The Durango Telegraph, Sept. 30, 2021

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T H E

O R I G I N A L

I N D I E

W E E K L Y

L I N E

O N

D U R A N G O

&

B E Y O N D

The forgotten ones

Adopted & abandoned

Rage in the sage

Where’s the outcry over missing, murdered Native women? p7

As life returns, shelters see uptick in pandemic pet surrenders p9

Thompson’s new book details Utah public land battles p11

2 n Sept. 30, 2021

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lineup

4

4 La Vida Local

And other novel approaches to Durango’s housing crisis

4 Thumbin’ It

Adopt a dirtbag

by Luke Mehall

5 Word on the Street 6 Soapbox

7

8 State News

The forgotten ones

Instragram star’s murder overshadows plight of missing Indigenous women

9 Top Story

by Kirbie Bennett

11 Bookin’ It

9

12-13 Stuff to Do

Dog days

13 Ask Rachel

Shelters see uptick in pandemic pet surrenders as life returns to normal

by Jonathan Romeo

14 Free Will Astrology 15 Classifieds

11

15 Haiku Movie Review

Home on the range

On the cover: A truck full of free pumpkins awaits Halloween decor enthusiasts in the Crestview neighborhood recently./ Photo by Karen Carver

New book by Jonathan Thompson details fight over Utah’s public lands

by Jamie Wanzek

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T

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STAR-STUDDED CAST: Jamie Wanzek, Kirbie Bennett, Lainie Maxson, Rob Brezsny, Luke Mehall and Clint Reid

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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: “If this gets any weirder, I’m going to like it.”

– Silverton barfly as the hour was getting just a little bit too late at one local watering hole

Hello, kitty

thepole

RegularOccurrences

Be on the lookout! Wildlife officials are urging people to use some extra caution after a mountain lion charged a hiker early one morning last week in Overend Mountain Park, on the west side of Durango.

According to Colorado Parks and Wildlife spokesman John Livingston, a hiker was walking his two dogs at the top of Ned’s Hill by the meadow when he encountered a mountain lion on the trail.

The mountain lion started coming at the hiker, throwing its paws in the air, much like the terrifying, six-minute encounter that went viral in October 2020 between a jogger and lion in Utah.

Livingston said the Durango hiker did everything right: he made himself big, got loud, and threw rocks and sticks while slowly walking backward.

Still, the mountain lion kept charging until another hiker showed up and helped scare it off.

There hasn’t been any other sightings or incidents in the area since, Livingston said.

“We did go up and post more signs in the area, just to make sure people are aware,” he said.

“It’s just important to remember Durango is in the mountains, and we are in prime mountain lion habitat.”

Mountain lion sightings, while not unheard of, are rather uncommon. Encounters and attacks, however, are extremely rare. In Colorado, for instance, there have been just 25 reported mountain lion attacks on humans since 1990, and just four since 2019. And fewer than 20 fatal mountain lion attacks have been reported in North America over the last century, according to CPW. The last reported attack in Durango was in 2005, when a woman sitting on her back porch overlooking the Animas River was pounced on from behind. The woman suffered several puncture wounds, but survived.

Still, as humans encroach ever further into wildlife habitat, encounters with mountain lions are sure to increase.

The incident between the Durango hiker and lion was not an instance of stalking (if a lion wants to hunt and getcha, it probably can and will). Instead, it’s likely the lion had a food cache somewhere nearby, or perhaps a litter of kittens it was trying to protect, which likely resulted in the cat snarling and lunging to warn off a creature it saw as a threat.

Still, CPW recommends being aware in the backcountry, and if you run into a lion, make yourself appear large and make plenty of noise, stay calm (good luck with that), move slowly and don’t run. It’s also a good idea to keep dogs on leash (we know, you’re rolling your eyes). And, if the lion starts to appear more aggressive, throw sticks and stones or disperse bear spray or an air horn if you have it.

Or, remember that guy who killed a mountain lion with his bare hands while being attacked near Fort Collins? You could also do that.

Sept. 30, 2021 n

3

opinion

LaVidaLocal Adopt a dirtbag It’s fall again, the leaves are changing, and the mornings and evenings are cool.

I’ve made my early season trips out to the desert, with the opportunity to unplug and get offline for a few days.

I love getting away from cell service, even if only for a day or two. I feel like we’re currently operating in a world that wasn’t well thought out or planned. When I see young kids that can’t be more than 10 years old clutching their iPhones, it makes me happy I didn’t grow up this way, and it also breaks my heart to know what young people have access to these days.

The effect of the internet and our phone addictions is something we seem to know very little about. All I know is that one day my phone made calls and texts, and the next phone I had (my hand brain) made me a complete addict toward it; and the only solution I’ve found is to go where it doesn’t work.

This is only going to last for so long, because I know, soon, the internet will be everywhere. And that scares the shit out of me. I think that just as we preserve nature, we also need to think about preserving these minds and souls of ours. Where will we go to unplug when we can plug in everywhere?

I think the solution to this is advocating for areas that don’t have internet or cell service, a national park like system of sorts. I’ve had this idea for a while now, but I’ve yet to act upon it. So, if you want it, it’s yours. Plus, the next idea that comes up in my mind is when AI really takes off, and robots have more rights than we do. I can imagine a future that doesn’t freak me out, but that future doesn’t exist in my mind when I think of the current trajectory that the human race is on now.

Any time I get freaked out about big things, I try to focus on the little things, the tiny positive changes I can make for myself and within our community. One of the major topics of conversation I’ve noticed this summer is the price of housing in Durango and adjacent mountain towns.

I’m in my early 40s, and my friend group is quite diverse in its economic status: ranging from friends who have successful businesses and own multiple properties, to those who are living paycheck to paycheck, and not entirely sure where their future lies in these towns.

I am somewhere in the middle, but I’ve lived hand to mouth in mountain towns

for years. When I did so I was usually either camping on public lands or house sitting. But these glory days are mostly gone: camping is scarce, and most people will typically rent their house out these days rather than find a house sitter.

I often think back to what I brought to the table in these years, and how I spent my time. I know I wasted a lot of time – living’s mostly wasting time, Townes Van Zandt once said – but I also know I contributed something as an artist.

When I was living hand to mouth, I spent much of my free time writing and telling stories.

And I like to believe the stories and poetry that I wrote benefitted people. The poet is the person who expresses something that other people cannot. I’d say the same goes for the painter, the musician, the comedian; we need what these people have to offer because they have a unique skill that most people aren’t equipped with.

But what happens when mountain town communities start losing these people? I can’t say that I would have stayed in Durango during my dirtbag days if the rent was as high as it is now. So, here’s what I propose: the “Adopt a Dirtbag” program.

We all know there’s more and more wealthy people moving to Durango, so why not pair these folks with a friendly neighborhood dirtbag? I mean dirtbags don’t want much other than a place to park their vans, use some WiFi, and maybe take a shower now and again.

And as a former real dirtbag who is now a work-bag, I could be the middle man; matchmaking yuppies and dirtbags to find the perfect situation. Say for example you just moved here from Austin, Texas, and your net worth is $25 million. You need friends, and I just happen to know someone who has lived here for 20 years and their net worth is $25.

Bam! Not only do you have a new friend who will legitimize your presence in Durango, but a community member who might have been forced out now has some prime real estate in your driveway!

For a modest consulting fee, I can make this magic happen. Affordable housing meets mountain town ingenuity; upper class meets classy dirtbags. And for a limited time, I’m accepting applications. Of course, all the money I make will go toward a down payment on a 400-square-foot condo for a half a million. If there’s any room, a small dirtbag might be able to live in my closet!

Inquire within.

– Luke Mehall earns his real living as the publisher of The Climbing Zine, and host of the Dirtbag State of Mind podcast. More work can be found at climbingzine.com.

Sign of the Downfall:

Thumbin’It After a harrowing 2020-21 winter, which saw multiple fatalities of backcountry skiers, San Juan County Search and Rescue receiving the esteemed Colorado Mountain Club Search and Rescue Valor Award.

The oldest footprints in North America found in New Mexico’s White Sands, dating back 23,000 years, challenging previous migration theories and confirming what Native Americans have been saying for years.

Alabama finally removing racist language from its constitution, like supporting segregation in schools. Kind of a low bar there Alabama, but sure, thumbs up.

4 n Sept. 30, 2021

Foxymoron The death of Mercy nurse Vaughn Fetzer, 57, who went missing Sept. 20 after hiking the terrain around Blanca Peak in the Sangre de Cristo range.

A moose, for the first time in recent memory, is seen wandering around Aztec and the Animas River, and what does an onlooker do? Shoots it, illegally. Police are looking for the person, if you know the dolt. (That’s right, we called you a dolt) Rep. Lauren Boebert tweeting a false analogy, comparing the coronavirus to a headache. Headaches, for the record, aren’t contagious and don’t mutate into deadly variants. But we digress.

telegraph

Dolls Kill, an “egirl fashion” online store, is selling a sexy Bernie Sanders Halloween costume called the “Once Again Asking” for $85. The costume mimics the mittensand-mask look Bernie made famous at Biden’s inauguration, but you’re supposed to wear it without pants (probably so you can “feel the Bern” of winter). This is the third pre-Halloween Downfall based on the absurdity of “sexythis” and “sexy-that” costumes, and it’s the last because the only thing more ridiculous than a sexy Bernie Sanders is an eloquent Donald Trump, and that’s not something you can find online.

WordontheStreet

Q

With an unfortunate soul arrested for running naked in Buckley Park over the weekend, The Telegraph asked: “Where would be the ultmate place to streak?”

Alex

“During the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.”

Jason

“Probably during a football game, but I’d have to be really drunk.”

Trent

“I’d say at the beach, honestly. You have the sun and the water.”

Charissa

“The Great Wall of China.”

Jasmine

“Madrid during the Running of the Bulls.

You have to risk it to get the biscuit.”

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Sept. 30, 2021 n 5

D-Tooned/by Rob Pudim

SoapBox Greed, greed, greed Regarding why the housing crunch exists across the country: There is no such thing as “the law of supply and demand.” That’s a euphemism for greed, made up for the benefit of the rich by economists. There are some exceptions to this blanket statement, such as when the supply systems were interrupted during the pandemic and employers needed income to pay employees.

But really, it’s plain old price gouging by persons whose costs have not risen a lick. They have something more than one person needs, so they jack up their prices. In this brave new world created by politicians bribed by the rich (lobby money is also a euphemism, for bribery), a whole lot of people, let’s say 1%, which in the U.S., is more than 3 million persons, have been allowed to be paid/steal – not “earn” – tens of millions of dollars per year. This gives us a group of persons with more money than they know what to do with. But, who nevertheless believe they should have all the money in the world, since it’s their only measure of self-worth.

One of the evils such folk perpetrate is using their relatively unlimited wealth to bid up properties upward of 50 times their normal market value. I know a person who bid on more than 30 houses, stretching their ability to pay and losing every time to higher bidders. They finally

were sold a house they bid over the listed price on, and were not the highest bidder, because the seller recognized a kindred soul. They paid $735,000 for what was once a $35,000 house. I know another person, renting a 920-square-foot house for $2,100 a month, on a lot with a smaller house, rented at $1,200, who was forced out after eight years so the landlord could sell at a listed $1.2 million. It was on the market one day, bought by cash, for more than $1.2 million. The buyer intends to charge $3,000 and $2,400 rents, respectively.

That’s not supply and demand; that’s out and out greed. And it’s time for governments at all levels to act to control the 1% of the population who are destroying society, which is a euphemism for “you and me.”

– Charles Larson, Arizona

Idea to improve 550 Has consideration ever been given to preventing approximately seven deaths per year on Highway 550 by installing cables? I have read that guard rails are out of the question but steel beams or even scrap train tracks rails could be installed under the road surface across both lanes, embedded in concrete. Or it could be bolted to the bedrock and then resurfaced, with 2 to 3 feet protruding beyond the drop off. Posts could then be installed at the ends of the beams and ca-

bles stretched between the posts, like between the interstates along the median. I am thinking about a car’s length or less between the beams.

If a vehicle goes over the edge, the cables would prevent a major drop as all the posts would be attached to the cables as reinforcement. Granted, the beams would have to be installed below the road surface a few feet, but it’s possible.

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Your plows could still throw the snow over the edge as the cables would not impede the snow removal nor the view for that matter.

One section could be used as a test site. Beams could be installed one at a time at night. Please don’t tell me, “if this was a good idea we would already have done it.” (Smile).

– Rex Cochran, Morrow, Ohio

Pre-registration required: lpea.coop/annual-meeting

www.lpea.coop | (970) 247-5786

telegraph

NativeReflections

Visible and invisible National attention on Gabby Petito offers time to reflect on missing Indigenous women

by Kirbie Bennett

I

n the lead up to International Women’s Day in March 2020, the women of the Zapatista Army – a radical Indigenous liberation movement that has autonomously controlled Chiapas, Mexico, since 1994 – released a letter in support of global strikes and protests calling for an end to violence against women. The letter, addressed to “women who struggle in Mexico and around the world,” acknowledged the increasing violence against all women and highlighted that “no woman of any age, class, political affiliation, color, race, or religion is safe.” In interconnected solidarity, the Indigenous collective behind the statement went on to write that, “Not even (rich or famous women) are safe, because the violence that kidnaps, disappears, or kills us often comes from family members, friends, and acquaintances.”

The letter holds relevance regarding recent headlines around the country devoted to the tragic fate of popular travel vlogger, Gabby Petito, whose remains were found in a Wyoming national forest. The mysterious circumstances around her death, ruled a homicide, have led to a manhunt for her partner, Brian Laundrie.

As a result, the desperate vultures of pop culture and aspiring social media influencers have taken this grim event to new Maury-Povichian lows.

On top of turning tragedy into a spectacle, this sensationalism has had the effect of overshadowing the many ongoing cases of missing or murdered Indigenous women, not to mention other women of color and those from the LGBTQ+ community.

In the same state of Wyoming, at least 710 Indigenous people have been reported missing between 2011-20, according to a 2021 report by the state’s Missing and Murdered Indigenous Task Force. Within that figure, 466 of those reported cases – about 50% – were Indigenous women.

Concomitantly across the United States and Canada, the Sovereign Bodies Institute, an organization that collects research on gender and sexual violence against Indigenous people, documented 4,293 cases of missing and murdered indigenous women, girls and two-spirit peoples (or more commonly referred to in the acronym MMIWG2). Of that total, 2,306 of those cases are in the United States.

Even further, 58% of those cases are homicides, with 713 of those victims being girls 18 and under, and the average age of victims being 27 years old.

More than just statistics and acronyms, these are women and girls with lives just as vibrant and dynamic as someone like Gabby Petito, and their names and stories deserve just as much national attention.

Such as 59-year-old Cecelia Finona – a Diné woman and New Mexico resident. Finona had been missing since 2019 and, tragically, in July of this year, her remains were found in Nevada, with her partner linked to her kidnapping and murder.

Ella Mae Begay, a 62-year-old Diné woman from Sweetwater, Ariz., has been missing since June of this year. Along with being a matriarch and caregiver in the Sweetwater community, Begay was also known for her outstanding rug weaving.

As the search continues, her spirit rests in the memory of those who had the fortune of knowing and being loved by her.

In 2004, near Begay’s community of Sweetwater, the personal belongings of Tiffany Reid, 16 years old, were discovered a few weeks after she was reported missing. For a time, Reid grew up in my neighborhood on the Navajo reservation of Shiprock. I can recall the shock and confu-

sion over the news of a classmate gone missing, and I can recall the feeling of hope that she would return or be found quickly. To this day, she is still missing, and some days I don’t know what to do with this hope I still hold onto.

In Toni Jensen’s powerful memoir, Carry, the Métis writer reflects on the various forms of violence she and other women encounter in their everyday lives.

Whether navigating around abusive male family members, aggressive male colleagues or the threatening men armed with guns while Jensen and a friend are out on an afternoon hike, she recounts the gradual transition in how she perceives men. As a result of the casual, banal violence on display all around her, the distinct category of “men like these” simply melts into “men” in general for Jensen.

She also took part in the Standing Rock pipeline protests in 2016, and she connects the violent state response toward Indigenous water protectors to the daily threat of violence imposed on Indigenous women. “The taking of force of our land,” Jensen writes, “has been twinned with the taking by force of our bodies, of our most vulnerable bodies – our women, our children.”

Echoing that statement, in their mani-

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festo of a book, The Red Deal, the Native collective known as The Red Nation addresses the crisis of violence against Indigenous women, girls and two-spirit peoples and connect it to the necessity of ending colonial violence and exploitation.

The authors write, “The most common form of violence is domestic violence, and source of the violence is heteropatriarchy.”

In confronting the violence innate to the prevailing order of settler state heteropatriarchy, The Red Deal calls for a multipronged movement in order to achieve a decolonized society, devoid of the everyday violence that threatens women.

Similarly, in their call for an end to gender and sexual violence, the women of the Zapatista Army diagnosed the root of their pain existing in “the racist, exploitative, repressive, thieving, anti-human patriarchal capitalist system.”

Up north, sprawled across the province of British Columbia, there exists the infamous “Highway of Tears” – a 465-mile stretch of highway where there has been a disproportionate number of Indigenous females reported missing or murdered. And yet, as numerous women continue to face such threats along and beyond that sprawling road, it is no stretch to see the Highway of Tears as existing everywhere, trailing through North America and beyond, leading into bordertowns where more violence and exploitation awaits.

And it is understandable why Indigenous movements such as the Zapatistas and The Red Nation locate the root of violence against women in the status quo.

For the numerous missing and murdered Indigenous women and their grieving families, the fatigue of time and the cold indifference can wear down the prospects of a hopeful outcome. But the imperative for justice and closure still needs to be shouted like sirens to honor the missing and murdered.

And as mainstream society continues to relegate the suffering of Indigenous peoples to the margins, grassroots Indigenous movements, primarily led by Native women who do not receive enough credit for their strength and spirit, continue to do the hard work of raising awareness of those missing and murdered while engaged in a struggle for decolonized liberation. And it is only in such borderless solidarity with these movements that we as a whole can actualize an end to such gender-based violence.

Sept. 30, 2021 n 7

StateNews

Choke on that Colorado’s skies, air quality worsens as wildfires plague the West

by Joe Wertz and Veronica Penney Colorado Public Radio

A

surge of large wildfires in the West, fueled in part by climate change, has increased the number of days residents are breathing smoke across nearly every part of Colorado, a CPR News investigation shows.

The number of days with smoky skies has grown over the last decade, the data shows, blanketing Colorado from the Eastern Plains to the Western Slope – including northern parts of the state and the heavily populated Front Range corridor.

Over the past four years, residents of Jackson County, on the Wyoming border east of Craig, experienced an additional month of days with smoky skies each year – the largest increase of any Colorado county. During that time, Denver and Colorado Springs residents experienced more than two weeks of additional smoky days each year.

“We tend to think of disasters like floods or hurricanes or earthquakes, but this is a disaster that we are experiencing every summer,” Sheryl Magzamen, an associate professor of epidemiology at Colorado State University, said.

CPR News’ investigation is based on an analysis of federal satellite imagery

by NPR’s California Newsroom and Stanford University’s Environmental Change and Human Outcomes Lab. Based on more than 10 years of data collected by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the analysis shows an alarming uptick in the number of days residents are breathing wildfire smoke, from California and the Pacific Northwest to the Rocky Mountains and Appalachia.

The analysis details the annual average number of days with smoke overhead during the period of ferocious, climate-induced wildfires, 2016-20, and compares it to 2009-13, before large wildfires became endemic.

The town of Durango enshrouded in wildfire smoke from California’s Dixie Fire in 2021, an ever more common occurrence in recent years./ Photo by Missy Votel The problem with particulates Wildfire smoke is a mix of various gases, compounds and small bits of haze-causing debris known as particulates.

Fine particulates that measure 2.5 microns or smaller – known as PM 2.5 – are a major component of wildfire smoke and are especially concerning because they can lodge deep in the lungs and enter the bloodstream, triggering or worsening respiratory, cardiovascular and other health problems. Researchers have linked exposure to wildfire smoke to emergency department visits and hospitalizations for asthma, respiratory disease and premature births in Colorado.

Dr. Lynnette Telck, the public health director in Jackson County, said local officials have seen a “huge uptick” in breathing and

other health problems related to wildfire smoke. Over the summer, the smoke triggered coughs, sore throats and congestion.

One indicator of the increasing problem: A rush of residents sought testing for COVID19, which shares some of the same symptoms.

Before the increase in wildfires, estimated around 2016, Colorado’s Eastern Plains saw more smoke days each year than any other part of the state, the data shows.

Scott Landes, Colorado’s top air quality meteorologist, said that probably stemmed from controlled fires set to clear farmland.

Over the past four years, however, the Front Range, Western Slope and northern regions of the state saw their number of smoke days nearly double – effectively tying the Eastern Plains for the smokiest

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skies with about 50 smoke days each year, on average.

Landes said that the more recent increase in smoke days in western Colorado was likely driven by wildfires burning heavier fuels in central and western Colorado, which more readily produce smoke with dangerous particulates.

“A fire blazing up in the hills in Jackson County is going to release a heck of a lot more PM 2.5 than, say, a grassfire in Fort Morgan,” he said.

Colorado’s 2021 wildfire season has been relatively calm, despite an aggressive and early start. But smoke isn’t the only thing making air quality increasingly worse in the state. The Front Range has experienced a record-breaking summer for ground-level ozone, a harmful air pollutant fueled by transportation and oil and gas emissions reacting to heat and sunlight.

This year, as Colorado has gotten a respite from last summer’s megafires, fires burning in other states have only worsened the air across the state’s most populated region.

From far away People generally take precautions when they see flames or smell smoke. But smoke from far-away fires can go unnoticed – leaving people vulnerable to its effects, which can actually be worse than if the fire was close by.

Tamara Sparks, a researcher at the Payne Institute for Public Policy at the Colorado School of Mines, said smoke changes as it moves. Heavier particles fall out, concentrating the amount of unhealthy fine particulates in smoke as it “ages” and moves across the country.

While smoke from distant fires often remains aloft at higher altitudes, weather and other factors can push it close to the ground where people breathe it in.

“Sometimes what’s coming from afar can actually still be quite bad for health, even though it doesn’t smell as smoky,” Sparks said.

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

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EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

TopStory

Many pet owners who adopted during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic are giving their animals up as the world reopens and they return to busy lives. Does this photo make you sad? Then go adopt him! / Photo by Jonathan Romeo

Adopted & abandoned As world reopens, many people are giving up pets that helped them through lockdown

by Jonathan Romeo

I

f the last year and a half has tested your faith in humanity, this isn’t going to be easy to read. Animal shelters across Southwest Colorado are seeing record numbers of abandoned pets, largely because people who adopted during the height of pandemic lockdowns no longer have time for their dogs or cats.

“During the pandemic we saw a lot of adoptions,” Emily Phillips, marketing and development manager for the La Plata County Humane Society, said. “But now people are back at work or traveling… and it’s just not working with their lifestyle.”

As the COVID-19 pandemic started to spread in March 2020 (as if we could forget), health officials started asking people to work and spend more time at home in an effort to slow the spread of virus. You know, trying to “flatten the curve” by going on something called “Zoom” with your “Quaranteam.” Man, that was a weird time.

But with more free time at home, and Netflix only able to consume so many hours of the day, an increasing number of people decided a pet would be a good way to spend the long, dull days rather than doomscrolling the internet.

“When the pandemic hit, I guess people got tired of talking to their plants,” Ken Hibbard, an adoption counselor at LPCHS, said.

Indeed, a total of 1,600 animals were adopted from the LPCHS in 2020 – just 100 fewer than 2019, despite the shelter being shut down for a time and adoptions requiring appointments. Because our society needs a buzzword for

everything, these animals were dubbed “pandemic pets.”

In a survey of 1,000 American pet owners conducted by Rover.com, 93% of people said their pet had improved their mental/physical health in 2020, with 80% saying it made working from home more enjoyable.

But now, it seems, those attitudes are shifting. While landing pets in homes is viewed as a success for animal shelters, they knew once the world reopened and people got back to their busy lives, there could be an issue of mass pet abandonment. And that problem has arrived.

“It was definitely something on our minds and we talked about it during the pandemic,” Phillips said. “You always hope adoptions are forever, but sometimes it’s out of our hands.”

Since the spring, LPCHS has seen an increase in animal surrenders, while at the same time, a declining adoption rate. And while no one is explicitly listing the supposed end of the pandemic as the reason they’re giving up their pet, people are saying they no longer have time or they are moving. Other factors for high intake numbers are at play too, such as the spay-and-neuter program being suspended due to the pandemic, resulting in more strays.

The LPCHS does have an extensive screening process before animals are adopted out in an effort to make sure it’s a good fit with potential owners. The shelter requires people to fill out a detailed application, which asks about their lifestyle and housing situation, and if they are able to cover the financial costs of having a pet.

“We really talk to them and get to know who they are,” Phillips said. “It’s an interview in a sense because we want

telegraph

to make sure animals go to the right place.”

As an adoption counselor, it’s Hibbard’s job to try to weed out people who may not take adopting a pet seriously, which can be a years-long commitment. After more than a decade, Hibbard said he’s become a sort of expert animal adoption interrogator.

“I look them in the eye, and hear what they have to say,” he said. “But you never really know because people can come in and say the right things. We’re just trying to get these dogs rehomed, and there isn’t a science to it. People tell you what they think you want to hear.”

These days, the shelter is basically full, and it’s increasingly harder to not turn animals away, Hibbard said. It should be noted that LPCHS does not turn animals away based on age, breed or behavior. And, LPCHS tries to avoid euthanizations at all costs, usually only putting down animals with extreme behavior issues or medical conditions.

As a result, 96% of animals that enter the shelter find homes.

Lisa Parker, who runs Parker’s Animal Rescue, said she, too, receives multiple calls a day from people looking to give up their pets. Her rescue, however, is a much smaller operation, and she simply doesn’t have the capacity to meet the demand.

“People are treating their pets like disposable family members of convenience; they got one during the pandemic because it was super cool, and now it’s (no longer convenient),” she said. “But do you have a child and then two years later decide it’s not convenient anymore? And a dog losing a home is tragic.”

Sept. 30, 2021 n

9

PandemicPets from p. 9 The issue is not exclusive to La Plata County. At the Humane Society of Pagosa Springs, Robson Reyes, director of marketing and development, said the shelter there is nearly full. “It’s the fear we had from last year when we were getting a lot of adoptions,” he said. “Some of those (pets) are coming back now with people going back to work.”

One sad, reoccurring situation Reyes has seen in Pagosa Springs is families being priced out of their homes and not able to find new housing that allows pets. As result, many people are forced to give up their dog or cat. “Our town is growing, and a lot of new people are buying those places,” he said.

Reyes is speaking to a whole other problem for animal rescues. A 2015 study from the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, for instance, found nearly half of surrendered pets involved family or housing problems. And, an analysis of 1.1 million surrenders by the Best Friends Animal Society found evictions and housing issues were the cause in nearly 15% of cases.

But back to bored people who adopted pets only to return them when things got busy. Karen Martiny, executive director and founder of Animal Rescue of the Rockies, a statewide organization, reaffirmed this is an issue across Colorado, and even the country. “I think it’s the return of a more normal lifestyle after the stay-at-home period,” she said. “A lot of people have just gotten too busy and gone back to work, and decided they don’t have time for a pet anymore.”

Last year, Martiny said, was one of the best for adoptions. Animal rescue staff tried their best to counsel people, but some didn’t get the message. “It was one of our biggest fears from the beginning because we know how people are,” she said. “It’s disheartening for sure. But people are going to be people, unfortunately, and we just need to focus on what we can do for the animals.”

For trying to comprehend how people could act so callous, we turn to Brian Burke, Fort Lewis College professor of psychology, who said unfortunately, humans are bad at predicting what will make them happy in the future and what capacities they will have going forward.

“For example, many pet owners are victims of ‘presentism,’ the notion that we can only really know what we want today; hence, the mass adoption of pets when most of us were lonely and had more time on our hands during COVD-19 lockdowns,” Burke said. “Moreover, there is also the phenomenon of overconfidence bias; we think we are more capable than we in fact are.”

Burke said to think of the kid trying to convince his parents to get a dog by promising to walk it every day, and then, obviously doesn’t. Adults do this too, because, it is hard to predict the future.

“In other words, it is hard to know whether you (or your family) will enjoy a pet until you have one,” Burke said. “But if it’s your first time adopting a pet, it may be impossible to predict whether the good aspects – the cuddles, the exercise, the hijinks, the love – will outweigh the challenging aspects of pet ownership, such as scooping poop, walking your dog in the cold and

Emily Phillips, with the LPCHS, holds a kitten at the shelter. In addition to pet surrenders, the shelter is seeing an increase in strays due to the pandemic shutdown of its spay and neuter program. / Photo by Jonathan Romeo paying for stuff.”

Alright, moving past the despair and overbearing sense that people are the worst.

What can we do?

For starters, it’s a common misconception that LPCHS (celebrating its 50th anniversary this year) is associated with a national organization, like the ASPCA or Humane Society. Instead, the shelter is independently run, with its prime source of funding from sales at the adjacent La Plata County Humane Thrift Store. So, you could donate items or shop there, or just donate money directly to the shelter.

This year, LPCHS is asking for more

funding from the City of Durango to help with the rising costs of operation. The shelter, for years, has also dealt with an outdated building. And, like nearly every business these days, it’s suffering from a staffing shortage (attention job seekers!)

And for people who are unable to adopt, you can offer temporary foster homes for pets, volunteer at the shelter, donate blankets and sheets, or just simply share LPCHS’s posts on social media to spread awareness.

Cue the sad Sarah McLachlan song…

“It’s just a really crazy time,” Hibbard said. “It gets me down once in a while, but then I just go hang out with the dogs.”

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10 n Sept. 30, 2021

telegraph

Bookin’It

Someone left the gate open Jonathan Thompson’s new book, Sagebrush Empire, dives deep into public land battles

by Jamie Wanzek onathan Thompson’s new book, Sagebrush Empire: How a Remote Utah County Became the Battlefront of American Public Lands, gives light to San Juan County, Utah’s, public land battles in classic Thompson form – a mix of humor and investigative honesty.

To tell the complicated history of public land battles in southeastern Utah county, Thompson describes a hand painted sign hanging in Durangoans Mark Franklin and Rose Chilcoat’s living room, which says, “Live like someone left the gate open.” Without context, the sign makes no sense. If you know their story, though, Thompson writes, “you might wonder why the hell these people have the sign up at all.”

On April Fools’ Day in 2017, the couple were headed to Valley of the Gods when Franklin closed a cattle gate in San Juan County, resulting in multiple felony charges and years of court battles. The ranchers who owned the gate accused Franklin and Chilcoat of trying to kill their cattle by cutting them off from water. Franklin, for his part, said he closed the gate absent-mindedly (another part of the corral was open, so no cattle were actually cut off from water). Regardless, the charges soon became a political fracas targeting Chilcoat, a “Great Old Broad” best known for her environmental activism, which included fighting public land grazing in and around San Juan County.

This ordeal wasn’t an isolated incident in Thompson’s eyes but rather an escalation of public land battles afoot in San Juan County for decades. In Sagebrush Empire, Thompson uses Chilcoat and Franklin’s story, which he calls “GateGate,” to describe a deep-seated war over public lands in southeastern Utah. And, San Juan County is used as a microcosm for understanding the complicated and opposing attachments to public lands across the West.

But Thompson also threads the indigenous history of the land with that of white settler colonization and the Mormon Church.

“People have lived and loved and died and built and created here for a dozen millennia or more,” Thompson writes. “Some stayed, some moved on, and now just fifteen thousand or so remain all of them tied, in one way or another, to the extraordinary landscape. And yet, there are also people deeply divided along ideological, racial, political, and cultural lines. In some ways, San Juan County is like a microcosm of the western United States, maybe even the nation as a whole, only taken to the extreme.”

J

Thompson, who grew up in Durango, writes with clarity and honesty about his subjects through decades of reporting as an environmental journalist and editor at High Country News. Now, he writes about “western lands and communities in context” weekly through his newsletter, The Land Desk (which also regularly appears in the Telegraph).

In Thompson’s 2018 book, The River of Lost Souls, he used the Gold King Mine spill to explain the history of the Animas River and its relationship with the extraction industry over the ages while weaving in his connection to the area. In Sagebrush Empire, he uses a similar, if not identical, structure to tell San Juan County’s history of public land battles. As a gifted historian and journalist,

Thompson gives perspective and voice to the complicated places he calls home.

Thompson refers to it as “public land paradox” when reflecting on his relationship with the land. The rhetoric surrounding public land is well intentioned, he notes, but inherently problematic – it creates a sense of entitlement and, most importantly, ignores the history of the land.

We must not forget our public lands are stolen lands.

Thompson dispels the long perpetuated myth that Ancestral Puebloans disappeared from the landscape, when in fact, they splintered off into other tribes such as the Hopi and Zuni. As Thompson follows this rhetoric through history, he ties in modern day issues, such as the Navajo Nation’s relationship with the Aneth oil fields and the ongoing battle over Bears Ears National Monument.

And Sagebrush Empire is not without important criticism of white settler colonialism.

Recounting the rise in white settlers to the area, Thompson walks the reader through the violent chapters and political flare-ups surrounding land management and ownership in San Juan County since the arrival of the Mormon Church. He includes the history of the Sagebrush Rebellion, its seeds in the Mormon Church, while building into current politics – the resistance to Bears Ears National Monument, voting rights for Native Americans and the Recapture Canyon protests in 2014. This history is used to bring context to anti-monument backlash in the area for more than a century.

“There is no homogenous, monolithic San Juan County way of life, or for that matter, rural or ranching culture,” Thompson writes. “Just as there is no single urban culture. San Juan County is a diverse place, with myriad ways of life and customs.”

Thompson breaks up the book by including his relationship with the Cedar Mesa area – from trips to Comb Ridge to family river trips on the San Juan River. Some stories are reflections; some are full of humor and voice.

More often than not, it includes honest recounts of trips into the backcountry that have gone awry and the lessons learned. In one chapter, he compares the Hole-in-theRock expedition with his own half-starved adventure through Grand Gulch, using the two storylines to tell the varying perspectives and experiences the place holds.

Thompson’s ability to give equal attention to both sides of history feels like his gift as a writer. We find truth there, especially as we move forward and come to understand each other and a changing West.

Fall into Jimmy’s Hours: mon - Fri 11-6 & Sat 11-5: www.jimmysmusic.supply 1239 Main Ave • 970-764-4577 telegraph

Sept. 30, 2021 n 11

StufftoDo

DJ Spark Madden plays, 10 p.m., 11th Street Station.

Thursday30 Cafe au Play free outdoor baby group, 10 a.m.-12 p.m., 495 Florida Road (behind Christ the King church). 970-749-9607 for info.

Saturday02 Durango Farmers Market, 8 a.m.-12 p.m., featuring music by Nathan Schmidt, TBK Parking Lot, 259 W. 9th St.

Durango Cowboy Poetry Gathering, Sept.

30-Oct. 3. For full list of events, visit durangocowboygathering.org.

“Meet the Trucks,” 10 a.m. -1 p.m., explore vehicles, derby car race, build your own “cardboard” car, classic cars, bouncy house and food, 658 S. East St., Bayfield. Info: 970-444-0873

Mancos Farmers Market, 4 p.m., 145 Grand Ave., Mancos.

SkaBQ, 5 p.m., Ska Brewing headquarters, 225 Girard St. The La Plata County Humane Society will also have puppies up for adoption.

Cowboy Gathering Parade, 10 a.m., Main Ave. in downtown Durango.

Country Fest, Sept. 30-Oct. 3, Tico Time River Resort, 1 mile south of New Mexico border.

10th Annual Solar & Net Zero Home Tour, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., More info at fourcore.org.

Durango Green Drinks, 5 p.m., 11th Street Station.

Aztec Highland Games & Celtic Festival, Oct. 23, Riverside Park in Aztec, 500 S. Lightplant Rd. More info. at AztecHighlandGames.com.

Matt Rupnow plays, 5 p.m., Fur Trappers Steakhouse, 701 E. 2nd Ave.

Merely Players presents “Men on Boats: A Grand Canyon Adventure, runs through select days in October. Full schedule can be viewed at merelyplayers.org

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

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

Live music, 5:30-8:30 p.m., Office Spiritorium, Donny Johnson plays, 5 p.m., Fur Trappers The Merely Players will premiere Jaclyn Backhaus’s creative Steakhouse, 701 E. 2nd Ave. 699 Main Ave. retelling of John Wesley Powell’s 1869 expedition down the Grand Canyon at their new theatre venue by the Tech Center.

High Country Hustle and People We Live music, 5:30-8:30 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, Know play, 6 p.m., Durango Hot Springs.

699 Main Ave. Author Janet L. Jones presents “Horse Brain Human Brain,” 4 p.m., Rochester Hotel Secret Garden, Oktoberfest, 6:30 p.m., The Union Social House, Live music, 5:30-8:30 p.m., Office Spiritorium, 699 726 E. Second Ave. 3062 Main Ave. Proceeds go to San Juan Mountains Main Ave. Association.

Cindy Coleman art show opening, 5-7 p.m., Hero in the Dark plays, 6 p.m., Fenceline Cider in Animas Chocolate & Coffee Co., 920 Main Ave. Show Trivia night 6:30-8:30 p.m., Powerhouse Science Mancos. runs thru Oct. 31.

Center, 1333 Camino Del Rio. Author Andrew Weber presents “Exploring Utah’s Bears Ears and Cedar Mesa,” 7-8:30 p.m., Rochester Hotel Secret Garden, 726 E. Second Ave.

First Friday at Create Art and Tea, featuring art of Dan Nicholl with special guests Victorian Ladies, 5-7 p.m., 1015 Main Ave.

Journalist Judith Reynolds presents “Why does Durango look the way it does?” 7-8:30 p.m. View on Zoom at fortlewis.edu/LLL

Wild Country Live plays, 5 p.m., Fur Trappers Steakhouse, 701 E. 2nd Ave.

Beam Me Up Starlight Trivia, weekly 7:30-9:30 p.m., Starlight Lounge, 937 Main Ave. The High Country Cowboys play, 8 p.m., VFW Post 4031, 1550 Main Ave.

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

Geeks Who Drink Trivia, 8-10 p.m., The Roost, 128 E. College Dr.

Montage Music Society, 7 p.m., 20th-century classical music inspired by visual art, Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, 419 San Juan Drive.

Friday01

Four Corners Comedy Festival, Oct. 1-3. More info. at fourcornerscomedyfestival.com.

Rambling Readers, small book group, 10 a.m., Gate to Saul’s Creek, Bayfield.

Disco Night, 6-9 p.m., Chapman Hill Roller Rink.

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

Friday Nights at Fire Fox Farms, 6-9 p.m., 5513 CR 321, Ignacio.

Road Apple Rally Mountain Bike Race, events run Oct. 1-2, more info. at roadapplerally.com

Melody Lines, Forrest Pump and LootBegga play, 9:30 p.m., Animas City Theatre, 128 E. College Dr.

12 n Sept. 30, 2021

telegraph

Dustin Barley plays, 6 p.m., Weminuche Woodfire Grill in Vallecito.

Ben Gibson and Larry Carver play, 6-9 p.m., Derailed Pour House, 725 Main Ave. Farmington Hill plays, 8 p.m., Animas City Theatre, 128 E. College Dr.

Sunday03 Veterans Benefit Breakfast plays, 9 a.m., VFW Post 4031, 1550 Main Ave. Open Mic, 1 p.m., Mancos Brewery.

Women’s March, 1:30 p.m., line up at 1:10. Starting at 500 block of Main Ave. to Buckley Park, followed by a rally.

Durango Natural Foods Harvest Fest, featuring live music, local food and Ska beer, 4-9 p.m., Rotary Park, 1565 E. 2nd Ave. Open Mic night, 4 p.m., Fenceline Cider, Mancos.

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

AskRachel Flaming hot omens, how not to relax & closet cat haters Interesting fact: Flaming Hot Cheetos were invented by a janitor at Frito Lay who pitched the idea straight to the CEO, and the janitor is now an executive vice president. No word on what happened to the CEO. Dear Rachel, So, lately, I’ve noticed red Flaming Hot Cheetos on the ground in more than a few places to make it more than just a coincidence: the Sky Steps, Animas Mountain trail, downtown sidewalks. What gives? I mean it’s not like Flaming Hot Cheetos are all that popular (I could see Lay’s potato chips or maybe Cool Ranch Doritos). Are they so hot that people have to spit them out? Sometimes the whole bag? Or is it part of a covert MAGA Cheetos reinstatement conspiracy?

– Too Hot to Handle Dear Oven Mitt, The reason you don’t see Cool Ranch Doritos sprinkled on the ground is because that stuff is the best stuff ever invented in a food lab. If I spilled a bag of those on the Sky Steps, I’d lick the steps just to get all the dust that might have fallen off. Hot Cheetos deserve to return to the earth where the chemicals that made them might have originally come from. As for MAGA – you’re talking a symbolic usage of snack food, which might be beyond some people’s ability to grasp.

– Don’t touch your eyes, Rachel Dear Rachel, I have an issue with not really relaxing in a

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

Monday04 Rocky Mountain UkeFest jam, 6:30-8 p.m., Smiley Café, 1309 E. Third Ave. Meditation and Dharma Talk, 5:306:15 p.m. www.durangodharmacenter.org

massage. Because if you relax too much, then you really relax, and the cute new masseuse will know exactly what you had for breakfast, and you can’t have that. So how the heck do people relax? Let alone fall asleep? Like, I know some people do, but lord knows what will come out of me if I’m not awake to clench down on it. How can I relax but just the right amount?

– Knotted Up Dear Cramped, You sound like the exact kind of person who needs a massage. Maybe go with the ugly old masseuse instead of the cute new one. Take some of the pressure off. Maybe skip breakfast, if that’s such a concern. Don’t sleep at all the night before, so you’re good and tuckered. As for clenching down, I guarantee your masseuse has seen some crap. Possibly literally. You ain’t special.

– Workin’ for the rubdown, Rachel Dear Rachel, My neighbor is fostering some kittens and keeps inviting me over to help “socialize” them.

But the truth is that I don’t like kittens. I know!

Who doesn’t like kittens? But I just don’t think they’re cute. I don’t want to jerk string around for them to chase. I don’t want to cuddle them.

And I do not want to “socialize” them. I don’t want to “socialize” myself. I am a loner, a crazy cat lady in every way but the cats. How can I stop getting invited without telling the awful truth?

– Kitty Catty

Email Rachel at telegraph@durangotelegraph.com Dear Sourpuss, I agree with you. No more free handouts for cats! If they want a foster home, they need to WORK for it, just like everyone else! Next thing, they’ll want universal healthcare and public schools and efficient mass transit.

We need to stop socializing cats NOW before this gets out of control. As for no more invites, you need to show that crazy no-cat lady side. Have you considered branching into expressing yourself with Flaming Hot Cheetos?

– Meow, Rachel

Wednesday06

The golden hour is here.

Four Corners Stand Down for Veterans, featuring resources for veterans, 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m., La Plata County Fairgrounds.

2500 Main Ave. For more info call 759-0117.

Healthy Movement, learn how to move without pain to lower extremities, Pine River Library, 395 Bayfield Center Drive.

Trivia night, 6 p.m., Mancos Brewery.

Tuesday05 Twin Buttes Farm Stand, 3-6 p.m., Tuesdays thru October, 165 Tipple Ave., www.twinbuttesfarm.com Bingo night, 5 p.m. every Tuesday, Fenceline Cider, Mancos.

Rotary Club of Durango presents Mariel Balbuena of the La Plata Family Centers Coalition, 6 p.m., Strater Hotel. Virtual visitors using Zoom are welcome. For more info., email: Mtnman16@gmail.com.

Acoustic Music Jam, 6-8 p.m. Tuesdays, Rotary Park, all instruments and singers welcome. For info: 970-259-3408.

Upcoming Thee Fearless Peasants, Oct. 7, 5 p.m., Ska Brewing headquarters, 225 Girard St. A Spooky Night at the Pumpkin Patch, Oct. 8, 6-9 p.m., Falfa Pumpkin Patch, 54 County Road 221.

13th annual Apple Days, Oct. 8, 9 a.m.-12 p.m., at the Durango Farmers Market, TBK Parking Lot, 259 W. 9th St. Kirk James plays, Oct. 9, 6-9 p.m., Weminuche Woodfire Grill in Vallecito.

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

Issue 17 of The Gulch is out NOW! Wherever you find the Telegraph or at www.gulchmag.com.

E-mail your stuff to: calendar@durangotelegraph.com

To find out about advertising opportunities or get a subscription to The Gulch, email: steve@gulchmag.com

telegraph

Sept. 30 , 2021 n 13

FreeWillAstrology

by Rob Brezsny

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ARIES (March 21-April 19): Aries author Steve Maraboli says, “The best way to love someone is not to change them, but instead, help them reveal the greatest version of themselves.”

If that strategy appeals to you, the next eight weeks will be an excellent time to put it to maximum use. You’re entering a phase when you can have an especially beneficial effect on people you care for. You’ll be at peak power to help them unleash dormant potentials and access untapped resources.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): It’s a good time to ruminate about things you wish could be part of your life but aren’t. You will be wise to develop a more conscious relationship with wistful fantasies about impossible dreams. Here’s one reason why this is true: You might realize that some seemingly impossible dreams aren’t so impossible. To get in the mood for this fun exercise, meditate on a sample reverie: “I wish I could spend a whole day discovering new music to love. I wish I owned a horse and a boat and a vintage brown and orange striped bohemian cardigan sweater from the 1970s. I wish I knew the names of all the flowers. I wish I felt more at ease about revealing my hidden beauty. I wish I could figure out how to eliminate unnecessary stress from my life.”

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Poet, essayist and translator Anne Carson calls her husband, Robert Currie, the “Randomizer.” His role in her life as an artist is to make quirky recommendations that help her avoid being too predictable.

He sends her off in directions she wouldn’t have imagined by herself. Here’s an example: At one point in her career, Carson confessed she was bored with her writing. The Randomizer suggested, “Let’s put dancers into it.” In response, she repurposed the sonnets she had been working on into a live theatrical performance featuring many dancers. I think you would benefit from having a Randomizer in your life during the coming weeks. Know anyone who could serve? If not, look for one. Or be your own Randomizer.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): If you so desired, you could travel to Munich, Germany, and eat beer-flavored ice cream.

Or you could go to Rehoboth, Del., and get bacon-flavored ice cream. If you were in Taiwan, you could enjoy pineapple shrimp ice cream, and if you were in London, you could sample haggisflavored ice cream, made from sheep innards. But my advice right now is to stick with old reliables like chocolate, vanilla and strawberry ice cream – which are still delicious even if they’re not exotic. What’s my reasoning? In general, the astrological aspects suggest that during the coming weeks,

you’re most likely to thrive on trustworthy standbys and experiences you know and trust.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Celebrated novelist Jane Austen (1775–1817) wrote, “Sometimes I have kept my feelings to myself, because I could find no language to describe them in.” People who aren’t as articulate as Austen experience that problem even more often than she did. But the good news, Leo, is that in the coming weeks, you’ll be extra skillful at expressing your feelings and thoughts – even those that in the past have been difficult to put into words. I invite you to take maximum advantage of this grace period.

Communicate with hearty poise and gleeful abandon.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): “When you know what’s important, it’s a lot easier to ignore what’s not,” writes author and life coach Marie Forleo. Let’s make her thought the basis of your work and play in the coming weeks. Get vibrantly clear on what is of supreme value to you, which influences bring out the best in you, and which people make it easy for you to be yourself. Then compose a second list of trivial situations that are of minor interest, influences that make you feel numb, and people who don’t fully appreciate you.

Next, Virgo, formulate long-term plans to phase out the things in the second list as you increasingly emphasize your involvement in the pleasures named in the first list.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22Dec. 21): Sagittarian poet Rainer Maria Rilke was a complicated person with many mysterious emotions and convoluted thoughts. And yet, he once wrote that life occasionally brought him “boundless simplicity and joy.” I find it amazing he could ever welcome such a state. Kudos to him! How about you, dear Sagittarius? Are you capable of recognizing when boundless simplicity and joy are hovering in your vicinity, ready for you to seize them? If so, be extra alert in the next two weeks. I expect there’ll be a visitation or two. Maybe even three or four.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Baltasar Gracián was not a 21st-century New Age selfhelp teacher. He was a 17thcentury Jesuit philosopher born under the sign of serious, diligent Capricorn. I hope you will be extra receptive to his advice in the coming weeks. He wrote, “Know your key qualities, your outstanding gifts. Cultivate them. Redouble their use.” Among the key qualities he gave as examples were disciplined discernment and resilient courage. I bring his thoughts to your attention because the coming weeks will be a rousing time to heed his counsel. It’s time for you to identify and celebrate and give abundant expression to your key qualities.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Happy Birthday sometime soon, Libra! As gifts, I have collected six useful mini-oracles for you to meditate on during the rest of 2021. They’re all authored by Libran aphorist Yahia Lababidi. 1. Hope is more patient than despair and so outlasts it.

2. Miracles are proud creatures; they will not reveal themselves to those who do not believe. 3. A good listener is one who helps us overhear ourselves. 4. One definition of success might be refining our appetites, while deepening our hunger. 5. With enigmatic clarity, life gives us a different answer each time we ask her the same question. 6.

Temptation: seeds we are forbidden to water, that are showered with rain.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): After studying the genes that create feathers in birds, scientists found that humans have all the necessary genes to grow feathers (I read about it in National Geographic magazine). So why don’t we grow feathers, then? Well, it’s complicated. Basically, the feather-making genes are not fully activated. Who knows?

Maybe someday, there’ll be technology that enables us to switch on those genes and sprout plumage. I bet my Aquarian friend Jessie, whose body has 30 tattoos and 17 piercings, would take advantage. In the coming weeks, it might be fun for you to imagine having bird-like qualities.

You’re entering a high-flying phase – a time for ascension, expansion, soaring and seeing the big picture from lofty vantage points.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Pioneering psychologist Carl Jung wrote, “I must also have a dark side if I am to be whole.”

But it’s important to add that some dark sides tend to be destructive and demoralizing, while other dark sides are fertile and interesting. Most of us have a share of each. My reading of the planetary omens suggests that you Scorpios now have extra power to upgrade your relationship with the fertile and interesting aspects of your dark side. I hope you will take advantage! You have a ripe opportunity to deepen and expand your wholeness.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Are there sensual and erotic acts you’ve never tried and are curious about? Are there experimental approaches on the frontier of your desires that would be intriguing to consider? Might there be lusty experiences you’ve barely imagined or don’t know about – but that could be fun to play with? According to my analysis of the astrological omens, the coming weeks will be a favorable time to explore such possibilities. Be safe and prudent, of course. Don’t be irresponsible or careless.

But also be willing to expand your notions of your sexuality.

telegraph

classifieds

Deadline for Telegraph classified ads is Tuesday at noon.

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

(Sorry, no refunds or substitutions.)

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

Announcements The Perfect Gift for your favorite dirtbag. Literature from Durango’s own Benighted Publications. The Desert, The Climbing Zine, The Great American Dirtbags, American Climber, Climbing Out of Bed and Graduating From College Me are available at: Maria’s Bookshop, Pine Needle Mountaineering, the Sky Store, or on the interweb at www.climbingzine.com.

Classes/Workshops

BodyWork

Local Neurobiology Trainings Neurobiology of Attachment: Oct. 2; Neurobiology of Self Compassion: Oct. 20. Post Traumatic Growth Somatic Therapy Certification Series: One weekend a month Nov-Feb. rubyjowalker.com

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.

Cooking Classes Professional chef to give personal cooking classes in your home from 1 – 10 people. You choose the type of food you want to learn about. Call Scott for more info. 970-759-6922 or email: chefscottg@aol.com

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

Spanish Classes Now accepting students for in-person beginner thru advanced Spanish. Call 970-309-5966 or visit www.espanola hora.net

ForSale HelpWanted PT Art and Jewelry Salesperson Must have sales experience in the field.

Drop off resume Thurs. - Sun., noon - 6, 680 C, Main Ave., Durango, or send to kgabaldon@rmi.net. No phone calls please.

Dental Lab Tech Dental Lab- (Yes, we make teeth) FT entry level dental technician position now open. Experience in a dental lab is a plus but not necessary. The individual that we are looking for must be organized, work interdependently and have attention to detail while meeting deadlines.

Competitive pay, we offer vacation, sick pay and 401K please email resumes to durangodentalceramics@gmail.com or call 970-749-2256

Yard/Garage Sales 15,000 Records $1 Each!

The 3rd annual $1 Record Sale is happening Saturday, October 9th, 10AM to 4PM, at Lost Padre Records, 905 W. Alameda Street, in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

All genres, LPs, 10”s, 78s, and 45s. 15,000 records in all. Bring cash, bags and boxes.

Plus DJs spinning all day... Make a weekend of it! Call 505-310-6389 for info.

Reruns Home Furnishings Modern and retro desks, nightstands, barstools, lamps, chairs, tall bookcase, West Elm rugs, side tables, dressers, kitchenwares and lots of décor to warm up your space. Come in today! 572 E. 6th Ave. Open Mon.-Sat. 385-7336.

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

CommunityService SJBPH Vaccine Clinics Free vaccine mobile clinic provided by San Juan Basin Public Health. No ID or insurance required. Walk-ins welcome.

Contact 970-247-5702 or visit sjbpublic

HaikuMovieReview ‘Poms’ Should you watch this film about an aged cheer squad?

Rah, rah, sis boom, nah – Lainie Maxson health.org/covid-19-vaccine/ for more information.

- 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. Mondays to Fridays, and 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. Saturdays, La Plata County Fairgrounds, 2500 Main Ave. - 5:30 - 7:30 p.m. Thurs., Sept. 30, Powerhouse Science Center - 9 - 11 a.m. Thursdays, Manna Soup Kitchen, 1100 Avenida del Sol - 8:30 a.m. - 12 p.m. Fridays, Purgatory - 4 - 8 p.m. Fridays, Animas Valley Grange, 7271 Co Rd 203, Durango -8 a.m. - 12 p.m. Saturdays, Durango Farmers Market, 259 W 9th St. - 9 a.m. - 12 p.m. Sat., Oct, 2, Upper Pine Fire , Forest Lakes, Bayfield

NewspaperOrigami

An owl

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

Services Friendly Carpentry and Painting Stucco repair, 707-806-3456.

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

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.

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Sept. 30, 2021 n 15

16 n Sept. 30, 2021

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