January 4, 2017 Issue

Betty’s Bread Courtesy Kathy Bradley This is a recipe that was shared with us by a friend of ours. The ingredients are rather unique, the taste of the resulting product is great, and it makes 3 loaves of bread! For those of you bracing for the invasion of family and friends around the holiday season, this might be just what you need to have on hand to stave off any hunger pangs your guests might have. Ingredients: ¾ cup warm water 3 packages regular ...

Clearing Out the Cobwebs.... As the old year fades and the new year starts getting up to speed, there remain a few things that, while important, don't always deserve a full column of their own. Drivers The speed limit on most streets around the square, and on the highways leading into town, have been lowered to 30 mph for quite some time.

Ripped hems, missing buttons—little things that ruin the appearance of a garment—can be easily fixed with a little “know-how.” The Mason Co. M. Beven Eckert Library is sponsoring a free class on easy repairs, both with or without using a sewing machine. Patrice Searsy will teach the class on Tuesday, January 17th, from 10:00-12:00 noon, in the Stribling Room of the library, located at 410 Post Hill Street.

Mason’s Scarlet Punchers, those women “of a certain age” who absolutely insist on enjoying life to the fullest, ended 2016 with a bang, thanks to the combined efforts of our hostess Mary Hemphill (Mrs. Claus), our often-imitated-but-never-duplicated Chinese auction, the Scarlet Punchers themselves, and their guests. On Monday, December 5th (to allow plenty of recovery time before Christmas itself), we gathered for food, fellowship and fun at Mary’s bed & breakfast.

Just a note to remind all of you that the Patriot Warrior Foundation Big Hunt is happening this weekend. We’ll start off as usual with the sirloin and sausage lunch at noon on Friday, January 6. We hope as many as you can, will come eat with us and socialize with our wounded and paralyzed Veterans. We expect to host between forty and fifty Veterans this year, and are thanking all of our host ranches in advance.

Tommie Jean (TJ) Loftin Mitchell passed away unexpectedly on December 30, 2016, at the ranch that she loved in Mason County, Texas. She was a member of the Hilda United Methodist Church and was active in a number of organizations with her Mason County friends and neighbors. TJ was the daughter of Thomas Woodrow and Imogene Brandenberger Loftin.

Quinn Jones January 1st, 2017 Quinn Jones- Letter of Appreciation To: Gerry Gamel- Editor for the Mason County News I have just recently been made aware of the pending retirement of long-time Mason County Deputy Sheriff Quinn Jones. Please accept this opportunity for me to express my sincerest appreciation for the many years of service to this community by Mr.

When the 85th Texas Legislature convenes in January, Texas Farm Bureau (TFB) will be there—ready to fight for farmers, ranchers and Mason County residents. While thousands of bills will be filed in the 140-day regular session on a myriad of topics, TFB will focus on seven state legislative priorities. “The biggest priority is eminent domain,” Shannon Worrell, Mason County Farm Bureau president, said.

Elijah Dickinson, 2014 graduate of Mason High School, has been name to the Scholastic Honors Dean's List at Tarleton State University. This is one of the higher honors that Tarleton confers on their students, and is the university's way of honoring students' academic achievements and recognizing their importance on campus. Kelli C.

Mason Varsity Cowgirls vs. Natalia @ Comfort Tournament Wednesday, Dec. 28 MHS 21--21--14--4 = 60 NHS 12---6---4---4 = 26 Scorers--Nail 2, Stockbridge 12, Tedder 7, Powell 8, Palacio 2, Guice 2, Magnus 21, Armstrong 6. Rebounds--Baker 1, Nail 3, Stockbridge 2, Tedder 1, Powell 6, Palacio 1, Guice 10, Magnus 7, Armstrong 3. Assists--Baker 2, Nail 1, Stockbridge 1, Tedder 2, Armstrong 1. Steals--Baker 2, Nail 1, Stockbridge 4, Tedder 4, Powell 5, Palacio 2, Magnus 1, Armstrong 6. Blocked Shots--G ...

Meet Parker!! 1-1/2 year old male large mix breed Neutered and current on vaccinations You will be one lucky pet owner if Parker picks you! This handsome boy is a fantastic dog. He would love to be part of an active family. Parker has a few great loves in his life: swimming, frozen peaches and having his teeth brushed. Yes, he lines up at night to have his teeth brushed.

We’re starting the New Year with a new employee! We welcome Trudy Irwin as our new part-time library aide. Trudy has been volunteering for several months, so it will be a seamless transition. We’re all looking forward to serving you in 2017! You know, tomorrow is National Bird Day, and my husband Craig and I love to watch the birds that come into our yard.

I do hereby resolve The customary thing to do when a new year rolls around is to make resolutions. A resolution, as near as I can tell, is a promise to yourself to change something in your life that needs changing. People generally vow to lose weight, exercise more, be nicer to others, or stop eating a half-gallon of ice cream at a time, straight out of the box. There’s certainly nothing wrong with improving ourselves, although I’ve never understood why people wait until Ja ...

Happy New Year! Now, it’s time to get back to normal. However, normal is different to many. Your idea of normal and others may differ. Right now, I’m hoping to watch regular movies on the TV. I’ve had over a month of Christmas movies and Christmas movie reruns! Thought New Years Eve would bring new movies, but ended up watching the cooking channel and Law and Order reruns. Now, it’s time to take down the Christmas Tree and store until next Christmas.

Things Could Have Been Worse... We mortals aren’t much good when routines--particularly those most mundane--are interrupted. Men who refuse to accept this claim as “you-can-take-it-to-the-bank” stuff--or even to the pawn shop--are urged to take a simple test on which my case can rest: The next time you dress, try putting your other leg in first. The probability of this claim playing out is greatly magnified at holiday time, when hurrying is exceeded only by scurrying.

   It seems impossible that the holidays have all come and gone, but the leftovers in the refrigerator for the past couple of weeks and the mounds of extra trash and recycle are sure signs that life has been busy! I hope that all of your days of celebration were blessed with family, friends, good food and many joyful gatherings.

We made it to 2017. Hope you have a great 2017. Don’t forget the Patriot Warriors Lunch on Friday, January 6th, at the Eckert Civic Center. Bring a dish and come meet the disabled veterans that come to hunt in our beautiful countryside. If you can’t make the lunch, you can donate to this group by contacting Steve Toone. The Art-Trinity United Methodist Women will meet January 10th at Art at 2:30, to plan the year.

It’s okay. OK. A-o.k. Okeydokey. O period K period. From the Scottish dialect och aye. According to trusty Webster. Which means “ah yes” or “oh yes.” And Gaelic och (“ah, oh”). OK became an American colloquialism. First known usage was March 23, 1839. By C. G. Greene. An editor at the Boston Morning Post newspaper. He facetiously misspelled “all correct” as “oll korrect.” The “OK” abbreviation for that stuck. And we’ve been okaying ever since. There was even a book b ...

   Howdy and Happy New Year. As we head into 2017, we are also approaching the beginning of the next session of the Texas Legislature. Unlike the U.S. Congress which meets year round, our state legislature meets for just 140 days every two years. That means we have to get down to business right away, pass a state budget and address as many of Texas’ challenges as possible, before going back home to tend to our families and businesses. In my first legislative session in 2015, we pass ...

   Are you a Food Network addict? Do you tense up watching “Chopped” (even if you’ve seen the reruns a ga-jillion times)? Let us introduce you to Food Challenge - the fasted growing 4-H event across the state of Texas! This contest challenges teams of 3-5 members to create a dish using a predetermined set of ingredients.

Mason Varsity Cowgirls vs. Natalia @ Comfort Tournament Wednesday, Dec. 28 MHS 21--21--14--4 = 60 NHS 12---6---4---4 = 26 Scorers--Nail 2, Stockbridge 12, Tedder 7, Powell 8, Palacio 2, Guice 2, Magnus 21, Armstrong 6. Rebounds--Baker 1, Nail 3, Stockbridge 2, Tedder 1, Powell 6, Palacio 1, Guice 10, Magnus 7, Armstrong 3. Assists--Baker 2, Nail 1, Stockbridge 1, Tedder 2, Armstrong 1. Steals--Baker 2, Nail 1, Stockbridge 4, Tedder 4, Powell 5, Palacio 2, Magnus 1, Armstrong 6. Blocked Shots--G ...

Elijah Dickinson, 2014 graduate of Mason High School, has been name to the Scholastic Honors Dean's List at Tarleton State University. This is one of the higher honors that Tarleton confers on their students, and is the university's way of honoring students' academic achievements and recognizing their importance on campus. Kelli C.

Meet Parker!! 1-1/2 year old male large mix breed Neutered and current on vaccinations You will be one lucky pet owner if Parker picks you! This handsome boy is a fantastic dog. He would love to be part of an active family. Parker has a few great loves in his life: swimming, frozen peaches and having his teeth brushed. Yes, he lines up at night to have his teeth brushed.

We made it to 2017. Hope you have a great 2017. Don’t forget the Patriot Warriors Lunch on Friday, January 6th, at the Eckert Civic Center. Bring a dish and come meet the disabled veterans that come to hunt in our beautiful countryside. If you can’t make the lunch, you can donate to this group by contacting Steve Toone. The Art-Trinity United Methodist Women will meet January 10th at Art at 2:30, to plan the year.

Just a note to remind all of you that the Patriot Warrior Foundation Big Hunt is happening this weekend. We’ll start off as usual with the sirloin and sausage lunch at noon on Friday, January 6. We hope as many as you can, will come eat with us and socialize with our wounded and paralyzed Veterans. We expect to host between forty and fifty Veterans this year, and are thanking all of our host ranches in advance.

Ripped hems, missing buttons—little things that ruin the appearance of a garment—can be easily fixed with a little “know-how.” The Mason Co. M. Beven Eckert Library is sponsoring a free class on easy repairs, both with or without using a sewing machine. Patrice Searsy will teach the class on Tuesday, January 17th, from 10:00-12:00 noon, in the Stribling Room of the library, located at 410 Post Hill Street.

Tommie Jean (TJ) Loftin Mitchell passed away unexpectedly on December 30, 2016, at the ranch that she loved in Mason County, Texas. She was a member of the Hilda United Methodist Church and was active in a number of organizations with her Mason County friends and neighbors. TJ was the daughter of Thomas Woodrow and Imogene Brandenberger Loftin.

It’s okay. OK. A-o.k. Okeydokey. O period K period. From the Scottish dialect och aye. According to trusty Webster. Which means “ah yes” or “oh yes.” And Gaelic och (“ah, oh”). OK became an American colloquialism. First known usage was March 23, 1839. By C. G. Greene. An editor at the Boston Morning Post newspaper. He facetiously misspelled “all correct” as “oll korrect.” The “OK” abbreviation for that stuck. And we’ve been okaying ever since. There was even a book b ...

We made it to 2017. Hope you have a great 2017. Don’t forget the Patriot Warriors Lunch on Friday, January 6th, at the Eckert Civic Center. Bring a dish and come meet the disabled veterans that come to hunt in our beautiful countryside. If you can’t make the lunch, you can donate to this group by contacting Steve Toone. The Art-Trinity United Methodist Women will meet January 10th at Art at 2:30, to plan the year.

Things Could Have Been Worse... We mortals aren’t much good when routines--particularly those most mundane--are interrupted. Men who refuse to accept this claim as “you-can-take-it-to-the-bank” stuff--or even to the pawn shop--are urged to take a simple test on which my case can rest: The next time you dress, try putting your other leg in first. The probability of this claim playing out is greatly magnified at holiday time, when hurrying is exceeded only by scurrying.

Happy New Year! Now, it’s time to get back to normal. However, normal is different to many. Your idea of normal and others may differ. Right now, I’m hoping to watch regular movies on the TV. I’ve had over a month of Christmas movies and Christmas movie reruns! Thought New Years Eve would bring new movies, but ended up watching the cooking channel and Law and Order reruns. Now, it’s time to take down the Christmas Tree and store until next Christmas.

I do hereby resolve The customary thing to do when a new year rolls around is to make resolutions. A resolution, as near as I can tell, is a promise to yourself to change something in your life that needs changing. People generally vow to lose weight, exercise more, be nicer to others, or stop eating a half-gallon of ice cream at a time, straight out of the box. There’s certainly nothing wrong with improving ourselves, although I’ve never understood why people wait until Ja ...

We’re starting the New Year with a new employee! We welcome Trudy Irwin as our new part-time library aide. Trudy has been volunteering for several months, so it will be a seamless transition. We’re all looking forward to serving you in 2017! You know, tomorrow is National Bird Day, and my husband Craig and I love to watch the birds that come into our yard.

Betty’s Bread Courtesy Kathy Bradley This is a recipe that was shared with us by a friend of ours. The ingredients are rather unique, the taste of the resulting product is great, and it makes 3 loaves of bread! For those of you bracing for the invasion of family and friends around the holiday season, this might be just what you need to have on hand to stave off any hunger pangs your guests might have. Ingredients: ¾ cup warm water 3 packages regular ...

Quinn Jones January 1st, 2017 Quinn Jones- Letter of Appreciation To: Gerry Gamel- Editor for the Mason County News I have just recently been made aware of the pending retirement of long-time Mason County Deputy Sheriff Quinn Jones. Please accept this opportunity for me to express my sincerest appreciation for the many years of service to this community by Mr.

Clearing Out the Cobwebs.... As the old year fades and the new year starts getting up to speed, there remain a few things that, while important, don't always deserve a full column of their own. Drivers The speed limit on most streets around the square, and on the highways leading into town, have been lowered to 30 mph for quite some time.