Flowers and gems. What a way to start the New Year. And the perfect way to start each month. Garnet. January’s birthstone. Carnation. January’s flower. January’s not all fog and frost. In January, Japan celebrates Coming-of-Age. Those who turn 20 during the school year get to celebrate. And the government acknowledges them as official adults. Presents are given. Girls dress up in traditional kimonos. Everybody parties. England celebrates Plough Sunday. An agricultural tradi ...

The old clock was leaning a little, dispirited at the very least. As the new year approached, chiming was low on her priority list. Her thoughts, whirlwinds of anxieties carried over from a pock-marked 2008, included the possibility of allowing 2009 to tiptoe in without bell-ringing accompaniment. Muddled of mind, she even wondered if her pendulum might be on its last “pendul.” Beads of sweat broke out on her face.

When I say out of the closet I am not talking about the kind on “Ellen” the TV show I’m talking about a clothes closet. That thing where you hang up the garments you wear, those you intend to wear and those you will wear if the proper occasion ever arrives. You might ask, what ever got me on the topic of closets Well, I was just a-lying there in bed cogitating on the clothes I was going to wear this particular morning when that familiar and often used argument of my roommate came to mind ...

Know your numbers. I talk to many people in the course of business. I find that most don’t know much about their blood work. I commonly hear people say that their blood work is “normal”, but when they actually look at the numbers, there may be several out of range.

The New Year is here, but seems the news is still the same,”BAD!” Have you ever wondered how a “Good News” station would go over? A news that reports all the good news. How a nobody saved a youngster's life or how that if you use Vodka, you can get stains out of things.

Have a great blessed new year. Continue to pray for rain. One of your new year resolutions should have been to do to everything you can to make God’s world a better place to live. The thing that bothers me the most is smoking and second hand smoke. Judge Bearden, you need to add a smoking ban to your agenda for the County Court.

The results are pretty much in, so it’s time once again for the annual Darwin Awards Column. Every year I write a story about the people who have, during the past 12 months, removed themselves from the gene pool in the most ridiculous and humorous manners possible. This is probably the most popular column I write, which says something about my readership. This year, like last year, some idiots removed the pad from some ski lift poles at an Italian ski resort and then used the pads to slide d ...

We always seem to enjoy breads that have a rather coarse texture, you know, breads that require a bit of chewing. These same breads tend to lose just a bit of their chewiness when we sop up a bit after a bowl of pinto beans, or when we dab it around in the bottom of a bowl of chili.

Shortly after my great-niece was born, I gave Leslie & Travis, and Connie & Randy, digital photo frames for gifts. A year ago, I gave Daddy one as a Christmas gift. I helped all of them load up pictures, worked with them on the settings, and explained how to add and delete pictures in the future.

ger/jan 7 cut-kerr performing arts The Kerrville Performing Arts Society (KPAS) will kick off 2009 converting the Cailloux Theater to a marching band stadium…featuring the reverberations of brass and percussion as the cast of DRUMLine Live perform music from the Big Band era (swing), Motown (soul), Gospel, and jazz in a musical halftime extravaganza featuring all-star musicians and dancers.

Mason Quilting Bee will have a work day Thursday January 8 at St. Paul's fellowship hall from 9 to 3. We will work on Charity Quilts for Casa, The Haven, and nursing home residents. Bring your sewing machine and a sack lunch and join us. There will be quilts to tie and kits to make quilts provided.

There will NOT be an American Legion meeting on Thursday, January 8th or February 12th. The next regular meeting is scheduled for Thursday, March 12th, 7:00pm, at The American Legion Post Hall, 237 Post Hill Rd. (behind the Jail). The program for the March meeting will be announced at a later date.

The Mason Rodeo Association will hold its regular business meeting on Wednesday, January 14, 2009. The meeting will be held at Zavala’s restaurant at 6:00 p.m. Please make plans to attend.

Dave Barker, a herpetologist from Boerne, will present a program on “The Snakes of the Texas Hill Country” on Tuesday, January 13, at the Gillespie County Agricultural Extension Building, 95 Frederick Road in Fredericksburg, beginning at 7:00 p.m. The program is sponsored by the Friends of the Fredericksburg Nature Center as part of their Nature Series programs held during the school year.

The Llano Country Opry will host a Tribute to Big Bill Lister on Saturday, January 10, at the Lantex Theater in downtown Llano. The show begins at 7:30 p.m. and admission is $15.00 per person. Tickets for the show are now on sale at the Llano Chamber of Commerce, Llano National Bank, Lively Computers in Kingsland or by calling (325) 347-5407. The show will feature some special guests set to honor Texas Country Music pioneer Lister including Hank Williams’ daughter Jett Williams, Lister’s n ...

The Heart of Texas Ham Operators Group will be hosting a free licensing review class for anyone who may be interested in obtaining their entry level amateur radio license. The class will be held in Brady on January 10th and January 17th, with an examination session immediately following the review on January 17th.

Weight lifting is the fastest way to shape up and lose body fat. Whether you’ve been lifting weights for many years or you’re new to weight-resistance exercise, Sheryl’s “Shape-Up” class (for women only) is designed for all levels of fitness. The simplicity of the class is a great starting point to develop strength and confidence.

For the second year in a row, U.S. News and World Report has placed Mason High School on its list of the country’s top public high schools. The magazine, with the help of a K-12 education and data research business called School Evaluation Services, analyzed academic and enrollment data from more than 21,000 public high schools in all but three states. They put 8.3 percent of the high schools in Texas on their top performers list, with Mason’s nearly 200-student high school being one of o ...

Due to the early deadline that is needed each year for the paper’s Christmas edition, the following names were not included on the 2008 “Community Greeting Card”: Judy Cordes Marian Ellison and Debbie Ellison Marie Garner Katherine Groves Toni Hurlbut Jimmy and Chick Jordan James and Jodie Kingston Dick and Lila Jo Polk A sincere apology is offered to several of these listed supporters because they (you know who you are) were not late.

The Texas Department of State Health Services' annual airdrop of vaccine baits, credited with turning the tide against the spread of rabies strains carried by coyotes and gray foxes, will begin next week. Some 2.9 million baits will be dropped over parts of 41 Texas counties. "The purpose has been to create and maintain zones of vaccinated coyotes in South Texas and gray foxes in West-Central Texas to prevent the spread of rabies to other animals and humans and to eventually eliminate canine ...

Texas is among 27 states tracing and testing horses that may have been exposed to contagious equine metritis (CEM), a highly contagious disease that can be transmitted during breeding or artificial insemination. CEM can cause temporary infertility of horses. The disease, not known to affect humans, was first detected in the U.S.

The last year began with a fire in Art that required assistance from neighboring fire departments, and that set the tone for the year that would follow. Information provided to the News by the Mason Volunteer Fire Department shows 174 runs for the group, and 84 actual fires that were fought.

Lawrence Reuther, 81, of Fredericksburg, passed away Tuesday, December 30, 2008, at the Knopp Healthcare and Rehab Center after a lengthy illness. Funeral services were held at Bethany Lutheran Church on January 3rd with the Rev. Steve Qualben officiating. Interment followed at the Gooch Cemetery in Mason, TX. Mr. Reuther was born December 4, 1927, in McIntosh County, North Dakota, to David and Martha (nee Bendewald) Reuther.

Graveside services for Jerry T. Taylor, 75, of Tyler, were held at 1:30 p.m., Saturday, January 3, 2008, at Cathedral in the Pines Cemetery in Tyler with Rev. Alfred Darst officiating under the direction of Lloyd James Funeral Home. Mr. Taylor passed away on Wednesday, December 31, 2008, in Tyler at his residence. He was born on September 2, 1933 in Kilgore to the late L.

R. L Crouch passed away in the Methodist Hospital on December 26, 2008 at the age of 75. He was born in Mason County on March 13, 1933 to Ernest and Della Crouch. R. L. worked for the City of Mason for 33 years. He was one of five children.

Frank Simon Jr. of Austin, Texas passed away on Sunday, December 28, 2008, at the age of 86. He was born on July 12, 1922, in Mason County, Texas, to Frank Simon and Mary Gerdes Simon. He grew up on the family ranch and graduated from Mason High School in 1940.

The Mason JV Punchers traveled to Llano over the holiday break to compete in the Llano tournament, facing some tough tests against other area squads. The Punchers played 3 games total, winning one and dropping the other two despite exceptional effort being displayed by our players. In the first game of the tournament, the Punchers squared off against the always tough Blanco Panthers.

Opponent: Junction (1/2) 1st 2nd 3rd 4th OT Final Mason 16 9 7 5 - 37 Junction 14 5 5 5 - 29 Statistical Leaders Points Chance Stockbridge - 9 Jake Newsom - 8 Jacob Bibb - 8 David Mora - 6 Team Record: 7-3 Next Opponent: Medina (1/6) * We overcame some sluggishness and some nagging injuries to defeat a good Junction team. It is a good start to the second half of the season.

Opponent: Goldthwaite (12/19) 1st 2nd 3rd 4th OT Final Mason 3 9 8 10 - 30 Goldthwaite 9 9 4 9 - 31 Statistical Leaders Points Austin Trip - 6 David Mora - 5 Dillon Estes - 5 Jacob Bibb - 5 Chance Stockbridge - 5 Team Record: 5-1 Next Opponent: Llano Tournament * A great game between two good teams. The game came down to the wire, and we couldn’t quite make the one extra play that we needed.