Not long after we moved to Walsenburg, Colorado in June of 2014, we learned of a murder which occurred one block away from our rental in town. In January 2014, Ralph Candelario reported a home invasion where his wife Pam was bludgeoned to death and he was beaten. Thus began our introduction to life in a small town.

At first we were a little worried, home invasion in a town of 3,000 people? We started reading the local newspaper to learn more about how this happened. In the past year and a half, apparently the truth has come out. Mr. Candelario killed his wife, and then injured himself to make it appear like a home invasion.

I guess one of the most surprising outcomes from our move here has been how often this tiny town gets in the national news. Between their recent decision to become a major marijuana-growing site for Colorado, and this local murder, Walsenburg continues to attract national attention.

Want to learn more? Watch NBC Dateline tonight for the whole story!

How did this happen?

I’m a newcomer to rural southern Colorado.  After two years I decided to compile a short journal about the ups and downs of moving from a good-sized city to rural America to build a passive solar retirement home in the foothills:

A Memoir of Retirement: From Suburbia to Solar in Southern Colorado

Please share this information with your friends if they are considering similar life changes. Feel free to contact me directly to discuss any of these challenges, and to order your own signed copies of any of my books!  Cheers, Laura Lee  (email me: MidlifeCrisisQueen@gmail.com)