COME FLY WITH ME

"Mom? What happened? Did you hang up and say to yourself, 'I think I'll take a little helicopter ride?'" "Something like that", I replied with a big grin. It was my older son Craig on the ICU portable telephone. We had had a long, happy telephone conversation the night before when he was on his way home from working at a new job he really enjoys. He had finally convinced the ICU nurses that it was not he who talked to me when I first came out of surgery, but it was his younger brother Matthew. Now it was his turn.

It was dark in my ICU room, and I had tubes and wires hooked up all over me. But I had a lot to smile about. The cardiologist had been to see me and to tell me that I was going to be all right. I was a success story. This was in the wee hours of the morning, Friday, November 16th. Dr. Harvey told me there did not appear to be any damage to my heart muscle, my other arteries were clear, and the two stents that he placed in the blocked artery that had caused my heart attack would keep that artery open from now on. He said I would be going home on Saturday, and that I could drive my car on Monday! Such wonderful news to someone who, only a few hours before, was in danger of dying.

As I relayed to Craig the events that took place after our conversation the night before, he laughed out loud when I told him how beautiful the lights of San Angelo appeared from the helicopter. He said he knew I must have been in a bad way if I thought that! But they really were beautiful that night. By that time, the morphine and nitroglycerin had done a good job and I was pain free. It seemed logical that I should be flying around in the sky -- close to God -- and accompanied by the three "angels" of the helicopter crew. I felt very safe, protected, and I knew it was not my time to go. There are just too many things I have yet to accomplish. Too many places I want to go... grandchildren I want to watch achieve their dreams... and too much I still haven't shared with the people I love.

My daughter Carajean, who was a Physician's Assistant at one time, showed up from Amarillo about the time I was being moved out of ICU. It was not enough for her to talk to me by telephone. Her medical training increased her worries I'm afraid. She had to be there up front and personal to be assured that I am, indeed, going to recover fully, and probably be healthier than ever.

My cardiologist said to keep doing whatever I'm doing (i.e., not smoking, healthy eating, exercise, meditation). That this blockage more than likely was caused by the years of heavy smoking I did not give up until 1999. I had a "near-death experience" that year when I was extremely ill and hospitalized with the flu. This time I think of what I went through as a "near-life experience"!

Nancy was my best friend all over again when she dropped everything to come to my house and rush me to the ER. She and Glenn Smith were with me throughout that long night. She made all the necessary telephone calls for me and they both were smiling and comforting me at each move. Somehow the two of them beat the helicopter to Shannon Hospital! It seemed so surreal to me... and to have them there with me made it seem like just another adventure on my life's journey.

It was indeed a very Happy Thanksgiving this year. I enjoyed every minute of the meal preparation, and the food never tasted so good! After well wishes and a visit on the web camera with my children and grandchildren, I slept better that night than many a night. Life is good..... and Good Stuff Happens!

...Marilyn Moragne

P.S.

Everyone in my emergency care asked me the same question that night. "Did you take aspirin?" I definitely did, about five minutes after the pain started. That and deep coughing helped me hang on, I'm sure. Visit the American Heart Association website and familiarize yourself with the symptoms of a heart attack and what to do until help arrives.

Happy Thanksgiving from Dottie

Hi everyone..

The following was sent to me tonight. I wanted to share it since it appears I have "dropped the ball" lately. I really haven't, and will write about it shortly. I "took a little trip" on a MedVac helicopter last week! Stay tuned.

Happy Turkey!

Marilyn

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ONE AND ALL!! Wow, aren't we blessed! We are expecting our first really cold spell, and I am sooooooo glad. Does anyone else out there suffer from the freaking sweat running off your nose all the time???

Hey, does anyone remember Kirk Brunson's old Hudson? He sat on a five gallon can, and all the rest of the car was wiped out. We would load as many as 20 (if my mind hasn't completely left me) and head to the drive-in movie for $1.00 Carload night. He also had an older car that lost a rear wheel as we all made the drag one night. Kind of a funny feeling when we saw the left rear wheel pass us on the main drag. Oh, well... these memories just flash by occasionally.

Love you all and wish I could have seen you!

Dottie(Bishop)

VALLEY CREEK ~ NOT ELM CREEK

The following was sent to me today by Jimmie Stubblefield. It's amazing to me how our memories differ from person to person. Of course, if one were actually involved in such an event (streaming down a flooded creek with little or no clothes on!), I believe one would tend to remember.....

"It was Valley Creek--not Elm Creek--there were six of us--we spent many wonderful hours roaming the creek from my house to the city lake--we did some things most people never knew about."

.....Jimmie S.

Hmmmmm Now where was it Rodney dropped off several of us girls to take a late-night swim while he patiently waited a half mile up the road? Was that One-Mile or Four-Mile Crossing?

GOODBYE, BARBARA

BARBARA FERGUSON ROLLWITZ 

Publication Date: November 10, 2007

BALLINGER - Barbara "Ma" Rollwitz, 68, of Ballinger, passed away Wednesday evening, Nov. 7, 2007, after a long, courageous battle with cancer. She was surrounded by her family when the Lord called her home. 

Barbara was born Feb. 19, 1939, to S.L. and Thelma Lett Ferguson in Ballinger and married Eugene Bernard Rollwitz on Jan. 12, 1957. 

Barbara was a loving wife, mother, and grandmother to her family and a cherished friend to those who knew her. She was known simply as "Ma" by many. She served as the cafeteria manager for Ballinger Independent School District for over 20 years where she was well-loved and respected by the students she served. She took special pride in being a Little League scorekeeper when her kids were growing up and was honored for all her years of service. She had a kind and generous heart and often put the needs of others before her own needs. She always had a warm smile on her face and loving words to go with it. In her last years, she enjoyed making fleece blankets for family and friends and donated many of her blankets to charity. During the final months of her life, she became an honorary member of FIT San Angelo and made many new and special friends. The greatest joys of her life were her kids, grandkids and great-grandkids. 

She was a member of St. Mary Catholic Church. 

She is survived by her husband, Eugene Rollwitz of Ballinger; her two daughters, Ronda Ramos of Ballinger and her husband Pasqual, and Della Cowan of Fort Worth; and a son, Jeffrey Rollwitz and his wife, Kim, of Wall; six grandchildren, Michelle Barrow, Jessica Ramos, Tabitha Linebarger, Tiffany Lytle, Mason Rollwitz and Jake Rollwitz; three great-granddaughters; and one great-grandson. Also surviving are a sister, Queba James of Ballinger; and two brothers, Gary Ferguson and wife, Fay, of Horseshoe Bay, and Glen Ferguson and wife, Gail, of Mabank. 

Her family would like to extend special thanks to all of the loved ones and friends for their love and support. We would especially like to thank Dr. Rahman and his staff for the tender, loving care they showed Ma during her 10-year battle with cancer, Hospice of Ballinger, and dear sister, Queba, for the care during her last days. 

Visitation for family and friends will be 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 10, at Lange Funeral Home. A graveside service will be at 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 11, in Old Runnels Cemetery. 

TEXAS GRILL COMMENT

Here's another great image of the Texas Grill at its present location. Notice the superimposed Noyes statue. This was taken by Glenn Smith. (Thanks, Glenn!)

The following comment by Jerry Eoff is too good to hide in the comments box, so I am printing it here to make certain we all get his great history lesson!

"You're correct on the old location of the Grill. It was on the Hutchins side of the Texas and Daugherty's Drug was on the Railroad side. They were both actually within the theater building and of course went with the fire in or about 1962. I bought many a dime comic book through the drugstore window rack and sat through many coffee break conversations between Dad and R. D. Travis when their cars were the only ones parked on the street at night while work was being done.

I would guess that whoever questioned your memory on the location didn't know that the building that now has the Texas sign was the Palace theater back in those days and the Texas was across the street in the now vacant space. After a year or so in Dallas I had just come to appreciate that the Texas was actually a fairly nice theater on a small scale."

ELM CREEK DAM - II

Here's another view of the Elm Creek Dam at the Ballinger City Park. Now you can visualize the "drop" Neil and friends made as their boat went over and they were dumped into the water below. I hope the water wasn't as rough then as it is in this photo. (The Colorado River crested at 7.5 feet this day!) That dead tree would have been a painful barrier to get past, too.

Now I want to take a photograph of the "hill" going down into the park. That hill holds memories, too. I had to learn to park a standard shift car on that hill. I'm sure Coach Gosney suffered through a few scary moments during those lessons. Also, when we had snow and ice -- which wasn't that often, I remember Bob Burton, Kirk Brunson, and others connecting an old car hood to the back of their car and pulling guys down the hill on the ice! It really is a wonder no one ever got injured.

Do you remember, too?

Marilyn

More Elm Creek Escapades

June (Hash) Curry sent the following comment. It is so funny, I had to post it up front. Jimmie S., if you read this, we'd like to know if you were one of those who were streaking down the creek!

"When Grady was alive he could tell some hairy stories about his group of friends and their escapades on Elm Creek. I think some of those were achieved without the benefit of clothes in any form at breakneck speed down that flooding creek. He, Dwayne and Bobby Patton, and I think sometimes Jimmie Stubblefield and Freddie Tyree had adventures on this creek on Sunday afternoons (I could be mistaken about Jimmie, though, as he was a really good child)."

Grady used to put me and our children in stitches with these stories.

June

More Elm Creek Escapades

The flooding at Elm Creek must have jogged some memories. This is from Neil Broussard:


"Do you remember how when it rained the water would create a wave as it flowed across the low water crossing? Well, someone found an old boat and we all got in it and floated across the low water bridge. Then we would pull it upstream and do it again. We got bored with that and decided to float to the Park, as it was flooded. The water was going over the Dam and had about a three to four foot drop. We decided to go over the dam. That ended the fun as we lost the boat and we were all dumped into the water. Sometimes I wonder how we survived some of the stunts."

ELM CREEK DAM

Recognize this? I don't know how many of you know, but we had a record rainfall in Runnels County this past spring and summer. This photo of the dam at Ballinger City Park will give you an idea of the flooding we experienced. At one point the park was closed due to the water spilling over into the park.

This reminds me of a talk I was listening to this morning regarding the Tao Te Ching. I was reminded that within each flood therein lies a drought. Within each storm, there is a calm. Nothing lasts forever. Something to remember when we are going through difficult times. Or even when times are very good. Another reason to be grateful.

I hate to be the bearer of sad news, but I heard last night that our former classmate Barbara Ferguson Rollwitz finally lost her battle with cancer. I was hopeful when I saw her a few days after our class reunion. I stopped by to deliver her handbook and remarked on how good she looked. She seemed in good spirits and even answered the door herself. There will be a graveside funeral service for her this Sunday at the Old Runnels Cemetery.

Better news... Nancy Thompson Baker's husband Jake came through his "shocking" experience really well yesterday and was back at work at the County Jail this morning. He literally had the paddles put to him to shock his heart back into a normal rhythm.

Irene Piel Batts' husband David came home from the hospital this morning after being confined there for 10 days with a fractured pelvic bone. He will be recovering at home for several weeks. He really wanted to take that little red button home with him that he used to call the nurses. However, Irene assured them that they had a cow bell at home awaiting his use!

Peggy Virden Sharp has really enjoyed her daughter Tammy visiting her this week from Houston. After a trip to her cardiologist, she was given the go-ahead to drive her car next week. She is amazing in her recovery! You cannot keep some of these Texas women down for long!

I heard from Merry Lou and Buddy Wilkins that they are still guest hosts at the San Angelo State Park. At least they will be until this next Wednesday when they will go to spend Thanksgiving with their children. Then they will join the other "snowbirds" to spend three winter months in Mission, Texas. Due to the threatened rising price of diesel fuel, they say they will probably spend most of 2008 in Texas.

I'd like to hear from some of our other RVers out there. I've wondered how the rising fuel costs are affecting your lifestyle. If you end up having to stay put somewhere, doesn't that mean you will no longer be considered footloose and fancy-free? Does that mean you will have to do mundane things again ~~ like mow the plot around your semi-permanent RV? Does that put you at the mercy of the park owners who might wish to raise the lot rents? Let us hear about it... the good, the bad, the ugly!

I'm still waiting on all that talent I recognized when I was working on our handbook!

'Til next time,
Marilyn

IN MY BACK YARD

I’m no biologist, no specialist in animal behavior, nor am I an expert in any realm. However, through the years I have become a quite good observer -- an observer of both human and animal behaviors. As I get older, the similarities and differences of these behaviors become more obvious. Perhaps because I have more experience at observation or because I have puzzled so long about humanity’s difficulties and our inability to overcome them, I have begun to turn to nature for possible solutions. I know I’m not the first to do that.

Recently, two situations in my modest backyard have captured my attention with what I think is “unnatural” behavior in the animal kingdom.

Very early one morning, just about daybreak, I was looking out my kitchen window waiting on the coffee to brew. To my surprise, I spotted a small skunk headed for the fig tree between my and my neighbor’s yard. As it made its way, I saw a movement under the tree. It was a half-grown tiger stripe kitten. Uh oh, I thought. There’s going to be a fight and probably a pretty stinky one at that. The leaves are large on this fig tree and they grow almost to the ground, so it was difficult to see what actually happened. I saw a lot of rustling leaves and an occasional glimpse of a little black and white head. Before long, the kitten jumped out, shook itself, and started towards the alley. I assumed the skunk must have unleashed its ultimate weapon. I quietly eased open the back door to sniff the air and nope, no odor. Shortly, the little skunk came out and made a beeline for my neighbor’s house. It scooted into a hole that gives access to the crawlspace beneath the house.

When I related this story to a friend, she immediately pointed out the negative aspects of the event. She was fearful that the skunk might be rabid – after all, it was out and about at daylight (which is a myth, I discovered while researching the behavior of skunks), and if we didn’t have it caught and killed, we would soon have a bunch of rabid kittens all over the neighborhood.

This shocked me, as I had only been seeing the meeting of these two dissimilar creatures as a positive happening. I figured that these little animals were drawn to the water dishes I keep in my back yard for the birds – a valuable resource during this hot, dry summer. As the kitten and the skunk were both in need of a cool drink, they decided to put aside their differences and share the water. Then they went their separate ways.

I thought, “Why can’t man do the same?” We are all in need of the earth’s resources, and there are enough of them to go around if we could only put aside our differences and share. Too often people jump on the negative bandwagon. Fearful that there will not be enough, they would rather fight than share; kill the ones who threaten them or their supply. Look what it’s doing to our world.

Naive? Maybe. Simplistic? Certainly. But it worked in my back yard.

Marilyn
Summer 2006

TEXAS GRILL

We all remember the Texas Grill. Of course, it wasn't on this particular corner when I used to frequent it. Can anyone tell me its exact location when we were in high school? I thought it was next to the old Texas theater, but I was told that wasn't so.

There are so many landmarks, buildings, signs, and even businesses left over from our era. I believe they add to the flavor and nostalgia of the little town of Ballinger. And there are also some new ones that make Ballinger memorable. For instance, the Cross. Let me know of any you remember that you would enjoy seeing on our blog.

Does anyone have a story to tell about the Texas Grill? I remember one time a girlfriend (who will remain nameless) and I were sitting at a booth, feeling very "grown up", smoking cigarettes and drinking Cokes. It was late and we had probably slipped out of the house. Imagine our surprise when suddenly, in walks my mother! I hardly ever got away with anything when I was growing up! Of course, I wasn't very good at hiding things. Like the time I threw a wet swimsuit in the dirty clothes hamper after a midnight swim in Ballinger Lake!

I think it was antics like these that made me such a good watchdog over my own children in their teens. My boys nicknamed me "The Detective".

Later...
Marilyn

TEXAS RESOURCES

Clear blue sky, cotton fields stretching as far as the eyes can see, and a pump still pumping that precious fuel. Gotta love this wonderful state! (Photo taken by Marilyn just outside Rowena, TX)

A few updates...

Peggy Sharp is amazing her doctor with her recovery time. She is about two weeks ahead of what they expect with heart surgery like she had. The doctor told her she can drive her car again in two weeks. Good news for one who hates to be immobilized!

Remember the goodlooking white-haired gentleman (oh, I KNOW there were a lot of those at the class reunion!) that accompanied Irene Piel Batts? That was David, her husband. He fell day before yesterday and now has two hairline fractures in his pelvic bone. He says he feels fine until he tries to stand. I think it will be a few weeks before he's recovered enough to go back to work. Right now he is in the Ballinger Memorial Hospital. We wish him well.

Miss Kelly (who ate the bluebonnet seeds) recovered enough to wear her favorite "ELMO" costume and go trick or treating with her big brother "Darth Vader" Travis on Halloween. I'll bet the candy went down a lot easier than the seeds, and she didn't have to have her stomach pumped again!

Nancy and Jake Baker returned from a week in Las Vegas about the same as when they left. Jake said they won "a lot of money"... but then they lost it back to the casinos.

I have enquired about Gene Routh's foot, but have no response yet. (From him, not his foot!) If anyone is in touch with him, let us know how he is doing. We missed him as well as Rosalyn Hoelscher at the reunion. I know they were both disappointed they didn't get to come.

Any of you who are reading this and didn't get a current picture of yourself in the 50th Class Reunion handbook, send me a photo via email and I will post it here. That way we will know you when you come to the next reunion. Remember, we will meet again in 2010.

Has anyone won the lottery lately? Had a new grandbaby? Retired? Gone on a posh vacation? Share with us!

'Til next time,
Marilyn