GRASSROOTS AND LIVE OAKSA daily walk with Mary Ruth in Brazoria County

2007-06-28T21:40:00.000-07:00

tell the truth

be honest

do what you say you are going to do

2007-02-11T07:23:00.000-08:00

language is the biggest barrier to communication

language is the biggest barrier to communic

Good Morning!

2007-01-20T05:48:00.000-08:00

Compassion is not weakness

and concern for the unfortunate is not socialism.

Hubert H. Humphrey

Mary Ruth at Home...

2006-12-20T20:52:00.000-08:00

... on Brigance Road in Wild Peach, Texas. This is where I start each day.
Every day in Brazoria County is a blessing.

Please remember your elderly and shut-ins who cannot physically get to the polling place

2006-10-03T04:33:00.000-07:00

How To Get An Application For Ballot By Mail
Or An FPCA For Overseas Voters

Click on the correct link below.
Print the form.
Fill out the form.
Mail OR Fax your application to the Clerk's Office.

The deadline for receiving mail applications is October 31, 2006.

By Mail:	Early Voting Clerk 111 E. Locust #200 Angleton, TX 77515
By Fax:	979-864-1011

Application for a Ballot by Mail	http://www.sos.state.tx.us/elections/forms/a5-14.pdf
FPCA Application	http://www.fvap.gov/pubs/onlinefpca.pdf

2006-09-14T00:27:00.000-07:00

Friends are like the walls of a house.

Sometimes they hold you up,
Sometimes you lean on them.
But sometimes,

It's enough to know they're just standing by.

2006-09-11T09:14:00.000-07:00

A musician must make music, an artist must paint, a poet must write, if he is to be ultimately at peace with himself. What a man can be, he must be.
Abraham Maslow

Life in a Coffeecup

2006-07-05T14:21:00.000-07:00

A group of alumni, highly established in their careers, got together to visit their old university professor. Conversation soon turned into complaints about stress in work and life.
Offering his guests coffee, the professor went to the kitchen and returned with a large pot of coffee and anassortment of cups - porcelain, plastic, glass, crystal, some plain looking, some expensive, some exquisite…..telling them to help themselves to the coffee.
When all the students had a cup of coffee in hand, the professor said: "If you noticed, all the nice looking expensive cups were taken up, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is but normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress. Be assured that the cup itself, adds no quality to the coffee in most cases, just more expensive and in some cases even hides what we drink.
What all of you really wanted was coffee, not the cup, but you consciously went for the best cups....and then began eyeing each other's cups.
Now consider this: Life is the coffee; the jobs, money and position in society are the cups. They are just tools to hold and contain Life, and the type of cup we have does not define, nor change the quality of Life we live. Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the coffee God has provided us."

God brews the coffee, not the cups..........enjoy your coffee.

from Barbara Jordan, US Congress 1972 - 78

2006-07-03T15:10:00.000-07:00

"What the people want is very simple.
They want an America as good as its promise."

vegetables and more

2006-06-27T10:09:00.000-07:00

Let me tell you, there is nothing better than tomatoes and cantaloupe and okra picked right at the peak of ripeness with loving hands. Not to mention, cucumbers that have not been waxed and tossed around. Wes Sims has made this a delightful summer for Mama and me and my kids from Utah. He just made another delivery. Oh, the bounty of a garden! I remember the days of childhood……Daddy prepared the soil, we loved planting the seeds, but we did not like to weed every afternoon; water was scarce so we had to depend on rain for the crops to flourish. Then when the tomatoes and cucumbers were ready, you could find three little ones in the garden with a salt shaker. We never had much luck with watermelon and cantaloupe because of so much hungry, pesky wildlife; but our neighbors southwest of town did. Some early evenings, we would travel over there and Mr. Patton would cut a big green watermelon. A seed shooting exercise always developed. We came home sticky with watermelon juice and happy.
The days of fresh eggs, milk, cream, butter, chickens, beef; not to mention young squirrel fricasseed to perfection, will probably never be enjoyed by today’s generations. Too bad.
The story of fresh, ripe figs is for another day. I see many fig trees in the area ready to bear fruit this summer. Enjoy.

an invitation

2006-06-23T21:54:00.000-07:00

please bring your family and friends to celebrate
Independence Day
Tuesday, July 4 2006

2005 CR 347
Wild Peach
Brazoria Texas
come anytime after 3
we will eat at 5
bbq, beans and bread will be waiting
you may provide the in betweens
do not forget your lawn chairs

Mary Ruth Rhodenbaugh
maryruth@maryruth.biz
http://www.maryruth.biz
2005 CR 347
Wild Peach
Brazoria, TX 77422
979-798-7005
979-480-3567

FUND RAISER

2006-06-14T14:13:00.000-07:00

my answers to a questionaire going around the email circuit

2006-06-06T07:21:00.000-07:00

JUST FOR FUN

FOUR JOBS I HAVE HAD IN MY LIFE:
1. telephone operator, Brazoria Telephone Company
2. teacher/coach, Sweeny Junior High
3. purchasing agent, Dow Oyster Creek
4. volunteer executive director, Habitat for Humanity of Southern Brazoria County

FOUR MOVIES I WOULD WATCH OVER AND OVER AND OVER:
1. Out of Africa
2. Home Alone
3. Rainman
4. Steel Magnolias

FOUR PLACES I HAVE LIVED:
1. Wild Peach, Texas
2. San Marcos, Texas
3. Old Ocean, Texas
4. Ernies Acres, Texas

FOUR T.V. SHOWS I LOVE TO WATCH:
1. Sunday Morning on CBS
2. Cheers
3. Ellen
4. Seinfeld

FOUR PLACES I HAVE BEEN ON VACATION:
1. Park City, Utah
2. The Luther Hotel in Palacios, Texas
3. Ashland, Oregon
4. Lake Arrowhead in Eufaula, Oklahoma

FOUR WEBSITES I VISIT DAILY:
1. Habitat PartnerNet
2. Friends of the River San Bernard
3. The Facts
4. Birthday Alarm

FOUR OF MY FAVORITE FOODS
1. pork ribs and coleslaw
2. okra and tomatoes
3. broiled flounder
4. fried chicken

FOUR PLACES I'D RATHER BE RIGHT NOW
1. in the pasture
2. on my front porch
3. at the beach with my grandson
4. with SWT in Kingsbury, Texas

remarks at CO workshop

2006-05-29T01:32:00.000-07:00

I want to thank the court for holding this workshop today.
Your forum will provide the taxpayers of Brazoria County with
a better understanding of the proposal to issue $13 million in certificates of obligation.

Without going into the merits of the requested spending, I wish to point out for the record that if the proposal goes forward, this court will have imposed $24 million of debt on the taxpayers, without their approval, in the last three years.

And, we are all aware that the State of Texas is requesting that Brazoria County provide roughly $150 million in funding for the Highway 36 widening project. On top of this we will have to pay on the $50 million bond debt which was approved for road mobility last year. There are also other outstanding bonds that must be paid down.

Now, these debt obligations are based on the premise that the rate of population increases we have experienced in the last few years will continue
and that annual property valuations will continue to skyrocket.

If the projected growth is not realized, due to adverse economic conditions or
a more restrictive cap on valuation increases is approved by the legislature next year,
we could find ourselves in the very uncomfortable position of being forced to raise the tax rate on already overburdened taxpayers…in order to pay these bond liabilities.

I only ask that you exercise caution in your deliberations on whether it is prudent to impose this additional debt on the taxpayers without their approval.
I personally do not think it is wise or fair to do so.

Again, I thank each of you for holding this workshop today.

my style

2006-05-22T07:24:00.000-07:00

www.pbs.org/independentlens/offthemap

especially Watts Towers and Bottle Village

2006-05-14T22:19:00.000-07:00

The value of life does not depend upon the place we occupy.

It depends on the way we occupy that place.
St. Thérèse de Lisieux

2006-04-20T22:37:00.000-07:00

May your troubles be less, your blessings more
and nothing but happiness come through your door.

spring

2006-04-14T12:39:00.000-07:00

· Get aligned
· Engage your core
· Create balance
· Make a choice
· Move forward

2006-04-05T07:26:00.000-07:00

The Whale: An Incredible Story

The front page story of the San Francisco Chronicle on Thursday, Dec. 14, 2005, ran a story about a female humpback whale who had become entangled in a spider web of crab traps and lines. She was weighted down by hundreds of pounds of traps that caused her to struggle to stay afloat. She also had hundreds of yards of line rope wrapped around her body, her tail, her torso, a line tugging in her mouth. A fisherman spotted her just east of the Farralone Islands (outside the Golden Gate) and radioed an environmental group for help. Within a few hours, the rescue team arrived and determined that she was so bad off, the only way to save her was to dive in and untangle her -- a very dangerous proposition. One slap of the tail could kill a rescuer.They worked for hours with curved knives and eventually freed her. When she was free, the divers say she swam in what seemed like joyous circles. She then came back to each and every diver, one at a time, and nudged them, pushed them gently around-she thanked them. Some said it was the most incredibly beautiful experience of their lives. The guy who cut the rope out of her mouth says her eye was following him the whole time, and he will never be the same.
May you, and all those you love, be so blessed and fortunate----to be surrounded by people who will help you get untangled from the things that are binding you.
And, may you always know the joy of giving and receiving gratitude.
I pass this on to you in the same spirit.

an invitation

2006-04-02T16:35:00.000-07:00

Mama will be 90 on

Sunday, April 9

please come help us celebrate

2 - 4pm

2005 CR 347

Wild Peach

Brazoria

she needs no gifts, only your best wishes

Friends of the River San Bernard

2006-03-24T18:40:00.000-08:00

Friends of the River San Bernard: "Mary Ruth Rhodenbaugh,
Guest Poster

Posted Friday, March 23-24, 2006

The San Bernard River is very close to my heart.

I learned to swim at the Blacks Ferry crossing, skied day in and day out near Churchill as a teenager and had a seafood restaurant at the old Franklin Fishing Camp late 60s, early 70s.

Canoeing from the FM1301 crossing to the Phillips dam is an enchanting experience I have all too seldom.

Many days have been spent playing, fishing, crabbing and enjoying the solitude of “the river”.

Times have changed, but the waterway is still one of the most serene and prettiest in Texas.

Let’s keep it that way.

Good luck, Friends of the River San Bernard.

Mary Ruth Rhodenbaugh
maryruth@maryruth.biz
www.maryruth.biz"

Sunday morning

2006-02-19T11:38:00.000-08:00

Mealtime around here is a lengthy process. Today there was only time for cereal before church. So, for lunch we are having hash and eggs with biscuits and strawberry preserves. Growing up, this was my favorite breakfast. (Sometimes we had fig preserves…..they never lasted long around our house.) Daddy prepared it on the day I left for college, the day I returned from college and the day I got married.
Did I think about him as I was cooking? Yes. He was whispering the instructions in my ear.
I asked Mama about her breakfast and she said, “We like it.” Indeed, we do.
When we finish delivering signs this afternoon, I am going to light the fire in the fireplace. I have everything laid in place……Daddy taught me how to do that, too. I hope mine catches like his did and flames right up. I plan to enjoy it until the final embers in the morning.
I hope you are having a happy, healthy, peaceful day.

Mary Ruth's Speech to the Chamber of Commerce: "Don't forget the people!"

2006-01-27T12:23:00.000-08:00

Many thanks to all the chambers who have worked together to make this event possible. If the good people of precinct 4 grant me a seat on Commissioners Court this November, I hope to bring the same spirit of cooperation that we see here today.

I intend to work for the betterment of not only of the constituents in precinct 4, but for all the nearly 250,000 citizens of Brazoria County. Our county is one of the most blessed and diversified of all the 254. We have:

a strong industrial base
a healthy farming/ranching community
the booming Port in Freeport
extraordinary public schools with many of the finest teachers and administrators in the state
outstanding community colleges in both the north and south, and
our tourist and recreational attractions are superb

But, perhaps more importantly, we have the most wonderful, generous and caring people in all the world. We have a proud heritage……after all, this is where Texas began.
And we have a very bright future.

I’ve lived in Brazoria County all my life and my experiences as a school teacher, my career in industry, my small cattle operation and my years of work in civic endeavors have prepared me for the office I seek.

My grandfather and father were county commissioners and I learned many important lessons from them. Of course, times have changed…..the issues have changed….. economic conditions have changed. But, there is one thing they taught me that has not changed.
And that is this: DON’T FORGET THE PEOPLE! LISTEN TO THEM!

Always believe in and trust and respect the goodness, decency and wisdom of the people of Brazoria County, always speak the truth to them and represent their interests at all times. If I am elected County Commissioner, I pledge to you I will do just that.

I ask for your support and your votes.
Thank you.

It's hard to say goodbye to a year that has been this good.

2005-12-29T07:01:00.000-08:00

Here I am with my grandson and my dog feeding the fish
in my pond at Wild Peach.

Christmas Eve in Wild Peach

2005-12-24T18:06:00.000-08:00

Mary Ruth and her donkey colt friends wish you a merry Christmas.

A thought for Christmas in a season of discord...

2005-12-21T06:26:00.000-08:00

In essentials, unity

In nonessentials, diversity

In all things, charity

2005-12-04T16:10:00.000-08:00

"Not all readers become leaders.
But all leaders must be readers."
President Harry S. Truman

"If a free society cannot help the many who are poor,
it cannot save the few who are rich."
President John F. Kennedy

A December greeting....

2005-12-04T11:48:00.000-08:00

Heading into the Christmas season, this weekend may be a good time to rent a copy of The Grapes of Wrath and watch it to get a better perspective on how well off some of us are.

While we see advertisements of people receiving new cars and diamonds for the holidays there are signs--yes, in our very own communities--of what may be coming down the pike for lots of our neighbors.

In this day and age of multi-millionaire athletes and entertainers, we must strive for some kind of balance. Equality? I doubt that should be our objective. Just a little understanding, I hope.

You know that I do not believe in give-away programs. However, we must be conscious of those that do not have the ability or capability of earning salaries that allow $500-675 monthly rent payments or $300-450 monthly health care insurance premiums for their families. While the cost of living increases, their pay stubs continue to reflect very little wage increases.

It is important for families to learn to manage their financial resources.....no matter what the income. That is where they may need help; perhaps more than food or toys. We need to consider not so much how we feel when giving but how the recipients feel about receiving. Let’s make it meaningful to both.

Try to get involved with volunteer activities promoting self-help programs that teach while preserving the pride and dignity of the individual.

Happy December.

Mary Ruth

Happy Thanksgiving from Wild Peach

2005-11-22T09:36:00.000-08:00

This Thanksgiving as we break to enjoy family and friends and football, let us not forget those among us who are homebound without transportation, without health care insurance, struggling to make ends meet on minimum wages, discouraged and disenchanted with situations well beyond our control.

Can we solve all these problems? Probably not everywhere, but we can have an effect on life in our little slice of the world. Programs and initiatives offering hand ups, rather than handouts reinforce pride and dignity and self-esteem. Volunteerism, working together and community involvement are key elements to successful endeavors.....inexpensive and effective.

We need to thank God that we have been spared the tragedies of our neighbors this year so that we can be helpers in the kingdom.

Best wishes to you and yours for a happy Thanksgiving Day.

Mary Ruth
Wild Peach, Texas

Saturday in Brazoria: Our First Campaign Fundraiser

2005-11-17T18:30:00.000-08:00

Mary Ruth Rhodenbaugh

Candidate for Precinct 4 County Commissioner

=========================================

Fundraiser

When: November 19, 2005
Time: 1PM to 10PM

Where: Ronnie's Ice House (North Hwy. 36 Brazoria)
Music: By Fred and Nancy
BBQ: 1 - 4 PM
Live Auction: 3 - 5 PM
Pool Tournament: 5 - 7PM

Hope to see you there.

Mary Ruth talks to 4th Graders about the importance of giving to their community

2005-10-28T15:45:00.000-07:00

See the article in The Facts.