November 2022

If you have an event for our Do Something! listing, please e-mail nathan.heuer@fortstockton pioneer.com. NOV.

A free Story to Health workshop will be held on Saturday, Nov. 5, from 1-3 p.m. at the FMH Meeting Hall of Fort Stockton Community Theatre. Peoples’ stories are a powerful influence on life choices. Sharing personal stories is a way to improve wellness. The theme of the event will be built around experiences of gratitude, as gratitude is a powerful influencer of health backed by tradition and science. The Story to Health workshop will be facilitated by Dijo John, Senior Director of the Rural and Community Engagement Division of Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center- Permian Basin. His division manages the Medicine on the Move program – a mobile health initiative to engage communities for better health. Dijo has graduatelevel training in pharmacy, public health, and management.

During my working to get through college days, an old gentleman named Robert in the automobile service department where I worked carried a small flask of what he commonly classified as “snake bite medicine” in his jacket pocket. “That’s in case I run into a snake,” he would chuckle. “And just in case I don’t see one, I try to keep a snake handy in my other pocket.” At least a couple of times in my many years, I’ve crossed paths with one of the slithering reptiles in situations that were way too close for comfort. Looking back, I guess it’s good I managed to dodge suffering from snake bite as I never carried the medicinal elixir Robert relied on. Just in case he met a snake. Fortunately, it’s been some 30 years since my last close encounter of a snake kind. But for my friend who happened up on one in her kitchen a few weeks ago, the memory is still much too fresh.

A just cause Dear Editor, Recently, in response to a citizen’s statement regarding people over the age of 65 and renters, I said, “those are the people whose kids would benefit the most.” I would like to clarify and expand on that statement. First, I apologize if my statement implies that being over 65 and/or a renter equates to poverty (context of conversation is available at FSISD.net: Ag Barn Q&A video link).

My 23-monthold Labrador, Thurber, makes me laugh out loud at least five times every day. As I write this column — attempt to sit at my desk and write, that is — my silly puppy keeps dropping his ball at my feet, hoping to get me to play with him.

What does God want me to do with my life? I get asked that question a lot. We probably spend too much wasted energy trying to figure that out.

Size: about 1/2 cups fries and 1 tablespoon dip | Servings: 6 INGREDIENTS • 1 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes (about 4 medium potatoes) • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil • 1/8 teaspoon salt DIP: 1/4 cup light mayo 1 tablespoon ketchup 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, chili powder or paprika INSTRUCTIONS Rinse potatoes under running water. Peel if desired or just scrub potatoes well.

KARAN’S KORNER For the month of November my nutrition program is Thanksgiving Bounty – enjoy your fall vegetables. Take advantage of what autumn has to offer in the way fruits and vegetables provide in sturdy texture, rich in color, rich in vitamins, and full of nutrients.

.

Pecos County Memorial Hospital’s “Fall into Better Health” Fair 2022 takes place Saturday, Nov. 5 from 9 a.m.-Noon at the Fort Stockton Convention Center. Flu shots will be available for $30 (cash or check only). There is no charge for those who present a Medicare card. Free health screenings and free education programs will be available, as well as door prizes.