“Thank the Lord for all the glorious things He does.” Psalm 105:1

The annual Fall Bazaar was organized by Linda Trosper and the Weisbrod Hospital Auxiliary. The Auxiliary ladies and Linda have hosted this November event for over 35 years to earn money to fund gifts or goods to make the lives of residents of the Weisbrod Extended Care Unit a happier place to be. Linda and Vice President Diana Flory were very grateful to all the businesses and individuals who donated items for the popular drawing. Children of the Cloverbud 4-H Club and leaders, Tim and Gloria Trosper, offered breakfast and lunch foods for shoppers to buy. Their entrees of three soups and sandwiches were popular. There was a gorgeous array of foods, crafts. and usable items for sale.

Wednesday morning, the Cobblestone Inn meeting room was overflowing with people for “community conversation.” Some felt like me - they didn’t know what they were going to hear, but because the advertisement said “community,” we went. I love my Eads and Kiowa County community. Southeast Mental Health Group Director, Dr. J. C. Carrica invited the people to serve themselves donuts and breakfast burritos and coffee during the hour-long coffee break. Dr. Carrica explained that these coffee breaks came about after volunteer people from each county meet monthly to consider how the Southeast Health Group can assist or help each respective county. The Kiowa County board’s core members are Dan Richards, Deborah Gooden, Brenda Fickenscher, and Kourtney Richards. Concern for people of the plains grew after four men associated with agricultural careers in Kiowa County committed suicide. The Director told and showed slides of some answers for these problems in other counties. He emphasized that we need to recognize and deal with the stigma of needing or having mental health care or counseling because this is so needed by many people.

At noon Wednesday, the Eads Senior Citizens Center dining room was filled with people who enjoyed dining on the three turkeys that Marsha Schmitt Mousel and Pam Mousel brought down from Denver for Gail Voss to roast and serve with delicious side dishes and desserts. Jim Collins, the area senior director came, but had a meeting in Rocky Ford, so he will attend in December to hear ideas of any needs we may have. Joyce Berry reported on our finances and that David Englehardt quickly installed the new transparent type shades. He has been a real blessing to our center. She indicated that it is helpful when people donate when they eat if they don’t bring foods for the meals. We thank the generous men who have donated to buy the meat for many of our monthly dinners. The brunch will be December 1, and monthly lunch will be December 21.

It was heartwarming to see all the elementary and middle school children and most teachers spill out of the Eads school onto Maine Street as the family of Landyn Weeks of Wiley Middle School slowly drove by. The children and adults were cheering and waving to Landyn who going to Denver for his last chemotherapy treatment for the cancer he has been battling for several years. It was encouraging to his parents, Dea and Samantha Weeks, and sister, Paisley, to see the support and encouragement of his grandparent’s town. Tim and Sylvia Weeks and Allen and Marie Watts love their eighth grade grandson.

Many family members and friends braved the coldness November 16 to attend the burial of Steve G. Myers of Stratford, Texas, formerly of Eads, at the Eads Cemetery. It was heartwarming to watch from my van. I often remember when Lee Brown, now of Texas also, said to me years ago after the death of his young daughter, “Miss Less, life is fragile.”

Thursday, Maria Mitchek’s funeral was in Kit Carson, with her burial in Cheyenne Wells. Her family and friends returned to the Kit Carson Community Building for a lunch furnished by folks from the four Kit Carson churches. Maria’s sons, Alex and Paul, who attend Kit Carson High School, are dear to the people around Kit Carson and other towns. Their father, Ervin, has been hospitalized for several months.

The All-Conference Hi-Plains League volleyball teams have been announced. These are the names of young ladies from Eads and Kit Cason who were listed: on the First Team: of Eads - Maggie Haase and Kara Wilson. From Kit Carson: Kenzie Wagoner, Tess Johnson, and Torrie Randel. On the Honorable Mention team: Katie Johnson and Tailee Weeks-Johnson of Eads were chosen, and Payge Rady of Kit Carson.

Let us all try to do as much shopping as we can do right here in Eads to keep our sales tax money here and support our local businesses. When people tell me that they buy a certain product - like in Lamar - I ask them to think about all the money they spent on gas driving there and ask if they actually saved money. This week, November 26 is “Small Business Saturday” around America, so let’s shop locally.

Happy Thanksgiving! Let us all be more grateful!