I’ve lived outside Texas. Yes, I confess I’ve exercised poor judgment, moving out of state on more than one occasion. Thank you good people for seeing fit to let me back in. One thing I’ve learned during my travels, other than New Jersey truly is Hell, is how Texas’ annual seasons differ from those elsewhere.

Ocean’s 13 Noel If you have ever seen an Ocean’s movie before, you know the way the story goes. If not, it’s pretty much a group of people who steal for a living, but the story and the characters make it so much more fun than that! Ocean’s has the usual actors, George Clooney, Brad Pitt, and Matt Damon.

AUSTIN - Texans now can register an inventory of their personal property, report property that has been stolen or check whether an item they are attempting to buy has been reported as stolen. Trace.com, a subsidiary of MyThings Inc., is collaborating with the Texas Police Chiefs Association, the Texas Department of Public Safety and more than 500 local Texas police departments and sheriff's offices to make Texas stolen property files available to the public at www.trace.com. The Trace onlin ...

Two Blanco County residents were honored Saturday Nov. 17th in Corsicana, Texas, by the Lone Star Mower Racing Association(LSMRA). Chase Martinez, a Blanco High School Junior, and Stephen Wertheim, Chase’s grandfather, both raced in the 2007 mower-racing season, where Chase took second place in the IMOW class. This was quite an accomplishment, as Chase started racing midway through the season, and 2007 was Chase’s rookie year.

Two authors with connections to the Blanco Library, will read from their books and discuss their writing experiences on Saturday, December 1, from 1:00-3:00 P.M. at the Blanco Library. J.R. Knoll grew up in Blanco and at a very early age used his vivid imagination to tell stories to anyone who would listen.

Johnson City, Texas — Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park invites everyone to experience “Christmas at the LBJ Boyhood Home” on December 1, December 8 and December 15. National park rangers will provide an open house of this historic home, all decked out for a Christmas celebration in the 1920s from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m.

The November meeting of the Blanco Child Protection & Family Advocacy Board was held on Monday, Nov. 12th this month. Diane Beagle, Laurie Williams, Brenda Adair, Bill Swiss, Wendy Smith, Sandy Mann, Mary Frances Madison, Margie Vasquez and Suzette Connell represented the nine Board members attending. Dorinda Duzan, Conservatorship Supervisor, along with caseworker, Teresa Greenburg, who represented the CPS staff. Certificates of Appreciation from the Child Welfare Board in Burnet were handed ...

With the holiday season approaching, many of us trade time in the garden for time preparing for upcoming festivities in the kitchen and at the shopping center. But even as our efforts move indoors, here are a few dos and don’ts to consider for our landscapes. DO improve your soil by adding compost to vegetable, perennial and shrub beds. But DON’T overdo it with fertilizer on your lawns.

If you are single, and between the ages of 13 and 18, applications are now being accepted for the title of 2008 “Miss Teen Blanco County”! Miss Teen Blanco County will represent her county at the Miss Teen Texas Pageant to be held at the Scottish Rite Auditorium in San Antonio, Texas April 11– 13, 2008.

Ask yourselves the following questions: 1. What do you do to further God’s Kingdom every day? (Help others to know Jesus?) 2. What do you do to help YOURSELF every day? (Is what you’re doing helping your life on earth or in heaven?) 3. What do you do to help yourself spiritually?

This Sunday, December 2 at 10:45, the choir and youth ensemble of First Baptist Church will present One Incredible Moment. This musical by Tom Fettke and Max Lucado tells the Christmas story from the viewpoint of those who were part of it. Rachel Wheat directs. Dramatic readers include Bill Rife, Tommy Gillis, Edward Hines, Doug Pautz, Sarah Culpepper, C.A.

Robert Ozment opened his book, “but God can,” warning his readers about the universal danger of temptation, writing: Temptation is a traveling companion of every person who walks down the corridor of life. It has no regard for custom, race, or heritage. It cuddles up to the rich and the poor.

By Pastor J.D. Link Abundant Grace Fellowship Church, Blanco, TX “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” - Jn 14:6. These words spoken by Jesus are both emphatic and exclusive. With this statement alone, He forever blows out of the water any notion that there are many ways to heaven.

Thursday, December 6, 2007 White Wings Ranch at Unity Church of Wimberley 455 White Wings Road Wimberley, Texas 78676 Doors open at 7 - Concert at 7:30 Cost: $15.00 - Students $8.00 (no advance tickets) Gourmet Coffee and Desserts by the Wimberley Inn www.whitewingsranch.org Contact: Gigi at 512-847-7432 Jimmy LaFave is one of Austin’s most popular musicians.

Dorothy D. Wegner, 79, passed away November 22 in San Antonio. Living in Boerne, she was a former resident of Blanco. She was preceded in death by her husband, Charlie and a son, Charles. She is survived by a son, Mickey Loehr of Blanco; two daughters, Dorothy Gayle Wegner of Boerne and Kittie Lynn Wegner of Oak Hill; ten grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. Visitation will be at Crofts Funeral Home, Blanco on Tuesday from 9:00 am until 8:00 pm.

An open letter to TXDOT – Please Don’t Mess With Texas! Stop Electronic Billboards! Thank you for listening to our concerns. We are very opposed to LED billboards in Texas and hope you will help stop them from coming to our community. First, I see no public purpose in allowing bright, changing commercial advertisements to leap into our vehicles when we are supposed to be watching the road.

The Wimberley Players will hold auditions on Saturday, December 8 at 2 p.m. and on Sunday, December 10 at 7 p.m. for their February production Marvin's Room by Scott McPherson. The auditions will be held at The Wimberley Playhouse, 450 Old Kyle Road in Wimberley. To be cast are parts for four men (teens to 60s), and for five women (30s to 70s). Show dates are on weekends February 8 through 24.

Cooler weather entices thousands of Texans outdoors to enjoy hunting, hiking, camping and other activities. “But billions of critters that can carry disease-causing germs will be out there as well,” said Guy Moore, a wildlife biologist with the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS). “Outdoor activities bring a greater risk of exposure to diseases transmitted by fleas, ticks and mosquitoes and other animals.” Animals can transmit such diseases as hantavirus, anthrax, brucel ...

Santa’s Ranch, the spectacular Christmas light park with more than 1.5 million twinkling lights on 10 acres, will open on Friday, Nov. 9. Located on I-35 between New Braunfels and San Marcos and celebrating its fifth season, the park has become a holiday destination for families through out central Texas.

The public is invited to Blanco Middle School this Thursday evening, November 29, from 6:00 - 7:00, to hear a presentation by Antarctic scientist, Shelley Knuth. Ms Knuth is a meteorologist from the University of Wisconsin- Madison. She is flying here this week specifically to talk to Blanco Middle School students.

SEGUIN - Texas Lutheran University student Michelle Kempf, a senior kinesiology major, was recently inducted into the Alpha Chi National Honor Society. A graduate of Blanco High School, Kempf is the daughter of Leo and Beverly Kempf. Alpha Chi is a national honor society that recognizes junior and senior students who display high scholarship and character.

The Middle School boys basketball teams hosted the Brady Bulldogs on Monday, November 26. The seventh grade ‘A’ team took a 32-15 victory over the Bulldogs. Sam Isenberg was high scorer with a total of 16 points followed by Ian Ray who scored 12 points and T.J. Hardin who scored four points The eighth grade ‘B’ team took to the court and the Panthers put up a good fight.

November Grand Prix Tennis Tournament was held at Sonterra on November 17-18. Austin Carrola came back from a 1 to 5 set to win his match. He won first place in the 16-18 year old division over a MacArthur High School tennis team member. Next month’s Grand Prix Tournament will be held at Northside Stadium in San Antonio on December 22 - 23

The Blanco eighth grade girls basketball team traveled to Brady this past Monday to face the Brady Bulldogs. The eighth grade ‘A’ team defeated Brady in convincing fashion by a score of 28-13. Highlights include Felicia Skillman who scored eight points, Micaela Klein with seven points, Justine Cooley with four points, Lindsey Jenkins, Abbey Weaver, Alex Gustafson and Kayla Martinez each had 2pts, and Holly Sayre finished the night with 1point.

The Panthers traveled to Johnson City on Tuesday, November 20 after prevailing over Wimberley just the day before. The Panthers, who were dragging most of the first half, managed to hold the lead with a 9-8 score at the end of the first period. However, by half time the Eagles had taken advantage of the tired Panthers and had gained a four point lead as they went into the locker rooms. Coming back out onto the court, the Panthers seemed to gain a little momentum as they started to play more ...

Dorothy Dillon's sister, Joanne Klier is recovering nicely from open heart surgery. Wally Hiller is feeling much better as well. Wes and Charlotte Thomas along with their children, Michael, Ley and Crystal, as well as Brittany Hesskew traveled to Conroe for the Thanksgiving holiday. They enjoyed seeing Wes' dad Jack, mom Dolly, brother, Eddy and sister-in-law Judy as well as his nephew Dustin and niece Tiffany, her husband Lupe,their children, Valerie, Ashley and Emma.

Diaper Power November 25, 1977 Mr. and Mrs. Hugo Caseres are the proud parents of a baby girl. Diana Marie, born November 15 at Santa Rosa Hospital. Mr. and Mrs. Severne Smith of Leakey, Texas proudly announce the birth of their daughter, September Ann, born November 21 at Santa Rosa Hospital in San Antonio and weighing 7 pounds and 12 ounces. Grandparents are Mr.

Most people know it’s important to have their proverbial financial house in order before taking steps to purchase a home. Besides paying off loans and holding off on large purchases, some people may also decide to get preliminary loan approvals before they start looking. While that’s a great idea, consumers need to be aware of the differences between getting pre-qualified and getting pre-approved for a loan — because they are not the same. Though either scenario puts the consumer in a s ...