Greetings to our friends out there in Rico Report land! This is the 27th of December and, once again, our little town has awakened to another clear and calm day with the early morning temperature of around 5 degrees. This low temperature sounds cold, but with our dry air up here in the mountains it is not uncomfortable. We are cozy down here, and in the meantime, up around Boulder and that area, they have weathered some high winds the past couple of days. Rico is a safe haven.
We cannot think of a more comfortable or favorable spot to live in, especially for retirees like Ken and myself, and an occasional blizzard is just part of the scene! To sum up our weather story for 2011, we think that Rico seems to be alright as far as precipitation, so far as this fall is concerned. Mind you, I am really going out on a limb with this statement! That is OK, isnt it? We received good rains in mid-September, and snow began to collect on the high peaks around that time. Our rains turned to snow around Oct. 7. Since that date, we have received around 40 inches, which were small 2- and 3-inch storms most of the time, but it all adds up. We have not enjoyed the privilege of a professional weather person for years, which is OK.
In the summer our friend Duanne Holt keeps us well informed.
Our 2011 Christmas season has come and gone. I am truly overwhelmed by the care and compassion that our residents in this great country of ours have shown these past few weeks as Christmastime approached.
Continuing on, the age-old tradition of leaving Santa milk and cookies is still with us, of course. In our day, and I dont know why, we never thought to feed the reindeer. As we approached the Jones house Christmas morning, we spotted half-chewed carrots along the pathway to the house. Reindeer are messy eaters! Maybe because they were in a hurry.
We looked up at the hourglass landmark up on Mt. Expectation recently and discovered that our back country skiers have already climbed up that steep mountain and whooshed down, leaving perfect turns in their wake. Oh, to be in such good physical condition to do something like that.
Finally, this coming Sunday is New Years Day. We want to wish the best of everything for our family, friends and those who truly deserve the best in life! Happy New Year!
Marlene Hazen has lived in Rico for two decades. An active member of the community, she participates in organizations such as the Rico Womens Club and Rico Historical Society.