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Southwest Life
Nicole Clark
Position: La Plata County Extension Office
Darrin Parmenter
Position: La Plata County Extension Office
Darrin Parmenter
Position: Staff reporter

Take home baking to the next level, be a Cottage Foods producer

Some people just have a penchant and talent for baking. Their skillful blending of art and food chemistry results in a delightful display of edible creativity. What a unique gift for the luc...

The hope for snow a recurring theme

The juxtaposition of the holiday season always messes with me – we speed up to reach the goal of slowing down. We rush to buy presents, wrap and/or mail those presents, decorate the house, m...

Knowledge is power in self-managed health care

It’s National Diabetes Month, and it’s worth mentioning for two reasons. One, because 37.7 million Americans are living with diabetes. However, 20% of them don’t know it yet. Second, 32 mill...

In season of giving, remember that community is vitally important

For the vast majority – if not all – of us, the end of the outdoor growing season arrived during the last couple weeks of October. For us, it was a light knock on the door, with temperatures...

Calabacitas: Fall vegetables make a favorite family meal

Even if you don’t love cooking, I bet you have at least one family recipe you make periodically. You make it because it’s delicious, or because it reminds you of something or someone special...

At Apple Days, celebrate the versatility of this delicious fruit

Minus the minutes I laid on the couch yelling at the Broncos football team, I spent the better part of Sunday canning applesauce (and pickles and peppers). An early-fall tradition, I spend ...

La Plata County 4-H members earn awards at Colorado State Fair

The La Plata County 4-H year is officially wrapping up, and what a wonderful year it has been. Our La Plata County Fair was a huge success – full of fun and excitement. Our 4-H members were ...

Saving money along the road to retirement

With summer nearing its end, I hope you’ve had a chance to do something that leaves you Feelin’ Good Again. For many, that includes travel. The distance traveled is irrelevant, it’s seeing ...

Could 2022 be the ‘Year of the Weeds’?

As the 2022 growing season comes to close (hopefully slowly), it is up to all of us to come up with the title. For example, 2021 was “The Year of the Grasshopper.” While not all stretches o...

Ankle sprains hurt, but you can help the healing

It can happen so quickly. One minute you’re double stacking rafts on a trailer for a week of boating. The next minute, you’re on the gravity train. The sound of a twisted ankle popping under...

Join the fun at the La Plata County Fair

Red, White and Moo! Our La Plata County Fair is in full swing. The La Plata County Fairgrounds is brimming with animals, projects and family fun. Swing down and join the excitement. The Exte...

A multitude of experiences await at the county fair

This will be my 16th fair as part of CSU Extension here in La Plata County. I could make a funny comment about “that’s a lot of turkey legs and funnel cake,” but to be honest, I do not think...