Hello and Happy Easter. At church we may see some new Easter bonnets, and that is a delight. The service at our Rico Community Church will begin at 10:30 a.m. with a little Easter bunny baskets happy time for the children at 10 before church.
The Rico Hotel will be open Easter Sunday from noon to 3 p.m. with a special menu for that day. Normally, the Argentine Grill is closed on Sundays and open during the winter months Friday and Saturday nights from 5 to 9. For more information, please call 967-3000. Expect a delightful lunch Sunday; Chef Eammon has wonderful, tasty ideas he turns into exquisite delights to pamper your taste buds. Call 967-3000 for reservations or more information.
We have received Extension Officer Dan Fernandezs February and March annual reports. The moisture received in west Dolores County where the farm land is located is not what we need to hear. The moisture received so far this year is but 21 percent of normal with 0.97 inches received thus far. There are concerns regarding the lack of moisture as farmers enter the growing season over there.
Rico-ite Tom Rollers has decided to move back to his home state of Pennsylvania and would like to bid all of his friends in the community a fond farewell. He mentioned that he will miss this little hamlet in the San Juan Mountains and might return to visit some day.
The Dolores County School Board met this past week in Rico, which they try to do a couple of times during the school year. We appreciate the board members and how they do business in a fair and friendly manner. Our Kim Jones is on the board also, and I guess she represents our Rico Elementary School as well.
The pussy willows are beginning to burst from their buds! We found the very first ones down Depot Hill near the river. They make a nice centerpiece, and they are fun to pet.
The Allsups of Priest Gulch are back this week, and I can imagine that Ernie has his work cut out for him, cleaning up the grounds, opening the cabins and the list which must be a mile long. We always look forward to the Priest Gulch friends coming up to Rico to join the parade on the Fourth of July!
The runoff began this week, and the Dolores River is beginning to look like it is rising, but not out of its banks yet, of course. Maybe around the beginning of May well see some problems and maybe not!
The turkey hunters report no sightings of turkeys, but a whole bunch of elk herds toward west Dolores County munching on new grass. We did spot a herd in the meadow near where Taylor Creek runs into the Dolores. We could not tell whether there were any new calves with the bunch. So, as the meadows green up, the herds move up toward the mountains.
Does anybody know if the ice has melted on Groundhog Reservoir? The fishing is excellent at this time, if you can get up there we remember so well.
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.