Birthday Running Bash

What better way to celebrate a birthday than by running a marathon? Okay. There may be lots of better ways to celebrate a birthday. But I’ve decided to run 26.2 miles. You can join me in Dolores, or, in spirit, by running wherever you are. […]

Count Me as One Earnest 2024 Human

What started as a task to write about technology and life in the rural west has morphed into a mandate, self-imposed, to take back my brain from tech-soaked deviations. You could say the topic got the better of me. I’m guessing it’s got the better […]

Pandemic Storm

Someone sent me a playlist of dance songs this morning. By eight o’clock, with two cups of tea in me, I was dancing around the kitchen and living room, feeling relaxed and free of cares. The dogs watched. “Who is this woman?” It was different […]

Months of Moments

A note from the Editor: This essay is part of the Cayuse Corona Community, a recurring feature. Here, Maddy Butcher knits ideas and events into a piece that reflects on the pandemic experience. Leave a comment and be in the running for giveaways! Pasture Moment […]

Hokas Make Me Happy

Coming back from injuries stemming from scoliosis has been a slow and humbling process. Dr. Ellen Tomsic warned me that I could not approach recovery like a typical jock, or in the manner I’d practiced for decades. Going hard and running through pain is what […]

Wildfire Evacuation: No Time to Think

Last Sunday was like most others. After a lazy breakfast of tea and toast, I was ticking off my property project list. In the late morning, I gathered equipment – loppers, bug dope, and two quarts of water for myself and the dogs – for […]

Florence Williams Interview

We spoke with Florence Williams, author of The Nature Fix: Why Nature Makes Us Happier, Healthier, and More Creative. Read related post here. Williams was raised in New York City and Washington D.C. As a young girl, Williams took English riding lessons at the now […]

Review: Cotopaxi’s Toliman Hoodie

For this review of Cotopaxi’s Toliman Wool Hoodie, we sought out WashingtonOutsider, Natalie Lord. The Toliman is made in Portland, Oregon, just 170 miles south of Lord’s home base. The 20-something spends more time outdoors than most of us even hope for. The talented skier […]

Raves for Raven Narratives

Last month, I had the supreme joy of participating in the Raven Narratives, the new storytelling project developed by my community heros, Sarah Syverson and Tom Yoder. Listen to my story. We, a group of seven storytellers along with Syverson and Yoder (who told a […]

Introducing ColoradoOutsider Women

I’ve lived in a lot of places, yet nowhere have I been more impressed and challenged by fellow females than here in southwestern Colorado. This is not to say that women in Maine, Iowa, Utah, and elsewhere are not impressive. But when it comes to […]