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I have just returned from taking a break in activities and visited some family and friends in Northeast Texas. The house we own is across the street from a park. The area around the park is roughly a quarter mile in distance and is on a slight slope. That means one side is an easy downhill and the other side is a gradual uphill. The reason for mentioning this park is that in the spring the town has a Wildflower 5K Fun Run and Walk. Last year I wanted to take some photos of the race for my article when I came back to San Marcos. On the day of the race I found out it was a point to point course with the start and the finish 3.1miles apart. There was no way I could get a photo of the start and make it back to the finish line to catch the lead runners. I am not sure what I was thinking at that time as I had not entered a race for too many years, but I walked up to the registration table and entered the race. A bus ride up to the starting line was next. There were about 150 runners and walkers entered in the race. I was not in good running shape but thought I could walk 3.1 miles. I recalled races we have here in San Marcos and a number of walkers finish in about 50 minutes to over an hour. I set my goal to finish in under one hour. One of the organizers said that it is basically a downhill course with only a few gradual uphills. I got in the back of the pack and took off at the starting gun. I needed a good pace per mile to finish under my one hour time prediction. Feeling good along the way, I tried some slow jogging a few times. This was especially true when the downhill segments were in front of me. Needless to say I did finish under an hour by several minutes and being in an upper age group – I think I was the oldest runner in the bunch – I was awarded a second place in the over 70 age group.

Kwanzaa is a traditional holiday that is celebrated by Black Americans, Afro-Caribbeans and others of African descent around the world. Kwanzaa was the creation of Maulana Karenga, a college professor who was inspired by South African first-fruits celebrations and other Swahili traditions. There are many components of Kwanzaa, but the culmination of the celebration is a feast known as Karamu on Dec. 31.

The leaves are turning in my neighborhood — lots of yellows and reds showing up, and many leaves are falling to the ground. I am reminded that new birds will soon be arriving.

The San Marcos Lady Rattlers are off to one of their best starts in years with a 13-4 record. They are coming off of handing San Antonio McCollum their first loss of the season, last Tuesday.

Here’s a regrettable trend: as profanity has become commonplace, swear words are losing their usefulness.

We regret to inform you that Ken Paxton is at it again.

Holiday shopping and gift-giving can often be challenging, but even more so when shopping for a person living with dementia. Depending on the stage of disease, some well-intentioned gifts may no longer be appropriate or practical for the person.

Local artists partner with arts nonprofit to raise money for the Hays County Food Bank

The Stars Over Wimberley, a program of the Wimberley Valley Arts and Cultural Alliance, presents Winter Nights, a Singer-songwriter Showcase, January 9 and 10, 2024 at the Wimberley Playhouse, 550 Old Kyle Road. Ten artists will perform in six shows over the course of two evenings.

The holiday season is a special time of year for people of all ages, but children might be the most enthusiastic celebrants come December. Children spend much of the holiday season anticipating the arrival of the man in the red suit, and that enthusiasm can be contagious.

Tax Assessor expects statements ready by the end of the year

Texas transplant Elon Musk is planning to start a university in Austin, according to tax filings for one of his charities first reported by Bloomberg News.