Dan Higginbotham:  

Some may know my story, some may not, and some may not have the details correct as they often get changed inadvertently. But before I go into an overview of that I’ll switch gears and comment on a more uplifting positive note. I really looked forward to the reunions every 5 years, catching up with those who were able to attend. While I don’t think most of you realized how much in Jr. High and High School I cherished the time I did spend with you and you should know I always did feel welcome, but because I spent so much time focused on activities outside of school, and those were mainly working on farm jobs, racing, and cars, all of which were relatively isolating times, as a result my social skills didn’t develop very fast. It took until I graduated college that I opened up. I am speaking a bit in code here, as some things are best not discussed quite so openly to the “world”. Not shocking, but privately there is not much I won’t discuss and even posting my story here is something most of you find "outside of the reserved character" you probably remember of me. I always welcome discussions at level if I feel the other person receives it in confidence - not for gossip. I don’t care for the big social media platforms, why I don't have one. Given my situation now those would typically be valuable outlets, but I don’t care for all the inherit abuses in them. But just know I’m available for conversations almost anytime - phone, email, sometimes video call on one of the common sources can't name those here or the system locks the story, but only if the site of me doesn’t make you too uneasy, I’m still me, just trapped in an extremely broken body. On that, here is how I came to be so physically “broken”. In October 2010 I was wrapping up some significant remodeling of my house and lot my hobby escape from the rat race of engineering and the corporate world I had a tall approximately 35’ relatively soft wood scrub tree that had grown up since the 70’s leaning over the driveway towards the front of my house. Its main trunk was about 18’ and divided into two primary branches in a shape that leaned partially towards the house. If I cut the tree at the bottom it most likely would have smacked the house. So I decided to put a ladder up to the Y and cut each of those branches off. I actually looked at the ladder up against it and decided it did not look safe so I took the precaution to tie the top of the ladder to the tree so it would not fall down, how ironic, frankly I had typically been much more reckless about task like this. I cut the first branch off without issue, ...Expand for more