”Wisdom gives a long good life.” Proverbs 3: 16

It is so wonderful to see the beauty of all those lovely ornamental trees in full white blossom along Maine Street in Eads. All around town there are many blooming trees. As I remember, Joyce Berry was one of the more instrumental persons on the volunteer committee to have trees to be planted around Eads. Rod Johnson was no doubt part of that improvement for our town also.

Gail Crawford of Eads, former teacher and coach at Eads High School, was inducted into the Colorado Hall of Fame April 17 in Denver by the Colorado Coaches Association at a fine dinner. Mr. Crawford was a coach for over 34 years in Eads, where he and his student athletes won many Colorado state championships and well as league trophies. Gail coached football, boys and girls basketball, baseball, track, and one year of volleyball. In addition, he was a fine classroom teacher. Some of those years he was the Athletic Director, plus, some years he served as the High School Principal. As my fellow teacher, I always knew him to be such a smiley, pleasant person who liked gospel music. He is also a good quartet singer. Gail and his wife, LaDonna, were pleased that their three children, Mike (Sara) of Kit Carson, Shelly (Mike) Hines, of Limon, and Monte (Kara) of Granada, and some of their grandchildren traveled to Denver to attend the awards dinner. Gail came to Eads as a first year teacher from Joses, Colorado. He and LaDonna have continued the live in Eads, where LaDonna works at GNBank, and Gail spends much of his time at the Eads golf club caretaking or playing golf. Gail’s former students and sports fans hold many fabulous and joyful memories of exciting ball games, and especially games in state playoffs because of Gail’s leadership and noble character.

When Eads senior citizens went into the center at noon last Wednesday, they were greeted by the sight of cute little ceramic bunnies on pastel table clothes. Director Gail Voss, President Sylvia Weeks, Mary Ellen Englehardt, Leanna Collins and others served the entrée of scalloped potatoes and ham at the smorgasbord of pot luck foods and desserts. Gail and Treasurer Joyce Berry invited the seniors the look in the kitchen the see the tall two door stainless steel refrigerator and the large oven in the adjoining room that was delivered in a moving truck. After the lunch, some ladies picked up and stored decorations since, that evening, the Eads High School juniors began to decorate for the school prom Saturday. Senior citizens can take part in the “chair exercises” Mondays at 2:00 p.m. and Tuesdays and Thursdays at 10:00 a.m. We especially liked talking with Marsha and Pam Mousel, who come most months from Aurora and Bennet the visit with Orville (age 102) and Rita (97) out in Kiowa Creek Estates. They take them food and see about their needs. Remember, the card game nights are Tuesdays about 6:45 p.m.

Many of us are ever so grateful that Dr. Sean Oquist comes Wednesdays to the Weisbrod Hospital Annex to give chiropractic adjustments to those who make appointments through the hospital number. I heard two avid fisherman talking in the lobby. The Sheridan Lake man said he had caught an 18 pound carp (I think) at the lakes. Sometimes he likes the challenge of fishing from a kayak - but he told me that it was larger than what I was imagining. The next hour, Tom and Juanita Olson of Eads told me that they go fishing at the lakes a lot and enjoy catching and freezing their fish in salt water and them cooking later.

We could tell that Jerry McDaniel, my neighbor on the corner, was glad to be alive because he had been taken on a helicopter to city for surgery since he had a sudden brain tumor. When he took off his cap, we could see the long bandage on the top of his head. We are thankful that his life was saved! No doubt his German shepherd dog and chickens missed him while he was gone.

G. L. Harkness of Towner wrote a very moving and emotionally descriptive article about the Arlington, Colorado, Cemetery that brought tears the some of us who have loved ones in that cemetery. The first person who was buried on top of that hill was a horse thief in the early settlement years. I remember being up there one year in the spring when the hillsides were covered with short lavender-purple flowering plants. I have never seen that since then. I guess the rains were just “right.” You know, we do see those prairie plant phenomena once in a while.

Ladies, there are two Mother’s Day Teas to plan for. The first is May 3 at 1:00 p.m. at the Haswell Senior Center. The other, is May 14 at 2:00 p.m. at Prairie Pines Assisted Living Community. One needs to make a reservation for this English tea time, for which the staff has to bake and make foods for the guests.

We saw Raelynn Riley and Koy Glover working to deliver “Meals on Wheels” last week while Areta Laird was with Terry to visit his sister, Cheree Mayhan, before she died in San Antonio, Texas. They visited with Terry’s sister, Melodie Lloyd, who came from Oklahoma, and Cheree’s children, Tabor and Molly.