Jan 30, 2018

A Life Update from 1996

When sorting my things after I moved to the nursing home, my daughters found this letter I had handwritten in 1996 to Bob's friend, Barry Waldron, in Placersville, California. Since I still had it, I don't know if I emailed Barry or just decided not to send the letter. It summarizes the life I had in the years after Bob passed away in 1991.

Dear Barry,
It was really exciting to hear back from you so quickly. EMail & the net is amazing. Beth & I are amazed at the street maps.
Actually, I expect the people who bought our place at Leggett have a PO Box and aren't using the Route Box. In '88 we sold our "big" house and moved across the road into what had been the shop. We kept the same box # then & the people who bought had another #. In Dec/Jan '92 I bought a house "in town" Livingston and probably over a year later sold the remaining property at Leggett.

p. 2 The house in Livingston is rented out now and we are renting here. Paul & I were married in May 1993. We are very happy. My kids were not ready for me to marry at the time but I think they see the good of it now. It's a totally different life anyway. Paul has 3 girls. The oldest is almost 22 and lives in New Orleans. The middle one graduated from high school this year and still lives w/her mom while going to Jr. College. The little one is 13 & in 8th grade. She lived with us for 1-1/2 school years but now is back at her Mom's. She is here about every other week end. It's about 3 hours from here to Bryan where she lives.

p. 3 So even tho we meet half way we get to spend 6 hours every other weekend driving back & forth & Mom does likewise.
Oh, I had to laugh about your calling "Ruby." Camp Ruby is a rural community, a remnant of a town from time past out in "the thicket." I suppose some military connection (maybe Civil War?). Anyway the co-op telephone exchange is there & so called the "Ruby exchange." Even though we didn't live near Ruby we were on the north edge of the telephone exchange. Our kids went to Leggett school & we had a Livingston address & lived at Red Horse Ridge.

p. 4 The town of Daisetta here is probably 4-500 people and Hull which is unincorporated appears to be a similar size. Hull is about 3 miles north. The Elementary school is there. The high school is here in Daisetta and the Jr High at Raywood about 6 miles south. Raywood is on Hiway 90. It is a rice elevator, 3 convenience stores & a cluster of houses & the school is an FM Hiway 160 where there is a catholic church & another convenience store/gas station. There are scattered houses all over the area. Daisetta has a grocery store & Hull has a bank w/ a branch in Liberty, 

p. 5 a video store, 2 baptist churches, a pentecostal church, assembly of God, methodist church & one other charismatic type church, the school & admist. office & football field. No gas station.
This is an old oilfield. Mobil & Sun oil still have facilities here. It is a coastal plain. Flat. Elephant Ears grow in the bar ditches. They had a big flood here in '94. Many houses & buildings had water in them. People are still recovering.
The school is class AA and a small 2A at that. I had 60 kids in my 6th grade classes last year.

p. 6 Paul usually has 35-40 kids on the field for band on Friday nights. That includes 8th grade thru 12 and a handful of the better 7th graders (4, I think). He has a big 6th grade class coming up & a big freshman class for next year & losing only 3 or 4 seniors so next year only a few 8th graders will march. Liberty is probably 8,000 and Dayton down the road is comparable. It is a Rice Farming center. The Chamber of Commerce says there are 40,000 people in the trade area but it's not like a...



p. 9 ...so feel like I have to follow through. I have my sewing machine at the store but there is just enough traffic & phone calls & other stuff to do to not get any sewing done. Only an ADD person could function like this -- or disfunction like this.
Good luck w/ your business venture. It's scary to take a risk like that. I know.
I've got to get a move on. I didn't get my house work done this am but I don't usually.
Paul has late band practice tonight so I'll catch up then. Oh, we are offering guitar lessons & later will offer private lessons on band instruments. Our drum major is a serious music student & will do some of that. She has also learned to do instrument repairs. Another Senior student is doing the guitar lessons. He's not in band. This drum major is an over achiever. Reminds me of my girls when they were in school. Kids in a small school have to do everything. Sports, band, debate, academic comps, cheer leader, student council, ag. etc etc.
Got to run. I can't do this often but wanted to fill you in on life here.
Hazel

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