Post-Election Nov16015

Out with the old & in with the new

TERRY SELBY … was running KOTO when I came to town. Gave me my show, Afoot with Visions, back in the ‘80s. I was there for his wedding on Wrights Mesa. He and his wife split, but Mary Cal Hollis went on to run for President in 1996 (I voted for her) and vice-president in 2000 on the Socialist USA ticket … Terry’s passing brings back a lot of memories. KOTO was a bulwark for the arts, and Terry was always an ally. We were beard brothers back when a shaky Telluride Ski Area (and not yet Golf Corp) wouldn’t hire longhairs or men with beards … Selby was part of that great early-day progressive wave that was butting heads with local mercantilists -- after the flip from rundown mining camp to full-on airport-subsidized luxury resort. I seem to recall Terry getting on the SaMPA board back in the day. I’m certain he proposed low-interest loans for private alternative energy systems like solar – which could have over time lowered the company’s peak energy costs – only to get shot down by the cooperative. But the past is a rusty photograph … And I’d like to keep Terry’s grin and wry wit shiny in my mind.  What did he say when Captain Jack left us? “Jack was quite a daredevil” … May we all be.

RAC … The acronym for the National Association of Counties’ Rural Action Caucus. Which national committee just happens to be chaired by Ouray County’s own Comm. Lynn Padgett. Which was why the group held its annual Fall Symposium. There were several workshops on rural issues. I especially enjoyed one on Early Childhood Education with White House Domestic Policy Council Senior Rural Advisor Doug O’Brien … But the high point for me was my first Jeep Tour up to the Revenue Mine and Governor Basin to look at a proposed Good Samaritan mining project. Then a second leg up to Red Mountain for a look at Idarado CERCLA cleanup efforts on the other side of the range. I got to sit with my friend and former commissioner Alan Staehle, and we got a chance to reminisce and catch-up on issues. He even expressed an interest in possibly working this next summer as our two-county Alpine Ranger.

SPEAKING OF LYNN … She got caught in the renewed term limit fervor, and lost the chance to try for a third term over in Ouray County. Seems like the Koch Brothers’ push to punish progressives in government is continuing to work.

CAFFÈ SOLÉ … Got blown away going out for “some jazz” with a pal and getting front row seats for Teresa Carroll singing with the Dave Fulker Trio in Boulder a couple weeks back. What a treat. Had two glasses of effervescent (my friend was driving). Had to celebrate. I was feeling so incredibly good, listening to a woman’s soul. Hearing duende. And blues. And so many twists, soft to brash, it had my head turn. Foot keeping beat. For two sets. Bought the CD. Smile from River City Productions, Denver, 2003 … Dave’s bass-piano-horn was good. Teresa was real good <teresacarroll.com>

POTPOURRI … Saturday night at 7 pm in Fruita Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer and Judyth Hill will be joining me for the premiere appearance of a new Performance Poetry Trio we’re calling Ajar. Lithic Press & Bookstore (on a downtown Fruita roundabout corner) is hosting the party. Jack Mueller of Log Hill Village will be reading from his long-awaited new book, Budada … Distracted driving. There wasn’t any substance or liquid at fault. I was deeply absorbed in talking to my son, and by the time we saw the cop turning around, I just pulled over. Told him I was going to fast. Got my ticket. Shook his hand. Bad luck doesn’t have to be a disaster … Last time I was over on the Front Range I walked into Boulder’s first celebration of World Singing Day, started by Boulder musician Scott Johnson, three years ago. It’s an attempt to pull world communities together around the idea of singing. I found it lovely. Several local chorales. A songbook. People flocking to the songs <worldsingingday.org> …

THE TALKING GOURD

Term Limits

Thanks to you, my sometimes

inscrutable fellow

citizens

Power may not always

corrupt, but San Miguel voters

want to appear vigilant

Five terms & now I’ve been relieved of

my Thomas Merton-Harvey Milk

addiction to social justice

Riding a minor party

fence in all the arenas of

the dominant mess

Believe me, a lengthy T-ride run

surprised this Rainbow

most of all

Now, convicted, I’ve been

given a poetry reprieve

And I must confess

since these peaks first

claimed me, the lyric valuables

have been my preference

Government work is hit

& miss. Reactive. Short term thinking

& sometimes an infuriation

Still, what fun

working for the good of the People

in the People’s Steeple