SWAN SONG (Maybe)

I always knew this day might come, I just did not know when. When I started this blog in October 2007, I knew nothing about blogs -- or how they were put together. I didn't know if I could do one, and even if I did, if anyone would read it! I've learned a lot in a year and a half about blogging, photography, videos, and my computer! Maybe that was the real purpose for my doing this. I enjoyed working on the biographical handbook for the 50th Class Reunion. Then I enjoyed the reunion itself, but it just wasn't long enough to visit with everyone. I thought a blog would be a good way to keep us all connected and share the camaraderie I felt with all of you who contributed to the handbook.

I have had a great time playing with this blog, but I have to admit how disappointed I've been that very few have appeared to have read the blog... and even fewer have contributed. There are 39 email addresses that this goes out to, and on a regular basis I hear from only a dozen or less. Even fewer contribute anything to put on the blog. I am extremely grateful for those of you who have continued to send me encouragement and praise. I would have been willing to try most anything you all had suggested you would like to see or read on what I liked to call "our" blog. Instead, I find it more and more difficult to put meaningful items here, and it seems to end up being more of my "personal" blog.

Thus, the photo of the swan with her "babies". Once this blog is finished, I intend to start a more personal one. I think my family and old friends read this one more than the classmates do, anyway. The babies represent my new endeavors in the future.

I have a couple of items to put here that may interest all of you. The first is from one of my faithful followers/contributors, JAMES HAYS. He wrote:

"After eight months of a partial restoration by Harold Stieber and myself, the critical gust load tolerance turned out to be one mph faster than this afternoon! Bounced around like a BB in a boxcar, but stayed controllable throughout test flight. Looking forward to several more hours of fun flying out of the bird"...JAMES

Now, if you are like me, most of you will not understand what on earth he is talking about...with the exception of the other pilots in the class like JERRY EOFF, BOB BURTON, and GLENN SMITH. However, you will all get a big kick out of seeing JAMES in his newly restored toy.

This is called a Pietenpol. And I have to say, it doesn't look too safe to me!! No offense, JAMES, I just never would have the nerve to go up in anything like this! That's why they invented "jets"!

I can't tell if that's a "V" for Victory, a peace sign, or if James is offering up some kind of prayer before taking off!

It is nice to see men of our age engaging in such good hobbies. Too many have given up "living" and seem just to sit by the television.

Here's a shot proving that this thing really can fly!

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For some reason, JERRI (PIEL) STEEL and her husband, Sam, have not been getting the notices sent when there was a blog update. This is unfortunate, because I feel that JERRI would have been a good correspondent and would have contributed some really "good stuff"! Her husband recently sent me the following:

"This is the Rosemary that is closest to the house. JERRI is holding a tape measure across the plant to show the width. It is blooming and the bees are visiting it. The milk bottle on the ground below the tape is for the orphan Barbado lamb that we are raising on the bottle. The plant behind JERRI is a rose bush."

That is an incredible bush...and I would love to have that in my yard to cook with! I love chicken breasts cooked with rosemary! Your place is beautiful!

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I have always believed that there is a Divine Order to things that happen in our lives. I just don't believe in coincidences. When I moved back to Ballinger in 2005, I could not give anyone a really good reason "why". I told myself I just wanted to live in a small town again, particularly one that held so many good memories. Having two of my best friends from high school living here seemed a good reason, too. I also thought it would be a cheaper place to live on my limited Social Security income. WRONG!

As February, 2007 rolled around and JAMES HAYS held a meeting to discuss the upcoming 50th Class Reunion, I began to see a purpose in my moving back here after all these years. I don't think I really knew what I was doing when I offered to attempt the handbook. I just felt compelled to do it. Same way with the blog. Until recently, that is.

I had a wonderful opportunity offered to me last fall by a dear friend and her husband. She and I go back almost 50 years, having met when my oldest and her two children were just wee ones. I met her right here in Ballinger, when I moved home after my divorce. Jane and Joe visited me last fall, and not long afterward, they called to tell me they wanted to buy a little house for me to live in where they live. It would be a long-term investment for them, and they will rent the house to me for the same low rent I pay here for a much smaller, older home.

The added bonus is that I will be only 45 minutes from my younger son and my two youngest grandchildren! Ballinger is so "off the beaten path", that it is not on the way to anywhere! One has to make a special trip to visit here. It's difficult, particularly for my daughter in Amarillo to visit, as the plane trip has to go via Dallas, layovers, etc. and she doesn't drive long distances alone. She gets road hypnosis.

I feel that once I move to the Austin area, I may see more of all three kids and their families. I'll be in the heart of the Hill Country... surrounded by wonderful lakes and things to do! Not to mention, I'll have the companionship of my dear friend and her husband. They are so energetic, positive, and enthusiastic about life. Lots of fun to be around and do things with. (She and I and her daughter and her friend from junior high school went on a cruise together a few years back! ) She and I have shared a lot of the same experiences and heartaches through the years. She's an example of a little plaque I used to hang that stated, "A friend is someone who knows all about you and loves you just the same." And they don't ever seem to mind my not having a "partner". I don't feel like a fifth wheel around them. Of course, I may have to be careful that they do not try some "matchmaking"!

Like my compelling move to Ballinger, I have a feeling there is some kind of "mission" awaiting me at my next location!

At first, I thought I might continue the blog, as it really doesn't matter where I live, if folks are sending me things to place on it. However, that is not the case, and I won't be around to invite out-of-towners over, go to funerals, take pictures, etc. I would love to see this continue. Perhaps if someone out there feels they would like to take it over, maybe people will contribute to that "someone" who is better known. I have already deleted most of the personal items, like family photos, etc., and Google Blogger makes it easy for more than one person to author a blog. I can put your email address on and you can start when you're ready. Just let me know. I know there must be someone out there bored, who would like to do this!

I will be starting to pack and be pretty busy before long, as I will move the first part of June. If anyone has something special they would like to share with the class before I quit publishing, let me know. Otherwise, this will be the last blog post.

Before I close, this is what my house looked like Saturday night for Earth Hour. The kerosene lamp on the dining room table was my great-grandmother's. I read for about 45 minutes, then took a long soaking bath by candlelight. Later I heard that 4,000 cities participated in Earth Hour this year to help raise awareness about global warming and the need to diminish each of our footprints upon the earth. I hope some of you did, too. I know that JUNE HASH CURRY did!


I don't know how to say "goodbye" in Swan-speak, so I'll just say a heartfelt thanks to all of you who helped make this fun for me... you know who you are. You kept it alive this long!

May each of your lives be filled with all kinds of "good stuff"...

Love and peace,
Marilyn

TRAVELIN' MAN

TAIPEI, TAIWAN

GLENN SMITH RECENTLY SENT THE FOLLOWING:

“I got back last week from Taipei, Taiwan. I went to have two Chinese paintings evaluated by the staff at the National Palace Museum of Art in Taipei before having one of the large auction houses such as Sotheby’s or Christie’s sell them for me. The museum is said to have the largest holding of Chinese classical paintings in existence.

The two paintings were given to me fifteen years ago by a Chinese doctoral student who was in the States working on a degree in the department of which I was chairperson. He was desperate to get his four-year-old daughter to the States. His brother stood in line for 26 hours to get a visa for her, but was refused the visa and treated rudely by U.S. Embassy personnel. I called the ambassador in Beijing and his aide told me, ‘Oh, we didn't know anyone in the States was interested in this case.’ He gave specific instructions to be passed on to the brother in China. The brother followed the instructions and did not have to stand in line again. He got the visa in a few minutes and the little girl was on her way two days later.

The paintings I have are part of a few saved from destruction in 1968 when the Red Guard was rampaging through China getting rid of Confucian traditions. Out of 6,000+ art museums, it is said that 4,000+ were completely or partly destroyed. More than 100,000 works of art were burned or hammered to pieces. Some paintings made their ways to Taiwan where they now are in the National Palace Museum. Others may still be hidden in private collections in China elsewhere.

There is a wrinkle—or maybe only a potential one. MARILYN sent me a CNN clipping from a few days ago saying that the Chinese government is raising an uproar at Christie's auction house over the sale of two nineteenth century sculptures that were removed from the Summer Palace in Beijing in 1860 by British and French troops. The Chinese government demanded they be returned, but Christie's sold them in Paris for nearly $18 million each. A lot of outrage is being expressed at the moment in China about this. I sympathize with the government's position about art stolen by foreign troops. On the other hand, the paintings I have were not wanted by the government. I learned nothing new about my paintings from the National Palace Museum, but have written to Sotheby's in Hong Kong to see if they will auction them. I haven't heard back from them as of this moment.

I've been to Beijing and Shanghai previously, but it was my first time in Taiwan. I like Taipei. It's big and modern but not noisy for a city. Despite urban traffic, no horns honk, few sirens sound, and people are courteous and smile a lot. Prices are about the same as in Abilene. I stayed in a hostel (named Eight Elephants) with a number of friendly, hip acting, 18- to 35- year-olds. In restaurants and bars every young person has a camera or cell phone, mostly held at arm’s length for self portraits. Many people speak some English, and they are generous about translating in stores and on the sidewalk. A woman named Nina introduced herself at a coffee shop near the hostel. She called cabs for me, and helped me exchange money into New Taiwan Dollars (NT's). She has visited the pyramids, the Taj Mahal, Istanbul, and several other places. Her current goal is to go to Machu Picchu in Peru. I've been there a couple of times, so we talked travel when I stopped for a breakfast sandwich each morning.

The part of Asia that I saw looks prosperous. They say they feel the worldwide recession (depression?), but I saw no beggars and felt no threat of crime. Stores were clean, well lighted, and looked prosperous. 7/11 stores are ubiquitous. And Narita Airport in Tokyo sparkles and dazzles. Makes LAX look shabby by comparison. -- More to come.”…GLENN

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I've received some welcome news from WALTER and Diana (BHS '64) THOMAS. Remember, their son Greg had the rare Whipple surgery last fall. Here's what Diana had to say:

"We went to see Greg last weekend. He is taking chemo every two weeks, just to make sure they have killed all the cancer. The chemo will be over sometime in April. He seems to be doing alright with the treatments. He says he feels bad for a few days after the treatment, then starts to feel better. He has lost a lot of weight. He looks as thin as Walter, and weighs 195 pounds. That is down from 220 pounds before the surgery. He went back to work about the middle of January. Except for the chemo treatments, his life is back to normal."

What a miraculous recovery. He's another fortunate one who had lots of prayer groups praying for him. I'm so happy for WALTER'S family!

(Greg Thomas in photo on right)

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PEGGY BRANHAM KRUMLINDE has a new email address. You might wish to write this in the back of your handbook: paknm@msn.com

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By now you all have received the email I sent out telling you about DOROTHY BISHOP ROGERS' sad loss of two sisters on the same day. Some of our classmates showed their support for her at the visitation and funeral service of one of them, Helen Hovorak, this past Sunday and Monday. DOTTIE seemed to be cheered by seeing and visiting with us. DOTTIE looked as beautiful as she did in high school, with the only obvious difference being the silver in her hair. Her husband Grady is a warm and friendly man who made me feel as though I have known him forever, just by sharing a few brief words with him. A good match for our outgoing DOTTIE.

(DOTTIE and Grady ROGERS at left)

Among the many who were there at Lange's Funeral Home were classmates JANICE AMARINE, DON SIMMONS, NANCY THOMPSON BAKER, GLENN SMITH, Morris Sweeney, and David and Amy Batts filling in for IRENE PIEL BATTS. I asked DOTTIE if she minded my taking photos as I had not seen her since 1956, and I felt that others may not have seen her in a long while either.

Mr. Sweeney sat for awhile with me and DON SIMMONS, regaling us with stories. The two of them got to talking about how bad the water is here in Ballinger. Morris said he had been to seven (7) funerals from last Wednesday through Sunday, with another one lined up for Gene Keel. You all remember Gene, I'm sure. Many of you worked for his drugstore, which is still in operation today. Anyway, our consensus was a worry that the chemicals in the water here might be causing a lot of the deaths....especially the ones from cancer. DON and I both said we buy the RO (reverse osmosis) water to drink and cook with. Sweeney said that probably doesn't do any good. DON and I both said, "Well, what are we supposed to drink??" Sweeney had a snappy comeback (especially for a Baptist Sunday School teacher!), "Beer!" DON and I both agreed that wasn't a viable option. You know, "been there, done that!" We moved on to other subjects, but I was left hoping my former science teacher was wrong about the chemistry of the water!

DOTTIE had a story to tell Mr. Sweeney about not having taken any Biology courses in high school. "That's nothing, I didn't have any either!" he responded. Sweeney taught Biology many years before the government made him quit because he wasn't certified to teach it!

NANCY THOMPSON BAKER wasn't around for long, as she has an ailing husband at home. Raising four children, with a husband on the road a lot, prepared her for being his nurse in recent years! NANCY has so much experience as a caregiver, she should have made a career of nursing. But, then, maybe she has!

GLENN SMITH was kind enough to take DOTTIE and me to dinner after the visitation, where we tried to catch up on too many years in too short a time -- and eat, too! DOTTIE, you will have to come back on a happier occasion so we can share a REAL visit. Again, we offer condolences for your loss. From what I heard about Helen, she would have been a delight to know, as are you.

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Just a reminder... If you would like to see any of the photos enlarged, just doubleclick with your mouse on the picture you want to see. If you do that on the slideshows to the left, it will take you to the web album and you will see captions with names underneath each photo. If you wish to comment on the blog, just click on "Comments" at the end of this article. A box will open for you to type your comment in. I'd love to hear from you!

Until next time, be ready for "good stuff" to happen in your life. After all, spring is almost here.

Peace and love,
Marilyn