Lindsay DeFrates is a freelance writer who has lived and played in the Roaring Fork Valley for over a decade. She is a regular contributor at NRS Duct Tape Diaries, TheDyrt.com, and Outdoor Project. Recent in-print bylines include Elevation Outdoors Magazine, Spoke and Blossom Magazine, as well as a title feature piece in the Fall, 2019 National Ski Patrol Magazine.
She also writes content for blogs and websites in a variety of genres to generate an engaged readership and enhance SEO. She especially enjoys working with small businesses, entrepreneurs and artists who need written content for their websites, blogs or publications in the Roaring Fork Valley from Rifle to Glenwood Springs to Aspen.
Lindsay has a monthly opinion column in the Glenwood Springs Post Independent which she has been writing since 2015 as a way of being engaged with her community and making her voice heard about issues she finds important. On her off days, she writes short stories, satire, and of course, has a novel in draft.
Currently wrangling kids and words in Glenwood Springs, CO, she loves her adventure-filled, sleep-deprived existence.
For any questions regarding content creation, or other freelance writer services, she can be reached at Lmdefrates@gmail.com or follow her on Facebook or Instagram.
Lindsay DeFrates 
I enjoyed your piece today about gossip at all levels and quadrants of our society. I, too, have been a participant and have made a concerted effort to focus on the empowerment of people as opposed to belittling them with my own small-mindedness. It is a struggle to be an individual in a society that pushes us all to be the same. No excuses, though; all consciousness requires is discipline, something America has left behind for the past few decades.
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Budget Transparency is very important. That is why we have CORA. Public money is our money.
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I enjoyed your piece on the mellinial/boomer divide and generally agree with just about everything you’ve said. I’m a baby boomer but I don’t roll my eyes at the challenges facing my children’s generation. I’m genuinely concerned for our future and I’ll cast my votes with the welfare of my kids and grandkids. But I really question the widespread belief that any of these challenges are in any way the fault of my generation at large. There are greedy people in every age group but most of us pursued the fruits of life as best we could within our own limitations. We did nothing differently than any in the greatest generation or the mellenials would have if faced with similar circumstances. The 70s weren’t a golden age. American manufacturing had already begun to move overseas. We had a recession and a decade of significant inflation to deal with. The only opportunity I found was in leaving my home town and pursuing a career in the military. While better off than many younger people, I still worry about the future. While our GDP skyrockets, the flow of prosperity is being clamped off for all but the wealthiest. Division and resentment between generations does nothing but to further depreciate the status of our middle and working classes. Please speak out for the good of all. Parroting propaganda harms us all.
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Dear Ms. DeFrates: I enjoyed your article in the P.I. today on “The Issue — Affording Life.” I’m a Generation X-er and I agree with your comments about telling millennials (as well as the rest of us) to live below their means! I am a single woman and had a job that I loved close to home for 13 years before getting laid off in 2016. I struggled to find new employment for 18 months before finding a job in Glenwood (45 miles from where I live), and earning $20K less per year. I didn’t have a husband’s income to fall back on, and depleted my 401K and savings to stay afloat while I was unemployed. I was able to keep my house and car, but it was a struggle! My car is an older car, but it’s paid off now! I’ve had to make several budget cuts such as cancelling DirecTV, cancelling trips both in and out of the state, as well as skipping out on the concerts that I wanted to go to in Denver this past year. And instead of buying expensive chai tea at “5-bucks” (aka Starbucks), I buy an instant brand at Sam’s and make chai tea at home on Sunday mornings. I drive to Rifle and catch the bus from Rifle to Glenwood to save money on gas for work. My point is that I had to do without a lot of things in the past two years because of a “lean” season. Just like seasons in weather, we have seasons in life. Too many people (of all ages) believe that life is supposed to a “harvest” season all year-round, every year, where they’re enjoying the fruits of their labor. But that’s not how life works! Sometimes we have winter seasons where we have to hunker-down for the long and cold winters and sharpen our farm equipment before we can start planting in the spring! Once people realize the different seasons in life, the more enjoyable life will be! Thanks again for a good article!
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After reading your column, ‘The issue-affording life’, had to reply that it is worse than you think. You said starter housing prices from the ’70s more than doubled. No, prices went up way more than that! I bought a fixer upper house on Palmer in 1977, probably should have kept it, for $32K, sold it 4 yrs later for $74K and was happy. (The interest rate under Carter was 20%- we had a VA loan @ 8%, unbelievably low at the time). However greed has gotten us where we are now. What with realtor fees, and high demand for Colorado lifestyle, our prices have soared. Here is the house now, ok they added a half bath, it is estimated to be worth $500K-https://www.zillow.com/homes/for_sale/1126-Palmer-Ave,-Glenwood-Springs,-CO-81601_rb/?fromHomePage=true&shouldFireSellPageImplicitClaimGA=false&fromHomePageTab=buy.
Ranch at Roaring Fork homes 1st sold for $80K, as did Castle Valley Ranch ones, as I recall. Sad to see today’s prices, but that was what the market would bear with moms at work, trying to get ahead, then mortgages doubled. Rates are great now but prices so high. If everyone quit buying at once, prices would drop.
If we want the quality of life ’60s parents had we will need a severe change in economy. It will be a very long time till one parent can provide all we had in the ’50s and ’60s as kids. And that should be our goal, one person earning and one being a hands on parent.
I am glad Trump has the jobs coming, now pay raises seem imminent the natural way, not mandated. A new health care program will eventually bring down costs, hopefully.
Good luck to you and my kids as well!
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You are the first & only person that has written an article that is point on but tastefully done. I just wish those that come to our town & valley for that “sandwich” would think that there are actually people who live there & will be there long after they are gone. I wonder how they would feel if someone was up & down in front of their home at all hours of the day & night with the noise, the dust, the trash & the yelling & screaming. They would not like it & neither do we, the citizens & residents of Marble & Crystal.
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Are you from Bellville Illinois??
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‘Fraid not! 🤷🏻♀️
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Great piece in yesterday’s Post Independent! Friendships and favorite haunts. Loved it!
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