January 3, 2018 Issue

The rainbow trout fishing was hot this past Saturday as WinterFisch kicked off on the banks of the Llano River at the James River Crossing. Over 50 anglers of all ages enjoyed the gorgeous weather and an afternoon of extraordinary trout fishing. Special treats for the opening WinterFisch Celebration were camping and Dutch Oven demonstrations by TPWD, fly fishing and fly demonstrations by the Alamo Fly Fishers Club from San Antonio, fish frying by Don Gray, and campfire music by Justin McFar ...

Mason’s Scarlet Punchers, those intrepid women “of a certain age,” who absolutely insist on enjoying life to the fullest, celebrated Christmas in our usual inimitable ways: by pigging out (on a wonderful potluck lunch), followed by a LOT of trash talking and stealing! Luckily nobody was armed, as many items changed hands during our often-imitated-but-never-duplicated Chinese auction!

With all of the holiday gatherings and parties a not so distant memory, and most of the New Year’s resolutions still in place, it is time to look at the fresh calendars and think about the many challenges and opportunities we have ahead of us. With twelve clean pages on your calendar, how do you envisage spending your allotted 8760 hours in the next year?

It’s stock show week! The Mason County Livestock Show & Expo is this Friday and Saturday, January 5-6. We invite everyone to join us for a great event featuring talented and hard-working youth of Mason. Friday’s activities will kick off with an Exhibitor Breakfast at 8 a.m., followed by the Opening Ceremony at 9 a.m.

After just two days of practice following the end of football season, the Mason Punchers began their 2017-2018 basketball season with a tournament in Hico. The Punchers would waste no time picking up their first win of the season against Gordon. The game was filled with solid defense by Mason that lead to several steals and some easy baskets and a 39-24 win. The second round game was against a very tough 3A school Glen Rose.

Varsity Cowgirls vs. May Tuesday, 12/19 Mason 13—11—7—16 = 47 May 2—14—12—13 = 41 Scoring—Pr. Anastas—4, Pe. Anastas—5, T. Guice—8, Magnus—14, Armstrong 3, Cano—13. Rebounding—Pr. Anastas—3, Pe. Anastas—6, T. Guice—3, Magnus—11, Armstrong—7, A. Guice—5, Cano—7. Assists—Pr. Anastas—1, T. Guice—5, Armstrong—2, A. Guice—1. Varsity Cowgirls vs. Brownwood Friday, 12/22 Mason 8—10—15—9 = 42 B’wood 20—13—13—9= 55 ...

Falls City Tournament: Varsity Cowgirls vs. Shiner St. Paul Catholic School Thursday, 12/28 Mason 10—16—16—4 = 46 SPCS 5—8—6—9 = 28 Scoring—Pr. Anastas—7, Herrington—1, Pe. Anastas—17, Magnus—12, Armstrong 7, Cano—2. Rebounding—Pr. Anastas—5, Dudney—1, Baltierra—1, Hanscheck—3, Herrington—2, Pe. Anastas—5, T. Guice—3, Magnus—10, Armstrong—2, A. Guice—4, Cano—1. Assists—Pr. Anastas—1, Dudney—1, T. Guice—4, Armstrong—2, A. ...

The Association will hold its annual meeting on January 11, 2018. The meeting will be in the St. Paul Lutheran Church Fellowship Hall at 5:30 pm. It is crucial that all concerned landowners attend. We will elect officers and directors. All attending will determine the amount set for dues and bounties for 2018.

It’s stock show week! The Mason County Livestock Show & Expo is this Friday and Saturday, January 5-6. We invite everyone to join us for a great event featuring talented and hard-working youth of Mason. Friday’s activities will kick off with an Exhibitor Breakfast at 8 a.m., followed by the Opening Ceremony at 9 a.m.

The Big Hunt this year will be held the 12th and 13th of January. The hunt will follow basically the same format as the previous hunts. The venue has been changed this year. We will use the Community Building at the Fair Grounds rather than the Civic Center. A longer regular deer season had us move it to a week later, and since the Stock Show will be finished, we changed the location.

A Ballad of the West is Bobby Bridger’s highly-acclaimed trilogy of epic ballads that chronicle the American west from 1822-1950 with musical biographies of mountain man Jim Bridger, William F. “Buffalo Bill” Cody, and Lakota holy man, Black Elk. Bridger has performed his trilogy all over the world and now brings his performance to the Odeon theater in Mason Saturday January 13 at 7:00PM. “A major work!...a unique historical presentation of monumental dimensions.” The Buffalo Bill ...

Jake Hooker and The Outsiders will perform a rare concert stage show at the Lantex Theater in Llano, Texas, on January 6, 2018. Doors open at 6:00 for the 7:00 p.m. concert. The show will be an opportunity for the popular dance hall regular to talk about his personal story and to show different aspects of his musical talent.

When you read this, it will be 2018. Is it just me, or does the time seem to fly? I wish each of you a healthy and happy new year. Join the Art United Methodist Church for a baby shower honoring James and Emily Leamon’s new baby boy, Freddy. We wil have a covered dish lunch after church. Class meetings will resume on January 10.

Nolan G. Henry passed away December 19, 2017, in Midland, Texas. He was born January 31, 1930, in Art, Texas, the son of Edith Calloway Henry and William Livingston Henry. He is proceeded in death by his parents Edith and William Henry, 5 sisters, Elna, Angeline, Velma, Ruby, and Dorothy, 2 brothers Marvin and James Henry. He is survived by his 3 children Michael Augustus Henry, Rebecca Henry Stephens, and James Raymond Henry, 9 grandchildren and 11 great grandchildren. Nolan G Henry li ...

Harrol B. Caffey of Fredericksburg, Texas passed away in his home on Sunday, December 17th, 2017, at the age of 93 years. He was born on June 27th, 1924, in Elgin, Texas the son of, James C. Caffey and Ebber T. Owens Caffey, served in the U.S. Marine Corp, from August 6th, 1941 to April 17th, 1947, discharged as a Master Sergeant, with battle citations: Guadalcanal; Leyte & Mindanao.

Dr. Gary George Grote, 68, died in the early morning of Monday, December 25, 2017, at his home in Weatherford, surrounded by loving family and friends. Visitation was held on January 2nd from 6-8 pm at Galbreaith-Pickard Funeral Chapel. The funeral service will be held on January 3rd at 10:30 a.m. at North Side Baptist Church with interment in Bethel Cemetery.

Aurelia Cantu, of Harper, passed away on Friday, December 29 at the age of 71. Mrs. Cantu is survived by her husband Margarito Cantu of Harper, a daughter Michelle Arreola and husband David of Harper, a brother Domingo Soto Jr. and wife Norma of Austin, sisters Maxine Martinez and husband Albert of Mason, Gloria Lopez and husband Saul of Fort Worth, Mary Ann Jaquez of Mason, Rosalie Lopez of Burlington, Colorado and 3 grandchildren Hedey Lee Benitez, Nathan Arreola and Natalie Arreola.

Snoring My Way Into the New Year.... New Year's eve of 2017 saw Mason gripped in an unusually cold weather pattern. Temperatures started out the morning just below freezing, and continued to drop throughout the day. By late afternoon, the thermometer was slowly dropping through the 20s, and by evening, we had breached the teens and snow flurries were swirling about.

Rapture As we enter the beginning of 2018, anyone paying attention to the events, the storms, the winds, murders in Chicago, the absolute lawlessness, the child abductions (for use in the multi-billion dollar pornography industry), the public outcry for the assassination of a duly elected President, the un­paralled division in this country, and the worst of all (by God’s standards), the thousands of so-called Saved-by-Grace Christians, who span this land from border-to-border, fear sound ...

Dutch Oven Bread courtesy: Ron Merlin In my constant quest for breads and other baked goods that are quick to make and great to eat, I occasionally stumble across a real winner. This is one of those breads! The total “active involvement” time by the baker is really small; possibly 20 minutes, at the outside.

Time if flying by, Christmas is over, and 2018 is here! I want to thank everyone for their generous support of the library in 2017, and I hope we’ll continue to benefit from your support this year. This community’s amazing! And even though New Year’s Day is past, I wish everyone a healthy, prosperous, and happy 2018! DVDs: Kingsman: The Golden Circle Bones: Seasons 1 & 2 The Secret Scripture 6 Below All Saints The Shipping News Unlocked Home Again On Wings of Eagles ...

The key to happiness Chances are, if you’re a Normal American, you made some New Year’s Resolutions last week. Maybe you set a weight loss goal, like my friend, Gordo Bailey. One of his aims for 2017 was to lose ten pounds, and he’s been working hard at it all year.

Happy New Year! Wondering how many of you still write 2017? No party for me, on New Years Eve I went to bed at my usual time thinking, ‘It’s New Year Somewhere!’ I’ve spent most of my time, putting up the goodies I got for Christmas! Everything must have a spot, but I seem to just shift things from one room to the other.

Year-End Mort Musings… Rarely is “pensive” used as a descriptive for my 105-year-old Uncle Mort. In the hours unfolding from an old year to a new one, however, he grows silent. This is the claim of his bride, Maude, who repeated wedding vows with him 80-something years ago. And, when Maude makes a claim, it is a take-it-to-the-bank kind of truth.

Creole Sausage and Beans Well its nearing the end of hunting season and football season….Now what are we going to watch on TV? Our family usually ends up making sausage this time of year. This recipe is excellent with venison or any other kind of sausage and a pretty inexpensive meal.

When you read this, it will be 2018. Is it just me, or does the time seem to fly? I wish each of you a healthy and happy new year. Join the Art United Methodist Church for a baby shower honoring James and Emily Leamon’s new baby boy, Freddy. We wil have a covered dish lunch after church. Class meetings will resume on January 10.

2018. Twenty-eighteen. Two thousand eighteen. However you say it. It’s here. Welcome. Heaven knows what we’re in for this year. Two things are for sure. So they say. Death and taxes. But in that order? Hopefully there’s good things too. Like rain. Abundance. Prosperity. Good health. Hard work. A hearty appetite. A warm bed. Less stress. More rest. More love. And kindness. Less war. Less horror. More compassion. More beauty. Like the ...