The Durango Telegraph, Nov. 19, 2020

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Nov. 19, 2020

Vol. XIX, No. 43 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

Dialing it in

Going cold turkey

Grand escape

La Plata County enters level ‘red’ – and what it means p8

Quitting coffee and other tips for sanity in the end times p11

Pandemic fatigue? Try three weeks on the Colorado p15

Find Green Friday deals throughout Thanksgiving week! *Go to durangoorganics.com for details & to order online

The Alternative Resource Variety of Strains • Hash/Concentrates • Edibles • Tinctures • ATM

2 n Nov. 19, 2020

telegraph

Bodo Park

Grandview (HWY 160 East)

Recreational: 9:00 AM - 8:00 PM Medical: 9:00 AM - 6:45 PM 72 Suttle Street, Units F/G , 970.259.3674

Recreational Adult Use Only: 9:00 AM - 8:00 PM 37 CR 232, 970.426.4381

lineup

4 La Vida Local

Double-secret probation

4 Thumbin’ It

What the state’s new red and purple levels mean

by John Daley/Colorado Public Radio

5 Word on the Street

11-14

6-7 Soapbox

Cold turkey

How to kick coffee and other helpful hints to survive the end times

Ear to the ground: “You face penis is showing.”

– Local on the practice of lackadaisical facemask wearers to sling it below their noses

Boyz to men

thepole

8

RegularOccurrences

The boys in Bodo have busted out.

Last week, Forbes magazine featured Ska Brewing in a feature on the 25-year-old Durango brewery. Titled “From Life In A VW Bus To Today, It’s Been Quite A Ride For Colorado’s Ska Brewing,” the story took a look at the brewery’s humble beginning in a van down by the river (maybe not literally) to the king-Pinstripe it is today.

8 Top Story 11 The Yocal

15

15 Day in the Life

Grand escape Need a break from the pandemic?

Try three weeks on the Colorado

16 Flash in the Pan

photos by Stephen Eginoire

17-18 Stuff to Do

16

19 Ask Rachel

The right stuff(ing) To stuff or not to stuff and a secret ingredient you should not go without

20-21 Free Will Astrology

by Ari LeVaux

23 Classifieds

22

23 Haiku Movie Review On the Cover

Guess who’s coming to dinner?

A ram with an impressive rack stops for a photo opp recently in a remote area of the Colorado Plateau./ Photo by Stephen Eginoire

boilerplate

The Telegraph’s Activity Page is back (and better than ever!)

EDITORIALISTA: Missy Votel (missy@durangotelegraph.com)

STAR-STUDDED CAST: Lainie Maxson, Clint Reid, Ann Butler, Jesse Anderson, Zach Hively, Ari LeVaux and Shan Wells

ADVERTISING AFICIONADO: Lainie Maxson (lainie@durangotelegraph.com)

VIRTUAL ADDRESS: www.durangotelegraph.com

MAILING ADDRESS: P.O. Box 332 Durango, CO 81302 PHONE: 970.259.0133

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

E-MAIL: telegraph@durangotelegraph.com

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distributed in the finest and most discerning locations throughout the greater Durango area.

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

“We were pretty young and really didn’t have much foresight," co-founder Dave Thibodeau told travel writer Gary Stoller. "I lived out of my Volkswagen bus which, at the time, wasn’t as cool as it is now. I remember our goal was to make enough beer to attend festivals."

The story goes on to detail the lack of any business plan on the part of Thibodeau and cofounders Bill Graham and Matt Vincent – other than a mutual love of beer, comic books and ska music. "We simply went with our passions," Thibodeau said. "There was a degree of authenticity that is really difficult to replicate and sets us apart ... everything we do comes from the heart."

The story also touched on the isolation of Ska’s chosen home base. "I think the pros of making and drinking beer hours from the nearest freeway in an isolated mountain town with a river running through it outweigh the cons," Thibodeau said.

The story fast forwards to today, with Ska’s sister Peach Street Distillers, started by Graham in Palisade, as well as the Ska Street Brewstillery in Boulder, which opened just as the pandemic reared its head last March. “It’s a larger, more populated version of Durango,” he said of Boulder, where he attended college.

Of course, the pandemic has put a wrench in Ska’s latest plans, ventures and sales – but it hasn’t taken all the bubbles out of its brew. "The pandemic ... has been trying to quash our dreams," Thibodeau said. "That was, and is, really scary, but it enabled us to focus on efficiencies in a sharper manner than before. Sometimes you get into a pattern of spend, spend, spend, and, suddenly, we had to cut all expenses and dig deep into our priorities ... Unfortunately, it took an apocalyptic event to make us think about it!"

Meantime, Ska’s tasting room and pub is open for online ordering and curbside pick-up (the beer conveyor belt is worth the trip alone). "I think we’ll take some of the things we’ve learned and implemented, such as table service and online ordering," Thibodeau said. "We’ve learned to adapt quickly, and I think that will lead to some exciting and constant evolution moving forward."

To read the story, go to: tinyurl.com/y6cwcps5

Nov. 19, 2020 n

3

opinion

LaVidaLocal The singing trees With the unprecedented surge of the pandemic, human social activity has come almost to a standstill. As a senior, I am very particular about whom I see and communicate with in person.

In spite of COVID, I still cherish my hikes into unfamiliar territories. The only real COVID-free zones are luckily, our less inhabited wild lands.

Almost a quarter of a century ago, I traveled south with a friend to explore the high desert around Lybrook, N.M. My friend Ron and I had been doing these sojourns for over the past 40 years. As always, we turned off the paved highway and headed into the interior along dusty canyon roads.

On one particular journey, we reconnoitered a few oil roads east of the Bisti Badlands to find a place that would give us, at least, a modicum of shade. We drove down a slight draw, and to our amazement, we came upon a few cedars and ponderosas growing in a little glen. We even encountered a deer that bolted across the road.

Such a sight is rare in the high desert.

We parked the van and took out the cooler to enjoy lunch in the shade of one of the few trees. Ron, wandered off, up a hill, and holding his sandwich shouted back to me, “Over here there are unbelievable trees, petrified trees!”

I rushed up the hillside, and to my surprise there were about 10 huge, petrified cypress trees in various positions of repose.

Some of the stone girths were at least 4 feet in width. They were lying as if they had been submerged in a prehistoric swamp. We decided, then and there, that we would eat lunch sitting on them.

Ron walked down to one of the larger petrified trunks and sat down to eat his sandwich and suddenly jumped up. I was grabbing some drinks out of the cooler when I heard him yell, “Can you come up here and sit on this log and tell me what you think?”

I acknowledged his request and leisurely sauntered toward the

tree. I sat down and immediately jumped up.

“Wow this tree is vibrating!” I exclaimed.

“This is unreal!” he said.

We left our lunches and headed for several other petrified trees in the vicinity to see if they, too, were humming. Sure enough, each had a distinct vibration you could feel with your hand. One stump in particular was hollow at the end. It must have been petrified after it had rotted in some cretaceous swamp. Ron took his walking stick and probed it. Confident it wasn’t snake-infested, he stuck his head inside. He said he could hear a faint ringing.

We went back to the largest tree and finished our lunch while feeling a strange vibration in our legs while sitting atop the stone giant. Bewildered by the phenomenon, we tried to logically ascertain the reason for the vibration. We first circled the area looking for signs of a spring or an oil pipeline or derrick that may be the cause of the murmuring.

Maybe there was an underground grotto where a stream had been running for centuries or maybe the wood was mineralized with iron that would hone some kind of magnetic pull?

Eventually, we decided to leave the mystery be. Packing our lunch scraps and cans into the van, we decided to head to each tree and touch it one last time, as though, just maybe, something was invading our imaginations. We touched each tree and laughed, hoping its animus would give us some luck.

We headed out on one of the many roads criss-crossing the terrain. Over a rise a few wild horses gamboled alongside the van for a mile or two and then disappeared at the next rise.

Ron and I returned to that area a year or so later but could not find the magical spot. We never marked our travels. It was a disappointment but then again, the singing trees grace only the strangers they choose!

– Burt Baldwin

This Week’s Sign of the Downfall:

Thumbin’It San Juan Basin Public Health Director Liane Jollon being nominated for an outstanding service award by Sen. Michael Bennet

Cold temps and upgraded snowmaking allowing for Purg’s scheduled opening Nov. 21 despite a lack of sufficient help from Mother Nature

The State of Colorado awarding a $3.6 million grant for a learning collaborative in Southwest Colorado between Pueblo Community College and area school districts for students in the build trades and environmental sciences

4 n Nov. 19, 2020

COVID numbers surging to record highs in La Plata County and several other counties around the state, forcing a move to Level Red, or severe risk

The death of homeless resident Dean Allen Littrell, who died from hypothermia in his tent last week, highlighting the basic human need for warm shelter for our community’s most vulnerable

A proposed BLM oil and gas lease sale of more than 2,560 acres within a half mile of Chimney Rock National Monument

telegraph

Asshats For $1,395, you could buy the Kiierr Laser Cap System for Hair Growth. It promises to “grow thicker, healthier hair effortlessly” thanks to proprietary “Low Level Light Therapy,” or “LLLT” as it’s known to totally credible scientists. Or for only $59.95, you could buy the “Deep Fried Turkey Pillow Hat” from Arby’s, which promises only to be super comfortable and look rad. But even if you bought both, you’d still be less ridiculous than the people who keep buying MAGA hats for $24.95.

WordontheScreen

Q

With COVID ruining Thanksgiving plans this year, the Telegraph asked, “What would you be thankful for?”

Jessie

“Restored democracy.”

Jimmy

“If I could spend the holidays with my friends and family back in Chicago.”

Jill

“If my daughter got a job.”

Jenny

“A job because I lost mine.”

Sara

“If I could spend time with my family.”

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Nov. 19, 2020 n

5

SoapBox

ReTooned/by Shan Wells

Making a presidential quackery To the editor, The election is over, and all objective evidence is that Joe Biden will be our next president. He won the national vote and the electoral vote, unlike 2016 where the antiquated Electoral College disenfranchised the national majority.

Biden has shown a hugely refreshing example of presidential behavior. Unfortunately, the lame duck socalled president persists in claiming he won and there was huge voter fraud and a conspiracy against him by election officials.

He can (and apparently will) keep making that claim in all caps on Twitter, and in press events, no matter the harm to the country. None of those claims constitute actual evidence. He’s filed an avalanche of lawsuits, which continue to be thrown out of court.

Also unfortunately, a fair number of Trump’s congressional Republican loyalists, as well as Secretary of State Pompeo, and AG Bill Barr are helping to give life to Trump’s destructive claims. Count all the “legal” votes, they say, meaning votes for Trump. Barr has announced a Justice Department effort to find actual fraud or improper vote processing. Fine. Tell us what you find. DoJ’s top election crimes investigator resigned over this scheme.

Lame Duck and his minions are refusing to cooperate with Biden’s transition team, risking national security. On Nov. 9, Lame Duck fired Defense Secretary Mark Esper via Twitter. Then he fired three other top Pentagon officials and replaced them with hard-core Trump loyalists, according to National Public Radio.

The director of the Department of Homeland Security Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency also may be in line for firing because his agency is 4

Book your private holiday shopping appointment!

Browse holiday gifts, new styles and more at your leisure!

6 n Nov. 19, 2020

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countering Lame Duck’s claims.

If there wasn’t ample evidence already, Lame Duck’s behavior shows he cares nothing about the good of the country. He’s tearing it apart. His loyalty is to his own wealth and power. Given that vindictiveness is as much a core part of his personality as habitual lying, I wonder how much damage he will cause between now and Jan. 20, 2021?

– Carole McWilliams, Bayfield

Gobble a vegetarian Thanksgiving To the editor, Next week, President Trump will take a break from brooding over his election loss to pardon two turkeys.

Every one of us has that same awesome power to pardon an innocent, sentient bird by choosing a plant-based roast for our Thanksgiving dinner.

The 222 million turkeys killed in the U.S. this year are raised in crowded sheds filled with toxic fumes. Their beaks and toes are clipped to prevent stress-induced aggression. At the tender age of 16 weeks, workers cut their throats and dump them into boiling water to remove their feathers.

Consumers pay a heavy price too. Turkey flesh is laced with cholesterol and saturated fats that elevate risk of chronic killer diseases. Prolonged cooking is required to destroy deadly pathogens lurking inside.

Now, for the good news. With growing popularity of Tofurky and other plant-based holiday roasts, U.S. turkey production has dropped a whopping 25 percent from its 1995 high of 293 million.

This Thanksgiving, let’s give thanks for our good fortune, health and happiness with a cruelty free plantbased holiday roast available in convenient sizes. An internet search on “vegetarian Thanksgiving” offers more options and recipes than we could possibly use.

– Diego Horvath, Durango

Serving up pretend patriotism To the editor, Why is the City failing in its duty to enforce the mask order against the pretend-patriots at Top That yogurt shop?

Patriotism is not just waving a flag and swearing to uphold half of the Second Amendment. It might be doing one small thing, such as wearing a mask that will save American lives. I’ve seen the arguments against masks, and they are either seriously flawed, completely stupid or fueled by blustering, pretend patriotism.

Your liberty does not extend to endangering everyone else. I’m offended that your declarations of pretend patriotism encourage the spread of the disease and threaten my life and that of my family.

The motto for Top That should be, “Serving up empty calories, a deadly virus, willful ignorance and death threats with every scoop.”

– Rhys Schrock, Durango

Trump undermining democracy To the editor, As an Independent who votes the candidates, I was hoping to heap some praise on Trump for his accomplishments, for example, increasing the defense budget and promoting our military buildup, but he reverted to his typical lies (20,000 at last count documented by The Washington Post) and disinformation when referring to the outcome of the 2020 election.

Trump and many of his fanatical lockstep followers accused election officials in only states he lost of fraudulent activities. Bipartisan election officials, including Republicans, Democrats and Independents, have an exemplary history of Americans processing ballots with honesty and due diligence. Why is there fraud in the 2020 election

just in six states Trump lost? Why isn’t Trump questioning vote counts in the other 44 states? Why didn’t Trump question vote counts in the 2016 election? In 2016 Clinton could have asked for recounts in Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania, which she lost by a total of 84,000 votes, but she didn’t.

Once again Trump is focused on himself and not the country. He is lashing out at our democratic system and principles, and he could undermine the bedrock foundation of our country. His firing of Defense Secretary Esper and a number of other key Pentagon officials is causing chaos within the Pentagon and jeopardizing our national security while we are vulnerable during the transition of administrations. Un-American Trump’s refusal to allow Biden’s team to contact government agencies for briefings could disrupt the functioning of our government. He is unwittingly aiding our enemies.

– Donald Moskowitz, Londonderry, N.H.

Gone fishing Nov. 26 The Telegraph is taking the week of Thanskgiving, Nov. 26, off for some R&R and to sit home and eat and drink.

Not that we haven’t already been doing that for the last nine months. We’ll be well rested and back at it Dec. 3.

Have a safe and tryptophan-filled holiday.

“We’ll print damned-near anything” The Telegraph prides itself on a liberal letters policy. We offer this forum to the public to settle differences, air opinions & undertake healthy discourse. We have only three requests: limit letters to 750 words, letters must be signed by the writer; and thank-you lists and libelous, personal attacks are unwelcome. Send your insights by Tuesday at noon to: PO Box 332, Durango, 81302 or e-mail your profundities to: telegraph@durangotelegraph.com. Let the games begin ...

Colorado Gives Day December 8, 2020 • swcogives.org Support causes you care about and keep your dollars local. Visit swcogives.org to contribute to 85+ organizations that serve children, the arts, animals, environment, food security, and more.

SWCO Gives is spearheaded by the Community Foundation serving SW Colorado

telegraph

Nov. 19, 2020 n 7

countering Lame Duck’s claims.

If there wasn’t ample evidence already, Lame Duck’s behavior shows he cares nothing about the good of the country. He’s tearing it apart. His loyalty is to his own wealth and power. Given that vindictiveness is as much a core part of his personality as habitual lying, I wonder how much damage he will cause between now and Jan. 20, 2021?

– Carole McWilliams, Bayfield

Gobble a vegetarian Thanksgiving To the editor, Next week, President Trump will take a break from brooding over his election loss to pardon two turkeys.

Every one of us has that same awesome power to pardon an innocent, sentient bird by choosing a plant-based roast for our Thanksgiving dinner.

The 222 million turkeys killed in the U.S. this year are raised in crowded sheds filled with toxic fumes. Their beaks and toes are clipped to prevent stress-induced aggression. At the tender age of 16 weeks, workers cut their throats and dump them into boiling water to remove their feathers.

Consumers pay a heavy price too. Turkey flesh is laced with cholesterol and saturated fats that elevate risk of chronic killer diseases. Prolonged cooking is required to destroy deadly pathogens lurking inside.

Now, for the good news. With growing popularity of Tofurky and other plant-based holiday roasts, U.S. turkey production has dropped a whopping 25 percent from its 1995 high of 293 million.

This Thanksgiving, let’s give thanks for our good fortune, health and happiness with a cruelty free plantbased holiday roast available in convenient sizes. An internet search on “vegetarian Thanksgiving” offers more options and recipes than we could possibly use.

– Diego Horvath, Durango

Serving up pretend patriotism To the editor, Why is the City failing in its duty to enforce the mask order against the pretend-patriots at Top That yogurt shop?

Patriotism is not just waving a flag and swearing to uphold half of the Second Amendment. It might be doing one small thing, such as wearing a mask that will save American lives. I’ve seen the arguments against masks, and they are either seriously flawed, completely stupid or fueled by blustering, pretend patriotism.

Your liberty does not extend to endangering everyone else. I’m offended that your declarations of pretend patriotism encourage the spread of the disease and threaten my life and that of my family.

The motto for Top That should be, “Serving up empty calories, a deadly virus, willful ignorance and death threats with every scoop.”

– Rhys Schrock, Durango

Trump undermining democracy To the editor, As an Independent who votes the candidates, I was hoping to heap some praise on Trump for his accomplishments, for example, increasing the defense budget and promoting our military buildup, but he reverted to his typical lies (20,000 at last count documented by The Washington Post) and disinformation when referring to the outcome of the 2020 election.

Trump and many of his fanatical lockstep followers accused election officials in only states he lost of fraudulent activities. Bipartisan election officials, including Republicans, Democrats and Independents, have an exemplary history of Americans processing ballots with honesty and due diligence. Why is there fraud in the 2020 election

just in six states Trump lost? Why isn’t Trump questioning vote counts in the other 44 states? Why didn’t Trump question vote counts in the 2016 election? In 2016 Clinton could have asked for recounts in Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania, which she lost by a total of 84,000 votes, but she didn’t.

Once again Trump is focused on himself and not the country. He is lashing out at our democratic system and principles, and he could undermine the bedrock foundation of our country. His firing of Defense Secretary Esper and a number of other key Pentagon officials is causing chaos within the Pentagon and jeopardizing our national security while we are vulnerable during the transition of administrations. Un-American Trump’s refusal to allow Biden’s team to contact government agencies for briefings could disrupt the functioning of our government. He is unwittingly aiding our enemies.

– Donald Moskowitz, Londonderry, N.H.

Gone fishing Nov. 26 The Telegraph is taking the week of Thanskgiving, Nov. 26, off for some R&R and to sit home and eat and drink.

Not that we haven’t already been doing that for the last nine months. We’ll be well rested and back at it Dec. 3.

Have a safe and tryptophan-filled holiday.

“We’ll print damned-near anything” The Telegraph prides itself on a liberal letters policy. We offer this forum to the public to settle differences, air opinions & undertake healthy discourse. We have only three requests: limit letters to 750 words, letters must be signed by the writer; and thank-you lists and libelous, personal attacks are unwelcome. Send your insights by Tuesday at noon to: PO Box 332, Durango, 81302 or e-mail your profundities to: telegraph@durangotelegraph.com. Let the games begin ...

Colorado Gives Day December 8, 2020 • swcogives.org Support causes you care about and keep your dollars local. Visit swcogives.org to contribute to 85+ organizations that serve children, the arts, animals, environment, food security, and more.

SWCO Gives is spearheaded by the Community Foundation serving SW Colorado

telegraph

Nov. 19, 2020 n 7

TopStory

Turning up the dial La Plata among 15 counties heading into new ‘red’ severe risk category starting Friday

by John Daley Colorado Public Radio News

F

ifteen Colorado counties, including La Plata, now sit at the second-highest level of the state’s newly adjusted restrictions.

The counties affected will see new rules like prohibitions on personal gatherings, a temporary halt to indoor dining at restaurants and more severe restrictions on office and gym capacity. In addition to La Plata county, they are: Adams, Arapahoe, Boulder, Broomfield, Clear Creek, Denver, Douglas, Jefferson, Logan, Mesa, Morgan, Routt, Summit and Washington counties.

The new restrictions kick in Fri., Nov. 20.

Local officials approved of the step, saying it is necessary to prevent further impacts on services and critical workers.

“Earlier in the COVID-19 crisis the Sheriff’s Office did not experience significant impacts, however in recent weeks, the virus has impacted staffing levels as it hit both Sheriff Office deputies and our local dispatch staff,” La Plata County Sheriff Sean Smith said Tuesday in a news release. “We need to ensure that we have first responders available so that we can provide for the safety needs of our community, so moving to level red is essential for the safety of our staff and the community.”

Durango Police Chief Bob Brammer echoed that sentiment. “By asking our community to only leave home for essential business, we are increasing the safety of our police officers and other first responders and ensuring that staff is available and healthy for all other emergency situations,” he said. “We also need businesses to do their part and ensure their customers comply with current mask restrictions so our officers are not placed in precarious scenarios. We are here to help, please help us keep our entire community safe and healthy.”

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment alerted another group of counties, Costilla, Custer, Lake, Montezuma, Pitkin and San Juan, that they'd be moving to the third most-severe level on Friday as well.

At that level, the COVID-19 numbers are going up, but not to the point where everything needs to be shut down and capacity limits are moderate.

The state health department released the list after Gov. Jared Polis held a news conference saying that 10 to 15 counties would likely be subject to new restrictions but didn't reveal which, other than Denver.

Polis said that nationally, regionally and in Colorado,

Gov. Jared Polis holds a press conference on COVID-19 at the Governor's Mansion on Tuesday. Starting Friday, 15 Colorado counties will move into the “red” sever-risk category for COVID restrictions due to high rates of transmission, hospitalizations and disease positivity./Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite efforts to hold off the virus have proven insufficient.

“What we're doing isn't working, and we clearly need to take more mitigation measures. And, that's what we're doing today,” he said. “It's a problem everywhere in our state.”

He noted that in Adams County, one in 58 people are currently contagious with coronavirus; in Denver, it’s one out of 64; and in Arapahoe County, it’s one out of 83.

Statewide, about one in 110 people are contagious with coronavirus.

Polis and top lawmakers announced a new classification in the state’s COVID-19 “dial” that comes with rules that

will ban dining inside restaurants – takeout and delivery will still be available – and will limit capacity in gyms to 10 percent.

The new dial has a major impact on certain activities, like gatherings, schools, gyms and restaurants. Under the new second most-severe level, red – reserved for counties with high levels of transmission, hospitalizations and positivity rates – generally more activities are allowed but under strict guidelines. Most indoor activities are prohibited or strictly limited, and outdoor activities are encouraged as an alternative. The limits on capacity are significant.

Under the most severe level of the dial, purple, certain4

Don’t be the last one to know!

The Telegraph will not be printing on Thanksgiving, Nov. 26.

We’ll be back in action Dec. 3!

8 n Nov. 19, 2020

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activities are closed or severely restricted.

That level is for counties where hospital capacity is at extreme risk of being overrun.

Businesses must “significantly curtail” inperson functions and people must stay at home except for necessary activities, according to the health department.

The governor sidestepped questions about whether the public might find the changes confusing.

“The dial is a powerful tool for mayors and commissioners, but for the general public, we really want to keep it simple,” he said. “There is a risk everywhere in our entire state.”

The change spotlighted the needle Polis and other top leaders are trying to thread.

Hospitals are on the verge of a crisis not seen in many decades, perhaps since the last pandemic a century ago. COVID-19 patients are pouring in and staff shortages are looming.

Meantime, without hoped-for federal relief, businesses, workers and families are facing their own financial crisis.

“Right now, in the here and now, we in Colorado need to act to stop this exponential growth to save lives and save our economy,” Polis said.

Parkview Hospital in Pueblo reached more than 100 percent capacity Monday, according to the governor, and patients had to be transferred to other facilities.

The move comes with the state’s daily COVID-19 update revealing some of the most daunting numbers to date. Twentyseven percent of Colorado hospitals reported that they expect staff shortages in the next week. The state reported 1,378 pa-

tients hospitalized Tuesday, up 84 from the day before; 11 percent of facilities said they anticipated ICU bed shortages in the next week. The seven-day case average is still soaring to new records, at 4,499, and most days now, the state is recording deaths in the double digits.

“It is important that we, in partnership with San Juan Basin Public Health and our communities, increase our efforts to slow and stop the spread of the coronavirus and support efforts to maintain a healthy community,” Michael Murphy, interim CEO of Mercy Regional Medical Center, said. He also repeated the edicts of mask wearing, safe social distancing and hand washing.

The state’s seven-day positivity rate of 12.59 percent – that’s five days above 12 percent, and well above the 5 percent threshold, which indicates trouble. But in a glimmer of good news, that figure hasn't yet pushed higher.

Durango Mayor Dean Brookie, however, urged continued vigilance until that glimmer grows into light at the end of the tunnel.

“We understand that moving to level red may be burdensome during the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday, however, it is necessary,” Brookie said. “By staying home and interacting with only those people from our immediate households, we will ensure our local health-care system does not get overwhelmed and that our vibrant economy will be able to come back quickly and stronger than ever.”

Missy Votel added local content to this report.

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

Color by numbers: What Colorado’s two most severe levels, red and purple, mean “Severe risk” (red) level: • Residents are asked to stay at home.

• Personal gatherings of any size are prohibited.

• Child care is open.

• Places of worship and life rites functions: indoors, limited to 25 percent capacity or 50 people at indoor functions; outdoors, people must keep 6 feet of social distancing.

• Restaurants: indoor dining closed, outdoor/open-air dining with only groups of their own household.

• Last call: 8 p.m., on-premise. Bars closed.

• Non-critical manufacturing: 25 percent of capacity, up to 50 people.

• Offices: 10 percent capacity; remote office work strongly encouraged.

• Gyms: 10 percent capacity with up to 10 people indoors per room. Outdoor groups must be less than 10. Reservations required.

• Group sports and camps: Virtual, or outdoors in groups of less than 10.

• Retail: 50 percent capacity. Dedicated hours for seniors and at-risk are encouraged.

• Personal services: 25 percent of capacity or 25 people.

• Indoor events and entertainment: closed.

• Outdoor events and entertainment: 25 percent capacity or 75 people, attended only with members of your own household, with 6 feet of spacing from other groups.

• Outdoor guided services: 25 percent of capacity, or fewer than 10 people.

“Extreme risk” (purple) level: • Residents are ordered to stay at home.

• Personal gatherings of any size are prohibited.

• Child care is open.

• Restaurants: Indoor and outdoor dining closed. Takeout, delivery and to-go are available. Bars are closed. Last call: No service on-premise.

• Non-critical manufacturing: 10 percent of capacity, up to 25 people.

• Office work should be virtual or outdoors in groups of less than 10.

• Gyms/fitness, group sports and camps: Virtual or outdoors in groups of less than 10.

• Critical and non-critical retail: Curbside pickup and delivery.

• Personal services: closed • Indoor and outdoor events and entertainment: closed • Outdoor guided services: 25 percent, up to 10 people only in your own household.

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Nov. 21, 2020 n

9

Coming full circle.

Issue 14 of The Gulch is out now!

Wherever you find the Telegraph or at www.gulchmag.com.

To find out about advertising opportunities, email: steve@gulchmag.com

10 n Nov. 19, 2020

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dayinthelife

A Grand escape photos by Stephen Eginoire

Whether smooth sailing or fraught with disaster, a river trip through the Grand Canyon is likely to peg the memory meter for a lifetime. Worthy of every single superlative language has to offer, it's hard to imagine a more storied and significant landscape in the U.S. The Colorado River's indescribable energy and the sheer magnitude of time represented within the canyon's walls are simply dumbfounding. It's almost easier to describe a dream than it is the Grand Canyon. Most of us have read, or at least heard, someone try a million times. But what left the biggest impression on me was leaving society's chaos and uncertainty behind for three entire weeks. It is vital to our mental health to connect with the natural world and "unplug.� It need not be for such a long duration (although it's certainly awesome) and it definitely doesn't have to be in the Grand Canyon. We Durangoans are blessed with easy access to many diverse places where we can get away from the overwhelming "nonessentials" of everyday life. Here's a look:

telegraph

Nov. 19, 2020 n 15

FlashinthePan

Stuffed to the gills

by Ari LeVaux

T

hanksgiving, as we observe it today, doesn’t have much in common with the original feast of 1621. The tensions between the Pilgrims and Wampanoag were above comfort level at the dinner table, with some participants arriving ready to rumble. Come to think of it, maybe today’s Thanksgiving table hasn’t strayed too far, being notable for bringing together people from warring political tribes to break bread together, with notoriously mixed results. And this election year, especially, it seems like only social distancing measures might be able to keep apart drunk family members ready to get angry and sloppy.

For starters, there was no pumpkin pie at the original feast because butter and flour were unheard of or sorely missed, depending on ones’ affiliation, but wild fowl was likely on the menu, which leads me, among others, to conclude there was stuffing. Historians point to their evidence, while I point to the simple fact that both Pilgrims and Indians are human beings, and human beings know how to cook. And cooks don’t let an empty body cavity go unstuffed, especially during a three-day feast.

Unfortunately, we seem to take this for granted in today’s America, where we think nothing of passing around side dishes filled with savory bread pudding called “stuffing” that has never seen the inside of a bird.

That’s the fight I’ll pick this year.

Technically, this never-stuffed material is “dressing,” not “stuffing.” The reason this distinction is important is because the stuff that comes out of the bird is so much better than the side pan, even if the same went into both vessels. The juices from a baked bird impart an unmistakable, irreplaceable joy to the stuffing.

On the East Coast, the local diet was heavy on seafood like clams, scallops, seaweed, oysters, mussels, eel and fish.

I grew up in coastal Massachusetts, where we would sometimes dig a hole in the beach and fill it with ingredients like those above, and hot rocks, and have a clambake.

Somewhere along the way, in my Thanksgiving ruminations and experimentations, I decided it would be a good idea to stage a clambake inside a bird. In order to make it taste more like stuffing, I add breadcrumbs, herbs, lemon and aromatic veggies: onions, carrots and celery.

This recipe depends on a diversity of quality seafood. It’s good to have at least one with the shell on, like clams or mussels, because that makes it seem more like a real clambake. Scallops and shrimp work great too. It must have a jar of oysters, like you can get at the seafood counter of many stores. And I really like imitation crab, like what you get in a California roll. It soaks up the juices like a thirsty sponge.

Chickens, ducks and turkeys all work fantastic. Rabbit

tastes like chicken, so that should work too. But whatever bird you are able to stuff, large or small, you might find yourself with more stuffing than you can possibly cram into your bird.

The easiest thing to do is to stuff it around the bird, along with the potatoes, and let the pan juices melt into it. Although not literally stuffed, it sucks up enough of the juices to potentially rule out gravy and tastes like all the flavor and fat it absorbs.

Another option for too much stuffing: pull the skin away from the bird and stuff it up between the skin and meat. If basted properly, this layer of stuffing can help keep the bird moist. The skin might split, especially if you cram shells up there, but the crusted stuffing becomes a new skin, absorbing as many bastings as you care to pour.

And finally, we can do the almost unthinkable: bake that excess stuffing in a side pan. Put it in a pan as if you are making a dish of dressing. Put a bunch of chicken wings on top, and cook it until they melt into the dressing. And just like that, after all of my huffing and puffing, I have figured out a way to make it taste like stuffing.

But my favorite part of this fishy bird dish is the clam juice brine. You’ve probably heard of clam juice as a mixer, adding deep umami notes from earth and sea to your Bloody Mary. And we can thank James Beard for nationalizing the idea that you should brine a chicken before baking it, because the salt gets in the meat, and salty meat absorbs more water than non-salty meat, so it stays moist.

My salty clam brine combines the two concepts and brings them deep into the meat. It flavors the stuffing via the fat, and adds delicious authenticity to the feast. It may not dissolve the animosity at the table, but perhaps

it will at least help keep everyone’s mouths too stuffed with food to talk.

And that, my friends, is the true point of Thanksgiving.

Since chicken tastes good with lemon, and seafood tastes good with lemon, I add a lot of lemon.

Some clam juice is salty, some isn’t.

Sometimes the salty ones don’t mention salt in the ingredients, but it will show up in the RDA values for sodium.

I’ve seen it with zero grams, 40 grams and 100 grams of added sodium, with different bottle sizes. So the salt can be a little tricky. Taste your clam juice, and if it’s really salty, reduce the added salt by a teaspoon or two.

The Right Stuff(ing) serves 6 1 4-pound bird 1 10-oz bottle clam juice 6 teaspoon salt 2 tablespoons olive oil 2 cups minced onion 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 cup chopped celery 1 cup chopped carrots 1 apple, red or green, chopped 1 teaspoon black pepper 3 tablespoons chopped fresh sage 2 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary 2 pounds seafood (for example: 1 pound mussels or clams on the shell; 1 10-oz tub of oysters and the juice; 6 ounces scallops, 6-oz imitation crab) ½ cup white wine 1 cup crouton-sized breadcrumbs 3 lemons, cut into quarters 4 potatoes, cut into quarters, to surround the bird Rinse the bird, take out any giblets stashed in the cavity, and brine the bird in the clam juice with the salt and two cups of water. Push down on the bird hard, so the body cavity fills with brine. Turn it occasionally, and marinate for at least four hours in the fridge.

Rinse the bird, pat it dry, and put it in a roasting pan.

Add the oil to a fry pan and saute the onions, garlic, carrots, celery and apple with the black pepper, thyme, rosemary and sage on medium heat. After 10 minutes, add the seafood, wine, lemon juice and squeezed lemons, and cook a few minutes longer, but don’t try to cook all the seafood. Add the breadcrumbs, stir it all together and stuff it into the bird. Place the potatoes around the bird, along with extra stuffing if you go that route.

Cover with foil and place in the oven preheated to 350. After 90 minutes remove the foil. The skin of an extra-stuffed bird will have receded like the tide, leaving a bunch of mussels clinging to the bird like it’s a beach rock. The stuffing on top, including the seafood, will hold the baste like a sponge. Turn the oven down to 300.

Baste every 15 minutes until done. After about an hour, use a meat thermometer to make sure the bird’s internal temp is at least 165. Rest, serve and eat. n

Proudly serving Fahrenheit Coff ffe ee and Espresso!

Stock up on a fresh bag of coff ffe ee for home!

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

16 n Nov. 19, 2020

telegraph

StufftoDo

Thursday19 “Mentor Durango,” a free virtual event featuring stories from locals and professional athletes on how mentors have played a role in their lives, 4 p.m. Sponsored by Big Brother Big Sisters Southwest Colorado. Register at: bbig.org/men tor-durango Durango Zoom Green Drinks, 5 p.m., featuring Durango Trails and the Sherpa Institute. For link, visit Duranog Green Drinks on FB. Animas High School Online Information Session for Prospective Families, 5:30-6:30 p.m., Google Meet at meet.google.com/hvd-opvycua

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

“Keep a Light in Your Window,” a documentary on Denver philanthropist “Daddy” Bruce Randolph, 8 p.m., Rocky Mountain PBS. www.rmpbs.org.

“Making Democracy Work in the 21st Century,” a Zoom event with FLC Assistant Professor of Political Science Paul DeBell, 7 p.m. part of the Lifelong Learning Lecture Series. https://tinyurl.com/y57vl6s6

Friday20 Winter Solstice Artisans Market thru Dec. 23, noon-6 p.m. Durango Arts Center, 802 E. 2nd Ave. COVID safety protocols will be followed.

3rd Ave Arts presents a virtual concert with Angela Winter, horn, and Lancer Hardy, bass, 7 p.m., featuring works from the baroque, classical and romantic periods as well as modern Latin composers. Link available for a week at https://tinyurl.com/y39sd53r

Saturday21 Food Drive for Manna, 8 a.m.- 12 noon, DHS Parking Lot. Sponsored by DHS DECA (entrepreneurship and business club) and part of a statewide initiative to collect 10,000 pounds of food. Volunteers will wear gloves and masks and take the food from people’s cars.

Artisan’s Online Holiday Gift Show and Sale, today thru Nov. 30,

www.32auctions.com/dgoartisans.

Purgatory’s scheduled opening day. www.purgatoryresort.com Thanksgiving Farmers Market, 9 a.m.-1 p.m., TBK parking lot. Masks required and social distancing observed.

Holiday Donation and Food Drive for Manna, 11 a.m.-3 p.m., Nature’s Oasis. Sponsored

by Four Corners Broadcasting & Natures Oasis.

Sunday22 Love Your Freckles Day

Friday27 Black Friday – buy local!

“Edith Can Shoot Things and Hit Them,” presented by FLC Theatre, online premiere, 7 p.m.

Additional air dates: Nov. 28-29, Dec. 3-5, view any time from 12 noon-11:59 p.m. No charge but donations welcome. To view, go to: fortlewis.edu/theatre.

Saturday28 Holiday Donation and Food Drive for Manna, 11 a.m.-3 p.m., Native Roots, 1270 Escalante Drive. Sponsored by Four Corners Broadcasting & Native Roots.

Sunday29 Monday23 Meditation and Dharma Talk, 5:30-7 p.m. online at www.durangodharmacenter.org/

Tuesday24 7 Rivers Farmers Market, indoor winter farmers market, Tuesdays, 12-3 p.m. featuring local farmers, food vendors and artisans, La Plata County Fairgrounds. Masks and social distancing required.

National Lemon Cream Pie Day

Monday30 Middle-High School Mondays, creative, nonjudgmental, art fun for grades 6th – 12th, Mondays, 4-5 p.m., distanced groups of 10 max. Each week students discover a new art medium, skill or artist.

Reserve your spot: deena@durangoarts.org. Scholarships available.

Meditation and Dharma Talk, 5:30-7 p.m. online at www.durangodharmacenter.org/

Wednesday25 Free circuit workout, every Wednesday, 6 p.m. lead by physical therapist Andre Botha. Masks required. Ohana Physical Therapy, 130 Rock Point Drive, Unit C in the Tech Center. RSVP at: 970-2477895.

Thursday26 Zoomsgiving Manna Soup Kitchen Thanksgiving Graband-Go meal, pick up as many as you need, 10 a.m.-12 noon, at 1100 Avenida del Sol. “The Nutcracker,” performed by Colorado Ballet, premiere on Rocky Mountain PBS, 7 p.m. Also airs Nov. 27, 3 p.m.; Dec. 18, 9 p.m.; Dec. 19, 1 a.m.; Dec. 24, 7 p.m.; and Dec. 25, at midnight.

telegraph

Tuesday01 Rotary Club of Durango Zoom meeting with Habitat for Humanity’s Rachel Taylor-Saghie, 6 p.m.

For link, email: mtnman16@gmail.com.

Wednesday02 Tiny Homes, a free and interactive virtual presentation, 12 noon-1:30 p.m., presented by Bob Lieb, developer of Escalante Village, and Region 9.

Get registration link at laura@scan.org or steph@scan.org. To register directly, go to https://tinyurl.com/yxl948qk.

Online Ukulele Jam, 6:30-8 p.m., email denise@rockymountainukefest.com 4

Nov. 19, 2020 n 17

For your at-home viewing pleasure, the Fort Lewis College Theatre Department presents its online production of “Edith Can Shoot Things and Hit Them.” The play, written by A. Rey Pamatmat, follows three kids – Kenny, his sister Edith, and their friend Benji – who have been all but abandoned on a farm in remote Middle America. With little adult supervision, they feed and care for each other, making up the rules as they go.

But when Kenny’s and Benji’s relationship becomes more than friendship, and Edith shoots something she really shouldn’t have, the outside world comes barging in. The play premieres Nov. 27 at 7 p.m., with addition viewings anytime Nov. 28-29 and Dec. 35. Best of all it’s free! To watch, go to: tinyurl.com/yxgf3oux

steph@scan.org. Or go to: tinyurl.com/yxl948qk.

Online Ukulele Jam, 6:30-8 p.m., email denise@rockymountainukefest.com

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“Cohousing: Finding Community in the Modern World,” a Zoom event with co-founder of Heartwood Cohousing Mac Thomson, 7 p.m. part of the Lifelong Learning Lecture Series. https://tinyurl.com/y57vl6s6

Sunnyside and Fort Lewis Mesa libraries are open for curbside pickup, providing books, movies, music and audio books, Mon.-Fri., 2-7 p.m. or call 970-375-3816.

Durango Public Library Weekly Activity Kits available for curbside pickup every Tuesday. Kits include supplies for one project for preschool, elementary and teen-age students. A new kit is released every Tuesday while supplies last.

To request, email refer ence@DurangoGov.org or call 970375-3380.

“House Fires: Risks and Causes,” free community education class, 5-7 p.m., Durango Rec Center. Presented by Durango Fire Protection District and Durango Parks and Recreation. Classes limited to 20; masks required. Registration: tosh.black@durangofire org or 970-382-6014.

PIVOT: Skateboard Deck Art exhibit, over 100 skateboard decks painted by 30 different Native American artists, on view by appointment through spring 2021, Center of Southwest Studies, FLC. swcenter.fortlewis.edu/

Ongoing

Upcoming

Virtual screening of “Trust Me,” a documentary that explores how lack of media literacy is causing physical, emotional and political problems, thru Dec. 31. Fund-raiser for Mountain Middle School. Buy tickets at https://tinyurl.com/yydwoxjv

FLC Online Winter Commencement, 3 p.m., with remarks from FLC President Tom Stritikus and commencement speaker Dugald Owen. Music from milepost 30. View www.fortlewis.edu/fall-2020-graduation

Episode 3 of the “Actor’s Journal” featuring original works, essays, poems, remembrances by various actors including Chris Sullivan from the TV series “This is Us.” thru Dec. 14. www.durangoplayfest.org/actors-journal Friends of the San Juans 2020 Online Raffle, thru Dec. 15, friendssanjuans.betterworld.org.

Registration open for upcoming avalanche training courses, Lizard Head Pass, Dec. 12-13, and Andrews Lake, January 9-10. Hosted by Friends of the San Juans, www.thesanjuans.org.

“Dinosaur Discoveries: Ancient Fossils, New Ideas,” a traveling exhibit from the American Museum of Natural History, Powerhouse Science Center. For gallery hours, go to: www.powsci.org.

Virtual 17th annual Festival of Trees & Wreaths, Dec. 4-6, featuring more than 40 locally sponsored trees and wreaths to benefit Community Connections. Online at CCIFOT.givesmart.com.

6th annual Telluride Fire Festival, a three-day, mostly outdoors celebration of art and culture, Dec. 4-6, in and around Telluride. www.telluridefirefestival.org Holiday Farmers Market, Dec. 12, 9 a.m.-2 p.m., La Plata County Fairgrounds. Masks required and social distancing observed.

Free On-Snow Avalanche Awareness Field Sessions presented by Friends of the San Juans, 10 a.m.-3p.m. Dec. 12-13, Lizard Head Pass (Cross Mountain Trailhead parking lot) and Jan. 9-10, 2021, Andrew’s Lake. Pre-registration required: www.thesanjuans.org.

Deadline for “Stuff to Do” submissions is noon Monday. (*No paper Nov. 26) To submit an item, email: calendar@durangotelegraph.com

18 n Nov. 19, 2020

telegraph

AskRachel

Dog eat dog, stinktown & coming out of the vegan closet Interesting fact: I have edited this week’s questions to read as answers, as my own little overdue tribute to the calming voice of my childhood.

Dear Rachel, I laugh at people who let their dogs dictate their entire schedule. Don’t get me wrong, my dogs are the center of my life, the star to my sun, my everything. But even so, I feed them when I feed them, not when they want to be fed.

Some evenings that’s at 5:00. Others it’s at 9:00.

And my dogs have yet to keel over from being fed five minutes later than they want. I like to think I’m teaching my dogs to be flexible in an uncertain world.

- Eating like a Dog Dear Kibbles, What is “A rational approach to human/canine interdependency?” Have I ever written about the time I was at a school graduation once (a real graduation, not one of these elementary school “graduations”) when the people farther down my row made everyone stand up so they could exit because, and I quote, “We have to feed our dog”? Is it so hard to plan ahead? Or to wait a few minutes? Like, even if a dog is on a medication schedule, don’t those have a LITTLE wiggle room?

– I like your doggie style, Rachel Dear Rachel, I have no clue how septic systems work, which is apparent now that a stench is emanating from mine. I thought for a while it was my neighbor’s, because nothing so stinky could originate from

my house. Nope, turns out it is mine. I prefer plumbing that simply takes all kinds of waste and makes it disappear so I never have to think of it again. I am not on board with this thing called “maintenance” because actually all my flushables are just sitting out back, underground, forever (or until the pump truck comes).

– Frank the Tank Dear Frankenturder, What is “Country problems for city people?” Also, what is so hard to grasp about the concept that everything must go somewhere? Do you think that city pipes truly make things disappear, and not that they simply carry your problems to Santa Rita where us old-timers remember your problems being everyone else’s good ol’ whiff of “welcome to Durango”?

– Purging the system, Rachel Dear Rachel, I’ve decided to go vegan. Or at least, mostly.

I’ll eat eggs and I still eat fish. But no more dairy products, no more chicken stock, no more beef jerky. I haven’t told my family yet, though, and as we’re deciding whether to celebrate holidays together in person or not, I’m struck with the dilemma of how best to tell them that we can’t use any butter in the side dishes and that I won’t touch the turkey.

– Conscientious Eating Dear Sally, What is “Wishy-washy pity for self-inflicted choices?”

Look, isn’t it everyone’s right to have their food however

Email Rachel at telegraph@durangotelegraph.com they want it, a la Meg Ryan starring opposite Billy Crystal? Isn’t it also every capable adult’s personal responsibility to take charge of their own diet? Wouldn’t the holidays go down better with open dialogue, rather than dictating what the family can’t use to butter their bread with? I mean, if the family dogs can learn to be easygoing at meal time, don’t you think humans can learn to communicate their needs?

– Apparently not, Rachel

*Yes, it’s fine if you want to take a few for friends, neighbors, grandma, etc. Just don’t poach the whole stack. That’s lame.

If you need extra papers for fire-starter, paper mache projects, makeshift COVID masks, etc., please call us at 970-259-0133 or email telegraph@durangotelegraph.com and we’ll hook you up.

telegraph

Nov. 19, 2020 n 19

FreeWillAstrology

Week of Nov. 19, 2020

by Rob Brezsny ARIES (March 21-April 19): “We never know what is enough until we know what’s more than enough,” Aries singer Billie Holiday said. I don’t think that applies to everyone, although it’s more likely to be true about the Aries tribe than maybe any other sign of the zodiac.

And I’m guessing that the coming weeks could be a time when you will indeed be vivid proof of its validity. That’s why I’m issuing a “Too Much of a Good Thing” alert for you. I don’t think it’ll be harmful to go a bit too far and get a little too much of the good things; it may even be wise and healthy to do so. But please don’t go waaayyyy too far and get waaayyyy too much of the good things.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Taurus author Honoré de Balzac (1799–1850) took many years to write The Human Comedy, an amalgam of 91 intertwined novels, stories and essays. For this vast enterprise, he dreamed up the personalities of more than 2,000 characters, many of whom appeared in multiple volumes. I bring this to your attention, Taurus, because I believe that the next 15 months will be an excellent time for you to imagine and carry out a Balzac-like project of your own. Do you have an inkling of what that might be? Now’s a good time to start ruminating.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Not until the 19th century did humans begin to take organized actions to protect animals from cruelty.

Even those were sparse. The latter part of the 20th century brought more concerted efforts to promote animal welfare, but the rise of factory farms, toxic slaughterhouses, zoos, circuses and cosmetic testing has shunted us into a Dark Age of animal abuse. I suspect our descendants will look back with horror at our barbarism.

This problem incurs psychological wounds in us all in ways that aren’t totally conscious. And I think this is an especially key issue for you right now. I beg you, for your own sake as well as for the animals’, to upgrade your practical love and compassion for animals. I bet you’ll find it inspires you to treat your own body with more reverence.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Cancerian literary critic Harold Bloom bragged to The New York Times that his speed-reading skills were so advanced that he could finish a 500-page book in an hour. While I believe he has indeed devoured thousands of books, I also wonder if he lied about his quickness. Nonetheless, I’ll offer him up as an inspirational role model for you in the coming weeks.

Why? Because you’re likely to be able to absorb and integrate far more new information and fresh experiences than usual – and at a rapid pace.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): “Magic lies in challenging what seems impossible,” Leo politician Carol Moseley Braun says. I agree with her but will also suggest there’s an even higher magic: when you devise a detailed plan for achieving success by challenging the impossible, and then actually carry out that plan. Judging from the current astrological omens, I suspect you’re in an unusually favorable position to do just that in the coming weeks. Be bold in rising to the challenge; be practical and strategic in winning the challenge.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): “Joy is a mystery because it can happen anywhere, anytime, even under the most unpromising circumstances,” author Frederick Buechner writes. What he doesn’t say is that you must be receptive and open to the possibility of joy arriving anywhere and anytime. If you’re shut down to its surprising influx, if you’re convinced that joy is out of reach, it won’t break through the barriers you’ve put up; it won’t be able to land in your midst. I think this is especially important counsel for you in the coming weeks, Virgo. PLEASE make yourself available for joy.

P.S. Here’s another clue from Buechner: “Joy is where the whole being is pointed in one direction.”

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): “I transformed stillnesses and darknesses into words,” Libran poet Arthur Rimbaud wrote. “What was unspeakable, I named. I made the whirling world pause.” In accordance with current astrological potentials, I have turned his thoughts into a message for you. In the coming weeks, I hope you will translate silences and mysteries into clear language. What is unfathomable and inaccessible, you will convert into understandings and revelations. Gently, without force or violence, you will help heal the inarticulate agitation around you with the power of your smooth, resonant tenderness.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): “Your desires, whether or not you achieve them, will determine who you become,” author Octavia E. Butler wrote. Now is a fertile time for you to meditate on that truth. So I dare you to take an inventory of all your major desires, from the noblest to the most trivial. Be honest. If one of your burning yearnings is to have 100,000 followers on Instagram or to eat chocolate-covered bacon that is served to you in bed, admit it. After you’re through tallying up the wonders you want most, the next step is to decide if they are essential to you becoming the person you truly want to be. If some aren’t, consider replacing them with desires that will be a better influence on you as you evolve.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): If you can manage it, I recommend taking a break from business-as-usual. I’d love to see you give yourself the gift of amusement and play – a luxurious sabbatical that will help you feel free of every burden, excused from every duty, and exempt from every fixation. The spirit I hope you will embody is captured well in this passage from author Okakura Kakuzo: “Let us have a sip of tea. The afternoon glow is brightening the bamboos, the fountains are bubbling with delight, the soughing of the pines is heard in our kettle. Let us dream of evanescence and linger in the beautiful foolishness of things.”

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Rapper Eminem advises us, “Never take ecstasy, beer, Bacardi, weed, Pepto-Bismol, Vivarin, Tums, Tagamet HB, Xanax and Valium in the same day.” What’s his rationale? That quaffing this toxic mix might kill us or make us psychotic? No. He says you shouldn’t do that because “It makes it difficult to sleep at night.” I’m going to suggest that you abide by his counsel for yet another reason: According to my analysis, you have the potential to experience some wondrous and abundant natural highs in the coming weeks. Your capacity for beautiful perceptions, exhilarating thoughts, and breakthrough epiphanies will be at a peak. But none of that is likely to happen if you’re loaded up with inebriants.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): “Everyone who has ever built a new heaven first found the power to do so in his own hell,” philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche declared. That’s a rather histrionic statement! But then Nietzsche was a Maestro of Melodrama. He was inclined to portray human life as a heroic struggle for boldness and liberation. He imagined us as being engaged in an epic quest to express our highest nature. In accordance with your astrological potentials, I propose that you regard Nietzsche as your power creature during the coming weeks.

And yes, you also have a poetic license to build a new heaven based on the lessons you learned and the power you gained in your own hell.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Here’s some knowledge from author John le Carré: “In every operation there is an above the line and a below the line. Above the line is what you do by the book. Below the line is how you do the job.” According to my analysis, you have, at least for now, done all you can in your work above the line. That’s great!

It was crucial for you to follow the rules and honor tradition. But now it’s time for a shift in emphasis. In the coming weeks, I hope you will specialize in finessing the details and massaging the nuances below the line.

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FreeWillAstrology

Week of Nov. 26, 2020

by Rob Brezsny ARIES (March 21-April 19): “A little too much is just enough for me,” poet and filmmaker Jean Cocteau joked. I suspect that when he said that, he was in a phase similar to the one you’re in now. I bet he was experiencing a flood of creative ideas, pleasurable self-expressions and loving breakthroughs. He was probably right to risk going a bit too far, because he was learning so much from surpassing his previous limitations and exploring the frontiers outside his comfort zone. Now here’s your homework, Aries: Identify two actions you could take that fit the profile I’ve described here.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Biologists believe that no tree can grow more than 436 feet tall. As much as an individual redwood or spruce or mountain ash might like to sprout so high that it doesn’t have to compete with other trees for sunlight, gravity is simply too strong for it to pump enough water up from the ground to its highest branches. Keep that in mind as a useful metaphor during the next 10 months, Taurus. Your assignment is to grow bigger and taller and stronger than you ever have before – and know when you have reached a healthy level of being bigger and stronger and taller.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): I haven’t felt the savory jolt of bacon in my mouth since I was 15, when I forever stopped eating pigs. I still remember that flavor with great fondness, however. I’ve always said I’d love to find a loophole that would allow me to enjoy it again. And then today I found out about a kind of seaweed that researchers at Oregon State University say tastes like bacon and is healthier than kale. It’s a strain of a red marine algae called dulse. If I can track it down online, I’ll have it for breakfast soon. I bring this to your attention, Gemini, because I suspect that you, too, are primed to discover a fine new substitute – something to replace a pleasure or resource that is gone or taboo or impossible. What could it be?

CANCER (June 21-July 22): By age 49, Cancerian author Norman Cousins had been struck with two debilitating diseases. His physicians gave him a one in 500 chance of recovery. He embarked on a series of unusual attempts to cure himself, including “laugh therapy” and positive self-talk, among others. They worked. He lived lustily for another 26 years, and wrote several books about health and healing. So perhaps we should pay attention to his belief that “each patient carries his own doctor inside him” – that at least some of our power to cure ourselves resides in inner sources that are not understood or accredited

by traditional medicine. This would be a valuable hypothesis for you to consider and test in the coming weeks, Cancerian. (Caveat: But don’t stop drawing on traditional medicine that has been helping you.)

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): In accordance with astrological rhythms, I’m giving you permission to be extra regal and majestic in the coming weeks. You have a poetic license to be a supremely royal version of yourself, even to the point of wearing a jeweled crown and purple silk robe. Would you prefer a gold scepter with pearls or a silver scepter with rubies? Please keep in mind, though, that all of us non-Leos are hoping you will be a noble and benevolent sovereign who provides enlightened leadership and bestows generous blessings. That kind of behavior will earn you the right to enjoy more of these lofty interludes in the future.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): In the coming weeks, I’ll refer to you as The Rememberer.

Your task will be to deepen & refine your relationship with the old days & old ways – both your own past & the pasts of people you care about most. I hope you will take advantage of the cosmic rhythms to reinvigorate your love for the important stories that have defined you & yours. I trust you will devote treasured time to reviewing in detail the various historical threads that give such rich meaning to your web of life.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): “Those who build walls are their own prisoners,” Libran author Ursula K. Le Guin wrote. She continued, “I’m going to fulfill my proper function in the social organism. I’m going to unbuild walls.” I hope that sounds appealing to you, Libra. Unbuilding walls is my first choice for your prime assignment in the coming weeks. I’d love to see you create extra spaciousness and forge fertile connections. I’ll be ecstatic if you foster a rich interplay of diverse influences. If you’re feeling superplucky, you might even help unbuild walls that your allies have used to half-trap themselves.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): “If you can’t help me grow, there’s no point with you being in my life.” Singer and actress Jill Scott said that. In my view, Scorpios may be the only sign of the zodiac that can assert such a sentiment with total sincerity and authority. For many of the other tribes, it might seem harsh or unenforceable, but for you it’s exactly right – a robust and courageous truth. In addition to its general rightness, it’s also an especially apt principle for you to wield right now. The coming weeks will be a potent time to catalyze deep learning and interesting transformations in concert with your hearty allies.

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SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): “You live best as an appreciator of horizons, whether you reach them or not.” Those words from poet David Whyte would be a perfect motto for you to write out on a piece of paper and tape to your bathroom mirror or your nightstand for the next 30 years. Of all the tribes in the zodiac, you Sagittarians are most likely to thrive by regularly focusing on the big picture. Your ability to achieve small day-by-day successes depends on how well you keep the long-range view in mind. How have you been doing lately with that assignment? In the coming weeks, I suspect you could benefit from hiking to the top of a mountain – or the metaphorical equivalent – so you can enjoy seeing as far as you can see.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Sensible Capricorn author E. M. Forster (1879–1970) said, “Passion does not blind. No. Passion is sanity.” That’s the opposite of what many poets and novelists have asserted down through the ages, which is that passion isn’t truly passion unless it renders you half-crazy, driven by obsession and subject to delusion and irrationality. But in offering you counsel in this horoscope, I’m aligning myself with Forster’s view. For you in the coming weeks, Capricon, passion will help you see clearly & keep you mentally healthy.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Alpine swifts are small birds that breed in Europe during the summer and then migrate long distances to Africa for the winter. Ornithologists were shocked when they discovered that at least some of these creatures fly for more than 200 days without ever once landing on the ground. They’re not always flapping their wings – sometimes they glide – but they manage to do all their eating and drinking and sleeping and mating in mid-air. Metaphorically speaking, I think it’s important for you to not act like the alpine swifts in the coming months, dear Aquarius. Please plan to come all the way down to earth on a regular basis.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): There’s substantial evidence that when people talk to themselves out loud in the midst of doing a task, they improve their chances of succeeding at the task. Have you ever heard athletes giving themselves verbal encouragement during their games and matches? They’re using a trick to heighten their performance. In accordance with astrological omens, I invite you to experiment with this strategy in the coming weeks. Increase your brainpower by regularly offering yourself encouraging, supportive instructions.

It’s fine if you just sort of whisper them, but I’d love it if now and then you also bellowed them.

Nov. 19, 2020 n 21

QuarantineActivityPage Durango Dude virtual Friendsgiving Uh oh, here we go again.

COVID has ruined yet another holiday – Thanksgiving. Help Durango Dude set his table with delicious food, drink and clean silverware. Then, cut out and paste a few virtual guests to fill the seats so he’s not so lonely. Make sure to mix it up and keep things interesting. Don’t worry if some of the people are made up or dead, because, remember, it’s fake. But, if you start having pretend conversations, it may be time to find some real friends or lay off the “gravy.”

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classifieds

Deadline for Telegraph classified ads is Tuesday at noon.

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

(Sorry, no refunds or substitutions.)

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

Announcements Be a Part of History at Manna Garden Manna is launching a Brick Campaign to expand the Manna Garden facilities and to celebrate the recent merger with The Garden Project of SW Colorado. Purchase a personalized brick and make your lifetime impression in the Manna Garden! A perfect gift for the holidays, taxdeductible, and guaranteed to change lives by providing educational opportunities. Three sizes: 4” x 8”, 8” x 8”, 12” x 12” To Order, go to: https://www.mannasoupkitchen.org/garden-expansion-project/ For more info, contact Kyler Grandkoski: garden@man nasoup kitchen.com, 970-385-5095, ext 8.

Lost/Found Watch Found Watch found at Miller Middle School track-contact to identify-970-749-9903.

Wanted Wanted Barnwood, Corrugated Metal Will pay $. Tom 970-382-9896.

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

Services Tutoring All subjects, grades 5th – 9th. Classroom and homework support, masks will be worn at all times. 3:30-5:30 p.m., Mon. – Thurs., Crossroads Building, 11th & Main. For info, call Jessie Hamilton, 970903-9051.

COVID Got You Down?

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Susan Urban’s Transcendental Hypnosis.

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art, ceramics, art glass and much more. 572 E. 6th Ave. Open Mon.-Sat. 385-7336.

RSE Handyman Service Home repair. Yard work. Odd jobs.

970-903-0449.

Radon Services Free radon testing and consultation.

Call Colorado Radon Abatement and Detection for details. 970- 946-1618.

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.

Harmony Organizing and Cleaning Services Home and office 970-403-6192.

Marketing Small and Local Businesses Media, social media, website content, SEO, etc. for small, local, independent or startup businesses. Email jnderge@ gmail.com

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CommunityService Volunteers needed for SJMA’s Christmas Tree lot fund-raiser. Volunteers are needed for: tree cutting, Nov. 19; tree unloading and lot set up, Nov. 23-24; and tree lot sales, Nov. 27-Dec. 20. Proceeds go to stewardship programs in the San Juan National Forest. To sign up to volunteer, go to www.sjma.org and click on “get involved.”

Application open for SCAPE 2021 Applications open to residents of Region 9 (Archuleta, Dolores, La Plata, Montezuma and San Juan counties.) Primary focus will be ventures wanting to market and compete outside the local area while remaining headquartered in SW Colorado with special emphasis on job creation, capability and resilience from local disasters. Deadline to apply is Jan. 15, 2021. Program begins in spring. To learn more or apply, visit: www.goscape.org

HaikuMovieReview ‘Hubie Halloween’ You can always count on Adam Sandler to make dumb films with his friends – Lainie Maxson

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BodyWork massageintervention.life Voted best massage in Durango 2020.

Couples, cupping, local CBD. Reviews on FB + Yelp. 970-903-2984

ForRent Standalone Studio Apt. Downtown, 6th Ave., no smokers/no pets. $675/mo. + electric and gas. Refs needed. 970-317-1018.

ForSale Tele NTN Bindings Free the heel! The M Equipment Meidjo 2.0 tele touring bindings, Dynafit style toepiece combined with dual underfoot springs and latching spring box that connects to the “2nd heel” offering the lightest-weight, highest-performing tele-tech binding on the market. 460 grams per binding, only used a few times! $250 ($500 new, at least.) Call/text 970-749-2595.

Reruns Home Furnishings Make things cozy for your immediate family. Gorgeous, comfy Crate and Barrel chair. Mexican style cabinets, console tables, handmade native drums. Pyrex dishes, bowls and casseroles. Lots of cool

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A turkey Nov. 19, 2020 n 23

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