School Enrollment Plummeting

What exactly is going on with Denver area school enrollment? Of course, it seems that COVID started all of this, but we didn't expect it to stay this way. Jefferson County, for example, has proposed a plan to close multiple elementary schools in the district due to low enrollment levels. From the article on Fox News, "According to Jeffco, the district has the capacity to serve 96,000 students in their traditional schools and currently has 69,000 students enrolled. Jeffco expects the enrollment to continue declining to 66,000 by next year." "Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, online and at-home learning became the new norm for students in Colorado. When schools reopened to in-person learning, many failed to return to the traditional in-school education." The folks at Westword also did a piece on this, and they believe the declining population in Denver is also a factor. Even as Colorado’s population grew (prior to 20-21), its public-school enrollment shrunk. Enrollment was generally increasing until 2020-2021, when it rapidly fell by a whopping 30,024 students, according to Colorado Department of Education data. Most definitely a challenging time for education as funding is allocated on a per-pupil basis. Denver Public Schools predict another 6% enrollment decrease in the next 5 years and the plan is to establish criteria for permanently closing schools with low enrollment by 2024. Finally, it seems we are not alone here in Denver. The New Y0rk Times recently published a piece on this topic and it can be found here.

Wages & Inflation

Before COVID, most of us were pretty happy with that good old 3% wage increase. These days, it might not be enough. One of the concepts few employees understand is effective purchasing power. It is super easy to get intoxicated by a higher wage, but if all the goods and services around you are going up at a higher rate (see the chart above), then purchasing power is lost. So even though wages have skyrocketed and are up 4.9%, inflation is up 6.2%, a net loss. Closer to home, and from the DBJ article on this topic,  "In Denver, median weekly earnings rose 6.5% over the past year from ,163.80 to ,239.38. Meanwhile, the cost of living rose 12.9% since 2019." "That combination of factors means what would have been a traditional raise two or three years ago may not cut it for many employees — especially when it's far from what they could fetch on the open market." It is certainly safe to say we are in trying times both as employees try to pay their bills, and companies do their best to retain talent with fair pay. Sadly, the inevitable conclusion of all of this could likely be fewer jobs, as companies strive to automate and eliminate humans wherever possible. Meanwhile, we will do everything in our power to keep a happy and well-paid workforce in your homes.

Navy Seals & Neuroscience

So, a Navy Seal and a neuroscientist walk into a bar....... Just kidding, but it sounds like the beginning of a great joke. In reality, it was a five-hour podcast between  Andrew Huberman, a neuroscientist and professor at Stanford School of Medicine, and Jocko Willink, an ex-Navy Seal officer. This was a treasure trove of information about how the human mind and our nervous systems actually work. More importantly, how can we use them to our advantage. For example, do you know what "optic flow" is? We didn't either but it can relieve stress. Also, if you are like us, we hit the coffee button right when we rise in the morning. We learned that the timing of the first caffeine in your body is important and that you should wait 60-90 minutes after waking to ingest it. This is due to a molecule called adenosine. We won't bore you with the details, but it's all in this wonderful article we found on Medium. The title of the article is 15 Learnings From a Conversation Between a Neuroscientist & Navy SEAL Officer and we found it to be one of the most informative pieces we have seen in a long while. So, if you want to learn about cool things like adenosine and dopamine, and how a simple sigh might lower your stress, this is the place for you. The full article on Medium.com can be found here, we hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

Going Green in Your Home

By Guest Writer Ethel Lair

Whether you're looking to buy a new house or planning some home improvements on your existing property, think about the many benefits of having an eco-friendly home and garden. Going green isn’t just good for the planet, it can also save you money. So here are some things to consider when you’re looking for a house, or if you want to turn your existing abode into an eco-friendly haven: Save Money on Your Energy Bill To keep your home cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter, thus reducing your need for costly air conditioning, make sure it is well insulated, from attic to basement. When buying a home, look for one that has been outfitted with dual pane windows that keep the outside elements from affecting the temperature inside the house. Solar panels have become increasingly popular over the years, and for good reason: they allow homeowners to harness the sun’s energy to power their house by turning it into electricity. Additionally, installing a solar energy system will increase the value of your home, and may even help it sell faster. When making home improvements, make sure you take before-and-after pictures of your remodeling and energy-saving projects, and keep all receipts and invoices you’ve received, both for labor and for materials. This will allow you to quantify the increase in value of your home when you’re ready to put it on the market. Reduce Your Consumption If you have leaks and drips around your house, you are wasting precious water and increasing your utility bill. Check your appliances such as refrigerator, dishwasher, and washing machine regularly to detect such problems early on, and replace your older appliances with high-efficiency machines that use fewer resources. Upgrading your bathroom fixtures will also help in reducing your water usage. Replace your showerheads, faucets, and toilets with low-flow, high-efficiency options that are as effective as their older counterparts but use a lot less water. It’s a low-cost home improvement that can lead to big savings over time. In your backyard, install an irrigation system that will help you conserve water while keeping your landscape beautiful year-round. Smart sprinklers deliver a fine mist of water that covers an area more efficiently, and if you install weather or rain sensors, they will prevent the unnecessary watering of your lawn, helping you reduce water waste. Another way to reduce consumption, especially if you have a business, is to find ways to go paperless. For example, you can rid yourself of the hassles of printing by switching to a digital scheduling tool or a cloud based accounting system. You even save time by having automated processes and using efficient workflows. Plus, you’ll only pay for what your business needs with software that can grow with your business. Reuse and Recycle Use less paper and plastic products by investing in reusable cloth bags to do your grocery shopping, and opt for permanent storage containers instead of disposable plastic bags to store leftover food and snacks. Avoid using plastic cutlery and paper plates that end up in landfills, and save on gift bags and wrapping paper by creatively recycling what you already have on hand. Choose reusable cloth rags over paper towels to clean your windows and countertops, and reusable mop covers to clean your floors instead of disposable ones to keep your home sparkling clean. Avoid harsh cleaning products that contain unhealthy chemicals, and use the power of steam to clean and disinfect your floors and other surfaces naturally. For a certified green cleaning experience created to reduce indoor air pollution, call on the services of Denver Concierge. Repair and refinish old furniture to give it a new life instead of buying new pieces. A fresh coat of paint and some new hardware will update an old desk or dresser for a fraction of the price of a new piece of furniture. If the item is beyond repair, try repurposing the wood by turning it into a tray, frame, or bookshelf. An eco-friendly house will save you money over time and protect your environment. Whether you’re in the market for a new home or planning some renovations, consider the green alternatives currently available and invest wisely, both for yourself and for the planet. Denver Concierge provides more than 15,000 certified-green house cleanings per year. To see what makes us different, please visit our website or contact us today!

Monthly Award Winners

Our monthly award winners for May were Patricia Rodriguez, Gabriela Barrancas, Maria Zapata, Maria Concepcion Reyes, and Guadalupe Caloca. In the Team Leader ranks, it was Paz Jimenez and Mayra Soto We are so proud of our winners, and of all the folks that are in and out of your homes each week. We continue to be grateful to you for allowing us into your lives during these challenging times. Please join me in congratulating our best performers for the month of May.

Queen Bee Corner

by Angela

I just completed 21 years with Denver Concierge. I have been working alongside the same two women in the office and several of our Team Leaders during the entire time. Pretty impressive. However, I would be remiss to not include in my congratulatory mood, the many, and there are many, of our clients who came to Denver Concierge the same time I did. Imagine 21 years of bi-weekly cleanings, given a holiday here and there. 21 years of births and marriages, celebrations and anniversaries, remodels and construction, leaky ceilings, and flooded floors. The good the bad and the ugly; we've been there for you through it all. When I take on a new client it really does feel like I am welcoming them into the Denver Concierge family.  We are so proud that we have stood the test of time with our clients. It is no small feat. The service industry can be brutal. As always, thank you! Bee

Best Places to Live 2022

How things change. For years we have promoted our fine state and cities here as they rose through the ranks of U.S. News and World Report's annual "Best Places to Live" rankings. As you might expect based on many factors, our place in the rankings has dropped. There was, however, a change in methodology this year, as they added air quality to the rankings. We aren't sure how much this affected our ranks, but all of our cities except one dropped in stature. Starting with Boulder, which was ranked #1 in 2020 and 2021 which fell to #4. Colorado Springs was the only Colorado city on the list to receive a better ranking this year and they came in at No. 2, improving upon a No. 6 rating in 2021. Fort Collins sank to No. 54 from last year’s No. 17, and Denver plummeted the furthest, hitting No. 55 after being ranked No. 14 in 2021 and No. 2 in 2020. The top spot? Huntsville, Alabama, with Green Bay, Wisconsin coming in third. Evidently, the weather doesn't factor in, as any Packer fan will tell you about winter in Wisconsin, but we digress. The full and always interesting rankings direct from U.S. News and World Report can be found here.

Property Tax Relief

For those of you that own a home in Colorado, there is good news and bad news. One check of Zillow will probably make you feel very good about your real estate investment. Then, the property tax bill comes due. Nearly all of us who own homes will feel this burden, as home values have skyrocketed and the government will be happy to collect more from us in taxes. Thankfully there is a bit of relief on the horizon. In early May, a bill was approved to ease the rising tax burden that comes with rocketing property values. It caps the amount of value that properties are taxed for the 2023 and 2024 tax years. From the Denver Post article, "In its unveiling, Gov. Jared Polis said it would save the owner of a 0,000 home an average of 4 a year. It will cost the state an estimated 0 million over two years, funded via one-time money, as tax refunds required under the Tax Payer Bill of Rights or simply chalked up as lost revenue." "The measure was designed to head off proposed ballot initiatives, including one from state Rep. Colin Larson, R-Littleton, to cap property tax increase at 3%. But those backers, including others backed by liberal and conservative groups, put down their metaphorical arms, right down to signing affidavits as political peace treaties." Along with the tax refund we are all receiving (see last month's newsletter if you missed it), this provides a bit of relief for a problem nearly all of us share in. A full recap of the bill, as well as assessment rates for 2023 and 2024 can be found here, courtesy of Coloradonewsline.com. Lastly, we ran across an article on ways to reduce your property tax and it can be found here.

Is Your Home at Risk?

The tragic Marshall Fire over the holidays last year was a stark reminder about how quickly the things we have can be gone. We know a number of people that were displaced and our hearts go out to them. Sadly, many stories have come out regarding underinsured homeowners, problems with replacement values, etc. In fact, the problem was so rampant that many insurance agents weren't even taking calls about it immediately after the disaster. We ran across an informative piece by insurance.com that goes through the ins and outs of underinsurance and what you can do to protect yourself. It can be found here. From the article, "Most homes are underinsured. Nationwide estimates that about two-thirds of American homes are underinsured. Some homes are underinsured by at least 60 percent and the average is about 22 percent. CoreLogic estimates that three out of five American homes are underinsured by an average of 20 percent." The bottom line? Talk to your agent and make sure you have coverage that includes new (and higher) building costs and that you are fully covered for any disaster. The only thing worse than losing your home is realizing you are not able to rebuild it without a significant financial penalty, sometimes in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. Finally, we found a website that will actually calculate your risk of fire or flood based on your address and it can be found here. Let's hope that we never encounter these problems, but in the event we do, let's make sure our insurance is in order.

Airport Expansion & New Gates

We have used this space frequently in the past to shed light on the debacle that has been the DIA expansion project.

It is only fair that we call out any progress that is being made and we have some news to report.

If you haven't flown for a bit, you may be surprised to see that there are 16 additional gates developing on the C Concourse.

From the DBJ article. "Southwest Airlines will soon have 16 more gates available to travelers at Denver International Airport, bringing the airport another step closer to its goal of having the capacity to handle 100 million annual visitors in eight to 10 years."

In fact, the new space is the largest physical expansion by DIA since the Westin hotel was built in 2015.

The ultimate goal is for DIA to handle up to 100 million passengers per year in 8-10 years.

Lots of new things to do out there as well, including eight new shopping and dining options by 2023 including Black Canyon Market and Goods, Longs Peak Market and Goods, Aviano Coffee, Mister Oso, Bar Dough, Cholon Modern Asia, Marczyk Fine Foods and Teatulia Tea and Coffee Bar.

Exciting times at DIA, and nice to see some progress on this long and drawn-out project.

The complete piece from the DBJ can be found here, and for those of you with a Denver Post subscription, their take on things can be found here.

Happy travels Denver!

Monthly Award Winners

Our monthly award winners for April were Gabriela Caloca, Maria Zapata, Gabriela Barrancas, Ivette Amaro, and Haydee Espinosa. In the Team Leader ranks, it was Mayra Soto and Laura Varela We are so proud of our winners, and of all the folks that are in and out of your homes each week. We continue to be grateful to you for allowing us into your lives during these challenging times. Please join me in congratulating our best performers for the month of April.

Queen Bee Corner

by Angela

Handling client cancelations is one of the toughest challenges in the service industry. To reach a balance that recognizes and accepts the client's need to cancel while minimizing disruption to the schedule is no small feat. Our daily schedules are made well in advance and the workload is distributed equally among the teams.  If a client cancels it leaves a gap in one of the team's schedules. Cancelations requested in advance allow the scheduler a chance to fill the space from a short waiting list, and the team does not lose work hours. In the case of last-minute cancelations, it is less likely that the space can be filled on such short notice, and in all probability, the three ladies on the team will lose work hours that day. Emergencies are part of life and are unexpected and unavoidable. We understand and graciously accept this fact of life. However, we hope the above clarification will raise awareness of the importance of canceling in advance whenever possible. Just a small request. Bee

Universal State Tax Refunds 

Looks like we all have a refund coming and who doesn't like free money? It was recently announced that each individual in Colorado that files their 2021 taxes by May 31, 2022, will receive 0. Joint filers will receive 0. The amount is fixed and will not be modified based on income or any information on your 2021 tax return. From the article on the Denver Channel: "Under the Colorado Taxpayer Bill of Rights, when there’s a TABOR surplus, it gets refunded to taxpayers. What would normally come to taxpayers in April 2023 is being given in an advanced payment, due to the proposal, to address the rising costs of inflation, officials said." It seems that the coffers of Colorado are overflowing with money, and we are happy to see the state giving it back to the residents. The complete article from the Denver Channel can be found here.

Denver's Exodus

For years it seems we have been talking about the massive inflow of people into our city. That trend is over. For the first time since the early 2000's, the population in Denver declined. In fact, the population declined by just about 1%, with a dip of just over 6,000 residents. Statewide, however, our population did indeed grow, but only by 28,000 residents. This is only about one-half of one percent over the previous year, which is well below our recent run rate. It seems we are not immune to the migration pattern that seems to show folks leaving big cities for the country, or for cheaper locales. New York City, for example, lost 328,000 residents, and metro Los Angeles gave up 176,000. We aren't smart enough to know what this all means. Part of it could be COVID, part of it could be rising costs in the city or our increasing crime rate. At the risk of piling on, Denver was recently listed among the top 5 least affordable metro areas to live in. The only cities worse than Denver were San Francisco, San Diego, Los Angeles, and Miami. Those of you that have been wishing for people to stay wherever they are and not move to Denver may have finally gotten your wish. Here is hoping this trend reverses and our city transforms into one we can all be proud of, and that more people want to live in.

What's in a (baby) Name?

We are always fascinated by the trends in baby names. The days of Beverly, Doris, Chester, Clarence, etc. may be winding down except for the most traditional of parents. There was a book written a while back called Freakonomics and they devoted an entire chapter to the evolution of baby names The authors keep this concept going and their latest ideas can be found here. Of course, there are many societal aspects to naming your baby. The most interesting tidbit we ran across was from the co-author of Freakonomics, Steven Levitt, who said: "I think it really is about the parents. As I’ve studied naming, what I’ve come to believe is that the primary purpose, when a parent gives a name, is to impress their friends that they are whatever kind of person that they want to be" Very interesting statement, don't you think? Ok, so enough about the evolution of baby names. What are the top baby names for 2022? For starters, the national trends are trending towards playful (Buddy, Sonny, Coco), earthy (Bali, Sequoia, Forest), and regency (Benedict, Simon, Genevieve). Also, for societal reasons we are seeing more gender-neutral names as well, such as Blair, Shiloh, and Wren. Without further ado, here are the top three baby names in Colorado in 2022: Girls-Olivia, Charlotte, Emma Boys-Liam, Oliver, Noah As you know, we are pretty old school over here, so we were happy to see William come up 7th and James 8th. No such luck on the girls as Sophia was the most traditional name we found. The full piece on Colorado baby names can be found here. Finally, Parade magazine listed the top 350 baby names of 2022, and their comprehensive list can be found here. Oh, and folks....be careful giving your baby a hard to pronounce name. We don't have an opinion on this, but studies indicate it may make life difficult for your future adult.

How Wise are You?

What is the difference between being intelligent and being wise?

Well, the photo we chose this month says it all. As we thought about this, however, it brought up many questions about wisdom and the difference between that and intelligence.

We know a few very, very smart people (intelligence) that may not function in society very well. Conversely, we know some people with high school educations that we go to with all of our problems because they are wise (wisdom).

Yes, you can be smart and not wise, or vice-versa. Intelligence is typically measured with innate ability and/or IQ. Wisdom is about experience, knowledge, and overall good judgment.

So, how do we cultivate wisdom?

As our loyal readers know, we love Medium and we found a lovely piece there about the 3 stages of becoming wise.

What did we learn? Becoming wise is a process, and fully cultivated it becomes a guide for your life.

Finally, an extensive piece on this was located at Upjourney, and it features a lot of depth on the matter. 

Here's to being wise....and smart.

Monthly Award Winners

Our monthly award winners for March were Gabriela Barrancas, Josefina Quinonez, Maria Zapata, Katherine Crespin, and Reyna Galvez. In the Team Leader ranks, it was Juana Olivas and Mayra Soto. We are so proud of our winners, and of all the folks that are in and out of your homes each week. We continue to be grateful to you for allowing us into your lives during these challenging times. Please join me in congratulating our best performers for the month of March.

Queen Bee Corner

by Angela

I have a referral I would like to share. Absolute Electrical Heating and Air is a company that by pure chance I used for an ongoing heating issue I had been plagued with for years. They diagnosed and fixed the problem and restored my faith in the American work ethic. All in the space of an hour. Imagine if you can a company whose technicians are thoroughly trained and knowledgeable, equipped for the job at hand, who show up on time, polite and respectful but not chatty. Their customer service folks answer promptly and listen to you. I'd even say I've met my match in that arena. The list of their capabilities is long. Basically most anything that can happen in the lifetime of your home is under their care. What a soothing thought! Forgive my over-enthusiasm but I think we can all agree that the service industry is sorely lacking on many levels. An exception deserves public applause, recognition, and gratitude. I offer all three. You can find Absolute on their website, linked above, or at 720-381-1767.

Wacky Weather

Have you ever looked outside and thought "Make up your mind weather!" We have, quite a bit recently. A couple of newsletters back, we were lamenting our lack of moisture. In fact, our snow drought had us conjuring up images of a nice early spring (much to the chagrin of our skiing clients). It was not to be. In fact, we have been catching up on snow ever since. January dropped 13.4 inches of snow, ranking it as the 13th highest total ever. February was similar racking up 15.8 inches, which was good for the 14th highest ever. The law of averages and regression to the mean are real things, even for the weather. Throw in the recent "arctic blast" we experienced, with record low temps and we don't know what to make of it all. On the 22nd, the National Weather Service recorded the highest temperature for Denver at 8 degrees which set a new record for the coldest high temperature for the day. The lowest high on Feb. 22 was 13 degrees back in 1913, according to the NWS. Another record was set on Wednesday morning when Denver recorded a record low for the day of minus 7 degrees. The previous record low for Feb. 23 was minus 4 degrees. That was set in 1899, according to the NWS. Wacky weather indeed. We hope you all have a Colorado wardrobe, as next week will be back into the 60s and 70s. It's why we love Colorado. Stay warm, or cool, but watch the weather.

International Women's Day

Indeed, and it occurs on March 8. A great opportunity to celebrate the wonderful women in our lives. From our very own Queen Bee to Maria Herrera our GM, we are so fortunate to have the most amazing women around. That's even before we talk about the dedication and commitment of the women who clean your homes (yes, they are all women, we haven't found a man that can clean as well as they can). If there are any men out there that want to give it a shot, we are always hiring. 🙂 From Wiki: "International Women's Day (IWD) is a global holiday, celebrated annually on March 8 to commemorate the cultural, political, and socioeconomic achievements of women. It is also a focal point in the women's rights movement, bringing attention to issues such as gender equality, reproductive rights, and violence and abuse against women." We love the women in our lives and want to take this time to thank them for all they do for us. We couldn't be more grateful. For all the details on this holiday and all that it recognizes, visit them here.  

Real Estate Update

So much for the real estate market slowing down. While the common wisdom is that as interest rates tick up, borrowing will get harder and slow the housing market, it's not happening yet. In fact, the inventory of homes across the Front Range is lower than it has ever been for January and February. We found a very detailed report courtesy of Norada Real Estate that we thought was very interesting. From that report: "Denver metro area remains a seller's market with January 2022 being yet another unusual month. The latest report from DMAR shows that the market ended the month down 17.77 percent in new listings from 2021, a 31.04 increase over the previous month. Usually, the market typically experiences a 70% increase in new listings from December to January. Similarly, the market ended the month with an all-time low of 1,184 active listings. To put this in perspective, that is over ten times less inventory than is typical at this time of year." Wow, still rocking, and the median sales price in January was 5k, which represented a nearly 17% increase over January 2021. So, the trend continues at least for now. Great news for sellers, not so much for buyers.  

Guest Article

Creating a Home that Works for You

By Curtis Fisher, Guest Writer, Tradesbright.org

Whether you rent or own your home, you want to feel comfortable in your surroundings. The decor in a home can significantly contribute to the ambiance of a dwelling. Denver Concierge offers some tips to help you turn your space from cold and impersonal to warm and inviting. Working From Home Depending on the amount of space you have, working from home can be a challenge. If you are in a rental, you cannot knock down walls or build additions, but you can make the area you do have more efficient. Zenbusiness shares some ideas for creating a functional home office including using spare closets or even the corner of a room. You can add shelving to the walls of a closet or purchase an L-shaped desk for that under-used corner of your living or dining room. You need a spot where you can focus on your important work, so think about how you will use the space and what will be most convenient for your own needs. Making Space for Your Children Kids tend to accumulate a lot of stuff. Between the toys and crafting supplies, you may feel as though you are drowning in your children's belongings. Ideally, every household would have a playroom to store all of these items. However, this is not the reality for many families. Nevertheless, there are many convenient storage options available to help declutter homes. Ideas for organizing the kid chaos include cube storage bins, installing shelving in their bedrooms and common areas, and donating toys that are no longer used. Entertaining Regularly If you have the entertainment bug, you want your home to enhance your ability to host. Try developing natural pathways through your space when you have company. This will make guests feel welcome and steer them to the area you prefer. In an open concept dwelling, you can place the furniture to separate seating areas and dining areas. To make fragmented spaces feel airier, try opening drapes or blinds to allow as much light as possible to enter the home. Unwinding Comfortably A nice method to ensure you can relax in your home is to dedicate one room for relaxation. Decorate in calming colors and purchase furniture that you can rest comfortably on. Studies show that incorporating houseplants in your decor could help to reduce stress and anxiety, so try adding a few into your home. If you have a favorite couch or chair that has seen better days, check into having it reupholstered rather than purchasing a replacement piece. Read several reviews online before meeting with a company representative to get a quote. A large couch could cost between ,200 and ,500 to reupholster depending on size and the fabric you choose. Seeking a New Space If you have done all you can in your current space and it still does not meet your needs, it may be time to consider moving. Before making any plans, research the local housing market to determine if you can buy or need to find a larger rental. Homebuyers should look into mortgage pre-approval before officially beginning their search to ensure they qualify. Making your home a place you can enjoy and unwind with friends and family is essential to your well-being. Take the time to create an inviting atmosphere in your abode. If you cannot achieve this in your current space, consider relocating. Reach out to Denver Concierge for healthy and convenient housecleaning.    

Monthly Award Winners

Our monthly award winners for January were Patricia Rodriguez, Maria Reyes, Aurora Dominguez, Maria Zapata, and Gabriela Barrancas. In the Team Leader ranks, it was Paz Jimenez and Mayra Soto. We are so proud of our winners, and of all the folks that are in and out of your homes each week. We continue to be grateful to you for allowing us into your lives during these challenging times. Please join me in congratulating our best performers for the month of January.

Queen Bee Corner

by Angela

Just a short and sweet Queen Bee Corner this time.  I want to extend our sincere sympathy to those clients who have lost pets this winter.  The girls get quite close to our clients' pets, so they also feel the loss when they arrive and are not treated to the usual enthusiastic welcome. All pet owners have been there and it's heartbreaking. "Having a dog will bless you with many of the happiest days of your life, and one of the worst." On a more soothing note, the girls have recently been introduced to several new puppies and a few shelter dogs. A welcome addition to our cleaning experience; even those who are overly zealous in their eagerness to help and are subsequently sent to their room. We love them all and they make the world a better place. Bee

DIA Project Update

Last time we flew, we thought "OK, DIA is coming together, when this is done it will be awesome." In fact, phase one of three is officially complete as of October 2021. What about the next two phases? See you in six years. We have updated this project a few times over the years, including the collapse of the project with the prior vendor in 2019. On January 10, the Denver City Council approved of .1 billion to complete the project, which will bring the total cost of the DIA project to just north of billion. Airport leadership says Phase 3 will be done in 2028. That will mean the Great Hall project will have lasted 10 years. From the Denver Business Journal article: “Phase 1 was a critical first step to create capacity for Level 6, where 74% to 75% of traffic is,” said Michael Sheehan, senior vice president at DIA. He points to Level 6 as a model of what the entire Jeppesen Terminal — the main terminal at the airport containing baggage claim, ticketing and security — will look like once the Great Hall project is complete. Phase 1 added new state-of-the-art ticketing counters and expanded United’s ticketing capacity to 44 positions. The United area now has a quick bag drop, where customers who have checked in online and have indicated they have a bag to check can walk up to a kiosk, scan their boarding pass, tag their own bag and be on their way." DIA airport traffic is expected to hit 100 million travelers by 2035, so the improvements are much needed. The full piece from DBJ can be found here. The airport authority also has its own updated project page (no paywall), and it can be found here.

What Does Crime Cost?

If someone steals , the cost is , right? Well, not exactly. Leave it to MoneyGeek to come up with what crime actually costs us on a per capita basis. The methodology? "The direct economic costs of crime to individuals and society include medical and mental health care needs of victims, damage to and loss of property and police and corrections costs. Aside from the imminent danger of crime, people living in higher crime areas see depressed home values and pay higher prices for crucial needs, including home, renters and auto insurance. To assess the safest cities, MoneyGeek analyzed crime data, including violent crimes such as murder, rape and aggravated assault and property crimes such as home burglary and motor vehicle theft. MoneyGeek calculated each city's cost of crime and ranked the cities based on the cost of crime per capita. Additionally, researchers have quantified how much more violent crimes cost a community than property crimes." Some interesting data in this study for sure. The safest/cheapest city for crime? Naperville, IL, where it costs each resident 7 on average each year. Virginia Beach, VA is the safest/cheapest large city with an annual cost of just over 0. The worst? Brace yourselves, it's St. Louis, MO, with an average per capita cost of ,574. Yikes, that's a big bill. What do some Colorado cities look like? Centennial tops the list here with a per capita cost of 1 annually. Arvada is next at 7 and Thornton at 79 annually. The most expensive place based on cost of crime? Pueblo at just over k a year. Denver comes in at 00 and Aurora at about 00. The full article on the true cost of crime can be found here on MoneyGeek. The original piece courtesy of Fox Denver can be found here.

The Secret to Happiness

It s0unds so simple. There must be a secret, right? If you are anything like us, it comes and goes. We do know that it starts within and that external stuff tends to bring only limited happiness. So, what is it, at least for most of us? Well, we aren't really sure, but the folks at Harvard are. They have been running an 80-year study on human happiness. 80 years! It caught our eye for sure. From the article on Medium.com: "For over 80 years, Harvard’s Grant and Glueck study has tracked the well-being of two demographics: 268 graduates from the batches of 1939–1944 and 456 poor men growing up in Boston since 1939. Since pre-World War II, they’ve painstakingly scrutinized blood samples, performed brain scans, collated surveys, and actually interacted with these men.

In fact, the sheer length of the study demanded the dedication of multiple generations of researchers.

And the windy and diverse +75-year life-paths of those 700 odd men led to a shockingly common and solid conclusion." It isn't money, fame or any of the other stuff we seem to endlessly chase. It's relationships. To quote psychiatrist Robert Waldinger, director of the Harvard Study of Adult Development:

“The clearest message that we get from this 80-year study is this: Good relationships keep us happier and healthier. Period.”

We could write a long piece on this but figured we would let you take it from here. The original article from Medium can be found here. The Harvard Gazette did a recap of the study a few years ago and it can be found here.  Here's to being happier (and closer).

The U-Haul Index

Ah yes, the old U-Haul index. Wait, what? Another thing that caught our eye that we wanted to share. It seems U-Haul has what they call the "U-Haul Index". This simply measures growth states by calculating the net gain of one-way U-Haul trucks entering a state versus leaving that state in a calendar year. Migration trends data is compiled from well over 2 million one-way U-Haul truck customer transactions that occur annually. It certainly gives another data point on where people are moving around in the U.S. today. Some of the takeaways? Well for starters, Texas edged Florida for the largest net gain of one-way U-Haul trucks in 2021; California and Illinois saw the greatest net losses. Tennessee ranks third, South Carolina fourth and Arizona fifth among the top growth states. From the article: "Indiana, Colorado, Maine, Idaho and New Mexico round out the top 10 growth states of 2021 as self-movers target the Southeast, Southwest and Rocky Mountain regions as their destinations of choice. Select Northeast markets showed year-over-year migration recoveries as Maine rose 21 spots, Vermont 14 spots and Connecticut 25 spots in the U-Haul Growth Index. Yet three of the six states with the largest net losses were also in the Northeast: New York (45), Massachusetts (47) and Pennsylvania (48). California remained the top state for out-migration, but its net loss of U-Haul trucks wasn’t as severe as in 2020. That can be partially attributed to the fact that U-Haul simply ran out of inventory to meet customer demand for outbound equipment." Interesting way to look at migration in the U.S. for sure. I think it's safe to say we know people are moving here. The complete article from U-Haul can be found here.

Monthly & Annual Award Winners

Our monthly award winners for December were Patricia Rodriguez, Sandra Vidales, Maria Zapata, Maria Reyes, and Guadalupe Caloca. In the Team Leader ranks, it was Mayra Soto and Socorro Ibarra. Of course, it is the time of year when we announce our top associates in both the Cleaning Associate and Team Leader ranks. Our winner for top Cleaning Associates in 2021: 1st Place - Aurora Dominguez 2nd Place - Maria Zapata Our top Team Leaders: 1st Place - Isela Mendoza 2nd Place - Juana Olivas  Please join me in congratulating our top performers for 2021. We are so proud of our winners, and of all the folks that are in and out of your homes each week. We continue to be grateful to you for allowing us into your lives during these challenging times.

Queen Bee Corner

by Angela

Just a quick word on breakages/damages that unfortunately can occur while cleaning. Working efficiently but carefully is the team's attitude while cleaning.  It's a delicate balance and at times yes, we have accidentally broken things. Our Team Leaders are quick to report a breakage to me with a photo. If the client is home, apologies are made.  Then I follow up with a text or phone call. The ladies always feel very badly if they break something, and we appreciate our clients treating our ladies so graciously in these situations. Even more so if I learn later from the client that the breakage involved a work of art, an object of sentimental value, or a family heirloom. On the other hand, I think it's important for me as manager to let the team know the extent of any damage, whether grave or trivial.  It heightens awareness of their surroundings and serves as a reminder that a lighter touch is always preferable. We try to turn any negative into a learning tool. It is more effective than harsh reprimands. We thank you again for your appreciation of our work. Bee

Let it Snow. Please?

Ok, this is getting ridiculous. As we compose this newsletter, we have gone 222 days without measurable snow. How does this stack up in history? Currently, it ranks 4th and counting. The longest we have ever gone without measurable snow is 235 days, dating back to the 1800s. If we make it two more days, our streak will move into the 3rd longest, and we are a scant two weeks or so from setting the all-time record for a lack of snow. The average snowfall in Denver is 56.4 inches. The lowest snowfall ever? 21.8 inches in 2016-2017. Oh, and we already set another record, the latest snowfall on record. The old record for the latest first Denver snowfall was set on Nov. 21, 1934. The full article including our annual snowfall totals for the last ten years can be found here. For those of you that have turned off your sprinklers or stopped watering for the year, it might be a good idea to water your trees, I am sure they are thirsty. Here's to some moisture soon!

Gift Ideas Made in Colorado

We do our best here to support local and Colorado-owned businesses. As a local business, seeing our dollars stay in our local community and in our state is very important. Beyond the obvious stores and shops that we encounter on a given day, what are easy ways to support our economy and buy locally? We are glad you asked. For starters, we found a site called Created in Colorado, which is a consolidated list of all things Colorado. Also, the folks at 5280 Magazine published a great guide for Colorado-made goods and it can be found here. Finally, did you know that this past Saturday was "Small Business Saturday"? NBC News published a nice piece on how to support small businesses, including everything from gift buying to leaving positive reviews. We thank you for your support of our small, locally owned business. Happy Shopping!

Savings by Age

We remember when we were young and starting our careers, we always tried to earn our age. Those were the days. Now we are thinking about things like IRA's, 401K's, and like you, how we will make it to the finish line with enough money to retire. So just how much should you have saved, by age, for retirement? The folks at Quicken wrote a great article about savings benchmarks and net worth by decades of age. Did you know that the median US savings for age 40 is ,000? By 50 it nearly doubles to 7,000. As far as net worth goes, the benchmark net worth for someone 40 years old is twice your annual salary. At 50 it should be four times your salary, and at 60, six times. Fascinating data, and even if you are personally set going forward, there are some great numbers for the younger people in our lives that may just be getting started. The complete article can be found here.

Data Visualizations

Before we found this very cool article, we honestly had no idea what a "data visualization" really was. Then we clicked and realized how much fun they are. How about a moving chart that shows how COVID spread in the U.S.? So interesting to see. How about our health and wealth history, in a minute, encapsulating 221 years of prosperity? You can see the effects of everything from the Vietnam War to the impact of COVID, all in one fast-moving chart. Our favorite one is a 3D map of the entire fiber-optic network around the world. Who knew there were so many cables under the ocean? We pulled those two from a fabulous piece on medium.com, which you can find here, entitled "The 10 Best Data Visualizations you of 2021". We love finding cool stuff for our readers and we are confident this will qualify!

Monthly Award Winners

Our monthly award winners for October were Aurora Dominguez, Patricia Rodriguez, Sandra Vidales, Josefina Quinonez, and Maria Zapata. In the Team Leader ranks, it was Juana Olivas and Natalia Olivas. We are so proud of our winners, and of all the folks that are in and out of your homes each week. We continue to be grateful to you for allowing us into your lives during these challenging times. Please join me in congratulating our best performers for the month of October.

Queen Bee Corner

by Angela

Denver was recently rated the Booziest City in the country, but one only must look back at our immigrant history to see that we have worked hard to merit this distinction. German immigrants in 1880 owned nearly a third of Denver's taverns. Patrons could sing and speak in German, read German newspapers, eat German food and drink German Bock. Basically to feel at home in a foreign city. The Irish immigrants came with the advent of the railroad and established bars between their homes and the tracks, where many had settled. By 1900 the Irish population of Denver was 3% but they owned 10% of the bars. Jewish immigrants also found the liquor business easy to enter. One of the first sources of Kosher food in Denver was in a Jewish delicatessen established next to a synagogue. Italian immigrants recruited to work on the railroad gradually moved into the north Denver area where they operated their Italian bars and restaurants. When prohibition came, rather than close, they moved operations to their basements. Other ethnicities soon immigrated to Denver. By 1920, the Russians were the largest immigrating group and the Slavs had already established their community in Globeville. Although few of the immigrant establishments remained after prohibition, they were the first of a grand tradition that we have proudly carried on to this day. Happy Holidays!  Cheers! Bee

Denver Performing Arts Reopening

After a long 18-month hiatus, the Denver Performing Arts Center (DCPA) has reopened as of October 5th. With a holiday slate planned for the winter, they are currently building up to the Lion King, which opens on December 2, The big event? Hamilton, which opens February 16 and will run until March 27, 2022. So what do you need to know? There are new requirements for both vaccines and masks, including children under twelve needing a negative PCR test taken within 72 hours. All adults will need to be vaccinated to attend the DCPA. Masks are required for all audience members, and food and beverages will not be allowed inside the theater, instead offering designated areas for food and drink consumption. The complete lowdown on the DCPA reopening and all of its requirements can be found here.

Winter Heating Bills up 54%

Yes, you read that correctly, 54%, which is a crazy number. That is the average increase that is being projected around home heating bills this winter. It seems the inflationary economy is impacting us all, and according to the article: "With prices surging worldwide for heating oil, natural gas, and other fuels, the US government said Wednesday it expects households to see their heating bills jump as much as 54% compared with last winter." About half the people in our country use natural gas, with electricity running second, making up 41% of usage. Those of you heating with electricity can expect a more modest increase of 6%. Natural gas is up to its highest price since 2014 and is up 90% over last year's levels. Crazy indeed. The complete article on energy costs and what to expect this winter can be found here. 

Small Talk

"How are you"? "What about this crazy weather?" "Come here often?" We all do this version of small talk, and studies have shown that we all hate it. So why do we do it? How can we avoid inane conversations that add no value to either party? Medium posted a great piece on this phenomenon that we felt compelled to share. Evidently, most of us believe that strangers simply don't care that much about us. From the article and the study: "People kept conversations light-hearted because they each believed that's what the other party wanted. They expected to "be met with blank stares and silence" if they revealed something personal. As it turned out, both parties felt the same way but held back for fear of awkwardness." We love stuff like this, as we hate small talk as well. For some pointers on how to get out of this trap and engage others in a more meaningful dialogue, check out the full piece here. We also found a nice article by business insider on tips to get past this awkward habit and it can be found here. Here's to trying new things with the next stranger we meet. Maybe they won't be strangers for long.

Denver Restaurant Update

What a long road for all of the restaurants in Denver. We have discussed the labor shortage here at length, but beyond that what is new around Denver and our restaurant industry? Well, for starters, outdoor dining has been approved permanently. Mayor Michael Hancock recently announced the City and County of Denver will work to create a permanent outdoor dining program in 2022 that builds off the success of temporary patios and dining space expansions throughout the city. Great news for our restaurants and for all of us who like to enjoy the cuisine of Denver for sure. Also, there are some new (and very brave) restaurants that have opened recently, and 5280 Magazine did a piece on 12 new restaurants to try, it can be found here. We also ran across the 45 best dishes to try in Denver these days, and those can be found here. We continue to support our local restaurants and hope that we can all do our part to keep them going in these tough times.

Monthly Award Winners

Our monthly award winners for September were Guadalupe Caloca, Sandra Vidales, Aurora Dominguez, Josefina Quinonez, and Maria Reyes. In the Team Leader ranks, it was Isela Mendoza and Juana Olivas. We are so proud of our winners, and of all the folks that are in and out of your homes each week. We continue to be grateful to you for allowing us into your lives during these challenging times. Please join me in congratulating our best performers for the month of September.

Queen Bee Corner

by Angela

Of all the diverse celebrations in Denver throughout the year one of my favorites is Dia de los Muertos, not surprising, as it has a Mexican history. The ritual of Dia de los Muertos, November 2nd, also known as All Souls Day, was started 3,000 years ago by the Aztecs. When the Spaniards landed in Mexico in the 16th century they viewed it of course, as sacrilegious. Nevertheless, it has prevailed to the present day as a religious festival in parts of rural Mexico. Celebrated now much more widely as a secular and popularized part of the Hispanic culture, Dia de los Muertos has taken on political aspects, spawned impressive literature and poetry, art, and tales of fantasy. In Denver for instance, there is a yearly celebration at the Botanic Gardens and two days of festivities on Santa Fe Drive, appropriately.  There are many other venues. As Denver grows, we are celebrating more traditions from other countries and from our heritage and history, and this can only  be advantageous to the vibrancy of our city. Bee

Top of the Town 2021

Ah yes, the best stuff in Denver. Back to our friends at 5280 Magazine who annually publish the best places in our fair city. From culture and nightlife to dining and shopping, 82 categories in total are covered. In fact, over 26,000 votes were cast, so this is truly a list of what "we" love in Denver. The best burger? Well Cherry Cricket, of course! Santiago's chimes in with the best breakfast burrito and GQue Barbeque won their category as well. We still think it's a bummer that they don't list housecleaning companies in their poll, but we hope to get that changed sometime soon! We certainly hope we would get your vote! The complete 5280 2021 Top of the Town list can be found here.

Cherry Creek Arts Festival

We are so happy that the Cherry Creek Arts Festival has returned this year, celebrating its 30th. It will be held over Labor Day weekend, ending on Monday evening the 6th at 6 PM. As we crawl back to normalcy, it is nice to see a Denver "staple" back in business. There are some changes for this year to be aware of, however. For starters, the festival has been moved from downtown Cherry Creek to the creekside area of the Cherry Creek Shopping Center. More importantly, the festival is using a timed entry approach, which requires free registration via Eventbrite. Beyond those changes, the festival will still be providing fabulous art and entertainment. The music and entertainment schedule can be found here. For registration information and to get your free timed entry spot, visit CCAF here. We hope to see you there!

A Smarter Home

Just how smart is your home? We aren't sure about ours, some days it is smarter than others. Seriously, though, we know many of you have Amazon Alexa. Did you know that Alexa can control smart lights, switches, and plugs? Even crazier, there are wi-fi-enabled light bulbs that can connect to your home network, with or without Alexa or the Google Assistant. Of course, there are easy-to-use things like the Ring doorbell and Nest, but what about next-level tech? We have saved a lot of money in water by using Rachio, for example, which is a system that controls your sprinklers via an app, saving you water. From smart lighting outside your home to carbon monoxide detectors, nearly every device in your home can be remotely controlled. How fun to come home and have the lighting and temperature right where you want it, with your favorite music playing. Not sure we can get something to have the wine ready, but that is another discussion. PC Magazine did a fabulous piece on the best tech of '21 room by room and it can be found here. We also found a short article by TechHive that gives more insight, and it is here. Lots of really cool stuff out there, pretty soon we will have flying cars like the Jetsons! 

U.S. Life Expectancy

For the first time in a while, U.S. life expectancy has dropped. In fact, life expectancy in 2020 was down 1.5  years, the largest drop since WWII. Fairly obvious why this happened, as COVID-19 contributed to 74% of the decline. Not surprisingly, drug overdoses are making their way up the list as well, with more than 93,000 people dying in 2020. We found some interesting quirks in the data that we wanted to share with you here. From the article: "The study found the U.S. decrease in life expectancy in 2020 was 8.5 times greater than the average decrease in peer countries." "And the U.S. declines were most pronounced among minority groups, specifically Black and Hispanic people." "U.S. Hispanics — who have a longer life expectancy than non-Hispanic Blacks or whites saw the largest decline in life expectancy during the pandemic, dropping three years from 81.8 years in 2019 to 78.8 years in 2020. Hispanic males saw the biggest decline, with a drop of 3.7 years. COVID-19 was responsible for 90% of the decline among Hispanics." The full article by NPR can be found here. While we weren't surprised by the decline, the demographic breakdown was more than a little disturbing to us. We aren't smart enough to know the solution to these heady problems, but we do have a strong feeling that we can all do better for each other going forward.

Monthly Award Winners

Our monthly award winners for July were Aurora Dominguez, Paz Jimenez, Maria Zapata, Maria Salazar, and Josefina Quinonez. In the Team Leader ranks, it was Juana Olivas and Isela Mendoza. We are so proud of our winners, and of all the folks that are in and out of your homes each week. We continue to be grateful to you for allowing us into your lives during these challenging times. Please join me in congratulating our best performers for the month of July.

Queen Bee Corner

by Angela

Almost from the beginning of the company, our image has been somewhat retro; proudly old school. With technology leaping ahead to make lives easier we have been reluctant to partake in certain aspects of this new world. We believe in customer contact in real-time with a real person. No bots or answering services here. We also believe in letting the teams clean the way they have always cleaned; a full-on deep clean; you never have to worry about robotic vacuums here either. Sometimes a little nostalgia can act as a soothing balm for the stresses of the world. We hope we are that to you. Bee

My How We Have Grown

Did all of you participate in the 2020 Census? We did too. It doesn't take a census report to tell us that lots of people are moving to Colorado. In fact, we were one of the few states that gained a new congressional district, our 8th.  Overall, new data shows the state added nearly 745,000 new residents since 2010, a 14.8% increase. The biggest gain? Texas, which gained just under four million people in the last 10 years. Three states showed a population decline over the last decade: Illinois, Mississippi, and West Virginia. West Virginia had the largest percentage loss of any state at 3.2%. California is the most populous state with more than 39.5 million residents. Wyoming is the least populous state with just over 500,000 residents. This means that Colorado gained more residents in the last 10 years than Wyoming has in total. Crazy. Full 2020 Census results can be found here.

Reopening Denver Venues  

Yes, that is a photo of Red Rocks. Remember Red Rocks!? It's reopening. Along with many other venues and attractions across the Front Range and we wanted to share some of those dates and events with you. In fact, Red Rocks reopened on April 22. Only 2,500 attendees will be allowed for the time being. Elitch Gardens is also reopening to the general public on May 1.  Our museums are using timed ticketing and they are open as well.  Denver Botanic Gardens is also using this system and they are now open for visits. The big bummer in all of this is the DCPA postponing most of their shows until early 2022 but will be featuring the Lion King in December. 5280 Magazine did a nice recap of many of the venues around Denver and their piece can be found here. We love going to concerts and shows, so even a small return to normalcy is welcomed. We hope to see you out there Denver!

10 Small Things to Improve Your Life 

We can never resist sharing "life hacks" or anything that we find compelling regarding self-improvement. So we visit again the helpful and informative site that is Medium.com. They published a quite simple list of little things that can make life better. Not the big sweeping changes that we always try to make, but subtle ones that can be very impactful. For example, did you know the average person spends 2 hours and 25 minutes on social media every day? Tell me that isn't stressful! Also, over half of Americans say the news causes stress, and studies have shown that constantly seeing negative stories can make us feel more negative. So, what to do? The article has some obvious but underutilized techniques such as using airplane mode on our phones from time to time, as well as utilizing the timer features on our phones to parse out tasks. It's a simple list, but sometimes in life, it's the simple things that make life better. The full article can be found here, enjoy!

Facebook Data Breach 

We have trust issues with Facebook. Truth is, we don't use it much, but seeing reports about data breaches doesn't exactly make us more comfortable. In fact, Facebook has been under fire for its data management, and just exactly what they do with our personal information. The most recent news really gave us pause. It seems that details from more than 500 million Facebook users have been found available on a website for hackers. While the information appears to be several years old, it’s another example of the vast amount of information collected by Facebook and other social media sites, and the limits to how secure that information is. The most concerning part is that Facebook didn't feel like it was important enough to notify its users. Business Insider did a nice piece on this "breach" and why Facebook's response should give us reason to pause.  The moral of the story? Change your passwords regularly and make sure you protect your data as much as possible. Also, maybe blindly trusting a massive company with a gold mine of valuable data is a risky proposition at best.

Monthly Award Winners

Our monthly award winners for March were Aurora Dominguez, Josefina Quinonez, Sandra Vidales, Yesica Censo, and Juana Luna. In the Team Leader ranks, it was Juana Olivas and Natalia Olivas. We are so proud of our winners, and of all the folks that are in and out of your homes each week. We continue to be grateful to you for allowing us into your lives during these challenging times. Please join me in congratulating our best performers for the month of March.

Queen Bee Corner

by Angela

The hot ticket lately is the plant-based diet, no meat, no dairy. As a lure to the lifestyle there are suddenly videos and photos everywhere of animals accomplishing amazing feats, or bonding with other species, or just being darn cute. Whether these efforts have the desired effect remains to be seen. In any case, as a possible reflection of the sudden surge in animals to the forefront of our consciousness, or simply a reaction to being cooped up for a year, our clients have adopted some unusual pets. We have two miniature pigs, a very large rabbit (not our first), and a pair of brilliantly colored birds. There may be more in the offing. Rest assured we are up for it.  It brings much-needed cheer and a bit of frivolity we could all use a dose of. Bee

16th Street Mall Renovation

What was once a bustling and iconic part of Denver is getting a facelift. Our 16th Street Mall has been under fire for the past few years due to problems with homelessness, drug use, panhandling, and other unsavory behaviors. According to the Downtown Denver Partnership, the original life span for the mall was 30 years. We now sit at nearly 40 years and most would agree the area is in need of a makeover. Enter PCL Construction Services, the winning bidder in earning the right to design and build the "new mall". Costs are estimated at 9M and construction won't likely begin until the end of '21 at the earliest. The full description of the project by the Downtown Denver Partnership can be found here. We aren't sure about you, but we hope this project restores this once-proud area of our city back to its roots. Of course, we aren't 100% sure what a redesign and upgrade have to do with our homelessness and safety issues, but we will leave that in the hands of our elected leaders to sort out. Meanwhile, it will be interesting to see how they tackle this massive three-year project and if it truly delivers on its intentions.

Rockies and McGregor Square

Did you realize that Opening Day is tomorrow? This is not an April Fool's joke, we promise. We were surprised as well, it sneaked up on us. So, baseball is back, and with it comes Spring, and the hope that our beloved Rockies will be contenders this year. What will baseball look like in the mile-high city this year? For starters, Coors Field will be allowing 21,000 fans in for each game. This is up from the original plan of 12,000 and hopefully will increase as COVID settles down. The biggest news is the opening of McGregor Square, across the street from the ballpark. Named for former Rockies exec Keli McGregor, the mixed-use development will contain everything from residences to restaurants and bars. You can even find Top Golf hitting bays. In short, it looks like a wonderful entertainment venue for those of us heading down to the ballpark this year. 5280 Magazine did a very comprehensive view of McGregor Square here and all that it entails.  Now if we could only get over the trade of future Hall of Fame player Nolan Arenado to the Cards. That one might take some time to recover from. Enjoy the festivities!

Life Expectancy 

If you are a regular reader of our newsletter, you know we love to see where we rank as a region in various categories. When we saw life expectancy by state, we had to share. Colorado is used to being in the top-ranked places in most categories, and life expectancy is no different. Overall, we came in 8th. Male life expectancy in our fine state is just under 78 years. Women actually rated just a bit higher, coming in 7th at an 82.3 average. Even more fascinating are the ends of the spectrum. Hawaii, for example, where men live until 81, and women until 84, both rank first. The other end? West Virginia. Both men and women ranked 51st, with men averaging 74.4 and women 77.3. We aren't drawing any inferences about what that all means, only that we are fairly healthy here in the Rockies. Finally, in a rare occurrence, life expectancy in total dropped by a full year, largely due to COVID. The article from CNN can be found here, and the full table from the CDC (for you stat geeks) can be found here. 

Productivity and Working from Home

Nothing like debunking a good theory. When COVID drove us all back home for work, there was a significant shift in our worlds. It was also a shift for our employers and/or businesses that we run. In an instant, everything changed. Almost immediately the call came that working from home would lead to increased productivity, a happier workforce, and would be very virtuous. While both sides of this equation have learned to make do, we came across a fascinating article that flies in the face of the "increased productivity" narrative. Stanford Grad School of Business economist Nicholas Bloom published an article recently titled "The Productivity Pitfalls of Working from Home in the Age of COVID-19". From the article, "We are home working alongside our kids, in unsuitable spaces, with no choice and no in-office days,” says Bloom, “This will create a productivity disaster for firms.” "I fear an extended period of working from home will not only kill office productivity but is building a mental health crisis." Wow, it seems the "experts" aren't so sure the way that it is currently working is the best. We aren't smart enough about this sort of thing to know the best solution but if you want to learn more, the complete article can be found here.  

Monthly Award Winners

Our monthly award winners for February were Guadalupe Caloca, Josefina Quinonez, Maria Zapata, Paz Jimenez, and Simona Estrada. In the Team Leader ranks, it was Juana Olivas and Isela Mendoza. We are so proud of our winners, and of all the folks that are in and out of your homes each week. We continue to be grateful to you for allowing us into your lives during these challenging times. Please join me in congratulating our best performers for the month of February.

Queen Bee Corner

by Angela

Peeps! After a 9-month hiatus, they're back just in time for Spring. In their 1953 debut, a Peeps chick was a handmade specialty item that took 27 hours to sculpt. Currently, they have a daily production run of 5.5 million. You can't escape them, and you can't buy just one.  They come in a joined row like cutout paper dolls. The original yellow and white chicks have morphed into other colors, animal shapes, and other flavors. They have found their way into literature, art, theater, and dioramas. PEEPS are a cheery addition to our Spring this year.   Thankfully they bounced back from the pandemic just when we needed cheering the most. Happy Spring! Bee

The New "Work/Life" Reality

It's hard to believe but for the first time in our history, for most of us, the three major facets of our lives are occurring in our homes. Work, school, and family life have all converged on us in the place where we live. From an employer perspective, things like productivity in the face of monumental stress at home is becoming harder and harder to measure. Many companies have suspended performance reviews as they re-work what it all looks like in the "new normal". Not to mention the change in remote working that for some of us may be permanent, as companies figure out that the need to have everyone in an office may not be all that we thought it was. The smart folks at the Stanford Graduate School of business wrote a great piece on this and how it impacts equality and inclusion. We wanted to share it, the full article can be found here. Stay balanced Denver.

Denver's Drinking Problem

Do we have a drinking problem in Denver? We certainly know more alcohol is being consumed as a result of COVID. The most recent stats show that 27% of Denverites binge drink regularly. From the 5280 magazine article: "The standout statistic: More than one in four Denver adults reported binge drinking in the previous 30 days. That puts our penchant for quaffing ahead of residents in every other comparable Western city, including Seattle, Las Vegas, Salt Lake City, and Austin, Texas." Liver disease is also up in Denver, with the death rate up 35% between 1999 and 2017. Fascinating stats, and we are surprised by what we read. The entire piece can be found here, and it is very comprehensive. Here is to staying healthy and being keenly aware of the effects of too much alcohol!

Failure vs. Success 

It sure feels nice when things go well. There are fewer greater feelings than when we nail a project at home or at work. What about when things don't go as planned? For us, we always seem to learn more when things go wrong than when they go right. We found a very cool article from Association Universe that confirms this feeling. From the article: "The moments where things are hard, where you’ve made a colossal mistake, are likely the most valuable times in life. These moments are filled with lessons that guide us toward success. This is something many people have heard before: We learn from our mistakes, right?  So why do we feel so terrible about making them?" We loved the brain science behind failure and how we are wired to evolve and learn. The full article can be found here.

Healthy Home Lifestyle Products 

We draw again here on our friend Marina Daganais of Designer Premier. We love her newsletter and frequently print items from it since she is so in tune with all things home decorating and improvement. In her blog this month, she writes about healthy lifestyle products that can improve your home. While some of it is COVID related, such as a touchless faucet (who knew such a thing existed?), she also enlightened us about sanitizing dishwashers as well. In short, we learned a lot. We also found a great piece from the people at This Old House, with a long list of ways to sanitize and keep your home germ free. Of course, using Denver Concierge on a regular basis helps as well!!!

Monthly Award Winners

We can finally provide a list of winners over a complete month of work (thank you all for that). Our monthly award winners for June were Sandra Vidales, Aurora Dominguez, Maria Zapata, Simona Estrada, and Patricia Rodriguez. In the Team Leader Ranks, it was Martha Anchondo and Natalia Olivas. We are so proud of our winners, and of all the folks that are in and out of your homes each week. Special congrats to all our hard-working associates who are risking their own safety to make sure your home is clean. Thanks again to you, our clients, for allowing us to do what we do best.

Queen Bee Corner

by Angela

Quick update on our COVID-19 ongoing procedures: We continue to have the ladies' temperatures taken in the morning before dispatch and duly noted.  We also make sure we converse directly with each employee re how they look, feel, their family health etc. We have ordered what seems like mountains of disinfectants in many forms; towelettes, liquid, foam, cream, and spray.  Masks are mandatory as are gloves. Disinfecting interiors of the vehicles and equipment between houses continues and we are issuing a much larger supply of vacuum bags and rags to each team. So far, we have been truly fortunate as our ladies and clients have remained healthy.  There will be no letup in our procedures in the foreseeable future. Be safe, stay sane, Queen Bee