Features

Around my place, a goldenfronted woodpecker is showing up to peck at a hanging suet block. But another bird watcher near me has reported a more unusual visitor.

Maurice T. Suttles VFW Post 3413 received 50 goody bags from HEB Store No. 2. Kayla Reyna and Rudy Ortega delivered the goody bags for “Operation Appreciation” to Commander Stephanie Brown and Quartermaster Aaron Brown for the post’s veterans on Veterans Day.

My journey, looking toward Christmas, takes me to the Salvation Army’s iconic Red Kettles Campaign for Hays County. Each year we are given the opportunity to share our time and efforts in staffing one of the kettle locations. Ringing the bell as a volunteer is an investment not only to help those in need, but also in myself as a responsible adult — a “pay it forward” for the many blessings I have received.

SAN MARCOS PUBLIC LIBRARY

Recently, I was given the task of writing a garden piece on the topic I wish I had. Sounds like a writer trap, doesn’t it? Though I am still writing that piece, I will tell you I wish I had planted more Luminary phlox last spring.

Sometimes the process by which life changes can resemble something like magic. This is how Walter Thorington describes his journey from financial analyst at the University of Texas to the owner of a record store. More than magic, though. It’s transformative, lifechanging, alchemical.

San Marcos Public Library

My journey this year for Thanksgiving will find Judy and me at home eating turkey and pie without a gathering of family or friends. The virus is disruptive to our flow of annual events; it has changed the shopping, celebrating and traveling patterns for all of us.

Holiday in the Gardens will hold its Moody Gardens Festival of Lights from Nov. 20 to Jan. 2 as Festival of Lights enters its 20th year. Guests can attend the Opening Day of Holiday in the Gardens on Nov. 20 as Santa Claus parachutes in to illuminate the mile-long light trail, which is one of the largest holiday lighting events on the Gulf Coast.

Holiday entertaining season begins on Thanksgiving. Anyone who has been tasked with hosting Thanksgiving understands the commitment required to prepare a delicious meal for guests, which often encompasses appetizers, several side dishes and, of course, turkey as the centerpiece. Guests attending a Thanksgiving dinner can give holiday hosts and hostesses a break by providing dessert.

Tom Mula’s play, “Jacob Marley’s Christmas Carol,” opens on the Wimberley Players stage Nov. 26 and runs through Dec. 12.