The Durango Telegraph, June 30, 2022

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June 30, 2022 Vol. XXI, No. 26 durangotelegraph.com

inside

T H E

O R I G I N A L

I N D I E

W E E K L Y

L I N E

O N

D U R A N G O

&

B E Y O N D

Handman’s tale

Landslide victory

The Barfly & Cowboy

Repeal of Roe could have chilling effect on us all p4

Keys to dealing with warming may lie in area boulder field p8

When it comes to game of love, there are no winners p11

2 n June 30, 2022

telegraph

lineup

4

4 La Vida Local

Handman’s tale Rolling back Roe v. Wade will not affect just women’s reproductive freedoms

by Zach Hively

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

8

8 Top Story

Stumbling blocks Ancient landslide in San Juans could help in dealing with climate change

10 State News

by Jonathan Romeo

11 End of the Line 12-13 Stuff to Do

10

13 Ask Rachel

Sink or swim With record number of water deaths, state tightens buckle on PFD message

by Stina Stieg / Colorado Public Radio

14 Free Will Astrology 15 Classifieds 15 Haiku Movie Review

11

The head & the heart

On the Cover A mule’s ear flower blankets the San Juans. With all this rain, get ready for some action-packed wildflower viewing./ Photo by Alex Krebs

In the game of love, sometimes there are no winners

by Jenny Mason

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

T

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

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

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

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

telegraph

Ear to the Ground: “I’ve been working overtime for three weeks, and I just accidentally sent a sext to my dad. Oh, and the Supreme Court sucks.”

– I think we’re all coming apart at the seams these days

thepole

RegularOccurrences

Out in the cold “No shoes, no shirt, no problem” is not typically the mindset when preparing for a camping trip in Colorado. But, as you can probably see where this is going, that was the case for two unprepared campers who required rescue in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains after becoming stranded with no food, water, layers or proper shelter.

According to the Alamosa Volunteer Search & Rescue, emergency personnel were notified around 2:35 a.m. Monday about two hypothermic hikers camped near Lake Como, at an elevation of 11,765 feet. Apparently, the Texas couple hiked up Sunday afternoon, planning to camp at the lake, but never made it and set up camp about ¼ mile from the lake.

Conditions were extremely dangerous with heavy rain at the time: Lake Como Road was flooding, and there was a high risk of rockfall.

When emergency crews arrived, the couple said they were so cold they couldn’t move; the man was vomiting, severely dehydrated and had a headache. They were given hot water bottles and sugary drinks to rehydrate and warm up. All in all, the crack SAR teams had the couple back to safety around 8:30 a.m.

AVSAR, however, had choice words about the entire ordeal: “Ignorance kills.” The hikers were “highly unprepared,” with no extra clothing and no way to stay dry in their tent (no rain fly).

“These hikers said they did not understand why it was so cold and rainy in Colorado, because it has been ‘so hot in Texas’ where they hike all the time,” the team said. “They never checked any weather forecasts and did not have any extra food, water or layers for the intense hike in or the night to camp.”

To make matters worse (if that’s possible), the couple had spoken to SAR crews twice on their hike up. Showing signs of extreme fatigue, the hikers denied any assistance to and from Lake Como.

“This is an extreme example of how ignorance can kill people suddenly in these mountains,” AVSAR said.

Ron Corkish, president of La Plata County Search & Rescue, said the last egregious call he remembers was last summer, when two men left their home in Florida on a Saturday morning, landed in Durango and took an Uber to the top of Molas Pass. Within 6-8 hours, the pair went from sea level to 10,000 feet with the intention of mountain biking to Moab. A few hours into their journey, however, they called emergency dispatch and said they were “done.”

“We said, ‘Done? What does done mean?’”

Corkish said.

Eventually, SAR crews met up with the couple behind Purgatory and showed them the way out.

“They didn’t do a lot of research and no conditioning,” he said. “That’s one where they just didn’t pay attention.”

So far, Corkish said SAR teams have been relatively quiet this summer in Southwest Colorado (knock on wood). People new to the backcountry can use this checklist from American Hiking Society: https://bit.ly/3y2MUIq

June 30, 2022 n

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opinion

LaVidaLocal Roe v. Man I may well be a straight, white, landholding American citizen on the Martian side of the gender divide, but I am too young to remember the days when that really meant something. On paper, I mean. Because nowadays, legally if not culturally or practically or actually, everyone else is afforded almost all the same rights and opportunities and protections as I am.

And that piece of paper matters to my definition of self. I’m like the Roger Staubach autograph I had as a kid: I lacked a Certificate of Authenticity verifying that I did not, in fact, write “Roger Staubach” myself on a plastic promotional giveaway football, which meant I could not even trade that football for pogs.

Right now, I wish I had that Certificate of Authenticity to prove myself worthy of more. I also wish I could upgrade to the edition that adds “rich” to the list of white, and straight, and American, and male, and in possession of some dirt. Because with the repeal of Roe v. Wade, I have just been disenfranchised for the first time, simply for being broke enough not to afford to fly my mistresses far, far away, should this great state decide to ban abortions.

Can you imagine the hornrimmed horror of my fellow pale Americans in the days of yore, upon learning that I could lose my rights and, worse, be lumped together with women – by the Supreme Court, no less? Sure, the Founding Fathers never included the Birthing Mothers in the Constitution – the Certificate of Authenticity for the entire nation – so I can understand how five or six justices reasonably concluded that women are essentially Russian nesting dolls with breasts.

But what about MY right to womanize without repercussion? If a Justice of the Supreme Court cannot be expected to overcome his innate manly need to act like a Real Man when in the presence of women, how can the Court expect anything different from me? People like me have NEVER faced repercussions for our actions! That’s what made this country so stinkin’ great!

When Roe v. Wade was first decided, it made no difference, really, to pasty heterosexual, soil-claiming American dudes (or, frankly, to pasty homosexual ones, either). Why should we care if a woman decided to turn a

fetus into a baby? No one could ever pin it on us. Paternity tests were presumably not very good in the days of yore, so a man held no responsibility for any nesting doll besides his wife. By the time a supposed son of mine could actually look enough like me to claim relation, I would be exempt from paying child support due to death from unfiltered cigarettes.

Probably not once in that 78-page decision, nor in the 30-page appendix, does old Justice Whassisname reference advances in DNA testing that make me, in the absence of an abortion clinic, liable for child support from birth.

(Not BEFORE birth, thank heavens – I was afraid that would kick in, along with life, at ejaculation. At least we hold off on citizenship.) If I were a CEO and/or a United States Senator, I could just fly my flings and concubines to Canada or Colombia or someplace else where women get treated like regular people. This would be no problem, even if this state ended up banning abortions, because I could afford to be above the law.

But I cannot afford that. Have you seen fuel prices lately? A plane ticket for one costs more than child support. (Presuming women can even still fly unaccompanied – it’s possible that right got revoked as well.) I shouldn’t have to father a child simply because I can’t afford to make the whole situation go away.

Things were better for us men when we let women make decisions on things we really don’t like to hear about anyway. And let’s be real: we don’t like to hear about a lot of things. So I can’t tolerate this new world order. Plus, if this decision is allowed to take root unchallenged, there’s no telling what will come next to undercut the woman-loving, Casper-colored, ground-owning American male. We could lose the right not to be fools by wrapping our tools. We could lose the right to marry anyone we want, given certain age and species requirements. We could lose out on guiltily watching “Ru Paul’s Drag Race,” and we could lose out on the porn we hastily flip over to, so our friends don’t catch us watching “Ru Paul’s Drag Race.”

Everything in this country is all about the men. Always has been, and The One True God willing always will be. Yet no one is talking about what WE lost this week. We’ll see how long that lasts, once we men start losing out on willing partners.

– Zach Hively

SignoftheDownfall:

Thumbin’It The Colorado Avalanche bringing the Stanley Cup home after downing the Tampa Bay Lightning in a 4-2 game series. Is it us, or does beating a hockey team from Florida make everything right in the world?

4 n June 30, 2022

We think you know what goes here, probably the biggest thumbs down ever. (Hint: It’s the repeal of something that rhymes with Doe d.

Spade)

Bear Smart Durango awarded $206,539 to help address humanbear conflicts, including more bearresistant trash cans, storage lockers at campgrounds and electric fencing.

A flurry of shocking revelations brought to light as part of the Jan. 6 commission hearings. We know, it’s a lot to keep track of, so we’re just going to wait for the movie. But who will play Michael Flynn? A potato?

The return of beautiful, beautiful rain to SW Colorado. It’s also a good way to spot a non-local – all those people who run from City Market to their cars obviously don’t know what it’s like to live in a drought.

President Joe Biden boosting U.S. troops in Europe because of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and increasing worries among surrounding countries. Oh right, this is still going on.

Crap.

telegraph

Time to B negative Leslie Sinclair, a 66year-old Scottish man with a super feminine name, has donated blood 125 times throughout the past five decades. But last week, he was turned away from his donation center for refusing to answer a question on the new intake form asking whether or not he was pregnant. The question has been added to Scottish intake forms given that pregnant females sometimes identify as men these days, but it angered Sinclair so much that he’s decided to stop giving blood entirely (he might’ve been man-struating). However, Sinclair shouldn’t be mad at the form for asking if he was pregnant, because he’d probably just gained some weight, and we’ve all made that mistake.

WordontheStreet

Q

Independence Day is here, so The Telegraph asked: “What’s your favorite thing to do on the Fourth of July?”

Kris

“Eating gallons of potato salad. I’m not kidding; I love potato salad.”

Melinda

"I live in Denver and can see the city’s fireworks from my back yard.”

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The Alter native Resource

telegraph

June 30, 2022

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SoapBox A worker’s government In 1776, we Americans were poor dirt farmers, roving merchants and indentured servants who often lived from hand to mouth. We were struggling peasants immersed in the day-to-day struggle for survival. But we were taken with a dream of creating a new society free from the shackles of the overlord. We dared to unite in defiance of two formidable obstacles.

One was the British Empire’s supreme monarch, King George III. Like all emperors, tsars and sultans, he exercised cruel, entitled power unrestrained by any law. “We the People” of the colonies yearned for a legal system under which all people would be accountable.

The other obstacle was the utter compliance a royal father figure could exact from some subjects, turning friend against free-thinking friend. “Loyalists” believed in the divine right of kings and worshipped the rich celebrities of their day.

But the rest of us were unimpressed by wealth and power; we believed in the strength of our worker unity.

We were willing to risk our lives against a mighty sovereign, based on our trust for and appreciation of our fellow workers. It was they who shared our hard labor in the fields, our passion for freedom and our love for our hungry families – not some entitled elite who had never worked a day.

Still, revolution was a big gamble: would our fellows sell us out or hold true? Could a nation of workers trust each other? Could we self-govern? Through an imperfect evolution of thought and practice, a new worker’s government was born. Our revolution inspired workers around the world to throw off their chains and claim their future.

The reptilian eyes of oligarchs are focused on our democracy. We can see them devising ever more sophisticated methods to regain control, fine-tuning the messages that make us cynical, divided, tuned out and apathetic. In

6 n June 30, 2022

this new and different world, our task remains the same as our forefathers’ task: to protect every American’s rights by standing strong together. We may have different cultures, but no American bends a knee for a king.

We have the power to secure the rights of every American to a decent life to equal participation and freedom from persecution. That’s our strength: an America of, by and for the people.

– Kirby MacLaurin, Durango

Boebert blasts again It is amusing, yet sad, to get Congresswoman Lauren Boebert’s take on how she perceives her world. A few quotes to illustrate my point. “I connect with the people I serve, rather than sitting at home in a basement like most Leftists,” she said recently. This comment was regarding an investigation of Boebert in which she allegedly used $22,000 from her campaign coffers she claimed was for mileage reimbursements to pay $20,000 in tax liens on her restaurant in Rifle. The liens by the State of Colorado were for failure to pay Colorado unemployment premiums.

Boebert also reimbursed herself nearly $21,200 from her campaign in November 2020, according to campaign finance records, equal to roughly 38,000 miles driven, or about 13,000 miles longer than the circumference of the Earth. The campaign later amended filings with the Federal Election Commission to list more than $17,000 in a mileage reimbursement. Oops, extra 20,000 miles there!

Here’s another Boebert quote: “The saddest thing about the fentanyl crisis is that it is preventable.” Indeed, as are mass shootings if assault-style weapons are banned; as is climate change if we move away from fossil fuels; as is a shrinking middle class if we empower democracy over profits.

Boebert’s reaction? Legislation such as “The 30x30 Termination Act” – a regressive response to progressive legislation aimed protecting 30% of U.S. lands and ocean

telegraph

territories by 2030. Boebert’s plan would instead capitalize on natural landscapes and resources. But Boebert’s thoughts on natural resources are even more regressive, as she opposes the CORE Act and the Colorado Wilderness Act. So instead, she introduced the “Fix Our Forests Act,” which appropriates $126 million annually for the U.S. Department of the Interior to mandate a yearly logging quota of 6 billion board feet of timber – with no provision that it must be beetle-killed timber or that any part of the quota comes from Colorado forests.

But perhaps my favorite quote from Boebert is: “Add mutilating children to the National Institute of Horrors’ (National Institutes of Health) long list of funding evil research, which already includes gain-of-function research in Wuhan, scalping aborted babies and fusing their skin to lab rats, organ harvesting aborted babies’ genitalia, and insects eating dogs’ faces off.”

Not sure if her GED led her to that conclusion or some other in-depth research into some fictional world. We need a new representative with integrity, intelligence and an ability to think instead of simply react.

– Tim Thomas, Durango

Freedom for all When we think about our independence and freedom in the United States, I wonder how many people think of the freedom of farmed animals. There are currently 1.6 billion animals in our nation’s 25,000 factory farms who often never see the light of day.

Cows, chickens, pigs and more are subjected to unnecessary breeding, overfeeding, abuse and slaughter every day. The majority of these animals are raised in environments unfit for any beings.

But releasing animals from cages, crates and the psychological torment of Big Ag is truly a step toward independence for all. When we stop treating animals as commodities, overall suffering in the world reduces, the Earth can heal, pandemic and antibiotic-resistance risks

are reduced and human health will improve.

Luckily, there are options. Browse any grocery store or food co-op, and you’ll uncover a variety of delicious and nutritious plant-based burgers and more. They are showing up at cookouts across the country and are proving that this Fourth of July, there can be freedom for all.

– Diego Horvath, Durango

Big ups to patrollers

Special thanks to the Purgatory Ski Patrol team, who saved my leg after an unexpected flight from a trail down into an aspen field. When it was assessed that my knee was not going to work, the call to ski patrol was answered quickly by Camille. We decided to immobilize my knee before attempting to move me into a toboggan, and then I was belayed up the hill by an all-women crew. Next I was taken for a quick trip to ski patrol office, noting that Urgent Care again had no providers and was closed (so much for service there).

Another patroller spotted the blood now showing and exposed a serious gash in my leg that would require closure by a plastic surgeon. My orthopedic surgeon noted that while my kneecap was smashed into pieces like corn flakes, all pieces were totally contained and sitting right where they belonged. Thanks to the immobilization, quick ambulance ride and skilled surgeons, my knee will be ready to ski next season.

But we need to recognize the amazingly skilled, hardworking – and not well compensated – patrollers that devote their days to our safety, both before we get on a trail and after we miss the trail and end up hurt.

Thank you Purgatory Ski Patrol.

– Lynne Murison, Durango

Expand the Supreme Court

This is a scary moment. The Supreme Court just dismantled abortion rights across America. As a result, 26

MagpieDon’tGiveaSh**: An eagle seems to give a disapproving look to two oblivious magpies in while roosting in a an old snag./Photo by Alex Krebs states could outlaw abortion, including 13 states that have passed “trigger” laws to take effect immediately after the court overturned Roe v. Wade.

This news should set off alarm bells for all Americans.

Our fundamental freedoms are coming under attack by a hyper-partisan supermajority on the court. And this could just be the beginning. But there’s a way to fight back, which is why I’m urging Congress to pass the Judiciary Act of 2021.

The Judiciary Act would rebalance the Supreme Court

telegraph

by adding four new seats, giving us 13 justices in total.

It’s just what we need to move away from extremely partisan rulings and restore the legitimacy of the Court – and it’s been done before. In fact, Congress has changed the size of the Supreme Court seven times already in our nation’s history. A recent poll showed that the majority of Americans support expanding the court again now.

It’s past time for Congress to get on board with this crucial bill.

– Matt Cornell, Durango

June 30, 2022 n 7

TopStory

Geologic tick How a prehistoric landslide in San Juans can help communities deal with climate change

by Jonathan Romeo

A

newly documented landslide in the San Juan Mountains that dates back to the last Ice Age might help answer one of climate change’s most pressing questions: do retreating glaciers increase the frequency and intensity of landslides?

Around 2018, Jonathan Harvey, Chair & Associate Professor of Geosciences at Fort Lewis College, was perusing recently released topography maps – as geologists are wont to do – enhanced by Lidar technology, which uses radar to map out the Earth.

While scanning through the Weminuche Wilderness, Harvey noticed some strange happenings in the upper half of Elk Creek, a tributary of the Animas River a few miles south of Silverton (which also runs alongside the Colorado/Continental Divide trails).

“I started getting curious about it,” Harvey said. “It became clear there had been an enormous landslide in the past that dramatically changed the landscape. But it appeared no one had mapped it. It was an unexplored geological feature.”

So, like all good scientists dealing with the universe’s unknowns, Harvey hiked into the basin to see it in person along with an FLC student. Now, three years later, the “Elk Creek Landslide Project” is showing promising returns.

For one, Harvey was happy enough to unlock a geological mystery in our own back yard. But also, Harvey’s research may help inform communities around the world that are also dealing with increased landslides as glaciers melt and retreat due to climate change. And it couldn’t have come at a better time.

“This is a hazard that has not been given much attention, but with these fast-receding glaciers, it’s a hazard increasing in potential,” Anna Liljedahl, an Alaska-based hydrologist with the Woods Hole Research Center, said.

A stark contrast Elk Creek is a relatively remote area. The only access to the trail is hiking down from Molas Pass, across the Animas River and up into the basin. Or, maybe, if you ask really, really nicely, the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad will drop you off.

A 14,000-year-old landslide deposited massive boulders in Elk Creek./ Photo by Jonathan Harvey But that’s not to say the place isn’t frequently visited. Hikers use the route as a leg of the Colorado Trail as well as the Continental Divide Trail. And, many people take the Elk Creek Trail to get into Vestal Basin.

For the first part of the trail, from the confluence with the Animas, you are in a steep, tight canyon. Then, about 3 miles in, the canyon abruptly opens up into a wide valley bottom.

Just as eye-catching, however, is what’s on the valley floor: thousands of large boulders, some the size of houses.

“It’s a stark contrast,” Harvey said. “It’s this huge sea of boulders for about a mile, unlike anything else in the San Juans that I’ve seen.”

During the first field trips in the summer of 2019, Harvey and a student spent a couple days mapping the slide, measuring its scale and taking samples so they could pinpoint the exact time the event happened. Continued study in 2020 sought to reconstruct the valley before the landslide came crashing down.

“Boulder fields are obviously common,” Harvey said. “But to have an entire valley bottom filled with boulders struck me as unique, and I wanted to know why and how it happened.”

Glacial retreat Through modeling, Harvey was able to estimate the size of the landslide at about 50 million cubic meters of rock (a washing machine, for example, is one cubic meter, “so imagine 50 million washing machines tumbling down all at once,” Harvey said). The sheer size of the event, he said, likely would have blocked Elk Creek and created a dammed lake in the valley.

To pin down the timeframe, Harvey sampled five boulders to see how long they’d been sitting there, through cosmogenic nuclide dating, which basically measures how long a rock has been exposed to the sun (think of it as “cosmic sunburn,” Harvey joked).

All five rock samples came back with the same results: about 14,000 years. Which makes sense, Harvey said. At the peak of the last Ice Age in North America, about 21,500 years ago, the San Juan Mountains were covered in glaciers all the way down to Durango (oh, the ski terrain that once was).

But, around 17,000 years ago, those glaciers started to melt and retreat. According to a 2017 study published by The Geological Society of America, upper Elk Creek was ice-free by about 15,000 years ago. Silverton was clear by around

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telegraph

14,000 years ago, and the last gasps of ice in the San Juan ice cap may have hung on as late as 12,000 years ago (around Highland Mary Lakes).

“There is some fuzziness to those dates, but based on the set of ages, the study area in Elk Creek should have been either ice-free or well on its way there at the time of the landslide,” Harvey said.

Connecting the dots: glaciers melted, destabilizing the mountain slopes, causing the landslide.

“It seems like a case where, as soon as the ice retreated, the valley wall was too unstable and collapsed in a single major event,” Harvey said. “But it is an interesting phenomena that we’re still learning about.”

A triggering factor?

It’s true – whether retreating glaciers cause more landslides is a hot topic in the geology world, especially in places dealing with the impacts of climate change in real time, like Alaska, Norway and Greenland.

“It’s a controversial issue,” Jeff Coe, a U.S. Geological Survey landslide geologist, said.

“It’s hard for me to argue there’s not an impact from glacial retreat, but in the same breadth, what’s happening in the mountains is not well known.”

Glacial retreat is a natural process but has been accelerated by human-caused climate change. Of about 1,700 glaciers in North America included in a University of Ottawa study, nearly 85% shrunk between 2000 and 2020. A report in April 2021, too, showed the world’s glaciers are melting faster than ever previously documented.

As a result, the concern in these communities is clear: will the disappearance of gla-

ciers result in more massive, potentially catastrophic landslides?

“We know landslides also happen when ice is there,” Coe said. “So the question is, does the frequency increase when you take away the ice? Is that a triggering factor? That topic is controversial.”

Disaster in the making The issue is of particular concern in places like Alaska, where, if a slope were to totally break away, it could fall into the ocean and cause a tsunami.

“The retreat of ice is leading to greater instability, and we don’t really know when we could see a sudden collapse cause a disastrous situation,” Bret Higman, a geologist who works for the Alaska-based nonprofit Ground Truth, said. “It’s pretty scary.”

Such events are not unprecedented. In 2015, a landslide at the Taan Fjord in Alaska triggered a 600 foot wave. And in 2017, a landslide set off a wave more than 300 feet high in Greenland that destroyed a fishing village and killed four people. One area of major concern today is the Barry Arm glacier in Alaska, frequented by tourists and fishing boats, where some 500 million cubic meters of mass could fail at any moment.

Long-term, Higman worries this could be a dominant issue in the years to come. In the meantime, the scientific community is working to better understand the issue and possibly create an early warning system. The USGS, for instance, has invested around $8 million to the cause.

“We have a lot to learn,” Liljedahl said.

“Academics need to meet the real world.”

Learning from the past So how does a 14,000-year-old landslide

in Southwest Colorado help communities dealing with the issue now?

“It’s like history in general,” Liljedahl said.

“It’s important to be aware of what happened in the past to understand what might be happening in the near future.”

The USGS’s Coe, too, said with enough case studies that prove a link between retreating glaciers and increased landslides, it could put the controversial question to bed.

“There’s definitely circumstantial evidence (of the link), but we just don’t have good scientific data to say it more firmly,” he said.

Geological research is experiencing a sea

telegraph

change, Harvey said, as scientists increasingly study less about how the Earth was made and instead about how it’s changing.

But the more researchers look back in the geologic record, the more it can help us understand our changing world.

“The more we can learn about prehistoric events, the more we can understand the hazard when it happens now and in the future,” Harvey said. “All this has been so exciting for us. It felt rare to be able to find such a huge event that wasn’t named, described or measured in any way, right here in our back yard.”

June 30, 2022 n

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StateNews

Wear your PFD! Colorado on track to reach record number of drowning deaths

by Stina Stieg / Colorado Public Radio

A

woman paddleboarding on the Colorado River hit debris and disappeared under the water in Grand Junction. The other five people in her group made it safely to shore, but she was later found unconscious and not breathing.

She was taken to the hospital but died.

That same afternoon, a few hours east near Aspen, a man fell into the Roaring Fork River at a cliff-diving spot called the Devil’s Punchbowl. A search team found his body the next day.

Both those incidents happened June 15, and with them, the state marked 16 drowning deaths on Colorado waterways.

As of Wednesday, 19 people had drowned in the state since the start of the year, according to Colorado Parks and Wildlife.

The state had its worst year of drownings in 2020, with 34 deaths. But at the rate this year is going, 2022 could exceed that.

CPW has this message for the public: Wear a personal flotation device (PFD).

“Nobody’s immune to the dangers of potentially drowning out there on the water, especially if they don’t have a PFD,” John Livingston, a CPW spokesman for

10 n June 30, 2022

the southwest region of the state, said.

Livingston explained that while PFD usage has increased in the rafting community, sometimes people forget their importance while doing other activities.

Someone who might always wear one boating, for example, might choose to forgo one while paddleboarding or tubing.

But that’s risky, Livingston said. Regardless of whether you’re on a river, reservoir or lake, cold water in particular “just changes the game.”

All it takes is one little thing going wrong to put your life in danger, Livingston further explained. Maybe your raft hits a rock in the river. Maybe you slip off your paddleboard. “With your limbs starting to lose some of that blood flow, that can become a dangerous situation pretty quickly,” Livingston said.

Runoff from last month’s storms have only made things more dangerous in parts of the state, as water levels rise with snowmelt and runoff.

Livingston also stressed general safety tips, including not drinking alcohol to excess while you’re in or near the water.

“But the biggest thing’s always going to be that if you have a PFD on, you’re going

Ahead of the Fourth of July weekend, CPW is reminding people to wear their PFDs./ Photo by Hart Van Denburg/CPR News to have a much better chance than if you don’t,” he said.

Various Colorado state parks have programs that loan PFDs to people. In Mesa County, the Save-A-Life Jacket program has

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several loaner kiosks along the Colorado River.

The Durango Telegraph added to this report for up-to-date drowning statistics. For more from Colorado Public Radio, go to www.cpr.org.

EndoftheLine

The Barfly vs. the Cowboy A single girl’s dating duel between head and heart

by Jenny Mason

F

or reasons I can’t entirely explain or justify, I still believe that I can find a long-term, stable partner somewhere in the modernized romance arena. I maintain this belief in spite of digital dating apps, which carousel potential playmates the same way Amazon curates my impulse purchases for home décor and footwear. Such a fantasy comes loaded with additional sub-fantasies – first and foremost among them: that I can find a partner who delights my heart as much as my brain.

I maintain this romantic mythos despite evidence amassed over the past five years of dating. Evidence that seems to suggest that guys who possess the intellectual TNT I enjoy usually gag at the slightest hint of emotional intimacy. Likewise, the dudes with the cuddliest dispositions are totally turned off when I wax rhapsodic about contemporary research on cephalopod neurology.

Take, for example, my romantic interlude with the Barfly and the Cowboy. My acquaintance with the Barfly began with the kind of happenstance that Hollywood rom-coms play off as magical and fated.

My entire posse of friends had forced me out for some mandatory dating efforts.

According to their courtship expertise, I was never going to meet anyone if I spent every evening at home, pretzeled on the couch, bingeing “The Great British Bake Off.” At the bar, my friends took turns playing wingman, sidelining single guys to the empty seat beside me. Unfortunately, after two decades spent in two separate but serious relationships, I had forgotten how to flirt and was too nervous to even fake it.

As debutants go, I possessed all the social finesse of Eleven from “Stranger Things.”

To repay my friends for their kind but failed attempts to set me up, I ventured to the bar to buy everyone a last round.

Soon, the Barfly was posted at my side. As a team, we successfully flagged down the bartender. With cocktails in the works, we chatted. We quipped. He sneakily bought my drink. I protested.

“Cheers,” he said, tipping his whiskey tumbler at me before strolling away.

This scenario repeated itself the next weekend when my posse dragged me out again. A few nights later, my homegirl Kelli witnessed my third exchange with the Barfly.

Back at the table, she declared, “That guy was totally hitting on you!”

The news electrified our whole crew.

“Which guy?” “Where?” “A guy was hitting on Jenny?!”

“The guy at the bar?” I scoffed. “He’s just friendly.”

“Friendly guys chit-chat. Interested guys buy your drink,” Kelli clarified.

“Jennyyyyy!” Everyone chorused. “He’s into you! You have to go talk to him!”

Suddenly, it hit me: according to all the movies I’d ever seen and all the books I’d ever read, this match had all the potential to be a “true love,” because it had begun with a series of lucky, albeit clumsy, coinky-dinks! So, I sought out the Barfly and we talked. We hooked up. Over the next several days, we talked some more.

Every day. Sometimes, for hours. He called all the time. Sometimes, he would just be on the line, working away in silence while I also worked, saying nothing. The rhythmic sound of our mutual breathing filled our earbuds and synchronized our heartbeats.

When we weren’t just breathing, we were usually matching wits. Barfly and I could go round after round, playfully and passionately debating an ethical paradox or philosophical mystery. We dug intellectual trenches and hurled weapons of sassdestruction in a brutal shock and awe campaign. This was our form of whips, handcuffs and naughty nurse uniforms.

After several months, I was cartwheeling inside. Had I actually struck boyfriend gold in my first back-in-the-saddle fling? I hadn’t dated anyone in three years. No hook-ups, nothing. I had needed plenty of time to heal when my fiancé bugged out of our wedding with a lil office romance.

In retrospect, I would have preferred he just sent back the RSVP card with the “no, not coming” box checked off.

But who cared!? I had the Barfly. It was magical “true love” in the making.

Or, it was until the Barfly announced: “I don’t want a serious relationship.”

Devastated and confused, I determined that if the Barfly wasn’t going to commit, I sure as heck wasn’t about to sit around pining for him. I tried my first dating app.

A few days and one fortuitous right swipe later, I met the Cowboy. On our first date, we went to dinner and strolled along the river. A regular Iron Man marathon competitor, the Cowboy cut quite the figure in his Wranglers. We paused on a bridge to admire how the streetlamps unspooled copper ribbons of light on the water. At some point, I realized the Cowboy had shifted his focus to me. I dared to meet his gaze. I could feel his eyes tracing my every feature. He said nothing. Like an onlooker taking in a first sighting of Yosemite’s Dawn Wall, Niagara Falls or any natural wonder, the Cowboy swelled his chest with a long inhale. The intensity of his awe flipped my ribcage.

As a second date expanded into third, fourth and fifth dates, I found myself in the crossfire of a high noon, old west love story showdown with the Cowboy and the Barfly. The Cowboy was vulnerable where the Barfly was guarded. The Barfly was fun while the Cowboy was grave. While the Barfly might fling me onto his bed mountained with dirty laundry, random climbing gear and a few plates crusted with old food, the Cowboy always carried me to a pristine bed, setting me on the sheets with the same care and efficacy of a baker transferring a cake to a ceramic display stand. The Barfly

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dazzled my mind while the Cowboy enveloped my heart.

Brain and Heart leveled their pistols.

“You feelin’ lucky, punk?” one gruffed at the other.

An outside observer might be quick to smack me upside the head and say, “Honey! Get a grip! Choose the Cowboy.

It’s a no-brainer.”

But the choice wasn’t straightforward.

Although the Cowboy proved to be a throwback to more chivalrous days when men reportedly spread their overcoats across puddles to protect a lady’s silk slippers and petticoat hems, I often felt a tad bored spending time with him, because he conceded every debate and rambunctious discussion with kisses and caresses. He had no interest in intellectual war games. Aren’t we modern humans supposed to value rationalism, intellectualism and science over intuition, empathy and spiritualism? Or, at the very least, aren’t we commanded by all modes of media to find a partner who supplies a healthy blend of both worlds, so we can live out our modern American “have it all” lifestyle? If only I could merge the Barfly and the Cowboy into My Perfect Partner.

As summer froze into winter, the decisive shot in my dating duel finally fired. For New Year’s Eve, the Cowboy invited me to spend a quiet night in where we could tangle like warm taffy under blankets with a “Lord of the Rings” marathon playing in the background. Simultaneously, the Barfly had invited me to a party with his gaggle of fun-loving friends. I thought: at last, he’s finally introducing me – and “us” – to his social circles.

Brain pulled the trigger. Heart never had a chance, really.

I gave the Cowboy some lame excuses – oh darn, my girlfriends had already invited me out for the night.

The party was a hot mess. Besides me, the Barfly had invited several other sexual contenders. We’d been lured into a lascivious Thunderdome, expected to compete for him as the prize. I broke it all off with him and left the party early. My New Year’s resolution centered on bolstering my relationship with the Cowboy. Make it real, make it last was my mantra. However, the damage was done. The Cowboy’s regular calls dwindled. When I asked him if anything was the matter, he replied he hadn’t been feeling a solid connection with me all winter. He doubted our long-term potential.

After we hung up, I stood on my porch in the dark. How smart was I to let my brain overrule my heart? If I kept searching, could I find someone to end the head vs. heart duel with a truce instead of a trigger?

I cradled my elbows as snow fell in wet, heavy hunks. The icy plapping sounded like horse hooves trotting away to a distant horizon.

June 30, 2022 n 11

StufftoDo

Thursday30

Ska-B-Q with Alex Maryol Band, 5 p.m., Ska Brewing, 225 Girard St. Bingo Night, 5 p.m., Fenceline Cider, Mancos.

Artist in the Parklet: Sarah Sumner, 5 p.m., Maria’s Bookshop, 960 Main Ave. Durango Green Drinks, 5 p.m., 11th Street Station.

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

You Knew Me When plays, 6 p.m., Fox Fire Farms, Ignacio.

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

iAM Music Festival, 6-9 p.m., Fenceline Cider, Mancos.

Smelter Mountain Boys play, 6 p.m., James Ranch Grill, 33846 Highway 550.

Movies in the Park Series: “The Sandlot,” 7 p.m., Buckley Park. Movie starts 15 min. after sunset.

Comedy Show, 6:30 p.m., Olde Tymers Café, 1000 Main Ave.

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

Hip Hop Night, 8 p.m., The Hive, 1150 Main Ave.

Monday04

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

Saturday02

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

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

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

Concerts in the Plaza: Devin Scott plays, 6-8 p.m., Three Springs Plaza, 151 Heritage Lane.

iAM Music Festival, 12 noon-10 p.m., Fenceline Cider, Mancos.

Jeff Solon Jazz Duo plays, 6-8 p.m., Lola’s Place, 725 E. 2nd Ave. Maddy & Kev play, 6 p.m., James Ranch Grill, 33846 Highway 550.

J-Calvin plays, 6-9 p.m., Durango Hot Springs.

Powerhouse Trivia Night, 6:30 p.m., Powerhouse Science Center, 1333 Camino del Rio. Deadline for “Stuff to Do” submissions is Monday at noon. To submit an item, email: calendar@durangotelegraph.com

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

Stars & Stripes Parade, 5 p.m., downtown Durango. Featuring music by Samba Band & the Westwind Pipe Band.

Rob Webster plays, 6-9 p.m., Union Social House, 3062 Main Ave.

San Juan Nature Hikes, meet at Andrews Lake upper parking lot at 9 a.m., hosted by San Juan Mountains Association.

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

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

Mr. Mota plays, 8 p.m., Nugget Mountain Bar, 48721 Highway 550.

“Nature Stories” Opening Art Show, with Bradley Kachnowicz & Patrice DeLorenzo, 5-7 p.m., Create Art & Tea, 1015 Main Ave. Exhibit runs thru Aug. 1.

Sunday03

Kirk James plays, 5-8 p.m., Serious Texas BBQ South, 650 South Camino del Rio.

Durango Flea Market, 8 a.m., La Plata County Fairgrounds, 2500 Main Ave.

Maddie & Kev play, 5 p.m., Weminuche Woodfire Grill, Vallecito.

Veterans Benefit Breakfast, 9 a.m., VFW Post 4031, 1550 Main Ave.

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

Ben Gibson Band plays, 2 p.m., Weminuche Woodfire Grill, Vallecito.

Lake Voiles plays, 4 p.m., Mancos Brewing Co.

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

Rockin’ on the River featuring Dana Ariel & the Coming Up Roses play, 4-7 p.m., Powerhouse Science Center, 1295 Camino del Rio.

Freestyle Friday, weekly, 5:30 p.m., The Hive, 1150 Main Ave. Reeder & Spencer play, 6-9 p.m., Union Social House, 3062 Main Ave.

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Open Mic Night, 5 p.m., Fenceline Cider, Mancos.

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BBQ & Bands Picnic, 12 p.m., Buckley Park.

Chevel Shepherd plays, 5 p.m., Farmington Civic Center.

Street Dance & Drone Show, 6-10 p.m., Durango Transit Center, 250 W. 8th St.

Friday01

Southwest Civic Winds & Durango Choral Society Concert, 9 a.m., Rotary Park.

Kirk James Band plays, 2:30-4:30 p.m., Buckley Park.

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

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

Freedom 5k, 9 a.m., Rotary Park. Run, walk or stroll Animas River Trail.

Smelter Mountain Boys play, 5 p.m., Balcony Bar & Grill, 600 Main Ave.

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

Blue Honey plays, 7-10 p.m., 11th Street Station.

Rotary All-American Gourmet Breakfast, 7:30 a.m.-11 a.m., Rotary Park.

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. 100 Year Flood with Larry Carver plays, 6 p.m., Balcony Bar & Grill, 600 Main Ave. Fourth of July Square Dance, 6:30 p.m., VFW Post 4031, 1550 Main Ave. Lyle Lovett and his Large Band, 7 p.m., Ward Lee Field, La Plata County Fairgrounds, 2500 Main Ave. durangoconcerts.com

Tuesday05

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. Matt Rupnow plays, 6 p.m., James Ranch Grill, 33846 Highway 550.

Jack Ellis Band plays, 6 p.m., Fur Trappers Steakhouse and Bar, 701 E. 2nd Ave.

Concerts in the Plaza: You Knew Me When plays, 6-8 p.m., Three Springs Plaza, 151 Heritage Lane.

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AskRachel

Open wide, plastic pruning & double standard Interesting fact: A recent report reports that there are, reportedly, other pencil numbers besides #2. And that the number refers to the hardness of the graphite.

Someday, if I’m very lucky, I’ll meet a pencil with a #5 or #6.

Dear Rachel, Why are ears the only human orifice that makes wax, at least under normal circumstances?

Come to think of it, why does each orifice have its own unique mucous defense system? Seems like it would be biologically efficient to streamline the production process and give eyes, nose, ears, mouth and others less-fit-to-print the same universal secretion. Which would you pick, Rachel?

Snot, wax, saliva, tears or other?

– Waxing Poetic Dear Wax Off, Your world is a world I don’t want to live in. No way do I want tears coming out of my ears, or any other such combination. I trust that ears and noses and mouths know exactly what they’re doing. Except when I have a cold. Then there is no reasonable explanation for the quantities of snot simultaneously spilling out of and blocking up my face.

– Phlegmatically, Rachel

too thin to support my weight if I climbed to fetch it. I thought it might blow away or erode to nothingness, but no such luck. Oh and did I mention it’s been there since last summer? Also, I might be allergic to this particular tree species. How can I get rid of this bag once and for all?

– Bag Nabbit Dear Baggins of Bag End, I remember being a kid in a museum gift shop, and I got one of those classic toys that’s a stick with a shark head on the end of it, and when you squeeze the handle the shark mouth closes. It’s perfect for biting siblings and parents around corners, though with less plausible deniability than I imagined. I have to think this is your last and best hope for getting that bag out of the tree.

But even if you take the bag out of the tree, can you really take the tree out of the bag?

– Yes you can, Rachel

Email questions to telegraph@durangotelegraph.com

Dear Rachel, Why are the two notebook scales called “wide ruled” and “college ruled?” Wide I can understand. But “college” is not a standard measure of distance. Shouldn’t it be “normal ruled” or “standard ruled?” Do they use college-ruled paper in trade schools? Is it called “uni-ruled” in other countries that don’t use the word “college” like we do? And come to think of it, why isn’t wide-ruled paper called “K-12 ruled?”

– Benevolent Ruler

Dear Narrow Ruled, This puzzle has never been solved, because we first must solve the case of the #2 pencil. I submit that you have never held a #1 pencil or a #3 pencil. So why must every standardized test require the #2? Are test scanners so sensitive to pencil numbers that we cannot deviate from them? I say, make kids take tests in ink as practice for voting, while voting still lasts. Or, take tests in blood, which is so much easier to come by than ear wax.

– Your #2 columnist, Rachel

fourth Thursday, 6-8 p.m., Mountain Monk Coffee, 558 Main Ave. More info at iAMmusic.us

Dragondeer plays, July 15, 6 p.m., Memorial Park, Silverton, 1800 Greene St. Part of Silverton Summer Sounds.

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

Boss’ Daughter & The Batteries play, July 18, 8 p.m., The Hive, 1150 Main Ave.

Smelter Mountain Boys play, 12 noon-2:30 p.m., Bear Bar at Purgatory Resort.

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

The Crooked Rugs, Thrust Fall & Round Table play, July 24, 8 p.m., The Hive, 1150 Main Ave.

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

The Hive Indoor Skate Park open skate and skate lessons. Waivers required. For schedule and online waiver, go to www.thehivedgo.org

Dear Rachel, I have a plastic shopping bag stuck high up in a tree in my front yard. I can’t get the ladder close enough to pluck it out. The branches are Open Mic Night, weekly 7:30-9:30 p.m., Starlight Lounge, 937 Main Ave. Comedy Open Mic, weekly, 9 p.m., 11th St. Station.

Wednesday06

Durango Blues Train, Aug. 26 & 27, more info at durangobluestrain.com

St. Augustine’s Day, Blue Raspberry, Neighborhood Skeleton & Delicate Flower play, 8 p.m., The Hive, 1150 Main Ave.

Upcoming

Ongoing

Music in the Mountains, July 7-31, event schedule at www.musicinthemountains.com

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 “Heathers: The Musical,” July 6, 8, 14-16 at 7:30 p.m. & July 9, 10, 17 at 2 p.m., Fort Lewis College’s Mainstage Theatre. www.durangoconcerts.com Storytelling & Songwriting Night, every second and

Asleep at the Wheel plays, Midnight Backhand opens, Aug. 12, 8 p.m., La Plata County Fairgrounds, 2500 Main Ave. durangoconcerts.com

Jack & the Vox (and Company) play, July 7, 5:30 p.m., Buckley Park.

Rocky Mountain UkeFest, July 7-10. More info durangoconcerts.com Friends of the Library Summer Book Sale, July 15, 9:30 a.m.-4 p.m., Durango Public Library, 1900 E. 3rd Ave.

telegraph

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

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

June 30, 2022 n 13

FreeWillAstrology

by Rob Brezsny ARIES (March 21-April 19): In her poem “Two Skins,” Bahamian writer Lynn Sweeting writes, “There is a moment in every snake’s life when she wears two skins: one you can see, about to be shed, one you cannot see, the skin under the skin, waiting.” I suspect you now have metaphorical resemblances to a snake on the verge of molting, Aries. Congratulations on your imminent rebirth! Here’s a tip: The snake’s old skin doesn’t always just fall away; she may need to take aggressive action to tear it open and strip it off, like by rubbing her head against a rock. Be ready to perform a comparable task.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): “Imagine a world 300 years from now,” writes Japanese novelist Minae Mizumura, “a world in which not only the best-educated people but also the brightest minds and the deepest souls express themselves only in English. Imagine the world subjected to the tyranny of a singular ‘Logos.’ What a narrow, pitiful and horrid world that would be!” Even though I am primarily an English speaker, I agree with her. I don’t want a world purged of diversity. Don’t want a monolithic culture.

Don’t want everyone to think and speak the same. I hope you share my passion for multiplicity, Taurus – especially these days.

In my astrological opinion, you’ll thrive if you immerse yourself in a celebratory riot of variety. I hope you will seek out influences you’re not usually exposed to.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Imagine you’re not a person, but a medley of four magical ingredients. What would they be? A Gemini baker named Jasmine says, “ripe persimmons, green hills after a rain, a sparkling new Viking Black Glass Oven, and a prize-winning show horse.” A Gemini social worker named Amarantha says she would be made of “Florence and the Machine’s song ‘Sky Full of Song,’ a grove of birch trees, a blue cashmere knee-length sweater and three black cats sleeping in the sun.” A Gemini delivery driver named Altoona says, “freshly harvested cannabis buds, a bird-loving wetlands at twilight, Rebecca Solnit’s book Hope in the Darkness and the Haleakalā shield volcano in Maui.”

And now, Gemini, what about you? Identify your medley of four magical ingredients. The time is right to reimagine the poetry of YOU.

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CANCER (June 21-July 22): Filmmaker Jean-Luc Godard believes there’s only one way to find a sense of meaning, and that is to fill your life to the bursting point; to be in love with your experience; to celebrate the flow of events wherever it takes you. When you do that, Godard says, you have no need or urge to ask questions like “Why am I here?” or

“What is my purpose?” The richness of your story is the ultimate response to every enigma. As I contemplate these ideas, I say: Wow! That’s an intensely vibrant way to live. Personally, I’m not able to sustain it all the time. But I think most of us would benefit from such an approach for brief periods now and then.

And I believe you have just entered one of those phases.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): I asked Leo readers to provide their insights about the topic, “How to Be a Leo.” Here are responses that line up with your current astrological omens. 1. People should try to understand you’re only bossing them around for their benefit. – Harlow Hunt. 2. Be alert for the intense shadows you may cast with your intense brightness. Consider the possibility that even if they seem iffy or dicey, they have value and even blessings to offer. – Cannarius Kansen. 3. Never break your own heart. Never apologize for showering yourself with kindness and adoration. – Amy Clear. 4. At the moment of orgasm, scream out your own name. – Bethany Grace VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): It’s your birthright as a Virgo to become a master of capitalizing on difficulties. You have great potential to detect opportunities coalescing in the midst of trouble. You can develop a knack for spotting the order that’s hiding in the chaos. Now is a time when you should wield these skills with artistry, my dear – both for your own benefit and for the betterment of everyone whose lives you touch.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): One of my heroes died in 2021: the magnificent Libran author bell hooks (who didn’t capitalize her name). She was the most imaginative and independentminded activist I knew. Till her last day, she articulated one-of-a-kind truths about social justice; she maintained her uncompromising originality. But it wasn’t easy.

She wrote, “No insurgent intellectual, no dissenting critical voice in this society escapes the pressure to conform. We are all vulnerable. We can all be had, co-opted, bought. There is no special grace that rescues any of us. There is only a constant struggle.” I bring this to your attention, Libra, because I suspect the coming weeks will require your strenuous efforts to remain true to your high standards and unique vision of reality.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): You now have the power to make yourself even more beautiful than you already are.

You are extraordinarily open to beautifying influences, and there will be an abundance of beautifying influences coming your way. I trust you understand I’m not referring to the kinds of beauty that are worshiped by conventional wis-

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dom. Rather, I mean the elegance, allure, charm and grace that you behold in old trees and gorgeous architecture and enchanting music and people with soulful idiosyncrasies. PS: The coming weeks will also be a favorable time to redefine the meaning of beauty for yourself.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22Dec. 21): It’s the Season for Expressing Your Love – and for expanding and deepening the ways you express your love. I invite you to speak the following quotes to the right person: 1. “Your head is a living forest full of songbirds.” – E. E. Cummings. 2. “Lovers continuously reach each other’s boundaries.” – Rainer Maria Rilke, 3. “You’re my favorite unfolding story.” – Ann Patchett. 4. “My lifetime listens to yours.” – Muriel Rukeyser.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): In the coming weeks, make sure you do not fit this description articulated by Capricorn novelist Haruki Murakami: “You’re seeking something, but at the same time, you are running away for all you’re worth.” If there is any goal about which you feel conflicted like that, dear Capricorn, now is a good time to clear away your confusion. If you are in some sense undercutting yourself, perhaps unconsciously, now is the time to expose your inner saboteur and seek the necessary healing. July will be Self-Unification Month.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): A Tweeter named Luxuryblkwomen articulates one of her ongoing goals: “Bridging the gap between me and my ideal self, one day at a time.” I’d love it if you would adopt a similar aspiration in the coming months. You’re going to be exceptionally skilled at all types of bridge-building, including the kind that connects you to the hero you’ll be in the future. I mean, you are already a hero in my eyes, but I know you will ultimately become an even more fulfilled and refined version of your best self.

Now is a favorable time to do the holy work of forging stronger links to that star-to-be.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): A blogger named Lissar suggests that the cherry blossom is an apt symbol for you Pisceans. She describes you as “transient, lissome, blooming, lovely, fragile, yet memorable and recurring, in tune with nature.” Lissar says you “mystify yet charm,” and that your “presence is a balm, yet awe-inspiring and moving.” Of course, like all of us, you also have your share of less graceful qualities. And that’s not a bad thing! We’re all here to learn the art of growing into our ripe selves. It’s part of the fun of being alive. But I suspect that in the coming weeks, you will be an extra close match for Lissar’s description. You are at the peak of your power to delight and beguile us.

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

ing SW Colorado’s children and communities. Start 9/8. Living allowance, health insurance, and the opportunity to make a difference. Visit teamup-swco.org/openpositions/ or email Program Coordinator at Mikek@unitedway-swco.org for more information.

Make America Great Again Jail Donald Trump and abort the Supreme Court.

Brushlettering Fun! In The ArtRoom at the Smiley. Learn more and sign up by visiting our website at www.bit.ly/letterdurango

Womens Self Defense Learn self defense and embodied empowerment to keep you safe, so you feel good wherever you go. naturalbornvital ity@gmail.com 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

HelpWanted

Team UP AmeriCorps Positions Open!

AmeriCorps: Do something big! Recruiting multiple f/t & p/t positions serv-

Join Our Purpose-Driven Team Work for a community bank dedicated to supporting rural Colorado’s nonprofits, and agricultural and small businesses working to grow and enrich our communities. We put customer deposits to work to improve southern and rural Colorado’s social, environmental and economic landscape. 1st Southwest Bank is currently seeking a Chief Operations Officer/President, Premier Relationship Manager, Personal Banker I, and staff for our Loan & Deposit Services departments. High starting pay, strong benefits & career growth opportunities. For details and to apply, visit fswb.bank/who-we-are/careers. EOE. Member FDIC. Certified CDFI.

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Services

‘The Wrong Missy’ This one’s rude and crude the antithesis of the Missy that I know – Lainie Maxson

RSE Handyman Service Home repair - yard work - odd jobs 970-903-0449 Marketing Small & Local Businesses Media, website building and content editing, copywriting and editing, newsletters, blogs, etc. for small, local, independent or startup businesses. Visit our website at www.forwardpedal.com or email jnderge@gmail.com

Announcements

Classes/Workshops

and other metal drop off. 970-259-3494.

Harmony Cleaning and Organizing Residential, offices, commercial and vacation rentals, 970-403-6192.

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.

Lowest Prices on Storage!

Inside/outside storage near Durango and Bayfield. 10-x-20, $130. Outside

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

NewspaperOrigami

ForSale Folding Bike Camper’s World brand, 22” wheels, 12 speed. Like new. $100 970-769-1437 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. info@luvbox foods.com Reruns Home Furnishings New inventory including beautiful barrister bookcase/cabinet, tables, patio sets w/6 chairs, bistros, redwood picnic table, benches, umbrella and lots more …

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

Wanted Cash for Vehicles, Copper, Alum, Etc. at RJ Metal Recycle. Also free appliance

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A star June 30, 2022 n 15

4th of July Celebrations Events on Saturday, July 2nd

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