5 Things to Do While Sheltered at Home: March 25, 2020

Marble Distilling Co. will deliver bottles of its signature cocktails to your doorstep.
1. Play Monopoly, Aspen style. Time to break out the board games (as if you haven’t already …) This local-centric version of the game lets you virtually experience some of your favorite spots, with the traditional Monopoly properties swapped out for places such as Paradise Bakery, the John Denver Sanctuary, and Belly Up. The Community Chest and Chance cards contain instructions with local relevance like “Hike a 14er. Get out of jail free” and “Forget your water bottle. Go back three spaces.” See if Explore Booksellers has it in stock for curbside pickup or order online.

The special-edition Aspen version of Monopoly
Image: Courtesy: USAopoly
2. Order up a batch of local cocktails. Carbondale’s Marble Distilling Co. is offering four of its signature drinks premixed in 750-ml bottles for delivery in the Roaring Fork Valley: Bonedale Bloody; the whiskey-based JJ Curley; the Marble-rita with vodka, jalapeño, and ginger; and the Dude with vodka, Moonlight Expresso, heavy cream, and chocolate. Order up two bottles ($35–$110 each) to receive free delivery plus a complimentary bottle of Marble’s housemade hand sanitizer. All proceeds go to paying the distillery’s staff right now.
3. Try a new recipe. Local lifestyle blogger, chef, and designer Soffia Wardy (she also helps her father with his boutique, Amen Wardy) has a website full of delicious dishes—recipes that she’s either developed herself or adapted from others. A brand-new one that we’re looking forward to trying out: roasted seasonal vegetables with a yummy-sounding vinaigrette. Plus, you’ll learn a tip for retaining the veggies’ bright colors and a crispy yet tender character.

Soffia Wardy shows you how to make the perfect roasted veggie platter.
Image: Courtesy Soffia Wardy
4. Hold a virtual birthday party. When two of Kristen Heath’s daughter’s best friends—twins, no less—celebrated their 16th birthdays last week, a plan B was called for (plan A had been camping and mountain biking in Moab). “[My daughter] woke up on their birthday in a sad mood and felt hopeless,” wrote Heath in an email. “I said let’s think of alternative ideas. She wanted to make a cake and get together, and I suggested cupcakes and delivering them in the afternoon so that they could eat them together virtually.” The Heaths dropped off artfully decorated chocolate cupcakes on the doorsteps of several friends, and the teens all celebrated and ate their sweet treats together later on a group video chat. Added Heath, “They hung out on Instagram for the evening, and everyone’s moods were lifted.”
5. Watch the global premiere of Fantastic Fungi. On Thursday, March 26, the Aspen Brain Institute sponsors a Vimeo screening ($4.99) of this new documentary on the magic of the vast underground network of cells known as mycelium (mushrooms are part of it) and its wide-ranging healing potential. Brie Larson narrates the film, which includes commentary from Michael Pollan, Eugenia Bone, Andrew Weil, and more. The New York Times called it “an informative and kooky documentary that offers nothing less than a model for planetary survival” while Roger Ebert deems it "one of the year’s most mind-blowing, soul-cleansing and, yes, immensely entertaining triumphs.” And who among us couldn’t use a little soul cleansing right about now? Three virtual Q&As with the filmmaker and experts in mycology will also be held; register online beforehand.