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SAN MARCOS PUBLIC LIBRARY 625 E. HOPKINS ST. 512-393-8200

San Marcos’ only downtown, monthly, community market — the Price Center’s San Mercado — will happen twice in November to help vendors and shoppers with extra local shopping opportunities prior to the holiday season. The monthly markets will run from 9 a.m. 2 p.m., Saturday Nov. 14 and again on Saturday, Nov. 28 (aka Shop Small Saturday) in conjunction with the San Marcos Farmers Market from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and the San Marcos Art League’s Art Squared from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Both events take place on the Historic Courthouse Square, a short walk from the Price Center. Each event will feature live musical entertainment and COVID-safe precautions, including required mask wearing by all vendors and shoppers, outdoor and indoor vendors spaced safely apart with plenty of fresh air flowing through the facility. The Downtown Association of San Marcos (DASM) will also provide pedicabs to help shuttle shoppers from place to place on Nov. 14.

Deeply woven into my journey is being both a veteran and a Christian. Veterans share a camaraderie and the warmth of brotherhood when we meet. I always say, “I know your heart,” because of our shared military experiences. Looking forward to Veterans Day, we are reminded that service to the nation comes at a cost — putting service to the nation above self. I share with you now a recollection from a leadership class I attended on active duty. The invited speaker challenged us to not make our life values based on a selfish “me” which is expressed in the saying: self-preservation is the first law of nature. He said, rather, a better law of nature is based on dual/ life value, which means “you and me.” He gave the following story to illustrate his point:

The WillThrive Foundation will host its first community event on Nov. 10 at 7 p.m. With the onset of the global pandemic, anxiety in teens is on the rise. Local healthcare professionals, district representatives, and parents present their perspectives in this informative 90-minute virtual discussion.

Jesse Huth, a noted Texas birder and tour leader, recently shared a video of a trip he took from his home in Wimberley to Surfside on the Texas coast. His quest was to see one special bird, a varied thrush.

This October, Meals on Wheels Rural Capital Area (MOWRCA) received a brand new reason to be grateful. The program, which provides meals to local senior citizens and veterans, received a new delivery van through a grant from the St. David’s Foundation.

This year, theater enthusiasts have had the chance to adapt to viewing online performances of their favorite shows, and while that has been an interesting experience, many have longed for the return of in-person performances.

As if 2020 couldn’t get more challenging, I have now run head on into a conundrum on Coleus or to put it more succinctly, a perplexity on pinching. First a little jaunt into my history with coleus.