WHAT'S HAPPENING

Even with the crazy up and down weather we've suffered the past couple of months, most of us are now experiencing spring fever. One couple took 

Nancy & Jake Baker

advantage of it with a trip to the casinos in Biloxi in February. As their flight left from Austin, I was delighted when they stopped by for lunch. I snapped a picture as they were preparing to leave. Then I noticed what NANCY had in her hand. I named this photo "Who's the pitcher thief?" She had always coveted my little green pitcher that was given to me several years ago by IRENE. Luckily I caught her before she and Jake went out the door!

PEGGY

NANCY THOMPSON BAKER is my "senior correspondent" for the happenings in and around Ballinger. She is friends with June Harris Koch (Class of '56), cousin of our classmate PEGGY BRANHAM KRUMLINDE. It is via June that NANCY relays the medical updates to me. This morning she called me to tell me that PEGGY is going home tomorrow. She has been walking some in the rehab center, but still has a long road of recovery ahead of her. Home Health will come twice weekly to help with her rehabilitation, but the family will bear most of her care. As her husband is to have hernia surgery very soon, you can imagine the stress on all of them. Please continue to pray for this family. We never know if we might be in a similar circumstance someday.

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JAMES HAYS sent me the following email a few days ago:

"I went to Amarillo this past week-end for the West Texas Historical Association annual meeting and presented a paper entitled 'Walthall and the Settlement of Runnels County'.  This tiny hamlet was actually on the map in 1883 and is where I grew up.  This may be published in a year or so in the yearbook and the one I did last year should be out soon, about a failed cattle drive in SW Coleman County.. 

I guess you could call this an unpaid second career but I have had fun putting these things together."

I have never heard of Walthall, but I was a late-comer to Ballinger. JAMES is to send me a copy of this paper. I understand it is pretty long, but if any of you are interested, when I receive it I will forward it to you. Just let me know.

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I haven't been out and about much so far this spring, but I took this photo on a country road around Burnet a few years back. I keep it as a screensaver on my P.C. It is a cheerful reminder that we are blessed with "new life" every spring - some years are more abundant than others.

Peace and love,

Marilyn