The Durango Telegraph, March 21, 2024

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the durango

Free land wasn’t free Reckoning with a history built on stolen lands March

Celtic cornerstone THE ORIGINAL

Is nuclear the next chapter for shuttered power plant?

Life after coal Chatting with a Durango bouzouki master

5

Righting wrongs

Family reckons with Homestead Act and stolen Native land by Rebecca Clarren/ Writers on the Range

10

Bouzouki badass

Sitting down with local Celtic superstar, Erick Morningstar by Stephen Sellers

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The Durango Telegraph publishes every Thursday, come hell, high water, tacky singletrack or mon-

4 Getting creative

Summoning the muse with the ‘Drag Protection Prayer’ by Doug Gonzalez

8 Way forward

Nuclear, natural gas pondered as Pueblo considers a post-coal future by Allen Best / Big Pivots

STAR-STUDDED CAST: Doug Gonzalez, Stephen Sellers, Allen Best, Ari LeVaux, Rob Pudim, Ryley Hubbard, Rob Brezsny, Lainie Maxson, Jesse Anderson & Clint Reid

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RegularOccurrences

4 La Vida Local

5 Writers on the Range

6-7 Soapbox

8 Big Pivots

10 Between the Beats

11 Flash in the Pan

12-13 Stuff to Do

13 Ask Rachel

14 Free Will Astrology

15 Classifieds

15 Haiku Movie Review

On the cover

The golden hour in Dead Horse State Park, in Moab – where, undoubtedly, oodles of Durango spring breakers headed this week./Photo by Andy High

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Ear to the ground:

“I thought I had appendicitis, but it was just quinoa.”

– Apparently, that whole thing about thoroughly rinsing your quinoa before you cook it is important

Southern exposure

While Durango endures the endless mud season, trails are drying out down south. Wait, what trails down south? Allow Neil Hannum, local cyclist and founder of Aztec Adventures, introduce you.

According to Hannum, the sandy washes, oil roads and winding ridges of old New Mexico are prime mtb and gravel-riding terrain. So much so that Hannum started Aztec Adventures a few years back to share his love of the San Juan County, N.M., riding scene. This year, Aztec Adventures will host four events in the Land of Bicycle Enchantment, including one enduro race and a gravel series made up of three races. So, if you’re itching to get out there, it’s time to get off the Peloton or rollers and remember what’s it like to ride on real dirt and actually go somewhere.

A list of Aztec Adventures’ races follows:

• March 30, Roost the Ridges, Lions Wilderness Park, Farmington – A family-friendly enduro mountain bike race sponsored by the City of Farmington, the event includes an 8mile untimed ride to access the Glade Run Recreation Area, where the real action begins. Riders will complete three timed downhill segments across flowing intermediate terrain.

• April 6, Galactic Grinder, Alien Trail System, Aztec – The first in the gravel series, this race serves up hilly gravel orbits around the Alien Crash Site, north of Aztec. Starting in Cedar Hill, the 35- and 50-mile routes quickly encounter a sharp climb into the “San Juan Alps,” close to the state line. Both routes include 4 miles of singletrack in the Alien Run before hitting some more punchy hills back to the finish. There is also a 9-mile route that offers a fun but challenging introduction to gravel riding.

• June 8, Gas Field Grinder, Aztec – The second race in the gravel series, this one takes riders from downtown Aztec through the “Aztec Jungle,” aka the sandstone canyons of Kiffen Canyon, across the river from Aztec Ruins. The event offers 9-, 27- or 50-mile distances as well as a “classic cruiser” ride.

• Oct. 12, Holy Grit, Wines of the San Juan, Blanco, N.M. – A 15-mile or 42-mile gravel race along paved and unpaved roads that includes parts of the scenic Old Spanish Trail. Finish with drinks, lunch and of course wine under the golden cottonwoods in the San Juan River bosque.

Registration for Roost the Ridges and Galactic Grinder is now open. Riders who register for all three gravel events receive 20% off. To learn more, visit: aztec-ad ventures.com

Cycles in creativity

Do you recall your first creative experience? Did you make small-scale murals on the walls of your bedroom with crayons? Or maybe you drew scribbles on a piece of paper that represented your family? I have the memory of smearing paint on a sheet of paper clipped to a Fisher-Price easel. My parents bought it for me when I was a toddler, and I recall it having little paint tubes with the primary colors of blue, yellow and red. If there were brushes, I didn’t use them. I must have thought, “Brushes are so 1986! Let’s use our fingers to make something new and fresh!”

I also remember making my first creative “discovery.” I distinctly recall being in kindergarten and discovering that coloring on top of another sheet of paper transferred what was underneath to the page on top. I hopped up from my little chair and dashed to the teacher to show her. She was unimpressed with the drawing – and I was unimpressed with her reaction. How was I to know that this rubbing technique was already widely known? But the bug to make and discover something new stuck.

As someone who now dabbles in different art mediums, I am always sort of amazed when new content is generated. In fact, it’s almost fantastical how persistently humans can create. Even if I’m feeling tired or uninspired, ideas still seem to find their way out. I often wonder, “Is this the day that my creative well is going to run dry?” But instead, there are bits of creativity that find their way to the surface. Sometimes it’s as trivial as finding a new outfit within your closet, while other times it’s as complex as researching and putting together an academic paper.

I’ve begun to wonder if art is not merely something that comes to life in our world. I think it is a byproduct of life – the way dreaming is a byproduct of sleeping. We create and make art while

Thumbin’It

The snow gods delivering a late-season present with last weekend’s three-day freshies-palooza. Even better, the state’s snowpack is now above average, meaning surfpalooza is not far off.

Another nail in the coffin for fossil fuels, with Biden announcing plans to phase out the manufacturing and sale of gas passenger vehicles by the next decade

we process, react to and try to understand our existence in this world.

However, sharing what we create can often be a vulnerable experience. Like dreaming, it is very personal and exists only within our thoughts until we bring it into existence. It is also makes us feel vulnerable because we have no way of controlling the energy it attracts when we send it off into the world. In fact, this might be both the most worrisome and fulfilling aspect of making art; having it be experienced by others. I feel that the creator’s energy can become trapped during this part, inhibiting the “cycle” needed for healthy regeneration of artistic spirit. I often feel this way about my own drag and live performances. But maybe the energy does not come back in the way I expect it to. When an animal decomposes, it doesn’t come back as the animal. It becomes the nutrients used to create new life.

Sharing this thought with my Diné Poetics class, my professor suggested the need for protection. I thought, “If I could imagine a prayer that would protect me, what might that look like? What might I use from my life experience as the son of a Catholic man and a traditional Diné woman to create a world of protection for myself?” This is that poem, which I wrote specifically for the medium of drag:

“Drag Protection Prayer”

O, Mother of the House of All that is Queer, Hear my prayer

Thank you for letting me serve the community, While serving looks.

Whether I’m performing for one Or for many

I ask for the conditions to be right So that the dollars may rain in plenty.

Buc-ee’s, the popular Texas-based pit stop known for its BBQ and clean bathrooms, has come to the Front Range, which apparently is a big deal. Sure, it’s 8 hours away, but maybe the clean bathrooms are worth the trip. Plus, we’ve been looking for something to fill the void of Kum & Go.

Well, that sucks. Hesperus ski area is going to remain closed next year – to both downhill and uphill traffic – leaving locals in the lurch for some quick, safe, cheap and easy-access winter cardio.

Now the downside to all that snow. A roof avalanche in Breckenridge buried two teens, severely injuring one. And a busload of women coming from Vail were trapped on I-70 for 23 hours, running out of brownies and wine. The horror.

Turbo Tax making taxes even more painful by duping people into buying its paid version, even though they can use the free one. The good news – they got nabbed and will be sending out $141 million in reimbursement checks in May.

Give me the endurance to keep on too tight of heels. And give me the clarity to find my way home safely.

O, Mother of the House of Style, Please protect my fellow performers and I From wigs sliding back

And from lipstick-stained teeth

O, Mother of the House of Stage and Lights, Please protect my fellow performers and I From forgetting the lyrics

And from forgetting to be present.

O, Mother of the House of Self-Love, Please protect my fellow performers and I From those self-degrading thoughts, Hidden in our heads like the blade in a sheath.

O, Mother of the House of Safety, Please protect my fellow performers and I From those that seek to harm us

Whether it be to our art or to our bodies.

O, Mother of the House of All that is Queer, Hear my prayer

Help us give our all, But help keep our all near us, safe.

And when our all returns,

Help it return as something better than before As something Holy, and wholly us.

Starting in April, you can hear this poem read aloud on KDUR as part of National Poetry Month. You can also find my Diné Poetics classmates and I reading several of our own poems aloud at Maria’s Bookshop for its second annual Poetry Reading on Sun., April 14, from 4-6 p.m.

– Doug Gonzalez

SignoftheDownfall:

Don’t Drop Da Soap

Back in 2011, 42year-old Derrick Kroll, of Green Bay, Wisc., legally changed his name to “Deez Nuts” Kroll. Two weeks ago, he proved that he had plenty of stupidity left in the sack. Kroll was arrested for getting drunk, punching his daughter in the shoulder and then threatening her boyfriend with a BB gun. He was charged with misdemeanor battery and disorderly conduct involving a deadly weapon. If convicted, he’ll spend up to a year in prison. Man, that must really suck, Deez Nuts.

by Rebecca Clarren

TFree land wasn’t free

Family takes steps to right history’s wrongs against Native Nations

here’s a place in South Dakota, about 25 miles north of Wall Drug, that some locals still call “Jew Flats.”

More than 100 years ago, the United States gave my great-great grandparents and their children, cousins and friends –around 30 Jewish families in all – free land under the Homestead Act.

All of the recently arrived immigrants spoke Yiddish; most escaped Russia with their lives but less so their livelihoods. These federal homesteads of 160 acres were theirs to keep if they could turn wild prairie into farmland.

My family told their children that owning land in South Dakota made them feel like real Americans. Coming from Russia where Jews weren’t allowed to own land, their ranch on Jew Flats allowed my ancestors to shake off their suspect immigrant status.

The land also had serious economic impact. Between 1908-70, when my grandmother and her sisters sold the last chunk of Jew Flats, my ancestors took out $1.1 million in mortgages, in today’s value, on their free land. With that money, they were able to start other businesses, buy more land and move away.

Yet this land that paved my family’s pathway to the middle class came at great cost to the Lakota. Throughout the second half of the 19th century, the

United States signed treaties with the Lakota, reserving tens of thousands of acres in the Dakotas – in perpetuity – for the Lakota Nation.

But when the railroad companies, the largest corporations of the time, wanted to connect a line between California and the East Coast, promises were broken. By 1908, when my ancestors were planting their first crops, Congress had taken or stolen around 98% of the land that an 1851 treaty said would always be for the Lakota.

To attempt to further eradicate the Native American connection to the land, the United States made it illegal for Native Nations like the Lakota to practice their religion and culture or speak their language. Lakota children were taken from their parents, sometimes forcibly or under threat of jail, to be educated in boarding schools that would convert them to Christianity. These schools taught an “industrial education,” training native children for a trade that didn’t rely on land.

None other than Adolf Hitler was inspired by this American model of dispossession. When crafting laws to diminish the rights of European Jews, Nazi lawyers studied U.S. laws. Hitler not only admired American reservations, which he equated to cages, but he publicly praised the efficiency of America’s attempts to exterminate its Indigenous populations.

“Your people and our people went through the same thing,” Doug White Bull, a Lakota elder and former teacher, told me. “But our people had a holocaust that started 400 years ago. Americans condemn Hitler, which you should … but at the same time, they should condemn themselves.”

Unlike Germany, which has grappled (albeit imperfectly) with its genocidal past, the United States has made little efforts to reconcile its thefts from Indigenous people. Yet filling this vacuum of federal leadership are efforts at the local level.

Just recently, the Quaker church paid one Alaska Native community $93,000 in reparations, the amount the federal government had paid the church to forcibly assimilate their ancestors.

Throughout the country, other churches have returned land to Native Nations.

And in some cities, residents pay voluntary land taxes to the Native Nations that originally lived there.

Following the guidance of Lakota elders, my family has started a fund at the Indian Land Tenure Foundation, a Native-led nonprofit that has spent decades helping Native Nations buy and reclaim their traditional lands. I’ve set our fundraising goal at $1.1 million, the amount we received in mortgages on our free land. Anyone can donate, and many people have.

Indigenous elders have taught me that our job in life is to be a good ances-

tor, to act in a way that doesn’t create a mess for our children or grandchildren. For me, for my family, attempting to acknowledge and own the damage that was done to the Lakota – at great benefit to us – is a small step toward ending this cycle of harm. ■

Rebecca Clarren is a contributor to Writers on the Range, writersontherange.org, an independent nonprofit dedicated to spurring lively conversation about the West. An award-winning journalist about the American West, her latest book is “The Cost of Free Land: Jews, Lakota and an American Inheritance” (Viking Penguin).

A U.S. Department of Interior flyer from 1911. / Courtesy Burton Historical Collection, Detroit Public Library

Clarren

Political theater

The Durango City Council works tirelessly on various issues for what is effectively less than minimum wage. I appreciate councilors’ hard work and dedication to help make Durango a great place to live. Not only does City Council focus on critical city issues, it also represents the values of Durango, the heartbeat of the community. All too often, feedback is disproportionately negative despite the work generally being positive. Unfortunately, this opinion article will focus on an opportunity for the City Council to improve itself.

In the past two City Council meetings, 20 of 22 public comments were against the proposed new city policy prohibiting the consideration of legislation concerning international political matters except for those directly impacting Durango. On March 12, 10 of 12 people spoke against the proposed new rule. After comments, each council member read from prepared remarks that gave insight into each person’s vote. One stated, “We have listened. We have taken

notes. And we hear you.”  Yet the City Council passed the resolution by a three to one vote. Unfortunately, it’s hard to believe that the listening, note taking and hearing could have incorporated any of Tuesday night’s public comments into the wellprepared written vote justifications. This was a sad indication that council members’ minds were made prior to hearing any public comments.

An editorial in the Herald stated that the resolution is “meant to keep meetings about business moving along.” Given what we’ve just experienced, a modest proposal would be to do away with all public comments at City Council meetings if they are not going to be considered when voting. Let’s stop wasting everyone’s time with theatrics and keep the meetings moving along.

Also in the editorial, the Herald argued that the new rule is needed to “prevent Zoom bombings,” essentially parroting City Council. First, “Zoom bombing” is a technological issue. A city policy will do absolutely nothing to prevent that. Secondly, in the March D-Tooned/by Rob

Pudim

4 edition of the Herald, City Attorney Mark Morgan claimed, “limiting the scope of public comments … would also allow City Council to shut down hate speech.” Yet, prior to any public comments, Mayor Melissa Youssef warned, “We will immediately cut you off if there is any mention of hate speech.” Sadly, the “hate speech/zoom bombing” excuse is just more theatrics.

As anyone who has been following the new policy proposal knows, the catalyst for City Council to adopt the policy was the Durango Palestinian Solidarity Coalition’s (DPSC) petition to City Council to: 1) Pass a symbolic permanent ceasefire resolution between Israel and Hamas; and 2) Promote an exchange of all hostages held by both Israel and Hamas. The petition was signed by 820 people.

City Council, and the Durango Herald, have encouraged DPSC members to contact their federal representatives. But as many of the commenters stated in their public remarks, most people in the DPSC and other community members have been contacting representatives for months. Calls, letters and emails have fallen on deaf ears. But at least one City Council member was listening. Dave Woodruff voted against the policy. In his remarks Tuesday, he thoughtfully explained that “if constituents feel like they are not being heard by their state or federal representatives, then this is the only mechanism they have left to give their concern a voice.” Thank you, Councilor Woodruff. You get it.

Many Council members voiced concerns that they don’t have the education or background to fully understand the history and context of the

conflict. But Durango seventh-grade students in their social studies curriculum have just finished a segment on the history of the Israel-Palestine conflict and the current “war.” Do we really have a higher standard for our middle schoolers than we do for our City Council?

For anyone who wants to learn more about the conflict, the DPSC is hosting a teach-in and film discussion at the Durango Public Library at 6 p.m., Mon., March 25. The event is free but space is limited. We welcome members of the Durango City Council, who may want to better understand the history of the current conflict and how it ended up in this terrible place we find ourselves.

–Michael Fadil, Durango

Mid-East peace is a myth

A two-state solution for Israel, a strategic U.S. ally, and Palestine most likely was permanently derailed by the Hamas terrorist attack of Oct, 7, 2023, and the overwhelming Israeli response in Gaza.

The hatred of the Jews of Israel permeates Arab societies. A survey found 74% of Middle East Arabs hate Jews. This is prominently documented by the preaching of Egyptian Muslim cleric Muhammad Hussein Ya’qoub who stated Muslims’ feelings in January 2009: “If the Jews left Palestine to us, would we start loving them? Of course not. We will never love them. Absolutely not. The Jews are infidels – not because I say so, and not because they are killing Muslims, but because they imitate the sayings of the

disbelievers before. How deluded they are. … The Jews are enemies not because they occupied Palestine. They would have been enemies even if they did not occupy a thing.”

Israel must be supported so it can be prepared for ongoing conflicts and potential warfare.

The United States provides about $3.5 billion annually in military aid to Israel to support our strategic doctrine in the Middle East. Private U.S. citizens, including a few million Jews and about 60 million Evangelical Christians, also provide support to Israel.

–Donald Moskowitz, Londonderry, N.H.

”Lion ides”

March in like a lamb

Now snow showers raining down Springtime was “lyin’”

– Karen Carver, Durango

“We’ll print damn near anything”

The Telegraph prides itself on a liberal letters policy. We have only three requests: limit letters to 500 words; letters must be signed by the writer; and thank-you lists and libelous, personal attacks are unwelcome. Send your profundities by Monday at noon to telegraph@durangotelegraph.com

Just transition?

Report calls for nuclear to replace coal plant, but cost and waste pose barriers

by Allen Best

It may surprise many residents in Aspen and Vail and their respective valleys that they own a piece of a coal plant.

Literally.

Customers of Holy Cross Energy also own the electrical cooperative. Holy Cross, in turn, owns 8% of Comanche 3, located at the coal plant in Pueblo that is to close by 2031. Holy Cross pays property taxes for the plant but consigns its share to a third party.

What obligations does Holy Cross – or the rest of Colorado, for that matter – have to leave Pueblo economically whole in this energy transition? When Colorado legislators adopted decarbonization goals in 2019, they also created the Office of Just Transition. Coal workers and communities, they said, needed assistance in this energy transition.

Still unclear is what exactly just transition means.

It does involve money, though.

Comanche 3 and two older coal units, one of which is already closed, have delivered 16.1% of the property taxes for schools, firefighters and other governmental services in Pueblo County. Closing all three units reduces Colorado’s greenhouse gas emissions 20.5%.

Nuclear power could replace Comanche 3’s lost generation and actually add jobs and tax base. Xcel Energy, which owns two-thirds of Comanche 3, has paid Pueblo County and its various library, fire and other jurisdictions about $25 million a year in property taxes. Holy Cross pays $1.3 million and CORE Electrical Cooperative, the third owner, $4.6 million. The total, in 2021, was $31 million.

An advanced nuclear plant would deliver $95 million in property taxes, according to a task force appointed by Xcel Energy, plus 300 jobs, compared to the 77 that will be lost when Comanche 3 closes, and at wages of up to $200,000 a year.

The task force, relying primarily upon experts supplied by Xcel, concluded that a new natural gas plant combined with carbon capture and sequestration was the next best but much inferior option.

As for solar, Pueblo County already has oodles of it – and more will come. But the task force correctly noted the economic benefits of solar to Pueblo can never replace those of a coal-fired power plant. Hydrogen and various energy-storage technologies also come up short.

Xcel itself has not said what it wants to do. The company must submit what is called a Just Transition electric resource plan to state regulators by June 1. The plan is supposed to identify what new electric generation could be cost-effectively placed in Pueblo County.

The task force report warns against just transition being an “empty slogan.” Fair enough. But does just transition mean disregarding cost and safety?

The Comanche Generating Station in Pueblo, where the last and final operating stack, the Comanche 3 (on the left) is scheduled to close in 2031. When Colorado legislators adopted decarbonization goals in 2019, they also created the Office of Just Transition to help coal workers and communities navigate the energy transition./Photo by Allen Best

Nuclear has a reputation for costly overruns. Recent experiences in the United States have not helped. Two reactors in Georgia came in at $35 billion, double original estimates. In Idaho, the plug was pulled on another plant with a rising price tag. China is building lots of nuclear reactors, owing partly to lower labor costs and fewer regulations.

Pueblo lacks consensus about its future. That was clear during a recent town hall attended by more than 600 people. Included were about 100 people wearing yellow-green T-shirts that identified the wearers as members of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers – and supporters of nuclear energy.

Opponents included speakers who objected to storing radioactive waste in Pueblo. One warned of impaired property values within 10 miles of the plant, including all of Pueblo.

Cost is the idea’s greatest vulnerability. An individual who reported 44 years experience in nuclear, first in submarines and then a nuclear power plant, waved away safety concerns. Cost, though, was a problem.

Cost was also cited by a visitor from Boulder. She confidently predicted that state regulators charged with looking after the interests of Xcel customers,

would reject the idea of nuclear. Pueblo itself is served by another utility, Black Hills Energy. Her observation was not welcomed and her conclusion rejected by some because of where she’s from. But Xcel also delivers electricity to Alamosa, Sterling, Breckenridge, Rifle, Greeley and Grand Junction. Cost matters in all those places.

Which leaves us with the question of what will Xcel propose in June? Informed speculation suggests another natural gas plant. The technology is proven. The carbon capture component still needs work, though.

Xcel has agreed to pay $15.9 million annually in property taxes on the idled coal plant through 2040, a decade after it closes. (Holy Cross has not been asked, a spokeswoman said).

What could work for Pueblo? The answer may lie in Front Range passenger rail and continued investment in its own community. It has water and it has land.

And who knows? Nuclear energy may eventually solve its cost and waste problems. It has not yet. ■

Allen Best chronicles Colorado’s energy and water transitions at BigPivots.com , where you can find a deeper dive on this particular topic.

Members of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers – in the bright green shirts – attend a recent packed town hall meeting in Pueblo to discuss the town’s future after the closing of the Comanche 3 stack. The electrical workers support one plan being floated – to replace the coal plant with a nuclear plant, which proponents say will bring in high-paying jobs and more tax revenue for the county./Photo by Allen Best

Celtic cornerstone

Behind the scenes with bouzouki master Erick Morningstar

by Stephen Sellers

Greetings, dear readers. This last weekend, Durango lost one of its most beloved musical community members, Michael Burke. In 1995, Michael founded the Durango Bluegrass Meltdown alongside his wife, Sandi, and was an enthusiastic and ardent supporter of Celtic music in Durango. I will always remember that Michael came to the very first Six Dollar String Band show and gave us ruffians good, helpful feedback for tightening our wiley sound. He was that kind of guy. Caring, thoughtful, intelligent and a man of strong conviction. There will be far more words coming, far more insightful than I can provide, to help elucidate and capture the legacy and spirit of Michael and his impact on our musical landscape. For now, let’s all lift up our glasses for a “Slainté” to dear Michael. In no small part because of Michael’s efforts, our local festival season is quickly approaching. And, first up on the docket is the Durango Celtic Festival (for which Michael sat on the board), celebrating its 10th anniversary March 29-31 at the Community Concert Hall. The Durango Celtic and Irish music scene is alive and kicking, and in celebration of the festival, I decided to sit down with local bouzouki and bodhran player Erick Morningstar. I met Erick shortly after I moved to Durango in 2007. We met through a small house church and quickly discovered each other’s nerdiness for bands like the String Cheese Incident and EOTO. Erick has been the rhythmic cornerstone for some of Durango’s most beloved Irish music bands including Giant’s Dance, Patrick’s Crossing and, more recently, Tom Ward’s downfall. I hope you enjoy a small snippet of my chat with one of Durango’s most hardworking and unsung musical giants. Slainté, and may this nascent equinox bring you the luck of the Irish.

What is a session and what makes a good session a good session?

An Irish music session is when a variety of musicians gather to play Irish tunes on either flute, fiddle, banjo,

guitar or bodhran, generally. It’s usually at a bar or pub. A great session has a core group of people who play really tightly together and at the same time are welcoming of other musicians who are coming to explore and ease into learning the music. The best sessions are high energy, for sure.

There’s a musical component to a session, but there’s also a social and relational element, right?

Absolutely. It’s hard to put your finger on it sometimes. I’ve been to other sessions that aren’t warm. Maybe the music is great, but when it doesn’t have that welcoming, warm spirit –that’s a big piece of what it’s all about. I’ve been to sessions in Durango with world-class musicians who tell us there’s something really special about what we have here in Durango.

We played in tons of sessions together at the now-defunct Irish Embassy. How has the transition been now that we no longer have that cherished spot?

The music is still alive and well. We’ve moved to a couple different places. These days, we are playing at Durango Beer and Ice Company on Sundays from 12:30-3:30. There was a period of time where we were playing at 11th Street Station in the back. And Michael Burke is the one who set that up.

Rest in peace, Michael. Let’s take a second.

He loved Irish music. He invited my bands to play in the Celtdown at the Meltdown. I always felt a connection with him. Michael kept coming to the sessions even after he had a stroke and couldn’t play. My band Patrick’s Crossing played at Ska this last St. Patrick’s Day, and we sang one for him, “Parting Glass.” We are going to miss him for sure. He was a big part of Irish music in Durango. To Mike.

This is the 10th year of the Celtic Festival. What are you looking forward to?

Personally, a couple of highlights are bands like Super Trad. These three guys are great. The Jeremiahs are returning. These are absolutely world-class musicians who come to play, and the cool thing is, they love to hang out and

talk with people. They’re super approachable. There’s going to be workshops, ceilidhs, sessions.

To play in a band for 15 years is a long time. What feeds your soul and helps keep you going?

The music I’ve gravitated toward is music that connects with me and makes me want to dance. You can tell when music comes from the soul. It’s not just entertainment, it’s someone’s art; music that is melodic and grooves and … is authentic and comes from a genuine place. That’s what Irish music does for me. I love to play for the sake of the tunes. I’d be having the same enjoyment either in someone’s home or on a stage.

What’s on the horizon for you musically?

Since I’ve gotten into Irish music, I’ve gotten more attracted to the rhythm accompaniment. Guitar players like Tony Byrne, Ross Martin and bouzouki players like Adam Rhodes. I’m exploring how to play the bouzouki like a bodhran. I’m taking little bits of their influence to find my own tone and style. I’m inspired by players who know the notes and know the tunes and who are playing with their whole body, their whole soul.■

The Durango Celtic Festival takes place March 29-31 at the Community Concert Hall. For info. or tickets, go to: www.durangocelticfestival.com

Local bouzouki and bodhran player Erick Morningstar./ Courtesy photo

by Ari LeVaux

ILegume of many colors

Small but mighty lentil can go a long way with a little kitchen finesse

f we needed more evidence that American society is in decline, consider how little respect we give lentils. Pound for pound, these legumes quietly deliver more nutrition to more people than anything else growing on Earth. One serving of this lightweight bean contains twice the antioxidants of blueberries, about half your daily fiber needs, loads of folate, iron and other minerals, and more protein than any plant that isn’t soy. Being legumes, they can grow on marginal soils and improve the soils with each planting.

The trick to cooking lentils is to treat them more like pasta than rice. Don’t try to get them to absorb all the liquid. Instead, cook them in plenty of liquid and then strain them. But do save the liquid. It may be the most important part. More on that soon.

Indian farmers produce at least 50 varieties of lentil. It’s probably not a coincidence that India is also one of the few places I’ve visited where vegetarian options are usually more appealing than meat-based, thanks in part to that hot lentil action. If you are down with animal proteins but maybe don’t have a ton at your disposal, you can always add a ham hock or stew meat to lentil soup.

In North America, most lentils are grown in the upper Columbia River basin. But production is migrating east, over the Continental Divide and onto the Northern Plains. Being so good for the soil, the lentils themselves are almost a bonus, a byproduct of a healthy cropland system. And while

lentil cheerleaders will sometimes gush about how easy it is to cook lentils, it’s not necessarily as easy to make them tasty. Making lentils taste good with a palatable texture takes finesse. And again, don’t forget that water. For some, like my friend Norman, that water is more important than the lentils themselves.

I met Norman years ago under a massive tamarind tree in Kona, Hawaii. I was there because a mutual friend had told me about Norman’s proprietary spice mix. Norman generously told me how to make his spice mix and explained how he uses it to flavor a lentil-based dish called rasam (pronounced like awesome). In giving me this recipe, Norman taught me a lot about lentil cookery.

Norman is an Indologist, aka an expert on all things India, and the method by which rasam is prepared pertains to the reason India consumes half the world’s lentils. That reason was dahl, the simple yet satisfying Indian lentil soup. Rasam is made with the water used to precook lentils before they are cooked into dahl. It’s flavored with Norman spices, tamarind and tomato.

It all comes together into a thin, reddish brown soup that is full of tang and spice, balanced against the savory undertones of that rich lentil water.

Rasam is so satisfying that the lentils themselves are basically a byproduct. It’s up to the chef to figure out what to do with them, and there are many options. You could use the lentils to make dahl of course. Or lentil hummus. Or add them to tabouli or a salad. Me having lentils reminds me of when my son has a hammer, and everything looks like a

nail. I realize I can add them to anything. The last time I made rasam, as it happens, I was also boiling some meaty bones for a stew. So I added the lentils to my stew, along with the usual carrots, onions and celery. As I had some of the Norman spices on hand, I used them to flavor my meaty lentil stew.

Norman Spices

1 T cumin

1 T coriander

1 T mustard seeds

1 tsp black pepper

A few pieces of fenugreek

In a heavy-bottomed pan, toast the seeds on medium heat, stirring often until browned but not burned. In a mortar and pestle or spice grinder, grind the toasted spice seeds into a powder. Store in an airtight container.

Rasam

Makes four servings

1 cup red or yellow lentils

8 cups water

2 tablespoon oil or butter

½ cup minced onions

2 tablespoons Norman spices

1 can diced tomatoes

1 tablespoon tamarind paste or Knorr brand tamarind soup

Boil the lentils until they are completely soft. Turn off the heat and allow to cool.

Meanwhile, sauté the onions in the oil until they are translucent. Add the Norman spices, tamarind and diced tomatoes, including all of the juice, and allow to simmer. Finally, pour the lentil water into the pan of onions, tomatoes and spices. Season with salt, and serve. ■

Lentils are high in protein, and its crops are good for the soil. What more can you ask for? / Photo by Rosmarie Voegtli

Thursday21

Storytime, 11 a.m., Pine River Public Library, 395 Bayfield Center Dr., Bayfield

Tea & Tinsel Thursdays, 12-4 p.m., Durango Sustainable Goods, 1259 Main Ave.

Art Lectures with Bindu, 4-5:30 p.m., Create Art & Tea, 1015 Main Ave.

Live music by Rob Webster, 5-7 p.m., Ska Brewing, 225 Girard St.

Business After Hours: Chamber Open House, 5-7 p.m., Durango Chamber of Commerce, 2301 Main Ave.

Live music by Leah Orlikowski, 5-8 p.m., El Rancho Tavern, 975 Main Ave.

Adam Swanson plays ragtime, 5:30-10 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave.

Bluegrass Jam, 6 p.m., Durango Beer & Ice Co., 3000 Main Ave.

Poetry Open Mic Night, 6-7:30 p.m., Durango Sustainable Goods, 1259 Main Ave.

Live music by Andrew Schuhmann, 6-9 p.m., The Office Spiritorium, 699 Main Ave.

Live music by Clark Andrew Libbey and Kristen Rad, 6-9 p.m., Durango Hot Springs, 6475 CR 203

Trivia Night, 6:30 p.m., Powerhouse Science Center, 1330 Camino del Rio

“For When You Get Lost,” DIFF monthly movie, 7 p.m., Durango Arts Center, 802 E. 2nd Ave. Tickets: www.durangofilm.org

Drag Trivia Night, 7:30 p.m., Starlight Lounge, 937 Main Ave.

Friday22

Free Friday Yoga, 8:30 a.m., Lively, 809 Main Ave.

Piano music by Gary B. Walker, 10:15 a.m.-12 noon, Jean-Pierre Bakery & Restaurant, 601 Main Ave.

Fanny Pack Friday, 3 p.m., The Nugget Mountain Bar, 48721 North Hwy 550

Mocktail Happy Hour, 3:30-6 p.m., Durango Sustainable Goods,1259 Main Ave.

Heartwood Cohousing Tour and Potluck, 5 p.m., 800 Heartwood Lane, Bayfield

Live music by Leah Orlikowski, 5-8 p.m., El Rancho Tavern, 975 Main Ave.

Live music by Jack Ellis & Larry Carver, 5:30 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave.

Live music by Andrew Schuhmann, 6 p.m., EsoTerra Ciderworks, 558 Main Ave

Live music by Dustin Burley, 6-9 p.m., The Office Spiritorium, 699 Main Ave.

Family friendly game night, 6-10 p.m., The Subterrain, 900 Main Ave. suite F

Friday Dance! 6 p.m. West Coast swing lesson; 7 p.m. dance-of-the-month lesson; 8-10 p.m. open dancing, VFW, durangodancing.com

“Hand to God,” performed by Durango Arts Repertory Theatre, 7:30 p.m., Durango Arts Center, 802 E. 2nd Ave.

Fusion Bloom partner dance social dancing, 7 p.m.-midnight, The American Legion, 878 E 2nd

Aria PettyOne presents Aria’s Pizza Party, 8:30-9:30 p.m., Father’s Daughters Pizza, 640 Main

Saturday23

Hollywood Huckfest, 8:45 a.m.- 4 p.m., Purgatory Resort

SJMA and Mountain Studies Institute Snow Science & Social, 1-3 p.m., Andrews Lake Winter Parking Area, HWY 550

Round Robin Euchre Tournament, 5:30-8:30 p.m., Union Social House, 3062 Main Ave

Adam Swanson plays ragtime, 5:30-10 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave.

Community Yoga, 6-7 p.m., Yoga Durango, 1485 Florida Rd. Donations accepted

Live music by Matt Rupnow, 6-9 p.m., The Office Spiritorium, 699 Main Ave.

“Queer Here!” LGBTQ+ dance party, 8-11 p.m., The Subterrain, 900 Main Ave., Ste. F

“Hand to God,” performed by Durango Arts Repertory Theatre, 7:30 p.m., Durango Arts Center, 802 E. 2nd Ave.

SunSquabi with Since Juleye & N00NZ, 7 p.m., Animas City Theatre, 128 E College

Sunday24

Community Knitting & Crochet Group, 10-11 a.m., Pine River Library, 395 Bayfield Center Dr., Bayfield

Durango Food Not Bombs mutual aid and potluck, 2-4 p.m., Buckley Park

Board Game Sundays, 2 p.m., Lola’s Place, 725 E. 2nd

“Hand to God,” performed by Durango Arts Repertory Theatre, 2 p.m., Durango Arts Center, 802 E. 2nd Ave.

Durango Palestine Solidarity rally, 4 p.m., Buckley Park, 12th St. and Main Ave.

Live music by Ben Gibson, 6-9 p.m., The Office Spiritorium, 699 Main Ave.

Live music by Blue Moon Ramblers, 6-9 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave.

Monday25

Durango Death Café, 4-5:30 p.m., Durango Joes, 732 E College Dr.

“Elemental: Reimagining Wildfire” documentary for people living in wildfire prone areas, 5:30-7:30 p.m., Durango Public Library. Sponsored by Great Old Broads for Wildernes.

Meditation and Dharma Talk, 5:30 p.m., Durango Dharma Center, 1800 E 3rd Ave., Ste. 109, or online at www.durangodharmacenter.org

“Gaza Fights for Freedom” screening and teach-in, 6-8 p.m., Durango Public Library

Comedy Showcase, 7:30 p.m., Starlight Lounge, 937 Main Ave.

Tuesday26

Eggs and Issues: State of the Community Forum, 8-10 a.m., Holiday Inn & Suites, 21636 HWY 160 W

Yoga for All, 9-10 a.m., Pine River Library, 395 Bayfield Center Dr., Bayfield

Yoga for Kids, 10:15-11 a.m., Pine River Library, 395 Bayfield Center Dr., Bayfield

Great Decisions International Affairs

Discussion: “Science Across Borders: High Seas Treaty,” 11:45 a.m.-1:45 p.m., Durango Public Library

Cowboy Tuesdays, 12 noon, Strater Hotel/Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave.

Community Yoga, 4:30-5:30 p.m., Yoga Durango, 1485 Florida Rd. Donations accepted

Engage Durango Forum with the City of Durango, 5-6:30 p.m., Durango Public Library, 1900 E. 3rd Ave.

Slow Bluegrass Jam, 5:30-7:30 p.m., General Palmer Hotel, 567 Main Ave.

Attorney David C. Kolbe presents to the Rotary Club of Durango, 6 p.m., Strater Hotel, 699 Main Ave.

Live music by Terry Rickard, 6 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave.

AskRachel

Feeling the pinch, family matters and conspiracy leery

Interesting fact: Reportedly, before Chicago started dyeing the river green, the mayor considered dyeing Lake Michigan. That is dye hard.

Dear Rachel,

St. Patrick’s Day will be over before you can answer this, but I think my question is evergreen. When St. Paddy’s falls on a weekend, like this year, are your coworkers allowed to pinch you on the Friday before if you don’t wear green? This seems ridiculous to me, but I just got pinched three different times for wearing plaid and denim without a stitch o’ green. What the feck? (Pardon my Irish.)

–Lepre-can’t

Dear Pinchable,

There is absolutely no “St. Patrick’s Day (Observed)” on any calendar I’ve ever seen. But more to the point: what kind of adults are pinching you for not wearing green? This was a trend that I thought died out about the fifth grade. Now that we’re adults, we ought to be beyond that. We ought to only pinch people without a drink in their hands. But not green drinks. Ick.

–This rock’s a sham, Rachel

Dear Rachel,

The communication in my family is SO. FREAKING. PASSIVE. It makes me sick. To think I used to talk like this, until I moved

Live music with Andrew Schuhmann, 6-9 p.m., Durango Hot Springs, 6475 CR 203

Live music by Sean O’Brien, 6-9 p.m., The Office Spiritorium, 699 Main Ave.

Hot Buttered Rum with special guest Broken Compass, 8 p.m., Animas City Theatre, 128 E. College Dr.

Wednesday27

Restorative Yoga for Cancer, 9:30-10:45 a.m., no cost for cancer patients, survivors and caregivers, Smiley Building, Room 20A. Info and register at cancersupportswco.org/calendar

Yoga With In the Weeds, 10-11 a.m., The Hive, 1150 Main Ave., Ste. A

“Meet Abigail Adams,” Women’s History Month portrayal of early womens rights advocate, 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m., Durango Public Library, 1900 East 3rd Ave.

Culture Club Book Club, 12-1 p.m., Center for Innovation, Main Mall, 835 Main Ave., Ste. 225

Mexican Logger Release Party, 5-8 p.m., Ska Brewing World HQ, 225 Girard St.

Extraordinary Women Awards Dinner, 5:30-7:30 p.m., DoubleTree Hotel

out and did therapy and realized there are better ways. I’ve tried to teach my family how to communicate with me, but me asking for things like “Please use question words when making a request of me, instead of hinting that it would be great if I went to the store for you” just get met with defensiveness. Any quick tips or hacks?

–Family Matters

Dear Evolved Human,

Yes, I have a quick tip for you! It is certain to prevent any future communication issues between you and your family. Here we go: Never speak to your family again. Fake your own death if you have to. Or, fake theirs! Whatever it takes to prevent contact. Because that is the only way you will ever avoid your family driving you back to therapy over and over again. (Which, for the record, is the best place to go.)

–Fam girl, Rachel

Email Rachel at telegraph@durangotelegraph.com

I point out the cognitive dissonance? Or just quietly enjoy the irony?

–Kim Ickles

Dear Rachel,

My coworker won’t shut up about chemtrails and vaccines and all these ways “they” are polluting us with chemicals. But then he also brings in prepackaged microwaveable meals for lunch. You know the ones: full of preservatives, not to mention plastic trays and film that almost certainly leak something into the food when it’s microwaved. Do

Live music by Donny Johnson, 5:30-9 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave.

Grief Service with Stillwater Music, 6 p.m., Durango Vineyard Church, 1440 Florida Rd.

Live music by Rob Webster, 6-9 p.m., The Office Spiritorium, 699 Main Ave.

Live music by Tim Sullivan, 6-9 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave.

Open Mic, 6:30 p.m., EsoTerra Ciderworks, 558 Main

Trivia Night, 7 p.m., Bottom Shelf Brewery, 118 Mill St., Bayfield

Fireside Wine & Stargazing, 7-8 p.m., Purgys Patio, Purgatory Resort

Geeks Who Drink Trivia, 8 p.m., The Roost, 128 E. College Dr.

Ongoing

“Emergence,” by local art collective The Art Squirrels, March 25 thru mid-May, Smiley Cafe Gallery, 1309 E. Third Ave.

Dear Lab Rat,

There’s no talking sense here. Why? Because literally everything you contact is a chemical. And anything will kill you, eventually. But we’re not dead yet! Literally every single one of you reading this has survived so far. So let’s keep microwaving plastic and dyeing rivers green on St. Patrick’s Day just to see how far we can push it.

–Chem-do attitude, Rachel

“The Return of the Force,” art exhibit exploring the influence of “Star Wars” on Native artists, FLC’s Center for Southwest Studies. Thru August 2024

63rd annual Juried Exhibition, guest juror Emily Grace King, thru April 3, Fort Lewis College Art Gallery

Upcoming

Trans Day of Visibility, Thurs., March 28, 6-8 p.m., FLC Campus Student Union Ballroom

“Drum Tado 30th Anniversary,” Thurs., March 28, 7:30 p.m., Community Concert Hall at Fort Lewis College

Easter Egg Scramble for youth ages 1 to 8, Sat., March 30, 9:45 a.m., Santa Rita Park  Deadline

Full Body Fit workout, Mon., Tues. and Thurs., 8:15 a.m., Pine River Public Library, 395 Bayfield Center Dr., Bayfield

by Rob Brezsny

ARIES (March 21-April 19): I suspect you will soon have far more beginners’ luck than you ever thought possible. For best results—to generate even more wildly abundant torrents of good luck—you could adopt what Zen Buddhists called “beginner’s mind.” That means gazing upon everyone and everything as if encountering it for the first time. Here are other qualities I expect to be flowing freely through you in the coming weeks: spontaneity, curiosity, innocence, candor, and unpredictability. To the degree that you cultivate these states, you will invite even more beginner’s luck into your life.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Taurus artist Salvador Dali was prone to exaggerate for dramatic effect. We should remember that as we read his quote: “Mistakes are almost always of a sacred nature. Never try to correct them. On the contrary: Rationalize them; understand them thoroughly.” While that eccentric advice may not always be 100-percent accurate or useful, I think it will be true and helpful for you in the coming weeks. Have maximum fun making sacred mistakes, Taurus! Learn all you can from them. Use them to improve your life.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): The professional fun advisors here at Free Will Astrology International Headquarters have concluded that your Party Hardy Potential Rating for the coming weeks is 9.8 (out of 10). In fact, this may be the Party Hardy Phase of the Year for you. You could gather the benefits of maximum revelry and conviviality with minimal side effects. Here’s a meditation to get you in the right mood: Imagine mixing business and pleasure with such panache that they blend into a gleeful, fruitful synergy.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Cancerian author and psychotherapist Virginia Satir (1916–88) was renowned as the “Mother of Family Therapy.” Her research led her to conclude, “We need four hugs a day for survival. We need eight hugs a day for maintenance. We need 12 hugs a day for growth.” That 12-hug recommendation seems daunting to achieve, but I hope you will strive for it in the coming weeks. You are in a phase when maximum growth is possible – and pushing to the frontiers of hugging will help you activate the full potential. (PS: Don’t force anyone to hug you. Make sure it’s consensual.)

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Have you been genuinely amazed anytime recently? Have you done something truly amazing? If not, it’s time to play catch-up. According to my analysis of the astrological omens, you need and deserve exciting adventures that boggle your soul in all the best ways. You should be wandering out on the frontiers and tracking down provocative mysteries. You could grow even smarter than you already are if you expose yourself to challenges that will amaze you and inspire you to be amazing.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): I invite you to perform a magic spell that will help prepare you for the rich, slippery soul work ahead of you. I’ll offer a suggestion, but feel free to compose your own ritual. First, go outside where it’s raining or misting, or find a waterfall. Stand with your legs apart and arms spread out as you turn your face up. As you drink it in, tell yourself you will be extra fluid and flowing in coming weeks. Promise yourself you will stimulate and treasure succulent feelings. You will cultivate the sensation that everything you need is streaming in your direction.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): You are gliding into the climax of your re-education about togetherness, intimacy and collaboration. The lessons you’ve been learning have deepened your reservoir of wisdom about the nature of love. And in the coming weeks, even more teachings, openings and invitations will be available. You will be offered the chance to earn what could in effect be a master’s degree in relationships. It’ll be challenging, but rewarding and interesting. Do as best you can. Don’t demand perfection from yourself or anyone else.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Now is not a favorable phase to gamble on unknown entities. Nor should you allow seemingly wellmeaning people to transgress your boundaries. Another Big No: Don’t heed the advice of fear-mongers or nagging scolds, whether inside or outside your head. The coming weeks will be an excellent time for the following actions. 1. Phase out attachments to alliances and love interests that have exhausted their possibilities. 2. Seek the necessary resources to transform or outgrow a frustrating fact about your life. 3. Name truths that other people seem intent on ignoring and avoiding. 4. Conjure simple, small, slow, practical magic to make simple, small, slow, practical progress.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Falling in love is fun! It’s also exciting, enriching, inspiring, transformative, world-shaking and educational. Wouldn’t it be fabulous if we could keep falling in love as long as we live? We might always be our best selves, showing our most creative and generous sides, continually expanding our power to express our soulful intelligence. Alas, it’s not practical or realistic. Here’s a possible alternative: What if we enlarged our understanding of what we could fall in love with? Maybe we would become perpetually infatuated with brilliant teachings, magical places, high adventures, art and music. The coming weeks will be an excellent time for you to cultivate this skill.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): I’m perplexed by teachers who preach that we should BE HERE NOW. Living with enjoyment in the present is a valuable practice, but dismissing or demeaning the past is shortsighted. Our lives are forged from our histories. We should revere the stories we are made of, visit them regularly and keep learning from them. It’s an excellent time to heal your memories and to be healed by them. Cultivate deep gratitude for your past. Enjoy this quote from novelist Gregory Maguire: “Memory is part of the present. It builds us up inside; it knits our bones to our muscles and keeps our heart pumping. It is memory that reminds our bodies to work, and memory that reminds our spirits to work, too: it keeps us who we are.”

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Controversial author William S. Burroughs was a troublemaker. But he had some wisdom that will soon be extra useful for you. He said that love is the best natural painkiller available. I bring this to your attention not because I believe you will experience more pain than the rest of us in the coming months. Rather, I am predicting you will have extra power to alleviate your pain – especially when you raise your capacity to give and receive love.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Saturn entered Pisces in March 2023 and won’t depart until February 2026. Is that a bad or good thing for you? Some astrologers might say you are in a challenging time when you must make cutbacks and take on increased responsibility. I have a different perspective. I believe this is a phase when you can get closer than ever before to knowing exactly what you want and how to accomplish it. In my view, you are being called to shed secondary wishes that distract you from your life’s central goals. I see this period as a homecoming – your invitation to glide into robust alignment with your soul’s code.

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-Wed: 9ish - 5ish

Thurs: On delivery

Fri: Gone fishing; call first

Announcements

Migrants, Send Me $$$$$

I need it ... I’ll cut down that wall. Trust me. D. Trump.

Friday 6pm Dancing Lesson at VFW Go to DurangoDancing.com to get on notification list.

KDUR is Celebrating 50 years in 2025. Staff is on the hunt for past DJs who have a fond memory, story or recorded material! Email station manager Bryant Liggett, Liggett_b@fortlewis.edu or call 970.247.7261

Lost/Found

Found: Subaru Key

On rope with knot at Oxbow. 970946-6682

Wanted

Books Wanted at White Rabbit! Cash/trade/donate (970) 259-2213

Cash for Vehicles, Copper, Alum Etc. at RJ Metal Recycle. Also free appliance and other metal drop off. 970259-3494.

HelpWanted

Hiring Framing Labor

Must have a good work ethic, transportation and the ability to work as part of a team building custom homes in Durango. Call or Text 970-749-0422

Do You Drive to Bayfield?

The Telegraph is looking for someone to deliver papers to Three Springs/Bayfield every Thursday. Four stops. $25/ week. For info., email telegraph@durangotelegraph.com.

ForRent

Office Space for Rent

Beginning April 1st in Colorado Heritage Plaza at 150 E 9th St., Ste 200. 305 sq/ft at $625/mo. includes all utils except internet. Internet ranges from $30$50/mo. Please email or call Matt: matt@ homesfund.org; 970-259-1418 ext. 4

Integrative Health Clinic

Renting beautiful office downtown. Patio, sunlight, reception with park view. 970-247-1233

ForSale

TaoTronics 4k Action Camera

New and in the box. Waterproof housing, handlebar/pole mount, battery, protective cover, USB cable and lens cleaning cloth. $50. J.marie.pace@gmail.com

Reruns Home Furnishings

Get your outdoor space ready for spring. Good selection of patio sets, bistros and yard art. Also furniture, art, linens and other housewares. Looking to consign smaller furniture pieces. 572 E. 6th Ave. Open Mon.-Sat. 385-7336.

Services

Boiler Service - Water Heater

Serving Durango over 30 years. Brad, 970-759-2869. Master Plbg Lic #179917

Grid Down Internet

Stay connected no matter what - Free consultation, installation and edu. guide.jt@gmail.com

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.

Electric Repair

Roof, gutter cleaning, fence, floors, walls, flood damage, mold, heating service.

BodyWork

Rachel McGehee

Therapeutic massage & intuitive health consult. 23yrs+ of helping Dgo feel better. 970-903-0388

Lotus Path Healing Arts

A unique, intuitive fusion of Esalen massage, deep tissue & Acutonics, 24

HaikuMovieReview

‘Dream Scenario’

Things get weird when the whole world has dreams about a dullard professor

– Lainie Maxson

years of experience. To schedule call Kathryn, 970-201-3373.

Massage by Meg Bush

LMT, 30, 60 & 90 min., 970-759-0199.

CommunityService

Rodney Ems Memorial Scholarship

The Rodney Ems Memorial Scholarship committee is seeking applications from area students who demonstrate a love of golf and how it has had impacted their lives. Scholarships are a minimum of $1,000. Applicants must be a graduating senior from a public, private or charter school in Southwest Colorado. The applicant must be accepted to a twoor four-year college or university, or a vocational/technical school. Applications can be found at www.remsgolf.com and should be emailed to rems.scholarship@ gmail.com by April 15.

“I saw it in the Telegraph.”