The Durango Telegraph, May 4, 2023

Still hot for Princess Leia

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T H E

O R I G I N A L

I N D I E

W E E K L Y

L I N E

O N

D U R A N G O

&

B E Y O N D

Rico reprieve

Saving the cemetery

The ‘otter’ half

Sleepy hamlet will remain resort-free, for now p6

Proposed apartments spur effort to save historic site p8

Celebrating all the non-dudes at annual bike brodeo p10

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lineup

4

4 La Vida Local

Just dance

4 Thumbin’ It

Channeling an alter ego to set the inner Fred and Ginger free

Ear to the Ground “I make all my new friends in the line at Zia.” – Well, that’s one way to meet people in Durango; just make sure you don’t have cilantro in your teeth

New venue alert!

by Doug Gonzalez

5 Soap Box

6

6-7 Land Desk 8-9 Top Story

The last resort?

Looks like the tiny mountain hamlet of Rico will remain sleepy – for now

10 Gossip of the Cyclers

by Jonathan Thompson

thepole

RegularOccurrences

Recently, Stillwater Music announced the upcoming grand opening of The Light Box, a “versatile venue” at the music education hub’s space at 1316 Main Ave. (next to Jimmy John’s in the strip mall).

According to Stillwater, the new venue will host a variety of events, including music, dance, visual arts, theater, poetry slams, fashion shows, recitals and more.

“We held a soft opening last fall and have been hosting or renting the space out,” Stillwater Music Executive Director Jeroen van Tyn said in a prepared statement.

11 Murder Ink

8

12-13 Stuff to Do 13 Ask Rachel

Laid to rest Proposed apartment complex sparks effort to preserve historic cemetery

by Jonathan Romeo

14 Free Will Astrology 15 Classifieds

11

15 Haiku Movie Review

All the single ladies

On the cover Celebrating the long-awaited arrival of desert season somewhere in southeastern Utah./ Photo by Andy High

Celebrating the chicks who rage at Sea Otter’s annual bike brodeo

boilerplate

by Jennaye Derge

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The 2,000-square-foot venue can seat up to 110 people. In addition to being used by Stillwater’s students, upcoming shows include Elder Grown on May 12 (also the grand opening) and Leslie Mendelson on June 10.

“The creation of this venue is aimed squarely at addressing Durango’s persistent shortage of performing venues,” van Tyn said.

The perceived shortage of venues in Durango (which we covered in a June 16, 2022, story) is typically a hot topic among local music lovers. Of course, there are plenty of bars and niche venues, like The Hive and iAM’s iNDIGO Room, offering music. And in the summer, there are shows at outdoor venues like Buckley Park and Tico Time. (Speaking of which, iAM is taking over E. 2nd Ave. between 7th and 8th streets this weekend for the iAM Music Fest. For deets., see. p. 5) And of course, there’s the two biggies: FLC’s Community Concert Hall and Animas City Theatre (which will return to live music this summer after hosting magic shows last summer).

Jana Leslie, program director for Stillwater, said The Light Box, however, will put an emphasis on the performance of music itself. “It’s not a bar; it’s a performance space, and you’re here for the music,” she said. The venue, though, will serve food and beverages.

May 4, 2023 n 3

opinion

LaVidaLocal Let’s dance Is it just me, or have we all been super tired lately? Perhaps it’s the changing seasons. Maybe it’s from thinking about bills before bed and how inflation is making them harder to pay. Maybe it’s the existential crisis of climate change. Or maybe it’s how democracy seems to always be “on the ballot” in every election.

Perhaps tired isn’t the right word. Disconnected? In a world where we can connect with millions of people on social media, I find myself often feeling alone – sometimes on purpose. Is it possible to be too connected? Too in the know? Social media, a powerful tool that I think has been raising awareness for race, class and gender equality, also seems to radiate trauma. As someone who browses their phone before bed, I find I almost have to disassociate from what I just watched or read in order to fall asleep. I think I have been disconnecting in a similar way during waking hours in order to keep moving through the days and weeks.

The healthier version of this idea would be “unplugging.” But unplugging seems to be an idea from the past – something parents might have said in the ’80s or the name of my favorite live concert on MTV (back when they actually played music). However, I tend to unplug by checking my phone, thereby exacerbating this issue. What may be an obvious solution is meditation. But I often find myself dozing off during meditations, or worse, thinking about personal and world issues. At the beginning of this year, I decided that I needed something that would help me be more in tune with my body and become connected to the present – I needed to take a dance class.

As someone who performs in both theatre and drag shows, I hate to admit that my ability to quickly learn choreography has never been my strong suit. I, like many of you, dance when I’m alone and don’t care about messing up a step. It’s all just improv that my body needs to express in the moment – which has been happening a lot since the release of Beyoncé‘s “Renaissance” album last August.

I signed up for a dance class through Fort Lewis College, which was led by instructor Suzy DiSanto. I took this course as a non-degree-seeking student, and I’m pretty sure I was the oldest in the class. However, I looked forward to early-morning classes because it meant that I got to use my body in a way that was different from my otherwise sedentary life – even if some mornings were rough from the night before. It is Mexican Logger season after all.

We would start with a half hour of warm up, followed by another half hour of floor work, and then cap the class by learning numbers choreo-

graphed by Suzy. Although I started the term off strong in my motivation, I found myself getting frustrated with not only my inability to pick up choreography quickly, but also with how I felt I looked while I danced.

I had a friend in college who was part of a hip-hop dance crew. I loved the crew’s dances, and my friend would teach them to me during downtime in the dorms. However, one time he said to me: “You look funny.” I felt so embarrassed. Did I look funny because I couldn’t make the steps work? Were my knees too stiff? Or did dancing broadcast the thinness of my frame? Looking back, I wonder if I was being a bit melodramatic, but those words stuck with me. I never asked for clarification because I too quickly internalized his words and believed them. Years later, I would receive notes from directors in shows that I was too feminine or “gay” in my movements to play certain male characters. More cases of “looking funny.”

While learning the dances this semester, I often thought to myself how strange and unattractive I probably looked while stumbling through them. Eventually, these thoughts made going to class not only difficult but hurtful to my self-perception. It made me envious of people who could seemingly move through the world with confidence and no body shame. After not attending for a week and half, I remembered – I move through the world with confidence when I’m Rita Booke.

If this is your first column with me, Rita Booke is my drag name. She loves fashion and learning. She’s a bit more sophisticated than your typical “hot librarian” trope, but not by much. And on the nights when my wig is on tight and my outfit is on point, I feel unstoppable. What if I approached these dance classes as Rita?

I wanted to channel her confidence in the moments when I was both learning and messing up the steps.

My class experience culminated with a disco number performed by me and two other students set to the tune of “Hot Stuff” by Donna Summer (fun side note: Beyoncé named her final song of her album after Donna Summer and used a bit of “Love to Love You Baby” in it). I felt a heaviness in my stomach from the nerves of performing – something I knew I had to push past. We started and then received some applause during our first two counts of eight. It was so unexpected, and I got so excited that I forgot what to do next! We started our number again, and we made it through all the way. We bumped fists as we sat down, feeling both relieved and excited that we had just completed the performance.

I found myself falling asleep early that night. I was alone in bed, but I felt more connected to myself and the present than I had in a long time.

– Doug Gonzalez

SignoftheDownfall:

Thumbin’It

4 n May 4, 2023

Purgatory Resort announcing it will extend its ski season into May, a feat only accomplished one other time in the resort’s 58-year history.

Another one bites the dust: Bed Bath and Beyond is closing at the Durango Mall. Now where are we going to get all our “Live, Laugh, Love” décor?

Gov. Polis signing four gun measures into law last week to tighten restrictions on obtaining firearms in the light of the fact that, oh, there have been an estimated 160 mass shootings in 2023.

A new report that puts the blame squarely on airlines for the majority of flight cancellations. You mean when the pilot says there’s a “mechanical issue” … he’s lying? No!

Apple and Google partnering to combat “creepy tracking tactics” on the internet. No word if they’ll be clamping down on ex-lovers who stalk your Facebook photos.

Hollywood writers forced to go on strike for well-deserved better pay and benefits. However, if this affects the next season of “Mandalorian” and little baby Yoda, we’re gonna loose it.

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The Blue-Sooted Boobie There’s a priceless, 200-yearold statue of a naked lady at The British National Trust in Worcestershire. Recently, the organization put a sign in front of it saying they were “utterly shocked by the vandalism” that’d happened. Said “vandalism” turned out to be blue crayon scribbles, but after some research, the Trust admitted that they’d “issued blue crayons” to a group of toddlers during Easter. The trust removed the sign and consulted a cleaning expert for advice on how to clean 200-year--old rock, which is just as dumb as giving crayons to toddlers.

SoapBox

D-Tooned/by Rob Pudim

Valuing a woman’s life We’re approaching Mother’s Day, when moms are honored with flowers, cards, gifts, breakfast in bed, meals at a nice restaurant…

It’s a good time to be mindful that sometimes women die from complications of pregnancy. Modern medical care can deal with some things that can kill mothers and babies in more primitive birth situations.

Unfortunately, pregnant women now are threatened with death if something goes wrong in GOP-controlled “right to life” states where abortions are banned or with supposed exceptions to save the life of the mother.

The sticky question is, how close to death must a woman be before a doctor will dare provide treatment, such as to remove dead fetal tissue if it doesn’t come out on its own? Does she have to be out of body and floating up that tunnel toward the glowing white light before the situation qualifies as life-threatening?

National Public Radio has reported on some of these situations.

In Ohio last year, a 10-year-old girl, pregnant through rape, had to go to Indiana to end the pregnancy. Indiana is no longer an option. Who thinks a 10year-old could go through pregnancy and delivery without serious damage to her own health?

Then there was the woman in Ohio who had a miscarriage and went through days of very heavy bleeding after the tissue was not expelled. At what point does blood loss become life threatening? I think she went to Pennsylvania to get treatment, which is the same as a medicinal or surgical abortion.

The drug mifepristone, which the GOP wants to ban nationally, is used to remove dead or hopelessly damaged fetal tissue, not just to end unwanted pregnancies.

The North Dakota governor, a man, recently signed a law that any pregnancy emergency can only be treated within six weeks of the start of pregnancy. Apparently after that, let the woman die, unless she can get to a state where abortions are still legal.

In Texas, a woman was advised around halfway into the 40-week gestation, that the fetus was missing a brain and part of the skull. But she had to carry the doomed pregnancy to term. The baby died four hours after birth.

In Oklahoma, a woman with a “molar” pregnancy, where the fetus is not viable and in this case also was

cancerous, could not get treatment in that state, despite risk of fatal bleeding.

She was able to get treatment in Kansas.

Remember that last year, Kansas voters rejected an effort to remove a right to abortion from the state constitution.

Thanks to the GOP and so-called right-to-lifers, non-viable fetuses count more than female bodies carrying them.

– Carole McWilliams, Bayfield

Actually, no on wolves After attending the meeting on wolf reintroduction last week – although I voted for reintroduction – I now am strongly in opposition. I originally voted for reintroduction, because wolves are keystone species that improve the health of ecosystems.

However, after listening to the ranchers about the impact of wolves in the Northern Rockies on livestock, I oppose wolf reintroduction. I have seen the negative impact of cattle in the backcountry, but rural ranching communities should be able to make a living. If not, they will sell out, and I do not want to see that land subdivided into more multi-million dollar homes.

I propose wolves only be introduced in other large national parks, as has been successful in Yellowstone.

– Margaret Mayer, Durango

Call for transparency On the LPEA ballot, arriving around May 5, will be a bylaw amendment.

This amendment includes three topics.

1. Electronic communication 2. Electronic voting 3. Member-initiated meeting.

Three topics should be three bylaw amendments and three separate votes. It might make a person wonder what the LPEA Board is trying to sneak by its members.

In the guise of aligning with state law, LPEA is virtually abandoning its members’ right to petition for an allmember meeting. Currently, our bylaws specify that an all-member meeting can be initiated by petitioning the board with 500 signatures. Under state law, it requires 10% of members to sign – for LPEA, that is currently around 3,500 signatures. In a rural area like the LPEA service area, it would be nearly impossible to door knock for 3,500 signatures.

Why would the board suggest this change? How does this change serve members?

Please read the amendment carefully, and vote NO. – John Purser, candidate for LPEA Board of Directors

telegraph

May 4, 2023 n 5

LandDesk

Despite the surge of development across Colorado, the mountain hamlet of Rico in Southwest Colorado has remained relatively the same./ Photo by Missy Votel

Rico reprieve Small mountain town not likely next big resort

by Jonathan Thompson NEWS: Atlantic Richfield Co. purchased more than 1,000 acres of patented mining claims and other properties from Arizona-based Disposition Properties in and around Rico, dimming the threat of massive development.

CONTEXT: I’ve long been intrigued by Rico, a former mining town of about 300 people in the San Juan Mountains. On paper, Rico looks a lot like Silverton: It was platted in the 1870s on Ute land as a mining hub and flourished during its early years. It sits at about 9,000 feet in elevation, surrounded by high mountains; and it was serviced by a railroad built by Otto Mears.

Yet Rico, just 20 miles as the crow flies from Silverton, ultimately followed a far different trajectory. The 1893 Silver Panic hit both towns hard, but Silverton ulti-

mately recovered, and its mining industry continued to support a fairly healthy population until the early 1990s.

Rico, not so much – the population in 1890 was about 4,000; by 1900, it had shrunk to 811 and continued to ebb, bottoming out at just 75 in 1980.

Mining in Rico didn’t collapse after the Silver Panic by any means. Throughout the decades, big and little firms gouged and tunneled, drilled and blasted, stoped and mucked, milled and smelted in the mountains around Rico. Sulfide-bearing iron pyrite – the active ingredient in acid mine drainage – is abundant here. So much so that in the 1950s the Rico-Argentine Mining Co. and Vanadium Corp. of America began mining pyrite to produce sulphuric acid, which was used mainly for uranium processing at mills in surrounding lowlands. In 1980, Anaconda, a subsidiary of Atlantic Richfield, bought the Rico Argentine site and surrounding

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lands with an eye toward molybdenum mining but never actually pulled any ore out of the ground.

All of the mining activity permanently scarred the land, sullied the waters of the Dolores River, which passes through town, and contaminated town soils with lead. But it was never enough to revive the town’s early glory. Rico lost the Dolores County seat to the powerful Dove Creek pinto bean and grange lobby in the 1940s, and the Rio Grande Southern railroad abandoned the community shortly thereafter.

Silverton, meanwhile, held onto its branch of the Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad, helping it to become the backdrop of many a mid-century Western film and a major tourist attraction. Despite its scenic location, mining history and proximity to public lands, Rico never developed a strong tourist economy – perhaps by design. In 1990, Silverton’s population was about 800;

Rico’s was roughly one-eighth of that. But what Rico lacked in economic development it made up for with a rough and rustic charm.

Over the years, various entities have hatched economic development schemes there. In the 1980s, the Rico Development Corp. bought most of the Anaconda/Atlantic Richfield land and other property, compiling 1,800 acres of patented mining claims and hundreds of intown lots. Real estate developer Rico Renaissance acquired the land in the mid1990s and worked with Rico officials to come up with a grand plan to revive, spiff-up and build out the infrastructure needed to substantially grow the old mining town. Meanwhile, economic exiles from Telluride – 26 miles and one mountain pass away – began moving in and opening a few businesses.

Rico Renaissance’s plans fell apart in 2007, and they tried to sell the land to Bolero Mining, which wanted to build a molybdenum mine nearby. The effort failed, in part because the global financial crisis diminished demand for minerals, in part because opening a new mine in this day and age ain’t easy.

In 2011, the EPA ordered Atlantic Richfield to clean up the Rico-Argentine Mine site just north of town. It had been oozing high concentrations of zinc and

other heavy metals into the Dolores River since the mid-1990s. The company has spent at least $63 million on the effort so far, even though it never made any money off of the property.

What was left of Rico Renaissance became Disposition Properties, which continued to toy with developing the properties but never progressed far. Meanwhile, Rico’s population has continued to grow, albeit slowly, and real estate prices have climbed.

There are no homes in Rico listed for sale on Zillow, just a couple of lots priced around $200,000. But a 12-bedroom logcabin monstrosity a handful of miles downriver from town is priced at $2.95 million. Still, the place isn’t what I’d call gentrified; it retains its small-town funkiness. I passed through there last Fourth of July and was delighted to see the aftermath of a down-home parade and a few dozen folks milling about the sidewalks eating burgers (as opposed to the thousands that mob Silverton on the Fourth).

Last April, Disposition threw in the towel and put 181 parcels covering 1,146 acres on the market for $10 million. Telluride Properties, the listing agent, marketed the property – and its potential – aggressively. It touted geothermal properties (hot springs resort), space for 300 new homes, potential for a land swap with the

Forest Service, a parcel for a riverside lodge, and so on. It even suggested the possibility of building a chairlift, perhaps to access a Silverton Mountain-esque backcountry ski area. It did not mention the Superfund site or lead contamination; lack of infrastructure; floodplains and other geologic hazards; or Rico’s 2004 master plan objective of avoiding a “predominant resort character.”

Many locals were not amused. A resort and hundreds of new homes would certainly bring jobs and money to the area, but it would also completely overwhelm the existing community and smother its scrappy spirit. Rico townsfolk only needed to look around the region to see that amenity-economy-based prosperity has its downsides, ranging from housing crises to the widening abyss between the ultra-wealthy and everyone else.

Rico still may get gentrified, but the threat of it becoming a glitzy destination resort appears to have subsided. On April 5, the Dolores County clerk recorded a real property transfer and a special warranty deed conveying dozens of Disposition Properties’ parcels to Atlantic Richfield. While the property transfer remains under wraps – it’s labeled “sensitive” – the warranty deed includes a list of what appears to be all of Disposition’s remaining properties. The transfer fee is

telegraph

listed as $778.94, indicating that the sale price was about $7.79 million.

I wasn’t able to get in touch with anyone at Atlantic Richfield – now the valley’s largest landowner – about the purchase. I can rest assured, however, that they aren’t going to be building a Rico Mountain mega-resort. Rico Town Manager Chauncey McCarthy said the mining company likely will hold onto contaminated and mining-impacted claims in order to remediate and reclaim them (which is probably why they bought the property in the first place).

They may sell off other parcels and have expressed an interest in working with the town to make use of the in-town properties. The Montezuma Land Conservancy reportedly wanted to buy the property and put conservation easements on some parcels while possibly building affordable housing on others. Those kinds of scenarios seem far more likely.

Rico, undoubtedly, will continue to grow. But what that growth looks like and how fast it will occur seems to be far more within the control of the community and its residents.

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

May 4, 2023 n 7

TopStory

For years, the Animas City Cemetery has sat relatively unmaintained and unrecognized, save for local volunteer efforts. However, that may be about to change./ Courtesy of Friends of the Animas City Cemetery

Saving the cemetery Proposed apartments spur efforts to preserve historical burial grounds

by Jonathan Romeo

A

proposed new apartment complex on Florida Road has sparked conservation efforts for La Plata County’s oldest cemetery, a long-neglected relic, which are long overdue.

Earlier this year, Dallas-based developer J Street Companies unveiled plans for a three- to four-story apartment complex with an estimated 200 units located on 16 acres of mostly vacant land about a halfmile north of Chapman Hill on the east side of Florida Road.

Ever since, the project has raised concerns among residents over compatibility with the surrounding neighborhood, traffic and building height. But one of the biggest concerns, critics say, is the potential impact to the Animas City Cemetery, which is adjacent to the east of the proposed development.

If you haven’t heard of the Animas City Cemetery, you’re not alone. For years, La Plata County’s oldest es-

8 n May 4, 2023

tablished cemetery, which is located on land owned by the City of Durango, has gone largely unmaintained and unrecognized, save for the efforts of local volunteers.

But that time has seemingly come to an end.

Sparked by the potential impacts of the apartment complex, volunteers through Friends of the Animas City Cemetery have coalesced in full force to bring attention to the burial grounds, with the full backing of the City of Durango.

“Regardless of what happens with the apartments, the good thing is the interest in the cemetery has been elevated,” Ruth Lambert, a member of Friends of the Animas City Cemetery, said. “That’s the silver lining – that hopefully the concern for the preservation of the cemetery will continue.”

A slice of local history The establishment of the Animas City Cemetery is congruent with the settlement of Animas City itself, the community founded in 1876 on the north end of

telegraph

what’s now Durango. It once extended north to the beginning of the Animas Valley and south to where Junction Creek enters the Animas River.

The first recorded burial, which does not have a headstone, was in 1877, according to historical documents. The first marked burial was in 1878, a young boy from the Lavender family. Over the years, the cemetery served as the burial site for many of the area’s founders, pioneers, outlaws, miners, Civil War veterans and entire families.

The last burial was in 1966, and over the following decades, it appears there was not much upkeep for the site, which the City of Durango acquired in a land donation in 1985. “The cemetery has been pretty much ignored by the City of Durango in the past,” Lambert said. “But there were a lot of people concerned about the cemetery.”

In 2004, Friends of the Animas City Cemetery formed to take care of the burial grounds, which had become overgrown, with headstones in disrepair. Also, Durango’s Historic Preservation Board and City Coun-

cil designated the site as a Historic Landmark on the City Register of Historic Places that same year.

Not only did Friends of the Animas City Cemetery maintain the grounds, they also launched an extensive effort to fully document all the people buried there. From 2004 on, the group regularly applied for and received grant money to conduct its research.

Now, the Friends of the Animas Cemetery has documented an estimated 170 graves on the 5-acre property. And, they created a website that includes information they found through scores of historical records (which you can check out at www.animascitycemetery.org).

“It’s an ongoing process,” Lambert said. “Depending on records and the research we’re able to do, we’re finding more and more people buried there.”

Rest in peace?

When J Street Properties proposed a new housing complex, known as the “Sophia Apartments,” just feet away from the historic cemetery, people were understandably concerned and upset, Lambert said.

For starters, the Animas City Cemetery, as it stands, is relatively hard to access, unfenced and hemmed in by private land. Building a new apartment complex would open up access to scores

of new people, bringing along risks of unauthorized trails and potential damage to historic headstones (already people have built bike jumps on the property).

On top of that, the cemetery’s boundaries are not well defined, meaning it could be entirely possible, and very likely, that people are buried outside the established 5 acres, Lambert said.

And, on a higher level, Lambert said the cemetery’s location was specifically chosen as a final resting place because of its beautiful views of the La Plata Mountains and Animas Valley. With a new three- to four-story apartment complex, the character – and peace – of the cemetery would be altered significantly, she said.

As a result, the Friends of the Animas Cemetery have asked J Street Properties to provide fencing around the entire site, along with a proper entrance and signage. Also, the group wants the developer to conduct remote sensing at least 20 feet from the cemetery’s boundary to look for unmarked graves.

What’s more, the Friends of the Animas City Cemetery have called on the developer to submit plans that take into account the views and character of the cemetery (as proposed, a pool/gym/office area and parking is right next to the

burial grounds). And, the group says the buffer from the cemetery to the apartment complex should be increased from the proposed 5 feet to 10 feet.

Coming up with a plan Where the Sophia Apartments proposal is headed is up in the air.

On April 24, the Durango Planning Commission voted to recommend the Durango City Council deny the project after more than 40 neighbors spoke against it. Now, J Street Properties can either go to the Durango City Council for a final vote June 20, or go back to the drawing board and modify its plans.

Dean Brookie, a local architect (and former city councilor) who is the project representative for J Street Properties, said the developer is amenable to making concessions as it pertains to the preservation of the cemetery. And, he added, the developer is just as interested to find any unmarked graves before construction begins. Per law, if human remains are found during construction, the project must immediately stop, causing significant delays.

However, Brookie said a formal preservation plan should be led and developed by Colorado’s State Historic Preservation Office. And, he said the cost of preservation efforts shouldn’t fall entirely on the developer, suggesting

the City of Durango and available grants should help fund the project.

“Myself and the developer are interested in protecting the cemetery,” Brookie said. “But it needs to be done as part of a historic preservation plan, not just sending some contractor up there to install a fence.”

Regardless of what happens with the Sophia Apartments, the entire ordeal has inspired a newfound appreciation for protecting the cemetery, especially with the City of Durango, Lambert said.

Mark Williams, a planner for the City of Durango, said one idea is to team up with the Friends of the Animas City Cemetery and apply for the site to become a State Historical Landmark, which would open up potential grant opportunities.

Ultimately, preservation efforts could include established trails through the site (instead of the existing, dispersed social trails and aforementioned bike jumps), fencing around the entire 5-acre property and informative signs that speak to the historic significance of the burial grounds.

“We’re just in the early stages,” Williams said. “More details need to be worked out, but we’re definitely aware it’s a big issue that needs to be thought through.” ■

“I saw it in the Telegraph.”

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GossipoftheCyclers

The ‘otter’ half Not just the dudes are deserving of attention at annual bicycle brodeo

by Jennaye Derge

A

few weeks ago, I attended the Sea Otter Classic on California’s Central Coast, an annual bike race that pits cycling pros against each other.

And while I was there in an official work capacity, I was also there on an anthropological excursion.

The fabled four-day event took place in John Steinbeck’s romanticized town of Monterey, where it has taken place every year since 1991. The Sea Otter is held at and around a motor raceway.

But on this particular weekend, instead of cars racing around the track, about 10,000 bicycle racers took to the singletrack on the sandy hills surrounding it.

In the middle of the action was my team and I. We were stationed under a tent alongside 525 other bicycle-related vendors, surrounded by 74,000 swarming fans, all corralled in a large dusty lot, which also happened to be the bro epicenter.

Dudes were everywhere. Pit Viper dudes blowing horns, ripping through the venue on loud motorized contraptions, dudes with high socks and Hawaiian shirts, and dudes popping more wheelies than prom night.

I had to rub my eyes a few times to find the ladies.

They were there though, walking and riding their bikes around the venue, and, more importantly, racing bikes.

The elites and professional women showed up to the start lines looking ready to crush the 67-mile course in the humid California heat. At the start of the main event, The Fuego XL, local champ Sarah Sturm was laser-focused – staring straight ahead as folks cheered from the sideline, looking as if she was there to rule the world.

Four hours after the (proverbial) gun went off, I made my way to the finish line to check out the scene. The announcer was loud with anticipation, keeping us up to date on the leading men, and the crowd roared as the men’s winner rolled in. I waited patiently to hear any news of the women’s field and of Sturm, but after about a dozen men rolled in, there still wasn’t much

10 n May 4, 2023

Local racer Sarah Sturm, fourth from left, puts on her game face at the start of the Sea Otter Classic’s 67-mile Fuego XL race last weekend in Monterey, Calif./Photo by Jennaye Derge mention, and the excitement waned.

I came back a little later to the announcer giving interviews of the men’s top finishers, and the spectators had begun to trickle away. I stayed for a frontrow seat of the potential women’s winner, or even an ETA, but the announcer only had an educated guess.

As the elite women eventually blasted through, cheers came from outside the fence. But it was a noticeable difference, with fewer people – a fact I wanted to ignore but couldn’t.

Later that afternoon, sunburned and a bit burnt out, my coworker and I walked over to the Pro Dual Slalom race and happened to catch two other Durango-grown badasses, Ainsley Haggart and Fiona Dougherty, both of whom have raced all their lives. They bombed down the hill along with the other lady pros; hair blowing in the wind, crushing lap after lap.

Cheers went off for them, but when the men went, spectators went wild.

They hit the chained fence, rang bells, one guy even had a chain(less) saw that he revved for the entirety of a lap. It was bros supporting their bros, and I can’t

blame them; they’re all friends with each other or whatever. But it just made me want to yell louder for the ladies.

So I did.

I can’t say that is how the whole weekend went down – I didn’t attend most of them – but I wasn’t surprised at what I personally witnessed. I don’t think anyone was surprised that the crowds were bigger at the elite men’s finish line – maybe it’s just because they finished first.

No one was probably surprised that when the guys took off down the gravity course, there were bells and chainsaws roaring for hype effect. I don’t think anyone was surprised that when the ladies ripped through or got to the finish line, there weren’t bells, a chainsaw or roaring screams, but I wished there was. I wished that people could have seen the winner of The Fuego XL, Sofia Gomez Villafane, or the winner of the Dual Slalom, Jill Kintner, roll through the finish line and crush those berms. I bet they would have been surprised at what they were seeing, and if they were there, they’d have known what they were missing.

telegraph

Sea Otter isn’t a one-off when it comes to women’s race coverage, nor – as my limited experience is concerned – the worst at making sure that more eyes are on the ladies. It was just what I already knew but saw unfold in person.

I saw the very male-dominated industry as a 74,000-person sample size, and it didn’t particularly make me mad, or even break my heart much, because I already knew. And hopefully this will be the last time I have to beat this dead horse that we’re tired of hearing and talking about, and tired of getting mad about it or reading about other people who are mad about it, so here it is: If you are at a race, go watch the women. If you are at any sports event, go watch the women. And the nonbinary categories, or any of the underrepresented but equally badass humans working really hard at what you and I can’t do. Watch them rip through the finish lines, push through the uphills and crush down the berms, and cheer them on. Loudly. Bring your blow horns, chainless chainsaws and Viper Pit obnoxiousness, and hoot’n’holler the heck out of the Sofias and the Jills. Or the Ainsleys and Fionas. Come to the races and watch the faces of the Sarahs as they focus ahead to block out the outside world, and then watch as they dig deep inside themselves to push their bodies up 7,800 feet of elevation over 67 miles. Be there for when they sprint down to the finish line, arms overhead, sweaty and teary-eyed. Congratulate them as they hug their friends, and then listen to them as they tell you how hard they went, how good they feel and how much they love what they do and who they do it with.

Look them up online, post about them online, read about them and trust that when it comes down to it, they deserve better from you, me, the entire industry. Then go to their next race, or the next game, and cheer them on even louder. They’ll probably hear you and appreciate it, even if they are busy staying focused and digging deep inside themselves to crush hard at the extraordinary things they do. And I promise that if you witness this, you will not be disappointed. ■

MurderInk

Out of the ordinary Joe Ide continues sensational streak with latest in “IQ” series

by Jeffrey Mannix

I

t all starts with the writer. Pretty obvious, I know, but how often does a reader consider the writer aside from what they write and what their name is?

Sure, we know Ernest Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald and a few more in the mystery genre known for their grandiose storytelling, like Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Dame Agatha Christie.

But anyone willing and skilled enough to sit behind a keyboard every day for a year to cobble together a story that finds its way to a publisher is an interesting story in itself. And that brings us to author Joe Ide (Eday), who is from East Los Angeles, where the police or the bad guys are a tossup of who’s more threatening, and chainlink fencing has long ago taken the place of shrubbery. Ide is Japanese American from a low-tier working family living in a jungle.

As the portrait goes, Ide was an ordinary kid who turned into an ordinary man with unremarkable ambition and undiscovered talent.

He managed to attend college and obtain a master’s degree in education. He taught grade school long enough to realize he didn’t like kids. He quit and went back to the ’hood to think it over. Various other jobs came and went, including writing a few screenplays. More than a dozen screenplays were rejected, but one hit just before he was about to quit. He remained a writer of scripts for six or seven years until he got sick of that, too. He took a couple years off and ultimately, decided to give a novel a go.

In 2016, he caused literary mayhem at Mullholland Books with his first novel, “IQ.” The press gushed before the novel was released, likening Ide to Raymond Chandler and James Ellroy and other L.A. noir writers, and prizes poured in.

The book was better than good; it was a fresh variation of a private investigator theme and deserved all the hurrah it received. Mullholland must have

quickly made a deal with Joe Ide for a series to follow.

“IQ” is the handle for Isaiah Quintabe, a Black, 25-year-old unlicensed, underground private detective in the projects of East Long Beach. He’s smart, he cares for his community, for folks who are holding on by their fingertips, and he knows how quickly someone in the ‘hood can have their life

ruined in one clumsy act of surviving. He’s the guerrilla P.I. who helps find justice when the police won’t or can’t. He gets paid in food or car repairs, or nothing. Everybody cherishes IQ, except, of course, the police and the punks preying on the poor and disenfranchised.

IQ has a sidekick, Juanell Dodson.

Juanell is a brawler by nature but is devoted to IQ. He greases the skids when necessary, puts on pressure when needed, plays it loose when there’s no other way. And being a nearly reformed

hoodlum, he sees trouble as clearly as IQ sees redemption. They’re a classic partnership and a plot setup ideal for Ide to spin his street jive.

Now that I’ve gone through all that and given some background on Joe Ide and Isaac Quintabe, I’m here to sell you on Ide’s newest IQ adventure being released next Tues., May 9, titled “Fixit.”

Four more IQ books have been published since the first (“Righteous,” “Wrecked,” “Hi Five” and “Smoke”), and the latest title finds Isaiah out of the business and in hiding with well-earned PTSD. An ex-con, Skip Hanson, is looking to rip his face off for exposing Skip’s murder-for-hire enterprise. He lost everything and spent enough time in stir to want nothing more than IQ dead. Skip has a $25,000 bounty on Isaiah’s head and every street gang in L.A. looking for him. Skip has also kidnapped IQ’s girlfriend, Grace. And that starts the sleuth to eclipse all others.

When Isaiah gets a call from Skip and hears Grace pleading in the background, the cloud around IQ’s mind vanishes, and he’s on the road with Dodson to find Grace.

There’s no sense describing any more of “Fixit” to you. And hopefully, you have a pretty good idea of how the IQ novels have gone viral. Ide is a kind of everyman who showed the publishing and reading worlds how good and how different a procedural can be if you have tried everything else and have nothing else to lose.

Joe Ide was 68 years old when he wrote “IQ,” his first novel, and that alone is enough enticement to read his work. His scripting is flawless. His narrative is the work of an ordinary guy who surprised even himself with how unordinary he can be when he puts words to the stories he has watched all his life.

Call Maria’s Bookshop, and ask them to hold a copy of “Fixit” for you. And when you pick it up, ask for your 15% Murder Ink discount. You’ll like this book, lend it and reread it. ■

telegraph

May 4, 2023 n 11

StufftoDo

Thursday04

Horizon plays, 5 p.m., Mancos Brewing.

High Country Hustle plays, 5 p.m., Ska Brewing, 225 Girard Ave. Bingo Night, 5 p.m., Fenceline Cider, Mancos.

Thursday Night Sitting Group, 5:30 p.m., Durango Dharma Center, 1800 E. 3rd Ave, Suite 109.

Author Event & Book Signing: Anne Hillerman, 6 p.m., Maria’s Bookshop, 960 Main Ave. Jeff Solon Jazz Duo play, every Thursday, 6-8 p.m., Lola’s Place, 725 E. 2nd Ave. Pete Giuliani plays, 6-9 p.m., Durango Hot Springs.

Live music, 6-9 p.m., The Office & Diamond Belle, 699 Main Ave.

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

Trivia Night, 6:30 p.m., Powerhouse Science Center, 1330 Camino del Rio. The High Hawks play, doors at 7 p.m., Animas City Theatre. iAM Music Fest Kick Off Party, 7 p.m., The iNDIGO Room, 1315 Main Ave. Durango High School Troupe 1096 presents “Little Shop of Horrors,” 7 p.m., Durango High School. Tickets at: troupe1096.weebly.com

Friday05

Thee Fearless Peasants play, 5-8 p.m., Durango Craft Spirits, 1120 Main Ave. Stillhouse Junkies play, 5:30-8 p.m., benefit for Pine River Arts. More info at pineriverarts.org Delaney Davis plays, 6 p.m., Fenceline Cider, Mancos.

Chuck Hank plays, 6-9 p.m., 11th St. Station.

Live music, 6-9 p.m., The Office & Diamond Belle, 699 Main Ave. Ru Paul’s Drag Race Watch Party, 6 p.m., Father’s Daughters Pizza, 640 Main Ave. Merely Players present “Bright Star,” 7 p.m., Merely Underground, 789 Tech Center.

Durango High School Troupe 1096 presents “Little Shop of Horrors,” 7 p.m., Durango High School. Tickets at: troupe1096.weebly.com

Merely Players present “Bright Star,” 7 p.m., Merely Underground, 789 Tech Center.

Durango High School Troupe 1096 presents “Little Shop of Horrors,” 7 p.m., Durango High School. Tickets at: troupe1096.weebly.com Silent Disco w/DJ Spark Madden, 9-11:30 p.m., 11th St. Station.

Sunday07 Durango Flea Market, 8 a.m., La Plata County Fairgrounds, 2500 Main Ave. Veteran Benefit Breakfast, 9 a.m., VFW Post 4031, 1550 Main Ave. Drag Brunch & Brews, 11 a.m., Ska Brewing, 225 Girard St. Feed the People! free mutual aid meal & winter gear drive for homeless community members, every Sunday, 2 p.m., Buckley Park.

Open Poetry, 7 p.m., The Hive, 1150 Main Ave.

Merely Players present “Bright Star,” 2 p.m., Merely Underground, 789 Tech Center.

Drag Show, 8:30 p.m., Father’s Daughters Pizza, 640 Main Ave.

Steff and the Articles play, 6-9 p.m., Durango Hot Springs.

Saturday06 Homebuyer Education Class, 8:30 a.m., FLC’s Center of Southwest Studies.

Live music, 6-9 p.m., The Office & Diamond Belle, 699 Main Ave. Sunday Funday, 6 p.m., Starlight Lounge, 937 Main Ave.

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

Dandelion Festival, 1-9 p.m., Rotary Park, 1565 E. 2nd Ave.

Open Meditation, 12 noon, Durango Dharma Center, 1800 E. 3rd Ave, Suite 109.

Ohana Kuleana Open House, 1-3 p.m., 2425 W. 3rd Ave.

Happy Hour Yoga, 5:30 p.m., Ska Brewing, 225 Girard St.

First Friday Art Crawl, 4-7 p.m., ArtRoom Collective at Smiley Building, 1309 E. 3rd Ave.

iAM Music Fest, 3-8:45 p.m., 2nd Ave. between 7th & 8th streets. Late night after party at Animas City Theatre.

Meditation & Dharma Talk, 5:30 p.m., Durango Dharma Center, 1800 E. 3rd Ave, Suite 109.

First Friday Featured Artist: Miki Harder & “Snapshot” by AJ Lopez opening reception, 4-8 p.m., Stuido & Gallery, 1027 Main Ave. nd

iAM Music Fest, 4:30-8:45 p.m., 2 Ave. between 7th & 8th streets. Late night after party at Animas City Theatre.

“Stories We Wear: Recognizing and Honoring Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives,” opening reception, 5 p.m., Ignacio Public Library, 470 Goddard Ave.

Blu Phunk Collective plays, 4 p.m., Mancos Brewing.

Blues Party, 6 p.m., EsoTerra Ciderworks, 558 Main Ave.

Live music, 6-9 p.m., The Office & Diamond Belle, 699 Main Ave. Comedy Showcase, 7:30 p.m., Starlight Lounge, 937 Main Ave.

Tuesday09

Live music, 6-9 p.m., The Office & Diamond Belle, 699 Main Ave.

Great Decisions: “China and the U.S.,” 11:45 a.m., Durango Public Library.

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

Community Yoga, 4:30-5:30 p.m., Yoga Durango, 1485 Florida Rd. Donations accepted.

New spr pring inventory ry Plus don’t forget Mother’s Day - great jewelry as well as decor and great gift ideas in our furniture store Buy • Sell • Trade • Consign ~ Home Furnishings ~ Clothing ~ Accessories ~ Jewelry 572 E. 6th Ave. • 970-385-7336

12 n May 4, 2023

Monday08

telegraph

AskRachel Burkinis, not a latté & philanderer or philanthropist?

Interesting fact: Aheda Zanetti designed the first burkini as activewear for Muslim women. I have nothing funny to say about her. She’s my hero, and I want one.

Dear Rachel, Berlin’s government announced rules permitting women to swim topless in municipal pools just like men. A woman was thrown out of a Berlin pool in December for refusing to cover up her breasts. She filed a dissemination complaint, and the rules changed.

Regulations list new swimwear, trunks, bikinis, burkinis, but don’t say who wears what.

Some elected folk will have a heart attack.

Some will wonder if this is OK for Colorado and rejoice. Your thoughts on this?

– Skin Deep Dear Superficial, Frankly, I wish it had gone the other way. Make EVERYONE cover up. I could give a squirrel crap what you look like in a swimsuit. It’s ME in a swimsuit I reserve judgment for. But I get funny looks when I wear full body armor poolside. If everyone had to wear at least a burkini, then no one would look at me funny anymore. Plus, reduced risk of skin cancer! Yeah, let’s pretend that’s the motivation.

– Splish splash, Rachel Live music, 6-9 p.m., The Office & Diamond Belle, 699 Main Ave.

Dear Rachel, When I’m ordering a latté now, the baristas and servers ask what kind of milk I want. Um, a latté comes with milk? Full stop. If I wanted some other milk, I’d say so. And that would be fine. But I don’t have to specify a beef burger (versus a veggie) or a gluten-free pizza (instead of the good old gluteus maximus stuff). Is this the way it’s going? Or can I just stare down my coffee pullers when they ask?

– Milking It Dear Lactose Intolerant, Someone just trying to make sure you get the latte you really want is ruining your day? What a tough badass you are. I’d expect you to be asking for a cup full of espresso grounds. Something you can get stuck in your teeth like a real baddie. With no milk. Real tough mofos don’t cut their caffeine with mama’s milk. Make it a day-old while you’re at it. Who needs fresh anyway.

– Dark as my soul, Rachel Dear Rachel, I’m thinking of running for an office in government. I see that Trump will be running for president in 2024. He has not given one dime to charity from 2000-22. Well, should I give like I always have, to, say… Manna, Boys and Girls Club, Special Olympics and many more, or stop and line my pockets with all the donations to

Email Rachel: telegraph@durangotelegraph.com my campaign? Asking for your help, give or not to give? Or pocket the money if I lose?

– Giving Soul Dear Spirit of Christmas, So wait … are you giving your campaign donations to charity? That seems to miss the point of a campaign contribution, which is to take members of the media out for very nice dinners to ensure their journalism is incredibly well-informed. Plus, we are totally charity cases. But I’ll let it slide on one condition: If you will back a universal bare-skin ban at the swimming pool, you have my vote.

– Fill in the bubble, Rachel

San Juan Archaeological Society: “From this Earth: Ancestral Pueblo Pottery in the Animas Museum’s Collection,” 7-8:30 p.m., FLC’s Lyceum Room.

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

Open Mic Night, 7 p.m., Starlight Lounge, 937 Main Ave.

Metal Night, featuring Ethnic De Generation, Lilth, One Bullet Away and Green Lizard, 8 p.m., The Hive, 1150 Main Ave.

Upcoming

Wednesday10

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

Good Times Band plays, 6-9 p.m., Durango Hot Springs.

Restorative Yoga for Cancer, every Wednesday, 9:30-10:45 a.m., no cost for cancer patients, posttreatment survivors and caregivers, Smiley Building, 1309 E. 3rd Ave. Register at cancersupportswco.org/calendar.

Karaoke Roulette, 8 p.m., Starlight Lounge, 937 Main Ave.

Merely Players present “Bright Star,” May 11-13 & 18-20 at 7 p.m. and May 14 & 21 at 2 p.m., Merely Underground, 789 Tech Center.

“Yesterday and Today: The Interactive Beatles Experience,” May 11, 7:30 p.m., FLC’s Community Concert Hall.

Free Legal Clinic, May 12, 4-5 p.m., Ignacio Library, 470 Goddard Ave.

Live music, 6-9 p.m., The Office & Diamond Belle, 699 Main Ave.

Ongoing

Open Mic, 6:30 p.m., EsoTerra Ciderworks, 558 Main Ave.

“19 Degrees of Being,” graduating senior communication design & studio art majors exhibit, The Art Gallery at FLC. Runs until May 6.

“In Between Everything: A Solo Exhibition by Tim Kapustka,” opening reception May 12, 5-9 p.m., Stuido & Gallery, 1027 Main Ave.

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

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

telegraph

May 4, 2023 n 13

FreeWillAstrology

by Rob Brezsny ARIES (March 21-April 19): Before forming the band called The Beatles, John Lennon, George Harrison and Paul McCartney performed under various other names: the Quarrymen, Japage 3, and Johnny and the Moondogs. I suspect you are at your own equivalent of the Johnny and the Moondogs phase. You’re building momentum. You’re gathering the tools and resources you need. But you have not yet found the exact title, descriptor or definition for your enterprise. I suggest you be extra alert for its arrival in the coming weeks.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): I’ve selected a passage to serve as one of your prime themes during the rest of 2023. It comes from poet Jane Shore. She writes, “Now I feel I am learning how to grow into the space I was always meant to occupy, into a self I can know.” Dear Taurus, you will have the opportunity to grow ever-more assured and self-possessed as you embody Shore’s description in the coming months. Congratulations in advance on the progress you will make to more fully activate your soul’s code.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Georges Rouault (1871-1958) was a Gemini painter who bequeathed the world more than 3,000 works of art. There might have been even more. But years before he died, he burned 315 of his unfinished paintings. He felt they were imperfect, and he would never have time or be motivated to finish them. I think the coming weeks would be a good time for you to enjoy a comparable purge, Gemini. Are there things in your world that don’t mean much to you anymore and are simply taking up space? Consider the possibility of freeing yourself from their stale energy.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Britain occupied India for almost 200 years. It was a ruthless and undemocratic exploitation that steadily drained India’s wealth and resources. Mahatma Gandhi wasn’t the only leader who fought British oppression, but he was among the most effective. In 1930, he led a 24-day, 240-mile march to protest the empire’s tyrannical salt tax. This action was instrumental in energizing the Indian independence movement that ultimately culminated in India’s freedom. I vote to make Gandhi one of your inspirational role models in the coming months.

Are you ready to launch a liberation project? Stage a constructive rebellion? Martial the collaborative energies of your people in a holy cause?

14 n May 4, 2023

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): As crucial as it is to take responsibility, it is also essential to recognize where our responsibilities end and what should be left for others to do. For example, we usually shouldn’t do work for other people that they can just as easily do for themselves. We shouldn’t sacrifice doing the work that only we can do and get sidetracked doing work that many people can do. To be effective and to find fulfillment in life, it’s vital for us to discover what truly needs to be within our care and what should be outside of our care. I see the coming weeks as a favorable time for you to clarify the boundary between these two.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Virgo-born Marie Laveau (1801–81) was a powerful Voodoo priestess, herbalist, activist and midwife in New Orleans. According to legend, she could walk on water, summon clairvoyant visions, safely suck the poison out of a snake’s jowls and cast spells to help her clients achieve their heart’s desires. There is also a wealth of more tangible evidence that she was a community activist who healed the sick, volunteered as an advocate for prisoners, provided free teachings and did rituals for needy people who couldn’t pay her. I hereby assign her to be your inspirational role model for the coming weeks. I suspect you will have extra power to help people in both mysterious and practical ways.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): What are the best methods to exorcize our personal demons, ghosts and goblins? Or at least subdue them and neutralize their ill effects?

We all have such phantoms at work in our psyches, corroding our confidence and undermining our intentions. One approach I don’t recommend is to get mad at yourself for having these interlopers. Never do that. The demons’ strategy, you see, is to manipulate you into being mean and cruel to yourself. To drive them away, I suggest you shower yourself with love and kindness. That seriously reduces their ability to trick you and hurt you –and may even put them into a deep sleep.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): As she matured, Scorpio poet Sylvia Plath wrote, “I am learning how to compromise the wild dream ideals and the necessary realities without such screaming pain.” I believe you’re ready to go even further than Plath was able to, dear Scorpio. In the coming weeks, you could not merely “compromise” the wild dream ideals and the necessary realities. You could synergize them and get them to collaborate in satisfying ways.

telegraph

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Some primates use herbal and clay medicines to self-medicate. Great apes, chimpanzees, bonobos and gorillas ingest a variety of ingredients that fight against parasitic infection and help relieve various gastrointestinal disturbances. Our ancestors learned the same healing arts, though far more extensively. And many Indigenous people today still practice this kind of self-care. With these thoughts in mind, Sagittarius, I urge you to spend quality time in the coming weeks deepening your understanding of how to heal and nurture yourself. The kinds of “medicines” you might draw on could be herbs, and may also be music, stories, colors, scents, books, relationships and adventures.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): The mythic traditions of all cultures are replete with tales of clashes and combats. If we draw on these tales to deduce what activity humans enjoy more than any other, we might conclude that it’s fighting with each other. But I hope you will avoid this normal habit as much as possible during the next three weeks, Capricorn. I am encouraging you to actively repress all inclinations to tangle. Just for now, I believe you will cast a wildly benevolent magic spell on your mental and physical health if you avoid arguments and skirmishes.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Is there a person who could serve as your Über Mother for a while? This would be a wise and tender maternal ally who gives you the extra nurturing you need, along with steady doses of warm, crisp advice on how to weave your way through your labyrinthine decisions. Your temporary Über Mother could be any gender, really.

They would love and accept you for exactly who you are, even as they stoke your confidence to pursue your sweet dreams about the future. Supportive and inspirational. Reassuring and invigorating. Championing you and consecrating you.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Congratulations on acquiring the Big New Riddle! I trust it will inspire you to grow wiser and kinder and wilder over the coming months. I’ve compiled some clues to help you unravel and solve this challenging and fascinating mystery. 1.

Refrain from calling on any strength that’s stingy or pinched. Ally yourself solely with generous power. 2.

Avoid putting your faith in trivial and irrelevant “benefits.” Hold out for the most soulful assistance. 3. The answer to key questions may often be, “Make new connections and enhance existing connections.”

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telegraph

'Ticket to Paradise' Look, sometimes I have to watch a rom-com or they'll take my lady card – Lainie Maxson

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

True Wellness Healing Arts Soul centered guidance & integrated holistic healing. 30 years experience.

Hypnotherapy & alchemical shamanism. Integrated holistic healing, an intuitive therapy session combining neuromuscular & therapeutic massage, deep relaxation, sound & energy healing, aromatherapy and reflexology. Private yoga, breath work & meditation coaching. Now accepting new clients.

Office located in town. www.truewell ness4u.com or call (970)335-8389 LMT, CHT, RYT - 200 Reiki Practitioner, Postpartum Doula and reflexologist. In-office energy work sessions and reflexology by appointment, and in-home postpartum doula services and support. Energy medicine sessions held in office. Jenn DeNunzio Hall, the Sun Building, 755 E. 2nd Ave., Durango. 970-946-9352 In-Home Fitness Training Convenient. Private. All ages. Diane Brady NSCA-CPT. 970-903-2421 Lotus Path Healing Arts Now accepting new clients. Offering a unique, intuitive fusion of Esalen massage, deep tissue & Acutonics, 24 years of experience. To schedule call Kathryn, 970-201-3373.

May 4, 2023 n 15

16 n May 4, 2023

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