The Durango Telegraph, May 6, 2021

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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

Talking trash

Leap of faith

An Italian feast

‘Trash Art’ auction raising funds, environmental awareness p9

Festival season kicks off in SWCO for better or worse p10

You’ll want to savor every bite of this courtroom drama p11

The search is over.

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2 n May 6, 2021

telegraph

lineup

8

4 La Vida Local

Maxxed out Conservative outlet retracts story that sent Colorado man into hiding

4 Thumbin’ It

by Bente Birkeland/Colorado Public Radio

5 Word on the Street 6-7 Soapbox

9

8 State News

Talking trash

AHS ‘Trash Art’ auction to raise waste awareness, help local nonprofit

9 Local News

by Missy Votel

Ear to the ground: “I’m just so happy I don’t have to hear about Mr. Carrots all the time.”

– Stroke patient who was relieved to wake up in the hospital and find that Donald Trump was still not president

Hooking up

thepole

RegularOccurrences

The good news: electric and hybrid vehicles sales are speeding up in Colorado.

The bad news: manufacturers of the SUVs and trucks Coloradoans love have been slow to hop on the EV bandwagon.

Coloradans registered 3,872 electric and plugin hybrid vehicles in the first quarter of 2021, up 66 percent from the same period in 2020, according to a story in the Colorado Sun. Those EVs made up 6 percent, or 3,842 of the 64,039 firstquarter registrations in Colorado in 2021, up from 3.8 percent in 2020. However, this is still a small percentage of the state’s overall vehicle sales and a far cry from the state’s “Greenhouse Gas Road Map” goal of putting 940,000 electric vehicles on Colorado roads by 2030.

10 Top Shelf 11 Murder Ink

10

12-13 Stuff to Do

Let the music play Taking a leap of faith into festival season in SWCO

13 Ask Rachel

by Chris Aaland

14 Free Will Astrology 15 Classifieds

11

15 Haiku Movie Review

Feast on this

You’ll want to savor every bite of this Italian courtroom drama

On the cover: Two goslings head out to explore their surroundings in Durango./ Photo

by Stephen Eginoire

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EDITORIALISTA: Missy Votel (missy@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.

T

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

telegraph

Part of the problem? Colorado loves its 4WD trucks and SUVS, particularly the ubiquitous Subaru. And if you think the state has more than its fair share, it’s not your imagination – more than 10 percent of the vehicles bought in Colorado in the first quarter this year were Subarus, compared with less than 5 percent nationally. Overall, more than 97.1 percent of vehicles bought this year in Colorado were 4WD SUVs or light trucks, compared to about 75 percent nationally. Just 13 years ago, these vehicles made up 58 percent of all sales in Colorado.

However, experts believe EVs likely won’t gain traction until there are more electric SUVs on the market. Although Colorado buyers would likely snatch up an EV Subaru, the company has announced that its first fully electric SUV – developed with part-owner Toyota – won’t go on sale until late 2022 at the earliest.

Ditto goes for other Colorado 4WD faves. An electric Ford F-150 pickup won’t be hitting U.S. car lots until late 2022 and will come at a high price, according to the Sun. The Dodge RAM is not expected to go electric until 2023, and Toyota has been slow to announce new EV models as well.

In addition to a lack of electric SUVs, Colorado still needs to come up to speed on its charging infrastructure. A report by the International Council on Clean Transportation found Colorado needs to grow from its roughly 2,100 stations to 24,100 by 2030.

Currently, Durango has about nine EV charging stations, and there are still generous dealer discounts and tax credits for EVs, depending on the manufacturers. 4CORE is holding an EV test drive Sat., May 15, from 1-5 p.m. at the County Fairgrounds. EVs featured include the 2021 Chevy Bolt, Kia Niro and Mustang Mach-E, and buyers will be able to take advantage of a special 4CORE group buy deal through June 15. For more info, go to www.fourcore.org.

May 6, 2021 n

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opinion

LaVidaLocal Words to live by A few weeks ago I did something I’d never done in my life: I read an entire book in a day. It was the day after my second dose of the COVID vaccine, and I was couch bound.

Even though I’m a writer, editor, and publisher, I don’t read for pleasure as much as I would like. At the end of a long day staring at words, my default is usually a movie or a show.

Books are the best though, I know that. There’s just something so magical and mysterious about a good book; its unexplainable. The Stranger in the Woods by Michael Finkel was the title I consumed during my vaccine-induced couch day. It’s about Christopher Knight, the infamous North Pond Hermit, who lived in isolation in Maine for 27 years.

Though I am a very slow reader, this book was a page turner, as the author told the impressive but dark tale of a man who could be considered both an expert survivalist and a longtime criminal. (Though he did survive in the woods for 27 years without human contact, he stole virtually everything he used and consumed from a nearby village.)

It had been so long since I’d been completely immersed in a book, I’d almost forgotten the joy and meditation of that feeling; a feeling that originally led me to my life’s work of words and stories.

Does anyone remember a decade or so ago when the Kindle came along and people thought it might kill the printed book and bookstores? That was right around when I started writing books. When I released my first book in 2012, I made sure I also released an e-book. That was going to be the future right?

These days I sell hundreds of printed books and zines for every e-version I sell.

Though I know some people love their Kindles, most of us have stuck with the old-fashioned book; something about how they feel, and how they smell. Plus, screens dominate our lives so heavily now, picking up a book can feel like a healthy escape from our internet-dominated culture.

Books had a banner year in 2020; the last time they did so well was during the previous financial crisis. My own business reflected that uptick, especially during the “lockdown” phase of last spring. It was a bright spot in an otherwise terrible and frightening time period, knowing that my readers found solace and comfort while snuggling up with a book or zine.

As a writer, I truly believe that reading is one of the most important things to do if you want to write, especially in your formative years. While reading a good book is as easy as slipping into some hot springs at the perfect temperature, writing a book can be as difficult and painful as an unclimbed, frigid mountain.

Almost 20 years ago, I started my first attempt at writing a book. For years and years, I failed. I’d sometimes get thousands of words in and my vision of the book would seemingly dissolve into thin air. It was one of the most frustrating feelings ever. What I didn’t realize in my years of failure was that failure eventually would contribute to success. Sometimes you have to do wrong before you can do right.

Though I’ve written and published five books, only two of those have been continuous stories: American Climber and The Desert. It’s been a couple years since I wrote The Desert, and I’m itching to write another book; though the past year has been full of false starts.

It’s frustrating as hell, but I’m also trying to be guided by my failure, because I know that failure is an essential part of the writing process. It’s also amazing to be on the creative side of writing a book; knowing that something that takes a writer years to dream up and write up can be consumed in just a day or two. Perhaps that is part of the magic of reading a book?

There were two things that finally helped me finish my first full-length book: time and organization. As a non-fiction writer, I simply needed to live life in order to have a book’s worth of material. I needed some of the wisdom that life inevitably gives when one is striving to be a writer.

And I needed to organize. The single best strategy that helped me was visualizing a book like a multiday big wall climb. For every big climb, there’s a small “topo” that we climbers use to guide the way. For example, with El Capitan in Yosemite, most of these climbs are around 30 pitches or so. Topos are notorious for being vague and incorrect, and many times they provide the climber with just enough information to both get themselves in trouble and also guide them to success.

Before I wrote both American Climber and The Desert, I had a bulletin board hanging in my home office with notes on each chapter; where I was starting and where I wanted to end up.

The true joy in the painful process of writing a book is when you are completely absorbed in the work. You’re both following the vision, while simultaneously being improvisational; absorbing the magic that is storytelling through the written word.

I wish I could write that the process gets easier once you’ve written a few books.

It doesn’t, at least not for me. The only comfort I have is that if I keep writing the words will keep coming.

Sometimes the words end up in the trash, and other times they end up in a book.

The only thing I can do is to keep striving. And when the words don’t come, it’s time to shut down the computer and get into a good book.

– Luke Mehall Luke Mehall’s books and zines are available locally and on the interwebs. If you don’t feel like reading, you can listen to his “Dirtbag State of Mind” podcast, which releases new

Sign of the Downfall:

Thumbin’It

Mother’s Downfall An easing of COVID restrictions, with Gov. Polis dropping the mask mandate for indoor spaces where at least 80 percent of occupants are vaccinated

India becoming the world’s new COVID hot spot, with a “human catastrophe” unfolding as the virus and its variants spread uncontrolled across southeast Asia

A continued respite from the constant barrage of inflammatory lies and falsehoods from the former commander in cheese, with Facebook extending Trump’s ban for another six months

The horrific and tragic death of local woman Laney Malavolta, who was killed in a rare black bear attack last weekend

Predictions the Pfizer vaccine will soon be approved for use in children ages 12-16, helping to stem the rampant spread of the virus among children

4 n May 6, 2021

A Mancos school teacher being arrested this week on suspicion of sexual assault on a student

telegraph

One can gauge how close we are to societal collapse by analyzing the gifts we give, and things aren’t looking good considering this year’s worst Mother’s Day gifts: 1.)

“TP Roll Earrings” are little toilet paper earrings so you can wear an excuse to talk about the pandemic. 2.) Alcoholic whipped cream: “Whipped” is alcohol-infused whip cream in a can, because why not? 3.) Lastly, the “The Golden GILFs” coloring book is sure to herald the apocalypse, because it stars Blanche, Dorothy, Rose and Sofia in “various states of sexual congress,” which is definitely coloring outside the lines.

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Q

With Mother’s Day on Sunday, the Telegraph asked, “What’s the ultimate gift for mom?”

Terry

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Larry

“I’d have to say it would be candy.”

Kalli

“Spending time with her.”

Nicole

“A spa day, complete with a soak and a massage.”

Jeff

“Some tasty waves and a cool buzz.”

telegraph

May 6, 2021 n 5

SoapBox Statue stuck in the past The backlash and ignorant responses to Kayla Shaggy’s brilliant March 11 cartoon regarding the Toh-Atin Gallery highlights the critical need for these thought-provoking cartoons in our community. The people who felt a need to defend the owners of Toh-Atin, to put it simply, are stuck in the 1950s, when that statue was first installed.

Digging your heels into outdated and racist views in 2021 is a bad look.

Eventually, justice will prevail and the sign will be removed. Will the Clarks be remembered as open-minded, anti-racists who support the Indigenous members of their community when it happens? On the contrary. They will be remembered as they are acting today: colonizers willfully contributing to the dreadful continuation of antiNative rhetoric, art and culture.

Thank you, Kayla, for speaking out and making art that is meaningful, thoughtful and righteous.

– Jordan Romeo (she/they), Cortez (former Durango resident)

A snapshot of Medicare X The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has exposed many systemic inequities in our country, particularly within our health-care system. COVID-19 put more pressure on these fault points. The fact that nearly 15 million people lost their health care and jobs in this pandemic begs the question: why do we tie health care to employment? For this reason, as well as the prohibitive cost of health care, our legislators have been motivated to propose a number of policy reforms.

Sens. Bennet and Kaine have recently reintroduced their health-care reform bill, Medicare X Choice, which is con-

sidered a “public option.” Their intention is to make health-care more accessible and affordable to Americans.

This public option is a government-funded health insurance plan that would exist in addition to private health insurance. Medicare X would become a new option offered in the ACA marketplace. The various public programs, such as Medicare, Medicaid, V.A., etc. will continue to be available.

This public option aims to cut prescription drug prices by removing the provision that restricts the government from negotiating drug prices for Medicare. The U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs is allowed to negotiate drug prices, which has resulted in prices approximately 40 percent lower than the prices paid by Medicare.

Although not specifically stated in Medicare X, some other public option plans state a provision to establish an “independent review board” to assess a drug’s value and determine an appropriate price. Review boards are a staple in other high-income countries.

Medicare X premiums will be based on a sliding scale related to income. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates premiums for public options would be 78 percent lower on average from the private plans currently on the exchange. Cost sharing co-payments for both silver and gold plans remain.

The higher the premium payment, the less you pay out of pocket for health-care costs. The premiums would be capped at 13 percent of total income in the current version of the Medicare X bill.

Provider payments for this public option are proposed to be near Medicare rates with an additional 25 percent increase for rural areas. This may become a potential drawback if providers choose to restrict or not accept Medicare X patients, opting for patients with private insurance instead because of the more generous reimbursement rates.

The ACA out-of-pocket maximums still apply to the

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public option. The out-of-pocket limit for a Marketplace plan can’t be more than $8,550 for an individual and $17,100 for a family in 2021.

The benefits for the public option seem to be similar to the ACA marketplace. Among the 10 essential health benefits included are prescription drugs, primary care, maternity services, lab work, mental health care and specific preventive services. Not included are hearing, dental, vision and long-term care.

A public option may improve provider and hospital transparency on prices and outcomes. A 2019 government rule required all hospitals to post prices of services online.

Unfortunately, hospitals complied by posting confusing spreadsheets of abbreviations, medical codes and numbers.

Two-thirds of the largest hospitals are not complying with this transparency rule. If this public option requires the health-care system to be more transparent, it would go a long way to protecting patients from surprise medical bills by posting prices clearly and in advance of service.

A 2020 study by the American Journal of Public Health estimated total administrative waste in health-care costs about $500-$800 billion annually. (Total health-care spending in the U.S. is $3.6 trillion.) By comparison, America spends three times as much as our peer countries on administration. It is estimated that a public option may realize 20-30 percent administrative savings.

By maintaining private insurers and a two-tiered system of plans, (gold and silver), a public option continues a system that stratifies Americans into different classes of coverage by ability to pay, maintaining health inequities.

The principal behind public options is to offer incremental change that doesn’t send shock waves but offers a method to test whether a public plan will be competitive enough to apply pressure on private insurers to reduce prices. Keeping the private insurance system we have4

now doesn’t allow for a large reduction in current healthcare costs, nor does it help people to more easily navigate a confusing system.

– Jan Phillips, Durango

A wake-up call in bear country With the tragic death of a woman and three bears near Trimble, we all need to do our best to avoid conflict. Besides the good advice from CPW including don’t run, don’t feed bears and wildlife. They get used to human presence rather than staying wild and shy, which black bears normally are. If you feed hummingbirds, bring feeders in at night or when you are gone. In this dog-centered town (and I have two) keep your dogs on a leash, particularly when walking in a forest, and have bear spray when hiking. Always be aware of your surroundings. If you have kids, teach them proper etiquette around bears and other wildlife. Hiking with ear buds or constantly talking without paying attention does not help your safety.

We will never know what happened in the tragic incident, but chances are the dogs provoked mom bear. I haven’t had my bear spray on me lately, but this incident is a wake-up call and changes my behavior to ensure safety of myself, bears and my dogs.

If you want to have your dog run free, the dog park is great or open fields where you have your dogs under voice control. And if you don’t have control of your dogs, take some obedience classes with your dog. If you have an aggressive dog always have them on a leash. A friend’s dog was just attacked on the Haviland trails.

And always pick up your dog’s poop where many people take dogs. As a ranger naturalist, I have led hikes where we would see bears, moose, elk at a safe distance. Respect wildlife and our opportunities to see wild creatures in a safe way.

– Margaret Mayer, Durango

Keeping us on sustainable path Re-electing Tim Wheeler to the LPEA Board of Directors will ensure continued, necessary progress at our rural electric cooperative. Over the last several years, LPEA has made impressive strides toward securing more local, renewable and affordable energy, but we’re not there yet.

We need Tim Wheeler and others to continue their hard work pushing creative solutions forward.

Tim is a seasoned businessman who thrives on big, innovative ideas, but he also has the skills to ground them

in financial reality. Tim was a part of the Power Supply Committee to investigate power supply options, availability, cost and reliability. He’s now a member of the Broadband Committee to define LPEA’s role in broadband for members. Tim served as the treasurer for the last three years, chaired the Finance and Audit Committee, and initiated a more transparent budgeting process. His vision, experience and expertise at LPEA will be priceless as the cooperative is poised to make big decisions about the future of energy for our region.

LPEA is on an important trajectory toward cleaner, more local and affordable energy. The path is longer and more complicated than it should be, so we need persistent, experienced leaders committed to getting us there. Tim is one of those leaders. Vote for Tim Wheeler for LPEA, District 4.

– Erika Brown, Durango

Wildlife passages save money, life As a conservation biologist for Rocky Mountain Wild, I have seen firsthand how wildlife highway crossing structures improve the safety of our roads for wildlife and humans alike. For the last five years, I have worked with a team to monitor the effectiveness of the recently built wildlife crossing structures, which includes five wildlife underpasses and two overpasses, on State Highway 9 between Silverthorne and Kremmling.

Prior to construction, wildlife-vehicle collisions accounted for 60 percent of all accidents reported to law enforcement. Our research shows that these structures have been successful at reducing wildlife-vehicle collisions by 90 percent. Moreover, we have documented nearly 113,000 successful road crossings by mule deer, in addition to those made by elk, bear, mountain lion, moose, bighorn sheep, pronghorn and even river otters.

The Governor’s proposed 2021 budget, which is being considered by the Colorado Legislature, includes resources for the protection of wildlife corridors and improvement of highway crossings in Colorado. Pursuant to Governor Polis’ Executive Order 2019-011, it also creates a new position at Colorado Parks and Wildlife to coordinate with CDOT and identify opportunities for future highway crossing projects. This investment would not only improve wildlife conservation outcomes and public safety, it would also save money. Coloradans spend $80 million per year on wildlife-vehicle collisions. Wildlife crossing structures pay for themselves quickly through collisions avoided.

This investment would make Colorado a national

Cornucopia:

A flawless set of tracks adorns the Battleship, north of Silverton, during recent prime corn conditions./ Photo by Stephen Eginoire

leader in wildlife corridor conservation and provide a future where highway travel is made safer for all Coloradans and our guests.

– Paige Singer, Conservation Biologist/Habitat Connectivity Lead, Rocky Mountain Wild

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Sorting ballots at Denver Elections Division headquarters on Nov. 2, 2020. Dominion Voting Systems is headquartered in Denver and used by 62 of Colorado’s 64 counties./ Photo by Hart Van Denburg, CPR News

Serving Southwest Colorado

Newsmax retracts Perpetuation of conspiracy theory forced Colorado man into hiding

by Bente Birkeland Colorado Public Radio

T

he conservative media outlet Newsmax, which amplified former President Trump’s false allegations of election rigging and widespread voter fraud, said April 30 that there is no evidence that Dominion Voting Systems or one of its top employees, Eric Coomer, manipulated election results.

“Newsmax subsequently found no evidence that such allegations were true. Many of the states whose results were contested by the Trump campaign after the November 2020 election have conducted extensive recounts and audits, and each of these states certified the results as legal and final,” read a written statement from the outlet that is also expected to air on television.

Coomer filed a lawsuit against Newsmax for defamation in Colorado state court on Dec. 22, 2020. He withdrew that suit last week, ahead of Newmax’s apology.

Coomer’s attorneys say he has reached a financial settlement, but terms of the arrangement were not disclosed.

Shortly after the election, Coomer became the subject of conspiracy theories that he had used his position at Dominion to manipulate votes for Biden. He strongly denies those allegations. Coomer has been living in hiding for nearly six months after facing death threats. While he has dropped

8 n May 6, 2021

his suit against Newsmax, Coomer is still suing the Trump campaign and a number of campaign surrogates and pro-Trump media outlets, alleging defamation.

Coomer said pro-Trump cable news networks like OAN and Newsmax crossed a legal line by amplifying and appearing to endorse obvious falsehoods about him and his employer. Coomer is the Director of Product Strategy and Security for Dominion Voting Systems. The company provides election equipment to 28 states, including swing states like Georgia where Trump focused much of his post-election ire.

While there’s no evidence of widespread voter fraud, millions of Americans believe President Biden did not legitimately win the presidential election.

Coomer says these false allegations elevated him to the national spotlight, destroyed his privacy and “fundamentally defamed his reputation across the country.”

In its digital retraction, Newsmax apologized for any harm its allegations caused Coomer and his family.

“Newsmax has found no evidence that Dr. Coomer interfered with Dominion voting machines or voting software in any way, nor that Dr. Coomer ever claimed to have done so,” said the statement. “Nor has Newsmax found any evidence that Dr. Coomer ever participated in any conversation with members of 'Antifa,' nor that he was directly involved with any partisan po-

telegraph

litical organization.”

Dominion and another election technology company, Smartmatic, have also filed defamation lawsuits against Trump allies and pro-Trump media companies, with more likely to come. Election companies are using billion-dollar defamation lawsuits to fight false claims that they were involved in stealing the 2020 election. The companies say the flood of disinformation about the election has hurt their bottom line.

According to a recent CNN poll, 70 percent of Republicans say they do not think President Biden won enough votes to be president. However, the number of Republicans who believe that there is solid evidence of fraud dropped 8 points to 50 percent.

Republican lawmakers across the country have pushed for new laws that could make voting more difficult for millions of Americans premised on the unsubstantiated belief that there was widespread cheating in the presidential election.

There are indications that the defamation suits are starting to have an effect. In February, an anchor for Newsmax walked out on an interview with MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell when he started making false claims about Dominion voting machines.

But other media companies have pledged to fight the lawsuits. Fox News has filed to dismiss the Smartmatic lawsuit, calling it “meritless” and a “legal shakedown designed to chill speech and punish reporting.” n

LocalNews

Owner of WeFill, Cristin Salaz, left, and Animas High School junior August Gates talk about the “Trash Art” auction. Nine works from AHS students are being auctioned off to help The Hive./Photo by Missy Votel

Art for change ‘Trash Art’ auction seeks to raise environmental awareness, funds

by Missy Votel

W

hen life give you lemons, you make lemonade. Or – in the case of Animas High School art students – when life gives you trash, you make art.

Last fall, AHS art teacher Britt Blasdell tasked her class with coming up with works of art that depicted the impacts of humangenerated waste on the Earth and its ecosystems. The students were also asked to incorporate everyday trash they found, from plastic bags to bottle caps and straws, into their works. The resulting nine pieces, known as the “Trash Art” exhibit, were then displayed at WeFill, a local zero-waste store committed to reducing single-use plastic.

And now, after several months of adorning the walls at WeFill, the pieces will be going to yet another use: helping to raise money for a local nonprofit.

The “Trash Art Auction” was the idea of AHS junior August Gates, who came up with the idea in a lemons-to-lemonade moment of his own. As part of his requisite junior year internship at AHS, Gates – an avid skateboarder – had planned to intern at a skateboard company in Portland, Ore. However, when that fell through because of the pandemic, he was forced to switch gears. That’s when he heard that WeFill

One of the works up for auction, a repurposed snail, by Roan Harvey owner Cristin Salaz was looking for an intern.

“Climate change and reducing singleuse plastic is really important to me,” Gates said. “I’m really interested in what Cristin’s doing, and it piqued my interest.”

Together, the two came up with the idea to auction off the pieces online.

“The art looks great on my walls, and since the pieces have been up, lots of people have come in and asked about them,” said Salaz.

As for a recipient of the proceeds from the auction, Gates settled on something near and dear to his heart: skateboarding.

All of the money raised – the goal is $600 – will go to The Hive, a youth-centered com-

munity hub, which is trying to raise funds for an indoor skatepark.

“Other than Colorado Springs and Woodward (Copper), there are not a lot of indoor skate parks in Colorado,” said Gates.

However, he noted the goal with the auction is twofold. “Our goal is to raise money for a local nonprofit organization that focuses on the community,” he said.

“We also want to raise awareness about Cristin’s business and spread the word about reducing plastic waste.

The online auction opened this week and runs through May 12 at: auctria. events/AHSTrashArtAuction, a website that Gates set up. The pieces can be viewed online or seen in person at WeFill, 3465 Main Ave., Tuesday-Friday, 12 noon – 6 p.m. In addition, folks who don’t want to bid on the art can still make a donation to The Hive fund-raiser via the webpage as well.n

JusttheFacts What: “Trash Art” auction featuring art

by Animas High School Students Who: Proceeds go to The Hive to help fund an indoor skatepark When: Through May 12; Where: auctria.events/AHSTrashArtAuction or WeFill, 3465 Main Ave., Tues.Fri., noon – 6 p.m.

telegraph

May 6, 2021 n

9

TopShelf

A leap of faith into festival season

by Chris Aaland

A

s I watched someone take a 60-foot freefall leap of faith off the third deck of the Tico Tower just to the right of the stage where Leftover Dust Farm was performing last Friday, I realized that the 2021 festival season would be weird.

The COVID-19 pandemic may have cancelled our entire festival season a year ago, but in 2021, it’s on … sort of … fingers crossed.

I ventured a mile south of the state line last weekend for the inaugural Tico Time Bluegrass Festival, the first of 10 music festers to be held at Tico Time Resort on the banks of the Animas River. After making the short walk from the parking area past the campgrounds, I saw the ever-present row of porta-potties that alerted me I was close. From there, I could see a foot bridge across the Animas leading to the festival grounds. Behold, a three-story zip line tower, two ponds with people rafting, kayaking, paddleboarding and watersliding, a sizable stage, and several hundred people getting their bad self on in a sand dance area while a bluegrass band belted out high and lonesome sounds.

This is Tico Time – a water park and adventure-themed campground that just so happens to have music festivals going on in the background. It’s like Water World meets Chuck E. Cheese meets the Planet Bluegrass Ranch, only with fewer rules.

I crossed the bridge and was greeted by dozens of my closest festival friends, including 75-year-old Telluride Tom on his scooter. Known as the Mayor of Telluride, Tom holds court at numerous festivals across the Western Slope. He’s currently recovering from cancer treatments but braved the pandemic in order to catch a few acts and have a beer or two with friends.

Masks were few and far between at Tico Time. I had mine on when I checked in at the ticket entrance, but quickly realized I was the only person wearing one and dropped my guard out of peer pressure. I think I saw fewer than 10 masked people both days I attended. Once inside the grounds, dozens of friends asked if I’d been

10 n May 6, 2021

fully vaccinated; when both parties confirmed this, hugs were exchanged. Not the big ol’ bear hugs I’m used to giving, but quick, timid, nice-to-meet-you kind of hugs you’d give a great aunt at a family reunion.

I couldn’t guess as to the percentage of people who were vaccinated. San Juan Basin Public Health reports around 43 percent of La Plata County residents are fully vaccinated, and a little more than 50 percent partially vaccinated. The makeup of the crowd was equally

Jimi and Robin Davis of the Robin Davis Duo split between those over 50 Tommy Frederico (the most likely to be vacciof La la Bones nated), those in their 40s (still likely to be vaccinated), 20- and 30-somethings (a group much less likely to be vaccinated) and children (unvaccinated). Since it was a mountain bluegrass festival, the crowd was certainly politically liberal, making them more likely to have been vaccinated … but it was held in San Juan County, N.M., which is notorious for being Trump Country, resistant to vaccines and mask regulations, and generally a COVID hotspot throughout the pandemic.

Let’s face it: the virus was there. We’ll see how well it transmits outdoors at an unmasked event and how well the vaccination works in the next week or two.

Rules are eschewed at Tico Time. It’s a dog-friendly, BYOB affair that openly advertises on social media New Mexico’s non-existent regulations for using marijuana at outdoor events. People defied any state or local COVID guidelines, other than spreading their festival chairs a good 6-10 feet away from the next pod of people … other

telegraph

than in the shade, which was coveted ground and packed chair-to-chair in the near 90-degree heat.

What didn’t matter was that the lineup was a bit light on headliners. The locals made a huge showing – regulars like StillHouse Junkies, Six Dollar String Band, Liver Down the River, the Robin Davis Duo, La La Bones, High Country Hustle and a half-dozen more were primed to finally play in front of a large crowd again. Their energy was contagious. Calling StillHouse, Six Dollar and Liver local is somewhat limiting. All three groups have reached some level of regional and national success, and their stars are rising and bright. I felt like a proud papa watching the audience swoon over my friends who are nearly a generation younger than me.

The headliners that I encountered – Leftover Dust Farm (Greg Garrison and Alwyn Robinson from Leftover Salmon, Andy Hall from the Infamous Stringdusters and Tyler Grant from Grant Farm) and Denver’s Wood Belly – didn’t disappoint, playing spirited, jam-heavy sets. Dust Farm rarely veered from the Grateful Dead and Stringdusters catalog, choosing crowd-friendly tunes to get the literal dust flying. I also discovered a new favorite in Pittsburgh’s Jakob’s Ferry Stragglers, which is a quintet that walks the line between bluegrass and old-time. I hope they make their way to future festivals in our region.

The lack of Sam, Tim, Peter, Yonder and other festival headliners didn’t matter. Hell, even COVID-19 didn’t matter … We were happy just to see each other and dance.

I didn’t drink at Tico Time, the first sober festival of my life. I’m in a medically necessitated alcohol-, sugarand carbohydrate-free stage of my life right now in an effort to lower my blood sugar levels and lose weight. It’s working – 15 pounds in three weeks. My festival diet consisted of a dozen or so 40-ounce bottles of filtered water per day, a couple of hard-boiled eggs and a few ounces of garlic and green beans sautéed in olive oil. Two years ago, I’d have easily pounded a 12-pack each day and a halfdozen cocktails.

Later this spring, through the summer and into autumn are blues, country, jam, rock, EDM and other festivals, with lineups still being booked.

The next event at Tico Time is its reggae festival from May 13-15. Longtime KDUR DJ and lifelong reggae musician, historian and fan Rasta Stevie is helping with production and promotion for festivals. Expect no less than a top shelf lineup from Stevie – Dan Kelly (of Fortunate Youth), Karim Israel (Arise Roots), Zeb (of Tribal Seeds), Tomorrow’s Bad Seeds, Perfect Giddimani and Lion Heights are among the 20-plus acts to perform. n I’ve missed that smile on your face? Email me at chrisa@go brainstorm.net.

MurderInk

An Italian feast ‘The Measure of Time’ by Gianrico Carofiglio a literary meal worth savoring

by Jeffrey Mannix

B

itter Lemon Press is a London publisher of selective crime fiction from Great Britain, Europe and South America. And in keeping with its selectivity, it’s represented in the United States by an exclusive public relations office in New York specializing in boutique foreign publishers and readers like us in the “Murder Ink” coterie who demand literary rather than bubblegum crime fiction. It’s a near-perfect arrangement that’s back again with a new and electrifying novel by a growing sensation from Italy, Gianrico Carofiglio, and his April 22 U.S. release, The Measure of Time.

Carofiglio had previously been a member of the Italian Senate and an anti-Mafia prosecutor in Bari, a port town on the coast of Puglia, where he prosecuted organized crime, corruption and the trafficking of people. The Measure of Time, which topped the best-selling list in Italy for three months and sold 350,000 copies, is the sixth in his Guido Guerrieri series that has sold, along with two stand-alone novels, over 5 million copies in Italy and an excess of 70,000 copies in English language editions.

Carofiglio is of a special breed of suspense writer, in league with luminaries of a generation ago who didn’t write for the film contract.

The Measure of Time is a courtroom drama, let’s get that out of the way. But courtrooms and legal drama in Southern Italy are as different from the decorum of solicitors and the political correctness of English-speaking trials as Italian food differs from American fast food and chain restaurants. Passion is served up here, and while reading The Measure of Time you’ll want to pace yourself and know when to stop to think over what you just devoured.

This is high-calorie consumption you’ll snarf up.

Carofiglio is a wordsmith, a maker of scenes stinking of important consequences, with subtle invitations to predict or judge. It really makes no sense to even briefly describe the legal foundations of investigation and courtroom drama, or even the characters in The Measure of

Time. This is a book of words shaped so precisely you’ll be able to guess the number of heartbeats the players thrum anytime they appear. Some writers take you where you’ve never been through the fabrication of crime and chase; some through the veil of mystery or the noise of adventure. Carofiglio orchestrates, or maybe the better word is choreographs.

What better venue to whisper a challenge not to feel the passion of words demanding your attention than the oily engine room of criminal defense?

As mornings begin, Avvocato Guido Guerrieri, smartly dressed and groomed, arrives suitably late at the office of his law practice, checks with his wingman, Pasquale, about any breaking news, and is handed a note and an explanation that “… at seven there’s a new client, a woman.

“Who is she? – with his usual slight aloofness, Pasquale leafed through the spiral notepad he always carries with him. Each one of us has something that identifies us and with which, assuming we’re aware of it, we identify.

For Pasquale it’s his notepad.”

Delle Foglie, a surname, is all Guido is told, and of course he had time at 7 in the evening to meet with the woman in distress. And something rings familiar about that name.

Lorenza was her first name and indeed she was familiar, from 27 years ago, when she left his pad and his bed and

Get a fresh bag of Fahrenheit Coff ffe ee for your mom or any mom!

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his life, never to appear again until this night at seven o’clock. She returns to ask for help reversing the conviction of her 25-year-old son, Lacopo, sentenced to 24 years in prison for the murder of his putative drug dealer.

Guido is no longer attracted to this woman, but she is a revenant of his past affections, and he feels a hint of obligation. He interviews her son, Lacopo, in the prison attorney’s room and finds an indolent lout he immediately dislikes. He takes the case without good reason. And why does he take this case with conviction already adjudicated? Because Guido is Italian, and Italian men save desperate women. And to do that, he must rehabilitate the punk kid by having him retried on the merits of inconsistencies in his original trial that he has no idea exist.

So where to start, salted with why start and how? Carofiglio has elected to describe an investigation, manage and clean up a career criminal who’s the son of a former mistress who dumped him without notice almost three decades ago, and discover illegitimate law enforcement, unethical prosecution and wholly inadequate legal defense. And as an act of chivalry, do all this sans fee.

I could drone on with a spoiler or two to whet your appetite and illustrate Carofiglio’s acrobatic maneuvers. But The Measure of Time is such handsomely made theater that the spoilers won’t give anything away as much as deprive you from being enraptured by the warm and perfectly fitted encasement this story wraps ever so wonderfully around your reason to read.

Mention “Murder Ink” and get 15 percent off this title and others reviewed in this column at Maria’s Bookshop. n

Helping make my home, your home.

I will make sure you’re TCO in DGO.

Rebecca Applegate

Taking Car Care e Of Business

970.769.1336 Rebecca@RealEstateDurango.com

1099 Main Ave., under the big clock Mon.- Thurs., 7:30am-3pm and Fri., 7:30am-1pm

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May 6, 2021 n 11

StufftoDo

Thursday06 Gary B. Walker plays piano, 11a.m.-1 p.m., JeanPierre Bakery & Restaurant, 601 Main Ave. “Sophisticated Rebels: Insurgent Archaeologies in the American Southwest,” free webinar, 4 p.m.

Register at www.CrowCanyon.org Adam Swanson, 5:30-8:30 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave. Jose Villareal, 5:30-8:30 p.m., Office Spiritorium, 699 Main Ave. Dustbowl Revival livestream concert, presented by the Sheridan Arts Foundation. Tickets available at: www.sheridanoperahouse.com. Show also runs May 13.

Trivia night is back! 6:30-8:30 p.m., the Powerhouse, 1333 Camino Del Rio. Socially distanced tables, masks required. No groups larger than eight. $5 suggested team donations.

“Carrie: The Musical,” presented by DHS Toupe 1096, opening night, 7 p.m. Shows also run May 7-8 and May 13-15. Tickets at: troupe1096.weebly.com Southwest Colorado Community COVID Forum, online, 7-8 p.m. Presented by Colorado Working Families Party, the Colorado AFL-CIO, and United Today, Stronger Tomorrow. Register at: mobilize.us/co-wfp/event/374164/

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

Friday07 Animas River Stakeholders Group memorial dedication, 2 p.m., banks of the Animas River, Silverton.

Jack Ellis and Larry Carver play 5:30-8:30 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave. Dustin Burley plays, 5:30-8:30 p.m., Office Spiritorium, 699 Main Ave. Elder Grown plays two socially distanced shows, 6:45 & 9:45 p.m., Animas City Theatre. Tickets at: www.animascitytheatre.com

The 1976 blockbuster horror flick “Carrie” is back – this time live, with singing (and masks)! Starting tonight, DHS Troupe 1096 presents its first live performance in over a year, “Carrie: The Musical,” the story of Carrie White, a teen-age outcast who possesses telekinetic powers. Bullied at school and dominated by her zealot mother, Carrie ends up getting the last laugh at the prom in this PG-13 adaptation of the Stephen King classic. The curtain goes up on all the gory fun starting at 7 p.m. May 78 and May 13-15. Limited tickets are available. To purchase, go to: troupe1096.weebly.com Return of the Jedi! 9:30-10:30 a.m., learn the Japanese weapons and techniques seen in “Star Wars.”

Claire Viles Park (across from St. Columba). www.durangoaikido.com

“Carrie: The Musical,” presented by DHS Toupe 1096, 7 p.m. Shows also run May 13-15. Limited tickets available. To purchase, go to: troupe1096.weebly.com

Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives Awareness Day, 11 a.m.-4 p.m., Buckley Park, hosted

by Four Borderless Corners and featuring Indigenous leaders and advocates, solidarity walk, information about MMIR, music and more. All are welcome.

Sunday09

“Carrie: The Musical,” presented by DHS Toupe 1096, 7 p.m. Shows also run May 8 and May 13-15.

Limited tickets available at: troupe1096.weebly.com

“The 140-year history of the Durango Police Department” zoominar, 1 p.m., presented by the Animas Museum. Cost $5. To register, go to animasmuseum.org/events.html.

FLC Spring 2021 Commencement, Dennison Memorial Field. Ceremonies are not open to the public.

Ceremonies also take place May 8. Livestream at facebook.com/fortlewis.

Durango Shimmy Mob throughout Durango.

Performances are free but donations welcome. Money rasied will go to Alternative Horizons.

Saturday08

Larry Carver and Ben Gibson play, Derailed Pour House, 725 Main Ave.

Durango Farmers Market, 8 a.m.- 12 noon, Saturdays through October. TBK Parking Lot, 259 W. 9th St. www.durangofarmersmarket.com

Jack Ellis plays, 5:30-8:30 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave.

FLC Spring 2021 Commencement, Dennison Memorial Field. Ceremonies are not open to the public.

Livestream available at facebook.com/fortlewis.

Henry Stoy plays piano, 9 a.m.-12 p.m., Jean-Pierre Bakery & Restaurant, 601 Main Ave.

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Matt Rupnow plays, 5:30-8:30 p.m., Office Spiritorium, 699 Main Ave. Elder Grown plays two socially distanced shows, 6:45 & 9:45 p.m., Animas City Theatre. Tickets at: www.animascitytheatre.com

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Henry Stoy plays piano, 9 a.m.-12 p.m., Jean-Pierre Bakery & Restaurant, 601 Main Ave. Apollo 14 virtual speaker series, 4:30-5:30 p.m., with Charlie Garcia, stealth thruster lead engineer at Agile Space Industries, discussing NASA’S Commercial Lunar Payload program and America’s return to the moon. Q & A follows. Tune into @powscicenter Facebook live stream.

Blue Moon Ramblers play, 5:30-8:30 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave. Joel Racheff, 5:30-8:30 p.m., Office Spiritorium, 699 Main Ave.

Monday10 Meditation and Dharma Talk with Erin Treat, 5:306:15 p.m. Online at www.durangodharmacenter.org/ Joel Racheff, 5:30-8:30 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave. Rob Webster, 5:30-8:30 p.m., Office Spiritorium, 699 Main Ave. 4

AskRachel

Unnatural flavors, puzzling punctuation and bat bikes Interesting fact: According to the FDA Code of Regulations, natural flavors are created from substances extracted from certain plant or animal sources. I don’t know about you, but just reading the word “extracted” makes me hungry.

Dear Rachel, I’m drinking one of those off-brand bubbly waters right now, and I’m just puzzled by the ingredients list. Zero percent juice, of course, but natural flavors. If the flavors came from the fruit in question, I would have to think there would be some percent juice. Are the flavors naturally from something else entirely? Or is this a case of rounding error, where 0.025 percent juice means just call it zilch and be done with it?

– Thrown for a Fruit Loop Dear Nosey, Did you know that there really is no industry standard definition for what “natural” means? It’s true! It certainly doesn’t mean “occurs naturally in nature,” because I’ve never had a banana or watermelon candy that tastes like, you know, banana or watermelon. And what the frig is a blue raspberry anyway? It’s all just a nice euphemism for “manufactured chemical flavoring.” If you want truly natural bubbly water, you have to find it at the source.

– Burp, Rachel Dear Rachel, We interrupt our work day to email you. One of us was typing away, when all of a sudden a certain word processing program started for-

Tuesday11 7 Rivers Farmers Market, 12-3 p.m., featuring local farmers, food vendors and artisans, La Plata County Fairgrounds. Masks and social distancing required.

Adaptive Sports Summer Participant Open House, 1-3 p.m. Interested participants can call 970-259-0374, visit asadurango.com, or email program@asadurango.com.

Leah Orlikowski, 5:30-8:30 p.m., Office Spiritorium, 699 Main Ave. 4 the Children Executive Director Ashley Hein free virtual talk, 6 p.m. Hein will speak about the services provided through their programs. Presented the Rotary Club of Durango. For log-in, email: Mtnman16@gmail.com.

Author Discussion: Anne MacKinnon, 6:30 p.m., zoom talk with the author of Public Waters. www.mariasbookshop.com

Wednesday12 Adaptive Sports Summer Volunteer Open House, 5-7 p.m. Volunteers are needed to assist in daily programming including whitewater rafting, canoeing, kayaking, cycling, camping, rock climbing and more.

matting every punctuation mark with this excessive space after it. I’ m talking like this. It’ s annoying, right? I thought it was my computer, but I said something out loud and my (home) office mate said “THAT’ S HAPPENING TO ME TOO!” I don’t even know how to begin googling a problem like this. But what are the odds we’d both get it?

– Glitches in the Matrix Dear Whoopsies, Did you both get your Covid vaccines? Because if it’s a word (ahem) processing program from a certain philanthropist billionaire’s company, then you got the Microsoft chips floating around in your system. And as you know, Microsoft programs are guaranteed to work fine until precisely the moment you expect them to do what they say they will do. I’m waiting for half the human population to have to install updates right before some big presentation.

– Please wait, Rachel Dear Rachel, I pulled out my bike this week and rode for the first time since the world ended last year.

Yeah yeah, I know I don’t belong here if I can go that long without riding. But I figured I’d still have some residual abilities, right? WRONG. Ten miles and the next day I was walking like a bat.

Have you ever seen a bat walk? Exactly. Any particular tips for a born-again newbie?

– Starting Over

Training is free and no prior experience necessary. Interested volunteers should call 970-259-0374, visit asadurango.com, or email program@asadurango.com for more information.

“Lace Up & Power On” Spring Virtual 5K for Girls on the Run of Western Colorado, May 12-19. Open to the public, all proceeds benefit Girls on the Run of Western Colorado. Cost: $50 for a family of four; $15 for individual; and $10 per canine. Sign up at: gotrwesterncolorado.org “Basic First Aid,” 5-6:30 p.m., learn about bleeding, shock, fracture stabilization and seizures. Durango Rec Center. Classes limited to 20, masks required. To sign up, contact Tosh Black with Durango Fire Protection District at tosh.black@durangofire.org or 970-382-6014.

Terry Rickard, 5:30-8:30 p.m., Office Spiritorium, 699 Main.

“Landscapes of Stone: Iron Age Monuments, Rock Art and Landscapes Along the Tungabhadra River, South India,” zoominar, 7 p.m. Presented by the San Juan Basin Archaeological Society. For login info., go to sjbas.org.

Ongoing La Plata County Humane Society Baby Shower, thru May 8, sponsor a litter, buy supplies from participating

Email Rachel at telegraph@durangotelegraph.com Dear Feels Like the First Time, Actually, I have seen a bat walk. Well, sorta. It was probably halfway to death when I saw it in a friend’s garage. I actually thought it was a toad, or it would have scared me halfway to death too. But then I took pity on it, trapped it inside a five-gallon bucket, and let it go outside. Maybe you just need to let yourself go, too.

Though it sounds like you already have. Maybe you just need a better sports drink mix. Don’t use the bubbly stuff. It’s only got, like, 0.025 percent electrolytes.

– Saddle up, Rachel

pet supply stores or buy something on the Amazon wish list.

For details, go to: lpchumanesociety.org.

Cindy Coleman Pastel Paintings art show, thru May 31, Animas Chocolate & Coffee Co., 920 Main Ave. Alpacka Raft or Dalton golf raffle thru 10 a.m., May 10 at: www.lposc.org. Benefit for the La Plata Open Space Conservancy. $10/ticket or five/$40.

Family Fun Geo-Caching-Style Adventure, fundraiser for Fort Lewis Mesa Elementary, through May 16. Use your smartphone and problem-solving skills to follow a map and clues to the hidden Roadrunner. Each map purchased will enter your name into a drawing for a grand prize. For info., go to www.theroadrunnerchase.com.

Upcoming “Carrie: The Musical,” presented by DHS Toupe 1096, 7 p.m. Shows also run May 13-15. Limited tickets available.

To purchase, go to: troupe1096.weebly.com “Through” group art show featuring 28 local artists, opening reception, May 14, 5-9 p.m., Studio & Gallery, 1027 Main Ave. Only eight people will be allowed in the gallery at one time. Exhibit runs through May 22. For more info, go to: anddurango.com.

Deadline to submit items for “Stuff to Do” is Monday at noon.

E-mail your stuff to: calendar@durango telegraph.com

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May 6, 2021 n 13

FreeWillAstrology

by Rob Brezsny ARIES (March 21-April 19): Created by Leonardo da Vinci in the 16th century, the Mona Lisa is one of the world’s most famous paintings. It’s hanging in the Louvre museum in Paris. In that same museum is a less renowned version of the Mona Lisa. It depicts the same woman, but she’s unclothed. Made by da Vinci’s student, it was probably inspired by a now-lost nude Mona Lisa painted by the master himself. Renaissance artists commonly created “heavenly” and “vulgar” versions of the same subject. I suggest that in the coming weeks you opt for the “vulgar” Mona Lisa, not the “heavenly” one, as your metaphor of power. Favor what’s earthy, raw and unadorned over what’s spectacular, idealized and polished.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Taurus poet Vera Pavlova writes, “Why is the word yes so brief? It should be the longest, the hardest, so that you could not decide in an instant to say it, so that upon reflection you could stop in the middle of saying it.” I suppose it makes sense for her to express such an attitude, given the fact that she never had a happy experience until she was 20 years old, and that furthermore, this happiness was “unbearable.” (She confessed these sad truths in an interview.) But I hope you won’t adopt her hard-edged skepticism toward YES anytime soon, Taurus. In my view, it’s time for you to become a connoisseur of YES, a brave explorer of the bright mysteries of YES, an exuberant perpetrator of YES. GEMINI (May 21-June 20): In indigenous cultures from West Africa to Finland to China, folklore describes foxes as crafty tricksters with magical powers. Sometimes they’re thought of as perpetrators of pranks, but more often they are considered helpful messengers or intelligent allies. I propose that you regard the fox as your spirit creature for the foreseeable future. I think you will benefit from the influence of your inner fox – the wild part of you that is ingenious, cunning and resourceful.

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CANCER (June 21-July 22): “The universe conspires in your favor,” author Neale Donald Welsch writes. “It consistently places before you the right and perfect people, circumstances and situations with which to answer life’s only question: ‘Who are you?’” In my book Pronoia is the Antidote for Paranoia: How the Whole World is Conspiring to Shower You with Blessings, I say much the same thing, although I mention two further questions that life regularly asks, which are: 1. What can you do next to liberate yourself from some of your suffering? 2.

What can you do next to reduce the suffering of others, even by a little? As you enter a phase when you’ll get ample cos-

mic help in diminishing suffering and defining who you are, I hope you meditate on these questions every day.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): The poet Anne Sexton wrote a letter to a Benedictine monk whose real identity she kept secret from the rest of us. She told him, “There are a few great souls in my life. They are not many. They are few.

You are one.” In this spirit, Leo, and in accordance with astrological omens, I invite you to take an inventory of the great souls in your life: the people you admire and respect and learn from and feel grateful for; people with high integrity and noble intentions; people who are generous with their precious gifts. When you’ve compiled your list, I encourage you to do as Sexton did: Express your appreciation; perhaps even send no-strings-attached gifts.

Doing these things will have a profoundly healing effect on you.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): “It’s a temptation for any intelligent person to try to murder the primitive, emotive, appetitive self,” writes author Donna Tartt. “But that is a mistake. Because it is dangerous to ignore the existence of the irrational.” I’m sending this message out to you, Virgo, because in the coming weeks it will be crucial for you to honor the parts of your life that can’t be managed through rational thought alone.

I suggest you have sacred fun as you exult in the mysterious, welcome the numinous, explore the wildness within you, unrepress big feelings you’ve buried, and marvel adoringly about your deepest yearnings.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Science writer Sharman Apt Russell provides counsel that I think you should consider adopting in the coming days.

The psychospiritual healing you require probably won’t be available through the normal means, so some version of her proposal may be useful: “We may need to be cured by flowers. We may need to strip naked and let the petals fall on our shoulders, down our bellies, against our thighs.

We may need to lie naked in fields of wildflowers. We may need to walk naked through beauty. We may need to walk naked through color. We may need to walk naked through scent.”

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): As Scorpio author Margaret Atwood reminds us, “Water is not a solid wall; it will not stop you. But water always goes where it wants to go, & nothing in the end can stand against it.” According to my reading of the astrological omens, being like water will be an excellent strategy for you to embrace during the coming weeks.

“Water is patient,” she continues. “Dripping water wears away a stone. Remember you are half water. If you can’t go through an obstacle, go around it. Water does.”

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SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22Dec. 21): In a letter to a friend in 1856, Sagittarian poet Emily Dickinson confessed she was feeling discombobulated because of a recent move to a new home. She hoped she would soon regain her bearings. “I am out with lanterns, looking for myself,” she quipped, adding that she couldn’t help laughing at her disorientation. She signed the letter “From your mad Emilie,” intentionally misspelling her own name. I’d love it if you approached your current doubt and uncertainty with a similar light-heartedness & poise. (PS: Soon after writing this letter, Dickinson began her career as a poet in earnest, reading extensively & finishing an average of one poem every day for many years.)

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Now is a favorable time to celebrate both life’s changeableness and your own. The way we are all constantly called on to adjust to unceasing transformations can sometimes be a wearying chore, but I suspect it could be at least interesting and possibly even exhilarating for you in the coming weeks.

For inspiration, study this message from the “Welcome to Night Vale” podcast: “You are never the same twice, and much of your unhappiness comes from trying to pretend that you are. Accept that you are different each day, and do so joyfully, recognizing it for the gift it is. Work within the desires and goals of the person you are currently, until you aren’t that person anymore.”

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Aquarian author Toni Morrison described two varieties of loneliness. The first “is a loneliness that can be rocked.

Arms crossed, knees drawn up; holding, holding on, this motion smooths and contains the rocker.” The second “is a loneliness that roams. No rocking can hold it down. It is alive, on its own.” Neither kind is better or worse, of course, and both are sometimes necessary as a strategy for self-renewal – as a means for deepening and finetuning one’s relationship with oneself. I recommend either or both for you in the coming weeks.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): England’s Prince Charles requires his valet to iron his shoelaces and put toothpaste on his toothbrush and wash all of his clothes by hand. I could conceivably interpret the current astrological omens to mean that you should pursue similar behavior in the coming weeks. I could, but I won’t. Instead, I will suggest that you solicit help about truly important matters, not meaningless trivia like shoelace ironing. For example, I urge you to ask for the support you need as you build bridges, seek harmony, and make interesting connections.

classifieds

Deadline for Telegraph classified ads is Tuesday at noon.

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

(Sorry, no refunds or substitutions.)

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

Announcements Herbalist Led Medicinal/Edible Plant Hike Sat., May 8 and sun., May 16. Call 970759-9287.

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.

Lost/Found Found: U.S. Passport Headlamp, and other items, found on trail going up Chapman Hill, April 15.

Call to identify: 970-799-4016.

hrs/wk) Assistant Manager of Operations.

BA/BS, 2 years admin/program mgt exp w/extreme attention to detail req, $18$24/hr DOE. Email dgoasst@gmail.com for details

BodyWork

Caregivers $18/hr Disabled man needs help with care.

Call Johnny, 970-749-2692.

massageintervention.life Voted best massage in Durango 18/19/20. Couples, cupping, local CBD. Reviews on FB + Yelp. 970-903-2984.

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

Mother’s Day Gift Certificates!

Massage by Meg Bush, LMT, 30, 60 & 90 min., 970-759-0199.

ForSale

Reruns Home Furnishings Spring is here! Nice new bistros and vintage patio sets. Garden pots, yard art.

Mid-century desk, vintage Drexel surfboard coffee table, Pier 1 nightstands and side tables. Come in today. 572 E. 6th Ave. Open Mon.-Sat. 385-7336.

HaikuMovieReview

Jeep Grand Wagoneer 1986. One owner. No damage. $13,000. 970-749-0800.

‘Unhinged’ a chubby Russell Crowe goes on a murderous, sick, road rage rampage – Lainie Maxson

Services Will House Sit in Durango Responsible senior couple will house-sit, including your pets, in Durango CO June 7 - Aug 7 2021. Good internet connection required. Contact 970-250-5706, 970-6440419, mwethers1.mlw@gmail.com or paul.wetherstein@lm.doe.gov

NewspaperOrigami

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

HelpWanted Local First is Hiring!

Do you want to help La Plata County thrive? Local First is hiring a Communications and Membership Coordinator!

Info & apply at: local-first.org/work Amaya Natural Therapeutics Hiring massage therapists regular and back up shifts available. Email triciagour ley13@gmail.com Now Hiring The Juniper School, Durango’s district approved free K-5 charter school is now hiring for the 2021-22 school year. Please visit the website juniper.durango schools.org and see Employment tab for openings, job descriptions, and application.

Asst Ops Mgr for Nature-based Org Local no-profit offering nature-based soul immersions seeks full time (32

Fire Mitigation Services Professional Training & Services (Licensed & Insured) Retired Forester & Firefighter (Smokejumper) www.homestead firemitigation.com (970) 317-0826.

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

telegraph

A swan May 6, 2021 n 15

16 n May 6, 2021

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