March 2, 2016 Issue

The Hill Country Astronomers (HCA) will meet at 6:30 PM, Monday, March 7, at the Hill Country University Center, 2818 East US Hwy 290 in Fredericksburg. Kim Arvidsson will discuss the recent announcement of the hypothesized ninth planet in our solar system, and why astronomers think it could be true. Dr. Arvidsson has been an Assistant Professor of Physics and Astronomy at Schreiner University in Kerrville since 2013.

Declaring Our Independence - Viva Texas! On March 2, 1836, the colonists of Mexican Texas issued a Declaration of Independence from Mexican authority, oversight and oppression. By doing so, they created The Republic of Texas, and cemented their place in the history books. Those early colonists had come from many different places.

We’re “cooking up a good time” for you and your family on Saturday, March 19th at 5:00 p.m. at the Mason Community Building. Steady Steps will host their annual fundraiser with a catered meal from Willow Creek (donation only) served at 6:00 p.m., a fabulous cake auction, and a silent auction with great buys.

Recently, the Mason Square Museum had a visitor from Angola, New York, who made an unusual impression on Pat Reardon. That day Pat was the docent when a family stopped by. The young man’s name is Becket Panfil. He is sixteen years old and was working on a high school project.

During the last week, multiple reports have come into the News office of sightings of rattlesnakes out of their dens and on the move. Residents are encouraged to keep their eyes open during this warm weather as the snakes are getting very active very early this year. Also, Daniel and Belinda Gainer reported that a skunk they killed at their place between Fredonia and Pontotoc tested positive for rabies.

The Seaquist House in Mason, TX will begin its 2016 tours on Saturday, March 5th from 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. The house is located at 405 Broad St., about a block north of the Mason Courthouse Square. The house was listed as one of twelve of the most endangered sites by Preservation Texas in 2014.

A field trip to Grommer’s fresh seafood market in San Antonio will take place on Thursday, March 17, 2016. Groomer’s offers a wide selection of fresh fish (150 types when I visited a week ago). The tour will include behind the scenes watching employees cut up fresh seafood with an explanation of the process and types of fish.

Mason County 4-H’ers are having an excellent year at the major stock shows around Texas. Here are the results through the San Antonio Livestock Show. Fort Worth Heather Shaw 4th place goat San Angelo Avery Brooks 3rd place fine wool Heather Shaw 1st place goat and reserve Champion Division Aspen Martin 4th place fine wool cross, 6th place dorper, 2nd place with her goat Dakota Martin 3rd place dorper Jay Ahlschwede 8th place steer San Antonio Kimbrea Broyles 4th place Southdown Laney Lastly 1 ...

The Birthday Dinner Group first originated in May, 1993, at the home of Marilyn Mahon. This group consisted of friends of the Mason High School classes of 1950 and 1951. The group meets every other month at a different home. The group began with eight members. Later, Mary Lee Kothmann Thomas (deceased) joined; and, in 2010, Frankie Mueller Hendley was added. The photo was taken in the beautiful bluebonnet field of the later Werner and Beatrice Schmidt on Post Hill Street in May of 1993. Bottom ...

All are welcome to join us on Wednesday evenings at St. Paul Lutheran Church as we continue our special Lenten Worship series “Living the Christmas Promise.” A light supper is served at 6 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall, followed by the worship service at 7 p.m. Each Wednesday night, the children and youth tell how characters in the Christmas story reacted to the birth of our Savior.

The monthly demo at the Llano Fine Art Guild will held Monday March 7th at 10:00 am. It will be hands-on, fast sketch portraits taught by Daniel Adams. It doesn’t matter if you think you can draw or not. Bring a pencil, charcoal pencil, or Conte pencil and drawing paper or a sketch pad. Once head of an art department for Walt Disney Productions and winner of the “Idea of the Year” award at Disney World, Daniel Adams has taught many different art processes and techniques over the years.

What a rare opportunity this year for the gardening novice, as well as those with decades of experience. Experts in Succlents, Landscape Design, Companion Gardening, and Hill Country Natives will be the featured speakers at the Llano Lawn and Garden Show. It all takes place at the Methodist Church Family Life Center in Llano on Saturday, April 2 from 9:00 until 1:00.

Julia Pepper’s lovely collection of green Depression glass (so appropriate for St. Patrick’s Day!) will be displayed throughout this month in the foyer of the Mason Co. M. Beven Eckert Memorial Library. Julia says that this inexpensive glass was manufactured by American factories in massive quantities during the 1920’s and 1930’s.

7th grade boys times from Ingram Track Meet 2400m Run – Colby Brown- 10:57, Samson Hernandez – 11:06 4x100m Relay – Billy George, Mathew Kerr, Preston George, Tyler Schmidt – 55.09 800m Run – Colby Brown – 2:55, Ty Spencer – 2:56 100m Dash – Gage Watson – 13.99, Jose Valdez – 14.51, Michael Longoria – 14.51 4x200m Relay – Rylan Jordan, Billy George, Aeron Dayton, Preston George – 1:54.61 400m Dash – James Potts – 1:05.42, Mathew Kerr – 1:10.15 300m Hurdles – Ty ...

The Mason Junior High Cowgirls performed well at their first track meet in Ingram on Thursday, Feb. 25. We had some outstanding marks and performances by several individuals. This was a ribbon meet for the running events, so each athlete received a ribbon based on how they placed in their individual heat of that running event. 7th Grade Girls Results High Jump: Courtney Hanscheck, 1st place, 4’10” Long Jump: Kyra Wilson, 3rd, 13’2”; Kendra Munsell, 11’0”; Parker Standard, 11’1” ...

Our meeting will be hosted by the Mason County members, and will be held in Mason, TX. WHEN: March 15, 2016 TIME: Social 10:00 am with meal to follow WHERE: Lea Lou Co-op 114 San Antonio Street Mason, TX 76856 Lea Lou’s is in the building that was once Grosse Lumber, on the corner of the square, across from the courthouse. COST: $18.00 per person We will not have a guest speaker for this meeting as it will be our final meeting prior to Spring Round-Up and the time will be dedicated to finaliz ...

The Community of Mason is sponsoring a blood drive Monday, March 28th, from 4-7:30 p.m. This drive will be held in the Bloodmobile outside the Mason County Library. Make your convenient appointment to give blood at www.UnitedBloodServices.org or by calling the Wesley Nurse, Ann Scarth, at 325-347-5983. With each donation, donors receive a free total cholesterol test and earn points in United Blood Services’ Hero in Me rewards program. Blood donation takes about an hour from check-in to refres ...

Hill Country EXXONMOBIL Retirees Club of Texas Spring Luncheon Meeting.Tuesday March 8, 2016, at the KROC Center at 201 Holdsworth Drive, Kerrville, TX. Come and visit/meet fellow ExxonMobil Retirees at 11:30. All Exxon or Mobil retirees are invited. Contact Wil Rathke at 830-998-1601 or Sam Begeman at 830- 896-0541 regarding further details.

Varsity Cowgirls vs. Weimar Tuesday, Feb. 23 Mason 9—6—11—19 = 45 Weimar 13—20—20—8 = 61 Scoring—Monaco Schmidt--5, Kenley Stockbridge--10, Justyn Tedder--2, Powell--9, Kayla Guice--13, Ruby Magnus--4, Katy Armstrong--2. Rebounds-- Schmidt--1, Stockbridge--5, Tedder--1, Powell--5, Guice--1, Magnus--5, Armstrong--7. Assists-- Stockbridge--4, Guice--2. Steals--Schmidt--1, Stockbridge--3, Tedder--1, Guice--1, Magnus--2. Blocks--Magnus--3. Mason Cowgirls set a school record for total ...

Focaccia (Focolare) courtesy Valeda Coan During a recent social gathering, we sat at a table with Valeda and her husband, Don, and oddly enough, the conversation turned to baked goods recipes. I sent Valeda our favorite pizza crust recipe, and she sent us this focaccia recipe. It’s simple, straight forward, and has very few ingredients; all the things I like in a recipe!

GREEN SUPPLEMENTS are one of the basic supplements that I recommend for everyone. Now you probably do not want to take another pill, but if you aren’t eating as many servings of fruits and vegetables as you should, then a supplement that makes up for that is a good idea. I like to backtrack a little when I address the NEED for a supplement.

The Mason Lions Club met Tuesday, February 23rd for it’s weekly luncheon meeting. There were 35 members and 8 visitors in attendance. Among the visitors were three Mason High School Seniors: Jacob Moreno, Trey Taylor, and Levi Hofmann. Lion John Olson was responsible for the program and introduced Lyndon Olson, who among his many accomplishments, was a former Ambassador to Sweden.

When the weather’s turning warmer, and spring is near, many of us are just itching to put on our gardening gloves and start planting. A grand opportunity will present itself on Saturday, March 12! Come to the “Keyhole Gardening” program by Dr. Deb Tolman, then help us build and plant one at the Food Bank!

Astute, long-time readers may recall a story I reported on several years ago, about The Attack of the Killer Alligator. This alligator showed up over near Houston or someplace, near as I can remember. I could probably find the story and check on that, if I was inclined to do such research.

When did the rules change at watching a baseball game? Seems heckling the umpire is no longer done. They say it’s not kind! Excuse me, but going to a baseball game and just clapping isn’t in my game plan. Of course some of the heckling isn’t nice, but heavens to Betsy, what’s wrong with saying, “Keep your day job!” Or, “Hey!

Grandson Questions ‘Bobo’... Tim Skaggs is a bible-totin’/believin’/preachin’ parson in Brownwood, TX. He’s been caught up in God’s Holy Word for nigh onto a half-century, given high marks for interpreting scripture and its implications. However, four-year-old Pascal--his and wife Jamie’s first grandchild--fired a question at him a while back that set Tim back on his heels. Seated in the living room beside his grandfather, Pascal studied wall trophies Tim admits ...

There is one issue that I have not talked about for a couple of months, and some people may think that it has diminished and “gone away” but actually we at the City have been doing background research and talking with consultants. That issue is the proposal to re-establish a municipal Police Force to deal with some of the specific City concerns with law enforcement and patrolling.

Well, February has come and gone. What a great month we had! I want to start off by talking about the Awards Banquet and congratulating all of our winners. Business of the Year (10 Years and Over) was awarded to Hill Country Veterinary Hospital, Business of the Year (9 Years and Under) went to Permian Frac Sand, Business Man of the Year is Wayne Lehmberg, Business Woman of the Year is Gigi Castillo, Public Servant of the Year is Lisa Heath, Citizen of the Year is Nikki Stringer and Hall of Fame ...

Time flies when you are having fun. I must be having fun, because time is flying. Rain reports were less than an inch last week. It was nice though. Lenten lunches continue. March 2nd is at First United Methodist Church. St. Martin’s Episcopal will host on March 9 at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church. The Art-Trinity United Methodist Women will meet March 8 at 10:00 at Castell.

Indoor plumbing. Not all it’s cracked up to be. Must be the Season for Overflowing. Backing up. Clogged. Everybody and their dog seems to be having problems. No rest for the weary. Nor for the local plumbers. Just ask Jimmy’s Plumbing. Or Keith Higdon. Or Dale Scott Plumbing. The washing machine drains its load. Which comes back up into the shower and commode. Glug glug. Or the commode continually runs. No one knows because no one’s been there for a month. The constantly running water fil ...

Indoor plumbing. Not all it’s cracked up to be. Must be the Season for Overflowing. Backing up. Clogged. Everybody and their dog seems to be having problems. No rest for the weary. Nor for the local plumbers. Just ask Jimmy’s Plumbing. Or Keith Higdon. Or Dale Scott Plumbing. The washing machine drains its load. Which comes back up into the shower and commode. Glug glug. Or the commode continually runs. No one knows because no one’s been there for a month. The constantly running water fil ...

Focaccia (Focolare) courtesy Valeda Coan During a recent social gathering, we sat at a table with Valeda and her husband, Don, and oddly enough, the conversation turned to baked goods recipes. I sent Valeda our favorite pizza crust recipe, and she sent us this focaccia recipe. It’s simple, straight forward, and has very few ingredients; all the things I like in a recipe!