GRASSROOTS AND LIVE OAKS
A daily walk with Mary Ruth in Brazoria County

Hello, I'm Mary Ruth Rhodenbaugh of Wild Peach, Texas. My grandfather and father were both county commsissioners in Brazoria County. I want to follow in their footsteps and represent the people of precinct 4 on Commissioners Court. Join me here for my daily campaign observations, announcements and ramblings. Let's make our county as good for everyone, every day, as it was for me growing up here in the place where Texas began...

Wednesday, April 05, 2006

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.

Sunday, April 02, 2006

an invitation

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