Reaganomics

I went to Charlotte yesterday for Pre-op. I have finally crunched my neck one time too many and I have to have ...say it with me , surgery.... on Tuesday to fuse 7-6-5 vertibrae and install a metal plate. I guess I will be a cyborg.

RG went with me but he had a restless wait of 2.5 hours in the waiting room. I'm not sure he can go with me. PJ can, but he is too young to drive in Charlotte traffic if I have a healing broken neck. So I have a plan, but I'm still looking for an alternate driver, hopefully from church, who wants to spend a night or two in Charlotte and check in on me and hear what the doctor says when I am in that state of post- anesthesia amnesia. I'll get PJ to make a recording.

Importantly, the National Parks Service has sent a second newsletter to participants and you are welcome for all that work communicating. I think they are happy with the results. I have had a peak at the counties included. Some new ones from NC were added so I am happy about that, but not all of them were added. I was disappointed about that. And, a couple I thought were included were taken out. But I understand compromise. I think it is the Ronald Reagan "half a loaf" theory. Half a loaf now, half a half a loaf later and soon you have the whole loaf. Its a good start. I think its final for sure, but I'm not so positive about that. We will know when the NPS published their FINAL final map for the public.

The NPS is looking for a managing entity for the national heritage area. We have until September 1st to submit a proposal to run the heritage area. I have also heard of an entity the committee is considering. They are a reasonable choice, but I wonder if OVTA is still a possibility or if we even want to do it. So, I have to make some personal phone calls and if we want to do it, then we have to ask for it now.

Meanwhile all kinds of communitees around the OVNHT are preparing for our annual march. We received grant money from the National Park Foundation to get people out walking on the trail via a donation from Coke in Atlanta. We are very excited about that. We want school kids out. The local superintendent of schools here is excited about the opportunity. Now it is a matter of logistics.

Bedtime. PJ is going to have to drive to the grocery store, do laundry, mow the grass and all that for a month and get himself to school. RG and I will be Mutt and Jeff out of commission like the Whos down in whoville tossed around.