“The heart is the hub of all sacred places. Go there and roam.” — NityanandaAnd the square is the hub of Mason. From there you can roam along three major spokes.North by northwest.Or south or east.With lots to discover.Saunter south down Highway 87.Santos Taqueria.Sandstone Cellars Winery.Sandstone Cellars Winery Wine Bar.Gamel Guesthouse.Lighthouse Business Solutions.A “Vision” Taxidermy.Stagecoach Stop B&B.Miss Alma’s Bed & Breakfast.The Green Ho ...

A 13-word phrase that completes ample verbiage at the end of many employment contracts sometimes leads to undoing and may even cause signers to seek other professions. It seems innocuous, perhaps little more than filler, maybe enlarging contract-framers’ fees by a few coins if they are paid by the word.It’s intended to be “catch-all coverage” for responsibilities not otherwise mentioned: “And certain other duties that may be required by the board of trustees.&rd ...

We all know that Mason is the “Gem of the Hill Country”, but what you all may not know is that Nancy Scholibo is the gem of the library. Nancy and I have melded into a truly collaborative team. From picking fabric for new furniture to moving books, she has been involved in every step of the planning and implementation for the Tocker grant, and her honesty, insight, and experience are invaluable to every project.

Many of the projects and services that the City of Mason deals with are seldom seen by the average citizen living in town. For that reason a couple of significant “celebrations” at the City office are perhaps a mystery to the public, but represent major milestones in our goals to provide outstanding service for the residents.

Glycemic Index or GI is a measure of the effect of the carbohydrates in foods on blood-glucose levels. Carbohydrates that break down quickly in the process of digestion have high GI values, while carbohydrates that break down slowly have low GI values.The concept of glycemic index is so important as it is helpful to the many people that struggle with diabetes and metabolic syndrome, also known as pre-diabetes.

I promised Z that I wouldn’t bring any more dogs into this family. This has been the hardest promise I’ve ever made. I always look in the classified section for PETS. I get emails about dogs that are so cute. I see others dogs and wish.If I could, I’d have a PET FARM!

Greetings and blessings to all. Well folks, I’ve been recruited to come on board with Tad, Lisa, and Kathy to bring you the latest news from Art. They are hard acts to follow, but I’ll give it a shot!While driving through Art, one can’t help but notice the beautiful new rock wall and entrance gate to the Kothmann Family Cemetery on Hwy 29.

Source: Cook It Quick e-newsletter, UNL Extension in Lancaster County I thought you might be interested in getting that turkey out of the way a day early this year! Sometimes it may be easier to prepare your turkey the day before you plan to serve it, especially if you want to use your oven for other things that day.

The Mason Lions club met Tuesday, November 8th, for it’s regular weekly luncheon meeting. There were 35 members and one visitor in attendance. Lion Jerry Bearden was responsible for the program and he talked about the proposition election.H stated that some members may have already voted; but, for those that had not, he used The League of Women Voters Guide to help explain the propositions and how they would affect our society.

A few weeks ago my friend, TJ Greaney, called me up and asked me to shoot with him in a benefit sporting clays shoot in Austin. Which was immediate proof that he was desperate. No one asks me to be on their shooting team because they’re trying to win something, or even escape without embarrassment.TJ, if you recall, along with his son, Cody Ryan, hosts an outdoor radio show on 104.9 ‘The Horn’ radio station in Austin every Saturday morning from six to eight, which is way to ...

A few weeks ago my friend, TJ Greaney, called me up and asked me to shoot with him in a benefit sporting clays shoot in Austin. Which was immediate proof that he was desperate. No one asks me to be on their shooting team because they’re trying to win something, or even escape without embarrassment.TJ, if you recall, along with his son, Cody Ryan, hosts an outdoor radio show on 104.9 ‘The Horn’ radio station in Austin every Saturday morning from six to eight, which is way to ...

Over the course of the last couple of weeks, I've had family members asking me to figure out the things I might want for Christmas. It's the updated version of "Tell Santa what you want."But, I always seem to have problems figuring out what to say in response to such queries.

Wish to comment on the critical letters on sand mines in the last weeks;Sand mines have been in this part of the state since the Mid Nineteen Sixtys, some operate within the city limits of nearby towns.One is on the edge of, or just inside Mason County. For around twenty years it had irrigation peanut farms around it, that probably used much more water than it did!

Dear Editor,We have heard that there are pros and cons towards building the new sand plant. We would like to express our opinion. Our concerns on this topic would be air pollution, and affects towards the wildlife, and enviroment. Also, damage to the fields, vehicles, roads, and the community because the trucks are going through town.Their main way of getting sand would be pumping out alot of ground water.

Rick Perry states he wants to abolish the Department of Energy. That is if he can remember it. The responsibilities of the DOE include, but are not limited to, the nation's nuclear weapons program, nuclear reactor production for the U.S. Navy, energy conservation, energy-related research, safety in radioactive waste disposal and domestic energy production.

In 1933, the U.S. military’s most famous war hero, Major-General Smedley Butler said: “I spent thirty-three years and four months in active military service as a member of this country’s most agile military force, the Marine Corps. I served in all commissioned ranks from Second Lieutenant to Major-General. And during that period, I spent most of my time being a high class muscle-man for Big Business, for Wall Street and for the Bankers.

Katherine Howell and Hollis, a certified therapy dog, will be at the Mason County M. Beven Eckert Library at 11:30 A.M., on Monday, November 21 to read with pre-school children. Katherine and Hollis live in San Antonio and are making a special trip to Mason. Come see how much fun Story Time can be!

Mark your calendars for an Estate Planning Program on Tuesday, November 29, 2011. The program will be held at Schorlemmer Hall, St. James Lutheran Church, with registration beginning at 5:30 p.m. The program will be from 6:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Cost will be $20.00 if you pre-register or $25.00 at the door if you don’t pre-register; this will include a meal.

What do United Methodists believe about this? What do United Methodists believe about that? Over the years I have been approached with questions about the United Methodist church. Sometimes these questions have come from people raised in other denominations, and sometimes from United Methodists.On Saturday, November 19th from 9:00a.m. - 12 noon, at Hilda United Methodist Church we will explore the doctrine, polity, and history of the United Methodist Church.How did the Methodist movement beg ...

Alpha Beta Psi will be hosting their annual “Light up our Town” program on Saturday November 26th beginning at 4:00 p.m. on the North side of the Courthouse lawn.Tannenbaum will be held in conjunction with Light Up Our Town this year, so you may be able to start your holiday shopping early.Santa Clause will arrive at 4:15 p.m., so Mom and Dad get your camera ready!

November 19th at the Eden Firehouse Special Edition Guns, Exotic hunt, and Many Other Great Prizes to be Raffled Door Prizes and a Full Bar-B-Q Dinner, Music, and of Course the Beer Babes Tickets are $15 each. Starts at 7 PM This is going to be a great event don’t miss out.

The Texas AgriLife Extension Service, Llano County, will sponsor a CEU Conference on Tuesday, December 6, 2011, at St. James Lutheran Church Schorlemmer Hall, 1401 Ford St., in Llano. This program will be for individuals who possess a valid private applicators license, a commercial applicators license, or a non-commercial applicators license, and would like continuing education units (CEUs) to help with fulfilling their re-certification requirements.

Judy Black, FAAHC member from Kimble County, will present this Saturday’s Creative Session. Her program is on “Contour and Gesture Drawing”. It will begin at 10 AM in Mason’s Eckert Center.Saturday’s session will involve the participants in Contour, Gesture, and Quick drawing exercises. No ability to draw is necessary to learn and have fun with these exercises.

Country Music Entertainer Fiddlin Frenchie Burke will headline the Marble Falls Opry on Saturday, November 19. The show will begin at 7:30 p.m. at the Uptown Theater in downtown Marble Falls. Admission is $12.00 in advance, $15.00 at the door and $20.00 for limited reserved table seating in front of the stage.

The Hill Country is in store for an amazing opportunity December 2nd and 3rd when FAAHC presents their annual ART Show and Sale focusing on smaller works of art that are perfect for Christmas gift giving! The show is free and open to the public. Get there early to pick your favorite photography by Eldon Kothmann, Robin Clark, Willeda Rae, and Dorrett Townsend.There will be Ukrainian eggs by Susan Summers and etching by Dana Butler.

Odeon Theatre makes call for Talent - all ages, talents, men and women wanted for a “Holiday Season Celebration” production sponsored by the Fine Arts Association of the Hill country and the Odeon Preservation Association. The intent is to present the event two times at the Odeon Theatre on December 10, 8 p.m.

WHEN: 11-26-11 TIME: Noon - 7 p.m. WHERE: Mason, TX, Tannenbaum “Light up the town” Art and Crafts 2011 WHAT: Eckert, a resident of Mason, TX, will be available to sign copies of her book, Where Was God When I Cried?While growing up in the segregated south of the 1950s, Voncil ‘Peaches’ Evans asked herself many times, Where Was God When I Cried?

During the regular meeting of the Mason County Commissioners' Court on Monday, Tyler Bobinmyer was hired as the new County Agent for Mason County to replace Brent Drennan who recently retired. Originally from Nebraska, Tyler is a 2005 Texas Tech graduate, and has served as County Agent for the last two years in Kinney County.

Mason Junior High cheerleaders recently held a fundraiser and donated multiple canned food items and a check for $200 to our local food bank. (Top) Wade Powell (Food Bank), Jamie Lee (Cheerleading Sponsor), Shelby Comey, Monico Schmidt, Kirsten Allen, Steeley Smith, Madison Anderson. (Bottom) Sara Powell, Justyn Tedder, Heather Shaw, Lanie Schmidt, and Macayla Crocker.

The 2011 Jr. High Robotics teams competed in their first competition on November 7 in San Angelo. The team of Justyn Tedder, Kendra Klaerner, and Grant Sanders placed 1st in the Inventions contest with their invention of the seeing-eye robot. All five teams did a great job and will compete again on December 10 for the Area competition.

The 37th Annual International Quilt Festival was held this past week in Houston, Texas. It’s the largest quilt show, sale and quilt making academy in the world. For a week, people from around the world descend on Houston — the nation’s oil capital (and my hometown) — with only one thing on their minds: quilting.

Operations Orphans, Inc. and the "Take a Child Hunting" program held the first of four whitetail doe hunts for underprivileged children Saturday, November 12. This hunt offered an opportunity for girls from area state children's homes and foster homes to hunt at local area ranches. Each girl was accompanied by a female guide or a male and female team.

Mason Bluebonnet Study Club celebrated 70 years of community service with a tea at the Mason County Library on November 12. The club which had its beginning in 1941 under the sponsorship of Rochelle Study Club located in neighboring McCulloch County, continues today in the traditions established then. Marilyn Moseley Waller of the Rochelle club attended the tea representing the current membership of the sponsoring club and bringing congratulations and wishes for continued success.Mason Blueb ...

WACO, Texas-Baylor University’s Institute for Family Business will be honoring the 2011 Texas Family Business of the Year award winners and finalists at an awards banquet to be held on Wednesday, Nov. 9 at Baylor University’s Bill Daniel Student Center.The Texas Family Business of the Year awards program recognizes outstanding firms whose families demonstrate a commitment to each other and to business continuity, and who are responsive to the needs of their employees, communities ...

Friday's Veterans Day service on the courthouse lawn honored all those who have served, and in Mason County, that means multi-generational service. Left to right: Nola Donop, Roger Luckenbach, Sterling Jordan, and Chris Dyer. A great crowd attended the service, which included a 21-gun salute, and music by Daryl Watson and Mason ISD's 3rd Grade Class.

Prop. 1: Tax exemption for surviving spouse of veteran Mason for: 291 Mason against: 57 Statewide: 82.8% For Prop. 2: TX Water Dev. Board issue additional bonds not to exceed $6 billion Mason for: 85 Mason against: 262 Statewide: 51.5% For Prop. 3: Issue bonds to finance education loans to students Mason for: 112 Mason against: 242 Statewide: 54.5% For Prop. 4: Permit county to issue bonds for development< ...

MASON, Texas — The Capital Farm Credit Board of Directors recently approved a $50 million cash distribution by retiring a portion of previously-allocated equities to be paid this fall. This amount represents more than three times, or $35 million, more than the 2010 retirement. Capital Farm Credit, a customer-owned cooperative, continues to demonstrate its financial strength and stability and longstanding tradition of sharing earnings with its customers.

Thanks to the eighteen folks who turned out this past Saturday to help with the first clean up in over thirty years of the Old Pontotoc Cemetery. Needless to say, it was in pretty bad shape. We found several graves that we didn’t even know were there after clearing dead grasses, weeds, briar, cactus, and so on.

Jack Evans Crouch passed away on Wednesday, November 9, at the age of 83. Jack was born in Menard, Texas, to Wiley Crouch and Ruth Millsap Crouch. At an early age he started doing ranch work and building fence. He continued in this line of work for many years working on the Block House Ranch and for Jack Walker at Hedwig’s Hill.

Little Dribbler Registration Kindergarten through 6th grade Nov. 8th – Dec. 4th Tryouts – Dec. 11th Forms available at Elementary

The Mason Cowgirls opened the 2011-12 season with 9 victories in 10 games. The JH Cowgirls opened the week with 4 wins on Monday night against the Llano Yellowjackets. Tuesday night was the HS Cowgirls turn as the JV Purple & Varsity beat Menard. The JV White Cowgirls took a loss vs.