The Durango Telegraph, March 17, 2022

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March 17, 2022 Vol. XXI, No. 11 durangotelegraph.com

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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

Critical condition

Uphill climb

Rez rockers

Despite efforts, Lake Powell drops below threshold p7

Purgatory set for expansion but still faces hurdles p8

Pioneering punk band paves way for future generations p10

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2 n March 17, 2022

telegraph

lineup

4

4 La Vida Local

Dancing around the subject of responsible adulting

4 Thumbin’ It

Adult avoidance

by Zach Hively

5 Word on the Street 6 Soapbox

7

7 State News

How low will it go?

8 Local News

Lake Powell just went below its critical threshold - now what?

by Michael Elizabeth Sakas / Colorado Public Radio

10 Rock N Roll Sweetheart 11-12 Stuff to Do

8

12 Ask Rachel

After years – literally – in purgatory, resort’s plans slowly grind forward

13 End of the Line

Ear to the ground: “We adopted a dog, so we’re pretty much local.”

– Recently overheard from Texas couple who moved to Durango in December. Yeah … no.

Fool me … twice?

thepole

RegularOccurrences

Former President George W. Bush once said: “There’s an old saying in Tennessee – I know it’s in Texas, probably in Tennessee – that says, ‘Fool me once… shame on… shame on you. Fool me – you can’t get fooled again.”

Well, a 28-year-old Brooklyn man who had to be rescued twice in two days while hiking on the same trail in Arizona proved you can, indeed, be fooled again … or whatever.

You read that right: Philip Vasto first lost his way on March 2 trying to summit the 12,633foot Humphreys Peak (the state’s highest point) outside Flagstaff, a 10-mile round-trip with more than 3,000 feet of elevation gain. After starting around 2:30 p.m. – in the middle of winter, mind you – Vasto had trouble finding the trail underneath the snow. Without a light source, Vasto ended up calling 911 around 7 p.m. when he surrendered to the fact he could not find his way back, according to the Arizona Daily Sun. Vasto

Let them ski

by Jonathan Romeo

14 Free Will Astrology 15 Classifieds

11

15 Haiku Movie Review

Rez rockers

On the cover: Pop up street art off Main Ave. reminds people to have a nice day./ Photo by Missy Votel

Shiprock punk pioneers paving way for next generation

by Alex Vick

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EDITORIALISTA: Missy Votel missy@durangotelegraph.com ADVERTISING SALES: telegraph@durangotelegraph.com STAFF REPORTER: Jonathan Romeo jonathan@durangotelegraph.com

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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

Rescue personnel told Vasto to hold off on another attempt until summer, but… Vasto set off less than 24 hours later, this time around 9 a.m.

However, he reportedly fell and injured his leg, allegedly 200 feet short of the summit.

“It was very apparent he wasn’t prepared for the climate,” a hiker who came across Vasto told the Daily Sun. “I don’t think he was physically capable of getting back down before sunset.”

The hiker stayed with Vasto, who was again forced around 5 p.m. to call his newfound friends at search and rescue, which sent a helicopter.

After the experience, Vasto, of course, took to Instagram: “I highly advise NOT attempting Humphreys Peak in the winter. It was arguably scarier and more dangerous than Kilamanjaro (sic) at this time of year. I’m not ashamed of turning back. After all, life isn’t worth losing for a cool Instagram picture.”

Mount Kilimanjaro, I can’t believe we have to compare, at 19,308 feet, is the highest mountain in Africa, and one of the most challenging climbs on the planet. Oh, and Vasto also forgot to include in his post that he had to be rescued twice and avoided paying the bill, telling the Daily Sun: “We make posts on social media about how we want others to see us.”

Moving on… Ron Corkish, president of La Plata County Search & Rescue, said in his four decades no similar situation comes to mind. The closest: a man having a heart attack at a hunting camp required rescue. When his friend, who was out hunting, saw the helicopter, he rushed back and was thrown off his horse (an “equestrian ejection,” Corkish joked), kicking off a second rescue.

As for Vasto (who plans to make a third attempt in the summer), Corkish offered this, “Isn’t the definition of insanity doing the same thing over and over again, expecting different results?” Yup.

March 17, 2022 n

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opinion

LaVidaLocal Big boy problems I hate to admit this, but I must, in hopes of getting a reduction on my car insurance rates: I am finally an adult.

Perhaps this happens to many of us who survive adolescence. Because of the stigmas surrounding adulthood, we cannot get accurate reporting of the numbers. Also, we cannot even agree on the medical causes that contribute to adulthood. Clearly it is not age-related. Personally? I thought for years that adulthood happened when you woke up one winter’s morn and discovered you hate snow.

Pops used to tell me that someday I’d stop loving snow days. He usually said this after shoveling a 300-foot stretch of hill at 5 a.m. and coming back inside to discover me still in bed. His 401(k) did not get snow days, although we’ve since learned it fluctuates according to Ukraine’s sovereignty status. We know even less about retirement accounts than we do about adulthood. Accordingly, I became a staunch environmentalist purely so I could continue loving snow while also being unemployed enough to stay home.

But we all have our snow. I imagine grocery shopping turns some people into adults. Voting an entire ballot by party. Making small talk about Fridays and Mondays, and failing to even snigger at comments like “Happy hump day!” – these are definite culprits.

Granted, there is some liminal space where one ceases to be a child yet still fends off adulthood. I don’t like to call a person in this space a manchild, because it sounds so demeaning and also because man-children don’t qualify for their very own extended warranties. Yet it is a space where a person can earn an advanced degree while also continuing to watch animated “Star Wars” shows.

That place is my home.

Was. *Was* my home. I still stream “Rebels” while folding last month’s laundry, because I need the dryer for this month’s laundry. It’s different now, though.

Something inside me has given way – like an avalanche in my chest made of a snow-substitute that watershedded me from blissful non-adulthood to … whatever all this crap is.

Now, before I get nasty letters for digging on adulthood, adults are human beings too. I can handle being an adult. It’s not as great as skipping straight to old-manhood, when you get extra pockets for candy and people shovel snow for you. But it

has its perks. Namely this: when one’s student loan payments are about to resume, when we’re on the very real brink of another world war, when a global pandemic continues to be exacerbated by people who misinterpret the idea of living in a society, when “The Book of Boba Fett” concludes without ever developing a semblance of plot – I can still dance.

This is all I care to do anymore. And it is not an aversion tactic. Adult or no, I am old enough that school did not teach me to avoid being uncomfortable. School, in fact, made me VERY uncomfortable, particularly during square dancing weeks in PE class. The rest of the school year, our routines and decisions orbited the Golden Rule, which was “Do not do anything resembling anything that might look like you like a girl, lest everyone else make fun of you for it forever.”

Then, during those two annual weeks of square dancing, we had to link arms – with actual girls. We had to do-si-do.

We had to bump butts, in a technique that I am now quite certain Arthur Murray would never endorse. And we were not allowed to shirk these movements or wear heavy winter coats as buffers. We did this all while making it very clear we believed ourselves held against every precept of the Geneva Convention and its predecessors.

I learned very quickly to pray for snow days during square dancing weeks. Then I learned never to dance in public again.

And I didn’t. Until I did. Because at some point, I stopped caring if it was cool. It was fun. And now, because I dance the Argentine tango, other kinds of dancers won’t speak with me, because we tangueros are perceived as uppity snobs who look down on all those other lesser dances.

This, for the record, is not true. We embrace all those other lesser dances, in hopes that we can poach some of their better dancers.

And while I am tangoing with some newcomer, showing him or her or them just how superior our dance is, all my adultish worries disappear. I still have not figured out which calamity peed on my snow and ended my time in pre-adulthood. Honestly, I think it might be the deep-fake version of Luke Skywalker parading as the real Luke Skywalker, himself having to become an adult in charge of tiny Jedi children for the first time. Regardless, I believe the most grown-up choice I can make for myself is to dedicate myself to an art form that will continue to build me up, in my best light, as entirely unemployable.

Thumbin’It

Sign of the Downfall:

The community of Bayfield stepping up to save the beloved Baked bakery, after its owner experienced a health emergency.

To help keep “Fatness 24/7” (our favorite sign outside the shop), the GoFundMe is: https://bit.ly/37B95vL

Controversial take: Why is green beer a thing? Seriously, they don’t dump food dye in their beers in Ireland, so why do we? Instead, the health experts here at the Telegraph recommend safely drinking all the normal-colored beer you want.

After solid winter storms, Wolf Creek Ski Area announced it is extending sevenday-a-week operations until April 17. The magnet for snow reported a total of 357 inches of snow for the year.

The Bureau of Land Management failing to meet its own “land-health” standards on 54 million acres – nearly a quarter of the land it manages – mainly because of grazing impacts.

Major League Baseball owners and players coming to an agreement after a months-long standoff to save this year’s season. We’re actually not really baseball fans, but need the excuse to eat hot dogs with no judgment.

The Amazon rainforest reaching a point of no return – in 2020, 15 square miles were lost every day, about 24 trees a second, mostly to make way for cattle and crops. So… can we cut back on hamburgers… maybe just a little?

4 n March 17, 2022

– Zach Hively

telegraph

Stench Fries The Idaho Potato Commission released a French-fry scented perfume this past February that sold out within a week. The perfume was called Frites by Idaho, and each crystal, goldembossed bottle contained 1.7 fluid ounces of perfume that smelled like salty, deep-fried potatoes (which is exactly how you attract an American male). To justify the PR stunt, the commission cited a study proving that 90% of Americans find the smell of fries irresistible, but then again, 80% of us are overweight, so maybe we shouldn’t try so hard to smell like potatoes.

WordontheStreet

Q

Daylight Saving Time may become permanent, so The Telegraph asked: “Whaddya think, should we spring forward?”

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Sam

“Why not?

Going back and forth throws me off.”

Matt

“Yes – I prefer it being lighter later, so I can do stuff after work.”

Eli

“I’m for it. I never understood the changes anyway.”

Phil

“No – I don’t have an office job, so I appreciate an early start.

And I like to be all tucked in bed by 9 o’clock.”

David

“I’m a fan of Daylight Saving Time, and I support it unless it screws anyone.” telegraph

March 17, 2022

n

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D-Tooned/by Rob Pudim

SoapBox The head of the pin

Nix the nukes

How many angels can dance on the head of a pin? None. There is no room on that pin with the extreme right whirling like dervishes trying to find a stance. When Trump declared Putin “a smart guy,” Rightwing extremists jumped on that angle to support Putin. With the world outrage at Putin’s naked aggression, that position quickly became untenable. Overnight, the party line pivoted to Biden – “Biden should have, Biden could have. Why didn’t Biden do more?” Putin’s invasion of Ukraine became, somehow, Biden’s fault.

For Biden’s State of the Union Address on March 1, many members of Congress – on both sides of the aisle – wore yellow and blue to support Ukraine. In the address Biden made a strong case for unity in the face of unprecedented challenges.

Instead of unity in this national moment, Colorado’s Lauren Boebert and Georgia’s Marjorie Taylor Greene, fringe right junior representatives, shouted taunts at Biden. The world has called Putin out on his aggression. We are confronting the most chilling attack on democracy since World War II. And still, the far right is trying to make political hay. Instead of finding common ground, this is their response. The radical right will pivot yet again finding new angles to subvert the world’s problems for their agenda. The head of the pin has become a very busy place.

– john van becay, Aurora

If there were referees overlooking the two sides fighting in Ukraine, they would rule Putin has the advantage by waving nuclear war in our face.

In the previous Trump administration, Gen. Jim Mattis, part of the presidential circle, said he went to church several times a day praying Trump wouldn’t stir the pot with leaders abroad who have the capability of blowing our country off the map with nuclear weapons. Mattis was reassured by his military colleagues that Trump couldn’t convince sound minds to do something really stupid.

Hopefully, our country will not talk to Putin anymore, and his military will lock up their unstable leader. Putin is a coward.

Everyone, everywhere needs to do whatever is necessary to stop this war.

The International Court of Justice in The Hague will eventually wake up people in denial about war crimes in Syria, Chechnya, Georgia and Ukraine, as well as the Russian “Big Lie” Putin is responsible for.

– Sally Florence, Durango

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Bitcoin doesn’t care: if you’re Russian or Ukrainian; if you’re Democrat or Republican; what your gender is; where your family comes from; if you believe in climate change; if you wear a mask or not; if your favorite color is blue or yellow.

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Bitcoin allows you to have control over your hard-earned money, rather than your money being controlled by another person, government, friend or enemy.

If you have the gut feeling that the current financial system is rigged or unfair, then we encourage you to learn more about Bitcoin and the freedoms it offers you.

– Durango Bitcoin Study Group

StateNews

A boat cruises along Lake Powell near Page, Ariz., on July 31, 2021. The lake has dipped to a new low of 3,525 feet./ AP Photo

Critical condition Lake Powell drops below threshold for the first time despite attempts to avoid it

by Michael Elizabeth Sakas Colorado Public Radio

L

ake Powell dropped below the critical threshold of 3,525 feet for the first time, shrinking the protective buffer of water the reservoir needs to produce hydroelectric power for millions of people in the West.

The reservoir is the second-largest in the United States and a key piece of the Colorado River storage and supply system. Powell is fed mostly by snowmelt from Colorado’s Rocky Mountains. A 20-year megadrought and a hotter climate, fueled primarily by greenhouse gas emissions, has contributed to Powell dropping to all-time lows.

As Powell continues to dry up, there’s growing concern there won’t be enough water in the reservoir to spin the turbines that create electricity at Glen Canyon Dam. Colorado and the other states that share the Colorado River agreed to work together to keep Powell above this critical threshold with the Congressionally approved 2019 Drought Contingency Plan. That agreement creates a 35-foot buffer of water before the reservoir hits “dead pool,” when reservoir levels are so low, the hydroelectric generators can no longer produce energy.

Water levels in Powell quickly started to drop after years of back-to-back drought. In response, the federal government in 2021

took emergency action and sent water from reservoirs in Colorado and other states to prop up supplies in Powell. Blue Mesa Reservoir outside of Gunnison lost 8 feet of water as a result. Water was also drawn from Lake Navajo, on the Colorado-New Mexico border beginning last November. As of March 13, that lake was at 6,018 feet, a drop of 16 feet versus a year ago.

Ultimately, those releases did not prevent levels at Powell from dropping below the critical threshold. But Bureau of Reclamation hydraulic engineer Heather Patno said additional releases did add about 6 feet of water to Powell, and any buffer helps.

She added that the drop should be temporary as the snow in the mountains starts to melt and recharge the river and reservoirs. She said 2021 was the second-driest year on record for the Colorado River Basin, and a very dry first few weeks of 2022 eroded the snowpack further.

Each month, the bureau releases updated projections forecasting water levels at Lake Powell over the next two years. Patno said Powell dropping below 3,525 was first seen as a possibility only in a worst-case scenario.

Then, with warmer temperatures and less snow, the projections shifted to show the reservoir could fall below that level in early 2022. Today, that projection came true.

“We have been trying to avoid it, but at the same time we’ve been living in a drought

for the last two decades,” Patno said.

Powell hit its lowest level on record in the summer of 2021 and has continued to drop. Patno said back-to-back dry years have hit the Colorado River before, but reservoirs like Lake Powell were full of water. Now 20 years into a drought, those reservoirs haven’t gotten the chance to catch up, and Patno said that means the system is now hitting critically low levels.

Powell is less than 25% full.

Adding to this, new research suggests there might be even less Colorado River water in the future than what’s forecasted.

A recent report from the Center for Colorado River Studies found that Bureau of Rec projections can be too optimistic, partly because they’re based on the average water inflow into Powell from 1991-2020, a period that includes an abnormal decade in the ’90s that was much wetter than the last 20 years.

Patno said those findings are important, and it and other studies should be considered when federal and state governments decide how to adapt their water operations to drought. She said Powell projections did improve when the bureau recently switched to using the last 30-year average, but that Powell forecasts rely on models that have a level of risk and uncertainty.

Powell’s worst-case projections show its level could drop below 3,525 feet again as early as August of this year. Patno said

telegraph

emergency water releases from other reservoirs might be needed again to prop Powell up. Inflow forecasts into Powell are expected at 69% of average. The ongoing drought also means dry soil will soak up a lot of water before it reaches rivers and lakes, Patno said.

Colorado Water Conservation Board director Becky Mitchell said the potential of another emergency reservoir release illustrates why Colorado and the other states upstream are working out a way to keep Lake Powell’s levels above 3,525 feet.

“When we know that these dips or declines are coming, we’ll have the measures in place to take action in a unified way,” Mitchell said. A draft of that plan is expected in the spring.

States are also looking into the possibility of paying farmers, ranchers and other Colorado River users for their water to help shore up levels in Lake Powell. Mitchell said Colorado is still studying this possibility and noted that all four states upstream of the Colorado River agreed in 2019 to take a unified position on whether or not to move forward with the idea. Mitchell said the Upper Colorado River Commission is currently coordinating with upper-basin states on a potential water demand management plan. It could announce next steps in the fall.

For more from Colorado Public Radio, go to www.cpr.org March 17, 2022 n 7

TopStory

Purgatory Resort hopes to increase the amount of beginner-intermediate terrain with expansion, but faces a number of issues going forward./ Courtesy photo

Uphill climb Purgatory Resort set for expansion but still faces hurdles

by Jonathan Romeo

P

urgatory Resort is set to get the green light for expansion, but don’t expect to be making fresh tracks on new runs anytime soon.

Purgatory, about 25 miles north of Durango, operates on public land through a special-use permit from the U.S. Forest Service. The resort has hoped for years to expand its skiable terrain, specifically for beginner to intermediate runs, which resort officials say are in short supply.

This most recent push for more trails started in early 2020, and, after more than two years, the Forest Service is expected to finalize the plans on Friday. However, it’s going to be an uphill climb for Purgatory before any construction can begin.

As part of the expansion process, a number of issues arose over unfinished restora-

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8 n March 17, 2022

tion projects Purgatory is on the hook for, as well as lack of parking, snowmobile access and possible impacts to stream health and aquatic life, namely populations of threatened native cutthroat trout.

Even so, Purgatory Resort remains hopeful that expansion construction will kick off in summer 2023. When all is said and done, the development, known as the “Ice Creek Pod Project,” will bring a 3,400-foot highspeed quad lift and four new runs. It’s estimated the new runs will cause about 2.5 acres of ground disturbance and 26 acres of tree removal.

“When you enter this kind of process, it’s really hard to predict how long it will take,” Dave Rathbun, general manager of Purgatory, said.

Through the hoops Purgatory Resort first pushed for expansion of its easy to intermediate runs back in

2008 as part of a larger, big picture plan for growth. The current plan for expansion is almost identical to the one in 2008 and would add about 45 acres of skiable terrain just east of the Hermosa Park Express lift.

And the need is apparent, resort officials say: only 18% of Purgatory’s 2,300 acres of skiable terrain is suited for low-intermediate skiers, below the national ski area average of about 25%. This deficiency, combined with a surplus of novice terrain, has resulted in more skiers using beginner runs at faster speeds, causing safety concerns.

As it stands, the resort’s main place for beginners is the Columbine area, but with temperatures continuing to rise each winter, resort officials say it’s affecting snow conditions. Ice Creek, however, is at a higher elevation and would offer more beginner options, especially toward the end of the season.

Ultimately, the Forest Service approved the big picture development plan in 2008, and therefore the Ice Creek expansion. But, at the time, issues over the impacts to lynx habitat and other environmental concerns caused resort officials to put that specific project on hold. Over the ensuing years, Purgatory tried to look for other locations within its permit area to expand, but it became clear Ice Creek was the only viable option, resort officials have said.

Circle back again In 2020, to the surprise of some, the Forest Service announced it was going to approve and accelerate the Ice Creek expansion process. But, after pushback during the public comment process, the Forest Service reverted back to its standard environmental analysis process. “We said, ‘You can’t fast track this one, given all the history and concerns involved with the proj-

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ect,’” Jimbo Buickerood, lands and forest protection program manager with San Juan Citizens Alliance, said.

In fall 2021, the Forest Service released a proposed “environmental assessment,” which in essence recommended the approval of the expansion, with some tweaks to address concerns. Even still, this set off a public comment period where two main issues were continually brought up: the impact to stream health and cutthroat trout, as well as parking access for snowmobilers.

Noel Ludwig, the Forest Service’s hydrologist who is involved in the project, said nearly every part of the proposed action was changed or tweaked in some way based on public feedback, including lift line location, run alignments, snowmobile access and grading, among other components.

A skiing trail, for instance, was moved to avoid impacting the Rico-Rockwood Wagon Road, a site eligible for the National Register of Historic Places.

However, one of the major outstanding issues is that Purgatory has failed to start or complete a number of restoration projects on its terrain that date back to the 2008 project, like closing and revegetating certain roads and installing drains and culverts – all efforts aimed at restoring the landscape as best as possible for the benefit of the watershed. Some of these projects will be required before Purgatory can start expanding, Ludwig said, and others will be folded into a separate requirement process that must be completed within three years.

“A lot of those projects from 2008 are still hanging out there, and we’re trying to hold (Purgatory’s) feet to the fire to get them done,” Ludwig said. “A lot of those projects are not even within the drainage (of Ice Creek), but because Purg has been lax in getting the work done, we wanted to use the expansion to get those outstanding projects done.”

Purgatory, for its part, said a change in ownership in 2015 (to James Coleman and Mountain Capital Partners) and unclear requirements on timing have held up the projects. “We want to do the right thing, and we know we are accountable for mitigation measures,” Rathbun said. “It was a bit of a mess, but we have clear expectations now.”

Cutthroats in the crosshairs As it turns out, upon further study, impact to lynx habitat was not as great as initially feared (less than .1% of habitat could be impacted). Instead, the main environmental concern is that all the development and infrastructure required for the expansion will cause increased sediment to run into Ice Creek and the East Fork of Hermosa Creek. Both these stretches are tributaries and part of the Hermosa Creek watershed, where 23 miles of stream were restored to native cutthroat habitat – the longest continuous stretch in the state. Now, many worry this costly, decades’-long effort could be affected.

“The Ice Creek (expansion) will create a new burden on the headwater streams,” Colorado Parks and Wildlife wrote in a letter to the Forest Service. “Expanding skiable terrain and developing water resources for snowmaking … could have significant impacts to the Hermosa Creek watershed.”

The Forest Service, for its part, says the potential risks have been well studied, and measures have been included in the plan that call for Purgatory to prevent any impact to water quality, and therefore the cutthroats. “There will be stream health and fish monitoring to make sure there’s no long-term impacts,” Ludwig said.

But environmental groups remain uneasy, given Purgatory’s past inability to complete restoration projects, that this requirement could be ignored or not followed through. “My concern is Purgatory hasn’t been holding up its stewardship commitments,” Buickerood said. “And I have no confidence anyone will hold them to that. It’s just a big mess, and these projects need to be taken care of before a massive expansion.”

Snowmobile snarl-up Issues surrounding snowmobiling are a whole other mess, said Bryan Meador, president of San Juan Sledders Snowmobile Club.

The area behind Purgatory is prime and popular snowmobiling terrain, yet, as it stands, there isn’t adequate space for loading and unloading their snowmobiles, and

even less space to park their vehicles.

Purgatory has been on the hook since 1998, which was again reaffirmed in that 2008 project, to build a parking lot specifically for snowmobilers. But a completion date was never set, and for years, it has languished (one of the main issues, resort officials say, is the original location for the parking lot could cost $1 million for just 30 vehicles).

“We’re not even allowed to park in the Purg parking lot; we have to unload our snowmobiles, park on the service road and walk back up,” Meador said. “Purgatory needs to address their parking, even for their skiers.”

Indeed, Rathbun said Purgatory is well aware of parking issues. He said it’s possible the resort will add 200 more parking spaces before the 2022/23 winter season. And, he believes there are other locations on site that could accommodate a parking lot specifically for snowmobilers.

Back to the drawing board This summer, the Forest Service and Purgatory plan two on-site tours; one with environmental groups and another with snowmobilers, to work out issues and get a better understanding of what needs to be done to resolve problems on the terrain.

Although the Forest Service is set to publish the legal notice of the decision to approve the project on Friday, expansion work is not imminent – Purgatory still has to submit construction plans and complete restoration projects before any on-the-ground work can happen. Ludwig believes all restoration projects required on the front end are doable this summer.

Given contractors are in high demand, though, Rathbun believes it’s likely the resort won’t be able to start the Ice Creek project until summer 2023. The resort does, however, plan some previously approved projects this summer.

“In the next month or so, we’re going to start sharing our overall vision that we’ve had in the hopper for some time,” Rathbun said. “We’re at the point now where we have enough dry powder, if you will, to afford some of those bigger projects.”

Looking for attention (but in a good way?)

The Telegraph can help you get your message out there – all via perfectly legal means.

For more information, email: telegraph@durangotelegraph.com or call 970-259-0133

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March 17, 2022 n

9

RockNRollSweetheart

Native ninjas Shiprock punk band talks community, inspiration

by Alex Vick

R

ecently, a student from Big Picture High School, Casper Baxendale, reached out to me for help on a senior thesis on how music helps create, shift and shape community. Casper also asked how we could incorporate other perceptions and voices into this conversation. It just so happened, The Hive hosted a show the previous weekend featuring primarily Native bands, including Lo Cash Ninjas, from Shiprock. We all sat down at The Hive’s office to view the topic through a Native and specifically, a punk rock Native, lens. Even from behind closed doors, the booming of a double bass drum, squealing guitars and a bass tuning shook the room and made for a perfect backdrop for an all-black-leatherand-stud conversation.

Lo Cash Ninjas have been playing music for 12 years, touring across the country and focusing on building community and unity through punk music on and off the Navajo Reservation. On March 12 at The Hive, they played with five members – one who was a former student of the band’s front man, Jordan Steele, who is also a middle school English teacher. The former student, who attended the show, was pulled on stage and handed a guitar. He ended up playing the whole set with as much skill and poise as the other members of the group.

Steele spoke of his experience in the punk scene and the importance of passing down culture and creating a welcoming space for youth. Steele said when the band formed, the music community in Shiprock consisted mostly of metal bands. “We were kinda like the oddballs, since we were playing punk rock, but we endured,” he said. “From there, we branched off further into the reservation where we met tons of Lo Cash Ninjas

people through punk rock music.”

Once established, the band always made a point of cultivating the scene by bringing in more bands and encouraging newcomers. “If I see kids when it’s their first show, I go up and introduce myself so they don’t feel like oddballs. I’ve met some of my best friends that way,” he said.

“Now we’re all old, and I still want to pass on that welcoming feel.”

Steele also organized events on the

10 n March 17, 2022

reservation to address community issues and found that music always helped nurture unity. “With a lot of the issues happening within our reservation and outside – whether it be social or resource extraction – there is definitely a lot of music and community behind it,” he said. “I don’t organize as much anymore, but I still put on shows and bring people together.”

Lo Cash Ninjas have performed at the Navajo Nation Fair for a handful of years and love how it brings members of tribes from all over the country to share their talents, arts and music. Jacob Belin, drummer, said over the three days of music, the band meets artists from both on and off the Rez, which further fosters the sense of community. “Sure enough, when we go out on the road and visit these other territories, now we have homies there,” he said. “This brings a community from afar to ours and ours to theirs, and there’s unity in that,” Belin said. “We meet new people through playing music, and I am glad to be a part of it. It’s like meeting with old friends after a while, and you can feel that sense of home, even away from home.”

The band found true passion in punk, and its members recognize how playing music has greatly benefited their own lives as well. “Where we’re from, there’s not a lot to do, not a lot of jobs; it’s really easy to get into bad habits,” Codi Jackson, guitarist, said. “For me, I was lucky to be raised in a background where my dad and brother played guitar. So it was really easy for me to fall into the music.”

Drummer Belin chimes in, “Sometimes people don’t know how to express themselves, and music for me was that gateway to be able to put out my rage and pent-up anger. In a way, I’d say it helped save my

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life. If it weren’t for music, who knows where I would be right now?”

For Jackson, inspiring others has become a personal endeavor. “I really want to inspire Native kids to sound like themselves,” he said. “I hear a lot of Indigenous artists sing about Native issues through different types of music, but no music that sounds Native. So I’m hoping there will be a group of Native kids that can pick up drums, a bass and a guitar, and when they play, sound Native. That’s how we can take the music back.”

Indeed, the very music most of us listen to has been stolen and white-washed, and the band wants to help people recognize this and use it as further inspiration to young Native musicians. “We always give homage to Black people, because they created the music; we play punk rock, reggae and ska – all that comes from Black people,” Steele said. “White people think that they have ruled the industry, and that creates a lot of white supremacy embedded in the music. We tell kids, people of color can still do it, if we can do it, the kid at home can grab the guitar and do something.”

At the end of our conversation, Belin added some last words of encouragement. “Take the chance to express yourself; some people don’t take that opportunity,” he said. “It’s never too late.

See where it takes you. You could be sitting on a masterpiece. There’s truth, emotion and humanity to express, and music can be that gateway.”

If you have Rock N Roll stories you would like to share, upcoming gigs or are looking to join or build a band, contact your Rock N Roll Sweetheart Alex Vick at anvick38@gmail.com

StufftoDo

Thursday17

Gary Walker plays, 10 a.m.-12 noon, Jean-Pierre Bakery & Restaurant, 601 Main Ave. Durango Bach Festival, 12 noon, St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, 910 E. 3rd Ave.

Patrick Crossing Celtic Band, 5-7 p.m., Ska Brewing, 225 Girard St. Raucous & Radical Purim Party, 5 p.m., Mancos Brewing Co. Live music, 5:30 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave. Live music, 5:30-8:30 p.m., Office Spiritorium, 699 Main Ave. Fly Tying Night, 6 p.m., Outdoorsy, 934 Main Ave. Celtic Music for St. Patrick’s Day, 6 p.m., Weminuche Woodfire Grill, Vallecito.

Third Thursday Speaker Series featuring Craig Childs, 6:30 p.m., Fenceline Cider, Mancos.

Powerhouse Trivia Night, 6:30 p.m., Powerhouse Science Center, 1333 Camino del Rio.

Deadline for “Stuff to Do” submissions is Monday at noon. To submit an item, email: calendar@durangotelegraph.com

St. Paddy’s Day Comedy Show and Limerick Contest, 7 p.m., Olde Tymers Café, 1000 Main Ave. Geeks who Drink Trivia, 8 p.m., The Roost, 128 E. College Dr.

Singer/Songwriter Night, featuring Everlasting Everything and Brettlynn & the Rare View Highways, 7:30 p.m., The Hive, 1150 Main Ave.

Saturday19

Hollywood Huckfest (slopestyle-freeride), 9 a.m., Purgatory Resort.

Live music, 5:30-8:30 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave. Live music, 5:30-8:30 p.m., Office Spiritorium, 699 Main Ave. Community Yoga, 6-7 p.m., Yoga Durango, 1485 Florida Rd., C-201. Donations accepted.

Vintage Brew plays, 6-9 p.m., 11th Street Station.

Benefit for Uncompahgre River, 6:30-9 p.m., featuring films about outdoor adventure & conservation.

Ouray County 4H Event Center in Ridgway.

Durango Bach Festival, finale concert, 7 p.m., St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, 910 E. 3rd Ave.

“Punk Show” with Undisassembled and other local acts, 7:30 p.m., The Hive, 1150 Main Ave. Comedy Show, 7:45 p.m., 11th Street Station.

Sunday20

Veterans Benefit Breakfast, 9-11 a.m., VFW Post 4031, 1550 Main Ave. Live music, 2 p.m., Bear Bar at Purgatory Resort.

Friday18

Durango Bach Festival, 12 noon, St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, 910 E. 3rd Ave.

Live music, 4:30-6:30 p.m., James Ranch, 33846 U.S. Highway 550.

Jack Ellis & Larry Carver play, 5:30 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave. Live music, 5:30 p.m., The Office Spiritorium, 699 Main Ave. Game Night, 5:30-8 p.m., Singletrack Coffee & Tea, 100 Jenkins Ranch Rd. Adult 18+, alcohol-free event, featuring games, drinks and refreshments Cousin Curtiss plays, 5:30 p.m., Mancos Brewing Company.

Ru Paul’s Drag Race Watch Party, every Friday, 68 p.m., Father’s Daughters Pizza, 640 Main Ave. Little Wilderness plays, 6-9 p.m., 11th Street Station.

Chuck Hank plays, 5 p.m., Fenceline Cider, Mancos.

Stillhouse Junkies with Guests Pixie & the Partygrass play, 7 p.m., Animas City Theatre, 129 E. College Dr.

Bluegrass Jam, 4 p.m., Mountain Monk Coffee, 558 Main Ave. Live music, 5:30-8:30 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave. Live music, 5:30-8:30 p.m., Office Spiritorium, 699 Main Ave.

Live music, 5:30-8:30 p.m., Office Spiritorium, 699 Main Ave. Rotary Club of Durango meeting, 6 p.m., Strater Hotel, 699 Main Ave., speaker is Don Gonneville, U.S. Embassy security.

Durango Elks Lodge Pub Trivia, 6:30 p.m., Durango Elks Lodge, 901 E. 2nd Ave. Non-members welcome.

Open Mic Night, weekly 7:30-9:30 p.m., Moe’s Starlight Lounge, 937 Main Ave.

Wednesday23

Open Bluegrass Jam, every Wednesday, 5-8 p.m., 11th St. Station.

Live music, 5:30-8:30 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave. Live music, 5:30-8:30 p.m., Office Spiritorium, 699 Main Ave.

Ongoing

Storytelling & Songwriting night, every second and fourth Thursday, 6-8 p.m., Mountain Monk Coffee, 558 Main Ave. More info at iAMmusic.us The Hive Indoor Skate Park is open, offering open skate and skate lessons. Waivers required. For schedule and online waiver, go to www.thehivedgo.org Shock Wave Drag Night, first and third Friday of every month, 9 p.m., Father’s Daughters Pizza, 640 Main Ave. 18+ 61st Annual Student Juried Exhibition, with guest juror Derrick Velasquez, The Art Gallery at Fort Lewis College. Exhibit runs until April 12.

Celebrating Women on the Frontlines, Durango Public Library, 1900 E. 3rd Ave. Exhibit on the women who served on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic. Runs all of March.

Monday21

Live music, 5:30-8:30 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave. Live music, 5:30-8:30 p.m., Office Spiritorium, 699 Main Ave.

Upcoming

Living with Wolves discussion, March 25, 6-8 p.m., Powerhouse Science Center, 1333 Camino del Rio. Featuring speaker Michael Robinson, Center for Biological Diversity.

Tuesday22

“Voces del Mundo,” presentation, native speaker will tell their story in Spanish, March 25, 7 p.m., Powerhouse Science Center, 1113 Camino del Rio. Hosted by Word Travellers Language School. www.espanolahora.net

Acoustic Music Jam, 5-7 p.m., all instruments and styles welcome, vaccinated players only, 11th Street Station.

Après Ski Science & Social, March 26, 2 p.m., Andrews Lake parking area, just south of Molas Pass.

Snowshoeing 2-4 p.m., followed by bonfire and refreshments. Registration at sjma.org/events

Great Decisions presentation, topic is “Biden’s Agenda,” 11:45 a.m. Free and open to the public. More info at lwvlaplata.org

Live music, 5:30-8:30 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave.

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The Buzz with Noodle plays, March 26, 7 p.m., Animas City Theatre, 129 E. College Dr.

March 17, 2022 n 11

AskRachel

Tie me up, leveling the field & haunted plants Interesting fact: A 7-year-old Louie XIV liked the knotted neck kerchiefs that Croatian mercenaries wore, and it’s thanks to that little brat that young men learn double Windsors on YouTube today.

Dear Rachel, Why are ties such a standard fashion accessory for men? Why are they deemed essential for anything formal? And why do they serve absolutely no practical purpose whatsoever, except to set the “dads in Garfield ties” apart from everyone else? Sure, a tie can look good, but I think it’s mostly because we expect to see them on dudes anywhere from the red carpet to the detective on TV. Can you ‘splain me?

– All Tied Up Dear Tie Fighter, I always guessed that ties existed to cover up the buttons on a shirt. Which is ridiculous, because really swanky three-piece chaps cover up half the tie with a waistcoat that has even more buttons. Also, someone could just invent a shirt with the buttons on the side or up the back, so they never show under the jacket. Even better, make men deal with the same fragile-ass zippers we deal with up the backs of our dresses that require maids-in-waiting to handle.

– Bursting at the seams, Rachel Dear Rachel, I just learned that FIFA has no set regulations Durango Green Drinks, March 31, 5-7 p.m., 11th St. Station.

Mike Dillion Band featuring Brian Haas & Nikki Glaspie play, March 31, 7 p.m., Animas City Theatre, 129 E. College Dr.

Gangstagrass with People We Know play, April 1, 7

# 12 n March 17, 2022

High Step Society with Nu Bass Theory plays, April 6, 7 p.m., Animas City Theatre, 129 E. College Dr.

Salamander Collective Spring Fling, April 9, 7 p.m., Animas City Theatre, 129 E. College Dr.

Nathan Kalish plays, April 1, 7 p.m., Smiley Café, 1309 E. 3rd Ave. Part of FLC’s Pop Up Performances series.

Deadline to submit stuff for

Brother Ali with Mally & DJ Last Word play, April 3, 7 p.m., Animas City Theatre, 129 E. College Dr.

Elder Grown with Ben Brock plays, April 8, 7 p.m., Animas City Theatre, 129 E. College Dr.

Southwest Water Seminar: Navigating Shortage, April 1, 8 a.m.-4 p.m., Doubletree Hotel, 501 Camino del Rio.

!

Pond Skim, April 3, 1-2:30 p.m., Purgatory Resort.

Local First Member Celebration, April 8, 6-8 p.m., Powerhouse Science Center, 1333 Camino del Rio.

State of the Animas River presentation, March 31, 6:30-8:30 p.m., featuring talks from Colorado Parks & Wildlife and Mountain Studies Institute. Outdoorsy, 935 Main Ave.

#

Dear Rachel, Someone just gave me houseplants she acquired from a dead man’s house (she acquired them legitimately, as far as I know). I’m a sucker who will take in any orphan plant, but I can’t help wondering if there are dead-guy ghosties attached to these plants. Not bad juju, but just actual pieces of the dead man’s spirit, since he loved and cared for these plants so much and he probably wants to make sure I don’t murder them

G-Life, Poet, Tones, Diabolical Sound Platoon, Flowmatik, UBO of Ill Methods play, April 2, 8 p.m., Enterprise Bar in Rico.

Sweeny Todd: The Demon of Barber Fleet Street, March 31 & April 1-3, Community Concert Hall at Fort Lewis College.

"%

Dear Hoodlum, I’d like to argue the converse. I think fields should be different sizes in every sport. Basketball on a converted football field, 100 yards long. Football on a baseball diamond, but preserving the dimensions of the outfield.

Ping pong on a real tennis court. Tennis in a swimming pool. Water polo on an air hockey table. And soccer in some Thunderdome-style setting, where flopping is punishable by crocodiles.

– Game on, Rachel

p.m., Animas City Theatre, 129 E. College Dr.

Mexican Logger Release Party, featuring live music by the Lawn Chair Kings, March 31, 5 p.m., Ska Brewing HQ, 225 Girard St.

"

for the size of a soccer field (I’m sorry, football pitch, whatever). This is bananas to me. I’s handy for all the local kids’ leagues around the world who might not have all the space they want to play with. But when we’re talking pros, can we really not agree? Do we really have meaningful international games (sorry, matches, whatever) happening in Mickey Mouse bandboxes?

– Red Card

Beatles Uke Jam, April 11, 6:30 p.m., Smiley Building, 1309 E. 3rd Ave. Arise Roots with Guest Kyle Smith plays, April 14, 7 p.m., Animas City Theatre, 129 E. College Dr.

% $ !" !" " # telegraph

Email Rachel at telegraph@durangotelegraph.com slowly. How can I get rid of him if he’s here, or barring that, at least assuage him?

– Survivor’s Guilt Dear Casper the Frondly Ghost, There’s a reason no one tells ghost stories around the campfire in the daytime, and that’s because who builds a campfire in the daytime. Also, sunshine. Stick those suckers in the sunniest, southiest window you got, and no ghost can chill there for long. Also: holy water, baby.

Mix it with a drop of dish soap. It helped me get rid of mites once, so I bet it helps with ghosts. Otherwise, put on your best tie, take the plants to the cemetery, and leave them on his grave.

– Spooky scary, Rachel I and You (a play), April 15-17, 21 & 23, Community Concert Hall at Fort Lewis College.

Performing Arts Extravaganza, April 22, 6 p.m., Community Concert Hall at Fort Lewis College. Celebrating launch of new Performing Arts Department.

The Powerhouse Amplified: A Guitar Gala, April 30, opening reception 6-8 p.m., featuring music by Tyler Simmons. Exhibit on guitar’s unique history and development.

Lyle Lovett and his Large Band, July 4, 7 p.m., Ward Lee Field, La Plata County Fairgrounds, 2500 Main Ave. Tickets go on sale 10 a.m. March 18.

Deadline for “On the Town” submissions is Monday at noon.

To submit an item email: calendar@durango telegraph.com

EndoftheLine

Luck of the. .. Italian?

Why I dine on Italian food every St. Patrick’s Day

by John Egan

M

y dad passed away quite suddenly in the fall of 1964, leaving my mom and four children utterly bewildered and uncertain about the future.

When my mother told me Dad was dead, in the swirling non-reality of it all, I knew nothing would ever be the same again.

“Think of me as your father,” I heard more than once from a couple of my dad’s old golfing buddies. I couldn’t imagine why I would do that. But of course the thin offers were made in the midst of some misguided drunken allegiance to my father and were as unwelcomed as they were insincere. The golfers disappeared like flowers stolen from a grave. I never saw any of them again.

But there was one man, a childhood friend of my mother’s, whom our family knew as “Uncle Chuck” Sullivan, and he really did show up from time to time just to be with us – no fuss, fanfare or expectations. Uncle Chuck was a funny, dry-witted, clever, sly, irascible, intelligent and twinkling Irishman from Cleveland’s west side; an inveterate bachelor who likely needed a family setting and a good home-cooked meal as much as we needed an adult male perspective.

If Chuck was anything, he was Irish – and proud of it.

Although he’d not been born of “The Sod,” he was as Irish an American as anyone could be. One of his rituals (and there were many) was to don his green morning coat and top hat and march down the middle of Euclid Avenue as a celebrated leader of Cleveland’s annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade – a big, long, loud and boisterous parade of bagpipes and marching bands.

In the early spring of 1965, Uncle Chuck promised my brother and me that we would go with him to the St. Patrick’s Day Parade that year, an unlikely promise since my mother would not permit my brother and me to skip classes for a silly parade. (What did she know? She was German). But clever Chuck did sneak us out of high school and took us to The Cleveland Athletic Club where

we viewed the parade from the 12th floor of the building.

We watched Uncle Chuck march in the parade (at least we thought it was him, but who could tell for sure from 12 stories up) and waited until he retrieved us after the parade.

By then it was late afternoon and getting on toward dinnertime, and Chuck had promised us a meal, too.

We doggedly badgered him about going to an Irish Pub, but Chuck Sullivan was nobody’s fool. “My God,” he said, “who in their right mind goes to an Irish pub on St. Patrick’s Day?” quashing our campaign for corned beef and cabbage. “A pub will be crowded, the service will be lousy, the food terrible and,” he added, “some drunk will slop green beer all over the place!”

“But,” he said, “nobody goes to Italian restaurants on St. Patrick’s Day. Trust me.” He gave us a knowing wink and then spirited us away to a quiet, almost invisible neighborhood eatery on a side street called Palmina’s Bar and Grill. Those who knew the place, those who really knew the place, called it “Mrs. D’s.” Uncle Chuck clearly knew Mrs. D, and she knew him. We were escorted to a booth, and the wait staff fawned over Uncle Chuck and his two nephews. The food was superb, the setting so Italian.

Suddenly my mother stormed into the restaurant, furious with Chuck, my brother and me. She knew what Chuck had planned, and after a theatrical display of maternal outrage, settled grudgingly into the booth, unofficially pleased to be a part of the evening.

Mrs. D’s was quiet that night, save for a few regulars

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who sat at the piano bar. The piano player, whose name I have long since forgotten, knew every favorite song my mom and Uncle Chuck could think of, and with several rounds of martinis and stingers, the evening passed as the maudlin adults sang their life stories. It was back in the days when certain “accommodations” could be made for older teens if you “knew somebody who knew somebody,” and Chuck did know somebody, so my brother and I had our fill of 3.2 beer.

The night was magic. The tradition continued like clockwork every St. Patrick’s Day until I graduated from high school and my family moved to the Southwest. Uncle Chuck came to visit us in New Mexico from time to time, but after a while, age and altitude finally forbade Chuck from coming to visit anymore.

But in a world of few universal truths, one makes sense: who in their right mind would go to an Irish Pub on St. Patrick’s Day and suffer every indignity and humiliation possible, when one could go to a cozy, quiet, convivial Italian restaurant, get fabulous food and caring service from people who are genuinely happy to see you?

On St. Patrick’s Day, as I have done for decades, I’ll be having spaghetti, meatballs and a good red wine with which to toast my Uncle Chuck, a guy who never needed to be my dad.

March 17, 2022 n 13

Enough to make LeBron smile.

FreeWillAstrology

by Rob Brezsny

ically: Make sure our actual behavior is in rapt alignment with our high ideals.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Singer, dancer and comedian Sammy Davis Jr. disliked the song “The Candy Man,” but he recorded it anyway, heeding his advisors. He spent just a brief time in the studio, finishing his vocals in two takes. “The song is going straight to the toilet,” he complained, “pulling my career down with it.” Surprise! It became the best-selling tune of his career, topping the Billboard charts for three weeks. I suspect there could be a similar phenomenon (or two!) in your life during the coming months, Aries. Don’t be too sure you know how or where your interesting accomplishments will arise.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): I love author Maya Angelou’s definition of high accomplishment, and I recommend you take steps to make it your own in the coming weeks. She wrote, “Success is liking yourself, liking what you do, and liking how you do it.” Please note that in her view, success is not primarily about being popular, prestigious, powerful or prosperous. I’m sure she wouldn’t exclude those qualities from her formula, but the key point is that they are all less crucial than self-love. Please devote quality time to refining and upgrading this aspect of your drive for success.

A new shipment of Telegraph T’s has arrived (Also available in muscle T if you wanna show off your pipes.)

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14 n March 17, 2022

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): “I’m not fake in any way,” declared Gemini actor Courteney Cox. On the face of it, that’s an amazing statement for a Gemini to make. After all, many in your tribe are masters of disguise and shapeshifting. Cox herself has won accolades for playing a wide variety of characters during her film and TV career, ranging from comedy to drama to horror. But let’s consider the possibility that, yes, you Geminis can be versatile, mutable and mercurial, yet also authentic and genuine.

I think this specialty of yours could and should be extra prominent in the coming weeks.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): “Sometimes I prayed for Baby Jesus to make me good, but Baby Jesus didn’t,” wrote author Barbara Kingsolver about her childhood approach to self-improvement. Just because this method failed to work for her, however, doesn’t mean it won’t work for others. In saying that, I’m not implying you should send out appeals to Baby Jesus. But I suggest you call on your imagination to help you figure out what influences may, in fact, boost your goodness. It’s an excellent time to seek help as you elevate your integrity, expand your compassion and deepen your commitment to ethical behavior.

It’s not that you’re deficient in those departments; just that now is your special time to do what we all need to do period-

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Leo classicist and author Edith Hamilton specialized in the history of ancient Greece. The poet Homer was one of the most influential voices of that world.

Hamilton wrote, “An ancient writer said of Homer that he touched nothing without somehow honoring and glorifying it.” I love that about his work, and I invite you to match his energy in the coming weeks. I realize that’s a lot to ask. But according to my reading of the astrological omens, you will indeed have a knack for honoring and glorifying all you touch.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Starhawk, one of my favorite witches, reminds us that “sexuality is the expression of the creative life force of the universe. It is not dirty, nor is it merely ‘normal’; it is sacred. And sacred can also be affectionate, joyful, pleasurable, passionate, funny, or purely animal.” I hope you enjoy an abundance of such lushness in the coming weeks, Virgo. It’s a favorable time in your astrological cycle for synergizing eros and spirituality. You have poetic license to express your delight about being alive with imaginative acts of sublime love.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): In 1634, English poet John Milton coined the phrase “silver lining.” It has become an idiom referring to a redemptive aspect of an experience that falls short of expectations. More than 350 years later, American author Arthur Yorinks wrote, “Too many people miss the silver lining because they’re expecting gold.” Now I’m relaying his message to you. Hopefully, my heads-up will ensure that you won’t miss the silver lining for any reason, including the possibility that you’re fixated on gold.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): “This is the most profound spiritual truth I know,” declares author Anne Lamott. “That even when we’re most sure that love can’t conquer all, it seems to anyway. It goes down into the rat hole with us, in the guise of our friends, and there it swells and comforts. It gives us second winds, third winds, hundredth winds.” Lamott’s thoughts will be your wisdom to live by during the next eight weeks, Scorpio. Even if you think you already know everything there is to know about the powers of love to heal and transform, I urge you to be open to new powers that you have never before seen in action.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22Dec. 21): Witty Sagittarian author Ashleigh Brilliant has created thousands of cheerful yet often sardonic epigrams.

In accordance with current astrological omens, I have chosen six that will be use-

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ful for you to treat as your own in the coming weeks. 1. “I may not be totally perfect, but parts of me are excellent.” 2.

“I have abandoned my search for truth and am now looking for a good fantasy.”

3. “All I want is a warm bed and a kind word and unlimited power.” 4. “Do your best to satisfy me – that’s all I ask of everybody.” 5. “I’m just moving clouds today, tomorrow I’ll try mountains.” 6.

“A terrible thing has happened. I have lost my will to suffer.”

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): “All experience is an enrichment rather than an impoverishment,” wrote author Eudora Welty. That may seem like a simple and obvious statement, but in my view, it’s profound and revolutionary. Too often, we are inclined to conclude that a relatively unpleasant or inconvenient event has diminished us.

And while it may indeed have drained some of our vitality or caused us angst, it has almost certainly taught us a lesson or given us insight that will serve us well in the long run – if only to help us avoid similar downers in the future. According to my analysis of your current astrological omens, these thoughts are of prime importance for you right now.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): “Life swarms with innocent monsters,” observed poet Charles Baudelaire.

Who are the “innocent monsters”? I’ll suggest a few candidates.

Boring people who waste your time but who aren’t inherently evil. Cute advertisements that subtly coax you to want stuff you don’t really need. Social media that seem like amusing diversions except for the fact that they suck your time and drain your energy. That’s the bad news, Aquarius. The good news is that the coming weeks will be a favorable time to eliminate from your life at least some of those innocent monsters. You’re entering a period when you’ll have a strong knack for purging “nice” influences that aren’t really very nice.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): “Never underestimate the wisdom of being easily satisfied,” wrote aphorist Marty Rubin. If you’re open to welcoming such a challenge, Pisces, I propose that you work on being very easily satisfied during the coming weeks. See if you can figure out how to enjoy even the smallest daily events with blissful gratitude. Exult in the details that make your daily rhythm so rich. Use your ingenuity to deepen your capacity for regarding life as an ongoing miracle. If you do this right, there will be no need to pretend you’re having fun. You will vividly enhance your sensitivity to the ordinary glories we all tend to take for granted.

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 www.durangotelegraph.com 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 Tack & Consignment Sale Sat. April 2nd - 9am-3pm - La Plata County Fairgrounds - 2500 Main Ave. Saddles, tack, trailers and more. Consigners check in Fri. April 1st - 9am-7pm. Benefits 4 Corners Back Country Horsemen.

Call 970-884-2355 or email jksherer1@out look.com 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.

Help Wanted Communications & Marketing Dir. Part-time – flexible. Full time available with additional assignments. Questions: info@durangoadulted.org or durango adulted.org/daec-job-opportunities/ Durango Outdoor Exchange is Hiring Hiring now for full time and part time positions. Inventory Clerk, Gear Specialist and Floor Lead. Come work in a fun place with fabulous outdoor loving folks! Come in for an application and email bryce@du rangooutdoorexchange.com with questions.

Library Director - Town of Silverton Interested applicants may obtain job information and application at Silverton Town Hall or at townofsilverton.colorado.gov/employment. This is a fulltime position with health, dental, vision, 401k benefits and paid time off. Position starts May 1, 2022, and salary starts at $46,000 and can increase, dependent upon experience. Applications must be

delivered to Silverton Town Hall, 1360 Greene St. or via email to Jackie Kerwin at jkerwin@silverton.co.us and Gloria Kaasch-Buerger at gkaasch-buerger@sil verton.co.us by 4 p.m. Mon., March 21.

The Town of Silverton is an equal opportunity employer.

Best Job Ever!

The Telegraph is hiring an advertising sales guru. Part-time, fairly flexible schedule (Monday & Tuesday availability a must), approx. 20 hours/week. General knowledge of the paper, town and sales highly recommended. Base pay + commission + free lifetime subscription. tel egraph@durangotelegraph.com.

Classes/Workshops Yoga Teacher Training Yoga Alliance Certified 200 hr at Yogadurango, 2/2- 7/10, 8.5 weekends.

Whether you’re ready to deepen your understanding of yoga, or an aspiring yoga teacher, this comprehensive program will lay a strong foundation for an empowered lifelong practice. yogadurango.com

Commercial for Rent Fitness Space Available 1275-sq-ft fitness studio available day/eve. Ideal for yoga, fitness, martial arts, kids activities. Negotiable rates & terms. zanshin@durangoaikido.com

Futuristic Aquarian looking for fellow space cadet to explore her galaxy. Call 970-317-6130.

Wanted Rental Needed May 1, 2022 Young couple moving back to Durango May 1 Looking to rent 2B/1-2b on grid, trolley line, or near college Would love hardwood floors + W/D but open to all Will be in town 3/15-22 720-883-3813

ForSale Nice Nubian Buck If you need a billy goat, you will be pleased with this one. Email jeansta ndifer62@gmail.com Reruns Home Furnishings New inventory including bistros, patio sets, benches, side tables, lamps, rugs, art and more … Come in today! 572 E. 6th Ave. Open Mon.-Sat. 385-7336.

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‘The French Dispatch’ Both, exquisite and excruciating in its rich, artful detail – Lainie Maxson

Wanted Cash for Vehicles, Copper, Alum, Etc. at RJ Metal Recycle. Also free appliance and other metal drop off. 970-259-3494.

Services Sol Sparkle Hair Tinsel Be the Free Spirit in you with beautiful sparkles in your hair! Animas Trading Company 3/12 &19, 4/2&30, 1-5pm. txt 970-769-7681 for app. Or reserve for special event.

Emilio Handyman Driveways/sidewalks Replace doors, windows, decks, pergolas, etc. Quality work. Call 970-769-3777.

RSE Handyman Service Home repair - Yard work - Odd Jobs 970-903-0449

MeetMarket

HaikuMovieReview

Marketing Small & Local Businesses Media, website building and content editing, copywriting and editing, newsletters, blogs, etc. for small, local, independent or startup businesses. Visit www.forwardpedal.com or send an email to jnderge@gmail.com Harmony Cleaning and Organizing Residential, offices, commercial and vacation rentals, 970-403-6192.

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.

Body Work Body Healing Massage Coaching Call Dennis for a free consultation to see how he might facilitate your body’s healing. Sessions are specific to trauma, injury and chronic pain. Intentional, Spiritual and grounded in Love. Local to Durango, CO 970.403.5451

Lotus Path Healing Arts Now accepting new clients. Offering a unique, intuitive fusion of Esalen massage, deep tissue & Acutonics, 24 years of experience. To schedule call Kathryn, 970-201-3373.

Massage by Meg Bush LMT, 30, 60 & 90 min., 970-759-0199. massageintervention.life Voted best massage in Durango 18/19/20. Couples, cupping, local CBD. Reviews on FB + Yelp. 970-903-2984

CommunityService Volunteers Needed Alternative Horizons is in need of volunteer advocates, including those who are bilingual, to staff our 24-hour hotline.

AH supports and empowers survivors of domestic violence. If you’d like to make a difference in the lives of others, join us March 30 - April 2, for a free, comprehensive training. For more information call 970-247-4374.

PlayFest Seeks Submissions Durango PlayFest is seeking full-length play submissions for the 2022 festival, Aug. 4-7. Prior playwriting experience not required. Playwright will collaborate with local director to develop work. Plays should be 60-90 pages long and up to five characters. Playwrights must be from Southwest CO or the Four Corners area.

Must be available for rehearsals in late July and during the festival. E-mail submissions (Word doc or PDF) to durango playfest@gmail.com. Deadline April 15 Earn Your Master of Social Work (MSW) From the University of Denver (DU) here in Durango – for the two-year program starting in fall 2022. Classes on Fridays and Saturdays. For more info contact Janelle.Doughty@du.edu or www.du.edu/socialwork.

March 17, 2022 n 15

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GREAT STRAIN SELECTION SELECTIO ON • HASH & CONCENTR RA ATE • EDIBLES ED • SEED • CLONES PIPES • SMOKING ACCESSORIES • APPAREL • MJ LITER RA ATURE & CONSULTING • ATM ON SITE

G Grandview randview (Durango) RECREATIONAL RECREATIONAL ONL ONLY LYY 9am - 8pm 3377 CCounty ounty RRoad oad 232 (970) 426-43811 (9 70) 426-438

Bodo P ark Park

Cortez Cortez

(Durango)

MED 9am - 6:45pm / REC 9am - 8pm Suttle 7722 Sut tle SStreet treet UUnits nits F & G (970) 259-3674 (9 70) 259-36 74

MED & REC 9am - 8pm 1013 1013 E. Main St. St. Cortez, Cortez, CO CO 81321 81321 (970) (970) 565-6500

The Alter native Resource

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Ska Brewing world headquarters

225 Girard St, Durango, CO • 970 -247-5792 • skabrewing.com

16 n March 17, 2022

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