Durango Telegraph - July 9, 2020

So damn hot

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July 9, 2020 Vol. XIX, No. 24

durangotelegraph.com

inside

T H E

O R I G I N A L

I N D I E

W E E K L Y

L I N E

O N

D U R A N G O

&

B E Y O N D

Summer surge

Golden opportunity

Charlie & Cy

County sees spike in COVID as tourist season kicks in p8

Talking to prolific local writer Will Hobbs about his latest p10

Bidding adieu to two legendary singing cowboys p11

!"#$%&'$"()%#"*$+,'-#+./'"(/0 1/$%/'$"#)%2-3%-2%4-'(0%5"126 Come visit our shiny new Airstream! style trailer in Bird’s restaurant parking lot" 2957 Main Ave. Open daily, noon ’til dusk 970!903!1300 See our Instagram and Facebook pages for updates

La Plata County’s new Draft Land Use Code is out for public review!

Please provide your input on the new code that aims to: 7;/,3&!"%-/"!& 1#6&)&15%#+!%&*-/,3"!% "/1#&+15%,#%1%"%!"3"),-*"+1% -/, "00%#+!%,21 ,*"0 7@# &)&1#1"%#+!%!&/" 1%$/,41%%1,%#--/,-/&#1"%#/"#0 7C*-/,3"%1%"%/"3&"4%-/, "00 7D/1& 2)#1"% )"#/%!"3"),-*"+1%01#+!#/!0 7E1/"#*)&+"%1%"%!"3"),-*"+1%-/, "00 7;/,1" 1%#+!%/"0-" 1%1%"% ,2+1580%*,01%3#)2"!%#00"10 7G&+&*&6"%0-/#4) Join us for Planning Commission hearings – and provide your comments – on the Draft Land Use Code from 6-8 p.m. July 16 & 237 I,&+%3&#%J,,*%,/%&+%-"/0,+%K0, &#)%!&01#+ &+$%#+!%*#0(0%/".2&/"!N%#1%1%" <,2+15%D!*&+&01/#1&,+%O2&)!&+$*%PPQP%R7%S+!%D3"7*%T2/#+$,7 J,,*%)&+(3%%11-035520QS4"676,,*7205'5VWPXYWYWY

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2 n July 9, 2020

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lineup

boilerplate

8

4 La Vida Local

Riding the wave

Local COVID cases see record high as summer tourist season kicks in

by Missy Votel

4 Thumbin’ It 5 Word on the Street 6-7 Soapbox

9

8 Local News

Taking a trip

9 Murder Ink

Travel vicariously with these two summer whodunnits

by Jeffrey Mannix

10 Between the Covers 11 Top Shelf

10

Ear to the ground:

“One of the good things about COVID is there will never be another buffet.”

– Yet another bright side to a pandemic

Chew on this

thepole

RegularOccurrences

Sure, those whistling marmots are cute on the trail. But while you’re dipping your toes into a clear alpine lake, those furry buggers just may be wreaking havoc on your car’s electrical system back at the trailhead.

As it turns out, in the past decade or so, vehicle manufacturers have begun using soy-based coatings on wires, which rodents and other razor-toothed critters seem to find irresistible.

Many a hiker has returned to his or her vehicle after some time on the trail only to discover their getaway car ain’t going anywhere.

Writing in the latest edition of the Adventure Journal, writer Justin Houseman recounts a recent episode in California’s Sierra – where it’s commonplace for people to wrap their cars in tarps – where rodents gnawed $4,500 in damage to his engine. Thankfully, it was covered by his insurance, but we all may not be so lucky. If, like most of us, you venture into the high country to escape the heat, consider these simple tips to keep the varmints from snacking on your Suby:

12 Stuff to Do

Climbing high Prolific local author Will Hobbs dishes on his 20th novel, City of Gold

13 Ask Rachel 14 Free Will Astrology 15 Classifieds

11

15 Haiku Movie Review

Charlie & Cy

On the cover: The Needles dominate the skyline north of Durango on the Mountain Crest trail. / Photo by Stephen Eginoire

Saying goodbye to two old singing cowboys, friends and mentors

by Chris Aaland

EDITORIALISTA: Missy Votel (missy@durangotelegraph.com) ADVERTISING AFICIONADO: Lainie Maxson (lainie@durangotelegraph.com) STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER: Stephen Eginoire steve@gulchmag.com

T

he Durango Telegraph publishes every Thursday, come hell, high water, beckoning singletrack or monster powder days. We are wholly owned and operated independently by the Durango Telegraph LLC and

STAR-STUDDED CAST: Lainie Maxson, Chris Aaland, Shan Wells, Jesse Anderson, Luke Mehall, Jeffrey Mannix and Clint Reid

REAL WORLD ADDRESS: 679 E. 2nd Ave., Ste E2 Durango, CO 81301 PHONE: 970-259-0133

MAILING ADDRESS: P.O. Box 332 Durango, CO 81302

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distributed in the finest and most discerning locations throughout the greater Durango area.

We’re only human. If, by chance, we defame someone’s good name or that of their family, neighbor, best

friend or dog, we will accept full responsibility in a public flogging in the following week’s issue.

Although “free but not easy,” we can be plied with schwag, booze and flattery.

telegraph

• Believe it or not, there is a little electronic sonic-wave emitting, rodent-repelling device you can install under your hood that hooks up to your car battery. Available on Amazon for $35.

• Stuff a nylon stocking filled with mothballs or fabric softener sheets into a safe spot in the engine compartment.

• Wipe kerosene on the tires to keep rodents from climbing them • Travel with a cat (we’re pretty sure this is a joke, but if you do, please, don’t leave it in the car.)

• If parked for a long time, the tarp is a must.

Drive onto the trap and wrap it under the car’s undercarriage, where rodents enter, securing it over the top of the car with ropes or cam straps.

Going electric

Mountain bikers, start your engines. The eMTB trial period at Twin Buttes is officially under way. The one-year trial – which applies to Class I pedal-assist electric mountain bikes only – runs from June 29, 2020 - June 29, 2021, with winter seasonal trail closures in effect. eMTB riders are reminded that they are not permitted on any other City natural-surface trail and that they are expected to follow current trail etiquette, including yielding to all other trail users, regardless of direction. Riders should also ride with the trail’s general directional flow and not scare the bejesus out of slower riders.

For a full rundown of riding etiquette and a map of Twin Buttes, go to DurangoGov.org/electricbikes. And since this is a “trial” period, the City welcomes feedback. Please send comments regarding eMTBs at Twin Buttes to the Durango Parks & Recreation at rec@DurangoGov.org.

July 9, 2020 n

3

opinion

LaVidaLocal Conflict resolution (and backyard happy hours) It was happy hour in the back yard. My wife had just gotten done with a long shift at the hospital, where she works as a nurse. We noticed the neighbor along the banks of the creek that runs through our back yard. We exchanged pleasantries, and then he casually informed me he was checking out the woodpecker nests, and that he had just shot and killed one.

I immediately knew my wife would be upset, and a quick look over to her face showed just that. I wasn’t psyched either. We are both bird lovers and enjoy having birds in our back yard. Plus, the tree that he shot the woodpecker out of is in our yard, and not his.

I quickly followed up and bluntly stated, “don’t kill any more birds.” He told me how much they were driving him crazy, and I listened, But still disagreed that killing them was the best answer.

He agreed and problem solved (hopefully.)

And rest in peace woodpecker, whose relatives I can hear now as I’m pecking away at my keyboard.

There’s a lot of conflict out there these days, maybe more than I’ve ever witnessed in my life. Yet, I’m removed. Or as Dave Chappelle eloquently put it in his new special “8:46,” I’m in the backseat of this revolution, and you, the young people, are behind the wheel. And I trust you.

In my last column, I wrote about the murder of George Floyd, a killing that changed our nation forever. At the time of writing, I didn’t know a revolution was starting. I simply thought these were protests that would last for a day or two. More than a month later, it’s plain to see that the younger generation is fed up, and they will not tolerate the system we are living in, and it must change. They are refusing to tolerate racism. I am with them. It’s their world now.

My generation has done what we could, and now we follow your lead. Get out of the way if you can’t lend your hand, because Dylan was right, “the times they are a changing.”

It is time for people such as myself, a 41-year-old white man, to start listening more, and to do more for proactive, anti-racist change. The world is big, and change is hard, so I’m contemplating the best resources and tools I have in my proverbial toolbox. Of course, it starts with words. And, it’s important for myself, and every other white person who is an ally for the Black Lives Matter movement, to show their support.

In addition to support, action is essential. I haven’t been out in the streets, but I’ve contemplated organizations I need to support more. I support climbing and environmental organizations – such as the Access Fund, the American Alpine Club, and Friends of Cedar Mesa – but I’ve realized I need to do a better job of supporting my BIPOC brothers and sisters who don’t have equal access to the outdoors like I

do. For reference, when the “golden age” of rock climbing in Yosemite took place in the 1950s and 1960s, black people weren’t even allowed in national parks.

My sport of choice, climbing, was rigged to benefit the white man, and quite frankly, the outdoor sports that we all love in Durango are some of the whitest sports that exist. This is not a coincidence; it’s a result of the white supremacy that proliferates our country.

Fortunately, there are groups that promote diversity in the outdoors. In climbing we’ve got the Brothers of Climbing, Brown Girls Climb and Natives Outdoors. And there is Outdoor Afro, a nonprofit started by my friend Rue Mapp. She started it not only to get more black people in the outdoors, but as her own revolutionary action when she realized she’s more comfortable making change in outdoor spaces than on city streets. (She recently got to meet Oprah and got an endorsement from her!)

As usual, I’ve got more to say than space allows. On the subject of conflict resolution, let’s talk about the Chief, owned and promoted by the Toh-Atin Gallery.

Shan Wells did a fine job in the last paper from a white person’s perspective, but as far as I can see, we’ve yet to see a full essay from an indigenous writer. Fortunately, local writer Kirbie Bennett wrote a brilliant and heartfelt essay called, “Between Mascots and Massacres” that he originally penned in 2017.

(You can read the essay on medium.com).

In this essay Bennett, who is Navajo, reflects on Colorado history and the history of Native Americans being used as mascots. He even sat down to discuss the Chief with the owner of Toh-Atin, Jackson Clark.

Here are two powerful paragraphs from the conclusion of his essay: “For Native Americans, we are caught between mascots and massacres. The cruelty inherent in each, and the connection between the two, continues to be minimized by people with power and influence such as Jackson Clark. And all the while Natives are made invisible. Our humanity is taken away and our suffering is silenced and every act of denial compounds that. This plays a part in giving justification for the ongoing exploitation and degradation of Native land and resources. If one’s identity becomes reduced to stereotypes, as often happens with Natives, then that assumes powerlessness and it is not long before the vultures of the corporate state think they can feast on the corpse of what they perceive as a dying people.

“Of course, even if people are successful in having the long-standing Chief statue removed, many more systemic issues need to be confronted for justice to be fully actualized for Native Americans. It would be one step among many to be taken. Yet, perhaps that is what people in power fear. What other demands would Natives and their allies make after bringing that statue down? What other monuments of injustice would they tackle next? What institutions of oppression would they come for afterwards? Every act of resistance, no matter how small or symbolic, is an act of liberation. Removing monuments and mascots of racist stereotypes helps in part to remove the shadow of colonization that hangs over Native North America. In its place will shine the light of liberation.”

Sign of the Downfall:

Thumbin’It

4 n July 9, 2020

– Luke Mehall

The City of Durango receiving $55,000 in grant funding to build electric car infrastructure around town and help make electric vehicles more accessible to residents

Southwest Colorado once again burgeoning into the dark red “extreme drought” category on the latest U.S. drought monitor, with no-show monsoons and scant rain on the horizon

Local power wholesaler Tri-State making steps away from coal and toward a greener future, supplying its members with nearly 50 percent renewable energy on a few sunny days in May

A disturbing show of intolerance, with a person or persons ripping down and destroying Black Lives Matter flags in downtown Durango barely moments after they were put up

Animas High School finding a permanent home at last, winning a $13.5 million BEST grant to build a new facility on the Fort Lewis College campus as soon as fall of 2023

Signs that we are nowhere near being out of the woods with COVID despite reopening, with cases once again spiking in La Plata County

telegraph

No Kidding

We’ve probably all heard of the social media craze to Google “Florida man” followed by your birthday and post the news story that comes up.

But apparently, Floridian ladies are just as crazy. Last week, “Florida woman” Kris Hedstrom sued her neighbor for goat paternity tests because calling the police and trespassing to steal goat hair didn’t work. (Hedstrom bought (goat) kids from her neighbor but couldn’t register them with the American Dairy Goat Association without DNA). But the worst part of this story is that one of the kids was named “Margoat,” and when it comes to goat puns, that’s pretty baaaaaad.

Q

WordontheStreet With the mercury expected to reach the high 90s this weekend, the Telegraph asked, “How hot is it?”

Jordanne

“It’s so hot, having nothing to wear is more of a blessing than an inconvenience.”

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Greg

“So hot that I’m thinking about going to hang out in Silverton with all of the COVID tourists.”

check our website for hours: www.jimmysmusic.supply 1480 E. 2nd Ave. & 15th St. • 970-764-4577

Jane

“It’s hotter than Texas. So go back.”

Tim

“It's so hot, the only image that resides is a high-country shady grove, a cold stream & a Mexi Lager! Run for the mountains!”

Dusty

“It is so hot, even dads are thinking about turning on the A/C.” telegraph

July 9, 2020 n 5

SoapBox

ReTooned/by Shan Wells

Uranium recycling good for planet To the editor, Re: The Telegraph’s recent article, “Waste not, want not,” most people think that recycling is a good thing. Our company, Energy Fuels, is seeking approval to recycle a small amount of material from Estonia that has 0.27 percent natural (unenriched) uranium. It is a byproduct of tantalum and niobium production, which are important minerals used in stainless steel, metallic alloys and electronics.

This is not “waste,” as a few activists (and this article) claim, and it’s only “radioactive” because it contains 0.27 percent natural uranium, which is the same average grade of mines in the Four Corners Region. From this tiny recycling project alone, we will recycle enough uranium to produce the same amount of electricity as 44 wind turbines in a year and prevent the release of over 150,000 tons of CO2 emissions compared to coal.

In addition, despite the overheated rhetoric of a few extreme activists, the White Mesa Mill has an impressive record of environmental responsibility, and claims of air and water pollution from the mill are simply not true. We are also proud to say that the White Mesa Mill is the largest private employer in San Juan County, Utah, and about half of our workforce is Native American. We call on good-faith environmentalists to support this recycling project, because it will help in the fight against climate change and air pollution and create jobs in an economically challenged area.

– Curtis Moore, Energy Fuels Inc.

Happier times with the Chief To the editor, It was May of 1977 and my late husband, Ed, and I were driving into Durango via Red Mountain Pass from Gunnison, where I was about to graduate from Western State College. We were convinced we wanted to move to Durango

and were on our mission to find a place to rent so we could begin our lives together in Southwest Colorado.

We were poor college students with no credit card but we had a little cash. I remember noticing a huge welcoming

sign, on the east side of the road, that was a caricature of an Indian. It was the controversial sign that we saw that was placed by the Chief Diner and in front of the first motel room that Ed and I were to rent. We decided we had 4

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6 n July 9, 2020

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enough money for one night at that motel and ate breakfast at the diner the next morning, then off we went to Vallecito to camp. It would be a long time afterwards that we had enough money for such an extravagance.

I was happy when the Chief was moved to its current spot when a new building was built to replace not only the diner but “our” motel.

I wish the friendly disposition of an Indian of such a prestigious size would not offend but make people smile, but I understand how people can see offensive touches on just about any piece of art. Remember the pieces of stone artfully hung together that had to be removed at the intersection of 160/550? Did you see flat stones or art?

– Jackie Morlan, Bayfield

Put a new face on the Chief

To the editor, Regarding the controversy over the Chief standing in front of Toh-Atin Gallery, why not have one of the Native American artists represented by the gallery repaint the Chief’s face with a portrait of an important Native American chief? Thus getting rid of the caricature aspect of the piece. After all, Toh-Atin promotes and sells Native American art. Some other fixes on the original statue may be necessary to make it look like the real thing. I’m sure the Clarks never regarded the Chief as a racist piece.

– Judy Morgan, Durango

Perspective from Ta-Nehisi Coates To the editor, Before we repeat “All Lives Matter,” let’s consider its function: to paper over “Black Lives Matter,” to disguise the violent caste system in this country by pretending everything is equal, and to silence protest against injustice. I must admit having spent little time seriously thinking about how it would be to wake up every day, aware of a target on my back, painted by another people who happen to absolutely control the system in which I live. Another peo-

ple, who are mostly either tuned out, unfriendly or downright violent to me. I haven’t had to do this empathetic thinking; I’ve never lived in such a world for even one day.

That’s just one aspect of my privilege. I can opt out, but BIPOC folks (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) cannot. To change our abusive institutions, I must do more than wish, hope and mouth platitudes.

One book I’m reading is Ta-Nehisi Coates’ Between the World and Me, a short book I highly recommended. Dominant caste people: read with me these eloquent, powerful words Coates writes to his son, in hopes of helping him survive: “I write you in your fifteenth year. I am writing you because this was the year you saw Eric Garner choked to death for selling cigarettes; because you know now that Renisha McBride was shot for seeking help, that John Crawford was shot down for browsing in a department store. And you have seen men in uniform drive by and murder Tamir Rice, a twelve-year-old child whom they were oath-bound to protect. And you have seen men in the same uniforms pummel Marlene Pinnock, someone’s grandmother, on the side of a road. And you know now, if you did not before, that the police departments of your country have been endowed with the authority to destroy your body. It does not matter if the destruction is the result of an unfortunate overreaction. It does not matter if it originates in a misunderstanding. It does not matter if the destruction springs from a foolish policy.

Sell cigarettes without the proper authority and your body can be destroyed. Resent the people trying to entrap your body and it can be destroyed. Turn into a dark stairwell and your body can be destroyed. The destroyers will rarely be held accountable. Mostly they will receive pensions. And destruction is merely the superlative form of a dominion whose prerogatives include friskings, detainings, beatings, and humiliations. All of this is common to black people. And all of this is old for black people. No one is held responsible.”

“There is nothing uniquely evil in these destroyers or even in this moment. The destroyers are merely men en-

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forcing the whims of our country, correctly interpreting its heritage and legacy. It is hard to face this. But all our phrasing – race relations, racial chasm, racial justice, racial profiling, white privilege, even white supremacy - serves to obscure that racism is a visceral experience, that it dislodges brains, blocks airways, rips muscle, extracts organs, cracks bones, breaks teeth. You must never look away from this.

You must always remember that the sociology, the history, the economics, the graphs, the charts, the regressions all land, with great violence, upon the body.”

What if our own children were at such daily risk?

Thank you, Mr. Coates, for opening up my closed white world. Every Friday at Buckley Park from 7-8 p.m. a candlelight vigil is held to amplify BIPOC voices. Come and listen with me.

– Kirby MacLaurin, Durango

Wear a mask for me To the editor, My mask protects you, and your mask protects me! If we actually cared about our loved ones and our neighbors, we would absolutely wear a mask. If 80 percent of us wore a mask, new cases of Covid would drop 90 percent. This virus would be ended in several months!

The City of Durango implemented a mandatory face mask order to protect us. Their actions successfully kept the infection rate very low. Suddenly, the rates are climbing. Not coincidently, in the last few weeks, there are hordes of people ignoring the mask order and refusing to practice the 6-foot social distancing recommendation.

Wearing a simple face mask is not that hard, and it’s not too much to ask of you. It is irrational and unfounded to claim masks are a political issue or to say wearing one violates your rights. What about the rights of those you infect? Nearly half of people diagnosed with the virus were infected by others who did not have symptoms! Knowing this danger and choosing to ignore it is morally wrong!

– Diane E. Dalton, Durango

Experience the DO difference.

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July 9, 2020 n 7

LocalNews

Summer surge

Local COVID cases reach high mark as tourist season kicks in

by Missy Votel

T

he mercury is not the only thing climbing right now.

In recent weeks, La Plata County has seen an uptick in the COVID curve, according to San Juan Basin Health Department, which began tracking cases March 23. As of Tuesday, there were 138 reported cases on SJBH’s data dashboard, this after a relatively quiet May and June, when the curve appeared to be flattening.

The surge began the last week in June, when cases rose by 28, from 91 to 119. This is the biggest weekly rise in cases; the second biggest was the last week of March, which saw 24.

The end of June also saw the highest number of cases in a day, with nine confirmed June 26. July 5 also saw a big day, with seven cases, the second-most in a day since March 28.

“It is alarming but not necessarily unexpected. We have actually been seeing the case count go up for a couple weeks now,” SJBH spokesperson Claire Ninde said Monday. “Generally, we believe the positive cases are because things are opening up, there is more interaction of people and summer activities taking place, and we are seeing an influx of visitors from other states that are experiencing surges.”

So far, July has not been faring much better. For the first week of July, there have been 19 reported cases. However, with up to a 14-day incubation period for the virus and the city packed for the 4th of July weekend, Ninde expects the numbers to flare again. “This definitely has us concerned about upcoming medical capacity but we have been working on surge plans with medical partners since the beginning of the pandemic,” she said.

On Wednesday, Mike Murphy, Interim CEO of Centura Health-Mercy Regional Medical Center confirmed that the hospital has seen a recent increase of COVID patients in the ER. “In particular, we are seeing many visitors to our area from other states that are experiencing high levels of COVID19 spread,” he said. The hospital is continuing to practice prevention measures, including sterilizing surfaces, wearing personal protective equipment and social distancing, and he encouraged residents to remain vigilant as well. “These are the best practices we have to prevent the spread of COVID19 in our community,” he said.

Masked Main Avenue shoppers take a gander at the local real estate offerings Tuesday. Since COVID restrictions were loosened, La Plata County has seen a marked rise in cases. As of Tuesday, there were 138 confirmed COVID cases, this after holding steady for much of June./Photo by Missy Votel Mercy recently received five ventilators from the national stockpile, however Murphy said there is the ability to shift resources from other facilities in the Centura System. In addition, Centura received FDA clearance and worked with vendors to have the capability to convert anesthesia and Bi-Pap machines to ventilators if needed.

Since the pandemic began, there have been more than 5,500 diagnostic coronavirus tests and 3,100 antibody tests taken in La Plata and Archuleta counties. The majority of cases are in residents, with only four cases being confirmed in visitors to La Plata County. Slightly more women than men have been infected, and the biggest age group infected has been those in their twenties (30), followed by 50-59 (28) and 60-69 (24.)

Currently, the waiting period for results of diagnostic tests is about six days, although that could change as more tests are being conducted. With the significant increases in cases, SJBPH has also been busy with contact tracing, isolation and quarantine guidance and follow-up, and coordination with other health agencies on nonresidents who tested positive.

“This is why we continue to stress the precautions that we know work: social distancing, wearing face coverings, keep-

ing gatherings to just those in your household, washing hands frequently, and staying home and getting tested if you are sick,” said Ninde.

The uptick in Durango seems to be mirroring a wider trend across the state. On June 30, Gov. Polis ordered bars closed again as Colorado saw a rise in infections in nine of the past 14 days. Other non-essential businesses are still allowed to be open, although SJBH extended its facemask order for workers in such establishments through July.

The state also released the framework for the next phase of re-opening, “Protect Our Neighbors,” which would allow communities that meet certain criteria – such as strong health-care systems and low virus levels – to ease restrictions.

Meanwhile, local businesses in need of PPE can order disposable facemasks and bulk hand sanitizer through the Southwest Colorado Disaster Assistance (SWCODA) and La Plata County Economic Recovery Task Force. Orders can be placed online, while supplies last, at SWCODA.org and picked up at the Durango Chamber of Commerce, Fridays from 9 a.m.-1 p.m.

SJBH updates its dashboard every day at 5 p.m. To check out the latest stats, go to: sjbpublichealth.org/ sjbph-data-dashboard/.n

To serve and protect: Balancing tourism with community health Just how – or if – to market Durango during difficult and awkward times? Visit Durango, the official marketing arm of the Durango Tourism Office, is asking locals what they think about marketing to tourists during COVID. “Unmanaged tourism can diminish the quality of life for locals and create a negative experience for visitors,” Theresa Blake Graven, Tourism & Communications Director for Visit Durango, said. “Therefore Visit Durango is developing a responsible tourism strategy, including the ‘Care for Durango’ campaign, to encourage responsible travel in times of COVID.” Through July 10, locals are invited to take a 10-minute online survey gauging their attitudes on tourism and how it affects the local economy. Results will be used to help inform marketing moving forward and to sweeten the pot, everyone who completes the survey will be entered to win

8 n July 9, 2020

a $150 VISA gift card.

According to Visit Durango, tourism is the largest industry in La Plata County, accounting for one-third of the local economy. However, as we all know, tourism can be a double-edged sword, bringing money and jobs but also the ills, quite literally, that go along with it.

“The data collected from this survey will enable Visit Durango to make more informed decisions about welcoming visitors back to La Plata County post-COVID-19 and promoting responsible tourism moving forward,” reads the survey. “The ultimate goal is to support long-term economic vitality, resiliency and quality-of-life for our residents.”

To take the survey, go to https://mysay.is/LPCResident.

– Missy Votel

telegraph

MurderInk

Oh the places you’ll go

Summer reads to take you on a trip without leaving your lounge chair

by Jeffrey Mannix

T

he publishing machine has been stricken as we all have been struck by the insidious pandemic that seems intent on culling the weak, vacuous, arrogant and acquisitive. Where I’ve been accustomed to seeing Johnny, my UPS driver, two or three times a week with advance reader copies of upcoming books, new releases have been postponed or reduced to digital editions only. The publicity departments of the major publishers have retreated to working from Southhampton and begging reviewers to download the few books that haven’t been shelved until the air clears.

We may have to go back in November or December to a few of the standards or back benchers that got edged out along the way, but I have a few new releases in the queue for the next two or three months from publishers smart enough to put review copies in critics’ hands early.

Again, I have more than one book to recommend this month to keep you at home and away from the droplets. Foremost is a book by a very talented Mike Lawson that absolutely needs your attention, despite the ghastly title of House Privilege and a disorienting cover of a small airplane seeming to be headed for a stand of trees. Lawson has 11 previous novels with “house” in the title, and while he’s been nominated at least once for the prestigious Edgar Award by the Mystery Writers of America, I’ll stick my chin out to say he’s not a household name because of the soppy titles he must have fought his publishers to maintain.

House Privilege is worthy of as many stars as the stargivers are giving this year. And you’d think the awardgivers would – after 13 novels featuring Joe DeMarco, one of the genre’s most intrepid and endearing (very) private investigators – heap cheesy trophies and worthy praise on Lawson.

Lawson is a natural storyteller. He can craft believable characters and connivances that leave you breathless. House Privilege is a lesson in writing believable prose. Lawson makes it look easy, and that’s what fiction writers all hope they’re doing or aspire to do.

Fifteen-year-old Cassie Russell is the sole survivor of a crash of a single-engine plane piloted by her father.

An experienced flyer en route from Boston to their vacation home on a flight path he could do with his eyes closed, he kills himself and Cassie’s mother. Leaving

Cassie orphaned with a broken arm and lots of money, Cassie’s godfather – here’s where Lawson’s hook is planted – the newly elected Speaker of the House John Mahoney, inconveniently becomes Cassie’s guardian.

He also maybe not so inconveniently becomes the administrator of an obscenely large portfolio of investments, managed for years by a reputation attorney named Erin Kelly. We soon learn Erin is the niece of the infamous Boston racketeer, Mike Kelly.

Mahoney dispatches his “fixer,” Joe DeMarco, to pick up Cassie from the hospital, take her home to awaiting servants, and figure out what’s to be done with a responsibility he clearly doesn’t want or have time for. You can guess that trouble is lurking, but you will never guess what DeMarco discovers and the bait a wealthy teen-ager is to all kinds of carnivores. DeMarco is respectable and calm, quickly stepping in for an egocentric politician to stumble upon a clever embezzlement scheme, clear up three murders and prevent two more. In the process, he outflanks federal marshals and international law, all while

being the adult in the room for a very conflicted and troublesome teen.

Grove Atlantic released House Privilege July 7 in hardcover. Don’t neglect this one, and don’t forget to ask Maria’s Bookshop for your 15 percent “Murder Ink” discount.

And to further postpone being lured into hastily searching for your old life that can no longer be had, why not pick up another high-wire mystery with all the intrigue of chasing down corporate blackmailers. Clean Hands

by Patrick Hoffman is about a powerful law firm headed for self-destruction after a contract for a dubious corporate client is stolen and a high-priced female “fixer” is engaged to make all the problems go away. It’s a great story, not without some holes that make Hoffman’s next book all the more anticipated.

Another Grove Atlantic imprint, it’s also another book deserving of multiple stars and industry attention for what’s seeming to be another natural writer. This one, notwithstanding, still working a day job as a private investigator in Brooklyn. You’re in on the possible making of another bright light in the crime fiction genre, and another 15 percent “Murder Ink” discount at Maria’s Bookshop.

Hey, think of all the money you’re saving by eating at home. Spring for two hardcovers, mix your own drink and have a better time going where these two talented writers will take you. n

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telegraph

July 9, 2020 n

9

thesecondsection

Time traveler Hobbs dishes on his latest wild West adventure, ‘City of Gold’

O

ne of Durango’s most prolific authors, Will Hobbs, is at it again. On July 14, Hobbs’ latest – and 20th– young adult novel, City of Gold, will be released. The historic-fiction tale of two brothers and two missing mules takes readers on an odyssey through some of the most beloved landscaped across frontier-era Southwest Colorado and Southeast Utah.

Though the action-packed romp is aimed at young adults, it’s sure to appeal to history and adventure buffs of all ages.

Following is a Q&A on the book, its origins and a little bit more about the people and places in its pages.

City of Gold is a big adventure. How did the novel begin?

I cast a wide net, delving deeply in books about our mining towns by Durango’s Duane Smith, Silverton’s Allen Nossaman and Telluride’s David Lavender. Still searching, I found the image that sparked the story in San Juan Country, by Mel Griffiths. Before the trail up to Telluride’s Tomboy Mine was made into a wagon road, a mule carried the core piece of a new transformer 6 miles to the mine. This was an astounding feat. The pack mules usually carried 300 pounds, but this load weighed 700. I thought that would be so great in a novel.

So it all began with the mule, Hercules. Did his name come to you right away?

My first thought was, the name should be heroic.

My second was, it had to be Hercules. That led to daydreaming his backstory. Maybe he was one of a plow team. The other mule in the story should be called …

Peaches. The thread of a plot began to suggest itself.

Hercules and Peaches belong to a family trying to start a new farm in Hermosa. As the story opens, they’re stolen by a rustler. Hercules gets sold to the Tomboy Mine … but what happens to Peaches?

With Telluride, you probably had a lot of amazing material to draw on.

I was off and running. Telluride’s history includes Butch Cassidy and a notorious marshal, James Clark.

Butch’s first-ever bank robbery was in Telluride, in June of 1889. Many locals suspected that Clark, out of town that day, was in cahoots with Cassidy. After reading a biography of Cassidy and researching the marshal, I pictured the two of them meeting up at a later time. I landed on setting the story in the fall of 1900.

What else was behind your choice of 1900?

It was the year the famous photo of Butch and his “Wild Bunch” was taken in a photo studio in Fort Worth, Texas.

Cassidy and his gang didn’t realize it could be duplicated. Before long, as the marshal informs him in my story, it was “in every post office in the country.” Historians believe that the photo had much to do with Cassidy and the Sundance Kid fleeing to South America in 1901. My novel takes place in the fall of 1900, when the photograph first shows up in Telluride, on Marshal Clark’s desk.

Tell us about the Hollowells, beginning with Owen, your 15-year-old narrator.

Whittled down, every story begins with a character who has a problem. Now that I had a novel-worthy

10 n July 9, 2020

Will Hobbs on one of his many forays into the Weminuche. The landscapes Hobbs loves, from the San Juans to Utah’s canyon country, figure heavily in his latest book, City of Gold./Courtesy photo problem – recovering those mules – I needed a protagonist to go after them. Owen recently lost his father to tuberculosis, the “family curse” as his mother calls it. He has only his mother and little brother, and the heavy lifting is going to be up to him.

Owen’s kid brother, Till, is quite a character, somewhat of a loose cannon. At the outset, did you have an idea how vital to the story, especially its humor, Till would become?

Not at all. As Owen is about to set out on foot from Hermosa to track the rustler, Till insists he’s going. Ma says something like, “Oh, no you’re not, you’re too young for the mountains.” It’s only after Owen has been in Telluride for a number of chapters that I heard Till calling, “Put me in, coach.” As soon as he showed up on the Rio Grande Southern, my fingers started to fly. You can’t leave a player with that much talent on the bench.

You cast Mary Hollowell and her boys as having recently arrived from eastern Kansas, outside of Lawrence. Do you have history there?

telegraph

I do, but mostly the Kansas component had to do with Telluride’s Marshal Clark, a difficult man with a violent past. It occurred to me that Clark’s history could be intertwined with the history of Owen’s family, going back to the burning of Lawrence during the Civil War. Clark rode with Quantrill’s Raiders, a band of pro-Confederate guerillas who fought in the war.

The mule chase takes readers from the San Juan Mountains, to the Colorado River at Hite City and all the way to Robbers Roost, a Wild Bunch hideout near Hanksville. Why was landscape such a key factor?

All the way back to my earlier books Bearstone and Beardance, set in the Weminuche Wilderness, I’ve been taking readers into the wild places that have been a big part of my life. Owen’s solo trek takes him into the San Juans and over Black Bear Pass in a late September snowstorm. It felt good to be writing about our mountains again. Over the years, my weeklong backpack trips in the Weminuche have added up to nearly seven months.

In addition, over several decades, my wife, Jean, and I have been on numerous hikes and backpacking trips in the canyons of Southeastern Utah, enraptured with their ruins and rock art. Here’s hoping next year the restoration of Bears Ears National Monument in its entirety will be under way.

What are your hopes for City of Gold?

Mostly that it’s a whopping good tale for readers ages 10-110. As for young people, I hope it encourages them to stretch their legs in wild places. Nearly all my books are set in our priceless public lands, which will always need protecting. Aldo Leopold put it best: “I’m glad I shall never be young without wild places to be young in. Of what avail are 40 freedoms without a wild place on the map.” n

TopShelf

Remembering two singing cowboys

by Chris Aaland

The two were fast friends when Daniels retreated to his mountain home in between tours. They shared a love of snowmobilore than a century ago, Ada Habershon and Charles ing, and Scarborough and his wife, Jeanne, were there when Gabriel wrote what would become one of the most popDaniels suffered a major stroke while snowmobiling in the San ular Christian hymns of all-time, “Will the Circle Be Un- Juans in 2010, rushing him down the mountain and to the hosbroken.” Habershon was a lyricist from England who authored pital. The two couples dined together frequently, sharing a love more than 200 hymns in English and German during her lifefor the Old West, the outdoors and music. time. The Iowa-born Gabriel was much more prolific, writing or Daniels championed the Wranglers, helping them get appearcomposing more than 7,000 songs. ances at the Grand Ole Opry, recording songs with them and, in Two decades later, in 1927, A.P. Carter of the famous Carter recent years, joining them onstage at the Chuckwagon.

Family revamped the verses It’s romantic irony that and renamed it “Can the the two old singing cowboys Circle Be Unbroken (By and died within months of each By).” For nearly a century, other. They had long since his lyrics have stuck, alpassed their legacy on to anthough most versions that other generation, which, in followed reverted to the turn, paid it forward. original title. Most notably, “It’s kind of like a Westthe folk-rockers in the Nitty ern tradition,” local country Gritty Dirt Band not only singer/songwriter Tyller recorded it but named an Gummersall said. “In the album after the tune in Western tradition, we don’t 1972. That triple LP, which bury our heroes, we live served as the introduction to them. They live on within bluegrass and classic country you by taking those virtues for millions, paired tradithat have passed down from tionalists like Mother Maygeneration to generation. belle Carter, Roy Acuff, “The Bar D is very special Jimmy Martin and Merle that way,” the 30-year-old Travis with younger artists Gummersall added, noting like Norman Blake, Vassar that high-quality players atClements and Doc Watson. tract pickers of a similar In the years since, everystature. For the Wranglers, one from the Chieftains to that meant internationally Willie Nelson to Moby have known guests like Daniels put their own spin on the and Riders in the Sky joining tune. For country musicians, them at the Chuckwagon. the song has become some- The role that solidified a career or two: Charlie Daniels in a cameo “Charlie recognized Cy’s what of a national anthem, with John Travolta in “Urban Cowboy.” Daniels, a part-time area resi- talent and Gary Cook’s taldent, died Mon., July 6. This spring also saw the passing of Bar D ent and that’s why he chose one that everyone could Wrangler Cy Scarborough, a close friend of Daniels.’ sing along to during the to sit in with those guys. The end-of-night clusterplucks at same with Riders in the Sky. festivals the world over.

I actually got to see Ranger Doug and Gary record their instruHabershon’s original lyrics (and later, Carter’s revisions), sugmental album (2016’s excellent “Springtime in the Rockies”). I gested a transition from the pain of the earthly life to a more feel very fortunate to be in that circle and to be allowed into tranquil heavenly one. But the tune also shows the never-ending those moments. When I got to tag along to the Grand Ole Opry cycle of one generation of musicians passing the torch to the with the Bar D, I got to be in those hallways just watching those next … the circle of life, so to speak. guys. I got to meet Little Jimmy Dickens before he died. I feel forDurango has seen two local musical legends pass on this sumtunate that they saw something in me.” mer – Cy Scarborough and Charlie Daniels.

Gummersall, who began releasing albums as a 20-year-old in Scarborough, founder of the Bar D Chuckwagon Supper and 2010, took guitar lessons from Cook, who frequently joins him Bar D Wranglers, died May 19 at the age of 93. Back in 1967, onstage and in the recording studio. In many ways, Cook is Scarborough, Big Jim Blanton and Buck Teeter scouted out land Gummersall’s mentor. Scarborough and Daniels passed along lesacross Colorado to launch a chuckwagon supper of their own. sons to Cook, who did the same to Gummersall, keeping that cirThe three were veterans of the Flying W Ranch in Colorado cle unbroken.

Springs, where Scarborough had performed since 1953. They To a lesser extent, Daniels helped mentor Gummersall. As found a perfect location at the base of Missionary Ridge north of writers, the two capture a sense of place. For Daniels, it’s the Durango in the Animas Valley. Delmas Dalton owned a large catDirty South, in such songs as “The Legend of Wooley Swamp,” tle operation there and was a fan of cowboy music, so the trio “The South’s Gonna Do It (Again)” and that little ditty about the presented him with a recording of their music. Dalton sold ScarDevil. In Gummersall’s case, it’s the mountain valleys and high borough and his partners 10 acres at $400 per acre with no plains of “Colorado Rain” and “Rocky Mountain Man.” money down and the Bar D opened its doors in June 1969. Scar“He was very gracious and let me interview him for my podborough worked at the Chuckwagon for the rest of his life, even cast,” Gummersall said of Daniels, who he interviewed prior to a though he retired from performing on a regular basis more than a Charlie Daniels Band concert at the Sky Ute Casino Resort in decade ago.

Ignacio a few years ago. His podcast, “Tales from the Train,” is acThis Monday, Daniels died of a stroke at age 83. The Country cessible through Gummersall’s website or Cowboys & Indians magMusic Hall of Famer was a longtime friend of Scarborough’s, shar- azine. ing the stage as well as the San Juan Mountains with him.

“They are all so giving and humble,” Gummersall said. “It’s Daniels was a once-rowdy longhaired country boy of the 1970s something I don’t take for granted. If I’m ever in a position to who penned “Devil Went Down to Georgia,” “Trudy” and dozens help anyone else, I’ll certainly take those lessons to heart.” of other Southern rock hits who was a part-time resident of La Plata County, living north of Hesperus near Mayday.

Undertaker please drive slow? Email me at chrisa@gobrainstorm.net. n

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July 9, 2020 n 11

StufftoDo

Thursday09 Bassel & the Supernaturals play Syrian roots and Chicago soul for the free Concerts @the Park virtual concert series July 9, 5:30 – 7 p.m. To log on, go to durangoconcerts.com.

Garden Community Concerts series.

Tune into KSUT or KDUR radio or online. Sponsored by the Community Foundation, donations go to community arts organizations.

Caitlin Cannon plays an online concert for the the Secret Garden Community Concert Series on Wed., July 15.

Ongoing

Donny Johnson plays, 5:30 – 8:30 p.m., Office Spiritorium, 699 Main Ave.

Durango 10-Minute Play Festival, online finalist readings thru July 11, at www.youtube.com/user/durangoarts. Vote for your favorite to determine this year’s People’s Choice Award and the plays that will be produced (when live theatre can be resumed.)

Friday10 Free Virtual Legal Clinic, 4 – 5 p.m. Call the Ignacio Library at 970563-9287 to sign up.

The Hive is open for daily youth activities as well as community mural painting. Space is limited and masks are required. For offerings or to sign up, email Kelsie@hivedgo.org

Submit Stuff to Do by Monday at noon to: calendar@durangotelegraph.com

Matt Rupnow plays, 5:30 – 8:30 p.m., Office Spiritorium, 699 Main Ave. Output Friday featuring DJ Spark Madden mixing up house, techno, electro, disco, 80s, 90s & rare grooves, 6 – 9 p.m., 11th Street Station.

“Earth … Sky… and Soul” of COVID-19, a new show by Karyn Gabaldon, Thurs., Fri. and Sat., noon – 6 p.m. and by appt. 680 Main Ave.

Saturday11 Durango Farmers Market, Saturdays, 8 a.m. – 12 noon, in TBK Parking Lot, across from the Transit Center. Facemasks required. www.durangofarmersmarket.com.

Monday13

Edible/Medicinal Plant Excursion, 9:30 a.m. – 3 p.m. Participants meet at the Rec Center and carpool to the site. Register at the Rec Center or at DurangoGov.org.

More information: AlpineHike@gmail.com. $35.

Meditation and Dharma Talk with Louije Kim, 5:30- 7 p.m. online at www.durangodharmacenter.org

Virtual Colorado Legislative Lowdown featuring Sen. Don Coram, R-Montrose, and Rep. Barbara McLachlan, D-Durango, 10 a.m. Sponsored by the League of Women Voters of La Plata County. To participate and submit questions go to www.lwvlaplata.org or www.face book.com/lwvlaplata.org. Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87483697988 Sean O-Brien plays, 5:30 – 8:30 p.m., Office Spiritorium, 699 Main Ave.

Sunday12 Henry Stoy plays piano, 10 a.m.- 1 p.m., Jean Pierre Wine Bar, College Drive and Main.

Blue Moon Ramblers play Americana/bluegrass, 5:30 – 8:30 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave. Devon Scott plays, 5:30 – 8:30 p.m., Office Spiritorium, 699 Main Ave.

Pine River Library is offering curbside checkouts Mon.-Fri., 2-6 p.m., and Sat., 10 a.m.- 2 p.m. For info., call 970-884-2222 or visit www.prlibrary.org/curbside-checkout-program/

Adam Swanson plays Ragtime piano, 5:30 – 8:30 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave.

Durango Public Library’s Summer Reading Program for kids, teens and adults, thru Aug. 1. Register at DurangoGov.org/library or call 970-375-3380.

Rob Webster plays, 5:30 – 8:30 p.m., Office Spiritorium, 699 Main Ave.

Tuesday14 Leah Orlikowski plays, 5:30 – 8:30 p.m., Office Spiritorium, 699 Main Ave. Local Agriculture and the Impact of Coronavirus on Producers, featuring James Ranch and Adobe House Farms, 6 p.m., James Ranch lawn. Sponsored by La Plata Open Space Conservancy. RSVP and face coverings required, attendance capped at 25. For more information and to RSVP, go to: www.lposc.org.

Wednesday15 Terry Rickard plays, 5:30 – 8:30 p.m., Office Spiritorium, 699 Main Ave. Caitlin Cannon, People We Know and Jeff Solon Jazz Trio play an online concert 7 p.m., for the Secret

Upcoming Alice Wallace plays folk, country and blues for the free Concerts @the Park virtual concert series July 16, 5:30 – 7 p.m. To log on, go to www.durangoconcerts.com.

Jose Villareal plays, July 16, 5:30 – 8:30 p.m., Office Spiritorium, 699 Main Ave. Dave Mensch plays solo, 6 p.m., July 16, 11th Street Station.

Mountain Archery Festival, July 17-19, Purgatory Resort, www.purgatoryresort.com.

Andrew Schuhmann plays, July 18, 5:30 – 8:30 p.m., Office Spiritorium, 699 Main Ave. Devon Scott performs everything from R. Kelly to Patsy Cline on ukulele, July 19, 11 a.m. - 2 p.m., 11th Street Station.

Free Tenants Rights Clinic Presented by Colorado Legal Services

Tues., July 21, 5:30 - 7 p.m. via Zoom

Topics include best rental practices, evictions, security deposits, etc.

Please call (970) 247-0266 for details on how to attend

12 n July 9, 2020

telegraph

AskRachel

Dirt-turds, side hustles and imported germs

Interesting fact: For what it’s worth, the roads go both ways: Coloradans are most likely to move to California and Texas, too. They’re lucky to have us.

Dear Rachel, The best days in elementary school were always the ones when the playground maintenance guys aerated the grass and we had a bounty of dirt-turds to throw at each other. I just discovered that as an adult I can aerate my own lawn and create my own little missiles whenever I please. Is there any legal or ethical reason I should not throw these gifts at my neighbors, mail carriers, chipmunks, etc.?

– Bombs Away Dear Soiled Again, Sometimes, you just look at a person and know that neither their parents nor their guardians, foster homes, nuns, nor drill sergeants raised them right. Sometimes, those people are running around without masks. Sometimes, they’re wearing the other team’s sports clothes. It’s a spectrum. I’ll just say that throwing clods at unsuspecting adults is … not the worst point on that spectrum? I suspect children would enjoy the game more. Launch your rockets at some of them.

– En garde, Rachel Dear Rachel, Isn’t everyone developing a side hustle right about now? A little extra something to supplement the gaunt paychecks from this year? I am,

and let me tell you, I never considered how much goods get marked up each step along the way. I have a few retail buyers for my clothes and cosmetics but they expect to take half the price! I’m fronting all the supplies and the labor, but they’ll get half the dough. How is this fair?

– Goodie One-Shoe Dear Future Marxist, You think that’s unfair? Just wait until you hear about self-employment taxes! Which are a total waste of space, except for the parts where they pay for public schools and roads and whatnot. Otherwise, they suck! They’ll come right out of your share of those measly profits. If it makes you feel any better, those scroogy business owners have to pay taxes too (unless they’re Amazon). Plus, they have to maintain customer bathrooms. That right there is worth the markup, my friend.

– Paying customers only, Rachel Dear Rachel, As long as I’ve lived here, it’s been open season on Texans and Californians (usually in that order). They’re the cause of every negative change and the object of all-purpose ridicule.

Now lately I’m finding myself getting instantaneously irate every time I see one of their stupid license plates trucking around our town. Why they gotta bring their virus-laden selves to our peaceful place? And what can I do to calm the eff back down?

– Get Off of My State

Email Rachel at telegraph@durangotelegraph.com Dear Colorado Supremacist, You do realize that without California and Texas, the population of Colorado would be about 60,000, which is the Native American population? True story. Yes, many of us become much cooler and sexier once we settle into these Centennial State skies. But we never truly shake our TX/CA roots (even if we pronounce it “Pennsylvania” or “Mexico” or something like that). But that’s not to say your road rage is unwarranted. Go home, losers! Or we’ll throw dirt-turds at you!

– Hasta la vista, Rachel

Sure to float your boat.

Issue 13 is out now!

Wherever you find the Telegraph or at www.gulchmag.com.

To find out about advertising opportunities, email: steve@gulchmag.com

telegraph

July 9, 2020 n 13

FreeWillAstrology

by Rob Brezsny ARIES (March 21-April 19): “As beautiful as simplicity is, it can become a tradition that stands in the way of exploration,” singer Laura Nyro said. This is practical advice for you to heed in the coming weeks. According to my analysis, you’re scheduled to enjoy an extended engagement with rich, fertile complexity. The best teachings won’t be reducible to a few basic lessons; rather, they’ll be rife with soulful nuances. The same is true about the splendid dilemmas that bring you stimulating amusements: They can’t and shouldn’t be forced into pigeonholes. As a general rule, anything that seems easy and smooth and straightforward will probably not be useful. Your power will come from what’s crooked, dense and labyrinthine.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): You may think that playing heavy metal music and knitting with yarn don’t have much in common. And yet there is an annual contest in Joensuu, Finland where people with expertise in needlework join heavy metal musicians on stage, plying their craft in rhythm to the beat. The next Heavy Metal Knitting World Championship will be July 15-16, 2021. This year’s event was canceled due to the pandemic. If it had been staged, I bet multiple Tauruses would have been among the top 10 competitors. Why? Because you Bulls are at the peak of your ability to combine things that aren’t often combined. You have the potential to excel at making unexpected connections, linking influences that haven’t been linked before, and being successful at comparing apples and oranges.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): In 1848, Danish King Frederick VII agreed, under pressure from liberal agitators, to relinquish some of his absolute power. Thereafter, he shared his decisionmaking with a newly formed parliament.

He was pleased with this big change because it lightened his workload. “That was nice,” he remarked after signing the new constitution. “Now I can sleep in every morning.” I recommend him to you as an inspirational role model in the coming weeks. What so-called advantages in your life are more boring or burdensome than fun and interesting? Consider the possibility of shedding dubious “privileges” and status symbols.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Cancerian author Mary McCarthy provides you with a challenge you’ll be wise to relish during the rest of 2020.

She writes, “Everyone continues to be interested in the quest for the self, but what you feel when you’re older is that you really must make the self.” McCarthy implies that this epic reorientation isn’t

14 n July 9, 2020

likely until you’ve been on earth for at least four decades. But judging from the astrological omens, I think you’re ready for it now – no matter what your age is. To drive home the point, I’ll say it in different words. Your task isn’t to find yourself, but rather to create yourself. Don’t wait around passively for life to show you who you are. Show life who you are.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Some night soon, I predict you’ll have an agitated dream while you’re asleep: a nightmare that symbolizes an unresolved conflict you’re wrestling with in your waking life. Here’s a possible example: A repulsive politician you dislike may threaten to break a toy you loved when you were a kid. But surprise! There’ll be a happy ending. A good monster will appear in your dream and fix the problem; in my example, the benevolent beast will scare away the politician who’s about to break your beloved toy. Now here’s the great news: In the days after your dream, you’ll solve the conflict you’ve been wrestling with in your waking life.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): “Love is the best school, but the tuition is high and the homework can be painful,” author Diane Ackerman writes. I’m guessing that in recent months, her description has been partially true for you Virgos. From what I can tell, love has indeed been a rigorous school. And the tuition has been rather high. But on the other hand, the homework has been at least as pleasurable as it has been painful. I expect these trends to continue for the foreseeable future. What teachings about intimacy, communion, tenderness, and compassion would you like to study next?

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): “A single feat of daring can alter the whole conception of what is possible,” wrote Libran novelist Graham Greene. His words can serve as a stirring motto for you in the coming weeks. I sense you’re close to summoning a burst of courage – a bigger supply of audacity than you’ve had access to in a while. I hope you’ll harness this raw power to fuel a daring feat that will expand your conception of what is possible.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): “It’s not always easy to tell the difference between thinking and looking out of the window,” poet Wallace Stevens wrote. That’s a problem you won’t have to worry about anytime soon. The coming weeks will be a favorable phase for you to both think and gaze out the window – as well as to explore all the states in-between.

In other words, you’ll have the right and the need to indulge in a leisurely series of dreamy ruminations and meandering fantasies and playful explorations of your deepest depths and your highest heights.

telegraph

Don’t rush the process. Allow yourself to linger in the gray areas and the vast stretches of inner wildness.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22Dec. 21): The coming weeks will be a favorable time to undertake a transformative vision quest, even if the exigencies of the pandemic require your quest to unfold primarily in your inner realms. The near future will also bring you good fortune if you focus on creating more sacredness in your rhythm and if you make a focused effort to seek out songs, texts, inspirations, natural places and teachers that infuse you with a reverence for life. I’m trying to help you to see, Sagittarius, that you’re in a phase when you can attract healing synchronicities into your world by deepening your sense of awe and communing with experiences that galvanize you to feel worshipful.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): “To love well is the task in all meaningful relationships, not just romantic bonds.” The author and activist bell hooks wrote that. (She doesn’t capitalize her name.) In accordance with the highest astrological potentials, I’m inviting you Capricorns to be inspired by her wisdom as you upgrade your meaningful relationships during the next six weeks. I think it’s in your self-interest to give them even more focus and respect and appreciation than you already do. Be ingenious as you boost the generosity of spirit you bestow on your allies. Be resourceful as you do this impeccable work in the midst of a pandemic!

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): “One-half of knowing what you want is knowing what you must give up before you get it,” author Sydney Howard wrote. Now would be a perfect time to act on that excellent advice. Is there any obstacle standing in the way of your ability to achieve a beloved dream? Is there a pretty good thing that’s distracting you from devoting yourself wholeheartedly to a really great thing? I invite you to be a bit ruthless as you clear the way to pursue your heart’s desire.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Author Ellen Goodman writes, “The truth is that we can overhaul our surroundings, renovate our environment, talk a new game, join a new club, far more easily than we can change the way we respond emotionally. It is easier to change behavior than feelings about that behavior.” I think she’s correct in her assessment. But I also suspect that you’re in a prime position to be an exception to the rule. In the coming weeks, you will have exceptional power to transform the way you feel – especially if those feelings have previously been based on a misunderstanding of reality and especially if those feelings have been detrimental to your mental and physical health.

classifieds

Deadline for Telegraph classified ads is Tuesday at noon.

Ads are a bargain at 10 cents a character with a $5 minimum. Even better, ads can now be placed online: durangotelegraph.com. Prepayment is required via cash, credit card or check.

(Sorry, no refunds or substitutions.)

Ads can be submitted via: n classifieds@durango telegraph.com n 970-259-0133 n 679 E. 2nd Ave., #E2 Approximate office hours: Mon: 9ish - 5ish Tues: 9ish - 5ish Wed: 9ish - 3ish Thurs: On delivery Fri: Gone fishing; call first

Announcements BBBS Seeks New Board Members If you have a love of children and are willing to invest your time and talents to help them find success, we invite you to consider being part of Big Brothers Big Sisters. For information, contact, Board President at: joanmarieheil@gmail.com 602-684-9813.

Do You Go Between Durango & Dolores or Mancos & Dolores?

The Telegraph is looking for someone to deliver a bundle of papers to the Dolores market once a week – preferably Thursday or Friday. Can pick up in Durango or Mancos. Email: telegraph@du rangotelegraph.com if interested. Small pittance possible.

The Perfect Gift for your favorite dirtbag. Literature from Durango’s own Benighted Publications. The Desert, The Climbing Zine, The Great American Dirtbags, American Climber, Climbing Out of Bed and Graduating From College Me are available at: Maria’s Bookshop, Pine Needle Mountaineering, the Sky Store, or on the interweb at www.climbingzine.com.

Wanted One-Person Rental Wanted For solo professional, 35-year resident with no pets $900-1100 w/ utilities Call or text 970-759-2678 or email felicial ibo@gmail.com Cash for Vehicles, Copper, Alum, Etc. at RJ Metal Recycle. Also free appliance and other metal drop off. 970-259-3494.

Free Flagstone Do you have unwanted flagstone you want gone? I’ll make it disappear. Call me at 970-903-0005 and leave a message.

Services RSE Handyman Service Home maintenance & repair, yard work, odd jobs 970-903-0449.

Epoxy Magic 970-799-1563 Epoxy finishes for concrete, tile, countertops and wood tables. Clear, solid color and dirty pours. Suggestions and help with any project: new construction, remodels or personal hobby ideas.

Lowest Prices on Storage!

Inside/outside storage near Durango and Bayfield. 10-x-20, $130. Outside spots: $65, with discounts available. RJ Mini Storage. 970-259-3494.

Harmony Organizing and Cleaning Services Home and office 970-403-6192.

AKC, ASDR Mini Aussies For Sale Purebred, AKC, ASDR Mini-Australian Shepherds for Sale www.ausssietales.org Call to be added to waitlist! Pups due end of July 2020.

13’ Boston Whaler Boat Boston Whaler, 130 Sport, 2007, bimini top, 40 HP, great condition, $9700, 970-749-2395.

Reruns Home Furnishings Garden items and trellises. Cute 1950’s record cabinet, end tables, lamps, Midcentury-style bar stools and so much more. 572 E. 6th Ave. Open Mon.-Sat. 385-7336.

RealEstate

For Sale By Owner In-town, beautiful, 6BR, 4BA, highly desirable neighborhood, serious inquiries only. $795k. 970-759-0551.

Radon Services Free radon testing and consultation.

Call Colorado Radon Abatement and Detection for details. 970- 946-1618.

HaikuMovieReview ‘Da 5 Bloods’ Things get explosive when Vietnam war buddies seek out lost treasure – Lainie Maxson

NewspaperOrigami

Marketing Small and Local Businesses Media, social media, website content, SEO, etc. for small, local, independent or startup businesses. Email jnderge@ gmail.com

ForRent Bright & Beautiful Office Space available inside natural health care office. Perfect for body worker or therapist.

Shared waiting area & bathroom. Free: pkg, wifi & ultil. $550/mo Call/text 970.749.2815 Housemate Wanted Male to share great in-town home with other guys. Clean, quiet, responsible. No smokers, pets, partiers, drugs. $550/mo. incl. utils., dep. 970-759-0551.

Sustainable Small Community 45 miles from Durango, next to national forest. Private cabins for rent or work exchange. Refs, dep. snowdome ranch@protonmail.com.

ForSale Trailer, Large Shed & Greenhouse $15,000 -1 bedroom, 1 bath. In mobile home park with monthly lot rent $515 + utilities vernicca17@gmail.com

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July 9, 2020 n 15

16 n July 9, 2020

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