GENESIS 1:1 "In the beginning GOD created the heaven and the earth."When you open a Bible, this scripture is the first thing you will see. It continues to read that it took GOD six days to do that. Then HE looked at what HE made and said it is good, very good, and HE was proud of it He wanted to share it: so HE made a man and a woman to do just that.

It appears I can’t let Harold out of the house on his own anymore without fear of his returning with something to either make me think he has lost his mind or make me want to lose what little is left of mine. He went on a shopping excursion to Killeen last week and came home with a kayak!

Mindless Eating. You have seen or heard about it on the news, in magazines, or on the internet. What exactly is it? It is when the mind makes food related decisions often without even thinking about what we are doing. Picture yourself in front of the TV with a bag of chips, pretzels or crackers.

At this time of the year many are thinking of the men who gave so much that we might have a nation that is free. However, it seems that our liberties are being taken away from us little by little. A while back in California a husband and wife had a group of people over to study the Bible as their building was being renovated.

30 Years AgoJuly 15, 1982 Officials of San Saba and Mills counties seized several pounds of marijuana, a number of illegal weapons and chemicals and laboratory equipment used in producing methamphetamines when a farm 7-8 miles north of Richland Springs was raided last Thursday afternoon.All friends and neighbors of Randy Ray Beard is invited to a party July 17th from 7:00 til...

The good news is the rain we received last week. Altogether over a three day period we registered 2.7 inches. It was most appreciated! This Sunday afternoon they received about 1/2 an inch out at Elm Grove but they missed out on most of the rain last week. There is still a possibility of more in the forecast.

Reading Recommendations: The Sins of the Father, a novel, Jeffrey Archer-The Clifton Chronicles, Volume TwoOnly days before Britain declares war on Germany, Harry Clifton, hoping to escape the consequences of long buried family secrets, and forced to accept that his desire to marry Emma Barrington will never be fulfilled, has joined the Merchant Navy.

Over the years I have gone before the judge many times and I have learned there are two ways it can be done. One time I was in the judge’s office and the highway patrol brought a man in handcuffs and with a lot of chains on his legs and around his waist.

2 Corinthians 4:7: “But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.” You and I are the jars of clay. The treasure is the gospel. The messenger should be awed with the opportunity to share God’s Word.

1Pedro 1:13-25 Llamamiento a una vida santa Por tanto, cenid los lomos de vuestro enten-dimiento, sed sobrios, y esperad por completo en la gracia que se os traera cuando Jesucristo sea manifestado; como hijos obedientes, no os conformeis a los deseos que antes teniais estando en vuestra ignorancia; sino, como aquel que os llamo es santo, sed tambien vosotros santos en toda vuestra manera de vivir; porque escrito esta: Sed santos, porque yo soy santo.

Different amounts of rain fell around the Bend this past week. Reports of 2 inches down to 1 inch depending on where you lived. Sunday afternoon a little shower fell leaving just more than 2/10 inch in the rain gauge. Bonnie Millican reported that a cool breeze was all they received from the showers.The home of Pat and Bonnie Millican was a busy place over the weekend.

I have finally started doing what I should have been doing all along—exercising on purpose. I started walking every morning while it is still relatively cool outside. I started off walking near my house and have now started walking further and further away, but still on the ranch. I have actually had people suggest to me that I get a treadmill so that I can walk inside.

It has been a stimulating week for me. I actually think I am on information overload! The science and math course I’m taking at Howard Payne is teaching me bundles of new things. Although my brain is not yet at the one fact at a time phase, it definitely is bogging down with this multiple stimuli process.

2011 San Saba County Pecan Queen Court - left to right: Paige Faught, Queen Sara Hedley and Courtney Pryor.

Rennie Mann & Chad Ashworth took first place in the washer pitching tournament at Saturday’s Stars & Stripes Celebration in Richland Springs.

The 15th annual Brister Cousin Camp was held at Rough Creek Ranch between San Saba and Bend from July 1-7, 2012. The cousins and friends, ranging in age from 3 weeks to 64 years, spent the week on Rough Creek swimming in their spring-fed swimming hole, hiking the pasture and bluff, playing games and visiting.

The First Annual Texas Open Noodling Championship weigh in was held on June 30th at Mill Pond Park right here in San Saba, Texas. Congratulations to local team members Stacy Green, Ronald Green, Tim Grant, and Ty Shackelford, for their First Place Victory in the State Wide Noodling Tournament. With a total weight of 66.4 lbs.

The A.J. Walker, Sr. decendents held their annual reunion Saturday, July 14th, 2012 at the Senior Center at Mill Pond Park.“52” family members and friends had a wonderful day of visiting, looking at pictures, playing games and having a lot of fun with a Silent Auction. We had a delicious Bar-B-Q and covered dish lunch followed by pies, cakes, cookies and homemade ice cream.

The ballot printed in last weeks paper had an error . The race for District Attorney between Sonny McAfee and Angela Dowdle was incorrectly headed District Judge. The new ballots will be corrected for early voting July 23-27 and election day, July 31 as follows: District Attorney, 33rd Judicial District Wiley “Sonny” McAfee Angela Dowdle

The Parables of Jesus will be taught at the VBS at San Saba Church of Christ located at 201 W Wallace from Wednesday, July25th through Friday, July 27, 2012. Classes from age 4 through adult will be taught each night from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. The VBS is a combined effort of the Cherokee and San Saba Church of Christ.

The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) have placed special enforcement emphasis on the addition of tow trucks to the Move Over/Slow Down law, which requires motorists to move over or slow down when certain vehicles are stopped on the side of the road with emergency lights activated. To remind the public of this important safety measure, the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) has activated electronic signs, which read: If Tow Truck Stopped Ahead, Move Over or Slow Down, It’ ...

Fellowship of Christian Women’s Luncheon will be gathering next Thursday, July 26th at the First United Methodist fellowship hall for a July Picnic. The Methodist ladies give all the ladies in the county a very special invitation to come and share food and fellowshipping around the tables. We begin at 11:30 a.m.

Michael J. Astrue, Commissioner of Social Security, today announced that in less than two monthes' time, one million people have gone online, created a My Social Security account and viewed their Social Security Statement."The online Social Security Statement is a huge success", Commissioner Sstrue said. "The online Statement meets our commitment to provide Americans with an easy, efficient process to obtain an estimate of their potential Social Security benefits.

Dear Editor, There is a woman who is in need of a liver transplant. Her name is Linda Daugherty. Linda lives in Brownwood, Texas and is the daughter of Marlene and the late Carl Emerson, also of Brownwood. Linda has three married children, Allison, James and John Daugherty and 10 grandchildren.

Dr. Bill and Camille Carpenter are proud to announce the engagement and upcoming marriage of their daughter, Amanda Leigh, to R.D. Parks, II. A small family wedding will take place on August 4, 2012, at Pecan Grove Baptist Church in San Saba, Tx followed by a reception at Soap's Place in San Saba.R.D.

Penny Clark Pierce has been named Employee of the Month at Pecan Valley Nursing and Rehabilitation for the month of July. Penny was born and raised in San Saba County and graduated from San Saba High School. When asked what it was like growing up at Bend, Penny replied that she is the youngest of nine girls and one boy, so life was big from the start.

After a grueling two week school at Camp Swift, Texas, Spc. Kirby Martin graduated Air Assault School. The training included four, six and twelve mile ruck marches. The class started with 193 men and women from all branches of the military. At the end of the final twelve mile, 68 had dropped out.

Legendary Entertainer Pat Boone will be joinng the On-Air Staff of Radio Stations, KNUZ-FM, and KNVR-AM, in San Saba,Texas.The Pat Boone Radio Show, which is Recorded in Los Angeles, California, is a One Hour Program. It features Christian Music, and Conversation.At this time, the Show will be heard on both Stations, on Sunday Mornings.This is the first time The Pat Boone Radio Show, will be heard in the San Saba Area.The first Show will be broadcast on August 12, 2012.

The Christmas Lighting Committee will host Brave this week-end at the LanTex Theater. This PG movie will show on Friday, July 20th, at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday, July 21st, at 4:00 and 7:30 p.m.Brave is a very popular animated fantasy adventure produced by Pixar Animation and distributed by Walt Disney.

Receipts totaled 3087 head for the week. A choice offering of calves and yearlings were offered this week at the Special Stocker and Feeder Sales. Earlier in the week the market was steady but as the week moved along, more reports of the damage that the heat and drought has caused to the corn crops up north pushed corn higher creating larger increases in the cost of feeding cattle.

Clara E. Wash passed from this life on Wednesday, July 11, 2012. She was born September 28, 1915 at Locker, Texas to Lee and Lillie McNeil Smith. She spent most of her life in San Saba County. On December 31, 1938 Clara Smith and Marion Wash were married in Austin, Texas, by a Baptist minister.

J.D. Taylor was born on April 2, 1950, in Hartselle, Alabama to William Taylor and Daisy Hopper Taylor. J.D. married Nelda Humphries in Ft. Worth, Texas on September 4, 1970. He was the owner of Taylor Roofing Co. in Ft. Worth for 35 years and retired from TXDOT in 2010.

Graveside funeral services for Wayne Dudley Nelson, 84, of San Saba County, were held at 11:00 A.M. on Saturday July 14, in the Holt Cemetery with James Young officiating. Interment will be under the direction of Heartland Funeral Home of Early. Mr. Wayne Nelson passed away on Wednesday, July 11, 2012 in Jayton, Texas.

4-H Sewing Camp was held all last week at the San Saba ISD’s homemaking building. Helping were Kay Stewart, Charlotte Spence, Janie Calderon, Lynn Blankenship, Doris Cates, Betty Wilson, Debbie Shahan. At the conclusion of the camp, the 4-H’ers paraded thru the Senior Center and showed off what they had made.

Justin Barker received his Bachelor of Science Degree in Industrial Engineering from Texas A&M University on Friday, May 11th. Justin is employed by FMC Technologies in Houston as a Rotational Engineer. He and his wife, Hannah, now reside in Tomball, Texas. Hannah will be teaching at Swenke Elementary in the Cy-Fair School District as a 3rd and 4th Grade Resource Teacher.

The San Saba Junior Lady Dillos picked up their 30th win of the season by finishing second at the Summer Heat Tournament held on Saturday, July 14 in Belton. The Lady Dillos defeated Belton 5th Grade 21-3, Belton 6th Grade 17-13 and dropped a tough loss to the eventual tournament champions MP Elite out of Austin, 16-11.

Tra Williams from Richland Springs was Overall MVP in the All Star Game in Garden City, Texas.

Reading is a learned process. Reading is something we will all do for the rest of our lives. There are no shortcuts to becoming a better reader. Students are more successful when a partnership is formed between parents and school staff. Working together improves student success. Your child’s education is important!Learning to read begins at home.

July 12, 2012 the San Saba Ladies Golf Association met for a memorial dedication of a marble bench in memory of Bobby Churchill. Anita Miles, president, called on Hattie Rogers to open the dedication with prayer. The following ladies were present, Jo Ann Snow, Jo Anne Hardy, Hattie Rogers, Dorothy Sterner, Debbie Lee, Janet Hoyt, and Anita Miles.

Our FFA is an officially chartered organization! Mr. Harris and the members have worked diligently this year to fulfill the many requirements in order to become chartered. Lucky members Talli Morrison and Barbara Uribe walked the stage at the State Convention in Corpus Christi last week to receive the group’s charter.