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🪶 Letter from the Editor

Dear neighbors,

You probably saw it already — Southern Living named Fredericksburg No. 3 Best Small Town in the South. And then they announced they're building a 2026 Idea House in nearby Friedën. The first one ever in Texas.

It's the kind of notice that changes things. Not all at once, but fundamentally. It says: the rest of America is paying attention to us now. It says: what we have here — the Hill Country, the limestone, the particular light at 7 a.m., the courthouse squares that haven't been redeveloped into something unrecognizable — it matters. It's worth driving to.

But here's what I noticed this week while reading the Deep Research: the wildflower bloom is patchy this year, and the window is narrow. April 10–15 is your best bet. Warm temperatures accelerated peak bloom; the dry fall and mild winter mean the bluebonnets are appearing in patches instead of those sweeping roadside carpets we remember. Wildseed Farms and the managed locations will have reliable color. But the roadsides? You have to look. You have to time it right.

It feels like a metaphor, doesn't it. Attention — real attention, the kind that transforms a place — is also narrow. It's a window. It doesn't last forever. And you have to be ready for it.

I'm watching what's happening to Fredericksburg with genuine joy and a little bit of protective worry. Overtourism is starting to appear in coverage. Parking problems. Locals expressing frustration. The same charm that makes tourism work gets strained when everything fills up. And I'm thinking about Mason, about Llano, about the towns that sit just outside that spotlight — watching to see if they can capture the overflow. A restaurant that's open. A shop worth browsing. A reason to stay an hour instead of driving through.

That's our moment, I think. Not the Southern Living spotlight — we don't need that. But the quiet opportunity of being the next ring. The alternative. The place that feels more real because fewer people are photographing it.

This week, the roads are full. The 36th Annual Llano Crawfish Open kicks off April 17–18 with 22,000 pounds of crawfish, Chris Cagle and Cody Canada on stage, and a crowd that's genuinely rooting for each other. Ruthie Foster plays the Mason Odeon Saturday night — a Grammy-nominated artist on a stage in a town of 2,100. That's how you punch above your weight. Not by becoming a destination. By caring about having good things and letting the good things speak for themselves.

The Becker Lavender Festival and the Luckenbach Bluegrass Festival and the Trade Days are all happening. The window is open. The roads are full. And somewhere, a family from Austin is realizing that what they came for wasn't just flowers — it was the feeling of arriving somewhere real.

That's us. We don't have to be famous. We just have to be ourselves.

Stay rooted,

— Katie Milton Jordan
Editor, The Townie
📬 [email protected] // 📞 325-475-499

The Two Insights Your Business Needs Right Now

Running a business in this region has never been simple — but right now, it’s especially easy to misread the signals.

Some things are working better than they look. Other things feel “fine” right up until they aren’t. Based on what we’re seeing across shops, services, ranch-adjacent businesses, and Main Street operations, here are two insights worth sitting with this week.

Insight #1: When Tourists Spend, Who Actually Benefits?

The wildflower tourists are here. You can see them on 29, on 87, parked along Willow City Loop with their phones out and their hazards on. They're booking the Airbnbs, filling the restaurants, browsing the shops on the square. The spring rush is real — Fredericksburg alone generated $190 million in visitor spending in 2024, and this year's wildflower season is pulling people from Austin, San Antonio, Dallas, and beyond.

But here's the question nobody asks at the Chamber mixer: when tourists spend, who actually captures that money?

The instinct is to say "everyone benefits." And that's partly true. A full restaurant is a full restaurant. A busy weekend is a busy weekend. But the distribution isn't even. Lodging captures the largest share — the nightly rate, the cleaning fee, the occupancy tax. Restaurants capture the next slice. Retail gets what's left over, and it's often less than you'd think. The boutique on the square might see a hundred people walk through during wildflower weekend. Thirty of them buy something. The average ticket is $22. That's $660. Good, but not transformative.

The businesses that actually benefit from tourism aren't always the obvious ones. It's the gas station on the highway into town. It's the convenience store where someone grabs ice and sunscreen. It's the mechanic when someone's tire goes flat on a back road. It's the local artist whose work catches a visitor's eye and leads to a commission three months later. Tourism spending is diffuse. It spreads in patterns that don't always match the Chamber brochure.

Here's what matters for your business: if you're tourism-facing, know your actual capture rate. Not "we're busy this weekend" — but what does a tourist visitor actually spend with you, on average, per visit? If that number is lower than you think, the question isn't whether to raise prices. It's whether your offering is positioned to capture the visitor at the right moment in their day. The coffee before the wildflower drive. The lunch after. The gift on the way home. Timing is everything.

And if you're not tourism-facing — if you're the feed store, the insurance office, the plumber — you benefit too. Indirectly. Because tourism money circulates. The restaurant owner who had a good weekend spends locally. The Airbnb host who clears $2,000 in April hires someone to help with turnover. The money moves. You're part of the ecosystem. You matter.

Insight #2: What We're Watching — Wildflower Tourism Numbers & Booking Data

The bloom is patchy this year — and that matters. After a notably dry fall and a mild winter with limited rainfall, wildflower experts at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center are calling the 2026 bloom "moderate and localized." Bluebonnets are appearing in patches rather than the sweeping roadside carpets of peak years. Managed viewing locations — Wildseed Farms in Fredericksburg, the Wildflower Center in Austin — are reporting more reliable displays than roadsides. That shifts where tourists go and how long they stay.

Fredericksburg continues to dominate. Southern Living's No. 3 Best Small Towns ranking plus the Idea House announcement has put Fredericksburg on the national map in a new way. Enchanted Rock is nearly doubling its acreage with 3,000+ newly acquired acres. Weekend reservations routinely sell out weeks in advance. But there's a tension worth watching: the word "overtourism" is starting to appear in regional coverage. Traffic gridlock. Locals expressing frustration.

What this means for smaller towns: When Fredericksburg feels crowded, visitors explore outward. Mason, Llano, Junction, and Brady are the next ring. That's an opportunity — if you're ready for it. The wildflower drives through Mason County are quieter, less crowded, and arguably more beautiful. The question is whether those visitors can find something to do when they arrive. A restaurant that's open. A shop worth browsing. A reason to stay an hour instead of driving through.

A Small Townie Takeaway

The roads are full. That's a fact, not a feeling. And the instinct — that mix of pride and mild annoyance, that complicated sense of being seen by people who are just passing through — is worth sitting with. We don't have to compete with Fredericksburg. We just have to be ourselves.

📬 The April Business Circle just dropped. This month: the real population numbers for our five-county region, what declining population actually costs your business (I did the math), and a new interactive tool — Your Ecosystem Purpose Map. If you own a business in the Hill Country, this one's worth your time. $10/month. [Join the Business Circle →]

Don’t Build Alone. Join the Circle.

The Townie Business Circle isn't just a newsletter; it's your insider pass to the most motivated leaders in Greater Mason Co.

For just $10/MO, you get:

• Immediate access to the archive.

• Exclusive Monthly Business Tips and local marketing support.

• A front-row seat to shaping local prosperity and human flourishing.

• A ticket to our EXCLUSIVE Business Networking Events (Wine, ideas, and real-talk)

[Upgrade and Join The Townie Business Circle Today] $10/MO for your exclusive pass to a more resilient region.

🌾 Fresh off the Porch

📅 Events

Kerrville — International Ballet Stars: Swan Lake | Wed, Apr 9, 7:00 PM | Cailloux Theater
One of the world's premier touring ballet companies brings Tchaikovsky's masterpiece to the Hill Country. Tickets at caillouxtheater.com.

Fredericksburg — Wildflower Celebration at Wildseed Farms | Thu–Sun, Apr 9–12, 10:00 AM–5:00 PM
The nation's largest working wildflower farm in full spring bloom — 200+ acres, live music, wine tasting. Free to roam.

Mason — Ruthie Foster in Concert | Fri, Apr 11, Doors 6:15 PM | Odeon Theater
Grammy-nominated blues and Americana powerhouse. Tickets $25 advance / $30 door (cash); students $10. theodeontheater.com.

Llano — Llano VFD Annual Fish Fry & BBQ | Sat, Apr 11, 4:00 PM | VFD Fire Station, 301 W Main St
Fresh fish, BBQ, and raffle prizes. All proceeds benefit the department.

Llano — The Ten Commandments at the Lantex | Sat, Apr 11, 3:00 PM & Sun, Apr 12, 2:00 PM | Lantex Theater
The 1956 Cecil B. DeMille epic on the big screen for Easter weekend.

Llano — CTBRA Barrel Racing at JLK Arena | Sat–Sun, Apr 11–12, 8:30 AM–3:00 PM
Two days of competitive barrel racing. Free to watch from the stands.

Harper — Harper Non-Profit Expo | Tue, Apr 15, 6:00 PM | AA Gitter Hall
Meet the local organizations doing good work. Free admission.

Llano — Llano County Master Gardeners: "Fire as a Habitat Management Tool" | Thu, Apr 16, 5:30–6:30 PM
Texas Parks & Wildlife's James Arno on prescribed fire as land management. Free; open to all.

Llano — Llano Crawfish Open Charity Auction & Live Music at Joe's Bar | Thu, Apr 16, 6:00–9:00 PM
Live charity auction and classic country by Stephanie Orrias. Proceeds benefit local charities.

⭐ Llano — 36th Annual Llano Crawfish Open | Fri–Sat, Apr 17–18, 11:00 AM–midnight | Robinson Park
22,000 lbs of crawfish. Chris Cagle Friday; Cody Canada and The Departed Saturday. 5K, golf, barrel racing, team roping. Admission: Fri $10 before 5 PM / $30 after; Sat $20 before 5 PM / $35 after; Weekend Pass $50. llanocrawfishopen.com.

Fredericksburg — Luckenbach 5th Annual Bluegrass Festival | Fri–Sat, Apr 17–18 | Luckenbach Texas
Yonder Mountain String Band, Volume Five, Shelby Means Trio. luckenbachtexas.com.

Fredericksburg — Fredericksburg Trade Days | Fri–Sun, Apr 17–19, 9:00 AM–6:00 PM | US-290 East Grounds
Antiques, artisan goods, vintage finds, food. fredericksbergtradedays.net.

Llano — Llano County Master Gardeners Native Plant Sale Part 2 | Sat, Apr 18, 8:00 AM–12:00 PM | Courthouse
Texas-native plants. Arrive early; last sale sold out before noon.

Llano — Farmers & Crafters Market on the Courthouse Square | Sat, Apr 18, 9:00 AM–1:00 PM
Fresh local produce, handmade goods, and community. Free.

Llano — Opening Reception: "The Works of Annie Compton" | Sat, Apr 18, 6:00–8:30 PM | Llano Art Guild
Meet the artist. Free reception. llanoartguild.com.

Fredericksburg — Lukas Nelson at Luckenbach Texas | Fri, Apr 24, 8:00 PM
Willie's kid brings soulful Americana to the Luckenbach dance hall. luckenbachtexas.com.

Fredericksburg — Becker Vineyards 27th Annual Lavender Festival | Sat–Sun, Apr 25–26, 10:00 AM–5:00 PM
Vendors, food trucks, live music, wine tasting. GA admission $15. beckervineyards.com.

Mason — Susan Gibson in Concert | Sat, May 9, Doors 6:15 PM | Odeon Theater
Texas singer-songwriter ("Wide Open Spaces"). Tickets $25 advance / $30 door; students $10. theodeontheater.com.

***NOTE: Susan Gibson is the Editors pick! I worked with her at the Kerrville Folk Festival Songwriter’s Class a few years ago and she is NOT TO BE MISSED!***

⭐ Kerrville — 54th Annual Kerrville Folk Festival | Thu, May 21 – Sun, Jun 7 | Quiet Valley Ranch
Eighteen days, 100+ songwriters, longest continuously-running music festival in the U.S. kerrvillefolkfestival.org.

Fredericksburg — Fredericksburg Crawfish Festival | Fri–Sun, May 22–24 | Downtown Marktplatz
Memorial Day weekend. Cajun food, live music, family fun. visitfredericksburgtx.com.

Mason — Mason Hot Dog & Hot Rod Night | Sat, Jun 13, 4:00–9:00 PM | Mason County Square
Classic cars, good food, summer light. Free admission. masontx.org.

⭐ Stonewall — 65th Annual Stonewall Peach JAMboree & Rodeo | Thu–Sat, Jun 18–20 | Chamber Grounds
CPRA rodeo, dances, parade, peach contests. stonewalltexas.com.

🏛️ Community Features

Menard — Menard Kids Sweep the District 7 4-H Fashion Show
Eight Menard County 4-H members dominated, with every participant earning recognition. Small county, big showing.

Menard — Party at the Presidio Turns Ten
The annual Party at the Presidio celebrated its milestone tenth year at the historic Fort McKavett Presidio.

Brady — High-Tech STEM Lab on Wheels Rolls into Brady Elementary
The Texas Mobile STEM Lab brought hands-on science and engineering experiences to Brady students. Rural kids got access to tools typically found only in large urban districts.

Llano — Sadie's Treasures Opens with Ribbon Cutting
Llano welcomed a new business on April 7 at 407 E. Young St. Stop in and say hello.

Kerrville — New $26M Public Safety Facility Opens
Kerrville's new 69,000-sq-ft facility houses Municipal Court, IT, Fire Administration, and Police. A long time coming.

🏆 Awards & Recognitions

Fredericksburg — Teen Photographer Earns Two Honors
Forest Graham, 15, brought home two honorable mentions from the 2026 Texas Youth Photography Showcase. Keep an eye on this one.

Mason — Cowgirls Make History at the Alamodome
Mason Cowgirls finished 40-2 and made their program's first-ever appearance in the UIL Class 2A Division I State Championship. Anna Marie Whitworth passed 2,000 career points; Coach Alicia Cummings notched her 400th win.

🌡️ Hill Country Weather

Warm start, then dramatic reset. Thursday and Friday: low-to-mid 80s with scattered showers. Saturday heats to 90°F before a significant Sunday storm system arrives with potential severe thunderstorms, large hail, damaging winds, and a tornado threat across the Edwards Plateau.

The Monday cold snap is significant: Sunday's high near 89°F could crash to the low 30s by Monday morning. Protect tender plants and watch livestock Sunday night. Monday clears cooler with gusty north winds; the week finishes mild by Wednesday in the low 80s.

💼 Business & Economic Intelligence

Rural Health & Broadband: Two Big Federal Wins

Texas landed the largest share of any state from the federal Rural Health Transformation Program — $1.4 billion over five years — flowing to rural hospitals, clinics, behavioral health providers. The federal government also approved Texas's $1.3 billion BEAD broadband expansion plan, targeting over one million rural Texas households without reliable internet. Watch for subgrant announcements.

Three New Laws Benefit Hill Country

SB 7 allows Texas Water Fund dollars for rural water/wastewater projects; HB 120 expands career and tech education in rural schools; additional funding directed to wildfire-risk volunteer fire departments.

Good News on the Tax Front

The Dallas Fed projects Texas job growth of 1.1% by December 2026, led by construction and healthcare. For small business owners: franchise tax threshold rose to $2.65 million (filing deadline May 15); business personal property exemption jumped to $125,000; 100% bonus depreciation reinstated for qualifying property. Talk to your accountant.

🌾 Agriculture & Livestock

The Drought Picture

89% of Texas is in moderate drought or worse; severe to extreme conditions across the Edwards Plateau and Hill Country. Statewide reservoirs at 73.5% capacity; soil moisture below the 10th percentile. 58% of pasture/rangeland rated very poor to poor; 52% of oats and 49% of winter wheat in similar shape. Many ranchers moving cattle to market earlier than planned.

Fire Danger Elevated

Fire danger remains high across Mason, Llano, and Gillespie counties. The Crabapple Fire in northern Gillespie is 100% contained at 1,160 acres. Sunday's potential rain offers relief, but the Monday cold snap with lows near 33°F is worth watching for pecan trees.

💹 Market Snapshot

Beef: Feeder steers at record levels — 300–340 lb calves $600–670/cwt; 550–595 lb feeders $420–490/cwt. Demand at 37-year highs; supply tightening. Sheep & Goats: Kid goats $4.00–4.30/lb; slaughter lambs $3.50–4.08/lb. Hay: Large round Bermuda $50–55/bale; alfalfa $255–265/ton. Pecans: Wholesale $4.77–$13.66/lb depending on variety. April is National Pecan Month — watch Sunday night's temperature if you're running a grove.

🌱 Grant Watch — Ready to Apply This Spring

Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country — Community Impact Fund
Deadline: June 23, 2026 | 501(c)(3) nonprofits serving Hill Country counties. Focus: arts and culture, basic needs, environmental stewardship, youth/workforce development. texasruralfunders.org.

Texas Rural Woman Grant
Application window opens May 5, 2026 | $10,000 grants (ten available) for women-owned, for-profit rural businesses. 51%+ woman-owned, operating since before May 2022. Mason, Kimble, Menard, Llano, Gillespie qualify. [email protected]

USDA Rural Economic Development Loan & Grant Program
Deadline: June 30, 2026 | Zero-interest loans up to $1M; grants up to $300K. Contact USDA Rural Development, Temple: (254) 742-9700.

Hogg Foundation — Texas Libraries Supporting Community Mental Health
Deadline: May 6, 2026 | Grants for public libraries to fund mental health programming. ruralhealthinfo.org/states/texas/funding.

📌 Bookmark texasruralfunders.org/grant/ for curated rural Texas grants with active deadlines.

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📖 FEATURED STORY

🎁 Spotlight: The Mason Square in Wildflower Season — When the Out-of-Towners Find Us

There's a particular weekend in April when you notice it. The parking around the courthouse fills up earlier than usual. License plates from Travis County, Bexar County, Harris County start appearing on Post Hill Street. Someone is standing in the middle of the sidewalk taking a photo of the courthouse dome with their phone held sideways, and you have to step around them to get to the store.

The wildflower tourists have found Mason.

It happens every spring. They come for the bluebonnets — the drives along the Art Loop and James River Road and Hilda Drive, those winding Mason County lanes. But what keeps them an extra hour, what turns a drive-through into a stop, is the square.

The Mason town square is not Fredericksburg. What it has is something harder to manufacture: the feeling of arriving somewhere real. The courthouse sits at the center, limestone and steady, originally built in 1875 and recently restored with careful preservation of the original hand-forged ironwork. Around it, the square holds its shape — shops, restaurants, the Odeon Theater with its marquee lit up, the kind of small-town geometry that hasn't been redeveloped into something unrecognizable.

This Saturday, Ruthie Foster plays the Odeon. A Grammy-nominated artist, performing on a stage in a town of 2,100 people. That sentence alone tells you something about Mason. This is a town that punches above its weight culturally — not because someone decided to make it a "destination," but because the people here care about having good things. A good theater. A good show. A reason to come to the square on a Saturday night.

During wildflower weekends, the square businesses do what they always do — just more of it. Santos opens for lunch and the line reaches the sidewalk. The shops fill with people who came for the flowers but stay for the handmade goods, the local art, the particular Mason thing of finding something unexpected in a place that doesn't advertise itself. The coffee gets poured faster. The conversations at the counter shift — locals mixed with visitors, directions given, stories exchanged.

What the tourists don't see is the preparation. The shop owners who ordered extra inventory in February, hoping the bloom would bring the traffic. The restaurant that hired a part-time server for April and May. The Chamber volunteers who printed the wildflower drive maps, updated the website, answered the calls that start in March: "When should we come? Where do we go? Is it worth the drive?"

It's worth the drive.

The honest truth about wildflower tourism in Mason is that it's modest. It's not going to save anyone's quarterly numbers. A good weekend might mean an extra $500 or $1,000 for a shop on the square — meaningful, but not transformative. What it does, though, is something less measurable: it reminds people that this town exists. That the square is alive. That there's a reason to come here that isn't just the flowers.

Some of those tourists will come back. Not for wildflowers — for the Crawfish Open, for a Folk Festival, for a weekend because they remember the feeling of the square. They'll tell someone. They'll subscribe to a newsletter. They'll start paying attention to a place they'd driven past for years.

The roads are full this week. The square is busier than usual. The parking is taken. And somewhere, a shop owner is watching a family from Austin walk through the door, look around, and smile.

That's how it starts.

🌱 Dear Hazel Mae & Fern

I know this sounds terrible, but I'm kind of annoyed that wildflower season is here. Don't get me wrong — I love the bluebonnets. I love that people think our county is beautiful. But suddenly there are cars parked all over the place, strangers in my favorite restaurant, and someone nearly ran over my mailbox trying to turn around on our road. My husband says I should be grateful for the business. My neighbor says I'm being a grouch. Am I wrong to feel a little invaded?

— Conflicted on County Road 2389

Hazel Mae says:

Well now, sugar, you are not wrong. You are human. And anyone who tells you that having strangers park in your ditch and photograph your fence line is a pure uncomplicated joy is either lying or lives on a cul-de-sac.

Here's the thing about wildflower season: it's beautiful. It is genuinely, stop-the-truck, catch-your-breath beautiful. And it belongs to everyone. But the roads do get crowded. The restaurant you could walk into on a Tuesday suddenly has a 40-minute wait. Someone from Houston is standing in the middle of your favorite backroad taking a family photo, and you're late to pick up feed.

That's not grouch. That's reality.

But let me tell you what else is real. Those people spending money at Santos are keeping that restaurant open. The couple from San Antonio who stopped at the shop on the square just bought a $45 candle and a $30 print from a local artist. The family that parked at the trailhead is going home telling every friend they have that this county exists. That matters. In a keeping-the-lights-on way.

So here's my advice, and I'm going to give it to you straight:

• Feel your feelings. You're allowed to be annoyed. You live here. This is your home, not a state park.

• Pick your battles. If someone parks in your driveway, that's a problem. If someone parks on the county road shoulder, that's wildflower season. Let it go.

• Adjust your schedule. Go to the restaurant on Monday instead of Saturday. Run your errands early. Avoid main roads 10 a.m.–4 p.m. You know the back roads. Use them.

• Remember December. In six months, when nobody is driving through and you're wondering if anyone remembers your town exists — you'll miss this. A little. I promise.

Being a local during tourist season is like hosting a party you didn't plan. The guests are mostly nice. The mess is temporary. And the fact that people want to come? That's not nothing.

Fern says:

There's a kind of tenderness in feeling protective of a place.

What you're describing isn't selfishness — it's love. You love the quiet of that road. You love the empty table at your favorite restaurant. You love the particular rhythm of a town that doesn't perform for anyone. When that rhythm changes — even temporarily, even for a beautiful reason — it feels like something's been taken.

But consider this: the bluebonnets didn't plant themselves for you. They grew because the rain fell and the soil was right and the timing worked. The people who come to see them are responding to the same beauty you respond to every single day. They just don't get to live inside it.

There's a difference between a town being invaded and a town being noticed. Invasion takes something away. Being noticed — when it's done gently — can be a kind of mirror. They see what you've stopped seeing. The way the light hits the hills at 7 a.m. The particular blue of the bonnets against limestone. The quiet grace of a courthouse square that hasn't changed in a hundred years.

You haven't stopped loving it. You've just stopped looking. The tourists are looking. Let that remind you to look again.

The annoyance will pass. The flowers will fade. The roads will empty. And you'll still be here — in a place worth driving to. That's not a burden. That's a blessing you've learned to take for granted.

Take it back.

Hazel Mae (one last word):

Here's your Wildflower Season Survival Kit:

• Wave at the tourists. Even when they're going 25 in a 70. Especially then.

• Keep your favorite back-road secret to yourself. You've earned it.

• Take your own wildflower photo this week. You live here. You deserve one too.

• When someone asks for directions, give them the scenic route. It's a gift.

• Remember: they leave. You stay. That's the prize.

The roads are full. Your patience is thin. Your town is beautiful. All three things are true at the same time.

—H.M.

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What Happened on Socials This Week

Washing Machine SOS in Mason — Lisa Cullings Polk asked the group if anyone in Mason fixes washing machines. Within hours, two people recommended First Call in Brady — one for a washer fix, one for a dryer. That's the Mason County referral network in action: ask once, get the answer you need.

Ruthie Foster at the Odeon This Saturday — If you haven't heard, Grammy-nominated Ruthie Foster is playing the Odeon Theater in Mason this Saturday at 7 PM. A world-class artist on a small-town stage. This is why we live here.

Yee Yee Jeeps Weekend Bash 3 — It's back. April 10–12 on Hwy 29 in Mason. If you hear a convoy of Jeeps rumbling through town this weekend, now you know why.

Spring City-Wide Garage Sale — Mason — Saturday, April 11. The Chamber releases the official map at noon the day before. If you're a treasure hunter, set your alarm. If you're a seller, registration is $10 through the Chamber.

Mercado Movil Rolling Through — The mobile market hit 601 Brazos Ave on Monday. Fresh produce, community connection, and a reminder that access to good food matters everywhere — especially here.

Brushpile Burning Workshop — FREE — TAMU AgriLife Extension is hosting a free brushpile burning workshop Wednesday morning in Fredericksburg. With burn bans active across all six counties, this one's worth attending if you're a landowner managing brush.

🐾 Pet of the Week: Chula the Chihuahua

Pet photography by Suzanne DeMaree — capturing the heart of Hill Country companions. 📸 View her work →

Meet Chula, a sweet little chihuahua with a big heart and even bigger ears. Chula was found roaming around by the Llano River — a road-weary girl with a story we're still piecing together. Her first vet visit is coming up this week, so we'll know more soon, but what we know right now is this: she's very cute, she's very sweet, and she's looking for someone who understands that the best adventures are the ones you take sitting in a lap.

If you've ever wanted a small dog who thinks you're the best thing that ever happened, Chula might be your match. She's got that chihuahua charm — loyal, curious, and already showing signs of being the kind of dog who just wants to be near you. She's got stories written in those road-miles, and she's ready for the next chapter to be a safe one.

Chula's AI Translation: If She Were Human...

Curious, magnetic, slightly restless. The pull of fascination.

Aries ♈ — Something is calling you forward this week. Follow the pull. Not recklessly, but honestly. The thing that fascinates you right now is fascinated right back. Trust the magnetism. You've spent long enough being sensible. This week, be curious instead.

Taurus ♉ — What draws you in isn't loud. It's the quiet thing. You're drawn to what's real. While everyone else chases the spectacular, you're finding the thing that lasts. The vine that grows toward light doesn't rush. You're reaching toward something good. Don't let impatience tell you it's too slow.

Gemini ♊ — You're drawn to conversations this week. The kind where someone says something that rearranges the furniture in your head. But the fascination can scatter you. This week's invitation is to let one thing draw you all the way in. Not seven things halfway. One thing completely. That's where the magic is.

Cancer ♋ — What's drawing you in is home — but not the home you already have. The home you're building. You're pulled toward sanctuary this week. Don't ignore that pull. It's not escapism. It's instinct. This week, make one small change that brings you closer to it.

Leo ♌ — You're drawn to the spotlight this week, but not in the way people expect. It's not about being seen — it's about seeing. Something catches your eye that reminds you what excellence looks like. Let yourself be a student. Let yourself be drawn toward someone else's brilliance without needing to match it.

Virgo ♍ — You're drawn to the details this week. Your eye for precision is magnetic right now. But here's the pull you might not expect: something imperfect will draw you in too. Resist the urge to fix it. Sometimes the most fascinating thing is watching something find its own shape.

Libra ♎ — You're drawn to beauty this week, and not the decorative kind. The real kind. Something this week will stop you in your tracks — not because it's perfect, but because it's honest. Let that draw you in. Let it rearrange your priorities.

Scorpio ♏ — The pull is deep this week. Something beneath the surface is calling. It might be a memory. It might be a desire you've been sitting on. You're drawn to what's hidden. This week, the hidden thing wants to be found. Not exposed. Found.

Sagittarius ♐ — You're drawn to the horizon. The road that goes somewhere you haven't been. Restlessness is your native tongue this week. But the roads are full. The trick is knowing the difference between running toward and running away. This week, aim your restlessness somewhere specific.

Capricorn ♑ — What's drawing you in is competence. You're fascinated by how things work. You're drawn to reliability because you know how rare it is. This week, that magnetism has a practical edge: opportunities that actually make sense. Solid ground with room to build.

Aquarius ♒ — You're drawn to the outsiders this week. The new family in town. The visitor asking for directions. Something about the edges of community is pulling at you — not to fix, but to include. Your natural radar for who's been overlooked is especially strong right now. Act on it.

Pisces ♓ — What's drawing you in is the feeling itself. Not the thing that causes it — the feeling. The ache of a beautiful sunset. The pull toward someone who feels like home even though you've just met. You're drawn to the invisible threads. Don't explain it. Just follow it.

💫 Until next week — follow what draws you in. Not every road leads somewhere planned. But the ones that fascinate you? Those are the ones worth driving.

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