Member-Owned: The Co-ops That Keep Our Lights and Lines On
How Hill Country neighbors built their own power and phone lines, plus Rocktoberfest, Kimble County's 150th and a sunny, dry weekend.
Letter from the Editor
Dear neighbors,
There's a light switch by every back door in the Hill Country. Nobody thinks about it. You come in from feeding, flip it on, and the kitchen fills up with yellow light.
For a lot of families out here, that switch is younger than the house. The power companies of the 1930s didn't see much profit in a mile of wire that reached one ranch, so the light stayed off until neighbors signed up together and built the lines themselves.
October is National Co-op Month, and this week's feature is about the two co-ops that did that work around here. Central Texas Electric Cooperative brought power. Hill Country Telephone Cooperative brought the phone, and now it's stringing fiber. Both belong to the people they serve. If you pay one of those bills, you're a member, with a vote and a say.
Both also stepped up as Corporate Neighbors for our Hill Country Venture Fest this fall, and we're grateful. The feature covers what they are, how they work and what being a member means for your household.
The weather is cooperating too. Expect sunny days near 80 through Saturday, cool mornings in the 50s and mostly light wind. Rocktoberfest opens today at Katemcy Rocks, Kimble County throws itself a 150th birthday Saturday in Junction, and the calendar below is full.
If your town owns something together, a fire department, a cemetery association, a little library on a post, tell us about it through the Share with The Townie form. We'd love to write it down.
Next time you flip that switch, give a little thanks to whoever signed up first.
With love,
Katie Milton Jordan, Editor
[email protected]
🌾 Fresh off the Porch
📅 This Week (Oct 22–28)
Townie Picks: five for a sunny, dry weekend
[Mason] ROCKTOBERFEST | Thu, Oct 22, 1 p.m. through Sun, Oct 25, noon | Katemcy Rocks Offroad Park, 4869 W Hwy 29. The sixth annual off-road festival, hosted by Katemcy Rocks, with plenty of granite wheeling. Four dry days in a row make this the year to go.
[Mason] Puncher Football Live: Mason vs. Johnson City | Fri, Oct 23 | 6–9 p.m. | Odeon Theater. Catch the game on the big screen with a room full of Puncher fans.
[Junction] 150 Years of Kimble County | Sat, Oct 24 | 9 a.m.–5 p.m. | Schreiner Park. Kimble County celebrates its sesquicentennial with a Pioneer Town and gun demonstration, the third annual blacksmith event, sheep shearing, live music and vintage tractors.
[Llano] Llano River Pumpkin Float | Sat, Oct 24 | 5–9 p.m. | Badu Park, 300 Legion Dr. A Saturday evening of pumpkins at the park, with mild weather in the forecast.
[Brady] Halloween in the Heart | Wed, Oct 28 | 5:30–7:30 p.m. | Richards Park–Showbarn. The Brady/McCulloch County Chamber's Halloween night for families. Costumes welcome.
More this week
[Llano] Storytime: Pre-K | Thu, Oct 22 | 10–11 a.m. | Llano Library, 102 E Haynie St.
[Llano] Llano Blood Drive | Thu, Oct 22 | 1–6 p.m. | Lutie Watkins Memorial United Methodist Church.
[Kerrville] Lone Star Gourd Festival | Thu–Sun, Oct 22–25 | Opens 9 a.m. Thursday; Fri 10–6, Sat 9–6, Sun 9–3 | Hill Country Youth Event Center, Exhibition Hall. Hosted by the Texas Gourd Society.
[Fredericksburg] Fredericksburg Food & Wine Festival Weekend | Thu–Sun, Oct 22–25 | The Grand Tasting runs Saturday, 1–5 p.m., at the Marktplatz, 126 W Main St. Opening Night, the Friday Street Dinner and Sunday Brunch round out the weekend. Check the festival site for tickets.
[Mason] Peters Prairie Vineyard Fall Wine Dinner | Thu, Oct 22 | 6–7:30 p.m. | Peter's Prairie Vineyard, 9872 N US Hwy 87. Dinner among the vines. Tickets by phone at (325) 805-0533 or in the tasting room.
[Llano] Landowner/Operator Resource Meeting | Fri, Oct 23 | 8 a.m.–2 p.m. | John L. Kuykendall Events Center. Hill Country Livestock Raisers Association with Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, Llano County.
[Junction] Solar Viewing | Fri, Oct 23 | 2 p.m. | South Llano River State Park. A ranger program on the sun, on a clear-sky afternoon.
[Llano] An Evening with Edgar Allan Poe and Friends | Fri–Sat, Oct 23–24, 7–8:30 p.m.; Sun, Oct 25, 2–3:30 p.m. | Llano Red Top Jail. Llano Community Theatre reads Poe, Washington Irving, W.W. Jacobs and Alfred Noyes.
[Kerrville] Kerrville Mountain Bike Festival | Sat–Sun, Oct 24–25 | All day | Kerrville-Schreiner Park, 2385 Bandera Hwy. Texas State Championship racing. Spectators get in free, with kids' activities and food trucks.
[Fredericksburg] Outpost: Gear Up! | Sat, Oct 24 | 10 a.m.–3 p.m. | National Museum of the Pacific War. A free hands-on look at Marine gear.
[Brady] Crafternoon | Sat, Oct 24 (also Oct 31) | Noon–4 p.m. | Giddy-Up Grind Co.
[Luckenbach] Matt Kirk & The Gueyfarers | Sat, Oct 24 | 1 p.m. | Main Stage.
[Brady] FBC Brady Fall Festival | Sat, Oct 24 | 6–8 p.m. | First Baptist Church Brady. A community fall festival open to all.
[Menard] Taste of Menard | Sat, Oct 24 | 6–8 p.m. | Boys & Girls Club of Menard, 213 E. San Saba St. Includes a youth baking contest.
[Mason] Heart of the Beast | Sat–Mon, Oct 24–26 | 7 p.m. | Odeon Theater.
[Luckenbach] Tim Branch (duo) | Sun, Oct 25 | 1 p.m. | Biergarten Stage.
[Llano] Business After Hours | Tue, Oct 27 | 5:15–6:15 p.m. | Bliss on the River, 1690 CR 102. Includes a property tour.
🗓️ Coming Up
[Junction] Reading with a Ranger | Thu, Oct 29 | 10:30 a.m. | Kimble County Library.
[Llano] Casper Teen Spooktacular | Thu, Oct 29 | Doors 5 p.m., film 7 p.m. | Lantex Theater.
[Mason] Halloween Treats | Fri, Oct 30 | 3:30–6:30 p.m. | Mason Dairy Queen. A free kiddie cone for every child in costume.
[Mason] Puncher Football Live: Mason vs. Brady | Fri, Oct 30 | 6–9 p.m. | Odeon Theater.
[Mason] Fall City Wide Garage Sale | Sat, Oct 31 | 8 a.m.–5 p.m. | All over town; sales are marked on the event map.
[Llano] Cars & Coffee | Sat, Oct 31 | 9–11 a.m. | Historic Railyard District, 100 Train Station Dr. Presented by Llano River Railroad.
[Junction] Cowboy Coffee | Sat, Oct 31 | 10 a.m. | South Llano River State Park, Buck House.
[Mason] Seaquist House Tours | Sat, Oct 31 | 10 a.m.–1 p.m. | The Seaquist House, 405 Broad St.
[Mason] Art & Wine Festival | Sat, Oct 31 | 11 a.m.–4 p.m. | Sidewalks around the Mason square. Arts, crafts, Mason County wines and live music under the canopies.
[Mason] Trunk or Treat | Sat, Oct 31 | 5–6:30 p.m. | First United Methodist Church, 224 Broad St.
[Mason] Trick or Treat on the Square | Sat, Oct 31 | 5–6:30 p.m. | Mason Square, with businesses around the square handing out treats.
[Junction] Trick or Treat at the Park | Sat, Oct 31 | 5 p.m. | South Llano River State Park.
[Mason] Hallowine: Creatures of the Vine | Sat, Oct 31 | 6–9 p.m. | Sandstone Cellars Winery & Art Gallery, 205 San Antonio St.
[Llano] Trunk or Treat | Sat, Oct 31 | 6–9 p.m. | Llano Regional Hospital clinic parking lot.
[Junction] Ghosts of the Night Sky | Sat, Oct 31 | 7:15–8:45 p.m. | South Llano River State Park. A Halloween astronomy program.
[Mason] Halloween Costume Party | Sat, Oct 31 | 9 p.m.–midnight | Willow Creek Cafe & Club, 106 Ft McKavitt. Costume prizes and karaoke with DJ Polo P.
[Llano] Llano Outdoor Sports Expo | Fri, Nov 6 | 9 a.m.–1 p.m. | Llano Visitor Center, 100 Train Station Dr.
[Mason] Customer Appreciation Day | Fri, Nov 6 | 11 a.m.–5 p.m. | Mason Feed Store, 130 Austin St.
[Mason] First Fridays | Fri, Nov 6 | 5–9 p.m. | Robert Clay Vineyards.
[Llano] Llano Country Opry: A Salute to Conway Twitty and Loretta Lynn | Fri, Nov 6 | 7–9 p.m. | Lantex Theater, 113 W Main St. With Tre Twitty and Tayla Lynn.
[Llano] Farmers & Crafters Market | Sat, Nov 7 | 9 a.m.–1 p.m. | Llano Courthouse Square.
[Mason] Seaquist House Guided Tours | Sat, Nov 7 | 10 a.m.–2 p.m. | The Seaquist House, 405 Broad St.
[Castell] Hunters Ball | Sat, Nov 7 | 5–7 p.m. | Castell General Store.
[Mason] Ordinary Elephant | Sat, Nov 7 | 7–9 p.m. | Odeon Theater. A folk duo on the Odeon stage.
[Llano] 4-H Chicken Fried Steak Dinner | Sun, Nov 8 | 11 a.m.–1:30 p.m. | St. James Church, Schorlemmer Hall, 1401 Ford St. A Llano County 4-H fundraiser.
[Llano] Test-A-Pie & Chili Cook-Off | Sun, Nov 8 | 4–6 p.m. | Uplift Church. Free and family-friendly.
🏡 Around Town
A new place to watch birds in Menard. The Presidio de San Saba Bird Blind is open. Bird City Menard reports that neighbors, volunteers and supporting groups gathered with the Menard Garden Club to open it. A community crew led by Billy Kniffen built it, mostly from donated and recycled materials. The blind is open to everyone, from first-time birders to photographers, and the fall migration is a good time to try it. Bring binoculars and some patience.
Fresh okra and squash in Erna. Bauer Farming Enterprises in Erna, over in Menard County, posted fresh-picked okra and squash last week at $2 a pound. Late-season produce doesn't stick around long, so check with the farm before you drive out.
County road work in Mason County. Mason County says it continues to work with the Texas Division of Emergency Management and FEMA on repairs to damaged county roads. Much of the job is paperwork and coordination that happens out of sight, and the county thanked its Road and Bridge Administrator and office manager for carrying it. The county asked for patience while the work continues.
Save the date: Christmas at the Seaquist House moves to Dec. 5. The annual open house at 405 Broad St. in Mason has a new date this year, Saturday, Dec. 5, instead of the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Two "mini" open houses with self-guided tours follow on Dec. 12 and Dec. 19, 5 to 8 p.m. Admission is $5 for adults and free for children 12 and under, with a docent on every floor and refreshments.
Save the date: a free classical concert in Junction. Cellist Evan Drachman and pianist Richard Dowling play First Baptist Church on 8th Street in Junction on Thursday, Nov. 12, at 6:30 p.m. The Piatigorsky Foundation presents the hour-long concert, it's free, and a reception with the artists follows. Details are on Junction Texas Tourism's Facebook page.
🌡️ Hill Country Briefing
Weather. A calm, sunny run. Today should reach about 81 under clear skies, with light wind. Friday and Saturday stay sunny and near 80, with mornings in the low to mid 50s. A south breeze picks up Saturday afternoon, gusting near 25 mph. Clouds move in Sunday, with a high near 77 and a 20% chance of showers, then Monday cools a touch to 76. The Weather Service doesn't expect rain before Sunday.
Rivers and fire. The Llano River near Mason was running at 393 cubic feet per second early Tuesday, easing after a small rise from last week's rain and still about twice its late-September flow. The San Saba at Menard is running low. Burn bans have eased across the area. As of Monday, only Llano and Kimble counties remain under one. McCulloch, Menard and Gillespie lifted theirs after last week's rain, and Mason County has had no ban since Oct. 2. Check with your county before any outdoor burning.
Land and water. Mason County is drought-free on the latest Drought Monitor (Oct. 13). Statewide, 78.4% of Texas is in drought, down from 82% the week before. The Highland Lakes are close to full: as of Oct. 20, Lake Buchanan was at 95.8% and Lake LBJ at 97.7%. Most of the area picked up about an inch of rain on Oct. 15 and 16, and the land is in good shape heading into November.
Agriculture & Livestock. Calves firmed up this week. At Producers Livestock/Cargile's Oct. 15 cattle sale (564 head), light and medium calves sold $3 to $5 higher, heavy calves held about steady, and bred cows sold higher, with the best demand for medium to heavy bred cows. Goats kept their run going at the Oct. 13 sheep and goat sale (5,016 head): kid goats sold $5 to $15 higher, lambs held firm, and slaughter ewes slipped $3 to $5. Screwworm zone releases keep coming in Texas, with two more zones released Oct. 13. The state no longer names counties in those notices, so check the Texas Animal Health Commission map for your address.
Market Snapshot. Cattle, Oct. 15, per hundredweight: steers 400 to 600 pounds, $315 to $455, mostly $330 to $385; heifers 400 to 600 pounds, $290 to $440, mostly $315 to $375; slaughter cows, $110 to $125, top yielding to $135. Sheep and goats, Oct. 13, per pound: slaughter lambs, $2.80 to $3.95; kid goats, mostly $3.56 to $4.04. Wool and mohair, federal rates for Oct. 21–27: ungraded wool repays at about 27 cents a pound, and mohair holds at $7.85. Hay, Oct. 16 USDA report: good Bermuda round bales in the South Texas region around $75, with demand still good. Pecans: harvest is under way, and Texas prices haven't been quoted yet. The state crop is still forecast well above last year's.
Season Watch. Deer hunters start showing up soon. The youth-only weekend runs Oct. 30 through Nov. 1, and the general season opens Saturday, Nov. 7. Several hunter-season events fall that week, including the Llano Outdoor Sports Expo on Nov. 6 and the Hunters Ball at the Castell General Store on Nov. 7.
🪶 Featured Story
Member-Owned
Most things in a small town belong to somebody. The feed store belongs to a family. The café belongs to the woman who opens it at five. A few of the things we lean on most belong to all of us at once, and we hardly ever stop to notice. Two of them run along the fence lines and up the poles all over the Hill Country. October is National Co-op Month, which makes it a good week to look up.
Why the lines came late
In the 1930s, electricity was a city thing. Power companies built lines where the meters sat close together, because every mile of wire had to pay for itself. In Mason, Menard or McCulloch County, a mile of wire might reach a single ranch house. The math was simple and it didn't favor us. So for years after town folks had refrigerators and electric irons, ranch families were still pumping water by windmill, reading by lamplight and keeping milk cool in the spring house.
The fix came from the people who needed it. With federal loans available to rural cooperatives, neighbors signed up one name at a time, paid a small membership fee and formed electric co-ops of their own. The co-op didn't have to turn a profit for distant owners. It only had to keep the lights on for the people who owned it, and those people were the same ones paying the bills.
Central Texas Electric Cooperative
Central Texas Electric Cooperative received its charter from the State of Texas on June 19, 1947. Today it serves 11 counties: Gillespie, Llano, Mason, Kimble, San Saba, Blanco, Kendall, Kerr, Real, Menard and McCulloch. Most of The Townie's footprint sits inside that list. The co-op is headquartered in Fredericksburg, with offices in Kingsland, Llano and Mason, where the branch sits on East State Highway 29.
By the co-op's own count, it maintains 7,132 miles of line and serves 48,573 meters. Picture the poles you pass on the way to Junction, the line that follows the fence along your road, the transformer on the pole behind the barn. Somebody climbs those poles in July heat and January wind. Those somebodies work for a company the members own.
CTEC describes itself plainly: a non-profit "owned and controlled by the people it serves." It follows the cooperative principles, including one member, one vote.
Hill Country Telephone Cooperative
The phone took a while longer. Hill Country Telephone Cooperative formed on Feb. 13, 1951, and it's headquartered in Ingram. In the co-op's words, HCTC "was created to serve areas that larger providers often overlooked," and its founders, rather than waiting for help, "came together to build something of their own."
Some of the names on its exchange list will sound familiar to Townie readers: Doss, Fredonia, Katemcy, Pontotoc. In its 2022 annual report, HCTC counted 15 exchanges in 14 counties, spread across nearly 3,000 square miles. The work has changed since the party-line days. HCTC now spends much of its effort building out fiber broadband, which is the 2026 version of the same old problem. The cable still has to reach the house at the end of the long gravel road, and the math still doesn't work for anybody counting profit from far away.
What "member-owned" means at your kitchen table
If your power comes from CTEC or your phone or internet comes from HCTC, you're more than a customer. You're a member, and that comes with a few things worth knowing.
You have a vote. Co-ops run on one member, one vote. It doesn't matter if you're a big ranch or a one-bedroom house in town. Members elect the board of directors, and directors come from the communities the co-op serves. Both co-ops hold annual meetings where members hear the reports and the election results.
Margins come back around. A co-op isn't trying to make money for outside shareholders. When there's money left over after the bills are paid, the cooperative principles call for using it in ways that benefit members "in proportion to their transactions with the cooperative." Many co-ops do that through capital credits. Each co-op sets its own policy, so check your co-op's member page for how yours works.
It's supposed to care about the place. The seventh cooperative principle is called Concern for Community. It asks co-ops to work for the long-term good of the towns they serve, beyond keeping the lights on. For many co-ops, that means scholarships, youth programs and local sponsorships, with crews who live down the same roads they work on.
It's yours to ask about. If you've never read your co-op's newsletter, gone to an annual meeting or looked at who sits on your board, October is a good month to start. Both co-ops post member information online: Central Texas Electric Cooperative and Hill Country Telephone Cooperative.
A thank-you, said plainly
Both CTEC and HCTC stepped up as Corporate Neighbors for our Hill Country Venture Fest this fall, helping students and young entrepreneurs from across these towns get a stage at the Odeon. We're grateful, and we want to be upfront about it. Nothing here is about rates or sales. We wrote this story because National Co-op Month is a fine excuse to explain something most of us use every day and rarely think about.
Owning something together
A co-op is an old idea in plain clothes. A group of people needs something that nobody will sell them at a fair price, so they pool their money, elect a few neighbors to keep the books and build it themselves. The Hill Country has done that with more than power and phone lines. Volunteer fire departments, cemetery associations, 4-H clubs and the folks who mow the ballfield on Saturday mornings all run on some version of it.
Most of us inherited our co-op membership along with the house or the land. Somebody else signed up first, back when the lines didn't reach. They put their names on a list and waited, and the light came on.
This week, when you flip the switch by the back door, it might be worth remembering whose light it is. It's yours, and your neighbors' too.
💼 2 Things Your Business Needs to Know This Week
1. Buy together, like a co-op would
Nadine says: Ranchers formed co-ops because one ranch couldn't get a fair price on its own, but forty ranches could. Small shops can borrow that move without forming anything official. Find two or three businesses in town that order similar things, like shipping boxes, holiday bags, printing or even a freight run from the city, and combine the orders. Bigger orders usually mean better pricing, and splitting one delivery beats paying for three.
Marketing works the same way. One shop's ad gets a glance. A shared flyer that says "Shop Main Street Saturday" with five names on it gets put on the fridge. With the holiday season close, now's the time to make those calls.
This week: call one neighboring business owner and ask what they're ordering for the holidays.
2. Treat your regulars like members
Walt says: A co-op asks its members before it makes big changes. Most small businesses never ask anybody. Pick your ten best regulars, the ones who come in every week, and ask them three things. What do you come in for? What do you wish we carried? What would make you come in more often? Buy the coffee and take notes. Don't argue with what you hear.
You'll learn more in an hour than any survey will teach you, and those ten folks will feel like they own a piece of the place. In a way, they do. People who feel that way tell their friends.
This week: write down your ten best regulars and invite three of them for coffee.
The Townie Business Circle digs deeper into the everyday decisions that keep local businesses steady.
🌿 Dear Hazel Mae & Fern
This week's topic: "How do I keep my electric bill down as the nights get cooler?"
Dear Hazel Mae & Fern,
Every winter our electric bill sneaks up on us, and every winter I promise to get ahead of it. The mornings are cool now, but it's still warm in the afternoons. What should I do now so January doesn't knock me flat?
Signed, Bracing for It in Menard
Hazel Mae says:
You're asking at exactly the right time, and I do like a planner. Right now you barely need the heater or the air conditioner, so you're in the cheap weeks. Use them.
Here's your list. Change the filter in your heater or heat pump before you need it. On a breezy day, hold a strip of tissue paper along the edges of your windows and doors, and wherever it flutters, put in caulk or weatherstripping. Set your water heater to 120 degrees. Flip your ceiling fans to spin clockwise on low once the heat comes on, which pushes the warm air back down. Swap any old bulbs for LEDs. When the cold shows up, open the curtains on the sunny side by day and close everything at dusk.
And that phantom load is real. Unplug the chargers and the coffee maker you only use on Sundays.
Fern says:
I'd add one thing to Hazel Mae's list, and it's more of a habit than a chore. These in-between weeks are the house's way of teaching us to live with the season instead of against it. Open the windows in the cool of the morning and let the house breathe. Close them by noon and the rooms stay comfortable well into the afternoon.
Winter asks us to slow down a little anyway. Wear the sweater. Cook the long supper that warms the kitchen. Gather in one room in the evening instead of heating four.
And remember who you're paying. If your power comes from a co-op, you're a member. Call and ask what help it offers members with energy use. It's your co-op, after all.
Got a question for Hazel Mae & Fern? Send it in: [email protected]
🧭 What We Share: Horoscope for the Week of October 22, 2026
Notes from the porch swing: the week belongs to the things we hold in common, from the power line to the potluck table.
Aries (Mar 21 – Apr 19) You're used to doing it all yourself. This week, let somebody split the load. Borrow the trailer, share the ride to Junction, go halves on the hay. Nobody's handing out medals for carrying everything alone, and your back will thank you by Sunday.
Taurus (Apr 20 – May 20) You know exactly what's in your pantry and who's welcome to it. Bake a double batch and walk one down the road. The best kind of wealth in a small town is the kind that circulates, the casserole dish that comes back full.
Gemini (May 21 – Jun 20) Ask a question at a meeting this week, any meeting. The co-op, the church, the school board. Your curiosity is a public service. Folks in the back row are wondering the same thing and waiting on somebody brave enough to say it out loud.
Cancer (Jun 21 – Jul 22) Your kitchen is about to become everybody's favorite place to land once the cold arrives. Get it ready now: the extra blanket, the spare chair, the biggest pot you own. A warm kitchen is the oldest community center there is, and yours never closes.
Leo (Jul 23 – Aug 22) You'll be tempted to show up to the Halloween festivities in the best costume in three counties. Go ahead. Then spend the evening handing out compliments to every kid in line. Applause is one thing you can give away and still have plenty left.
Virgo (Aug 23 – Sep 22) Read your electric bill line by line this week. You'll find your member number, maybe a meeting date you missed and a few words you'll want to look up. Knowing how a thing works is half of owning it, and you were always going to read the fine print.
Libra (Sep 23 – Oct 22) Today wraps up your season, so take the scenic way home. A balanced year is a shared one. Thank the people who kept things steady for you this year, out loud, and let them thank you back without waving it off.
Scorpio (Oct 23 – Nov 21) Your season opens tomorrow with a sky full of sunshine, which suits you better than you'd admit. Spend Saturday somewhere with history in it: Kimble County's 150th, an old schoolhouse, the Red Top Jail after dark with Poe for company.
Sagittarius (Nov 22 – Dec 21) You'll want to hit the road, and the weekend agrees. Pick one: Katemcy Rocks, Kerrville's bike races or the Lone Star Gourd Festival. Wherever you land, buy something local and tell the person behind the counter where you drove in from. Small businesses keep score in friendly faces, too.
Capricorn (Dec 22 – Jan 19) You like to know who's in charge. This week, find out who represents your district on your co-op board, then say hello. Good governance is just neighbors paying attention, and you've always been good at paying attention. Bring a question, and maybe a pie, to the next annual meeting.
Aquarius (Jan 20 – Feb 18) Your big idea needs a few partners. Instead of building it alone, find the three people who'd chip in and ask them to coffee. The best things around here were built by people who put their names on the same list.
Pisces (Feb 19 – Mar 20) Sit somewhere quiet this week and just watch. A bird blind in Menard would do nicely. The world keeps its own schedule out there, and it doesn't mind sharing a little of it with anybody patient enough to sit still, hush and wait.
Until next week: flip the switch, thank the line crew and save a seat at the table.
🐾 Pet of the Week: Oliver
Meet Oliver! Remember Oscar, the lab mix brother we introduced you to a few weeks back? This is Oliver, the other half of the pair. He's about 7 months old and weighs in at 28.7 pounds. He's a quiet pup who likes to take it all in from a distance, and he has all the makings of a super companion dog. He's loyal, observant and great with kids and other dogs.
All of Oliver's vet work is done, and he and his brother Oscar are both ready to meet you here in Mason. It would be wonderful to see these two go home together, but nobody expects that of any one family. If you do have room in your life for two wonderful boys who love each other, though, Second Chance Mason would love to hear from you.
If Oliver Were Human…
You'll find me at the edge of things, watching. I'm not shy, exactly. I like to know how a room works before I walk into it. Who laughs loudest, who needs a hand with the folding chairs, where the kids are running. Give me a few minutes and I'll know all of it.
My brother Oscar does the talking for both of us. I do the noticing. Once I've decided you're my person, you'll catch me watching you from across the yard, just making sure you're all right. I'm ready for a family I can call my own.
Meet Oliver (and Oscar): Call 325-347-6929, email [email protected], or visit Second Chance Mason to learn more.
Photo by Suzanne Demaree
See y'all next week!
Enjoy the sunshine this weekend, and wave at the next bucket truck you pass.
Have something for The Townie? A local business worth knowing, an event coming up, or a neighbor with a story to tell? We'd love to hear about it.
📬 [email protected]
🌸 Know someone who would love The Townie? Send them to thetownie.ai to subscribe.
Editor's note: Event details come from public calendars, organizer posts and the hosts themselves. Co-op facts come from Central Texas Electric Cooperative's and Hill Country Telephone Cooperative's own published materials. Weather, river and market figures come from the National Weather Service, USGS, the U.S. Drought Monitor, the Texas Water Development Board, USDA and Producers Livestock/Cargile, current as of this edition's writing. Please check with each host before you go.
