August 14, 2019 Issue

I had one final task with WinterFisch, but due to a super busy spring and early summer it got away from me. This task was to wrap up this fun annual fishing event with prize awards, a great big thank you to our local and out-of-county sponsors, and a thank you to the team that helped make the opportunity a success. WinterFisch is a winter Rainbow Trout fishing opportunity that is administered statewide by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD).

Vince Lombardi, legendary football coach for the Green Bay Packers during the 60s, said, “The price of success is hard work, dedication to the job at hand, and the determination that whether we win or lose, we have applied the best of ourselves to the task at hand.” In the community of Mason, hard work, dedication, and determination are a way life, inside and outside of the classroom.

Over the course of four days the Mason Tennis Association hosted its annual Mason DR Pepper/Tennis Outlet Open on July 18th – July 21st. The Junior division brought in over 240 entries and included players from all over Texas. Players competed in singles on Thursday, doubles and mixed doubles on Friday.

7/16/19@1126 Deputy Horn Responded to Kettner for a minor one vehicle accident 7/16/19@1140 Chief Deputy Lancaster Took a report about a theft at the Dollar General 7/16/19@1332 Deputy Horn Responded to Willow St for a civil disturbance 7/16/19@1700 Deputy Moller Assisted by Trooper Griffith responded to a semi accident on 29 E , taken to S&W Llano 7/16/19@1813 Deputy Moller Responded to 87 N for a reckless driver call 7/16/19@2039 Deputy Moller Assisted by T ...

In my previous Commissioner’s Corner columns, I discussed findings of the analysis of waste disposal options for Mason. This information was not available to the City Commission nor to the public in time for the July 15 City Commission meeting. The previous columns described the errors in the Blue Oak permit, the failure to consider alternatives at the outset, and the failure to perform a financial analysis of waste disposal options.

Boss Lion Michael Murphy called the meeting to order at 12:30 PM at Nacho’s Café. Visitors this week included Meg and Ella Canfield, Jimmy Bratton, and Carol Reardon. Lion Brent Hinckley had the program this week and he could not be at the meeting, so Lion John Palacio took his place. Lion John gave an update on the City of Mason, starting with the recycling center.

Tonight is Meet the Teachers at elementary, believe it or not, but it’s also time to sign up your children ages 0-4 for the Book Punchers Family Book Club! The goal is to read 100 books in a year with your child. Every child who signs up will get a Book Puncher backpack and a free book.

I have been quiet for the past couple of weeks because on July 29 I had a total knee replacement in Fredericksburg, and since getting out of the hospital I have been confined to home and managing to get around using a walker. I am slowly weaning off of the pain medications, and physical therapy will be a regular activity for several weeks, but there continue to be some issues in the City that need a bit of extra consideration and communication as well as some balanced information.

On Thursday, August 8th, Maddy Heath & Shiloh Peaden addressed family members, members of the American Legion Fort Mason Post 285 and Auxiliary Unit 285, and other interested parties at the American Legion Post Hall. Maddy & Shiloh described their experiences to those present, including their campaigns for public office and their duties when elected.

The Annual Fort Mason Golf Association Fundraiser will be held Saturday, August 24th @ the Ft. Mason Community Building. The golf course is “member owned”, so this fundraiser is very important financially for daily operations. The day will begin with a 9 hole scramble @ 2:00 pm (call clubhouse by noon to enter as individual or team), followed by a silent auction beginning @ 5:00, dinner @ 6:00 (catered by Boondocks) followed by a live auction and drawing.

Vince Lombardi, legendary football coach for the Green Bay Packers during the 60s, said, “The price of success is hard work, dedication to the job at hand, and the determination that whether we win or lose, we have applied the best of ourselves to the task at hand.” In the community of Mason, hard work, dedication, and determination are a way life, inside and outside of the classroom.

Over the course of four days the Mason Tennis Association hosted its annual Mason DR Pepper/Tennis Outlet Open on July 18th – July 21st. The Junior division brought in over 240 entries and included players from all over Texas. Players competed in singles on Thursday, doubles and mixed doubles on Friday.

On Thursday, August 8th, Maddy Heath & Shiloh Peaden addressed family members, members of the American Legion Fort Mason Post 285 and Auxiliary Unit 285, and other interested parties at the American Legion Post Hall. Maddy & Shiloh described their experiences to those present, including their campaigns for public office and their duties when elected.

The Llano Country Opry will host “A Salute To Conway Twitty And Loretta Lynn” with Tayla Lynn and Tre Twitty on Saturday, August 17, at the Lantex Theater in downtown Llano, Texas. The shows will begin at 2:30 PM and admission is $20.00 per person. Tickets are now on sale at www.heartoftexascountry.com or by calling the Llano Chamber at (325) 247-5354. Tayla Lynn grew up in the heart of Tennessee and started singing with her grandmother at an early age.

The Mason Garden Club will host its Annual Membership Drive and Ice Cream Social on Tuesday, August 20, 2019, at 2 p.m. in the Stribling Room of the Mason County M. Beven Eckert Memorial Library. This is the time that the club invites the community to come and see what garden club is all about.

When you have an electric cooperative as your utility provider, you are a member-owner rather than a customer. As a valued member-owner of CTEC, we ask for your participation in our annual membership meeting. This year the CTEC Annual Meeting will be held on Tuesday, August 20th at 7:00 p.m.

The MCF is now accepting applications for our fall grant cycle. In the past 13 years, the MCF has awarded over 135 grants for a total of over $350,000. We have provided grants for upgrades in medical services in our community, area fire departments, school programs, city beautification, and many other areas. If your non-profit group has a project that will benefit the majority of our community, and you have not received a grant from MCF in the last year, you can pick up and return a grant a ...

Our family has had a wonderful weekend. We were in Marble Falls Sunday when our granddaughter, Amber, was married to Wade Willis. It was a beautiful wedding. We wish them much happiness. Next Sunday, August 18, will be blessing of the backpacks Sunday at the Art United Methodist Church. Children, bring your backbacks. The Mission team at the Art United Methodist Church will sponsor book covering followed by lunch on the first day of school.

River of Life Church’s Children’s Ministry will be performing, The Born Again Identity, Saturday, August 24th at 6:30 p.m. and, Sunday, August 25th at 10:30 a.m. at River of Life Church. The musical drama has a humorous but powerful story line that reflects the true story of Jesus’ encounters with the Pharisee Nicodemus, who went from a meeting in secret with Jesus to being a committed Follower as told by the apostle John. Join the cast in the hidden headquarters of the Jerusalem Inte ...

Vernon August Henry Evers or “Cowboy” passed away peacefully on Friday, August 9, 2019, in Floresville, Texas, at the age of 95. He was born on August 27, 1923, in Castell, TX, to Frank Joseph and Minnie (Heine) Evers, the fourth of four children, a descendant of German settlers. Vernon resided in Llano County for almost all of his life. Vernon attended school in Castell, Texas and was later drafted into and served proudly in the Army Air Corp during World War II where he served as an a ...

Dayton Spaeth passed away at his ranch on August 9, 2019, at the age of 74. He is survived by his wife, Mag of Mason; his brother Dwight Spaeth of Mason; his son, Tracy Spaeth and wife Cindy of Fredericksburg; and his daughter, Tonya Ahlschwede and husband Allen of Mason. He will be missed greatly by his grandchildren, Hunter Spaeth, Caleb Spaeth, Jay Ahlschwede and Sophie Ahlschwede. Dayton was buried on his ranch in a private family service.

Amanda Lee Pfeil passed away on Saturday August 3rd at her home at the age of 28 years. Amanda was born August 21, 1990, in Brownwood, Texas, to Roy Pfeil and Ann Aleman. Amanda is survived by her husband: Michael Aldana of San Antonio; Parents: Roy and Barbra Pfeil of Mason; Ann and Jeremy Brown of San Antonio; Sisters and brothers: Adrian Aleman of San Antonio, Lori Pfeil of Fredericksburg, Machelle Pfeil of Mason, Royce Pfeil of Mason, Reece Pfeil of Mason. Her body lay in state in t ...

River of Life Church’s Children’s Ministry will be performing, The Born Again Identity, Saturday, August 24th at 6:30 p.m. and, Sunday, August 25th at 10:30 a.m. at River of Life Church. The musical drama has a humorous but powerful story line that reflects the true story of Jesus’ encounters with the Pharisee Nicodemus, who went from a meeting in secret with Jesus to being a committed Follower as told by the apostle John. Join the cast in the hidden headquarters of the Jerusalem Inte ...

Making the Unpopular Choices... This week's paper is filled with letters, editorial columns and ads that all discuss the issue of Mason's solid waste plans. It goes back several months, and includes the topics of landfills, transfer stations, local control and fiduciary responsibility. Both Mayor Hinckley and Commissioner Lee have provided lots of input in the paper during this same period, and their viewpoints don't always reach the same conclusions. At the last City meeting in July, cro ...

Conaway Open Letter to Congressman Conaway, Thank you for the presentation at Mason Court House. I write regarding Trumps speech and our being a Christian nation. Any student of Jesus must know that the Son of God, used rather inflammatory language, calling the religious leaders of His day, snakes, hypocrites, blind leaders of the blind, fools, and another transitional favorite, dead men’s bones in whitewashed tombs.

Thinking Again Gerry: First, thank you for publishing Robin Lee’s extensive analysis of the alternative ways to address our municipal waste disposal. I was surprised to learn that the decision the City Commission reached at their last meeting would involve the expenditure of an additional $2.4 million dollars over the life of the project, and can’t imagine that there would have been as much enthusiasm for this position had that information been available before a decision was made. ...

Kendal I have been a regular reader of Kendal Hemphill’s Outdoors Outpost since I moved here 10 years ago. His humor is sometimes corny & sometimes hilarious but his occasional comments on our societies ills are usually right on & last weeks column was no exception. He gets right to the heart of the underlying cause of all the carnage caused by the deranged individuals who shoot innocent people in shopping malls, schools, & restaurants.

Moving Forward Respectfully, Commissioner Lee, a vote was taken and 4 out of 5 commissioners voted in favor of the land fill in accordance with the wishes of their constituents. Since this is still a Democratic Republic, you work for the people and the people have spoken! So it is time for you to turn your many talents to helping Mason achieve the best land fill possible and stop obstructing that goal.

Stick to the Vote Analysis Paralysis Again? Dear Mayor, Commissioners and Concerned Citizens, I have heard that there is a possibility of revisiting the Landfill issue at a future meeting. I would consider this an insult and disservice to the many people who came out to the June and July Commission meetings. Four of you voted to support the Landfill option and the will of the people.

Landfill Open Letter to Commissioner Lee The landfill has been under consideration and study for years. Citizens of Mason have voiced their opinion at two large public meetings and numerous times to individual commissioners in support of our new landfill. What part of Democracy do you not understand? In Texas this is called a Done Deal. JD Kidwell

Corner Column When will you join the team? The support for a landfill was overwhelming. The vote was 4 to 1, there is a deadline for an operating trash service program. The schedule will only work if the voted course is stayed (the house is on fire). Comm. Dist. 4 grab a bucket and help the rest put out the fire, and quit counting the cost of the buckets.

Bread Machine French Bread Practical Baker Original Recipe I have one of these really fancy bread machines, but have never been too impressed with the quality of the breads I’ve prepared in it. I decided to come up with a recipe that produced a better product, so I began to experiment. Since it takes 4 hours to make a loaf of bread in my machine, I got to spend a lot of time wondering just exactly how each loaf would turn out.

The armpit of America Warren G. Harding is the only sitting U.S. president to have ever visited Skagway, Alaska. He stayed about three hours, pronounced the place ‘the armpit of America,’ and left. The people of Alaska were so appreciative they named a mountain after him. It’s called Harding Mountain. You might’ve been able to figure that out on your own, but then why would you need me? Skagway is still pretty unimpressive, but it was the gateway to the Klondike gold fields back i ...

Sweet Chariot Stocks?... A casual statement made by my Uncle Mort at his 107th birthday party recently may go a long way in explaining why he continues his relentless pursuit of get-rich-quick inventions. He said he suffered a monumental financial blow--a borderline “gut punch”--from Wall Street. Mort rues the long-ago day he put all of his available cash in what he described as “Sweet Chariot Stocks.” Huh?

Our family has had a wonderful weekend. We were in Marble Falls Sunday when our granddaughter, Amber, was married to Wade Willis. It was a beautiful wedding. We wish them much happiness. Next Sunday, August 18, will be blessing of the backpacks Sunday at the Art United Methodist Church. Children, bring your backbacks. The Mission team at the Art United Methodist Church will sponsor book covering followed by lunch on the first day of school.

HOT. The End. Huh? What? No? Not the end? Nope. Sorry. It ain’t over yet. Still HOT. More HOT. Even HOTTER. HOT. Hace calor hoy. And tomorrow. And the day after tomorrow. ‘Tis summer. ‘Tis the season. ‘Tis August. Il fait chaud. Dry, too. Drouthy. Drains the wells. And one’s energy. Dries up the tanks. Distresses the livestock. The flora and fauna. And the pocketbook. More feed. Less cattle. More water. More wells. More ...