Thank you Lorcan, for coming and also for writing about it. I told about the road name as a "funny story," and example of folks who don't listen to what others are really SAYING. It was ironic to me that, after all my resistance to their eviction of folks near the road and destruction of their homes; my letters and protests to the state government- about all the problems we were having from strip mining; after all my protest songs, going on over many years,- someone wants to "honor" me by naming the road after me! This is a road that is two miles long, will cost 35 million dollars. It does make for safer driving- but most of the traffic will be coal trucks to and from the strip mines, and the Mountaintop Removers.

What can I suggest? The Mountain Top Removal is just heartbreaking, I can't bear even to list the terrible things happening- pollution of our air, our water,the very earth beneath our feet. Destruction of habitat for the birds and animals we have known as neighbors all our lives, worse- the destruction of one of the country's important watersheds. You can imagine all the arguments for both sides, but not room to name them here. So, a few things to do:

Go online to Kentuckians for the Commonwealth, a wonderful and struggling organization to which I belong, and learn what's happening and why, and the things we can do to help.

I'm well up in years, but am doing the bit that I'm able to do, even with my current croaky voice and unstable walking. One thing I cannot understand is,- the few greedy people who will benefit financially from all this- what about THEIR kids? Don't they care if their own kids get left with a dying world?

PS: Lorcan, thanks for putting the pictures on. The first one was nice. I'm thinking I'll distribute that other one- of me lifting the heavy autoharp- to all the mountaintop removers- maybe it'll scare them out of their meanness!      Love to all,   Jean