Summer 2017: Things We Love

Carol loves Western Chief garden booties. The 5-inch-tall slip-on hugs the ankle with soft, flexible material, and the neoprene outer shell repels water. Carol especially appreciated the booties when planting over Memorial Day weekend, when rain turned her garden beds to mud that caked her feet. “The booties slip on and off easily, as they’re a little oversized, so I didn’t track mud in the house—like my sneakers did,” she says. The rugged soles grip on slick soil and stones, and clean up easily. “Just spray them with water and poof—mud is gone.” The company also makes garden boots and clogs in several designs for men and children, too. Visit www.westernchief.com.

Molly loves Sanitas Skincare’s Lemon Cream Scrub. After viewing a friend’s school project detailing the environmental hazards of the plastic microbeads in many popular facial scrubs, Molly decided to switch to a fresh, natural scrub that doesn’t contain these harmful ingredients. “Over 3 trillion of these microbeads eventually make it into our waterways,” explains Molly, a teen ambassador at Brock Media. “The fish digest them, and then they show up in our favorite sushi rolls.” The Lemon Cream Scrub made by Louisville-based Sanitas is gentle on oily, sensitive, teenaged skin (and skin of all ages), and uses tiny silica crystals instead of plastic beads for an exfoliant. The nonirritating formula also protects against environmental damage. Visit www.sanitas-skincare.com.

Mary loves the Zing Anything Citrus Zinger, a handy BPA-free water bottle that comes with citrus and kiwi presses, and a cucumber slicer for infusing drinking water with tasty flavors. “I know we’re supposed to drink plenty of water throughout the day, but I’ve never liked plain water that much,” says Mary, who prefers tea. Adding fresh orange, lemon or lime slices to the water makes it palatable and deliciously refreshing, she says. Her favorite combo? “Water with cucumber slices and bruised mint leaves.” Visit www.zinganything.com.

Jessie loves taking her dogs, Rumi and Bear, to Longmont’s Union Reservoir for a day of swimming, paddleboarding and play at the dog beach. Jessie spent summers growing up at the Jersey Shore, so Union Reservoir is the closest thing to a beach Colorado has to offer. And, in true Colorado style, it’s dog friendly. “The beautiful mountain backdrop isn’t too shabby either,” she says. Visit www.longmontcolorado.gov.