The Durango Telegraph publishes every Thursday, come hell, high water, tacky singletrack or mon-
CAST: Doug Gonzalez, Pepper Trail,
On the cover The “wings” formation in the Bisti De-Na-Zin Wilderness Area, south of Farmington, appear to take flight on an autumn day./ Photo by Missy Votel
Ear to the ground:
“I cut way back; I don’t need that kind of stupidity in my life.”
– Oh tequila, why can’t we quit you?
Pika predicament
A new study by CU Boulder carries a warning for one of the Rocky Mountains’ most iconic animals, the American pika. The small, furry rodents can often be seen scurrying around Colorado’s high country, greeting travelers with their trademark squeaks.
However, researchers found these squeaks could be getting less frequent as temperatures across the Mountain West warm. The study, conducted at the Niwot Ridge Long Term Ecological Research site, north of Nederland, discovered that the “recruitment” of juveniles seems to have plummeted since the 1980s. In other words, these populations are becoming dominated by older adults, with fewer juveniles being born or migrating in.
The study draws on long-running surveys of pikas at the site in 2004 and from 200820. Those results were then compared to results of similar surveys taken at the same site, from 1981-90.
In the latest study, researchers found that the number of juveniles fell by roughly 50% from the 1980s to today. Chris Ray, lead author and a research associate at CU Boulder, noted her results support previous predictions that juvenile pikas may have trouble migrating through the Rockies as temperatures warm. To cross from one mountain habitat to another, pikas first have to climb down in elevation, facing hot conditions in the process.
She added that scientists have long predicted that climate change might threaten pikas in the American West, with summers growing warmer. However, this finding also could be a bellwether for all species, including humans. “The habitats where pikas live are our water tower,” Ray said. “The permafrost melts later in the summer, helping to replenish water supplies at a time when reservoirs are draining.”
The study was published in the journal “Arctic, Antarctic and Alpine Research.”
The American pika./ Photo by Steve Torbit/USFWS
LaVidaLocal opinion
An early bounty
I recently wrote an article, “Planting a Goal,” which laid out my plan to save up for a home by moving in with my parents. I hoped this saving process would be quick – taking maybe two years. But even with the savings I planned to accrue from staying with my parents, I knew I would need some help. After checking several mortgage assistance websites, I found a promising program offered to FLC employees through HomesFund.
Although this wouldn’t get me the plot of land where I en visioned living with friends and family, it would be the start of something! I marked down when to attend the next homebuyer education class and felt ready. However, it wasn’t until my entire homeowning timeline was fastforwarded that I realized I hadn’t given myself time to process what it may mean to own a home.
When I say this, I’m not necessarily referring to the maintenance or overhead cost of owning. I know things may break, crack or burst. As a renter for my entire time in Durango, I have not been en vious of some of the projects that befell my land lords. What I’m referring to is this question: Can homeowning be equitable? When finances are considered, does the ratio of the mortgage, utilities and maintenance paid by each person determine that person’s value to the home? How does the bank, or us for that matter, put a value on what each person brings to the household beyond monetary means? Family is not constructed through money alone.
roads and herds of deer so we could join him for Christmas. My friend would head home during the summers or long holiday breaks, my sister twice joining. It was on one of my friend’s last trips back that his father mentioned that he really enjoyed the time that he visited back in 2014. He said that it was the friends he made that made it so memorable. This provided a contrast to the societal norm that we can only get the greatest joy out of our partners or our children. What parts of our own joy might we be excluding ourselves from if we continue
One of my close friends, who I envisioned living on my little plot of land with me, lost his father this past September. I first met his father in the summer of 2014 while he was visiting for a couple of months. His stay lasted through the year, and he was able to join us at my mother’s house to ring in the new year.
Years later, we drove to his home in Minnesota, navigating the icy
Thumbin’It
Unlike everyone else in the world, La Plata Electric Association just announced it won’t be increasing rates in 2026 – so we got that going for us.
It appears as though DOGE is DONE. We’re not really sure what the whole point of the DOGE debacle was in the first place, unless it was to make people hate Elon Musk even more. In which case, it was highly successful.
A federal judge has ordered ICE agents in Colorado to follow the law and stop their current “pattern” of illegal activity, which includes arresting people without warrants and not first checking to see whether they are flight risks.
In October, my friend received his inheritance. Not long afterwards, he spoke with my family and I, asking if we wanted to search for a home together. We shared some links over Zillow, saving some while tossing others. We wanted a few acres of land and a house that was move-in ready.
We visited three homes the first day, guided by our fantastic realtor Tyler Frakes, and it was the second one that stood out. We quickly started envisioning what we might raise, grow and build there. We wondered how the land might heal us, and with the site of a former federal Indian boarding school not far away, how we might heal the land.
The only problem was, there was already a pending contract. There was still a possibility for that deal to not go through, and we hoped that would be the case. We crossed our fingers until, one day – the offer fell through! With the house now under contract with us, I know that our own offer may still fall through, but going through this process has helped me reevaluate what it means to equitably share a home. Homes are not simply constructed by their square footage or their walls. They are constructed through mental support in tough times. They are constructed by the meals that are made and shared after a long day. They are constructed by the design imbued within the furniture, paint and linens. With the mixed household I intend to call home soon, I look forward to all those things and am grateful for every bit that led up to it.
– Doug Gonzalez
SignoftheDownfall:
Trump continues to astound, showing us his vileness knows no boundaries, last week calling for the death of legislators who dared to stand up to his potentially illegal actions and referring to a reporter as “Piggie.” That’s Ms. Piggie to you, swine.
Reggae pioneer Jimmy Cliff died this week. Cueing up “Many Rivers to Cross” and pouring out a Red Stripe in his honor …
Apparently, Big Brother is watching us via city-contracted “Flock” cameras all over town, footage from which, in turn, is shared with law enforcement agencies around the country, including some who hand it over to ICE. Uh ... what the flock?
Teddy Scare
Earlier this month, FoloToy released a $99 talking bear named Kumma, but it was abruptly pulled from the market last week. It was powered by OpenAI’s GPT 4o, and a watchdog group found that under certain circumstances, Kumma could give children directions on where to find matches and knives, as well as advice on how to use paddles while adopting the “role of an animal” in the bedroom. Of course, this latest AI controversy has all the doomsdayers up in a tiff, but people who bought Kumma in time are lucky because advice that good usually costs a lot more than $99.
SoapBox
ICE is watching you
Driven in Durango lately? Your movements are recorded by Durango’s 21 “Flock” cameras. Durango shares records access with 603 law enforcement agencies (LEAs) nationwide; 60 have “287(g)” partnerships with ICE. These agreements allow LEAs to enforce laws but also enable ICE and ICE-partnered LEAs to search our community for migrant persons.
But don’t think “I’m not a lawbreaker (or, I’m white) so it doesn’t affect me.” You’re a surveillance target if you love freedom or speak out in defense of democracy – like most of us townies. Let’s face that fact, after many threats made by the current administration against free thinkers, calling us “the enemy within” and calling for the death penalty for those who say the law should be followed.
Women may be at most risk. Flock and similar surveillance systems have been used to track persons seeking reproductive care – as happened in Texas, even into states where abortion care is not criminalized like Colorado. As an Eff.org article puts it, “Yesterday’s license plate readers have mor-
phed into today’s reproductive dragnet.“ Reports say that ALPRs (automated license plate readers) have also been used for personal vendettas like stalking former girlfriends. This is totally unacceptable, yet beyond the ability of our local police to control since, by contract, Flock can share our information with any agency they choose –without even informing us.
We need answers:
1) Has the City of Durango adequately informed residents of the dangers associated with the Flock surveillance system?
2) Did residents give informed consent based on complete and accurate information reflecting all the relevant facts, alternatives and risks?
3) Were we informed of Flock’s contractual right to share information with (for example) Customs and Border Protection, without informing LEAs? They did so, as reported in August by 9 News Denver.
4) Is the “warrantless search” enabled by the Flock surveillance system a violation of 4th Amendment rights? Have residents lost those rights by failing to speak out?
D-Tooned/by Rob Pudim
5) What role did Durango’s system play in providing ICE with surveillance information leading to the abductions of the Jaramillo family and many others?
6) Has the City of Durango violated Colorado state law prohibiting in-state
LEAs from cooperating with ICE?
The City’s Flock contract is up for renewal – our chance to end this invasion of our security and privacy. Freedom-lovers, sign the Change.org petition (tiny url.com/4bbh4pch ) and email citycoun cil@durangogov.org to urge non-renewal
and to add this topic to the next agenda. Then show up to the City Council meetings Dec. 2 and Dec. 16 at 5:30 p.m. (5 p.m. if signing up to speak). And, lastly, watch the Facebook page for “Durango Neighborhood Action” for an upcoming event, hopefully with a speaker from the ACLU.
– Kirbie MacLaurin, Durango
Support affordable housing
My name is Patrick Valentine, and I am treasurer of the new board of directors for the nonprofit residentowned community (ROC) in Hermosa. We have 56 mobile homes in our community and two stick-built rental units.
We are attempting to buy our park from a private owner. The park owner wants current tenants to buy and preserve this low-income mobile home property, formerly called Hermosa Mobile Home Village. We are now under contract. We are supported by Thistle ROC, Colorado, a national 501(c)(3). Thistle has accessed financing on our behalf from ROC USA Capital, a nonprofit that specializes in lending to mobile home parks pursuing resident-owned communities. Assisting us on the Thistle ROC group is our primary facilitator Justin Holman who has been guiding us from the start.
ROC provides financing and technical assistance to mobile home park residents facing an ownership change, helping to cover the purchase price and prepurchase expenses, like attorney and engineering fees, through a pre-development loan. Thistle also will advise the board of directors for the duration of the loan; help residents understand financial issues; help run
community meetings; and set up a cooperative with an elected board of directors.
Another of Thistle’s Resident Owned Communities is the Animas View MHP Co-Op, which joined ROC on June 17, 2021. This property, on Animas View Drive, contains 120 homes.
We are writing to ask for assistance. We are a lowincome community with many residents living below the average median income. We conducted income surveys to comply with ROC USA’s lending terms and have come to the grim realization that individual rents will double with the park purchase. Many of our older residents live on fixed incomes, and this increase could create severe hardships for them.
In our efforts to keep low-income housing options in La Plata County, our board has determined that we need a substantial influx of cash to be able to lower the monthly rents by about $100 per lot per month. Our board is reaching out to all philanthropically minded individuals, groups, foundations and organizations as we seek financial contributions. We must raise $800,000. Time is of the essence; we have little time to obtain assistance.
If our ROC fails, the park owner will certainly remarket this property, and we any new purchaser will likely raise rents even higher to recoup their investment, forcing many here into oblivion.
Our board is composed of five park residents serving non-grata to facilitate this project. We have hired Reliance Management of Durango to oversee daily operations in our park.
We would be grateful if anyone could offer philanthropic donations to help preserve low-income hous-
ing in the Durango area. Most everyone is aware of the high costs of living in our beautiful town and the daily rising costs of life in general.
Please feel free to reach out to any of our board members if you want more information on our situation. Our hope is that we will find generous benefactors to support us.
Visit our website for more information: www.hermosavillagecommunity.org
– Jan Wesley, Brian Franks, Erica Stuart, Rob Kirby, Patrick Valentine, Hermosa Village Cooperative Board of Directors
Stop Trump’s attack on our lands
I am one of millions of Americans who loves our nation’s public lands. These are places where we go to breathe fresh air, enjoy time with our families and communities, and learn about our history, culture and the natural world.
For far too long, extractive industries like oil and gas, mining and logging were prioritized for most of the 245 million acres of public lands overseen by the Bureau of Land Management. Then last year, the BLM finalized its “Public Lands Rule” to make clear that conservation – including access to nature, protecting cultural areas and safeguarding wildlife habitat – is an essential use too. Now, the Trump Administration is seeking to repeal the rule and eliminate conservation as a use of these lands altogether.
More industrial development will mean less places for people to use and enjoy. We must act now to ensure our public lands are accessible for future generations.
– Lisa Helm, Aztec
WritersontheRange
Walking in gratitude
In nature, the reasons to be thankful are all around us if we only look
by Pepper Trail
On a recent walk through the woods of southern Oregon, I found myself thinking about my feelings of gratitude as I looked at everything around me that spoke of a long and brilliant fall.
I took delight in the abundant crops of acorns and bright red madrone berries. The madrone trees were thronged with feeding robins and hermit thrushes, and the oaks were alive with squirrels, jays and woodpeckers. Although neither acorns nor madrone berries will be part of my Thanksgiving feast, my feeling of thanks for this bounty came easily and naturally.
Then, farther up the trail, I passed through a stand of dead ponderosa pines. Throughout the West, many forests are experiencing severe conifer dieoffs, and these skeletal dead trees represent fuel for the wildfires that we all fear. Looking up at them, I certainly didn’t feel any stirrings of gratitude.
But just then, a hairy woodpecker landed in the largest snag and began to hammer away, anticipating a feast of beetle grubs. For the woodpecker – and the beetle grubs – the dead trees were a gift, something to be grateful for.
So, what else was I missing? I looked down at my feet. There was the usual jumble of the forest floor: fallen leaves and conifer needles, bits of lichen, with some scattered manzanita berries. If anything in nature deserves to be called humble, it’s layers of decay like this.
But as soon as I knelt and focused my attention, there it was, waiting to be acknowledged: gratitude. From a nearby clump of brush came the sounds of a towhee’s big feet scratching through the fallen leaves. For towhees, the duff is a banquet table, spread with a cornucopia of seeds, insects, sowbugs and spiders. For the seeds, the litter of the forest
floor is where they need to be, where they have their only chance to germinate and grow. For the insects, sowbugs and spiders, it is a world complete, their grazing land and hunting ground, the habitat that makes their lives possible.
I stood and took a long drink from my water bottle. That water came from the watershed surrounding me, its stream fed by snowmelt and filtered through the ancient granite soils of the Siskiyou Mountains. I took a deep breath. The oxygen that filled my lungs and keeps me alive is the gift of photosynthesis, produced over billions of years by plants and cyanobacteria.
To state the obvious, none of this –none – is humanity’s doing. The birds, the berries, the decaying leaves, the spiders and the sowbugs, the life-giving
atmosphere and the live-giving water – all are gifts that we receive, some so essential we cannot imagine their absence. Others are so useful it seems they were made for us especially, and for those, we sometimes remember to be grateful. Others appear to be of no use to us whatsoever, or even intended for our harm – would we ever be grateful for those?
But nothing in nature is wasted.
Every gift given is accepted: the dead tree by the beetle, the beetle by the woodpecker, the woodpecker by the hawk, the dead hawk by the scavengers, then by the decomposers, then by the germinating ponderosa pine seed rising from the fertile duff.
All of this is one oversimplified cycle of gift exchange. The world we inhabit is a web of reciprocity far beyond our
ability to comprehend, much less control. To be alive at all seems a miracle.
As we celebrate Thanksgiving, let us imagine the world we share with every living thing. Let us give thanks for this planet, this blue and green ball spinning in a lifeless void, holding us all and making possible our every heartbeat, our every breath. And not just ours, but the existence of all life and all the interrelations that make our world healthy and resilient and diverse and beautiful.
This year, when I sit down to my Thanksgiving feast, surrounded by loved ones, I will try to be mindful of every kind of giving thanks.
Pepper Trail is a contributor to Writers on the Range, writersontherange.org, an independent nonprofit dedicated to spurring lively conversation about the West. He is a writer and ecologist in Oregon.■
Stepping down
CPW Director Jeff Davis, who oversaw wolf reintroduction, moving on to new role
by Tracy Ross / The Colorado Sun
The director of Colorado Parks and Wildlife, who ushered in the state’s wolf reintroduction program amid widespread scrutiny over many of his decisions, is stepping down.
Jeff Davis announced Tuesday he will move to the Colorado Department of Natural Resources as a senior policy advisor for strategic priorities.
Replacing him as interim director is retired Maj. Gen. Laura Clellan, formerly the executive director of the Colorado Department of Military and Veterans Affairs. She will start Dec. 1.
A statement from Gov. Jared Polis on Tuesday said Clellan comes to CPW “with extensive management, organization and military experience.”
In her civilian life, Clellan was chief for leadership and employee development in the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Lakewood and worked for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. For the state, she served as adjutant general and executive director of the Colorado Department of Military and Veterans Affairs before retiring in October.
Clellan has more than three decades of decorated military service and multiple overseas deployments. According to reports, she was the first openly LGBTQ woman to hold the role of adjutant general of the Colorado National Guard.
Polis thanked Davis for his leadership and said he is “grateful” to have Clellan step in as acting director while the state works with the CPW commission to find a new director.
Dan Gibbs, executive director at Col-
leased in Pitkin County in January, when the agency also released 15 wolves from British Columbia between Pitkin and Eagle counties.
Davis and CPW’s latest struggle came in October, when the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said Colorado could no longer import wolves from British Columbia, citing permit violations the agency has denied making. Then, Nov. 18, the state of Washington denied CPW’s request to source wolves from there, citing its declining gray wolf population.
Prior to coming to CPW, Davis had a nearly 23-year career with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, serving as a biologist, a forest and fish manager, deputy assistant director and the assistant director of the agency’s habitat program.
Gibbs said Davis leaves the division “in a much better place internally as well as with a notable record of achievement and progress in areas of building a stronger culture, wildlife management, and stakeholder involvement and engagement.”
orado’s DNR, said Davis came to CPW “during a period of uncertainty and change with a number of significant wildlife and recreation issues landing at his feet almost immediately.”
Chief among them was Colorado’s voter-mandated wolf reintroduction, which began in 2020 with an existing divide between wolf advocates, who wanted wolves restored in Colorado, and ranchers, who didn’t.
CPW captured 10 wolves in Oregon in December 2023 and released them between Grand and Summit counties that month. Not long after, a wolf from each
of those releases found each other in Grand County, mated and, in June 2024, CPW reported they had pups.
After repeated attacks on livestock by the male wolf and possibly the female on a ranch near Kremmling, Davis ordered CPW to capture the family group that had been named the Copper Creek Pack and transfer them to a holding facility.
That action incited anger from advocate groups, who admonished Davis for human interference with the wolves, and from ranchers, who wanted the wolves killed. The saga continued when Davis ordered the Copper Creek wolves re-re-
Rob Edward, president of the Rocky Mountain Wolf Project, said “Director Davis has served with honor and great dignity during what’s shaped up to be a historic period in the long arc of wildlife conservation. His stewardship of the agency, and specifically Colorado’s wolf restoration program, was admirable. He’s proven himself to be a thoughtful public servant and a history-making steward of Colorado’s wildlife and wild places.”
The Colorado Sun is a nonprofit, awardwinning news outlet covering Colorado. Sign up for their newsletters and follow them on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Bluesky ■
Jeff Davis, Colorado Parks and Wildlife director, addresses an invite-only group of wolf reintroduction stakeholders at a gathering at Don Gittleson's ranch in Northern Colorado on June 15, 2024. / Photo by Tracy Ross, The Colorado Sun
Pie anxiety
One bakery, hundreds of pies and the clock is ticking – but they got this
by Missy Votel
Whoever coined the phrase “easy as pie” didn’t know what they were talking about. For, as anyone who has ever undertaken such a culinary endeavor knows, there is nothing easy about making pie. From achieving the perfect flaky golden crust and the decorative crimp that doesn’t look like a 4-year-old’s handiwork (unless that’s what you’re going for) to the caramelized deliciousness on top, the entire process is rife with pitfalls. And, sorry to break it to you, but Pillsbury is cheating.
Fortunately, for those of us with two left thumbs, local options abound for that rustic “I made it myself” pie (a little white lie never hurt anyone). Thanks to options like Serious Delights, inside Nature’s Oasis, pop-up farmers markets and Durango’s OG bakery, Bread, one need not even turn the oven on. And for those brave enough to do so, we offer you a rolling pin salute.
However, lest you think the pie fairy magically delivers those delicious, buttery masterpieces in their pristine white bakery boxes, there is actually a lot more that goes into churning out hundreds of handmade pies for your holiday feast.
“There is some anxiety,” Jeffe Morehart, co-owner of Bread bakery, said. “There is a lot of planning that goes into it.”
Morehart estimates that this year, the bakery will make between 300-400 pumpkin, apple and chocolate pecan pies. (Sorry, no mincemeat, as no one is really sure what that is anyway – not even Morehart.)
Bread, which opened in 1998, started making pies for the holidays in 2001. Before that, pie-making duties were farmed out to local baker Mary Anne Griffin. Morehart said up until about 15 years ago, Bread was the only game in town turning out locally made Thanksgiving pies en masse. And, when they started down that lonely road of local pie purveyor, there was a bit of a learning curve.
“Like, how far do you plan ahead? Turns out, as far ahead as you can,” Morehart said, with a caveat. “But, if custard sits around too long, it separates, so it's not like you can really get that far ahead, because we're still scratch baking.”
Bear in mind, these pie duties are in
addition to all the other products the bakery produces on the regular, from baguettes and sandwiches to scones, muffins and those ridiculously awesome cookies. As a result, Morehart and partner, Val Bosviel, begin the pie-making procession around the time you’re still in pumpkin-carving mode. In mid-October, the bakery starts making and freezing pie dough in preparation for the Thanksgiv-
ing feeding frenzy. As Morehart said, the dough is the only part of the pies that is made that far ahead of time.
“We freeze the dough, which is beneficial in its own right, because it kind of helps it chill out a little and makes it just a little bit more receptive to shaping,” she explained.
Then, a few days before that last Thursday in November, it’s all hands on
deck. The 40-person staff works in shifts pretty much around the clock starting at 3:30 a.m., slicing and dicing, whipping up giant vats of pumpkin custard (pumpkin puree, cream, sugar and eggs) in the industrial mixer and assembling the togo boxes. Then, there is the all-important rolling-out-of-the-crust (which is not parbaked, BTW) and the pièce de résistance of any good pie, the edge crimp.
“That's the hardest part,” said Morehart. And although the job of crimping, which is shared by many, does not require passing a skills test, there is some scrutiny involved. “You can't screw up the crimping, because otherwise you get a custard flood. You don't want a custard flood.”
Then, it’s go time – a constant rotation of pies in and out of the oven, which let’s just say receives a workout (and is the reason your glasses fog up inside on a cool morning.) Morehart said Bread bakes about three or four dozen pies at a time, which are then sent to the cooling rack before reaching your hot little hands.
While most are already spoken for, they do make extras for anyone who gets that last-minute invite or has unexpected guests. And, for you slackers out there, if you happen to read this in time, Bread will be open Thursday till noon.
Then, it’s time for the pie makers to call it good, go home to their families and friends, and take a breather until the next holiday dessert rodeo. Yep, fruitcake.
“That’s next week that we start that,” said Morehart, “because you’ve got to get it all infused. You have to get the booze in it.”
Then it has to be stored in grandma’s dark closet for several weeks? Well, not quite; in this case, they go into the fridge – and then the whole holiday baking frenzy begins anew. And if you’re wondering who still eats fruitcake, Morehart said you’d be surprised.
“There are a lot a lot of people who like it; more people than you'd think,” she said.
In fact, she said the oft-maligned seasonal treat gets a bad rap, and she even ventured so far as to call it delicious and promised to send me one for the holidays.
Challenge accepted. ■
A pumpkin pie surrounded by a mountain of boxes at Bread bakery. The local bakery expects to churn out between 300-400 pies this year for Thanksgiving – a process that starts in October. / Courtesy photo
Bread co-owner Jeffe Morehart displays the three types of pies the bakery makes for the holidays: pumpkin, apple and chocolate pecan./ Photo by
Counterclockwise from above left: Executing the all-important crust crimp./ Courtesy photo. A sign alerting customers to get on it, and a finished apple pie –just one of 300-400 pies Bread makes every year for Thanksgiving./ Photos by Missy Votel telegraph
Missy Votel
Thursday27
Manna’s Thanksgiving Community Meal, 9 a.m.-1 p.m., 1100 Avenida Del Sol
Durango Turkey Trot, 10 a.m., FLC clock tower
Ben Gibson plays, 5:30-9 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave.
Bluegrass Jam, 6-9 p.m., Durango Beer and Ice Co., 3000 Main Ave.
Friday28
Holiday Family Drive Kick Off, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., TBK Bank, 259 W 9th St.
The new black, winter refuge and early resolutions
Interesting fact: Philadelphia police described the chaotic shopping day after Thanksgiving as Black Friday back in the 1950s. They have to grease the lampposts after winning a football game there, so you KNOW Black Friday gets intense.
Dear Rachel,
It really bugs me that Black Friday has become such a major holiday. Not only because we follow our one day of togetherness with a day of crass consumerism. But also because it’s just got a horrible name. “Black Friday” sounds like a day of dread and destruction. Which, I guess it kind of is. So why do we celebrate this like we do?
Dear Dark Forecast,
– Bleak Friday
What could possibly be more American than the one-two punch of Thanksgiving and Black Friday? We gorge ourselves on harvest foods, except instead of being healthy about it we drench them in marshmallows, maple syrup, margarine and Coca-Cola. Then we seize our phones in the dead of night to capitalize on cheap crap,
Festival of Trees & Wreaths, Dec. 57, 12 noon-5 p.m., Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad Museum, 479 Main Ave.
Holiday Arts and Crafts Festival, Fri., Dec. 5, 1-5 p.m., La Plata County Fairgrounds
Durango First Friday, Fri., Dec. 5, 47 p.m., Downtown Durango
Fill Your Bowl 2025 annual fundraiser, Fri., Dec. 5, 5 p.m., Dancing Spirit Center for the Arts 465 Goddard Ave., Ignacio
Ignacio Taste of Christmas Community Celebration, Fri., Dec. 5, 5-8 p.m., ELHI Community Center, 115 Ute St., Ignacio,
Kathryn Stedham’s “The Expansive West” artist reception and painting demonstration, Fri., Dec. 5, 5-8 p.m., Blue Rain Gallery, 934 Main Ave., Unit B
most of which was marked up last week to make the sales seem steeper. This is what we live for.
– God bless the USA, Rachel
Dear Rachel,
All my friends leave me this time of year. They all have places in San Miguel or Scottsdale. Do they even think to invite me, their staunch summertime friend? Yes, they do. But do they offer to fly me down there? Hell no. What makes them think I can afford a plane ticket? I can’t even afford a lift ticket. I’m stuck here snowshoeing without friends. I need some new, better ones who don’t migrate. What advice can you give an old bird on making winter friends?
– Snowed Out
Dear Fair-Weather Friend, I can think of only one way to attract friends in this place at any stage: Costumes. Organize a themed costumenot-optional snowshoe outing and see who shows up. I can’t make you any promises on age, income level or friendship quality, but I can guarantee that they will show up with alcohol.
Art Squirrels’ exhibit “Melange,” opening reception, Fri., Dec. 5, 6-8 p.m., Stillwater Music, 1316 Main Ave., Ste. C
Holiday on the Hill, Fri., Dec. 5, 7 p.m., FLC Community Concert Hall
St. Mark’s Christmas Bazaar, Sat., Dec. 6, 8:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m., St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, 910 E. 3rd Ave.
Holiday Arts and Crafts Festival, Sat., Dec. 6, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., La Plata County Fairgrounds
St. Columba Christmas Bazaar, Sat., Dec. 6, 9 a.m.-4 p.m., St. Columba Church Gymnasium, 1800 E 2nd Ave.
Holiday Market, Sat., Dec. 6, 12 noon-4 p.m., Ska Brewing, 225 Girard St.
Holiday Arts and Crafts Festival, Sun. Dec. 7, 10 a.m.-3 p.m., La Plata County Fairgrounds
And that is the best way to make friends, whether for a day or the rest of your life – which could be the same thing if you get drunk together up a mountain in the winter.
– Flipping the snow bird, Rachel
Dear Rachel, Forget New Year’s resolutions. We really should have Thanksgiving resolutions. I’m never so motivated to get in shape as I am right after watching the Cowboys on TV, meanwhile I can hardly run back to the kitchen. Plus a new gym membership would give me a good excuse to leave the house when the in-laws come back for Christmas. Hey Rachel, let’s make this a thing. Whaddya say? – Gym Rat
Dear Workout Mouse, The way to make this happen isn’t through me – it’s through the gyms that could start running killer Black Friday sales. “Forget door busters! Sign up today for our Turkey Busters!” “Stuffing got you swollen? Get swol with us!” “Stuck with your toxic family during the holidays? We can’t help with that.
“A Patchwork Christmas” presented by Mancos Valley Chorus, Sun., Dec. 7, 3 p.m., 470 Grand Ave., Mancos
The Bizarre Bazaar, Sun., Dec. 12, 59 p.m., Studio & Gallery, 1027 Main Ave.
The Bizarre Bazaar, Sat., Dec. 13, 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Studio & Gallery, 1027 Main Ave.
Odds-N-Ends Christmas Bazaar, Sat., Dec. 13, 11 a.m.-4 p.m., The Subterrain, 900 Main Ave., Ste. F
Winter Wonderbands student music showcase, Sat., Dec. 13, 12 noon-6:30 p.m., Stillwater Music, 1316 Main Ave., Ste C
The Bizarre Bazaar, Sun., Dec. 14, 11 a.m.-4 p.m., Studio & Gallery, 1027 Main Ave.
Email Rachel at telegraph@durango telegraph.com
But you can hit a punching bag!” Might need some work, but what do you expect for 80% off with a 12month commitment?
– One set of three, Rachel
Adult Ukulele Concert, Tues., Dec. 16, 7:30-9:30 p.m., Stillwater Music, 1316 Main Ave., Ste. C
The Majesty of Christmas presented by the San Juan Symphony, Fri., Dec. 19, 4 and 7 p.m., St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, 910 E 3rd Ave.
New Year’s Eve African Dance Party w/ Blessing Bled Chimanga, Wed., Dec. 31, 8 p.m., Durango Arts Center, 802 E 2nd Ave.
Deadline to submit items for “Stuff to Do” is Monday at noon. Please include: • Date and time of event • Location of event
E-mail your stuff to: calendar@durango telegraph.com
FreeWillAstrology
by Rob Brezsny
ARIES (March 21-April 19): Here are two of your birthrights as an Aries: to be the spark that ignites the fire and the trailblazer who doesn’t wait for permission. I invite you to embody both of those roles in coming weeks. But keep these caveats in mind: Your flame should provide light and warmth but not rouse scorching agitation. Your intention should be to lead the way, not stir up drama or demand attention. Be bold and innovative, my dear, but always with rigorous integrity. Be sensitive and receptive as you unleash your gorgeous courage. In my vision, you’re the wise guide who inspires and includes, who innovates and reflects. You fight for interdependence, not dominance.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Here’s a key theme: microdoses of courage. You don’t need to summon splashy acts of epic heroism. Subtle rebellions against numbness and ignorance may be all that’s required. Your understated superpowers will be tactful surges of honesty and gentle interventions in challenging transitions. So be brave in ways that feel manageable. Don’t push yourself to be a fearless warrior. The trembling truth-teller is your best role model. As an experiment to get started, say yes to two things that make you nervous but don’t terrify you.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Your inner ear contains three canals filled with fluid. They act like gyroscopes, telling you which way is up, how fast you’re moving and when to stop. Your ability to maintain your balance depends on their service. Without them, you couldn’t orient yourself in space. Moral of the story: You stabilize yourself through constant adjustment. Let’s make this a metaphor for your current assignment. Your ability to remain poised, centered and grounded will require ongoing adaptations. It won’t work to remain still. You have to keep calibrating and adapting.
CANCER (June 21-July 22): Let’s extol the value of productive confusion: the disorienting state when your old maps no longer match the territory. Your beloved certainties shudder and dissipate, and you don’t know what you don’t know. This isn’t a failure of understanding but the ripe precondition for a breakthrough. The caterpillar doesn’t smoothly or instantly transition into a butterfly. First it dissolves into chaotic goo and simmers there for a while. Conclusion: Stay in the not-knowing a little longer.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Coffee from Java, orchids from Iceland and grapes from Vesuvius: What do these bounties have in common? They flourish in the extra fertile soil created by volcanic eruptions. The molten lava that initially leveled everything in its path later cooled and became a repository of rich nutrients. I expect a milder version of this theme for you. Events and energies that at first cause disruption will eventually become vitalizing and even healing. Challenges will lead to nourishment.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Gardeners in Japan spend years training bonsai trees to grow into elegant shapes. The process requires extraordinary patience, close listening and an intimate relationship with an ever-changing life form. I invite you to approach your current projects with this mindset. You may feel tempted to expedite the growth that’s unfolding. You might feel pressure to “complete” or “optimize.” But the flourishing of your work depends on subtle attunement not brute progress. Pay tender attention to what wants to emerge slowly. Tend to it with care. Time is your collaborator, not your enemy. You’re weaving lasting beauty.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): The Swedish concept of lagom means “not too much, not too little, but just right.” It suggests that the best option may be in the middle rather than in the extremes. Yes, sometimes that means an uneasy compromise. But more often, it’s how power and virtue come fully alive and thrive. Many people don’t like this fact of life. They are fixated on the delusion that more is better. In coming weeks, I invite you to be a connoisseur of lagom. To do it right, you may have to strenuously resist peer pressure and groupthink.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): In Bangkok markets, elderly women sell caged birds. Why? For the specific purpose of releasing them. Those who buy a captive sparrow or dove immediately open the cage door and let the creature fly away in a symbolic gesture of compassion and spiritual aspiration. It’s a Buddhist act believed to bring good karma to the person who sets the bird free. I invite you to imagine yourself performing this or conducting an actual ritual with the equivalent purpose. Now is a fun and fertile time to liberate an outdated belief, a conversation you keep replaying or a version of yourself that’s no longer relevant. Take your cue from the signs from the Bangkok market: Letting go is a form of prayer.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): The world’s oldest known musical composition is the Hurrian Hymn No. 6. It was discovered etched on clay tablets dating back to 1400 BCE. When decoded and performed, it revealed harmonies that still resonate with modern listeners. Your projects in coming months could share this timeless quality. You will have an enhanced power to bridge your past and future. A possibility you’ve been nurturing for months or even years may finally ripen into beautiful completion. Watch for opportunities to synergize tradition with innovative novelty or deep-rooted marvels with sweet, breezy expression.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): I’m taking a risk by urging you to at least flirt with the Finnish tradition of drinking alcohol at home alone in your underwear with no intention of going out. I’m certainly not encouraging you to get so hammered that you can’t safely wander outdoors. My point is to give yourself permission to celebrate your amazing, mysterious, beautiful life with a bout of utterly uninhibited relaxation and totally indulgent contentment. I authorize you to be loose, free and even slightly irresponsible. Let your private pleasures reign supreme.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): In the Quechua language, the word ayllu refers to a kinship of people, animals, dreams and nature. To be aligned with one’s ayllu is to live in reciprocity among the entire web of life. “We belong to what we love,” the Quechua elders say. Who or what comprises your circle of belonging? Which beings, places and unseen presences help weave your treasured destiny? As you nourish your connections in coming weeks, pay special attention to those who respect your idiosyncrasies. It’s not your birthright to simply fit in. Your utter uniqueness is one of your greatest gifts, and it’s your sacred duty to give it.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): In Yoruba cosmology, the divine spirit Oshun presides over rivers, love, beauty and water. But her sweetness isn’t a weakness. It’s a sublime power, as evidenced by how her waters once restored life to the barren earth. You are now channeling extra strong currents of Oshun energy. Your tenderness is magnetic. Your imagination is valuable as gold. And your love, when rooted in self-respect, is healing. But don’t let your nurturing be exploited. Choose wisely where you share your bounty. The right people will honor your flow, not judge or try to change it. Your duty is to be uninhibitedly yourself and let your lyrical truths ripple freely.
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Announcements
FCSM Application for 0% Loans for local organic farmers and food entrepreneurs that utilize their goods will be available online Dec. 1 @ www.fourcornersslowmoney.org. Deadline for applications is Jan. 3, 2026
Classes/Workshops
Join K-Lea Gifford for Mindful Movement to Release and Restore Winter Workshops. Held on six Saturdays at 10:30 AM in The Smiley Building, RM 32. Dec 13: Pelvic Floor, Dec 20: Neck & Shoulders, Jan 3: Hips, Jan 17: Yoga on the Ropes, Feb 7: Psoas, Feb 14: Backbends. Six-class package: $240. Single workshop: $45 pre-registered, $50 at the door. Details and registration: www.k-lea.com.
A Martial Art for Kind Humans
Slow learner? Two left feet? Kindhearted? Aikido may be your jam. Weekly Crash Course and Starter Series available now (adults 18+). Details and registration at durangoaikido.com.
Men's
Yoga
Every Tuesday, 7:30-8:30 AM at Yogadurango. All levels welcome.
Wanted
Books Wanted at White Rabbit
Donate/Trade/Sell 970 259-2213
BodyWork
Massage by Meg Bush
LMT, 30, 60 & 90 min., 970-759-0199.
ForRent
Small Studio House
Private yard, 2-car parking, near College Hill & DNF. $950/mo. Call Chip @ 970-403-4989. Please leave msg.
Help Cid Come Home
Last seen July 21, 2024, by St. Columba Church. He is chipped, missing left canine tooth, white, big black spots, green eyes. Reward $2000. 970-403-6192.
ForSale
2011 Toyota Avalon
144k miles, interior and exterior in excellent shape, well maintained. $11,000 OBO. 520-227-0732
Peak by Bode Miller SC 98 Skis 168cm length, 98mm underfoot. Atomic Strive 14GC bindings. Exc. cond and ready to rip! $399 OBO. Text: 970749-2595
Reruns Home Furnishings
Time to refresh your indoor space. Rolling wooden bar, nightstands, mirrors, lamps, cool artwork and lots more! Also looking to consign smaller furniture pieces. 572 E. 6th Ave. Open Mon.-Sat.
2007 Subaru Outback
Well-maintained, new timing belt and water pump, head gaskets replaced, two new sets of struts, good snow tires. 227,000 miles. $5,500. 970-759-0551
Services
Boiler Service - Water Heater
Serving Durango over 30 years. Brad, 970-759-2869. Master Plbg Lic #179917
Chapman Electric
Colorado licensed and insured electrician. Mike 970-403-6670
‘The Wrath of Becky’ Perfect Thanksgiving movie, full of gratitude, violence and revenge –
CommunityService
Dog Fosters Needed
Parker’s Animal Rescue needs foster families to provide temporary homes for rescued dogs. We supply crates, food, leashes, toys and support and vet visits. Apply at: parkersanimalresuce.com.
Yoga of Recovery: Free classes Tuesdays 10-11:15 a.m., Smiley Bldg, #20A. Gentle movement, breathwork and meditation. Find support for addictive tendencies, sober curiosity or your recovery journey. Registration req’d at innerpeace yogatherapy.com/locations/durango/
Engaging Volunteer Opportunity
Alternative Horizons needs volunteers to staff our hotline. Training provided. For info., visit alternativehorizons.org
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