We are friends fundraising to support our dear friends Ruth Wagner and Gene Novogrodsky. Gene recently suffered a severe stroke and needs 24-7 care at home. Ruth is doing her best but we want to help her cover the high cost of much-needed care for Gene.

So many of us have benefited from Gene's spirit, poems, observations, keen wit, humor, book recommendations and genuine love of humanity and the art of conversation! Ruth and Gene have been generous with their lives and home, and now it's time to support them! Our goal is to offset the cost of a home caregiver so Ruth can rest and Gene can be cared for. Any amount you can give is much appreciated!

With love, Friends of Ruth and Gene

The following is text from one of Gene's famous "Letters to the Editor" in our local Brownsville Herald about the Farmers' Market:

For those of you who are missing Saturday mornings the most, here is a beautiful write-up by our dear friend Gene on the magic of the Brownsville Farmers' Market.

*Faces, Words, Time*

We, Gene and Ruth, are the longest consecutive Brownsville Farmers Market vendors.

I, Gene, to be exact, am Ruth's helper; it is her booth, and has been for more than a decade.

Yes, it is pleasant to make some extra money, but the coin is secondary to the conversations, the face-to-face time.

I was speaking with Market Manager Ms. Veronica Dimas-Rosenbaum, and told her about the people who come to our booth, indeed, all the booths.

Certainly, they want fresh vegetables, spices, drinks, baked goods, and crafts.

However, I have noticed that they want to speak, and to see and interact with living human beings - not robotic voices, not Internet ordering.

She suggested I write a piece to share, so .....

As the World becomes increasingly impersonal, the Brownsville Farmers Market shines as an example of diverse thought.

The conversations, before and after purchases, and even without purchases vary, and if views differ, people are respectful - thanks to the face-to-face.

Local, state and national politics.

The environment.

Women's health.

Immigration.

Guns.

Surprise! People actually listen, share ,,,and do not leave angry after opposite views - has to be that face--to-face.

There is a lesson there!

Come and stand to the side; watch the flow of humanity, young and old, Winter Texans, and Deep South Texas residents, especially from Brownsville, Wales, France, Switzerland, Canada, yes, Quebec, too, Germany, The Netherlands, The Bahamas, Oregon, California, New York, Pennsylvania, Nebraska, the rest of Texas, Oklahoma, New York, New England, Palestine, Israel, parts of Africa ....

They speak, tell stories of the past and present, ask questions, seek recipes, food ideas, health advice ....

Yes, some days are cold, damp and windy, others scorching hot and humid ...and there they are ...people ...hungry for a slice of World, Earth and locale where someone has the time to listen, smile, ask ....

So, if you're tired of anonymity, the rush of time ...then get up early, before 8:30 on a Saturday and come to the Farmers Market; be there at 9, and bring not just a shopping bag, but bring the you that is you; you'll find that intangible reciprocated.

Eugene "Gene" Novogrodsky, mid-November 2019.