From Urbanite to Ruralite: My Westcliffe Journal

Music in the Valley

2007-05-04T14:59:00.000-06:00

One of the things that made life worth living this year was rediscovering music. I went to a folk music weekend called Stringalong in Wisconsin last November, thinking to take up the guitar. Imagine my surprise, however, when instead an autoharp called to me. What is an autoharp, you ask? Well, you put 30+ strings on a box that rings...and tune for the rest of your life. The link above will tell you more about this delightful instrument than you'd probably ever want to know. I fell in love with it, bought one and by December, I was playing it and singing in the town Christmas show.

I met some other musicians at my church, and have started playing weekly with them. We just did a benefit last month in Pueblo at the Union Depot. It was a lot of fun, and only our second time playing in public.

There are a LOT of musicians in Westcliffe - both amateur and some professionals, too. Probably our best known band is the bluegrass group Sons and Brothers.

My next venture is to start an open acoustic jam/coffeehouse at my church on Wednesday nights. I have a feeling people are going to come out of the woodwork, especially in the summer.

As for music - well, I can't get enough of it!

Big Changes

2007-05-01T12:17:00.000-06:00

It's been over a year since I last posted, and my life has changed almost beyond recognition since then. On February 1, 2006, my beloved husband John died in a household accident. I have dealt with my grief elsewhere, so I do not intend to expand on it in this blog, but suffice it to say that this year has been a journey of finding out who I am without him.

I have learned that it is possible to find joy and fulfillment again after a period of grieving, and that death is not the end of all. I am much less scared of death now than I once was.

The candidate announces

2006-01-31T15:17:00.000-07:00

A friend sent me an email invitation to "A Big Annoucement" that he was making at the Custer Co. courthouse last night, so I went. Turns out he's running for County Commissioner. It seemed to be a meeting of the Custer Co. Democratic Party - all 15 of them! I'm kidding - there are a few more Democrats in the county, but they didn't show up for the meeting.

Actually, in a county this small, I'm not sure how much party politics matter. But then, someone did say that 'all politics are local.' Alan Urban is the candidate and his platform is one of getting more people involved in local govt. For instance, he'd like to have commissioner's and zoning meetings in the evenings, so that working people could actually go and find out what's going on.

This has been one of my pet peeves about trying to get involved in organizations in the Valley - most of them have their d#*n meetings in the daytime!

Maybe things are starting to change - hope so!

Not Winterized Enough

2005-10-11T16:27:00.000-06:00

Didn't make it out of the driveway yesterday. We got about a foot of snow and that was too much for my little car to handle. Sure was pretty though. I was telling John that we didn't do too badly last winter - only hit one deer and totalled the truck. But we're going to have to get more serious about winterizing the car(s).

Just finished painting the deck a couple of weeks ago - none too soon for the October snowstorm.

Preparing for Winter

2005-10-03T13:55:00.000-06:00

Seems like we've spent most of our summer preparing for winter - painting the deck, plugging woodpecker holes and staining/sealing the house, etc. We've been trying to get a garage built (without much success) for the last four months...so that we can house the cars, to keep the mice from gnawing through wires and nesting in the exhaust valve, among other things. The chimney of the wood stove also needs a visit from the sweep. We're planning on using it more this winter, with the price of fuel going through the roof.

I love looking out through the big windows on a snowy day when it's nice and toasty by the wood fire. But I also want to get out and do some winter sports this year, particularly snowshoeing. We'll see!

Mile Markers

2005-08-12T10:29:00.000-06:00

Funny how I never noticed mile markers till we moved to the country. But I've since learned their importance in terms of navigating the landscape where there are few road names and fewer landmarks to give shape to your directions. Turn right just 3/10 of a mile past the 4 Mile Marker - in the black night of the Colorado high plains, without mile markers, we would surely be lost, time and again.

Baby mountain lion

2004-12-26T17:36:00.000-07:00

We think we saw a baby mt. lion in the front yard today. Too big to be a cat, and sort of chunky in build, tawny color. No mom in evidence though.

Speaking of cats, we are adopting two more kitties (indoor/outdoor) to deal with the mouse situation. Two girls, one 1 yr. old, the other 1 1/2 yrs. - one b/w, the other a brown tiger, both longhairs. For the next few weeks, they'll be occupying the garage, and beginning to learn that this is their new home. We're building a detached garage next spring, so eventually, this will be their domain. We have to keep them separate from our two strictly indoor cats, at least until everyone's properly vaccinated and we're sure that they get along.

Christmas in the Valley

2004-12-21T09:48:00.000-07:00

We've been enjoying the small town atmosphere of the Valley's Christmas celebrations - from the Christmas parade to the Festival of Trees to the Christmas craft show, shopping the downtown stores and running into friends and acquaintances doing the same.

Although we've had snow on for several weeks, the road crews have been expeditious in clearing a path on Highway 96 - have had relatively little trouble getting to work in Pueblo.

We may be adding two more cats to our menagerie to prowl outside for mice and rats. I've been told that many folks keep their outdoor kitties in a doghouse with some kind of heating system - that is, if they don't have a barn or outbuilding, as we don't - yet.

Things are going well at my work - we've received several grants of late, and repairs on the old CF&I medical building will soon be underway - we hope to open that building as a small museum next year.

A Year in Westcliffe

2004-11-20T16:52:00.000-07:00

This week is a year since we've been living in Westcliffe - it was snowing when we arrived and it's snowing now. Big, wet flakes - about 5" on the ground now, measured by the snow on the railing and on the bird feeder.

Sept and Oct saw the invasion of the mice and the packrats - not in the house, but big time in the trailer. They nested in drawers, peed on everything in sight, and chewed all kinds of things. Ridding the trailer of them has been taking a while, but I guess we'll know not to just leave the rv unexamined for such a long time next yr.

Haven't had much trouble driving to work in Pueblo so far.

Papermaking in the Sangres!

2004-09-27T22:32:00.000-06:00

Today was a red-letter day - my Hollander beater arrived from New Zealand!! For the uninitiated - this is a machine (dating from the 1600s) used to make pulp for papermaking from cotton rags and plant materials. I am really looking forward to making paper from some of the native plants (and noxious weeds!) of Colorado. I hope to someday start a summer papermaking workshop for artists and others in the beautiful Wet Mt Valley. I am going to have some fun this weekend!!

Big money for little towns

2004-09-12T09:19:00.000-06:00

One thing that has really stood out ever since we moved to Westcliffe is the staggering level of volunteerism in the valley. At a time when libraries in Colorado have been cut to the bone by legislators, our 10,000 volume county library has raised over $500,000 to build a much needed addition. How? Not only has the librarian written mucho grants, but the residents have been extraordinarily generous. A series of fund-raising events, ranging from an auction, a cowboy sit-down dinner, historical tours, arts and crafts shows, musical events which have been heavily attended and generously contributed to by locals means that by this time next spring, we'll have a new local history center and community events room.

I just attended a pre-workshop for Rural Philanthropy Days on behalf of the Custer Co. Historical and Genealogical Society. All the non-profits in town were invited to learn how to make the most of this opportunity to meet and pitch to Colorado foundations and govt. agencies.

2004-08-28T12:05:00.000-06:00

San Isabel National Forest

Commuting was never like this in Atlanta!

2004-08-28T11:47:00.000-06:00

I've been commuting to Pueblo from Westcliffe for the last two weeks, and while the commute is about 10 minutes longer than my commute in Atlanta, the nature of the commute is totally different. No traffic to fight, no noise, and lots of beautiful scenery. The picture is of the San Isabel National Forest, and it looks very similar to the part I drive through every morning and evening--twisty and turny through a canyon with trees everywhere. When I get to Wetmore, which is roughly halfway, the scenery begins to change and I come out of the mountains onto a wide, flat prairie with Pike's Peak on one side and the Spanish Peaks on the other in the distance. By the time I reach Pueblo, I have come down 3000'+ in altitude and entered a town that looks more like New Mexico than Colorado. I've been having trouble with my sinuses lately and am wondering if it has anything to do with the daily change in altitude, or if it's just the change in the seasons.

Busy week!

2004-08-21T12:00:00.000-06:00

Been too busy to blog this week - I started a new job at the Bessemer Historical Society, working with the archives collection. Fascinating place, but it will be a very big job - we have some 20,000 c.f. of records to process. Job security, indeed. I'm working my last weekend at the realtor's office, thankfully, so one more week, and I'll actually have two days in a row off!

On 'The Critter'

2004-08-14T09:35:00.000-06:00

Nope, it's not related to any of the wildlife around here. I've just ordered a 'Little Critter', which is an affordable alternative to the pricey Hollander beater ($7500). In my creative life as a hand papermaker, I've been limited in the types of materials I've been able to use for papermaking to those which could be beat up in a blender. No more! Bring on those cotton rags, old blue jeans, and tough fibers! With the Critter, I'll be able to experiment with a wide range of different fibers, and I'll be able to produce real quality pulp. I hope to create a 'Papers of the Southwest' series, maybe even using some of the so-called 'Noxious Weeds' around here - be nice to make something useful out of these parasitic plants!

Is it 'The Birds'?!

2004-08-12T19:02:00.000-06:00

We've gone a little overboard with the hummingbird feeders - we now have 3 big ones and 2 little ones. But the hummers are so much fun to watch - even if our deck sometimes resembles a scene from The Birds. Hummers are very territorial, and we have several different species all vying for the feeders. The Rufous hummers are the most aggressive - there's one guy who managed to fend off all the other hummers for several hours. The black-chinned and broad-tailed varieties, which we also have, aren't quite so fierce, but I've been wondering what would happen if I got between them and the feeders!

2004-08-12T18:50:00.000-06:00

Hummers everywhere!

Small town jokes

2004-08-09T16:47:00.000-06:00

Heard in a town meeting the other day:

Q: Know why you don't have to give turn signals in a small town?

A: Cause everyone already knows where you're going.

I'd hate to try to have an affair in a small town - people are starting to recognize both of our cars, and will say something like: 'Oh, I see you were down at the library yesterday." Keith (my brother) lives in a small town in Missouri, and likes to tell stories about how his kids could never get away with anything when they were growing up because someone would be sure to call him, and say, for example: 'I saw your son (underage) drinking a beer.'

One thing that simplifies life in a small town is that everyone has the same phone exchange, so when someone asks for your phone number, all you have to tell them is the last four digits.

Hummingbird Wars

2004-08-08T11:59:00.000-06:00

John thinks it's time to add a third hummingbird feeder since we now have sometimes 6 to 8 hummers fighting over the 3 feeding stations at each feeder. I agree, but they are so much fun to watch, both for us and for the kitties. I'd say we have at least a dozen of them visiting the feeders virtually all day long - certainly more than I've ever seen at one time. They seem to like my hummer sauce, which I make in a 1:4 ratio of sugar to water and without the red food coloring. It gets so windy here sometimes that we've had to weight down the feeders so that they don't swing wildly and wind up feeding that good stuff to the ants.

Joys of Country Living

2004-08-08T11:51:00.000-06:00

We haven't been able to use the a/c in our Honda Accord for some time, and John thinks he's finally gotten to the root of the problem. I was driving the car the other day, and tried the fan, and it proceeded to make a noise and spit out what looked like plant seeds on the floor. John took out the fan and discovered what looks to be a nest made by some animal. Last night, he announced that he'd found the other half of the problem - a very dead and dessicated mouse who apparently tried to take up residence in the heater.

To the Polls!

2004-08-06T08:24:00.000-06:00

I don't think that last night's forum changed too many peoples' minds, but it was interesting to hear each candidate address the same question. It did serve to solidify my opinions, so I'm ready to vote in the Tuesday primary.

Small Town Politics

2004-08-05T10:06:00.000-06:00

Tonight there is a candidates forum at the local high school auditorium. We have a hotly contested race for two county commissioner slots, and feelings in the valley are running pretty high. A lot is at stake for the future of our beautiful valley, and it turns largely on how the term 'smart growth' is interpreted by those elected. Virtually everyone accepts that there will be growth, but how to manage that growth in order to preserve our open spaces, provide jobs and at the same time hold on to those things that make the valley special and brought us here in the first place? Too many of us have seen beautiful places destroyed by shortsightedness, uncontrolled development and greed.

Back to Atlanta

2004-07-31T14:38:00.000-06:00

Back from a week working in Atlanta - I must have mellowed, because the place actually didn't seem so bad. When we left Atlanta three years ago, I never wanted to see it again. On this visit, I actually enjoyed being there - as a visitor. It didn't get very hot, but it was very humid - I felt damp and clammy all week. After living in this semi-arid environment, Atlanta seemed like a jungle to me! The traffic jams were minimal, and from where I was staying, I had an easy 20 minute commute to downtown.A friend remarked that I've been living at high altitude for some time now, and probably have more red blood cells than most people. He said that there's a theory that people who are acclimated to high altitude may become euphoric when they come down to lower climes. "It's the euphoria, Bev," he said, "not Atlanta!"

Politics raises its ugly head

2004-07-18T12:44:00.000-06:00

Even in idyllic Westcliffe, it is political season, and we have a hotly contested race for the two open county commissioner positions. They've been debating each other by way of political ads in our local weekly, The Wet Mountain Valley Tribune. I read our local paper front to back, and have learned a lot about the valley and the issues, but there are often significant holes in the coverage (why I'm not sure). For example, when the county held caucases earlier this summer, a volley of letters appeared in the 'Letters to the Editor' accusing certain Democrats (a lonely breed in this county) of changing parties for the caucus in a highly organized fashion in order to keep certain Republicans from getting on the primary ballot. Nowhere else in the paper was this controversy addressed - not in news stories about the caucus nor in the editorial column. Strange, thought I. I went to a political BBQ the other night, partly to learn more about the candidates involved, and partly to see whether their supporters were anyone I wanted to be associated with. As it turned out, I could answer the latter question in the affirmative. Talking with them, it appeared that they held similar values to my own.The big issue in this election will be to decide who is better equipped to make balanced decisions about 'smart growth' in this county. Of course, whenever any politician talks about growth, it is always 'smart growth' that he claims to be a proponent of. Finding out what he means by that - exactly - is never any easy task.

Queen of the Rodeo

2004-07-17T21:49:00.000-06:00

I thought I would try to give a little bit of the flavor of what it's like to live in this valley. Today we had the annual Westcliffe Stampede parade - many of the horse breeders and ranches hereabouts hitch their prize horses up to buggies, Conestoga wagons and pony carts and drive them proudly down Main St. This year, we had another variety of livestock - two prize calves - in the parade. The 4-H'ers have been showing their livestock the last three days at the County Fair, so perhaps these guys were some 4-H kid's pride and joy. As for the parade, my opinion is that the main attraction here is for bystanders to wave and to heckle all their friends on horseback, flatbed truck 'float', or emergency vehicle. All the activities this week, of course, have been leading up to the annual rodeo, which is the Big Event for all the horsey people in the valley, particularly the Saddle Club and the 4-H kids. They do get some out-of-town cowboys participating, but my sense is that it's primarily a home-grown event. Like most places, not everyone is keen on the rodeo - especially those who have to pick up the pieces when an animal is injured.

I woke up this morning, and it was one of those days when the mountains are higher than the clouds. Every time I see this phenomenon, it awes me. Even though I'd only been awake a few minutes, I had to take pictures right away, even before coffee, because the next time you look, it might be gone. When the sun is shining (which is most of the time), it can be quite intense. I joked with someone the other night that after a few years of this, I'd resemble nothing more than an old prune!

Welcome to Westcliffe!

2004-07-11T09:56:00.000-06:00

Welcome to my Westcliffe Blog. Westcliffe is a small mountain town situated in Wet Mountain Valley of southern Colorado. We are about 50 miles west of Pueblo, and about 90 miles southwest of Colorado Springs. The valley floor sits at 7800' and is bounded by the Sangre de Cristo range on the west and the Wet Mountains on the east. One of the main occupations here is ranching, and there is lots of wide, open space. It is a beautiful place to live or to visit.