The Durango Telegraph, June 23, 2022

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June 23, 2022 Vol. XXI, No. 25 durangotelegraph.com

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T H E

O R I G I N A L

I N D I E

W E E K L Y

L I N E

O N

D U R A N G O

&

B E Y O N D

The way we were

All aboard?

Fighting fentanyl

Return to old stomping grounds ushers in used-to-be game p6

New D&SNG fire restrictions pose quandary for businesses p8

Test strips the latest tool to stop overdoses before they start p10

2 n June 23, 2022

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lineup

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4 La Vida Local

Left in the dust A return to the old stomping grounds through a lens of time and nostalgia

by Jonathan Thompson / Land Desk

4 Thumbin’ It 5 Word on the Street 6 Land Desk

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8 Top Story

Off track Train shutdown due to fire risk causes grumbling over short notice

10 State News

by Jonathan Romeo

11 Flash in the Pan 12-13 Stuff to Do

10

13 Ask Rachel

Party patrol Testing strips latest effort to stop fentanyl overdoses before they start

by John Daley / CPR

14 Free Will Astrology 15 Classifieds 15 Haiku Movie Review

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Easy & cheesy

On the Cover Burros have their day at the annual Mancos BurroFest this past weekend./ Photo by Alex Krebs

Upping your mac ‘n’ cheese game is a lot easier than you think

by Ari LeVaux

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

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

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

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

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Ear to the ground:

“The ’90s were my lost years.”

– Local Gen Xer discussing the ski bum phenomenon whereby entire decades can pass untethered to reality

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RegularOccurrences

Catchin’ a Buzz Whatever happened to “Taxicab Confessions?”

We realize we might be showing our age here, so for the unacquainted: “Taxicab Confessions” was a late-night, hidden camera TV show that aired on HBO in the late 1990s. Basically, passengers – usually under the influence of some substance – were secretly recorded as they cruised the streets of New York City.

As one TV critic put it: “What we got was a carnival of humanity passing through the back seats of cabs, usually en route to some regrettable late-night destination. (Passengers) would spill their guts to the chatty cab drivers, ultimately revealing a whole bunch of truths about themselves. A lot of those truths were dark or f***** up or twisted.”

Ah yes, how we miss those stories. Like the guy who told his driver about a time he and his girlfriend got in a fight at a restaurant, and his girlfriend ended up bringing her cheeseburger and soup into the bathroom and ate it there. Or the one woman who tried to seduce her female cab driver, promising her husband would never find out. Or the dude who asked his lady friend, “Are we going to sleep together on our first date?” then looked at the cab driver knowingly and said, “I think we are.” The couple then started making out and almost spilled their White Castle.

“Taxicab Confessions” may be gone, but the good news is, Durango’s Buzz Bus is back, offering free rides to the inebriated on Friday and Saturday nights in an attempt to cut down on drunk driving.

Years ago, the City of Durango operated the Buzz Bus, but that service shut down in 2015. Recently, however, The Hive purchased a 14-passenger bus and resurrected the late-night offering, free of charge (feel free to tip the volunteer drivers). Now, you can hitch a ride anytime between 9 p.m. and 2:30 a.m. and not have to worry about a DUI. “There’s definitely been some super busy nights, but also some off nights,” Kelsie Borland, executive director of The Hive, said. “I think we just need to get the word out more.”

Drinking and driving is certainly an issue in Durango. In 2021, for example, there were 240 DUI arrests, according to the Durango Police Department. Yes, we have cabs as well as Uber/Lyft, but now you can get home safe at no cost (the Buzz Buss is funded by the city as well as local donors).

So, all you drinkers and would-be drivers have no excuse now. And, at the same time, you can offer your deepest confessions.

“We definitely pick up fun, rowdy people,” Borland said. “We recently picked up a guy tripping on acid. And we didn’t know what to do with him because he didn’t know what to do with himself.”

Ultimately, the guy stayed on the bus all night, where he said he felt safest.

“That’s what the Hive does,” Borland said.

“We embrace those in need.”

Need a ride? Call 970-508-0445.

June 23, 2022 n

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opinion

LaVidaLocal Burning down the schoolhouse William C. Quantrill was a murderer, rebel slave hunter and outlaw of the West who died at the ripe old age of 27 from a gunshot wound. Before becoming involved with his nefarious activities, Quantrill worked as a schoolteacher, which makes me wonder if things might have turned out more favorably for him and the rest of society had people treated their schoolteachers better.

In 1853, at the age of 16, Quantrill might have briefly aspired to do something good for his community. The following year, after his abusive father died and left the family with an enormous financial debt, his mother opened their home as a boarding house. Teaching, however, was a short-lived ambition for Little Willy. He soon moved to Illinois to unload lumber from rail cars for a little more money.

Sounds like a teacher, doesn’t it?

The bar was set very low to qualify as a teacher in mid-19th century rural America.

Most likely, if he didn’t drink too much whiskey before stepping into the schoolhouse, he’d probably have been deemed a keeper.

That, and a familiarity with the Bible, plus an ability to administer a good whipping, amounted to a full slate of prerequisites for an aspiring professional in public education.

These days, with a few exceptions, teacher certification requires at least a four-year college degree, successful completion of wide-ranging competency exams, state licensing fees, background fingerprint investigation and recertification requirements for license renewal. Plus, you need coursework in special interest areas, like a state’s history or special curriculum training, things a state legislature feels it should impose before any school board approves a contract to hire a teacher.

Maybe Quantrill should have run for a political office after quitting his teaching job, because in this country – even today – being elected requires no demonstration of any competency, not even at the local level where district school board members are chosen by community voters. These vacancies, once elected, hopefully result in board members with a working knowledge of fiscal policy and enough patience to actually listen to the professionals they hire, not to mention (but it should be mentioned again) an awareness and willingness to follow the laws that govern legitimate decision-making.

Apparently, hauling lumber was tedious, because Quantrill quickly shifted to a less regimented career: capturing runaway slaves for a bounty in place of rounding up truant children. He joined a group of like-minded outlaws and Confederate sympathizers, becoming their guerrilla leader and supervisor during the Civil War, earning his gang a reputation for being notoriously ruthless. According to the Oklahoma Historical Society, “Quantrill’s activities indicated that he fought for plunder and personal revenge rather than from any commitment to the South.”

“We love our teachers” signs have appeared like dandelions on our community lawns as heartfelt expressions of respect, but they also serve as banners of support for a profession that is currently under siege, a situation easily ignored because educators have endured as poster children for crisis. Poor wages, supply shortages, contract negotiation impasses, shoestring budgets, shabby school buildings, overcrowded classrooms, understaffed districts, disappointing scores on standards testing, dismal graduation rates, teen pregnancies, teen suicides and senseless school shootings, just to name a few. In education, the Big Lie has always been those who can, do; and those who can’t, teach. But the truth is beyond question – teachers can, and teachers do, perform miracles each and every day.

According to NPR, “Since January 2021 ... 35 states have introduced 137 bills limiting what schools can teach with regard to race, American history, politics, sexual orientation and gender identity.”

It’s a new uncivil war brewing, pushed through conservative-controlled legislatures in too many of our un-united states. An Oklahoma bill would like to fine teachers $10,000 for contradicting a student’s religious beliefs (even if that belief is voiced by the student in the classroom). A bill in Arizona would like to punish teachers if they don’t inform the parents that their child is gay. In Tennessee, complaints against teachers may also be lodged by citizens who are not parents of school-age children.

In New Hampshire, a conservative mom’s group is offering a $500 bounty to catch teachers who break a state law prohibiting certain teachings about racism and sexism.

Rodney Dangerfield complained he couldn’t get any respect, and Quantrill complained about the same thing. After repeatedly being sidelined by the Confederate army without what he considered a worthy promotion, then criminally charged in Texas for his murderous eccentricities, Quantrill abandoned his ambition for praise and headed back to Kentucky, but not to teaching. Instead, he organized a personal militia. As a deception, they dressed as Confederates, scheming to be pardoned after surrendering to the North but his band was intercepted by a Union unit, and in a skirmish Quantrill received a fatal wound.

News reports on school shootings describe how horrific disgruntled violence strikes at the core of our society’s hope for the future. Justifiably, many skilled teachers are packing up and heading for the exits, and these premature retirements provide yet another kind of exit wound that will surely be felt for generations to come.

SignoftheDownfall:

Thumbin’It A new crosswalk being installed on North Main. Still, we’re gonna miss the rando jaywalkers and that tense moment of “will they, won’t they?” as you approach in a car.

The State of Colorado voting to upgrade nearly all 26 of the state’s southwest streams that were proposed for Outstanding Waters designation, which places more protections on these waterways.

The first Bears Ears National Monument sign erected, while at the same time, news that the Bears Ears InterTribal Coalition, made up of five tribes, will have a say on the site’s management.

4 n June 23, 2022

– David Feela

The dog poop land mine that is the Durango Dog Park these days. And no – this is not a dog problem, but 100% a people problem.

Reports that an increasing amount of water in the Southwest is being used to grow alfalfa to be sent to foreign countries. Because that seems like a great use of scarce Colorado River water.

Well, we did it people. We managed to litter Mars. NASA recently announced it found human-generated litter on the red planet. Trashing our planet was getting boring anyway; watch out universe.

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A real whopper The end of Pride Month is almost here, but it can’t come quick enough for Burger King Austria because their attempt to capitalize on all the gayness went over like a pride parade at a GOP convention.

They decided it would be cool to sell Whoppers with two top buns or two bottom buns, the idea being that gay customers could choose based on their preference of being a “top” or a “bottom.”

And then you get to choose between two endings: Burger King didn’t release this statement, but they should’ve: “lettuce be clear, this was a big misteak, and we’re going to sacrifries our marketing department.”

I just hope Taco Bell doesn’t get any funny ideas because that “7-layer” burrito of theirs is already kinky enough.

WordontheStreet

Q

With the Summer Solstice bringing the longest day of the year, The Telegraph asked: “What was the longest day of your life?”

Eli

"When I fell out of a kayak in a lake in Alaska and almost died from hypothermia."

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"The Sonic Bloom Festival. It was the longest day of my life but I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”

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"Probably a day I ate mushrooms."

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Matthew

“In June 2015 I saved a friend from getting eaten by a bear. That was a pretty long day.”

Ifrit

"When I ran away for 11 days chasing a dog in heat." >>S >> S E R V I C E S

Adjunct Teaching Opportunities Go to pueblocc.edu/southwest and click on “Adjunct Teaching Opportunities” under Quick Links

Las Vegas Vegas Phoenix Phoenix

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Denver Dallas

TO 1000 Airport Road Durango, CO 81303 airport@durangogov .org airport@durangogov.org 970.382.6051 İ ģ©øë ظÝʼn£Ý× İģ©øë ظÝʼn£Ý×

June 23, 2022

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LandDesk

The Animas Valley enveloped in dust and wildfire smoke on a recent June day. With climate change, these days are increasingly common across the West. But it wasn’t always that way./ Photo by Jonathan Thompson

Impressions from a homecoming Playing the ‘used-to-be’ game in one’s old stomping grounds

by Jonathan Thompson

W

henever I arrive at a new-to-me place, I become a sort of human sponge, taking everything in, gawking out the windows of the bus as it rolls into town from the airport, trying to read the signs on shops even if I don’t know the language, staring at people, drinking it all in.

I do the same, only with more intensity, when I come back to the oldest-to-me place of all: the southwestern Colorado town in which I was born and raised.

From the moment the plane lifts off from Denver, I smash my forehead against the window, trying to match what I see on the landscape with the mental map I’ve drawn over the past half century, finding special landmarks and mumbling their names like a mantra: Black Canyon, Gunnison, Uncompahgre, Val-

6 n June 23, 2022

lecito, Hogback, Los Piños, La Platas, Animas.

This time we fly in at night, and as the plane tilts sharply for its sweeping right turn I marvel at the orange glow from all the coalbed methane wells and the sprinkling of lights along the Animas River. It is after 10 p.m. when we land and I step out of the plane. A warm, dry breeze washes over me.

In the car, driving from the airport to town, I continue the ritual, only out loud, peppering the trio that volunteered to pick me up with questions about what has changed since my last visit and subjecting them to the used-to-be game: There used to be a restaurant there called the T-Bone; that used to be the sale barn, my grandpa would take me there; and there was a sawmill over there where those fancy condos are … and a drivein theatre where those fancy condos are, and on and on. We cross the Florida River and I notice it is dry.

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That’s not unusual, I think, then remember it’s early June.

Used to be the snowmelt-swollen rivers would all be running over the banks about now … used to be, used to be.

Sometimes the used-to-be game is an exercise in nostalgia, a genuine yearning for the way things used-tobe. Mostly it is just timekeeping, a reminder that things and places and people change, and not always for the worse.

And oh, how they’ve changed. The semi-working class college town of my youth, rife with tangible reminders of its industrial past, has transformed into a green, traffic-choked, vibrant, gentrified place, for better and for worse. The uranium tailings pile no longer blows its dust all over town, a person can soon ride their bike or walk from one end of town to the other on

a riverside path without ever crossing a street, and yes, I think it’s worth it to put in a multi-million dollar bridge to make that possible. The river’s cleaner than it used to be, the fish healthier. There are tons of restaurants and coffee joints and amenities galore.

It’s an even better place to live than when I was a kid – if you can afford it. Most can’t. Thus the traffic: workers commuting in from slightly less unaffordable locales, only to have high gas prices offset the lower rent.

And driving to qualify? It’s going obsolete. The median home price is climbing in Farmington ($317k), despite its economic woes, and Montezuma County is no longer the bastion of affordability it once was (median listing price: $532k).

The local camp for the unhoused, crammed onto a flammable hillside above a hydrogen sulfide seep, appears to be gaining population.

***

In a futile attempt to beat back the jet lag, I take a morning run on one of the many trails around town.

The trail-abundance is almost embarrassing here. The town is virtually surrounded by open space, each section sporting its own network of single track. I used to be so much faster and more nimble. The oak brush used to be greener and thicker.

Ubiquitous moon dust – the ultra-fine powder is a quarter inch deep or more on every trail I tread. Each step sends up a little gray, smoke-like cloud and when I get back to my car my once-black shoes are the same hue as the dust. Penstemons – my favorite – are in bloom, and cactus, too, but it feels as if even they are struggling. From a high vantage point I look across the Animas Valley and see the red stripe across the gray shale face of Perins Peak: fire retardant from last month’s blaze.

I think back to a summer a few decades ago when I came home from college in Santa Fe to find the whole valley almost jungle-like. It was the exact same time of year, yet instead of smoke-filled skies and 90 degree

heat, it was cloudy, misty, cool and lush. I drove up East Animas Road then, my windows down, and inhaled the moist air, savored the verdant aroma. The valley was like a lake then, the waters of the Animas having overflowed the sandy banks. The sloughs were all full, and the cattails sharp green.

The river’s level seems high enough – for late July.

The irrigated places in the valley are still green, some even are lush. But the earth turns khaki beige and brittle beyond where the ditches reach.

Aside from the scratchy-eye, nostril-desiccating lack

“Used to be if this sort of thing happened we’d think we wandered into the apocalypse. Now it’s normal, whatever that means.” of humidity, the air quality is okay when I arrive, much to my delight. But a couple of days later the wind kicks up and brings smoke from northern Arizona fires and dust from northern Arizona deserts into the valley. At noon a light haze hangs before the mountains and hills like gauze; by late-afternoon the mountains have all disappeared behind a yellowish-gray curtain and the day’s last light takes on an ochre hue.

Used to be if this sort of thing happened we’d think we wandered into the apocalypse. Now it’s normal, whatever that means. Clear summer days, when you can see the details on the face of Hermosa Mountain, seem like a miracle.

***

Used to be I was young, a floppy-haired kid floating

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sticks down the ditches with my cousins on eternally long summer evenings as the sun’s last light slid up the red slope of Missionary Ridge and the sky turned from blue to lilac and the aroma of water on dirt and alfalfa filled the air, and we’d run through the field blindly and carefree, and it felt like flying.

My grandparents’ farm – with its rows of corn, raspberry bushes, alfalfa, dairy barn, hay barn and my grandmother’s famous gladiolus – sat between the “Old Highway” and the “New Highway.” We loved seeing the train go by every evening, the yellow cars juxtaposed against the emerald green shrubs and grass, black smoke billowing from the stack. When each car would pass on the New Highway, it made a distinct sound, a building hiss of rubber on asphalt that rose then fell in harmony with the red-winged black birds’ trill. Used to be.

When in town, I stay at a friends’ house, which sits in the valley about halfway between the Durango house I grew up in and my grandparents’ farm where I spent much of my childhood. Half of their property is a slough in what used to be the flood plain; now the slough is nearly dry, the cattails mostly wilted and brown, the willows poking up from parched earth. The train hasn’t chugged up the valley over the past few days because of high fire danger.

On the first evening after I arrive, I go out onto the patio and sit under the giant willow. I watch the last of the day’s light slide up the steep slope of Missionary Ridge and the bright blue sky turn lilac. I inhale the aroma of ditch water on dirt and listen to the rise and fall of each car as it passes by on what I will always call the New Highway, no matter how old it and I become, and notice that the sound is exactly as it was back then, only continuous. The trill of the red-winged blackbird cuts through it all, just as it used to be.

The Land Desk is a newsletter from Jonathan P. Thompson, author of River of Lost Souls, Behind the Slickrock Curtain, and Sagebrush Empire. To subscribe, go to: www.landdesk.org

June 23, 2022 n 7

TopStory

All aboard?

Durango & Silverton train hampered by new fire restrictions

by Jonathan Romeo

A

s part of the settlement in a federal lawsuit related to the 416 Fire, the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad is now subject to sudden closures if wildfire danger is too high, which is having mixed results just a few weeks in practice.

In March, the D&SNG and the U.S. Forest Service signed a settlement stemming from the federal lawsuit, in which the railroad was accused of starting the 416 Fire, north of Durango in the summer of 2018. The agreement held several conditions, namely that D&SNG would pay the federal government $20 million to recoup firefighting costs.

In addition, the D&SNG has agreed to not run trains if wildfire danger is too high, as determined by a fire restriction system set by the Forest Service.

“It’s definitely a game changer for the way we do business,” Jeff Johnson, general manager of the D&SNG, said.

“And cancellations are the most difficult part of this process, because we’re aware this is something people have planned for a long time. It’s on their bucket list.”

With an incredibly dry spring and early summer, the D&SNG has already been forced to shut down several days this June, canceling thousands of reservations and affecting the two towns that rely on the tourism dollars, Durango and Silverton.

The situation is further muddled by the fact that after the 416 Fire, the D&SNG promised to convert its fleet from running on coal, which holds a huge fire risk, to oil- and diesel-burning engines. The D&SNG spent millions to fulfill this commitment, but even still, these locomotives are not allowed to run in certain conditions.

And, long-term, as drought becomes increasingly severe and pervasive, local officials worry that sudden cancellations of one of Southwest Colorado’s largest – if not largest – tourist attractions could soil the region’s reputation, consequently affecting local hotels and restaurants.

“No one wants to see a wildfire; that’s not the pushback,” DeAnne Gallegos, director of the Silverton Area Chamber of Commerce, said. “The whole pushback stems from a lack of communication from the Forest Service and how tiny a window of time it is for us to know if trains are running the next day.”

Never again Throughout its 140-year history, the D&SNG has shoveled coal into its steam engines to power locomotives to Silverton and back, a 90-mile round-trip. But engines powered by coal, which sends embers flying when burned, notoriously hold a huge risk of starting a wildfire.

This is what federal investigators believe ignited the 416 Fire, which started just off the D&SNG railroad tracks north of Durango in June 2018 and burned 54,000 acres, endangering homes, forcing evacuations and causing drastic economic losses.

In March, the D&SNG signed a landmark settlement (though as part of the agreement, the railroad does not legally admit fault for starting the fire). And, over the past

Passengers disembark the D&SNG at the train depot in downtown Durango./ Photo by Jonathan Romeo three years, of its own accord, the D&SNG spent upwards of $7 million to convert its fleet to oil and diesel engines, which burn liquid and therefore don’t emit sparks.

D&SNG owner Al Harper said in the wake of the 416 Fire the railroad would never again shut down because of wildfire risk. And, for a short period, that was true. Last summer, for instance, the D&SNG relied solely on oil and diesel for the first time in its storied history. Despite drought conditions, the railroad didn’t cause any major fires.

The settlement agreement, signed this past winter, changes all of that.

Weighing the risk As part of the settlement, the D&SNG agreed to abide by the terms of the Forest Service’s “Industrial Fire Restrictions Plan,” a system of rating fire risk, which then triggers four levels of restrictions. At Level 4, the strictest, the D&SNG is barred from running oil or diesel engines, effectively shutting down the railroad.

The Forest Service tracks daily conditions, namely the dryness of fuels on the ground and wind activity. Then, based on the set of criteria, the level of risk is determined.

As a result, this process isn’t a judgment call, said Dave Neely, the acting forest supervisor for the San Juan National Forest.

“It’s not the Forest Service calling day to day, saying ‘stop running trains,’” Neely said. “We evaluate the conditions and make that data available to (the railroad), and they understand their obligations under the agreement when those conditions hit.”

The criteria, however, is based on logging regulations in Oregon, which in part explains why oil and diesel locomotives are banned in Level 4. Johnson said none of the D&SNG’s oil burning steam engines and diesel engines have started a fire, nor is he aware of other scenic railways having fire issues with locomotives of this type.

“We are aware there’s a lot of frustration within the

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community,” he said. “But we are committed to maintaining a transparent working relationship with the Forest Service staff in carrying out the terms of our agreement.”

The Forest Service, however, maintains that although oil/diesel locomotives are less likely to start a wildfire than coal, there is still a risk. “There’s always a risk when trains are running on tracks,” Mark Lambert, a planning, public service and lands staff officer with the Forest Service, said.

Short notice The Forest Service says it tries to notify the D&SNG as soon as possible of stage levels, Neely said, but, of course, predicting the weather is inherently tricky and lastminute. As a consequence, this can put a lot of stress on train operations.

“Sometimes we don’t know until the afternoon report whether we’re going to be in Level 4 the next day,” Johnson said.

“The minute we know we have to shut down, we send an immediate message to everyone. But it is challenging.”

Earlier this month, the D&SNG was notified around 4 p.m. that it could not run trains the following day, leaving the railroad scrambling to notify thousands of customers. About 40% rebooked, but with multi-day shutdowns, most were forced to take refunds.

The last-minute notice to the communities of Durango and Silverton has emerged as a major issue, Gallegos said. She clarified that the D&SNG sends out a notice to partners as soon as it is aware of train operations, but the Forest Service is not leaving enough time for all the entities involved to respond accordingly.

“It becomes a customer service and communication nightmare,” Gallegos said.

“I don’t think the Forest Service understands the impact on the two communities and their economies.”

Back-up Plan Before the COVID-19 pandemic, best estimates showed the D&SNG had a $200 million annual impact on the region’s economy.

Silverton is acutely affected by these shutdowns, Gallegos said. Each summer, the small mountain town awaits the economic jolt of thousands of riders a day who wander for lunch and shopping. For many businesses, this short window is what helps them survive the slower winter months.

And it’s incredibly hard for businesses to plan staffing and supplies when they don’t know if a train will show the next day.

“We’re the lunch stop, and we’re being told 12 hours before whether we’ll have 1,300 people in town or 300,” Gallegos said. “How do our restaurants plan staffing or purchasing perishable food? We’re losing money because of that short notice.”

Businesses in Durango, too, have been feeling the impacts, with some hotels reporting customers are canceling entire trips. Jack Llewellyn, director of the Durango Chamber of Commerce, said the situation prompted tourism officials from both Durango and Silverton to come together earlier this month to create a response plan when a customer’s trip is canceled.

Now, disgruntled tourists are directed toward other activities – like rafting, biking, fishing or hiking. Officials have also

created a self-guided, D&SNG-centric day trip itinerary, which includes a tour at the train depot, a drive up Highway 550 and tours at the Old Hundred Gold Mine in Silverton, to name a few.

“This way, when people call us and say their trip is ruined, we say, ‘No it’s not.

Here’s what else to do,’” Llewellyn said.

“The train is the main reason they come to our area, and they are disappointed, but I think there’s enough amenities to have a great time.”

The D&SNG, too, is adding more locomotives to its daily trips to increase the number of passengers it can take on days when it can run. Still, this puts incredible stress on Silverton restaurants, especially.

“We’re still facing supply chain issues from the pandemic, and now we’re facing customer-based issues,” Gallegos said.

“We’re going from feast to famine within a 12-hour notice. The Forest Service needs to understand the trickle-down effect on our livelihoods.”

Workable Solutions The solution comes down to better communication, Gallegos said. First, the community of Silverton would like to hear a more clear explanation of the fire restrictions and why oil/diesel engines are banned. And, both communities would like to have more of a heads up on train cancellations.

“We’ve had zero communication from the Forest Service to inform our communities – whose economies depend on the train – about how, why and when these decisions are made,” Gallegos said. “We have to figure out a better symbiotic relationship.”

As the region continues to experience drier and drier years, some question the long-term sustainability of the train.

But federal data shows the “Level 4” conditions vary wildly from year to year. In 2020, for instance, there were 22 days that would have triggered Level 4 restrictions and thus shut down train operations. In 2021, though, just three days qualified.

“We understand we need to work together to take into account people’s livelihoods, the economy and the quality of life across the West,” Neely said. “But the solutions aren’t easy. These are very real challenges we are facing as a whole.”

Yet any shutdown is difficult, especially when the conversion to oil/diesel locomotives was previously thought to be the ultimate fix (the D&SNG rarely runs coal trains anymore). And, when people hear the word “shutdown,” they think the railroad is completely closed, Johnson said.

As part of the agreement, the fire restrictions plan is subject to an annual review between the Forest Service and D&SNG, and changes are possible should both parties agree.

Yet just a few weeks into this new process, Johnson said it’s far too early to think about any tweaks to the plan.

“Once we get through this first season, we’ll have a lot more information on how to better navigate through it,” Johnson said. “We hope it will evolve to a much more bearable system in time. But in the meantime, it will be challenging; there’s no question about it. It’s heartbreaking for us to contact our passengers and tell them their trip is canceled.”

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The Alter native Resource telegraph

June 23, 2022 n

9

StateNews

Fighting fentanyl Tests show promise in alerting people to deadly synthetic opiate in their party drugs

by John Daley / Colorado Public Radio

U

nder a vintage Colorado sky, fans gather in a parking lot at Red Rocks a few hours before a show. The tunes are cranked up. The mood is festive in the mostly 20-something-aged crowd. Steve Sarin is in a baseball cap with a short beard. Joined by a partner, he carries some small packages.

“We are gonna walk around the parking lot and ask people if they’d like us to check their stash,” he said.

Sarin is with AspenRidge Recovery, a drug and alcohol treatment center. Fentanyl deaths have spiked in the state recently, 10 times what they were in 2016. That’s happening in part because many other street drugs get cut, or diluted, with fentanyl.

“There’s so much fentanyl right now. It is so ubiquitous.

It is so cheap. It’s easy to purchase,” said emergency and addiction medicine physician Dr. Don Stader. He’s seen plenty of overdose patients end up in Swedish Medical Center, where he works.

That’s why Sarin is at Red Rocks.

“We have fentanyl test strips. We’re gonna see if people are willing to let us test their substances and see if there’s fentanyl in it,” he said.

This effort is not connected to the promoter or the city, which runs the facility. Sarin and other handing out the test strips are just volunteers. His colleague Kayti Hale has long dark hair and a tattoo on her arm. She says this show is electronic dance music and at those shows, there tends to be a lot of different types of drugs, “you know, ecstasy, molly, ketamine, amphetamines.”

Hale and Sarin approach a group of guys and explain what they’re doing. The group doesn’t want to be on the radio; one says his mom listens to CPR. They decline to have any drugs tested but do take some free drug reversal kits.

The next group, again mostly guys, takes the pair up on the drug-test offer. In this case to check out a pill, a psychoactive, mostly recreational drug called MDMA, also known as ecstasy or molly. “So he is taking a little bit of molly. We’re putting it into a bottle cap, just a regular water bottle cap. And we’re adding a few milliliters of water,” Sarin explained.

It works like a COVID-19 or pregnancy test, and soon a dark line appears on the strip.

A few minutes later, Sarin raised his voice. “We got a positive hit on that, on the fentanyl.”

The result causes a stir in the group. They expressed their gratitude to Sarin and Hale. One of them says he won’t be taking those drugs anymore. A couple others changed their minds on doing an interview. Another, named Chris, agreed to talk about the positive result.

“I was very, very surprised,” he said.

Chris told me he’s from back East. He seemed rattled. He knew someone a little older than him who accidentally overdosed on fentanyl.

“The people that are selling it are just trying to make money, and they don’t care what happens to other people.

And that’s the truth,” he said.

10 n June 23, 2022

Stories of recovery Hale, 30, shared her own recovery story, which she said led her to seek help and ultimately help others. She said she started drinking as a teenager. That later led to other substances. She entered treatment several times before achieving sobriety.

“Why I’m so passionate about what we’re doing is I bought what I thought was cocaine, and it was something else,” said Hale, now a case manager with AspenRidge Recovery. “I still have no idea what it was, but I ended up having a heart attack from it.

“It was very scary. Yeah. It was definitely a wake-up call,” said Hale, shaking her head.

Sarin, the organization’s PR and Marketing Manager, too started as a teen with alcohol, at first when he was working in restaurants. He said by his late 20s, he was a “problem drinker.” That led to a cycle of struggles and challenges, including detox, an alcohol withdrawal seizure, a DUI and eventually to a night of drinking with a co-worker and his first time trying molly. Sarin said he was so drunk and stoned he took a spill and cracked the back of his head open, a bloody mess requiring 14 staples and countless stitches.

“A week later, I’m sitting on my mom’s patio, smoking a cigarette and I just had a moment of clarity and you know, I saw a fork in the road,” he said.

Now, Sarin said, he’s glad to alert people of what they unknowingly might be consuming.

“Fentanyl is in everything from cocaine, molly, X (ecstasy),” he said. “A lot of folks don’t know that.”

telegraph

“Everyone thinks fentanyl is a problem for people who abuse opioids. And that’s just not the case anymore. Anyone that recreationally uses a substance needs to be worried about this,” Sarin said.

Last year, illegal fentanyl killed more than 700 people in Colorado.

Testing not always accurate ER and addiction Dr. Stader has helped spearhead the push to make the overdose reversal drug naloxone, or Narcan, more available. He thinks broader use of fentanyl test strips could help change behavior, discouraging some, especially those consuming recreationally.

“That’s very true for inexperienced users or users who might have bought a pill that they think is a Xanax, but is actually a fentanyl tablet,” Stader said.

But others cautioned there’s a lot of nuance to the test strips. Rachel Clark, education manager for a group called DanceSafe, which does testing at concerts, says those who use them need to be aware of the strips’ limitations.

“Fentanyl test strips are finicky devices,” she said. “If you don’t dilute them correctly, they do throw false positives, especially with MDMA and meth.”

Clark said the group just spent a year and a half revamping instructions for the kits and fentanyl strips it uses.

“My advice is do the most that you can to do this right.

Don’t expect drug checking to be super simple because it’s not,” she said.

For more from Colorado Public Radio, go to www.cpr.org. ■

FlashinthePan

Midsummer night’s cheese Pasta primavera doesn’t have to be complicated – or just for spring

by Ari LeVaux

T

he name pasta primavera may be stolen from the Italians and sound classy, but it turns out it was invented in Nova Scotia during the summer of 1975.

Although translated it means “spring pasta,” we can prepare cheesy noodles with vegetables any time of year, with summer and fall probably being the best seasons to do so, because they offer more fresh produce than spring. We can even use American cheeses if we like, since ultimately, we are talking about mac ’n’ cheese with vegetables. And making the entire dish from scratch takes barely any longer than preparing the boxed, veg-less version.

A proper mac ’n’ cheese primavera has a smooth, non-lumpy cheese sauce and al dente vegetables. I don’t sprinkle it with breadcrumbs and bake it because that makes it difficult to control the cooking, and potential overcooking, of the vegetables.

The most common recipes for pasta primavera include tomato, bell pepper and other veggies from deeper into the summer, as well as broccoli and peas, which come earlier. Whichever you use, the essential task of this recipe is to cook the vegetables perfectly. The most reliable way of doing so is to steam the veggies separately, shock them in cold water to stop the cooking and

keep them crisp, and add them to the almost-finished product.

Today’s recipe for Mac ’n’ Cheese Primavera features rounds of green and yellow zucchini and fresh herbs like parsley and/or basil. Because zucchini is the only vegetable I’m cooking, I don’t have to worry about overcooking some and undercooking others, so I’ll skip the steaming and briefly sauté the zukes before adding the noodles, fresh from the boiling water and still wet.

The water from the noodles helps steam the zucchini in place, while we build the sauce on top with handfuls of shredded cheese.

You can use this recipe with whatever produce is available. Vegetables like peas and broccoli, which need at most a mere hint of cooking, can be incorporated the same way as the zucchini. Heartier veggies, like cauliflower or carrot, should be steamed before being tossed into the finished product.

This dish is also extremely flexible in regards to the types of cheeses you add.

Mac ’n’ Cheese Primavera alla Zucchine Serves 6 1 pound pasta – preferably short, stubby and hollow, such as penne 1 pound zucchini, cut into rounds about a half-inch thick 3 tablespoons olive oil 2 tablespoons butter

3 cloves garlic, chopped 1 tablespoon mustard powder 1 teaspoon nutmeg 1 teaspoon garlic powder 1 teaspoon black pepper ¼ lemon, juice and zest 1 cup milk ¾ pound cheese, grated; I like a mix of sharp cheddar, orange cheddar and fontina Salt – for the pasta water and seasoning Fresh parsley and/or basil Bring 4 quarts salted (about a tablespoon) water to a boil and cook the pasta.

While the pasta is boiling, add zucchini, butter, oil and garlic to a deep pan or heavybottomed pot and sauté for about five minutes on low/medium heat. When the noodles are done, quickly drain and add to the zucchini, but don’t stir.

Sprinkle the mustard powder, nutmeg, garlic powder, black pepper, lemon juice and zest on top of the noodles, but don’t stir.

Add the milk and about a quarter of your grated cheese, and give it a stir. Add another quarter of the cheese and stir again. Keep adding the cheese and stirring in until it’s all in. Keep stirring until it turns into a glorious cheese sauce. If it’s too dry or starts to burn, turn down the heat and add more milk or pasta water to loosen it. Add salt to taste – it will need some, even if the cheese is salty. Top with fresh herbs and serve.

telegraph

June 23, 2022 n 11

StufftoDo

Thursday23

Ska-B-Q with The Originals, 5 p.m., Ska Brewing, 225 Girard St. Bingo Night, 5 p.m., Fenceline Cider, Mancos.

Nosotros plays, 5:30 p.m., Buckley Park.

Live music, 5:30 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave. Live music, 5:30 p.m., Office Spiritorium, 699 Main Ave. Author Bob Rosebrough & Matt Payne, presenting “Climbing Colorado’s San Juans,” 6 p.m., Rochester Hotel, 726 E. 2nd Ave.

Author Don Roberts, 6 p.m., Maria’s Bookshop, 960 Main Ave.

Black Velvet plays, 6-8 p.m., Lola’s Place, 725 E. 2nd Ave.

Jack Ellis & Larry Carver play, 6 p.m., Derailed Pour House, 725 Main Ave.

Community Yoga, 6-7 p.m., Yoga Durango, 1485 Florida Rd., C-201. Donations accepted.

Matt Rupnow plays, 6-9 p.m., Union Social House, 3062 Main Ave.

Terry Rickard plays, 6 p.m., Weminuche Woodfire Grill, Vallecito.

Ru Paul’s Drag Race Watch Party, every Friday, 68 p.m., Father’s Daughters Pizza, 640 Main Ave.

Little Wilderness plays, 7-10 p.m., 11th Street Station.

Cody Joe Hodges plays, 6 p.m., Fox Fire Farms, Ignacio.

Pride Planet Betty Drag Show, 7:30 p.m., 11th Street Station.

Ben Gibson Duo plays, 6 p.m., Weminuche Woodfire Grill, Vallecito.

Nashville Songs & Stories with “Writers in the Round,” 7:30 p.m., Community Concert Hall at Fort Lewis College.

Derek Dames Ohl & Friends play, 7-10 p.m., 11th Street Station.

Jeff Solon Jazz Duo plays, 6-8 p.m., Lola’s Place, 725 E. 2nd Ave.

Ecstatic Dance with Eric Mandala, 7:30-9:30 p.m., American Legion Hall, 878 E. 2nd Ave.

The Badley Bent plays, 6 p.m., James Ranch Grill, 33846 Highway 550.

The Mysto Really Big Magic Show, 7:30 p.m., Animas City Theatre, 128 E. College Dr.

Foggy Memory Boys play, 6-9 p.m., Durango Hot Springs.

Pride Dance, 9 p.m., The Garage, 121 W. 8th St.

Rob Webster plays, 6 p.m., Weminuche Woodfire Grill, Vallecito.

Saturday25

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

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

Durango Farmers Market, 8 a.m.–12 noon, featuring story time from 9-10:30 a.m. and music from Zia Chicks, TBK Bank parking lot, across from the Transit Center.

Clear Spring Jazz Trio play, 7-10 p.m., 11th Street Station.

Bayfield Farmers Market, 8 a.m., 1328 County Road 501.

Pride Trivia & Lipsync Battles, 7:30 p.m., Starlight Lounge, 937 Main Ave.

Durango Botanic Gardens’ “Gardens on Tour,” 9 a.m.-4 p.m., register at durangobotanicgardens.org

The Mysto Really Big Magic Show, 7:30 p.m., Animas City Theatre, 128 E. College Dr. Geeks Who Drink Trivia, 8 p.m., The Roost, 128 E. College Dr.

Spring Creek Horse Rescue Open House, 9 a.m.4 p.m. Featuring open house, garage sale & horse adoption event, 2888 County Road 234.

Friday24

8th Annual Naughty School Girl Run (veterans fundraiser), 9 a.m., La Plata County Fairgrounds, 2500 Main Ave.

Spring Creek Horse Rescue Open House, 9 a.m.4 p.m. Featuring garage sale & horse adoption event, 2888 County Road 234.

Art Market, 11 a.m.-3 p.m., Hermosa Coffee Roasters, 738 Main Ave.

Gary Walker plays, 10 a.m.-12 noon, Jean-Pierre Bakery & Restaurant, 601 Main Ave.

Author Gloria O’Shields, 6 p.m., Maria’s Bookshop, 960 Main Ave. Jeff Solon’s Swingin’ Big Band plays, 5-8 p.m.

Tickets and details at lposc.org.

Terry Rickard plays, 5:30 p.m., Mancos Brewing Co. Live music, 5:30 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave.

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

Live music, 5:30 p.m., The Office Spiritorium, 699 Main Ave.

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

Freestyle Friday, weekly, 5:30 p.m., The Hive, 1150 Main Ave.

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12 n June 23, 2022

Sunday26

Durango Flea Market, 8 a.m., La Plata County Fairgrounds, 2500 Main Ave. Veterans 5th annual Raft Trip & Picnic, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. RSVP at info@durangorafting.com Pride River Hang Out, 12 noon-4 p.m., Memorial Park, north side.

Reeder & Spencer plays, 1-4 p.m., 11th Street Station.

Open Mic, 2 p.m., Mancos Brewing Co. Rob Webster plays, 2-4 p.m., part of Pine River Arts house concert series. More info at www.pineriverarts.org Open Mic Night, 5 p.m., Fenceline Cider, Mancos.

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

Author Kali Fajardo-Anstine, 6 p.m., Maria’s Bookshop, 960 Main Ave.

Monday27

Live music, 5:30-8:30 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave. Live music, 5:30-8:30 p.m., Office Spiritorium, 699 Main Ave. Pride Comedy Show, 8 p.m., Starlight Lounge, 937 Main Ave.

J-Calvin plays, 6 p.m., Fenceline Cider, Mancos.

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The Jackson Martin Project, Nikki Moon, Margaret Victoria and The Matriarchy play, 8 p.m., The Hive, 1150 Main Ave.

Devin Scott plays, 6 p.m., Office Spiritorium, 699 Main Ave.

Dana Ariel plays, 1-4 p.m., 11th Street Station.

Author Rachel Menard, 6 p.m., Maria’s Bookshop, 960 Main Ave.

The Mysto Really Big Magic Show, 7:30 p.m., Animas City Theatre, 128 E. College Dr.

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AskRachel

Joltin’ Joe, star struck & first-world probz Interesting fact: Bocce is reportedly the world’s third most popular sport, behind soccer and (this is why I say “reportedly”) golf. But you sure don’t hear Simon & Garfunkel lamenting long-lost bocce players.

Dear Rachel, Where HAS Joe DiMaggio gone? Why did he leave us? And why on Earth would a nation turn its lonely eyes to him? He wasn’t even the best Yankee, and he had been retired longer than he played. It would be like us turning our lonely eyes to Juan Gonzales. Plus, why were the nation’s eyes so lonely? There is no shortage of people here, nor was there back then. Is this all just the Marilyn Monroe effect?

– Coo Coo Cah Choo Dear Whoa Whoa Whoa, I’m enchanted by the Marilyn Monroe effect. The idea that one woman with the Midas touch could immortalize any man she wished. I mean, we don’t idolize any other president from the 1960s, do we? I also wonder about the Paul Simon effect: if your name has the right syllables, with the right stress, you end up in an enduring classic. Yogi didn’t fit. Neither did Mickey. So Joe it was.

– What’s that you say, Rachel Dear Rachel, I encountered a minor celebrity at work the other day. Not going to name-drop, but let’s just say, as a resident of this great corner of this

Tuesday28

Twin Buttes Farm Stand, every Tuesday, 3-5:30 p.m., 165 Tipple Ave. Live music, 5:30-8:30 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave. Live music, 5:30-8:30 p.m., Office Spiritorium, 699 Main Ave. Bob Hemenger plays, 6-9 p.m., Durango Hot Springs.

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

Open Mic Night, weekly 7:30-9:30 p.m., Starlight Lounge, 937 Main Ave. Comedy Open Mic, weekly, 8 p.m., 11th St. Station.

Wednesday29

Español en el Parque (free Spanish conversation group), every Wednesday, 4 p.m., Iris Park, all levels welcome. Hosted by Word Travellers Language School.

Animas City Night Bazaar, 5-8 p.m., alleyway behind 29th - 31st streets.

great state, you’d recognize her. She expected special treatment without saying she expected special treatment. But we made her wait a half hour like everyone else. It made me wonder how I’d feel as a minor celebrity, treated like a plebe.

My ego insists I’d be fine with it. But my heart knows I would hate it.

– A Face to Remember Dear Unforgettable, You want the special treatment? I’ll pretend you wrote in with an actual question instead of some humble-brag about mingling with future “Dancing with the Stars” dropouts and pretending you’re actually better than the rest of us. Oh, wait, no I won’t. Because if I can’t get special treatment as arguably the greatest local celebrity of them all, NO ONE SHOULD. – Now get me some green M&Ms, Rachel Email questions to telegraph@durangotelegraph.com Dear Rachel, Pickle ball… location, location, location.

Parking, noise, cost, paint, cement. Enough is enough. How about bocce ball courts in the city parks? No noise, land, parking already, no paint or cement. Just build them and they will come.

Courts are made of sand and 2x6 lumber, all natural. The players prepare the court for play.

No city workers. This might be the new sport for Durangotangs.

– Ms Bocce Pollina

Dear Bocce-lism, Why do you want to do away with city workers? I’ve known a couple city workers who were truly lovely people, once they stopped low-key griping about the monotony and the morale. I bet they would have made excellent bocce ball players. Hell, even I would make an excellent bocce ball player. I’m not saying I would be Joe DiMaggio of the sand pit. More like the Marilyn Monroe. Or is it Marilyn Manson?

– Balls in hand, Rachel

True Western Roundup, 5 p.m., La Plata County Fairgrounds, 2500 Main Ave.

lessons. Waivers required. For schedule and online waiver, go to www.thehivedgo.org

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

Shock Wave Drag Night, first and third Friday of every month, 9 p.m., Father’s Daughters Pizza, 640 Main Ave. 18+

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

“Sled Dogs of America” by Veryl Goodnight, art exhibit runs through June 30, Durango Arts Center, 802 E. 2nd Ave.

Word Honey Poetry Workshop, 6 p.m., The Hive, 1150 Main Ave. Outstanding Waters Presentation, 6:30 p.m., James Ranch Grill. Hosted by 5 Rivers Trout Unlimited.

Matthew Marcus McDaniel plays, 7-10 p.m., 11th Street Station.

The Mysto Really Big Magic Show, 7:30 p.m., Animas City Theatre, 128 E. College Dr.

Ongoing

Storytelling & Songwriting Night, every second and fourth Thursday, 6-8 p.m., Mountain Monk Coffee, 558 Main Ave. More info at iAMmusic.us The Hive Indoor Skate Park open skate and skate

Upcoming The Falconers (United States Airforce Academy Band) play, June 30, 5:30 p.m., Buckley Park.

Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing, June 30, July 1-3, 5, 7, 9 & 10, 7:30 p.m., Fort Lewis College’s Busby Amphitheatre. www.durangoconcerts.com Lyle Lovett and his Large Band, July 4, 7 p.m., Ward Lee Field, La Plata County Fairgrounds, 2500 Main Ave. Tickets go on sale 10 a.m. March 18. durangoconcerts.com Rocky Mountain UkeFest, July 7-10. More info durangoconcerts.com Asleep at the Wheel, Midnight Backhand opens, Aug. 12, 8 p.m., La Plata County Fairgrounds, 2500 Main Ave.

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

REAL radio, REAL people

E-mail your stuff to: calendar@durangotelegraph.com DURANGO COMMUNITY RADIO AT FORT LEWIS COLLEGE

91.9 93.9

KDUR.ORG

telegraph

June 23, 2022 n 13

FreeWillAstrology

by Rob Brezsny

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ARIES (March 21-April 19): Aries actor Marilu Henner has an unusual condition: hyperthymesia. She can remember in detail voluminous amounts of past events. For instance, she vividly recalls being at the Superdome in New Orleans on September 15, 1978, where she and her actor friends watched a boxing match between Leon Spinks and Muhammad Ali. You probably don’t have hyperthymesia, Aries, but I invite you to approximate that state. Now is an excellent time to engage in a leisurely review of your life story, beginning with your earliest memories. Why? It will strengthen your foundation, nurture your roots and bolster your stability.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Poet Elizabeth Bishop noted that many of us are “addicted to the gigantic.” We live in a “mostly huge and roaring, glaring world.” As a counterbalance, she wished for “small works of art, short poems, short pieces of music, intimate, low-voiced and delicate things.” That’s the spirit I recommend to you in the coming weeks, Taurus. You will be best served by consorting with subtle, unostentatious, elegant influences. Enjoy graceful details and quiet wonders and understated truths.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): In the coming weeks, you will need even more human touch than usual. Your mental, physical and spiritual health require you to have your skin in contact with people who care for you and are eager to feel their skin against yours. A Tumblr blogger named Friend-Suggestion sets the tone for the mood I hope you cultivate. They write, “I love! human contact! with! my friends! So put your leg over mine! Let our knees touch! Hold my hand!

Make excuses to feel my arm by drawing pictures on my skin! Stand close to me!

Lean into my space! Slow dance super close to me! Hold my face in your hands or kick my foot to get my attention! Put your arm around me when we’re standing or sitting around! Hug me from behind at random times!”

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Author John Banville wrote what might serve as a manifesto for some of us Crabs: “To be concealed, protected, guarded: that is all I have ever truly wanted. To burrow down into a place of womby warmth and cower there, hidden from the sky’s indifferent gaze and the harsh air’s damagings. The past is such a retreat for me. I go there eagerly, shaking off the cold present and the colder future.”

If you are a Crab who feels a kinship with Banville’s approach, I ask you to refrain from indulging in it during the coming months. You’re in a phase of your longterm astrological cycle when your destiny

14 n June 23, 2022

is calling you to be bolder and brighter than usual, more visible and influential, louder and stronger.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): “We wish to make rage into a fire that cooks things rather than a fire of conflagration,” wrote author Clarissa Pinkola Estés.

That’s good advice for you right now. Your anger can serve you, but only if you use it to gain clarity – not if you allow it to control or immobilize you. So here’s my counsel: Regard your wrath as a fertilizing fuel that helps deepen your understanding of what you’re angry about – and shows you how to engage in constructive actions that will liberate you from what is making you angry.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Virgo author Jeanette Winterson was asked, “Do you fall in love often?” She replied, “Yes, often. With a view, with a book, with a dog, a cat, with numbers, with friends, with complete strangers, with nothing at all.” Even if you’re not usually as prone to infatuation and enchantment as Winterson, you could have many experiences like hers in the coming months. Is that a state you would enjoy? I encourage you to welcome it. Your capacity to be fascinated and captivated will be at a peak. Your inclination to trust your attractions will be extra high. Sounds fun!

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Libran lexicographer Daniel Webster (1758–1843) worked hard to create his dictionary, and it became highly influential in American culture. He spent more than 26 years perfecting it. To make sure he could properly analyze the etymologies, he learned 28 languages. He wrote definitions for 70,000 words, including 12,000 that had never been included in a published dictionary. I trust you are well underway with your own Webster-like project, Libra. This entire year is an excellent time to devote yourself with exacting diligence to a monumental labor of love. If you haven’t started it yet, launch now. If it’s already in motion, kick it into a higher gear.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): “Shouldn’t the distance between impossible and improbable be widened?” asks poet Luke Johnson. I agree that it should, and I nominate you to do the job.

In my astrological view, you now have the power to make progress in accomplishing goals that some people may regard as unlikely, fantastical and absurdly challenging. (Don’t listen to them!) I’m not necessarily saying you will always succeed in wrangling the remote possibilities into practical realities. But you might. And even if you’re only partially victorious, you will learn key lessons that bolster your abilities to harness future amazements.

telegraph

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22Dec. 21): Sagittarian novelist George Eliot wrote, “It is very hard to say the exact truth, even about your own immediate feelings – much harder than to say something fine about them which is not the exact truth.” I believe you will be exempt from this rule during the next seven weeks. You will be able to speak with lucid candor about your feelings – maybe more so than you’ve been able to in a long time.

And that will serve you well as you take advantage of the opportunity that life is offering you: to deepen clarify, and refine your intimate relationships.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Author bell hooks (who didn’t capitalize her name) expressed advice I recommend for you. She said, “Knowing how to be solitary is central to the art of loving. When we can be alone, we can be with others without using them as a means of escape.” As you enter a phase of potential renewal for your close relationships, you’ll be wise to deepen your commitment to self-sufficiency and self-care.

You might be amazed at how profoundly that enriches intimacy. Here are two more helpful gems from bell hooks: “You can never love anybody if you are unable to love yourself” and “Do not expect to receive the love from someone else you do not give yourself.”

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): In April 2005, a 64-yearold Korean woman named Cha Sa-soon made her first attempt to get her driver’s license. She failed. In fairness to her, the written test wasn’t easy. It required an understanding of car maintenance. After that initial flop, she returned to take the test five days a week for three years – and was always unsuccessful. She persevered, however. Five years later, she passed the test and received her license. It was her 960th try. Let’s make her your role model for the foreseeable future. I doubt you’ll have to persist as long as she did, but you’ll be wise to cultivate maximum doggedness and diligence.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): In the eighth century, Chinese poet Du Fu gave a batch of freshly written poems to his friend and colleague, the poet Li Bai. “Thank you for letting me read your new poems,” Li Bai later wrote to Du Fu. “It was like being alive twice.” I foresee you enjoying a comparable grace period in the coming weeks, Pisces: a time when your joie de vivre could be double its usual intensity. How should you respond to this gift from the Fates? Get twice as much work done? Start work on a future masterpiece? Become a beacon of inspiration to everyone you encounter? Sure, if that’s what you want to do. And you could also simply enjoy every detail of your daily rhythm with supreme, sublime delight.

classifieds

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

(Sorry, no refunds or substitutions.)

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

Classes/Workshops Outdoor Meditation Retreat Join us for a day of loving-kindness meditation in the forest near Durango on Saturday, July 9 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Hosted by the Durango Dharma Center, the day will include sitting meditation, walking meditation and dharma talks.

Learn more at durangodharmacenter.org

table, benches, umbrella and lots more …

Come in today! 572 E. 6th Ave. Open Mon.-Sat. 385-7336.

Wanted We are in hell!

We’re a young couple who has lived and been gainfully employed in Durango since 2015, but decided now was the perfect time to start looking to buy a home because we’re idiots. But, if you are selling your home and would rather sell to people who have been here long enough to know what the Arc of History is, shoot us an email at San.Juaner1122@gmail.com Cash for Vehicles, Copper, Alum, Etc. at RJ Metal Recycle. Also free appliance and other metal drop off. 970-259-3494.

HelpWanted

CommunityService Volunteer Hotline Advocates Alternative Horizons is currently looking for volunteer advocates to staff our 24-Hour hotline. Make a difference in the lives of others, join us for a free comprehensive online training July 11th through 14th. For more information call the office at 970-247-4374.

Free Alzheimer’s Webinars Designed to help families better understand the changes that come with the onset of Alzheimer’s disease. Registration required.

To register, go to tinyurl.com/yc7fay9k or call the Alzheimer’s Helpline at 800-272-3900.

• Effective Communication Strategies – 11:30 a.m. - 1 p.m. Tues., June 28.

• “Understanding & Responding to Dementia-Related Behaviors” – 5:30 - 7 p.m.

Thurs., June 30.

HaikuMovieReview ‘Brazen’ So, Frederick Douglass and Alyssa Milano hunt a murderer – Lainie Maxson Seeking Indigenous actors Durango PlayFest is seeking Diné (Navajo) actors and other indigenous people to audition for a staged reading of Diné playwright Blossom Johnson’s play, “Monster Slayer,” to be held during the 2022 festival this August. Auditions will be held via Zoom on July 7 from 6-7 p.m. and on July 9 from 3-5 p.m. Contact Tyler Gleason, Stage Manager, at tjgleason@fortlewis.edu if interested. For more information, visit durango playfest.org. Tickets for all play readings now available at durangoconcerts.com.

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

Join Our Team at Mercy Hospital!

Join our team at Centura Mercy Hospital! We are currently looking for full, part time and PRN candidates for our RN, Radiology Tech, Echo Tech, Sterile Processing, Medical Assistant, Housekeeping, Food Service and Cook openings. Sign on bonuses available for some roles. Learn more and apply today at www.centura.org/careers. EOE.

ForSale Local Tempeh Factory for Sale Do you love fungus? Local, profitable established fresh tempeh factory for sale with even more room to expand. Sale comes with training and equipment. Serious inquiries only please. For more info contact info@luvboxfoods.com Antique John Deere Corn Shiller $2000. Philco radio, $600. Super closet deluxe grow box, $1,000. 970-382-1696.

Reruns Home Furnishings New inventory including beautiful barrister bookcase/cabinet, tables, patio sets w/6 chairs, bistros, redwood picnic

NewspaperOrigami

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

Lowest Prices on Storage!

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

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

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

telegraph

June 23, 2022 n 15

June 15th-25th BUY ANY PROHIBITION PREMIUM 1/8TH AND GET A REGULAR 1/8TH FOR JUST $10!

Available for a limted time only. Prices include tax. shop online or in store.

16 n June 23, 2022

telegraph