The Bend News

Hello from Bend, It’s a cold one out there this week! I hope everyone is staying warm and staying out of the weather as much as possible. My sidekick, 11-year-old River, and I are staying warm in our rooms. I am so grateful for being blessed by Diana and Grady Gibson recently with a wood burning stove. Once I get the piping and all that stuff done, then I will be one happy lady!

My dogs Toby and Molly recently “got married,” if you know what I mean, and I’ll be having some puppies soon! You know what I realized though??? They’re not just going to be any puppies…. They’re going to be “Tomollys!” Ahahahaaaa.

I ran into Sharon Lloyd the other day. She gave me an update and said that her mom, Dean Brown, is home and doing pretty well. She also told me that her grandbaby, Willow, is almost one year old. It seems like just yesterday I was announcing when she was born!

Keep Toni Mayben in your prayers as she will be having cataract surgery in Fredericksburg this week. Also pray for Jamie Clark Norris, husband Matt, and baby Abby Faith - COVID has struck their household. I’ve heard that Raymond Hicks is getting stronger every day from all the battles he has faced lately. Jackie Brister had skin cancer removed from his face and is healing well. Charlene is happy to report that they are blessed! Dickie Eckhoff had a birthday last week, and that reminds me that I should bring him a box of ice cream. He used to give River a box of ice cream every birthday she had.

One thing I sure miss are Sunday mornings at Bad Bob’s. Close to 10 years working there back in the day, and I created some of my favorite memories. I wish we had a place like that still today.

I enjoyed so much sitting and talking with Dickie, Jim Hicks, Jim Boering, Phillip Morris and RJ. There were of course lots of other Bend locals that would come by to chat, but that group was sure to be there every Sunday without fail. They watched all of my kiddos growing up there. Playpens and toys everywhere, haha. I always said that my kids had sooo many grandpas.

Ms. Tommy Marley celebrated a birthday last week and turned 92 years old and is still sharp as a tack! I think I need to brush up on how to play Spades because I hear that her house is the rocking place to be on Card Night!

I had a wonderful phone call with Jim Machen earlier this week, and it did my heart so much good. Everyone is your neighbor in Bend, but Jim and Edna used to be a “holler” away when I lived in my old house on the slough. My heart goes out to Jim and the struggles that he is dealing with. Edna is in Smithville (and has been for quite some time), where she is close to her kids in case of an emergency. It’s quite a trek for Jim to go down there, but like a faithful, loving, loyal husband, he continues. Dementia is such a terrible disease. By the way, if you’ve missed seeing Jim at church, it’s because he’s been visiting his sister Marlene who also suffers from dementia. Jim’s nephew, Clark, does a wonderful job caring for her, but as Jim knows firsthand how tasking it can be, he has happily and selflessly been giving Clark a break on the weekends. Please add all of them onto your prayer list if they aren’t already.

To sum up this week’s news, the Bend Community Meeting had 18 people in attendance and enjoyed chili and soup. Officers were elected, and the slate remains the same, plus a new addition of Reporter, Carol Gibson! Whoohoo! The next meeting is on February 18th at 6 p.m.

President: Debbie Hicks; Vice President: Grady Gibson; Treasurer: Bobby Hicks; Secretary: Sharon Lloyd; Carol Gibson: Reporter Stay warm everyone! Until next week, Brandie from the Bend 325-628-3545 countrybrandie@gmail.com