Mary Jo Schaffer Bandera Texas Real Estate

Today's Commissioner's Court meeting was like many others, several developers getting their plats and re-plats approved, budget items discussed and approved, and insurance coverage renewed- pretty ho hum until the sheriff got to his report at the very end of the meeting.

He wanted to explain the "horse situation". Apparently there is this horse that was rescued that had a missing eye, the explaination the sheriff's department got was that it was in a fire and ripped it's eye out. One of the neighbors put a picture of the injured horse on a website for barrel race enthusiasts and the sheriff's department was bombared with calls and e mails alleging animal cruelty.

The man that rescued the horse didn't have the money to take the horse to the vet, so the sheriff's department found someone to help with the medical costs. It was determined that the horse has cancer of the eye? Or cancer in the brain that caused the loss of the eye. I didn't see any of the pics that were put on the website, but I'm sure they were horrible to look at.

Fortunately for the county, the newspaper and tv reporter's missed the website pics or they would have been here and Bandera would have been on the evening news. Bandera County has several horse rescue non profits that help in these situations and two pet adoption non profits, so we have many people willing to help pet owners who are over their heads, so to speak, with costs of pet ownership.

What bothers me is that people assume cruelty, and plaster pictures all over the web to incite others. I'm glad the sheriff got involved and made sure that the animal got the help it needed, not glad some people assume the worst in people, and make a spectacle of it.

I almost missed today's Commissioner's Court Meeting because my printer ran out of ink and I had an 11AM listing appointment and hadn't printed the listing contract- but I rearranged my day so that I wouldn't miss my county government at work.

I'm sure glad I did that because I learned what a great job my elected officials are doing for me and us, the residents of Bandera County. On the agenda for today was the firm that handled getting the county the money to build the new jail, which just broke ground in the past month. There were two gentlemen who proceeded to explain to us how their expertise saved us money since the cost to borrow money has gone down, and, the biggest surprise, the Counties credit rating has gone up from A- to A+ according to Standard and Poors! Just like us regular people, the better our credit score, the lower the interest rate. The rate for the new batch of bonds will be in the 3% range- for a savings of $35,000 per year, no small chunk of change!

That extra money can be used by the county to cover any emergency expenses we may have this year and the following years, especially since we are prone to floods, brush fires and equipment breakage. Because of the tight ship our County Judge, Richard Evans runs, our credit rating is solid and we save money. Great job Judge!

The bad thing about today's court meeting is that 90% of the audience were county employees and the local press. Hopefully, my blog post won't be the only good news to be printed about today's meeting.

Bandera's Metal Cowboys took over the town for the second time in two weeks this weekend- the roar was deafening, unless, of course, you turned off your hearing aid.

The streets were full of crome and leather, the gas stations, the parks, the restaurants, had no space, no seats for us locals. Tunes blared from a loud speaker at City Hall- everthing from country to heavy metal, just what you wanted to hear as you headed home with the kids on a Saturday afternoon.

I like seeing the different types of bikes, some with neon lights on the sides, different types of riders, unique apparel and hair and tatoos. Most are professionals living their dream on the weekends and they love the Cowboy Town that is Bandera.

I like that they spend their money here, the waitresses and waiters get extra money to buy the things important to them and their families. The city collects revenue from the motel business and the merchants can stay open another month or so.

Hopefully, no one got hurt or arrested (I know some got arrested). There was a Chili Cookoff and a Cabrito cookoff- both at the 11th St. Bar. Hopefully, someone remembers what the chili and cabrito tasted like.

The streets are now quiet with a slight scent of rubber.

Everything you could possibly want to know about your home and maintaining it, plus how to have a fantastic and lush garden and lawn will be covered next weekend, April 12th, in Bandera at Mansfield Park.

The event is the 8th one for Bandera County River Authority and Groundwater District and the Bandera County Extension Office and this one promises to be bigger and better than the last 7!!

The event begins bright and early at 9AM in the Mansfield Park Show Barn on Hwy 16, just outside of the city limits of Bandera, and will end at 4PM. There is no charge for admission- lots of things for the family to see and do- door prizes and plenty of food!

Some of the topics to be covered are, rainwater harvesting, organic gardening, home improvement tips, lots of plants and tips for your yard, septic information and well and pool professionals.

If you are a business owner and would like to have a booth, the fee is $50, and the person to speak to is Susan Queen at 830-796-7260 to reserve your spot.

If you love your home, this event is one you don't want to miss!! See you there!

This past weekend, hundreds of motorcyclists descended upon Bandera for the phenomenon known as Wild Hog Explosion. The event kicked off on Friday, March 14th and concluded Sunday afternoon.

Events were for all ages, there was an all bike rally, wild hog catching, pork rib cook off, hog kissing contest, a children's bicycle rodeo, lots of food, fun, and arts and crafts to help lighten your wallet.

Besides the festivities, traffic up and down Main St. was impossible, 10mph at best and try to find a parking spot on Main St. or even off Main- not gunna happen. The restaurants were packed, the bars were crowded and noisy, good for the business owners, bad for the regulars.

Things are back to normal today, hopefully a biker or two will want to settle down in Bandera and buy some real estate- Ya think?