Bye, bye Bloebert
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FREE Nov. 12, 2026 Vol. XXV, No. 44 durangotelegraph.com
inside
T H E
O R I G I N A L
I N D I E
W E E K L Y
L I N E
O N
D U R A N G O
&
B E Y O N D
What coulda been
Joy as resistance
Hero pants & hope
Salazar reflects on ’24 bid for president, greener future p7
New space unites 2SLGBTQ+ community through art p8
Salvaging a life and home ragaved by the floods p10
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lineup
4 La Vida Local
Social cues Dont’ bark at the waiter and other lessons in happy hour-ing with a dog by Zach Hively
4 Sign of the Downfall 4 Thumbin’ It 5 Writers on the Range 6 Soapbox
7
7 Big Pivots
What coulda been
8 State News
After brief presidential bid in ’24, Salazar outlines a very different view
9 Local News
by Allen Best
10 End of the Line
9
12-13 Stuff to Do
Joy as resistance
14 Free Will Astrology
New space seeks to strengthen 2SLGBTQ+ community through art
15 Classifieds 15 Haiku Movie Review
10
On the cover Kameryn Dean’s new sculpture sits atop Chapman Hill, where it was installed in September. Repurposed from salvaged steel – including the original bull wheel from Chapman’s retired "Big Tow" – it was designed to honor and celebrate local ski culture, heritage and history./ Photo by Missy Votel
The aftermath Sorting through the physical and emotional wreckage lost to the mud
by Tracy Wachob
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Purgatory Resort is still eyeing a Nov. 20 opening date, even as it digs out from a mudslide last week that took out part of the Eolus condos as well as the mountain coaster. “Our hearts are with our Southwestern Colorado community during this challenging time. We look forward to skiing, and we’re working hard toward cleaning up for our scheduled opening day,” read a post on the resort’s website. Admittedly, things are looking, shall we say, sparse up at the base area right now, with this week’s warm temps inhibiting snowmaking. But that is all expected to change starting this weekend. According to trusted Open Snow winter weather guru Joel Gratz – who is officially out of his summer hibernation – we could be in for a few stormy days. And before you start hyperventilating into a paper bag over the prospect of more precipitation, forecasts call for cooler temperatures, meaning snow instead of rain, at least up high.
13 Ask Rachel
by Kathleen O’Connor
EDITORIALISTA: MISSY VOTEL missy@durangotelegraph.com
Getting there
thepole
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RegularOccurrences
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Purg web cam Nov. 11
Purg could see as much as 23” over the next 10 days, with three storms expected in quick succession: Nov. 14-15; Nov. 17-19; and Nov. 20-22. With these storms, temps are forecast to trend downward, topping out in the low 30s and high 20s at the mountain with overnight lows in the teens. Around the rest of SWCO, Telluride is looking at a Nov. 26 opening day while Wolf Creek, which opened for a hot sec Oct. 31, is still in a holding pattern due to road damage. According to a story this week in the “Colorado Sun,” CDOT officials say Wolf Creek Pass could re-open to “limited” traffic by this weekend. Crews have been working around the clock to clear several feet of debris and stabilize guardrails “hanging in thin air,” Julie Constan, CDOT’s Region 5 director, said. Bear in mind, the opening of Wolf Creek could be a moot point for local skiers unless they’re interested in a 3-hour detour through New Mexico. HWY 160 between Durango and Pagosa is expected to remain closed until mid-January, while crews install a temporary bridge over the Piedra River. Wolf Creek Pass typically sees 2,7003,400 vehicles per day, according to CDOT. “It’s not going to be your normal trip across Wolf Creek Pass, but at least we’ll be able to get people through,” Constan said. Nov. 12, 2026 n 3
LaVidaLocal High lights of the season Ah, autumn – a time of traditions and, despite not being spring, opportunities for growth. One of my favorite such traditions and opportunities for growth is how I always think I will take advantage of the end of Daylight Saving Time. I’ll just listen to my biological clock, I figure, and I’ll finally start going to bed an hour earlier (according to the technological clock) and I’ll remember what it’s like to feel rested in the morning. This year, like every year, I managed immediately to start going to bed an hour later – which is actually TWO hours later – because my biology has no clock. Plus, the end of Daylight Saving Time gives me a chance to rebel against authority without hurting anyone but myself. Autumn, and the return of standard time, also mean I spend more hours on the road in the nighttime. Please notice I did not say “in the dark.” There is no such thing as a dark road anymore. The headlights from a single modern car could provide solar energy for an entire mid-sized American city, with enough light left over to illuminate the road to appropriate standards of safety and visibility. We drivers used to be able to flash our brights at other drivers who had forgotten to dim their headlights. We feared no repercussion more serious than getting shot at. Now, though, when I remind oncoming drivers (via a polite tap of my own brights) to stop stabbing my eyes with their high beams, they stab me back with EVEN HIGHER BEAMS. And they have ATTITUDE about it. You can tell. They are probably annoyed by getting flashed at all the time. Good. Distant civilized planets will likely navigate by the steady glow of our planet’s roads at night. Me, I navigate with my eyes closed. I see better that way. But what I came here to say about autumn is that it is finally cool enough to enjoy hikes again. The trick is finding daylight hours without, erm, let’s call them “unseasonable precipitation events.” Aside from the flash floods and mud, though, it is the perfect season to take my dog out for a post-hike beer. We had just one problem with that, besides Ryzhik’s lack of proper ID. He had never been to a public patio with other people on it. Once, we went to a gringo burrito establishment after dark and after a rainstorm. Ryzhik did not know quite how to feel about sitting on this wet, cold patio. On the one paw, some burritos come with steak. On the other, there were people inside the restaurant. People with the gall to come and go as they pleased. People who dared
to exist with uncertain intentions in the world. People – if he understood the concept, he’d agree – with drastic headlights. On a different set of occasions, we went out for ice cream. Ryzhik basically ignored everyone, including me, because there he got his Very Own Pup Cup, which was not a thimbleful of whipped cream but was larger than a paid-for human cup, packed with vanilla ice cream. Also, mine did not come with any bonus milk bone. All this to say, for five years with me, Ryzhik has been under socialized. Better socialized than I am, clearly – but still lacking his basic need for public water bowls. That entire time, he was outvoted by me, a misanthrope, and his brother, who was content existing in his own 40-foot radius. Now, he is an only dog, and his extrovertedness wins out (as extrovertedness does) over my dedication to flannel pajama pants. So we have selected a local patio with plenty of tail-wagging room, a generous happy hour and no real dress code. This is where we go after I fail to wear him out on hikes. Our first time there, Ryzhik behaved as I do, or as I want to: he barked at everyone even remotely visible, including the people bringing us food. “We like them,” I cooed. “We like the food people.” He’s a faster learner than I am. Our second time there, Ryzhik wagged his tail for the hostess and the tourists from Austin and actually laid on his blanket and chilled. He narrowed down his Code Bark Defense List to two: 1. The raven (who, to be fair, was taunting him). 2. The person bringing us our food. And that is where the list has stayed. Why this young man is our server every time, I cannot comprehend. If I were him, I’d stuff my pockets with steak bites. Sometimes we miss his shifts, mainly because I keep forgetting to reset the clock in the car so we get there too early for happy hour or too late or however it works. I’ve tried to assure the young man that maybe Ryzhik just has to rebel against authority sometimes. Or maybe his shampoo fragrance reminds Ryzhik of a mortal nemesis from puppyhood. Whatever the reason, this young man recognizes that Ryzhik is mortifyingly calm around everyone else on this patio, and he has learned to serve me my buffalo wings from 10 feet away. I trust my dog. If I had to guess, this guy probably drives everywhere with high beams on. – Zach Hively
Thumbin’It It looks like Democrat Eileen Laubacher, a retired Navy rear admiral, is on her way to Washington as Lauren Boebert packs her carpet bag. Don’t worry, Boebs – we’re sure Fox News or Only Fans has a spot for you.
Snow – and not rain – is in the forecast for up high over the next week. Fingers crossed the precipitation will come as light, fluffy white stuff and not red, oozy mucky stuff.
The real life “sexpionage” saga of Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang being seduced by a Chinese spy is even better than the movies. We just hope he didn’t leak any info. or AI chips that can get us blown up or enslaved by robots.
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SignoftheDownfall: The ozone hole over the Antarctic grew unusually large in the last few months, thanks to a polar vortex. Depleted ozone leads to sunburns, more skin cancer and damaged DNA. But don’t worry too much, scientists believe the hole is still on track to heal after aerosol and refrigerant chemicals were banned in 1979. Damages to private property and infrastructure from last week’s floods in La Plata County is estimated at $56 million and rising – way more than is in local coffers and pocketbooks. FEMA? Are you out there? SCOTUS ruled Trump can continue to build his border wall in Texas, which will cut through the heart of Big Bend National Park, a beloved stretch of public land known for its unspoiled desert landscape.
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Helicockter Politics have been dominating the news cycle, but now that it’s over, the important stories are finally coming to light. Huge example: last week, an old man in England couldn’t figure out why a police helicopter was flying circles over his house, so he looked up its flight-pattern record and discovered that the cops had been drawing a penis in the sky. But this is nothing new because ballsy pilots with the Armed Forces of Malta drew a pee-pee with their chopper two years ago, and just a few months later, a Lufthansa pilot was caught tracing a jumbo 15mile-long dong in the air with his jet. See what I mean? The news that other countries have been drawing dicks with aircraft has been buried here in America because we’ve been too busy with the dicks on our ballots.
WritersontheRange
Permission to plunder Bill would give corporations more power while stripping the public of its say by Tracy Stone-Manning
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he country just held an election centered on the high costs of living. The electorate spoke loudly and clearly. Americans are equally clear about their love of public lands and the freedom to enjoy them. Poll after poll shows it. The voters didn’t demand industrial oil and gas development over every acre of America’s Arctic, one of our wildest places. They didn’t ask that we give a foreign company the permanent option to build a sulfide-ore copper mine upstream from Minnesota’s pristine Boundary Waters. They didn’t clamor for unchecked data centers and oil rigs across the West. They certainly didn’t vote to surrender their say in what happens to lands that belong to all of us. Unfortunately, that and more would result from the permitting reform bill before Congress, euphemistically called the Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act. The bill includes important provisions to improve the electrical power grid and permit renewable energy projects the president unfairly sidelined. But the cost of those reforms is far too high. The biggest threats are provisions that risk locking in development on our public lands. Once a project gets a green light, future administrations would be severely limited in the ability to alter or rescind it, even if the project is unlawful, or even if new science shows it would be destructive. Courts couldn’t halt or invalidate permits over flawed reviews. A judge could only demand paperwork revisions while development continues. Imagine what this administration, or any future administration, could do with this corporate get-out-ofjail-free card? Picture industrial development across what used to be Bears Ears National Monument, your favorite family campsite or smack in the middle of elk winter range. Future generations may have no way to undo the damage. And that’s just one tradeoff. The bill further guts the Endangered Species Act, the Clean Water Act and the National Environmental Policy Act – our safeguards that protect clean air and water, wildlife, and community involvement. Tribal nations and organizations have also sounded the alarm over how it usurps tribal sovereignty, undermining how and when the federal government must consult with tribes under the National Historic Preser-
While allowing for permitting of sidelined renewable projects, the Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act could also lock in development on our public lands, like the Upper Green River Valley, near Pinedale, Wyo./ Photo by Dave Marston vation Act over development that might affect their treaty rights and tribal homelands. As some have noted, the result of the bill would be a fundamental shift in how government works. Government would protect corporate interests from the public rather than protecting the public from corporate interests. There’s also a practical problem. The bill imposes tight, new timelines and requires taxpayers to reimburse corporate permitting costs if deadlines are missed. When I ran the Bureau of Land Management, it had close to 10,000 employees. Even then, we needed more capacity. Still, working closely with the Fish and Wildlife Service, we issued thousands of permits, including three major transmission lines and two critical mineral mines. We set records for permitting both renewable energy and oil and gas. Today, however, the BLM has roughly half that staff – 5,500 employees – after being DOGEd and attacked by this administration. The Fish and Wildlife Service has been similarly gutted. Same with the Forest Service. Permitting requires people to get on the ground, assess problems and solve them. It requires ensuring communities have a voice in protecting clean air, clean water and wildlife. Dismantled agencies won’t be able
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to meet these deadlines. You don’t make a horse run faster by starving it half to death and hope if you whip it harder, it will magically run faster. If Congress wants to speed up permits, it should focus on hiring agency staff as a critical first step. If it wants to solve the problem of not enough power lines, it should pass that portion of the bill. Above all, Congress must not give this administration the ability to permanently hand our shared public lands over to corporate interests. The oil and gas industry has made $130 billion in windfall profits just since the president began the Iran war. It doesn’t need more favors from Congress. Americans went to the polls demanding that Washington address their immediate needs, not those of powerful corporations. Congress should listen. We can build a clean energy future while protecting public lands, the clean air and water they provide, and the opportunities we owe future generations. That’s the kind of permitting reform Americans deserve. Tracy Stone-Manning is a contributor to Writers on the Range, an independent nonprofit dedicated to spurring lively conversation about the West. She is the president of The Wilderness Society and former director of the Bureau of Land Management. ■
Nov. 12, 2026 n 5
SoapBox Think ahead about pets in disasters For families forced to flee natural disasters and the animals who depend on them, every second counts. In a crisis, animals may hide, bolt or freeze. You might not have time to search for a frightened cat under a bed or coax a panicked dog out of a corner. Leave carriers out so they feel familiar, and practice gathering your animals, so you’re prepared in an emergency. Pack a “go bag” with at least a week’s supply of food, water, medications and medical records, along with bowls, litter supplies and comfort items. Research hotels, shelters or campgrounds that accept animals, and keep a printed list in your bag in case your phone dies or service is interrupted. Microchips and up-to-date ID tags are essential. Keep recent photos of yourself with your animals to help prove guardianship if you’re separated. If evacuation becomes necessary, take animals with you. Transport dogs using a secure harness and leash, and cats and small animals in carriers. If authorities force you to evacuate without them,
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D-Toon/by Rob Pudim never leave animals tied up or confined. Cut fences and open stalls to give them at least a chance to escape. When evacuations come, there may not be time to prepare. That time is now. – Melissa Rae Sanger, PETA Foundation
‘Crafting the Will’ It seems that yesterday Walks with me While the reality of the day Burns with uncertainty. I find comfort in Nature’s song. It never deceives. A darker night will visit in time. We craft the will To celebrate each moment. I can see the horses rushing. I hear their thundering hooves Pounding the turf, Heading toward higher ground. What the soul knows Is never forgotten. We craft the will Like a flower Turning toward The morning light! – Burt Baldwin, Bayfield
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BigPivots
What if Ken had run? Salazar reflects on presidential bid and a very different vision for America by Allen Best
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iven that November election results were almost universally understood as a rebuke of President Donald Trump, I have to wonder about the 2024 presidential election. What if President Joe Biden had not taken so dodderingly long before bowing out of the race? What if candidates not named Kamala had been given time to seek the Democratic nomination? In his new book, “Borderlands,” Colorado’s Ken Salazar says he had decided to seek the Democratic nomination. Confronting climate change, Salazar says, would have been the second major plank of his campaign. Trump and his team have excised the phrase “climate change” from the federal vocabulary. A good example is the Bureau of Reclamation’s plan for operating the Colorado River that was released several months ago. You have to go far into the document to find the words “climate change,” and even then, it’s only public comments that used those words. Instead of embracing the enormous challenge and opportunities of this energy transition, the Trump team has insisted that old technologies will be key to our future. Like we should all have land lines and drive standard-transmission cars. In “Borderlands,” Salazar talks about growing up in a large family in the San Luis Valley in a house with no power lines to deliver electricity. He got an education, and it has served him well. In 1998, he was elected Colorado attorney general, then U.S. senator. In the administration of President Barack Obama, he was secretary of Interior. Under Biden, he was ambassador to Mexico. “My Fight for an Inclusive America,” the subtitle of Salazar’s book, summarizes well his essential message. Salazar believed a different conversation was possible, one driven not by the language of differences but rather of heightened understanding of commonalities and acceptance of unimportant differences. More broadly, he describes a future of cross-border unity, a North America with greater shared purpose. As for climate change, he foresaw an opportunity for the United States to take the lead on “blunting and eventually reversing the ravages of climate change.” That, he wrote, “wouldn’t just make the United States and Mexico safer – we would make all people everywhere safer.” Since release of the book in August, Salazar has been on a fast-paced book tour across Colorado and beyond. I caught up with him in October in Arvada, his second event of the day.
Among the crowd of 40 to 50 people were two people who were his second or third cousins. Colorado can still be like that, one very big small town. On stage, Salazar wore a turquoise bolo tie, Western boots and I am guessing a Stetson hat. Never, at least in recent years, have I seen him with a bare head. Often he stitches history in his meandering soliloquies. For example, he talked about Colorado’s governor a century ago, William “Billy” Adams, a product of the San Luis Valley, after whom Adams State College in Alamosa is named. In Salazar’s telling, Adams was elected governor in 1926 in a rebuke of the Ku Klux Klan that then held a grip on Colorado. That included the governor after whom Denver’s first big airport was named. Only in recent years has the name of Stapleton been excised from the site. Now it is a neighborhood called Central Park. As for climate change, I wanted to know more than his skimpy overview in his book. What exactly would he have sought to do as president? Like much of his book, Salazar responded at a high level, avoiding details. He called climate change an existential issue for our planet and talked about the work of former U.S. Sen. John Kerry, the secretary of state under Obama. He also shared that the president of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum, who is the first woman president of any nation in North America, was a climate scientist by training. He did not, however, answer my questions. Salazar used the word “courage” 11 times during his 90 minutes on stage. By this, he meant that elected officials need to take positions even when they are not politically expedient. Salazar is a people person, a relationship builder. He exhibits warmth. Trump has a different persona. His charisma – for he does have followers who would follow him anywhere – is of the bullying, blustering kind. I would like to have seen them in debate. Trump is a city guy who, ironically, has his most fervent support in rural America. Salazar came from rural America, and he clearly has not forgotten his roots even as he made his way in cities. As for climate, instead of bestowing favors on the billionaires who peddle fossil fuels, as our current president has done, what if Salazar, as president, had helped us move more rapidly along on this big, very difficult and very necessary energy pivot? I can only wonder. Allen Best publishes Big Pivots, which tracks energy and water and other climate-related transitions in Colorado. Find him at bigpivots.com. ■
telegraph
Please join the family and friends of Elwin Johnston for a celebration of his life Sun., Nov. 15 • 12 noon Community Concert Hall at Fort Lewis College
Followed by a potluck at High Trestle Brewing Co., 3000 Main Ave., 2:30(ish) Bring an instrument if you feel inspired
Nov. 12, 2026 n 7
StateNews
A historic save Volunteers manage to keep museum’s irreplaceable archives from being washed away by Kevin J. Beaty and Havalin Haskell/ Colorado Public Radio
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gun safe was on Pagosa Springs Mayor Shari Pierce’s mind last week, along with much more, as floodwaters began to rise, again. The safe, tucked inside the town’s museum, contained something precious: an archive of family histories collected last summer to preserve Pagosa Springs’ legacy for the long haul. More records filled drawers in the museum’s office. On the morning of Nov. 1, as the town prepared for the second catastrophic flood in as many weeks, she went inside to gather what she could. She was right to worry for the archive’s safety. “While I was in the office getting the paperwork into totes, my husband went over and pushed that vault into the back building,” she said. “Otherwise, it would have been in the river, too.” The San Juan River rose about 10 feet in two hours on that day, nearly matching a record set in 1911. The water ate into the ground beneath the Pagosa Springs History Museum and dragged part of its foundation into the swell. Images of the building have gone viral, as it slouched over the river’s edge.
Just a year ago, Pagosa Springs received nearly $4 million to fortify the San Juan’s banks near the structure, when another flood hit the town. The funds weren’t as much as officials hoped for; President Donald Trump’s administration denied a federal disaster declaration as he fought with Gov. Jared Polis over the fate of disgraced Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters. Pierce, who serves on the museum’s board, said a cabinet and some items dropped into the river during the latest storm. But most of the interior remained intact. Volunteers and museum staff removed what they could on Nov. 4. “We were able to salvage probably 80% of our artifacts, which is amazing, when you look at that building,” she said. There’s a lot that needs fixing. Among it all, Pierce said she’s held space for the museum’s future. “It’s an opportunity for the museum to reinvent ourselves moving forward and include the community, from the children to the elderly, in discussions about what they want this museum to look like,” she said. “It could use some revamping and things to touch more generations.” Community members have already expressed gratitude to her for saving their families’ histories here. Museum officials are meanwhile collecting money to aid in
The Pagosa Springs History Museum hangs over the San Juan River on Nov. 6, after recent floods swept its foundation away./Photo by Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite its reconstruction. “Know we greatly appreciate your donation and continued prayers for our community. The pioneers after the 1911 flood were able to overcome, and we are determined to do the same,” the museum’s website reads.
State historians have reached out to help museum staff handle the rescued collection, Pierce added, but there are more pressing matters in the short term. The building remains a priority as long as it threatens to fall into the San Juan. For more from CPR, visit www.cpr.org.■
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Call or text Merida or Forrest: 970-382-8147
LocalNews
Room for everyone Rainbow & Arrow opens downtown arts hub by and for 2SLGBTQ+ community by Kathleen O’Connor
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efore Rainbow & Arrow had even officially opened its doors this fall, its new space at 1015 Main Ave. was already packed nearly wall-to-wall. Hundreds of donated items covered the entire floor, including sleeping bags, bottled water, blankets, baby formula and non-perishable food items (for humans and pets alike). The supplies were bound for Navajo Nation families affected by the flooding that swept through the Four Corners last month. Organizers Ti Eversole and Brittany Bitsilly led the drive and needed a place to store donations. Rainbow & Arrow stepped up and offered its space. Items arrived from Durango, Silverton and Cortez and have since been distributed to chapter houses across the Navajo Nation. For Rainbow & Arrows, the decision to help was driven by a genuine, deep-rooted belief that “we need to show up for one another however we can,” Al Wolfe, the organization’s executive director, said. It’s a fitting introduction for a group whose entire premise is showing up. Rainbow & Arrow is a downtown arts hub for 2SLGBTQ+ people and their allies (the “2S” stands for two-spirit, an identity term used by some Indigenous people). Through workshops, cultural crafts and gatherings – most of which are free or by suggested donation – it offers Durango’s queer community a place to connect through creativity. Founder and owner Megan Dugan holds a master’s in social work from the University of Denver, with a focus on mental health and trauma. That training taught her to look for gaps in community care and fill them. Her motivation was also personal. “As a person who identifies as queer, I understood the longing for a place to belong with shared commonality,” Dugan said in a statement. Durango isn’t without queer resources. The Four Corners Rainbow Youth Center has served LGBTQ+ young people here since 2015, but Dugan saw that the town lacked a dedicated, brick-and-mortar creative space centered on adults. Soon after its conception, Wolfe, who is queer and trans non-binary and uses they/them pronouns, stepped into the executive director role after several years running the Gender and Sexuality Resource Center at Fort Lewis College. Why Art? Queer social life has long revolved around bars and nightlife. As Wolfe points out, those settings can create barriers for people who are sober, neurodivergent or seeking connection without alcohol or other substances. So, the team chose a concept space that would be accessible, substance-free and centered on a shared activity they already loved: creating art. “Although our workshops may, at face value, focus on creating art in a shared space, our real goal is to strengthen our community through art,” Wolfe said. On a typical Tuesday, that means walking past walls hung with work by 2SLGBTQ+ artists from Durango and
Rainbow & Arrow, recently opened at 1015 Main Ave. (former home to Animas Trading Co. and Create Art & Tea.) The space acts as a downtown arts hub 2SLGBTQ+ people and their allies through workshops, cultural crafts and gatherings./ Courtesy photo beyond, meeting an instructor who is part of the community or a demonstrated ally, making yourself a coffee on the house, and grabbing supplies to learn something new. It’s a place, Wolfe said, “where you aren’t expected to be good at things, only to be. And you get to walk away with a new craft or treat!” they said. Offerings range from “Mocktails & Monet,” a sober spin on the paint-and-sip led by Ryan Garcia to “Art for Mental Health,” with licensed art therapist Skye Dowell. Trusted community members host monthly Spanishlanguage programs, with a Zoom option for those unable to leave home. Down the road, Wolfe hopes to add skill shares, including self-defense and, yes, the art of the oil change. In addition, a small artist in residence program provides local artists a space in the back gallery to display their visual pieces. Joy as Resistance Rainbow & Arrow describes its mission as “Queer joy as a form of resistance.” Wolfe said that doesn’t mean escaping reality but finding ways to navigate it together. That reality shifted last week after the midterm elections, when Colorado voters approved propositions 134 and 135. The measures restrict transgender students’ participation in school sports and prohibit certain surgeries for minors. Wolfe, along with many others, views this as an attack on the community’s most vulnerable members, particularly trans youth. “When our ability to simply exist, much less experience joy, is seen as political, when we are asked to be
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small and scared, standing together as our authentic selves and experiencing the joy that fosters is resistance,” Wolfe said. The organization also commits to uplifting Native queer and two-spirit voices, which Wolfe described as “an ongoing, actionable commitment,” not a one-time land acknowledgment. This includes providing a regular platform, rooted in love and respect, for Native queer and two-spirit people to share art and culture on their own terms. Their participation in the recent flood drive was one expression of this. Rainbow & Arrow calls itself “explicit, not exclusive.” It was created for the 2SLGBTQ+ community, but allies are welcome. Wolfe asks only that they be mindful when a program is small or geared toward community members. No art experience is required to participate. And even if your artistic range tops out at stick figures, you’re still welcome. For now, the space is open only for scheduled programs, most of which are capped at about 30 people, so register ahead. More casual, recurring programs will come with time. The grand opening for Rainbow & Arrow is Fri., Nov. 13, at 1015 Main Ave., from 5:30 - 7:30 p.m. Expect live music, light catering, tarot readings, take-home craft kits, a chance to sign up for programs and a collaborative art project that will hang in the space afterward. For more info., go to: events.humanitix .com/rainbow-andarrow-grand-opening. ■ Nov. 12, 2026 n 9
EndoftheLine
Hero pants and hope One family's story of loss, uncertainty and finding their footing after the flood by Tracy Wachob
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saw a post on Facebook the other day of the damage in the Hermosa Valley north of Durango. An old friend was driving through and filming the devastation, talking about how tragic it all is. I thought, “That’s my house. They just posted a video of my house.” Then, I thought, “I think I’m gonna throw up.” I lived at 6000 County Road 203, Durango North Village. And, yes, that Durango North Village. The one on the left just before you hit Trimble Lane that still looks like a lake a week after the flooding, but it’s actually several feet of muck and mud with hundreds (I don’t know, maybe thousands) of dead worms floating on the surface. I lost my home. And, a lot of stuff I worked a lifetime gathering. On Sunday night, Nov. 1, my husband realized the water was rising fast, and we needed to leave. He moved our car to higher ground and waded back in to help us while I gathered the cats. My family waded about 100 yards through waist-high, red muddy water to escape the rising floods. In one hand I was carrying one of my cats in a carrier that I put in a trash bag. In the other, I had a trash bag filled with cat food and dirty kitty litter. Not mixed together, of course. My husband had our other cat, which we put in a box because we only had the one carrier, and that box was in a trash bag. My 12-year-old daughter was carrying a wet bag filled with some key stuff – cell phones, a laptop, and I can’t remember what else exactly (does that negate the “key stuff” adjective?) Anyway, at one point, my daughter said she couldn’t feel her legs. The water was so cold. My husband told her she could do this, she could push through. She did push through. She did get there. She’s so much stronger than she gives herself credit for. We were actually able to save the clothes we escaped in that night and have affectionately dubbed those our “hero pants.” There are moments I feel so positive and so grateful. Then, there are other moments I think my legs, and my heart,
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The Durango North Village Mobile Home Park earlier this week. The park was inundated by the raging waters of Hermosa Creek on Nov. 1, forcing residents to flee./Photo by Tracy Wachob just might give out. I ran into my neighbors at the disaster relief headquarters at the fairgrounds last Wednesday. We hugged, we cried, we grabbed some supplies. As we talked about where we are staying now and how we were doing, my neighbor said they just didn’t know what to do after tomorrow. Their eyes were almost hollow, like the shock and despair was in charge. It shook me. What are they going to do tomorrow? Or the day after that? How long can they stay at their family’s place? Are they going to rebuild? Are we? Can we even try? And, if we can’t, what next? Mobile homes like ours typically can’t take the kind of water damage we experienced. I don’t know anything for certain, but I cannot see a future where I get to go home. And, if that’s true for
me, wouldn’t that be true for us all? I am a hopeful person. Not an annoyingly bubbly person – at least, I don’t think I am. But, I do try to see the path forward. Sempre Avanti. I think staying positive in difficult situations is better than being negative. Right now, however, I’m having an all-out war with some sour-face kryptonite. Wednesday of last week we were finally able to get into our place with a kayak. My husband assessed the situation, took pictures, etc. My hopeful self saw all the things we could grab and save. We put together a plan, gathered supplies and went back Thursday. But, that day they brought in some heavy equipment with the thought that access would soon be easier. So we returned Friday with the same plans. My husband put on the waders. I put on my boots. We had our trash bags
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and wet bags, and headed in. Only this time it wasn’t really water. It was several feet of muck and mud. The muck was covered with hundreds of dead worms, just floating on the surface. My husband was having trouble moving through it and several times the boots of his waders got stuck. The further in we got, the more apparent it became that we weren’t going to be able to make the several trips we planned on. When we finally got inside our home, we found several inches of that muck and mud on the floor of our home. The stench of it was overwhelming. It’s not just the moldy smell. It’s the filth of that gooey, red muck. It’s seeping into everything. I want to save what I can but, at this point, I don’t even know how. The doubts and questions keep piling up,
and I’m struggling. Where can I get a hazmat suit? How do I even clean up the items I can save without getting E. coli or some other crazy infection? What happens to all the stuff we can’t save? Do we just leave it there? Is there a magical condemned trailer company that will remove my home free of charge? Is there a magical hole in the space-time continuum where it can be dumped? I know I’m not the only one with unanswered questions and worries. There are lots of people in our community who are probably breathing the same deep breaths. Probably with the same tears building up in their eyes. There’s nothing about this that isn’t challenging for everyone. From the first responders and county officials trying to keep up, to the father who just spent $20,000 fixing up his mobile home only to see it filled with several feet of mucky water. We just renovated our home, too. My husband put new flooring in throughout. It was beautiful. I painted the whole trailer inside. We had done so much work. And, we only got to enjoy it for about six months. This past spring, I lost my mother. This summer I went to my dad’s funeral. I had boxes of their belongings on the floor of my living room that I just wasn’t strong enough yet to sort through. Now, I’ll never be able to. I’ll admit, I’m tired. So tired. I’m very lucky that there’s a wonderful, comfy bed where I’m staying right now. But I’m still having trouble sleeping because I know I’ll never get to sleep in my bed again. I loved my bed. I loved my home. I loved laughing in my kitchen with my family.
The waters receded but the thick red mud remained./ Photo by Tracy Wachob Sometimes it’s really hard to be strong. But, I have to figure out how. I can’t let the flood waters drown me long after they’ve subsided. I have to remember
that I can laugh with my family and my friends in any kitchen. My husband said the other day that this tragedy has shown the beautiful side of humanity. He’s right. When we went to our neighborhood on Tuesday, we met a woman and her crew who came there with a kayak to check all the trailers for pets left behind or shuttle evacuees to get any belongings they could. None of those people lived in that neighborhood. They were just there to help. That day, we also met a neighbor that hadn’t met before, who was trying to make sure the elderly woman who lived next door had enough water. The woman isn’t leaving, but she certainly has an angel looking out for her. On Wednesday, I met a young woman from Bayfield who was just helping to dig out the branches, mud and muck from people’s homes and yards. My husband, my daughter and I have a roof over our heads right now because of the kindness of strangers. We’ve been gifted blankets, backpacks, school supplies, milk, eggs, peanut butter, gift cards and a whole lot of love and support. I don’t know what everyone else is going through. I’m certain there are people way worse off than myself. And, I know that we’ll all have some really tough times ahead. But I'm determined to resurrect that hopeful side of myself. I'm going to finish this up with some fistpumping, climbing the stairs, go-get-’em “Eye of the Tiger” energy because if there’s one thing I’ve learned – we are not alone. We have each other. We are in this together. We will get through this together. ■
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StufftoDo Submit items for “Stuff to Do” by Monday at noon at: www.durangotelegraph.com/send-us-your-stuff-to-do/
Thursday12 Cribbage, 8-10 a.m., Just the Drip Coffee Shop, 1600 Florida Rd. Cancer Support Group, 10-11:30 a.m., Wells Group, 1130 Main Ave.
Troupe 1096, 7 p.m., Durango Hight School Theatre
p.m., Durango Public Library, 1900 E. 3rd Ave.
Kirtan Chanting with GaiaShakti, 7-8:30 p.m., Unitarian Universalist Church, 419 San Juan Drive
Arts & Crafts Fair, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Unitarian Universalist Church, 419 San Juan Drive
Weekly Open Mic, 7-9 p.m., The American Legion, 878 E 2nd Ave.
“Living in Radiance: Connecting with Your Higher Self, Angels and Guides,” 11 a.m.-12 noon, Durango Public Library, 1900 E. 3rd Ave
Adaptive Sports Association Winter Volunteer Orientation, 12 noon-1 p.m., 463 Turner Drive, Ste.105
“A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” 7:30 p.m., FLC Mainstage Theatre
Kiwanis Club of Durango Meeting, 12 noon-1 p.m., TBK Bank, 259 W. 9th St.
“TILT” Cirque Mechanics, 7:30 p.m., Community Concert Hall at FLC
Tai Chi, 1-2 p.m., Fort Lewis Mesa Library, 11274 Hwy 140, Hesperus
Friday13
Hope Network Cancer Support Group, 2:30 p.m., Cancer Support Community SWCO, 1701 Main Ave., Ste. C Cultivating Creativity with Gratitude Jars, 4 p.m., Cancer Support Community SWCO, 1701 Main Ave., Ste. C
Earlybird Toastmasters, 7-8:30 a.m., Center for Innovation, 835 Main Ave., Ste. 225 Veterans Morning Coffee, 8-10:30 a.m., American Legion, 878 E. 2nd Ave. BID Coffee & Conversation, 8:30-9:30 a.m., TBK Bank, 259 W. 9th St.
Durango Nordic Night Ski Swap, 5-7 p.m., Pine Needle Mountaineering, 835 Main Ave.
Friends of the Library Book Sale, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Durango Public Library, 1900 E. 3rd Ave.
Emergency Warming Center Volunteer Orientation & Training, 5-8 p.m., Sacred Heart Parish Hall, 254 E. 5th Ave.
Friday Afternoon Club Market, 3-6 p.m., Breen Community Building, 15300 Hwy 140, Hesperus
SMART 160 Discussion, 5:30 p.m., Three Springs, 65 Mercado St. The La Plata Quilters Guild monthly meeting, 5:30 p.m., La Plata County Fairgrounds “Actually, It Is Rocket Science” film showing and Friends of the San Juans fundraiser, 5:30 p.m. & 8 p.m., Durango Arts Center, 802 E. 2nd Ave. Spanish Conversation Hour, 5:30 p.m., Sunnyside Library, 75 CR 218 ASL Learners Group, 5:30-7 p.m., Sunnyside Library, 75 CR 218 Dart Tournament, 5:30-9 p.m., Union Social House, 3062 Main Ave. “Emergency Room Mayhem” with Colorado Healthcare Coalition, 6 p.m., via Zoom. RSVP at: www.facebook.com/share/1DftwLmxCU/
Arts & Crafts Fair, 5-8 p.m., Unitarian Universalist Church, 419 San Juan Drive “Gardening at Night,” opening reception, 5-9 p.m., Studio & Gallery, 1027 Main Ave. Larry Carver & Friends play, 6-9 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave. 2 Steps From Normal plays, 6-9 p.m., Office Spiritorium, 699 Main Ave. Pete Giuliani plays, Fri., Nov. 13, 6-9 p.m., The Oxford, 119 W. 8th St.
Toy Drive with Toys for Tots, 1-3 p.m., Durango Harley-Davidson, 750 S. Camino Del Rio “Alice in Wonderland,” presented by DHS Troupe 1096, 2 & 7 p.m., DHS Theatre Meditations on Compassion 4-5 p.m., Dreams of Tibet, 988 Main Ave. Free Yoga Basics Class, 4-5 p.m., Yogadurango, 1485 Florida Rd., Ste. 206C Adam Swanson plays, 5:30 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave. Matt Rupnow plays, 6-9 p.m., Office Spiritorium, 699 Main Ave. The Pete Giuliani Trio plays, 6-9 p.m., The Weminuche Woodfire Grill, 18044 CR 501, Vallecito
“A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” 7:30 p.m., FLC Mainstage Theatre
“A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” 7:30 p.m., FLC Mainstage Theatre
Flood Benefit Show & Silent Auction with Mountain Honey, 8 p.m., The Subterrain, 900 Main Ave., Ste. F
Banshee Tree w/ Derek Abt, 8-10 p.m., The iNDIGO Room, 1315 Main Ave.
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Yarn Meetup, 1-3 p.m., Durango Public Library, 1900 E. 3rd Ave.
“The SymPhonies: An Improvised Musical,” 79 p.m., Durango Arts Center, 802 E. 2nd Ave.
Andrew Schuhmann plays, 6-9 p.m., Office Spiritorium, 699 Main Ave.
“Alice in Wonderland,” presented by DHS
“How to Stay Out of a Nursing Home,” 1-2 p.m., Fort Lewis Mesa Library, 11274 Hwy 140
Mr. B’s Vaudeville Show “Happy Spanksgiving,” 7 p.m., Durango Arts Center, 802 E. 2nd Ave.
Stand-Up Flood Relief Show, doors 8 p.m., The Subterrain, 900 Main Ave., Ste.F
Bluegrass Jam, 6-9 p.m., Durango Beer and Ice Co., 3000 Main Ave.
Book Talk with John Steinle on “Colorado’s World War II Home Front,” 1-2 p.m., Animas Museum, 3065 W. 2nd Ave.
“Alice in Wonderland,” presented by DHS Troupe 1096, 7 p.m., Durango High School Theatre
Artist Talk and Film with Charine Pilar Gonzales, 6-7:30 p.m., FLC Center of Southwest Studies
Gary Watkins plays, 6-9 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave.
“Super Amazing Art Show & Sale,” featuring works by Cindy Coleman, Miki Harder, Mariah Kaminsky, Elizabeth Kinahan, and Amy Vaclav, 12 noon-5 p.m., 537 Jackrabbit Trail
Saturday14 Vinyl Record Show, 9 a.m.-3 p.m., La Plata County Fairgrounds Friends of the Library Book Sale, 10 a.m.-3
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100 Year Flood with Cheese Wizzards, 8-10 p.m., The iNDIGO Room, 1315 Main Ave.
Sunday15 Veteran Benefit Breakfast and Car Giveaway, 9 a.m., VFW post 4031, 1550 Main Ave. Record Brunch Club, 12 noon-3 p.m., 11th St. Station, 1101 Main Ave.
AskRachel
Cheetos, Zappa and early birds Interesting fact: The official name for orange Cheetos dust is “Cheetle.” I kind of wish I’d known this before the midterms. Dear Rachel, I can’t figure out my dog’s reasoning. Every single time he has worn his harness for the last six years, it has led to some positive adventure out of doors. But he still acts like we’re shaming him by putting it on. Yet every time I open a bag of Cheetos, he gets excited, even though he’s never eaten a single Cheeto, because apparently, I have higher standards for what my dog eats than what I do. Can you make this make sense? – The Anti-Pavlov Dear Dog-Brained, Dogs are not about sense. They are about senses, and they are about hope. Hope springs eternal with the Cheetos bag, and why you have never given him one is beyond any treatment I can consider humane. GIVE HIM A CHEETO. Give him anything he wants. As for the harness? Look, I get it. I tuck my tail and droop my ears anytime I have to put on Real Person Shoes and leave the house, even if I like where I’m going – to the store, for instance, for more Cheetos. – Feeling peckish, Rachel
Dear Rachel, Last week you said “don’t drink the river water.” Was that a reference to Frank Zappa’s “Don’t Eat the Yellow Snow”? If it was, you are now my favorite columnist in the Four Corners. If not, don’t tell me otherwise, because that’s my favorite song and reading your reference made me almost as happy as the entire blue wave put together. – Zappahead Dear Bug Zappa, I cannot pretend to understand the labyrinth that is my mind. It’s entirely possible that two distantly related neurons said to each other, “Hey, let’s phrase that like the song title!” It’s also possible that I, a somewhat fluent user of English, know how to construct a simple five-word sentence. Don’t like that answer? Go lick some yellow snow. (Whenever we get any.) – No moon unit, Rachel
Email Rachel at telegraph@durangotelegraph.com
Dear Rachel, I thought I’d do my Thanksgiving shopping weeks ahead of time, to avoid the rush and the disappointment of stores being out of things. But Thanksgiving food is perishable. I have canned cranberry sauce and marshmallows. That’s it. Everything else has to wait, because I
can’t fit a turkey in my apartment freezer. I need a Thanksgiving life hack, and quick! – Early Bird Dear Premature Gobbler, If you want to be truly well prepared, you need to make like the 17th century and grow your own. If you fail, it means no Thanksgiving and probably no Hanukkah or Christmas, since you’ll be starving by then. But if you succeed, you can spruce up the menu by shaking everything in your empty bags of Cheetos. A vague hint of cheese-like flavor, a dash of color, a holiday to remember. Unless you’re the dog. – Full of grate, Rachel
Irish Jams, 12:30-3 p.m., Durango Beer and Ice, 3000 Main Ave.
Dustin Burley plays, 6-9 p.m., Office Spiritorium, 699 Main Ave.
Tuesday Trivia, 6-8:30 p.m., 11th St. Station, 1101 Main Ave.
San Juan Symphony Young Artist Recital, 2 p.m., Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, 419 San Juan Drive
Joel Racheff plays, 6-9 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave.
Sean O’Brien plays, 6-9 p.m., Office Spiritorium, 699 Main Ave.
Sunday Sound Journey, 5-6 p.m., Dreams of Tibet Studio, 988 Main Ave.
Tuesday17
River Shook with ISMAY, 8 p.m., Animas City Theatre, 128 E. College Dr.
Ben Gibson plays, 6-9 p.m., Office Spiritorium, 699 Main Ave. Blue Moon Ramblers play, 6-9 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave.
Monday16 Holiday Family Drive, TBK Bank, 259 W. 9th St. Durango Fall Prevention, 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m., Durango Parks & Recreation Center, 2700 Main Ave.
5RTU Coffee and Connect, 8:30-10 a.m., Blue Wing Coffee, Smiley Building, 1309 E. 3rd Ave. Free Mobile Health Clinic, 2-5:30 p.m., Durango Public Library, 1900 E. 3rd Ave. CreativiTEA, 3:30-5:30 p.m., Sunnyside Library, 75 CR 218 Soup Social, 4 p.m., Cancer Support Community SWCO, 1701 Main Ave., Ste. C
Wednesday18 Wild New Way Women’s Collective: Money Shadow Workshop , doors 8:30 a.m., Durango Collective, 1315 Main Ave. Durango Fall Prevention, 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m., Durango Recreation Center, 2700 Main Ave.
Trout Unlimited Monthly Chapter Meeting, 5:30-7 p.m., Berkshire Hathaway, 842 Main Ave.
Support for Youth and Families Affected by Flood, 11 a.m.-6 p.m., Oak Tree Youth Resources, 1911 Main Ave.
Flood Relief Lunch Buffet Fundraiser hosted by The Karma & Jyamu Bhotia Foundation, 11 a.m.-3 p.m., Himalayan Kitchen, 992 Main Ave.
Rotary Club of Durango presents FLC Professor Benjamin Waddell speaking on Flock, 6 p.m., Strater Hotel, 699 Main Ave.
Speed Puzzling, 5-7 p.m., DoubleTree Animas River Lounge, 501 Camino del Rio
Happy Hour Yoga, 5:30 p.m., Ska Brewing, 225 Girard St.
Cookbook Club: “Pati’s Mexican Table: The Secrets of Real Mexican Home Cooking,” 6-7:30 p.m., Durango Public Library, 1900 E. 3rd Ave.
Meditation and Dharma Talk, 5:30 p.m., Durango Dharma Center, 1800 E. 3rd Ave., Ste. 109, or online at www.durangodharmacenter.org
Terry Rickard plays, 6-9 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave.
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Meditations on Compassion, 5:30-6:30 p.m., Durango Dharma Center, 1800 E. 3rd Ave., Ste.109 Durango Winter Sports Club Movie Night “A Way Out,” 5:30-8:30 p.m., The Powerhouse, 1333 Camino del Rio Nov. 12, 2026 n 13
FreeWillAstrology by Rob Brezsny ARIES (March 21-April 19): There is an old way of making fire: Strike a sharp edge of flint in a hard, glancing blow against steel. The flint shears off small particles of metal. Heated by the blow and exposed to air, they oxidize so swiftly that they burn as sparks. The fire is born from the fierce meeting of two hard things. This is a fitting emblem for you, Aries. Your fire often comes alive through bold contact, like a decisive strike or a willingness to meet resistance head-on rather than avoiding it. In the coming weeks, seek out, enjoy, and use the friction that ignites you. Find worthy flints and make sparks. Some fires can only be lit by impact. TAURUS (April 20-May 20): A ship’s anchor doesn’t work by weight alone. Some of its holding power comes from how its blades dig into the seabed. A heavy anchor sitting on smooth rock is useless; a lighter anchor that catches in mud or sand can hold a massive vessel against storms. So the anchor’s value resides as much in its grip as its mass. Regard this as a useful metaphor, Taurus. Don’t try to hold yourself in place through sheer gravity, with accumulated possessions and commitments piling up like ballast. You need to hook yourself into a strong foundation. GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Dictionaries continually add new words while retiring obsolete definitions. Language remains vital and wild because it adapts to shifting realities. In that spirit, I invite you to eagerly edit the words you speak and the concepts you use to interpret your experience. Maybe you’ve attached labels to yourself that have become outdated. For example, you’re “multifaceted,” not “scattered.” One of your relationships isn’t so much “complicated” as “intricate” and “evolving.” A feeling you call “confusion” might be more accurately named “curiosity.” Fresh vocabulary may unlock intriguing and catalytic possibilities. CANCER (June 21-July 22): When Pakistani student Malala Yousafzai was 11, she became a passionate advocate for female education. Girls had been banned by the Taliban from attending school in her native district. Her tireless work in this righteous cause angered conservatives, and at 15, she was shot in the head by a would-be assassin. Yet she survived and prevailed, redoubled her efforts, and at age 17, she became the youngest person to win a Nobel Peace Prize. Since then, she has continued her quest and extended her activism to assist refugees and immigrants. Can you guess her astrological sign? Cancer, of course. Who
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nurtures and protects so fiercely? Who fights tenderly for people in need to be safe and free? Now is an excellent time to decide how you can be inspired by Malala. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): During my first show as a lead singer for a rock band, age 19, I was absurdly anxious about hitting every note perfectly. Afterward, a friend critiqued my performance, saying I seemed locked up inside my own head. The next time I took the stage, I sang looser, sloppier, and wilder. I focused on connecting with the audience and allowing their enthusiasm to feed my energy. Much better! My technical execution was less than perfect, but I was far more engaging and entertaining. I dare you to apply this lesson to your own life in the coming weeks. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): I advocate giving people the resources they need when they’re experiencing scarcity. I also believe that exceptional ability deserves encouragement and support to thrive and ripen. That balance offers a useful way to think about your life right now. You’ve devoted plenty of attention to the parts of yourself that need help, while giving too little care to the parts that shine. To restore the balance, I suggest you seek out tools, teachers, and adventures that will challenge and nurture your talents. A gift that comes naturally isn’t a finished achievement. With practice, it can become even more extraordinary. LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Libran poet Ocean Vuong describes tenderness as a courageous force rather than a sentimental one. Please try out this idea. Imagine the ways that gentle devotion and creative affection mobilize your most interesting strengths. Explore how your ability to express nourishing kindness empowers you to spawn wonders. Remember that water, yielding and supple, can reshape mountains and carve canyons. Your tenderness, too, may have the patient power to transform what seems fixed. SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Some of our most powerful medicines come from feared venoms. A compound from the deadly cone snail became a painkiller stronger than morphine. Venoms from vipers and lizards have yielded drugs that treat blood clots and diabetes. The very chemistry that evolved to harm, once understood and transformed, heals. This is your native alchemy, Scorpio. You grasp, as few others do, that the dangerous and the toxic can be transmuted into potent medicine. But wait! None of this will be relevant for you in coming weeks. Some of your best medicines will be sweet, agreeable, pleasant and filled with light.
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SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Sagittarian novelist Jane Austen wielded her drollery with aplomb. In a letter to her sister, she wrote, “I do not want people to be very agreeable, as it saves me the trouble of liking them a great deal.” Over two centuries later, I still find that joke funny. Jane was a wickedly independent spirit who refused to sugarcoat the raw truth or perform affection she didn’t feel. Let’s make her your guardian spirit for the coming weeks, Sagittarius. I hope she’ll inspire you to leaven your honesty with humor and liberate yourself from the need for people’s approval. Can you be blunt and genuine with wit and grace? I think you can. Feel no obligation to like or praise what hasn’t earned it. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Who are your favorite wild women? One of mine is Capricorn magician Patti Smith, whose untamed creativity has inspired me for years. At the root of her output as a musician and writer is her disciplined devotion: decades of patient, faithful labor at her craft, never chasing trends, simply doing the deep work year after year. She has been experimental and diligent; iconoclastic and tireless; oneof-a-kind and collaborative. I salute her contributions to my life and encourage you to be inspired by her skillful weaving of hard work and soulful expression. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Aquariusborn inventor Thomas Edison treated failure as useful information. He tinkered with thousands of materials as he sought a workable lightbulb filament. After each dud, he insisted he hadn’t misfired but had just found another way that didn’t work. Eventually, his numerous failures cleared his path to creating the lightbulb. In the coming weeks, I propose that you make him your role model, Aquarius. Your inventive, future-facing mind will be at its best when it treats setbacks not as verdicts but as data, clues pointing toward the solution. The breakthrough you’re in quest of will come just past the last dead end. PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): The painter Henri Matisse said he wanted his art to provide “a soothing, calming influence on the mind.” Yet his work shimmered with bold color and daring composition. Joyful vitality spilled out of his creations. For him, serenity wasn’t bland. I’d love for you to incorporate his attitude and approach in coming weeks. There will be no need to choose between excitement and peace. You can attract experiences that are simultaneously stimulating and harmonious. Expect and pursue intriguing adventures that leave your nervous system feeling nourished.
classifieds
Classified deadline is Tuesday at noon. Ads are a bargain at 10 cents a character with a $10 minimum. Add a small color photo or logo for $10/week Prepayment is required via cash, credit card or check. (Sorry, no refunds or substitutions.)
Ads can be submitted at: durangotelegraph.com/ place-a-classified-ad/ Announcements Notice of Public Sale to enforce self-service storage facility lien[MV1.1]. “Personal Property,” stored at Unit A30 of The Animas Mini Storage at 20995 Highway 160, Durango, CO 81301, described as: boxes of misc., which are stored under a Rental Agreement between The Animas Mini Storage and Jenyfer Rhinehart, will be sold to the highest cash bidder unless all rents and fees are paid in full prior to the auction. Date and time of sale: November 14, 2026, at 9:30 AM. Terms of sale: cash. Place of sale: The Animas Mini Storage, 20995 Highway 160, Durango, CO. All bidders must present a valid State-issued picture ID to place bids.
HelpWanted Regulatory/Contract Specialist Metallic Minerals is seeking a Regulatory & Contracts Specialist for the La Plata Project. Long-term contract, 5 days/week, based in Durango with flexible work option. $50-67.50/hr. Find the full job description and how to apply at laplataproject.com/careers
OfficeforRent
ForSale Firewood 2 cords, cedar & piñon, seasoned, some split, Durango location, you haul, $500 970-769-4574 Reruns Home Furnishings Refresh your living spaces. Small furniture and furnishings, rugs, kitchenwares, artwork and more! Also looking to consign. 572 E. 6th Ave. Open Mon.-Sat.
BodyWork Massage by Meg Bush 30, 60 & 90 min Meg Bush, LMT 970759-0199
Chapman Electric Professional, reliable repair and installation. Residential and commercial, new construction and remodels both big and small. Colorado licensed. Mike 970-4036670.
CommunityService AmeriCorps Position Available Put your passion for community service to work. Community Connections is seeking an AmeriCorps Member to strengthen cybersecurity and AI Readiness from Dec. 7, 2026 - Aug. 13, 2027. In this role, you’ll help local organiza-
HaikuMovieReview ‘Wicker’ A wonderfully woven basket of marriage, malice and magic – Lainie Maxson tions explore the impact of artificial intelligence while protecting private information. AmeriCorps Members receive a living stipend, education funding and professional development. View full position description and apply at https:// bit.ly/lfa-cci.
Wanted Books Wanted at White Rabbit Donate/Trade/Sell 970 259-2213
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Boiler Service - Water Heater Serving Durango over 30 years. Brad, 970-759-2869. Master Plbg Lic #179917
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For details email: missy@durangotelegraph.com Nov. 12, 2026 n 15
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