Dear Readers,What beautiful weather we have been having these past two weeks. We are shoveling and dealing with slush and slick roads and sidewalks, but I have not heard one single complaint about the snow.Everyone is well aware that we badly need every flake of snow. The waves of snowstorms have been a real blessing, and we can only hope there is more to come.While we revel in wetness, pleased that one of the worst droughts on record may be ending, we are all aware that our government is sending thousands of U.S. troops to the Middle East, preparing for a war against Iraq.Our comfort here at home is tempered in thinking of these men and women, 300,000 at the latest count, who have answered the call of duty to a place far from home.Some of them are people known and loved by readers of this newspaper. While we may have different opinions about the government’s plans to wage war on Iraq, I can comfortably say we all support the troops on this dangerous mission.To strengthen the tie between these brave men and women and our community, the Post Independent is inviting friends and families of soldiers and others serving in the Middle East to share the letters they receive with our readers.We expect these people will be able to cast a light on Iraq, Afghanistan and surrounding areas that we might otherwise miss from press reports.We will call this feature “Letters Home,” and we will run it whenever we get a compelling letter from a locally based serviceman or woman. We may not have room to run an entire letter if it is too long, but we want to give these folks a chance to tell all of you what they are experiencing.Here’s how it will work:To submit a letter that comes on paper, make a photocopy and send it to the Post Independent at 2014 Grand Ave., Glenwood Springs, CO 81601. Also, please send a photo of the letter writer in which we can clearly see his or her face.You may wish to strike out highly personal or extraneous sections. These are your letters to share, and it’s your decision of which parts of the letter you’d like to have printed.To submit a letter that comes by e-mail, forward it to letters@postindependent.com. You can delete the personal parts before sending. You can send a photo with the letter, as a jpeg attachment, or drop a print by the office for us to scan.Please add your own name, community of residence, relationship to the serviceman or woman, and your telephone number. We may have questions for you as we prepare the package for publication.We will also post these “Letters Home” on our Web site, http://www.postindependent.com.I am also pleased to announce another new feature that will start Friday.We’ve all wondered what other people’s homes look like inside. Now, Community News Editor Donna Daniels will take readers on a monthly tour of an interesting home in Garfield County.The feature, called “At Home With …” will run one Friday a month in the PI’s Options B section, replacing the Travel feature for that week only.This month, Donna looks at the home of Don and Jody Ensign, in the upstairs of a new mixed-use building in downtown Carbondale.Photographer Jim Noelker visited the Ensign’s home as well, and contributed photos that will make their apartment come alive to readers.Here’s a bit of what Donna wrote about the place:”Living spaces are united by a color scheme that reflects the tone of the surrounding hills and meadows, the wheat color of ripened grass, sage green and the red earth of the hills.”You can tell she is having fun with this assignment.If you know of a well-done home in the county, whether it’s a mansion or a mobile home, pass along the suggestion to Donna. (You might run it by the home owners first.) Call her at 945-8515, ext. 520, or send an e-mail to ddaniels@postindependent.com.Heather McGregor is the managing editor of the Glenwood Springs Post Independent.