The Durango Telegraph publishes every Thursday, come hell, high water, tacky singletrack or mon-
Ear to the ground:
“My body almost responds to red wine better than water.”
– The holidays can be tough, but somehow we learn to adapt
The night shift
Getting as up close as possible with Albuquerque’s most exotic resident by Zach Hively 8 Changing landscape What Trump’s vow to (re)shrink Bears Ears means on the ground by Jonathan P. Thompson
On the cover
While we wait for winter to fully kick in, may as well enjoy some down time in the desert. (And in case you were wondering, like we were, the tent is made locally by Ellis in Bodo Park.)/ Photo by Alex Krebs
With the darkest days of winter upon us, our most vulnerable community members won’t have to worry about being left out in the cold. This winter, the good folks at the Community Compassion Outreach Center will be hosting an emergency warming center on the most brutal nights when the temperature is forecast to drop to 15°F degrees or below. The center, located at 21738 HWY 160 West (former home of Healthy Hounds and Fat Cats) will be open on those extra frigid nights from 7 p.m.-6:30 a.m., through February 2025. Parking is restricted to cars and SUVs only. Trailers and RVs are prohibited due to limited space.
The emergency warming center is supported by a consortium of local organizations including the American Red Cross, Manna Soup Kitchen, Neighbors in Need Interfaith Alliance, Community Compassion Outreach and the City of Durango’s Community Development Department. The center is open to everybody from people with inadequate heat in their homes to the unsheltered and unhoused. Throughout the night, warming center staff and volunteers will be on site to serve warm beverages, snacks and meals.
Those interested in helping out with a four-hour shift can attend a volunteer orientation this Sat., Dec. 7th, from 2:30-4:30 p.m. at the center. For more information, contact warming center coordinator Dave Schneider at dschnei333@gmail.com or (970) 844- 4487.
Clear(er) sailing
Motorists of Southwest Colorado know the white-knuckled stretch between Ouray and Montrose as one the busiest gauntlets for wildlife in the region. But now, we can loosen that steering wheel grip, just a little.
This November, CDOT finished a $40M project along the stretch of Highway 550 which included additional passing lanes, widened shoulders, wildlife fencing and underpass, and emergency “off ramps” for wayward ungulates.
ster powder days. We are wholly independently owned and operated by the Durango Telegraph LLC and dis-
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CDOT Executive Director Shoshana Lew said the measures are meant to save our furry friends from becoming roadside casualties and save drivers from an expensive trip to the body shop (or much, much worse). In the 10-mile section of 550 north of Ridgway, 50 percent of traffic crashes in the last 10 years have been wildlife-related, according to CDOT.
LaVidaLocal
The bears shall inherit the earth
Of all the marvels in the modern world, the greatest by far is that I met my first polar bear in Albuquerque, N.M.
This setting might not be as strange as it seems. For starters, as polar ice continues to recede faster than a monk’s first tonsure, those bears have to go somewhere. New Mexico is as likely a locale for nuclear winter as anywhere else.
There’s more. This summer, I attended a talk by Peter S. Alagona, who studies possibilities for reintroducing grizzly bears into much of their former territory, where they lived for many thousands of years before Euro-Americans came in and gentrified the American West. Most grizzlies can’t afford the rents anymore, let alone qualify for mortgages – and even the ones who can are forced out of the nicer neighborhoods by fearful, intolerant HOAs.
But – and this is critical – grizzly bears cannot thrive in a studio apartment. So, dedicated humans are exploring the feasibility of giving these bears a fair shot in the wild. There, if all goes to plan, they will thrive on a diet of fish, berries and ranchers.
I bring up the possibility of reintroduction because, genetically speaking, grizzly bears and polar bears comprise two parts of the same Oreo cookie. And the Southwest definitely housed grizzlies. Humans killed the last known one in New Mexico in 1931, and in southern Colorado in 1979. Historically speaking, a Colorado grizzly could have listened to the Allman Brothers on an 8-track.
Sure, I had seen Kiska and other polar bears before – but on the public side, where guests are so far removed that parents and other caregivers cannot “accidentally” throw their children into the water.
Backstage is different. Backstage is closer. Backstage is far more dangerous. Scott, who works every day with apes who would pop his arms off like a Barbie doll’s, would not step within 10 feet of the thick black mesh designed to keep 750 pounds of geriatric polar bear from fulfilling its evolutionary directive.
Now, no one but me is openly discussing introducing polar bears into the Lower 48. I offer this as simple fodder for my fantasy that humanity disappears. If that happened, maybe Kiska the polar bear could spring his enclosure at the Albuquerque BioPark and take a swipe at repopulating the entire state by himself.
The odds of this are low. The region lacks naturally occurring squid, lard and grape juice, which are three of Kiska’s favorite foods. I know he loves it, because we are basically friends now.
We met through my brother-in-law. Let’s call him Scott. Scott is a zookeeper. To celebrate my little sister’s birthday, he invited me to join them in a far higher than normal likelihood of getting our fingers bitten off on a backstage tour of the polar bear exhibit.
Thumbin’It
This is a few weeks overdue, but we’d like to thank the Good Samaritan with power tools who repaired the handle on our newspaper box at the Rec Center, which was held together with zip ties. We maybe cried a little when we saw it.
The most-anticipated local shopping day of the year, Noel Night, takes place this Fri., Dec. 6. So, get out there and shop local till you drop (not literally, that would make a scene).
Local entities coming together to open an emergency warming center this winter to make sure no one is left freezing their a$$es off on the streets (unless they’re waiting to get into a Snowdown event.)
That’s a healthy respect for nature, which I clearly lack. I got as close to the mesh as possible without triggering any sudden movements from Casey, the assistant mammal curator.
Casey had guided our tour past the Mexican wolf enclosure and through a series of locked doors. We stepped through what she called, in professional lingo, the “oh-shit” bars – spaced widely enough for most humans to squeeze through, narrowly enough to foil all but the most emaciated polar bears.
Which, Kiska is not. He downs several thousand calories a day. Casey educated us on polar bear diets while Kiska lapped peanut butter off what might have been a ping-pong paddle. On his hind legs, he wasn’t much taller than a UPS truck. “Male bears can get up to about 1,200 pounds,” she informed us while Kiska eyed up the tub of squid at her feet.
Up close, Kiska resembled in the eyes and tongue a Pyrenees. He and I shared a doglike moment until he realized I didn’t bring snacks and got bored with me.
Many people are opposed to zoos on principle. I get it. I can see why humans would oppose forcing a creature to put on a public face for eight or 10 hours a day, stuck in a little pen, with no real hope of retirement, relocation or escape until death.
But unlike American office workers, Kiska gets to contribute to education and conservation efforts. Plus, he is not contained to a cubicle, nor to a studio apartment. He’s not even contained to his enclosure, with its refrigerated water and toys the size of Volkswagen engines. No, Kiska has a private entrance to what was once a lion exhibit, where he can change his scenery whenever he pleases.
Not only does this provide him with better exercise than most hourly wage employees – it also prepares him and his bear brethren for the future, when they may well be introducing themselves to whatever environment they can get. – Zach Hively
SignoftheDownfall:
Oh great, now they’re saying wildfire smoke gives you Alzheimer’s. You could try to run, but where? And will you remember where you’re going when you get there?
Pouring one out for local historian Duane Smith, who died this week at the age of 87. His humor and inexhaustible local knowledge will be sorely missed.
Durango alpinist Kurt Blair is missing in action and presumed dead after this party of three failed to check in Dec. 2 during a mission to climb Aoraki, New Zealands’s highest peak.
Shoebaru
This craptastic year wouldn’t be complete without yet another apocalyptic omen coming by way of Croc. If you own a 3-D printer but lack self-respect, you can now download the files to print wheel, rear spoiler and Subaru emblem charms, thereby turning your Crocs into something that shouldn’t even be worn Outback. However, the masterminds behind these charms realized they were pandering only to the lesbian community by combining its two favorite brands, so files were released that replace the Subaru emblem with a tiny V8 engine to appease impotent old men, because they’re the only other demographic still buying these “shoes.” Move aside Croctrek, the Crocvette is here.
No voice for District 3
In the last election cycle, a number of La Plata County Democrats wrote letters to the Telegraph claiming that they were protecting democracy. Not quite true. In fighting at the state level to protect atlarge voting for the county commissioner’s office, they have denied the voters in District 3 their candidate of choice.
In the last election, voters within the geographic boundaries of District 3 overwhelmingly chose Paul Black to represent them. The results were 6,825 votes for Black (62%) and 4,200 votes for Matt Salka (38%).
In all fairness, Salka did win Precinct 24 by a single vote! Every District 3 Democrat county commissioner in the last 10 election cycles was soundly defeated by their Republican opponent within the geographical boundaries of the district. In other words, the city of Durango has three county commissioners, and the eastern third of the county is unrepresented. How’s that for fighting for democracy?
There may be hope yet. HB 23-1180 says that once a county reaches a population of 70,000, county commis-
sioners can be elected by district vote. That is only if those Democrats “fighting for democracy” don’t fight against implementing the bill.
– Dennis Pierce, Durango
A not so tariff-ic idea
Trump is now saying he will have tariffs on produce coming into the U.S. from Mexico of 25%. Remember 69% of U.S. veggies come from Mexico and 51% of fresh fruit. Yeah, he will now show how much he cares about the working class and his supporters. He will raise the cost of veggies for blue collar workers, fixed-income people, people on social security and student’s lunches. Hey, the college isn’t going to lose money on food; they will raise the cost. The food banks and soup kitchens like Manna will not have enough money to buy fresh veggies. Oh well, Trump says they will work it out. Heck, I bet he never bought a dozen eggs or even cracked an egg over a bowl. Also, get ready after he takes office and deports 11 million undocumented people who do farm work, construction and other jobs. Texas and Nevada hire
more undocumented workers than any other state. Oh, are they GOP states? Who hires undocumented workers? No one seems to know … does Trump know?
Big stores will survive, but mom-andpop stores, look out: tariffs will kill you. Good luck America with your avocados from Mexico.
– Bob Battani,
Durango
A river runs through it
‘Centennial’ reminds us land is more than just the backdrop to the West
by Patricia J. Rettig
Imagine a best-selling, 900-page novel using “a sad, bewildered nothing of a river” as its centerpiece, connecting the earth’s geologic origin and dinosaur age to 1970s rural Colorado.
Now imagine that novel becoming a touchstone for its times, yet still relevant today, as our nation approaches its 250th anniversary. The book is James A. Michener’s “Centennial,” an unlikely novel published a half century ago. By creating a microcosm of the country, he explained America to itself in anticipation of the 1976 bicentennial.
That the Pulitzer-prize winning Michener chose as his landscape the West –and the little-known South Platte River on Colorado’s northeastern plains – is surprising only in that this was his first epic novel related to the U.S. mainland.
But ever since he briefly lived in Greeley in the late 1930s before his writing career began, the winding South Platte River stuck with him. As a young college professor, Michener recognized the wealth of stories resulting from the hardships of people surviving in an arid place.
After Michener’s service on a national bicentennial committee left him frustrated, he decided to return to the Centennial State, Colorado, which gained statehood in 1876. He hoped to tell a tale of the American experience, and in the opening chapter a character states, “If we can make the Platte comprehensible to Americans, we can inspire them with the meaning of this continent.”
Forgoing stereotypical Western stories of railroad builders and farmers’ daughters, Michener fictionalized selected histories of settlement and created relatable characters.
Native Americans, French trappers, Mennonite settlers, farmers of GermanRussian descent, English ranchers, Mexi-
can and Japanese laborers – all depended on the South Platte River and its tributaries in the dry, inhospitable land. They also had to depend on each other.
By starting with the land’s formation, Michener depicts every character as an immigrant. He estimates humans arrival in the region about 12,000 years ago, and those Indigenous peoples and their descendants remain present throughout the story. As more people arrived and society evolved, everyone built lives in relationship to the river.
For many, the river provided a pathway to the West. For a few, it revealed golden nuggets, though the real wealth was the water itself.
Yet what Michener presents as pro-
gress gradually becomes recognized as unsustainable. The memorable Potato Brumbaugh has not only the innovative idea of irrigating crops but also the radical concept of digging a tunnel under the Rocky Mountains to import water from west of the Continental Divide. When this source is not enough, groundwater pumping increases, with dire consequences.
Such innovation – water-related and otherwise – is important to understand today, but also significant is knowing the history of how communities got built. Michener also shows the conflicts that arose with each wave of newcomers bringing their own ideas about how to live.
He also demonstrates changing attitudes, including acceptance of racial differences and increasing dismay over environmental destruction. His story concludes in the early 1970s, referencing Watergate, international conflict and immigration. Characters face inflationary times and polluted air and water. They know they need to solve the coming water shortages.
Much is the same today.
The key difference, however, is that as Michener’s characters decry the environmental damage caused by their ancestors and neighbors, they also recognize the need to know their history and honor their longstanding connections to the land and water.
This is what modern humanity has forgotten. Through the innovations of pipes, plumbing and chemical treatments, we have relegated our rivers to the background, as if they were merely an unending supply of water at our command. We have lost our connections to natural resources, to history and to each other.
As we now prepare for our 250th anniversary, “Centennial,” both the novel and the groundbreaking 26-hour television miniseries airing from 1978-80, reminds us of the country’s strengths.
Nearly 900 pages in, a character skips a Colorado-Nebraska college football game to survey the South Platte by plane. As he nears the Nebraska state line, he says, “No one in Colorado will believe it, but this river is more exciting than football.”
Imagine if more people, in all states, felt the same way.
Patricia J. Rettig is a contributor to Writers on the Range, writersontherange.org, an independent nonprofit dedicated to spurring lively conversation about the West. She is the archivist for the Water Resources Archive at the Colorado State University libraries. ■
The South Platte River in northeastern Colorado is the center of James A. Michener’s 1974 novel “Centennial,” which was a touchstone for its time and is still relevant today as a microcosm of the country./ Photo by Laura Perry
StateNews Powder to the people
Could Eldora be the next locally owned ski resort?
by Molly Cruse / Colorado Public Radio
On any given winter weekend, the I-70 corridor becomes bumper-to-bumper traffic as thousands of people flock to Colorado’s ski resorts – many of which are owned by ski giants like Vail Resorts or Alterra. Ski resorts in Colorado, like the rest of the U.S., have quickly become dominated by these corporations. Locally owned resorts, such as Ski Cooper outside Leadville, are becoming an endangered species.
But Nederland, the small town outside of Boulder, is hoping to become the newest municipality to own and operate its own ski area, Eldora Ski Mountain Resort.
“Eldora is already a part of Nederland,” Town Administrator Jonathan Cain said. “What we would like to do is make sure that continues in the future.”
Cain said despite being one of only a handful of local municipalities to even attempt to buy out a big resort chain, he’s not intimidated.
“This town has run Eldora for decades,” Cain told CPR News. “What will make this successful is if we’re able to lean on the expertise of our community and use an assetbased approach to really make sure we're running the mountain the way it needs to be run. We know we have those people in our community that can do that.”
Eldora is currently owned by POWDR, which announced its intent to sell the resort three months ago. According to Eldora President and General Manager Brent Tregaskis, the decision to sell the ski area reflects POWDR’s strategy to balance its ski operations with new ventures in national parks and Woodward, its action sports brand.
Since acquiring Eldora in 2016, POWDR has made many upgrades to the 680-acre ski area, including updating snowmaking equipment and trail systems, expanding parking, as well as, most recently, the addition of the Caribou Lodge.
According to Cain, these improvements, along with Eldora’s position as the only ski resort in Colorado served by RTD, gave the town good reason to put in an offer. Additionally, the resort would provide a new revenue source and could potentially give locals year-round access for activities like concerts, night skiing and summer events.
“We'd like to think that as a municipality we can offer ways that might help maintain the mountain without raising costs too much so we can keep it as accessible and as affordable as possible,” Cain said.
However, Nederland officials shared on Facebook that “there’s still a lot to figure out” when it comes to how the town would acquire the $100-$200 million ski area.
According to Cain, the town plans to build a partnership with state and local advocates for “local control” of
the ski area. “It’s a bit of a moonshot, but it’s a moonshot that would create resiliency within our community,” Cain said. “I think it’s worth exploring for that reason alone.”
Eldora is currently on the Ikon pass, but according to POWDR, future operations will depend on the buyer.
“While a new owner has yet to be identified, I am very optimistic the next stewards of this special place will inject excitement and a new wave of capital investment,” Tregaskis said.
For more from Colorado Public Radio, go to www.cpr.org.■
A skier rides the lift on Corona Bowl at Eldora Mountain Resort, near Nederland. / AP Photo
The storm rages on
On governance by spite and the future of Bears Ears
by Jonathan P. Thompson
On a November evening, I shivered in the wind as clouds dangled wispy fingers of snow onto Cedar Mesa to the north. The sunset finally fizzled into darkness, and I watched for the one-day-past-full moon to rise over Valley of the Gods. But the dark horizon never yielded the anticipated orb. Instead, I was treated to evanescent shards of orangish light escaping through cracks in the clouds. I was in southeastern Utah on a flat expanse of scrubland some 1,200 feet above the San Juan River. I was also just barely inside the boundaries of Bears Ears National Monument. At least for now. But the national monument protections on my little dispersed campsite, along with a good portion of the landscape I looked out upon, will likely go away shortly after President-elect Donald Trump takes office.
The New York Times reported that Trump will again shrink Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national mon-
uments back to the diminished boundaries he established in 2017. The 1.36million-acre Bears Ears – which President Joe Biden restored in 2021 – will become a 200,000-acre national monument divided into two units. Left out will be Valley of the Gods, Cedar Mesa, the Goosenecks of the San Juan, the White and Dark Canyon regions, and portions of Butler and Cottonwood washes.
The move is likely illegal, since the Antiquities Act only gives presidents the power to establish monuments, not shrink or eliminate them. And it will revive lawsuits still pending since Trump’s previous shrinkage. But while the legal challenges wend their ways through the courts, Trump’s shrinkage will take hold (barring a court injunction). The draft management plan that federal officials and tribal representatives have worked on for years will be rendered obsolete before it’s even approved, and about 1.2 million acres of public land will be reopened to mining, oil, gas and coal.
There are the conservation consequences, but more important is the
symbolic significance. Bears Ears was originally conceived of and pushed by five tribal nations – with the backing of another two dozen tribes – looking to protect lands that had been stolen from them. Representatives from those tribes had a hand in crafting the new management plan, which uniquely incorporates Indigenous knowledge.
By overturning the monument, Trump is thumbing his nose at those tribal nations, essentially telling them their ties to this land are meaningless. As I stood out there dissolving into the darkness, a question arose: Why? Why make such a cruel and thoughtless gesture? What was he hoping to achieve?
I’ve posited potential motives for the first shrinkage. Trump wanted to curry favor with the powerful Sen. Orrin Hatch, of Utah, so he could gut Obamacare and get tax cuts for the wealthy through Congress. He wanted to help out his friends in the uranium and oil and gas industries. He wanted to repay Utah voters for voting for him.
But the oil and gas industry isn’t ex-
actly champing at the bit to drill in Bears Ears. There are many other more accessible and profitable places to chase hydrocarbons. And in 2017, domestic uranium mining was virtually nonexistent. Mark Chalmers and Curtis Moore, the CEO and VP of Energy Fuels, probably the most viable uranium mining company out there, didn’t even donate to Trump’s presidential campaigns.
It really seems that Trump diminished Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante to dismantle the environmental legacies of his rivals and predecessors, former Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama. And given his cabinet picks so far, Trump is planning on more of the same. He “governs” out of greed and selfinterest followed closely by spite – aimed at liberals, his political rivals and Republicans who don’t show fealty to him.
The shrinkage won’t have an immediate impact on the landscape, which will simply revert back to federal land managed under the multiple-use mandate. Yet there will be longer-term consequences. All of the debate over the
A southwestern sunrise as seen from Bear’s Ears National Monument. The protected vistas may not last long – Trump has pledged to (re)shrink the monument. / Photo by Jonathan P. Thompson
monument has attracted more visitors to the area, and that has brought more impacts. Taking away monument status will not reduce visitation, but it will take away resources and opportunities to manage impacts. The Trumpera management plan, which was hardly a plan at all and replaced the tribal commission with monument opponents, will remain in place, rendering what’s left of the monument almost meaningless.
After Trump’s first shrinkage, speculators staked a handful of claims in lands that had been taken out of the national monument. That was when the uranium industry was moribund. Now, higher prices, a renewed interest in nuclear power and a ban on enriched reactor fuel from Russia has given the industry new life. While uranium production remains minimal, exploration has kicked up, including in lands just outside Bears Ears. This time around, we’re likely to see exploratory drilling. Even if companies don’t have any shortterm interest in mining, the drilling can help them establish the claims’ validity, thereby increasing the likelihood that the right to mine those parcels would be locked in if a future administration or the courts were to restore Bears Ears. Plus, the shrinkage will make the
land removed from the monument more vulnerable to Utah’s attempt to seize control of all “unappropriated” public lands within the state.
Just as night became complete, the moon emerged from behind the clouds. At the same time, I saw my friends’ truck headlights bouncing up the road, so I trudged through the cold to guide them to the campsite. We laughed and talked and played music. One was still reeling from the shock of the election; the other, who works with rural communities across the West, had seen Trump’s victory as almost inevitable.
Eventually, I snuggled up in my sleeping bag in my tent and emerged more than 10 hours later, just as the moon was getting ready to set and the sun prepared to rise over the Carrizo Mountains along the New Mexico-Arizona border. The landscape around me slowly revealed itself as if awakening from slumber. Later, under the almost harsh blue sky, my friends and I made our way aimlessly across the scrub-covered plain, trying to avoid the Russian thistle that had proliferated after more than a century of cattle.
At one point, we heard what sounded like a semi-automatic firearm in the distance. It wasn’t a hunter, I’m sure of that. More likely a recreational shooter
looking to waste ammo. Maybe they were targeting cans, petroglyphs or a boulder. I involuntarily flinched. I walked with gratitude for the beauty and the freedom to wander through it. I walked with sadness, too, and anger at those who would try to reduce this living landscape to a pawn in their petty game and open it back up to corporations looking to wring every last profit from it. But I also found hope in the knowledge that tribal nations, land protectors and nonprofits will continue their fight to protect this place and challenge the spiteful attempts to diminish it.
We came to the edge of the San Juan River gorge and dropped in, following a path forged by gold prospectors in the 1890s. The gold rush fizzled, but the trail endures. After reaching its terminus, we sat quietly and listened to the silty waters gurgle by and watched a red tail hawk frolic in the updrafts far above. The future is uncertain, but this much I know: Beauty will persist regardless of who occupies the White House.
The Land Desk is a thrice-weekly newsletter from Jonathan P. Thompson, longtime journalist and author of River of Lost Souls and Behind the Slickrock Curtain. ■
Valley of the Gods, Utah. / Photo by Jonathan P. Thompson
BetweentheBeats
Going out hot
Steamy December nights to ring in
by Stephen Sellers
Greetings, dear readers! Welcome to the dark night of your heating bill! Here are some steamy shows to keep you from going frigid while your self-proclaimed “adventure athlete” roommate lowers the thermostat 10 degrees to test your environmental ethics and human resolve.
As any “thermally delicate techno-psych-rockold-time enthusiast” might, I’m going to see Billy Strings in Austin later this month (going by boat, don’t worry, no carbon footprint.) It’s a reunion well in the making, as I haven’t been back to my home state of Texas since 2018, and I haven’t been to Austin since 2010. This seems like a fitting occasion to return to the live music capital of the world. I’ll report back post haste from the frontlines of tech bros, tacos and a whole lot of gentrification.
As always, be sure to check the local concert calendars, because the month is stacked. Reward local venues when they bring high-quality music to our com munity over cheap drivel. Let’s build our music scene to even higher heights in 2025. Sending you much love and warmth this holiday season. See you on the dance floor!
a new year (and keep you warm)
• Vincent Antone, Phyphr, Forest Thump, Animas City Theatre, Sat., Dec. 7, 7 p.m. - Speaking of Austin, multi-instrumentalist Vincent Antone, straight out of the 512, is playing the Animas City Theatre this Saturday, featuring Phyphr and hometown heroes Forest Thump. A contemporary of acts like Pretty Lights and Gramatik, Antone spans diverse elements of dance music punctuated with live instrumentation, providing a must-see-it-to-believe-it show. And don’t sleep on the openers, especially Forest Thump. The Durango duo has been turning heads for well more than a year with their blend of bass-laden Celtic fiddle anthems sure to put a smile on your frosty face and a jig in your step.
• Magic Weens, Animas City Theatre, Fri.-Sat., Dec. 13-14, 7 p.m. - No, this is not the epic gathering of weenie dogs wearing cloaks, gallivanting as dungeon masters and Hufflepuffs that I was hoping for. But this is definitely worth the price of admission. The Magic Beans, undeniably Boulder’s best funked-out jam band, are rolling in for a twonight run at the ACT, donning special sets honoring the music of Ween. Cycles and Squeaky Feet are on direct support for what will be a pair of sold-out nights.
• Bar D Wranglers, FLC Community Concert Hall, Wed., Dec. 18, 7:30 p.m. - Nothing brings more seasonal joy than catching the Bar D Wranglers for their annual holiday show at the Community Concert Hall. Since 1969, the Wranglers have been virtuously extolling only the finest (and silliest) musical elements of cowboy culture and Western Americana. Look no further for the perfect excuse to dress up in your finest Wranglers and pearl snaps. Just remember to take your Stetson off indoors, as any true cowpoke knows.
• Posh Josh and Spark Madden, Black Heron Lounge, Sat., Dec. 14, 9 p.m. – These two local DJs have helped pave the way for the Durango dance music community as we know it. Taking the torch from bygone ravers Brian Ess and Ben K, Josh consistently gathered a wide, party-
ready audience, specifically the playa-curious, for much of the 2010s. Durango’s DJs continue to have their christening sets at the Black Heron, and now it’s Josh’s time to emerge from his longtime southside residence thanks to an invitation from Durango’s hardest-working DJ, Spark Madden.
• John Craigie & Dana Ariel, Animas City Theatre, Thurs., Dec. 19, 8 p.m. - Proud teacher moment! My former student, advisee and all-around badass Dana Stahl is set to open for ramblin’ Woody Guthrie devotee John Craigie at the Animas City Theatre. You freaking rock, Dana. Let’s make sure we pack the place for Dana and ol’ Johnny boy, a top-notch singer-songwriter who has shared countless shows with the likes of Jack Johnson.
• Cody Tinnin & Weminuche, The Tangled Horn, Sat., Dec. 28, 8 p.m. - Cody Tinnin is back, baby! Those lucky enough to catch his set at the Animas City Theatre with his splendid band, Weminuche, know he has a few tricks up his sleeve. Weminuche is the Polyphonic Spree of La Plata County, and Tinnin is its mustachioed, eagle-eyed conductor. Along for the ride are Sarah Vader and Westfield, which means the Tangled Horn is going to hit capacity. Better get there early if you want to check out one of Durango’s upand-coming hotspots hosting Durango’s favorite new band.
• Desert Child, Desiderata, The Lightbox, Tues., Dec. 31, 8 p.m. - Desert Child and Desiderata are bringing a truly unique NYE bash to Stillwater’s immaculate Lightbox venue. Desert Child will channel The Beatles, while Desiderata takes on Fleetwood Mac for their “Legends of Rock” NYE party. EsoTerra will be running the bar. Don’t say I didn’t warn you – get your tickets as soon as you read this.
• BabyDel, Disco Dolly, Black Heron Lounge, Tues., Dec. 31, 8 p.m. - What’s New Year’s Eve without dancing in a styled-out, sweaty, low-ceiling den of sonic sin with a few hundred like-minded souls? Nothing makes me happier than seeing non-male artists take the DJ reins locally. Before BabyDel, there weren’t any local female DJs playing out – and certainly none selling out. Disco Dolly is an exceptional talent and a perfect choice to round out an evening of local house heroes taking us into 2025. Play some Sylvester for me! ■
Desert Child
Getting in deep
International tale of Cold War intrigue is an opera of a spy novel
by Jeffrey Mannix
If you’re thinking of writing a book, want to be a better writer or want to do justice to your own obituary, you’ll want to read William Boyd’s new book by Atlantic Monthly Press, “Gabriel’s Moon.”
Boyd is a consummate writer with 17 novels, five collections of short stories, three non-fiction books and four plays. He was born in 1952 in Accra, Ghana, grew up in Nigeria and now divides his time between London and southwest France.
I’m telling you Boyd’s background, because we have always enjoyed good, robust writing from southern and western Africa, in the cast of J.M. Coetzee, Karen Blixen and Beryl Markham, to mention a few. Now, we’re seeing some very interesting literary crime fiction from these countries as well.
Many of the superb African noir authors have been reviewed here, and what they all have beautifully in mind and on the page is Africa and being African. Their writing is bold; their stories hardened. They wear their history on their sleeve. But Boyd is cut from different cloth.
“Gabriel’s Moon,” and I suspect all of Boyd’s writing, is weightless and without the mark of Africa. His writing is on the easy-listening side and, at the same time, leaning toward perfection. He’s sent me to the dictionary a few dozen times, which I relish.
The second-best part of Boyd’s new book is the plot, which being at the dawning of the 1960s. Gabriel Dax is a thirtysomething British travel writer who snags an assignment from a British newspaper to fly to Léopoldville, in the newly independent republic of the Congo, to interview Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba. On the flight there, he is seated mysteriously in first class, and on the trip back to his lux seat from the Lilliputian toilet before takeoff, he sees an alluring woman reading one of his books. And that begins the manipulation of Dax into the secretive world of international spying.
Dax is cast perfectly for the job of travel writer: un-
married, occupationally curious and, I guess you’d say, a typical dweeb. He drinks, he’s professionally pliable and wonderstruck, juvenescent, carefree and befogged. And now, in his gifted seat in first-class, Dax will start a new life of intrigue that he won’t even notice until he’s in too deep.
Dax gets his interview with a very nervous Lumumba who is afraid he’s being plotted against and is giving the inter view to alert the world to un rest in his country. Lumumba insists the interview be recorded, which is of course standard practice. Dax con cludes his interview, gladhands everybody within reach and is accompanied back to the airport. Lumumba is secreted away from what he fears is a crowd wanting to assassinate him while Dax is admiring the landscape, fine weather and the fee he’ll get for his long trip and easy interview.
The day after Dax gets back to London, he sees the woman from the plane crossing the street where he lives. He runs after her, but she’s lost to the crowd. After that fleeting glimpse comes phone calls with no voices, small dis placements of things in his flat, paranoia that he’s being followed and finally news that his interview with Lumumba is being cancelled.
Boyd builds only one-alarm tension until the woman on the plane appears where Gabriel can approach her. They meet in a café. She asks if he would do her the great favor of delivering a painting to someone in Brussels. He demurs with a hand wave and gets back to the seduction he’s been so successful with around the world. She slowly blinks her soft, glistening eyes and leisurely passes a large sum of money in a bulging envelope across the table and asks again if he would be kind enough to do this one eensy-weensy favor, since she knows nobody else who can be as dependable as he shows himself to be with his travel writing. Her ingratiation hits Dax’s soft spot, as do her curves and coquettish gaze. He accepts the assignment for the money and hopes it will lead to a more intimate
The favor Dax does for Faith Green is only the first. And Green, of course, is far more than what she seems to
Boyd goes on to write a spy mystery that begs for music. “Gabriel’s Moon” is an opera that you, the reader, will supply music for. You’re going to love this book. And it comes in a civilized hardback, and don’t forget to ask Maria’s Bookshop for your 15% Murder Ink discount. ■
Thursday05
Spanish Conversation Hour, 5:30-6:30 p.m., Durango Public Library, 1900 E. 3rd Ave.
Backpacking and Hiking Etiquette, presented by City Ranger Tosh Black, 5:30-6:30 p.m., Durango Rec Center
Blues Night with the Ed Squared Blues Band, 5:30-7:30 p.m., Mancos Brewing, 484 Hwy 160 E. Frontage Rd.
Tune and Brews ski tuning meetup, 6-8 p.m., Durango Tool Library, 278 Sawyer Dr., Unit 4A
Friends of the San Juans Route Finding, 6-8 p.m., Durango Public Library, 1900 E. 3rd Ave.
Tim Sullivan plays, 6-9 p.m., The Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave.
Andrew Schuhmann plays, 6-9 p.m., The Office Spiritorium, 699 Main Ave.
“The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane” presented by Merely Players, 7 p.m., Merely Underground, 789 Tech Center Dr.
First Thursdays Songwriter Series, 8-10 p.m., The iNDIGO Room, 1315 Main Ave.
Friday06
Noel Night, all day around Durango
Durango Early Birds Toastmaster, 7:15 a.m., FLC Innovation Center, 2nd floor of the Main Mall, 835 Main Ave., Ste. 225
Festival of Trees & Wreaths, benefiting Community Connections and Our Own Lives, 12-5 p.m., D&SNG Railroad Museum
Holiday Arts and Crafts Festival, 1-5 p.m., La Plata County Fairgrounds, 2500 Main Ave.
First Friday, 4-7 p.m., various locations in Durango
The ArtRoom Collective First Friday Noel Night, 4-7 p.m., The Smiley Building, 1309 E. 3rd Ave.
Southwest Handmade’s One Year Anniversary Party, 4:00-7:30 p.m., Southwest Handmade, 1259 Main Ave., Ste A
Noel Night Artisans Market, 4-9 p.m., The Century Building 2nd floor, 862 Main Ave.
Noel Night Makers Market, 4:30-9 p.m., Main Mall, 850 Main Ave.
Canyons of the Ancients Luminaria Night, 5-7 p.m., Canyons of the Ancients Visitor Center & Museum, 2751 CO-184, Dolores
Opening Reception and Artist Demo with Raymond Gibby, 5-8 p.m., Blue Rain Gallery, 934 Main Ave., Unit B
Taste of Christmas, 5-8 p.m., Dancing Spirit Center for the Arts, 465 Goddard Ave., Ignacio
Noel Night with tea master Sochi and art reception for Kathy Myrick, 5-8 p.m., Create Art and Tea, 1015 Main Ave.
Larry Carver & Friends play, 5:30 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave.
Darryl Kuntz plays, 5:30-8 p.m., Toh-Atin Gallery, 145 W. 9th St.
“The Power of a Woman’s Body” exhibit by Fort Lewis College student JaLyssa Loos, 6-8 p.m., Animas CoWorks, 858 Main Ave., Suite 201-203
Dustin Burley plays, 6-9 p.m., Office Spiritorium, 699 Main Ave.
Lower Left Improv Student Comedy Showcase, 7 p.m., Durango Arts Center, 802 E. 2nd Ave. More info at lowerleftimprov.com
“The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane” presented by Merely Players, 7 p.m., Merely Underground, 789 Tech Center Dr.
“Holiday on the Hill” FLC Performing Arts Department holiday concert, 7 p.m., FLC Community Concert Hall
Saturday07
Christmas Craft Bazaar, 8 a.m.-3 p.m., St. Columba School Gym, 1801 E. 3rd Ave.
St. Mark’s Christmas Bazaar, 8:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m., St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, 910 E. 3rd Ave.
Holiday Food & Craft Bazaar, 9 a.m.-4 p.m., Durango La Plata Senior Center, 2424 Main Ave.
Holiday Arts and Crafts Festival, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., La Plata County Fairgrounds, 2500 Main Ave.
English Conversation Circle, 10-11 a.m., Durango Public Library, 1900 E. 3rd Ave.
The ArtRoom Collective Holiday Bazaar, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Smiley Building, 1309 E. 3rd Ave.
Round Dance, Native American Arts Market, and Community Supper, 12 noon-11 p.m., Durango High School, 2390 Main Ave.
Ska Holiday Market Pop Up, 12 noon – 4 p.m., Ska Brewing, 225 Girard St.
Festival of Trees & Wreaths, benefiting Community Connections and Our Own Lives, 12-5 p.m., D&SNG Railroad Museum
Yarn Meetup, 1-3 p.m., Durango Public Library, 1900 E. 3rd Ave.
Ladies Night bike maintenance hosted by Dirty Wheels Biking, 5-6 p.m., 2nd Ave Sports, 640 E. 2nd Ave.
Matt Rupnow plays, 6-9 p.m., Office Spiritorium, 699 Main Ave.
Adam Swanson plays, 6-9 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave.
“The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane” presented by Merely Players, Dec. 5-7, 18-20, 7 p.m., Merely Underground, 789 Tech Center Dr.
iAM Music’s Community Gives Concert, 6-10 p.m., The iNDIGO Room, 1315 Main Ave, #207
Raven Narratives Story Slam: Holidays and/or Resilience, 7 p.m., Durango Arts Center, 802 E. 2nd Ave. More info at sunflowertheatre.org.
Vincent Antone with Phyphr & Forest Thump in concert, 7 p.m., Animas City Theatre, 128 E. College Dr.
Sunday08
Holiday Arts and Crafts Festival, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., La Plata County Fairgrounds, 2500 Main Ave.
Festival of Trees & Wreaths, benefiting Community Connections and Our Own Lives, 12-5 p.m., D&SNG Railroad Museum
“The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane” presented by Merely Players, 2 p.m., Merely Underground, 789 Tech Center Dr.
iAM Music Winter Student Showcase, 2-7 p.m., Durango Arts Center, 802 E. 2nd Ave.
Nifty Nanny 10 Year Anniversary Party, 2:305 p.m., EsoTerra, 558 Main Ave.
Durango Choral Society Presents “Family Christmas Concert,” 3 p.m., FLC Community Concert Hall
Weekly Peace Vigil & Rally for Gaza & Palestine, every Sunday, 4 p.m., Buckley Park.
Funk Jam Sessions presented by Jimmy’s Music & Supply, 5-7 p.m., 11th Street Station, 1101 Main Ave.
Blue Moon Ramblers play, 6-9 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave.
Ben Gibson plays, 6-9 p.m., Office Spiritorium, 699 Main Ave.
AskRachel
Pie holes, moment of silence and clean breaks
Interesting fact: A commercial pecan has to be cleaned, sized, sterilized, cracked and shelled before being sold. Makes me feel fortunate that I have only to be proofread – if even that.
Dear Rachel,
I did a good job avoiding politics at Thanksgiving dinner. But we came to fisticuffs over the pie. Not how to cut it or who gets to eat it, but what to call it. So tell me: is it PEE-can pie (as in, a can you pee in, ew), or peh-CAHN, rhymes with James Caan, celebrated film actor?
– Your Nutty Buddy
Dear Persnickety,
For once, I have an actual factual answer here. (Thanks, NPR podcasts on Thanksgiving road trips!) Pecan is linguistically derived from the Algonquian family of languages, which have various pronunciations but lean definitely toward “peh-CAHN.” Where the pee can came from is beyond me, but a pee can is nearly as useful as NPR podcasts on a long road trip.
– Nucking futs, Rachel
Dear Rachel,
I think a moment of silence is due on Dec. 7 for the veterans and civilians who died on
Monday09
Free Strength and Balance Yoga for cancer survivors, 9:30-10:20 a.m., Smiley Building, 1309 E. 3rd Ave. Register www.cancersupportswco.org/calendar
Happy Hour Yoga, 5:30 p.m., Ska Brewing, 225 Girard St.
Charlie Henry plays, 5:30-10 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave.
Comedy Open Mic, 7 p.m., The Starlight Lounge, 937 Main Ave.
Swing & Brewskies dance lessons, 7-9:30 p.m., Durango Beer and Ice Co., 3000 Main Ave.
Tuesday10
Terry Rickard plays, 5:30 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave.
Holiday songs by DHS Choir presented by the Rotary Club, 5:30-6:30 p.m., Strater Hotel, 699 Main Ave.
Randy Crumbaugh plays, 6-9 p.m., Office Spiritorium, 699 Main Ave.
Open Mic Night, 7 p.m., Starlight Lounge, 937 Main Ave.
that day, the start of WW11. I hope you have a short note for all of them. Thank you.
– All Veterans
Dear Historian,
I had a genuine moment of thinking “World War 11? Are we already there?” And then I had to pause because it seemed all too plausible. And then World War Two didn’t click for a bit because it started well before the U.S. got involved. But yeah. Let’s have not just a moment of silence for the people who died at Pearl Harbor. Let’s have a longer moment to reflect on how we might prevent ourselves from being the bad guys in the third big war.
– Seldom silent, Rachel
Email Rachel at telegraph@durangotelegraph.com
Dear Rachel,
After a breakup, I make a clean break. I realize this isn’t for everyone. But there are some things that are sacred. Like, my family. Except my ex from more than a year ago just reached out to my dad, a novice backpacker. Turns out she’s planning a CDT trek next year and wants his help with training. Except he is not a trainer, nor an expert, nor even a dedicated hobbyist. WTF is happening? She’s super crossing the line, right? How do I undo my clean break to tell her to back off?
- X-Games
Wednesday11
Durango Fire Blood Drive, 9 a.m.-1 p.m., Station 1 Training Room, 142 Sheppard Dr.
Free Restorative Yoga for cancer survivors, 9:3010:45 a.m., Smiley Building, 1309 E. 3rd Ave. Register www.cancersupportswco.org/calendar/
Donny Johnson plays, 5:30-9 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave.
Terry Rickard plays, 6-9 p.m., Office Spiritorium, 699 Main Ave.
Open Mic with Leigh Mikell, 7 p.m., EsoTerra Ciderworks, 558 Main Ave.
Not So Silent Night Uke Jam, 7:30 p.m., Stillwater Music’s The Light Box, 1316 Main Ave., Ste. C
Karaoke Roulette, 8 p.m., Starlight Lounge, 937 Main Ave.
Ongoing
Holiday Family Drive, thru Dec. 13, TBK Bank, 259 W. 9th St.
Dear Not Quite X-tricated, I want so very badly to agree with you that this is uncouth, clingy, manipulative behavior. Which it probably is! But there could be some extenuating circumstances. Like, were your ex and your dad independently friends outside of your relationship? Is he more handsome, distinguished or richer than you? Could you have caused some valid need for some personal revenge? Do you call the nuts PEE-cans? If any of the above are true, then perhaps you’re due for some self-reflection (and a very awkward Thanksgiving next year).
– Cleanly broken, Rachel
SJMA Christmas Trees for Conservation Lot, thru Dec. 21, 12-6 p.m., D&SNG parking lot
Cowboy Tuesdays, every other Tuesday, Nov. 5April 15, 12 noon-3 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave.
“Given Time: Sensory Aesthetics of Reclamation,” exhibit exploring Indigenous relationships to land, FLC Center of Southwest Studies. Show runs thru April 24, 2025.
Upcoming
Parade of Gingerbread Homes, Fri., Dec. 13, 5-7 p.m., Animas Chocolate & Coffee Co., 920 Main Ave.
Rando Zone duo with Larry Carver & Randy Crumbaugh plays, Fri., Dec. 13, 5:30-9 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave.
Agave plays, Fri., Dec. 13, 6-9 p.m., The Tangled Horn, 275 E. 8th Ave.
Magic Ween: Magic Beans perform the music of Ween with guests Cycles, Fri., Dec. 13, 7 p.m. doors, Animas City Theatre, 128 E. College Dr.
“Jacob Marley’s Christmas Carol” presented by Merely Players, Dec. 13, 14, 17, 21, 7 p.m., Merely Underground, 789 Tech Center Dr.
Dec. 5, 2024 n 13
FreeWillAstrology
by Rob Brezsny
ARIES (March 21-April 19): Blaming others for our problems is rarely helpful. If we expend emotional energy focusing on how people have offended and hurt us, we diminish our motivation to heal ourselves. So yes, it’s wise to accept responsibility for the part we played in propagating predicaments. However, I believe it’s also counterproductive to be relentlessly serious about this or any other psychological principle. We all benefit from having mischievous fun as we rebel against dogmatic and fanatical tendencies. That’s why I am authorizing you to celebrate a goodhumored Complaint Fest. For a limited time, feel free to unleash fantasies in which you uninhibitedly and hilariously castigate everyone who has done you wrong.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): What you are experiencing may not be a major, earthshaking rite of passage. But it’s sufficiently challenging and potentially rewarding to qualify as a pivotal breakthrough and turning point. And I’m pleased to say that any suffering you’re enduring will be constructive and educational. You may look back at this transition as a liberating initiation. You will feel deep gratification that you have clambered up to a higher level of mastery through the power of your intelligent love and feisty integrity.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): You are now about halfway between your last birthday and next birthday. In the prophecy industry, we call this your Unbirthday Season. It is usually a time when you receive an abundance of feedback – whether you want it or not. I encourage you to want it! Solicit it. Even pay for it. Not all of it will be true or useful, but the part that is true and useful will be very much so. You could gather a wealth of information that will help you fine-tune your drive for success and joy in coming months.
CANCER (June 21-July 22): Legend tells us that the Buddha achieved enlightenment while meditating beneath the Bodhi Tree in Bihar, India. He was there for many weeks. At one point, a huge storm came and pelted the sacred spot with heavy rain. Just in time, the King of Serpents arrived, a giant cobra with a massive hood. He shielded the Buddha from the onslaught. I am predicting that you, too, will receive an unexpected form of protection and nurturing in the coming weeks. Be ready to open your mind about what help looks and feels like. It may not be entirely familiar.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): In written form, the Japanese term “oubaitori” is comprised of four kanji, or characters. They denote four fruit trees that bloom in the spring: cherry, plum, peach and apricot. Each tree’s flowers blossom in their own sweet time, exactly when they are ready, neither early nor late. The poetic meaning of oubaitori is that we humans do the same: We grow and ripen at our own unique pace. That’s why it’s senseless to compare our rate of unfoldment to anyone else’s. We each have our own timing, our own rhythm. These ideas are especially apropos for you right now, Leo.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): I hope you will hunker down in your bunker. I hope you will junk all defunct versions of your spunky funkiness and seek out fresh forms of spunky funkiness. In other words, I believe it’s crucial for you to get as relaxed and grounded as possible. You have a mandate to explore ultimate versions of stability and solidity. Shore up your foundations. Grow deeper roots. Dig down as deep as you can to strengthen and tone your relationship with the core of your being.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Every one of us is a hypocrite at least some of the time. Now and then, we all ignore or outrightly violate our own standards. We may even engage in behavior that we criticize in others. But here’s the good news, Libra. In coming weeks and months, you may be as unhypocritical as you have ever been. According to my analysis, you are likely to be consistently faithful to your ideals. Your actual effects on people will closely match your intended effects. The American idiom is, “Do you practice what you preach?” I expect the answer to that question will be yes as it pertains to you.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Author George Orwell advised us that if we don’t analyze and understand the past, we are likely to repeat its mistakes. Alas, few people take heed. Their knowledge of our collective history is meager, as is their grasp of recurring trends in their personal lives. But here’s the good news: In the coming months, you will have exceptional power to avoid replicating past ignorance and errors – IF you meditate regularly on the lessons available through a close study of your life story.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): In his song “Voodoo Child,” Sagittarian musician Jimi Hendrix brags, “Well, I stand up next to a mountain / And I chop it down with the edge of my hand.” I encourage you to unleash fantasies like that in the coming days, Sagittarius. Can you shoot lightning bolts from your eyes? Can you change water into wine? Fly to the moon and back in a magic boat? Win the Nobel Prize for Being Yourself? In your imagination, yes you can. And these exercises will prime you for an array of more realistic escapades, like smashing a mental block, torching an outmoded fear and demolishing an unnecessary inhibition. To supercharge your power, intensify your imagination’s audacity.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): The name of my column is “Free Will Astrology” because I aspire to nurture, inspire and liberate your free will. A key component in that is to help you build your skills as a critical thinker. That’s why I encourage you to question everything I tell you. Don’t just assume that my counsel is always right and true for you. Likewise, I hope you are discerning in your dealings with all teachers, experts and leaders – especially in coming weeks and months. You are in a phase when it’s even more crucial than usual to be a good-natured skeptic who poses exuberant, penetrating questions. To serve your soul’s health, refine your practice of the art of creative rebellion.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Be like a beautiful fountain that people love to visit, Aquarius. Not like a metaphorical geyser or stream or waterfall in the natural world, but a three-tiered marble fountain. What does that entail? Here are hints. The water of the fountain cascades upward, but not too high or hard, and then it showers down gently into a pool. Its flow is steady and unflagging. Its sound is mellifluous and relaxing. The endless dance of the bubbles and currents is invigorating and calming, exuberant and rejuvenating.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Around this time of year, persimmon trees in my neighborhood have shed their leaves but are teeming with dazzling orange fruits. Pomegranate trees are similar. Their leaves have fallen off but their red fruits are ready to eat. I love how these rebels offer their sweet, ripe gifts as winter approaches. They remind me of the current state of your destiny, Pisces. Your gorgeous fertility is waxing. The blessings you have to offer are at a peak. I invite you to be extra generous as you share your gifts with those who are worthy of them – and even a few who aren’t.
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 durangotelegraph.com n classifieds@durango telegraph.com n 970-259-0133
Classes/Workshops
Yoga and the Aging Process
Aging is a process unique to everyone. In this 1 ½ day workshop, you will construct a yoga practice that effectively addresses your unique process. Smiley Building Rm 20A, Sat Dec 7 (9-4); Sun Dec 8 (9-1) Facilitated by yoga therapist Matthew Sommerville. Call 970-6321188 to sign up and for more info. Or go to www.TreeOfLifeYogaTherapy.com.
Announcements
Cheap, Cheap!
Discounted Early Bird Tickets to 2025 Durango Wine Experience on sale December 1-31. Get your tickets before prices go up @ durangowine.com
ForRent
Professional Offices Downtown near Main Ave, sunlit patio with Buckley Park views. Lease terms negotiable. 970.247.1233
ForSale
Reruns Home Furnishings
Lots of new furniture/cool furnishings
for home, office or dorm. Nightstands, coffee tables, kitchenwares, rugs and more. Also looking to consign smaller furniture pieces. 572 E. 6th Ave. Open Mon.-Sat. 385-7336.
Wanted
Cash for Vehicles, Copper, Alum Etc. at RJ Metal Recycle. Also free appliance and other metal drop off. 970259-3494.
Books Wanted at White Rabbit Donate/trade/sell (970) 259-2213
BodyWork
Massage by Meg Bush LMT, 30, 60 & 90 min., 970-759-0199.
Need Help With Yard Work? and raking leaves or shoveling snow? Call Chris 970-317-5397. Hourly rate plus a flat rate if I haul debris off to the dump
Boiler Service - Water Heater
Serving Durango over 30 years. Brad, 970-759-2869. Master Plbg Lic #179917
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.
CommunityService
SWCO Men’s Cancer Advocacy group
Stay connected and avoid isolation during your cancer journey. Meet-up will provide a space where participants can give and receive support. Open to all cancer warriors and their caregivers. If in-
‘Father Figures’ A who-is-the-dad movie, like “Mama Mia!” but without singing – Lainie
terested, contact Phil Campbell at Cancer Support Community Southwest Colorado at hope@cancersupportswco.org or call 970-403-3711 .
