Columns

Our life on the ranch is incredible. We have been blessed to be allowed to live on a beautiful piece of private land in one of the most picturesque areas of this country. But changes and updates to things believed "perfect" are normal, right? I only ask that the littlest of things be "made better." The problem is that I have to ask over and over and over again. I pride myself on not being a nag or "that kinda" wife but sometimes blunt statements are necessary when you are dealing with a house full of cowboys, rodeo queens and broken filters.
The lights in the bathrooms are circa 1970 and only six of the 10 sockets are functional. Most of you, I think, would say that it is appropriate to update the lighting fixtures in the bathrooms. I have purchased the necessary parts, located the circuits, purchased LED lightbulbs and asked the cowboy to complete the job. That original request was given more than a year ago.

Last month was national Sexual Assault Awareness Month, not that folks in Ouray County need an occasion lately to raise awareness of the topic.
We have five current sexual assault cases connected with Ouray County, each at various points of progress in the court system.
A plea has been submitted in one, with the court’s acceptance and sentencing still to come. Two others await trial and/or possible pleas, as well. Yet two others, which didn't occur in the county but are alleged to have been committed by Ouray County residents, are just beginning the legal process.
Three of these cases are alleged violations against minors. All of the accused/convicted are men.
I had a conversation with one of the alleged victims last week. What do you say, other than if it's true, you hope for justice and healing? I can never understand what the victim of sexual assault goes through.

It wasn't an unnatural thought at first, as Beecher and I were led through the ongoing construction Friday at Ouray's Hot Springs Pool by City Resources Director Rick Noll, that seeing adults soaking and kids splashing where we walked could be a long way off.
But then, you hear the steadfast assuredness in Rick's voice as he answers the question many are asking: "Will it be ready on time?"
Quickly, and without hesitation, Noll said the pool will be open May 27.
Just days earlier, Ouray City Administrator Patrick Rondinelli told me the same thing. They're not repeating the company line. This is an edict that the contractor understands and that those at the city believe.
Looking past the extension cords, buckets, enough piping to reroute the Uncompahgre River and scores of other construction material and tools, you see the shape of what's to come, and you know this is going to be an amazing attraction when completed.

“Hi, Tom! How ya doin’?”
The greeter was a grinning Grant M., my friend and neighbor. He had just walked out of his front door. I was working in the yard. I looked up and said, “Oh, hi there, Gordon.”
He was a person I’d never seen before in my life, but I knew at a glance that his name was Gordon, not Grant. A mystery wrapped in a riddle, right? Here’s what you need to know to solve the riddle:
1) Grant has a lively imagination and a good sense of humor, but he’s a little like Dennis the Menace. He just might take a big bite out of the apple in your lunch pail if you don’t keep an eye on him.
2) Grant has an identical twin named Gordon. I knew he lived in Chicago, but I didn’t know he was in town for a visit.
Gordon’s daughter, Julie, once confused the two of them. She thought Grant was her daddy. The only reason I wasn’t fooled is that Gordon had recently gotten a haircut and Grant’s hair was, shall we say, a little less stylish.