July 12, 2017 Issue

July’s foyer exhibit at the Mason Co. M. Beven Eckert Memorial Library commemorates the Great American Cattle Drive of 1995, and it’s so appropriate for Rodeo Round-up month! Mason resident Barby Brunken actually made the trip. About twenty-two years ago in March 1995, a group of cowboys and wranglers were hired to herd about 260 head of Texas longhorn steers, branded with a “Circle 95,” from Ft.

Three Mason County students recently returned from a leadership conference that has them well on their way to success. John Benefield and Julie Mae Drazan represented Mason County Farm Bureau at Texas Farm Bureau’s (TFB) 54th annual Youth Leadership Conference (YLC). “YLC is more than a conference or camp,” Shannon Worrell, Mason County Farm Bureau president, said.

PA Sherry Alexander, Kim Paxson and Cathie Tyler, members of Mason Counts, met with Nancy Watson, regional director for U.S. Representative Michael Conaway, on June 29th to present an overview of healthcare in Mason County. Sherry Alexander, PA (physician assistant) for Frontera Mason Clinic, relayed remarks by Mason County Judge, Jerry Bearden, and Frontera CEO, Cam Kliebrink, illustrating the importance of Community Health Clinics (CHC’s) to rural communities.

This past weekend was another marvelous Round-up time for Mason and seemed to be enjoyed throughout the day by everyone who was present. Starting with the youngsters and the Stick Horse race, the fabulous Parade and farm animal race, the whole day of craft and food booths on the lawn, as well as music and Queen’s Court presentation, and ending with the Rodeo and Dance till late in the night.

Missed me? I have to apologize to those who didn’t get a chance to read this column for the last two weeks. I had an accident and messed my arm up and couldn’t type. I guess that is the best excuse I can give, but since I am doing better I wanted to get you updated on the bats. The babies have all been born and are now close to being weaned.

Although Read to Swim and Read to a Dog are over for the summer, the Mason Co. M. Beven Eckert Memorial Library still has three mornings of fun to offer students in grades K-5. These hands-on activities are not only fun but also educational. Today: Books and Art Fun based on the Jon Klassen trio: This is Not My Hat, a Caldecott Medal book I Want My Hat Back, a Theodor Seuss Geisel Honor book We Found a Hat, the newest book The children will listen to the books, look at the art of Jon Klassen, h ...

Three Mason County students recently returned from a leadership conference that has them well on their way to success. John Benefield and Julie Mae Drazan represented Mason County Farm Bureau at Texas Farm Bureau’s (TFB) 54th annual Youth Leadership Conference (YLC). “YLC is more than a conference or camp,” Shannon Worrell, Mason County Farm Bureau president, said.

Although Read to Swim and Read to a Dog are over for the summer, the Mason Co. M. Beven Eckert Memorial Library still has three mornings of fun to offer students in grades K-5. These hands-on activities are not only fun but also educational. Today: Books and Art Fun based on the Jon Klassen trio: This is Not My Hat, a Caldecott Medal book I Want My Hat Back, a Theodor Seuss Geisel Honor book We Found a Hat, the newest book The children will listen to the books, look at the art of Jon Klassen, h ...

Come play 42 at the library today at 1:30 P.M. in the Stribling Room. Bring your dominoes and a partner if you can. Everyone welcome!

Individuals are invited to a free presentation and conversation about diabetes at Nacho’s Café on Wed., July 19. A complimentary dinner will be provided at 6 p.m. with a presentation to follow. Shannon Klump, D.O., a family medicine physician in the Hill Country Memorial Medical Group, will discuss detecting, controlling and treating diabetes. “If you are concerned about your risk for diabetes, or if you have already been diagnosed, you can still make healthy choices and changes,” said H ...

Another Roundup Weekend is in the books. Our family had a great weekend. We started with watching a performance of “The Big Bad” with our granddaughter Megan in the role of Little Red Riding Hood at the Llano Community Theater. Saturday morning our daughter-in-law, Crystal, was up early to set up her booth on the courthouse lawn.

Missed me? I have to apologize to those who didn’t get a chance to read this column for the last two weeks. I had an accident and messed my arm up and couldn’t type. I guess that is the best excuse I can give, but since I am doing better I wanted to get you updated on the bats. The babies have all been born and are now close to being weaned.

On Thursday, July 13th, The American Legion Fort Mason Post 285 will have its regular meeting at 6:30pm, at The American Legion Post Hall, 237 Post Hill [behind the Jail]. At this meeting, the officers of Fort Mason Post 285 & the Ladies Auxiliary will be sworn in at their new positions.

Hill Country Memorial Hospice announces the summer meeting schedule for its Alzheimer’s and Dementia Support Group for anyone affected by those conditions, their families and caregivers. The Alzheimer’s and Dementia Support Group will meet on Tues., July 11 from 2-3 p.m. in the second-floor conference room of the Brune Building at 808 Reuben St.

Reuben Geistweidt, of Doss, passed away on Thursday, July 6, at the age of 94. He was born at home on the family ranch in Mason County on December 27, 1922, and lived in the same house his entire life. His parents were Wesley John Geistweidt and Bertha Evers Geistweidt. Reuben had a hard life.

How Many Things Do We Need? We are people who like "things." We collect clothes, furniture, kitchen gadgets, books, photos,,, the list is endless. Last week, just before Roundup, I decided to do a bit of housecleaning in my office. It wasn't difficult to clear some space on my desk; but, the floorspace around my desk is a different matter entirely. There are old PCs that I refuse to throw away just in case I need to bring one back into use in an emergency.

Health Care An open letter to Representative Mike Conaway – The American Health Care Act you voted for makes health insurance unaffordable for your Mason County constituents with pre-existing conditions Sir, For those of us with pre-existing conditions, Obamacare does not allow insurers for employer-provided plans and private plans to: Deny coverage to people with pre-existing medical conditions; Charge them higher premiums due to those pre-existing conditions, and exclude those pre-existing ...

Another Round-up has come and gone along with half the year! It was fun making the float, and I want to thank Rosemary, John, and Art Davis, Homer Sanchez, Jim Heath, Bill Skinner, Mitzi Drennan, Trudy Irwin, Bonnie Beam, and Corrie Dyson—the library wouldn’t have had a float without them!

Tut, tut The main difference, as I see it, between hieroglyphs and graffiti is time. If Abe Lincoln were caught carving his name on a desk while he was in school, he would probably have been hauled to the woodshed. The same carving, found a hundred years later, would be a valuable antique, touted in the news and paraded to various museums.

Seems the television shows are all on vacation. The commercials are reruns, too! In fact some on the commercials are the same commercials that have just run! Go figure. Seems, it’s time to rerun the oldies; MASH, Walker-Texas Ranger, and of course HEEHAW! Gee, why not rerun movies like Giant?

A Ticket to Ride… I remain a fan of the Trinity Railway Express, provider of commuter rail service between Fort Worth and Dallas. (I deserved a recent TRE tongue-lashing that resulted from my poor judgment. Further, I failed to follow my own lectern-dispensed admonitions across the years about the importance of knowing when to run.) “If you’re running to catch a train, don’t.

Another Roundup Weekend is in the books. Our family had a great weekend. We started with watching a performance of “The Big Bad” with our granddaughter Megan in the role of Little Red Riding Hood at the Llano Community Theater. Saturday morning our daughter-in-law, Crystal, was up early to set up her booth on the courthouse lawn.

Mother Nature. What a gal. What a wonderful world she gave us. Just look up at the sky some dark night. Who would’ve guessed what Mira is up to…up there. Mira being a star. Not a movie star. Nope. There’s no comparison to movie stars when it comes to the red giant Mira. Astronomers in the 17th Century called her “a wonderful star whose brightness could change dramatically in the course of about 11 months.” Ah, the fickle world of fame. Modern astronomers now recognize an entire class ...