"The Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.” Psalm 121:8

God always keeps His eye on His children, and we do have a number of those adults and children in Kiowa County. One of the best things that happened in Kiowa County last week was the official opening of the Little Learners Child Care Center in Eads. After a long time of planning and remodelin,g this dream for the needs of parents has come true according to Tina (Walker) Kraft, the director. Having the Child Care Center again should be so helpful for working parents. 

Another dream came true last week for Jordan (Barnett) Buck, who is a young lawyer and opening an office in Eads. Jordon plans to have office hours in Eads two Fridays a month. She had an open house last Friday, and served beautiful thick sugar cookies which were decorated with her brand with an unusual firm tasty frosting by Christina Wolf. I think that her grandfather, Myrl Legg, a former lawyer, and her grandmother, Geraldine, a former Mayor of Eads, would be so proud of Jordon, who is such a gracious young lady lawyer.

Congratulations to Loraine (Niemann) Saffer of Eads, who has been invited by Governor Polis to serve on the Education Leadership Council until August 2023. Although Loraine is a busy lady who travels to Lamar or other regional schools daily as the CEO of the Southeast Board of Cooperative Education Services which serves area schools, we are glad that she is taking time in her life to travel some more to represent the views of folks in southeast Colorado. One of the missions of the Council is to improve alignment education with the workforce.

The Women Empowered group served a nice fundraiser meal Thursday night at Eads High School. These ladies are dedicated to building a scholarship fund. What a great idea on the evening of the Parent –Teacher Conferences.

After I heard someone call Mr. Joe Wagner, Dr. Wagner, I went to ask the young man to tell me about his degree. He received his Doctorate in Forensic Science and Investigation last fall. The word among the students is that he is a good teacher and counselor to many. His home area is Wiley, where he lives with his wife and young family. He said that he is happy to teach here in Eads. 

At the Eads Chamber of Commerce meeting Wednesday, the Treasurer, Marilyn Baxter, reported that she has received several checks for dues. This is a reminder that individuals or businesses can still send in their membership dues. It was mentioned that the men who own the Travelodge plan to remodel four rooms at a time and will open for business with them. That is a good thing because it was reported that the Cobblestone Inn is full every night, primarily with workers for the Kit Carson School and the railroad. Cindy McLoud told us about her new venture, the opening of The Treasure, an antique store, in the former Bart Michael (Beeson) building, which should be a prime location for business off Highway 287, which connects the ports to the plains (Mexico to Canada). 

The monthly brunch at the Eads Senior Citizen Center was even more special than usual, not just because we had such good foods to eat, but because we left with more hope for our future. The reason was that guests Jan Richards and Belinda Zink, the architect, told us that more contracts have been signed and the paint colors have been selected for the new center. The commissioners have contracted with the contractor who has nearly finished the beautiful new National Park Service building that adjoins our rooms. Thankfully Cindy McLoud, was there to explain some of the building questions, plus she has been working with Jan in the Kiowa County Economic Development Foundation office on the finances.

Some of the Valentine activities that are happening this week include the hosting a dinner at the fairgrounds Friday. Also Friday, the 2:00 pm coffee hour at Prairie Pines will include cupid floats and jelly filled donuts. Cindy Newman has several printed paper activities like puzzles for the residents and friends. People can buy lovely gifts and balloons from Demitasse and Kiowa HealthMart, which can be delivered. What a good chance to treat your loved one(s) special. 

We are sorry to hear of the death of Charlotte Irene Beeson, formerly of Eads. Besides the legacy of raising many children, Charlotte left warm memories of writing greeting cards to many people during her lifetime. She was such a dear peaceful lady.

The Eads Eagle teams were in out of town competitions last weekend. This week on Thursday at 3:00 p.m. there will be basketball games with South Baca in Eads, and Friday the games with Cheraw in Eads will begin at 4:00 p.m. The County Line Rival wrestlers will be at the regional tournament on Saturday.

Men and women who are interested in studying the language and customs of Israel are welcome to come to my home Tuesdays from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. The teacher and artist, Liz Hulteen, has a wealth of knowledge and experience to share with her book on the 50 paintings of women in the Bible.

Remember, love one another!