Hello! We need to meet an early deadline this week because of our New Year's celebration, so our news will be an up to the minute issue. I am sure that you all noticed that I missed the deadline last week. I am fortunate that my newspaper editors are fine upstanding individuals and would not think of giving me that dreaded pink slip - you know what that means. Looking back twenty-some years when I began the Rico Report weekly column, I do not remember missing a single edition. If I did, I don't want to remember!

Rico has settled down for the duration of the winter as it always does each year. Many activities will have to wait until spring. When the world turns white, we pause and either head for greener pastures or bring out the snow-blowers and start shoveling the roofs about February or so. We see that resident Dick Lanning has the ice skating rink at our Louis Jones Town Park about ready for our children and the young at heart. Otherwise, the alternative to ice skating is back country skiing and we see that there are fresh snowboard and ski tracks up on the hourglass up on Mt. Expectation. One has to be in fine physical condition to go that route! We have some very good skiers in this town and, of course, some of our ski instructors have been teaching at the Telluride resort for years.

Our area has been collecting a couple of inches almost every day lately and it adds up ... nothing big since the 15 inch and 12 inch storms earlier this month. Just think, only 225 inches to go, according to our measuring stick, for an almost normal winter.

The Joneses and friends put on their usual celebration for New Years eve. They built a warm fire and had a sleigh-riding party on their steep hill. There was lots of food and a time for family and friends to bring in the New Year in style - Rico style, that is.

I have decided to take a short vacation in regard to the Rico Report. Almost everyone deserves a vacation from their job, don't they? It seems like an ideal time when things are quiet, and January is usually a quiet time of the year. We plan to resume the column after a few weeks and I promise to come back with interesting fun stories that are happening both now and from yesteryear.

A very happy New Year and the best of the best to each and every one of you in our year 2013.



Marlene Hazen has lived in Rico for two decades. An active member of the community, she participates in organizations such as the Rico Women's Club and Rico Historical Society.