:D. Thank you. This morning was spent having short comings pointed out. Was feeling kinda like a f'up. Your kind comments put a smile on my face. Thank you for making me feel better. :)

What you're doing is really a wonderful thing. Grants here have built us a park with a walking trail,kids swings, and picnic tables. You know how they talk about "multi generational, multi use parks" well this one really is. I went to one park before ours was built. It was pretty but there was Henbit under the kids swings. A pretty thing no one used. Wasn't practical.  A swing that kids use is dug out under the swings. But this one? Nothing. I think it worried folks that no one would want a park out in the country. A park not used?  Not at our park. At our park? Kids use those swings. Our park? It's out in the middle of nowhere. By rights NO one in their right mind would put a park there. Who'd use it? That's what the naysayers said. But guess what? Grandpa's use our park for walking for post surgury exercise. College kids on break who need a place to run use our parks. Transplants who moved to the country that are delighted to have a place to play tennis. LOL Yeah a tennis court, can you believe it? They really do use our park. (I'm hoping we can get a tennis instructor from parks and rec.) Who else uses our park? A group of ladies before they go eat at the senior center. A mom with a kids birthday party. Families celebrating outside cause their house is too small. The road crews who cut the county roads and now get a place with tables and trees to eat. A cool place. It gets hot here in the summer. A grandma with visiting grandbabies who need a fun place to play. Kids learn to ride their bikes there. Mom's get exercise while they play. Swings and a walking path, picnic tables, and alittle grill. All out in the middle of nowhere. There's no Henbit growing under those swings. Our community couldn't have afforded this. A grant was applied for and accepted. It's beautiful. Now I hear another grant may get us mass transit further into the comunity. Most people work else where. Alot of them commute and we are a working folks here. This would be a bus line connected to the busline in the city up the road. Like the park it looks like a long shot that no one will use. I'm holding my breath that the grant folks don't believe this. I just have a feeling that money given to this community won't be wasted. Here "flowers" grow. People will use the mass trans and be happy to do so. They already commute. Thing is that gas is so expensive and the extra miles devalue the car. I'm prayin. Hope someone it lookin.

After this? We need a library. If been reading. There's a need for satelite libraries on a county system. It's expensive because of the building. They use to have the library van. The nearest library has horible hours for parents. The next one is 35 miles away. Our state now has a virtual library. We need a new kind of library. A kinda book mobile high tech thing. The kids here are smart. They need a new kind of library. A grant will help us do have this too.

Those folks that your grant is written to. If they tell you it's a long shot. If they say, "Who will use it?" You tell them about the little park in the Middle of Nowhere, Alabama. The one that's always full of folks. The one that some folks said was stupid because who would use it. You tell them from me. If it is a good and practical idea. If it will make life better? Like our park?
If you build it? They will come. Folks who they may never know will be the better for it. How many folks are able to say, "I have made children smile. I have helped the world."

You have.

I'm glad you know how to "slog" throught this grant stuff. I know those folks you're helping will be too.

Seriously.
Hugs,
12 dogs