wandering around with a disbelieving look on their faces, searching for […]

One of the single most defining aspects of one’s high school career is the college application process, a process near-complete but still ebbing out for most seniors today. And though the experience of applying to college has been a large part of the American teenager’s life for much of our nation’s history, it’s changed drastically […]

While having surveying done 41 years ago prior to building our home in the Crystal Valley, the surveyors showed us a map of the area from the 1880s. It indicated a spot about 3/4 of a mile upriver from us labeled “Mobley’s Corral”. This was new to us because the local name for that spot […]

When people hear about our WildChild Chikken Co-op, they either say “Oh, cool!” or “Can I join, too?” The co-op started with a Facebook post almost four years ago: “We are moving and can’t bring our chickens. 1½ year-old hens for sale; some supplies included, $80.” This was at the same time that a restaurant […]

Having lived in big cities — Denver, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco — my norm was to always be a stranger among strangers, looking warily over my shoulder, carrying mace in my pocket but craving connection and community. I want to be recognized and remembered. I’m halfway there. Unlike in cities, I feel safe to […]

Even though we’d been going to the same restaurant for years, I hadn’t noticed a little message at the bottom that read:  “Today’s menu was made possible by immigrants.” I left a tip for our waiter, signed and exited the restaurant, surprised at my own level of elation to see a small shoutout to the […]

In the words of John Hughes, master movie maker, “Life moves pretty fast. You don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” A wise man recently reminded me that my life is like a movie, and it’s up to me to decide what kind of movie I’m making. In my […]