Baja St. Martin

The water continues to fall but ever so slowly.

Where it stands in the yards, it’s black, scummy and doesn’t smell all that great, but it is going down. The NOAA Web site’s Lower Mississippi River Summary shows a gradual fall most of the way down the river but that never includes rain, so we’ll hope we don’t get any.

Food for Seniors went off as usual Thursday, May 29. Word from Catholic Charities came that we can’t accept any new customers for awhile, but we hope that won’t last long. Some of the Four Mile Bayou folks said their road was mostly dry and easily passable. All still had wet yards.

Mr. Paulma Johnson came to Belle River to sign people up for energy assistance, and he had a good long line of customers. The recent heat has those electricity bills soaring so people are looking for help.

One recipient in Stephensville said he usually shrimps but hasn’t been able to get out because of the fuel prices. He and I both had seen that “60 Minutes” program about a trucker in Arizona who was driving all the way to Mexico to buy diesel for $2 a gallon when at home he was paying $4.60. As a matter of fact, as I type, a local Belle River shrimper is just now passing in his big double-rigged boat on his way home. I bought some really nice shrimp from him last trip.

I’ve just returned from New Mexico where I attended the high school graduation of my eldest granddaughter. She has a full scholarship to Whittier College just outside of Los Angeles in the fall where she wants to major in English and Film. Each graduating student from her small high school chose their own walking-to-the –podium music but when “Pomp and Circumstance” was played for two of them, my friend and I exchanged laughs because at last it seemed familiar to us. Later my granddaughter told me the only reason that traditional music was played was be cause those two students were told to submit their choice ahead of time and if they didn’t, this is what would happen!

When I arrived home, I was either struck by some bug or it was just the change in humidity and altitude that got me, but I was wretchedly sick for a day. My usual cure worked but put me to sleep until almost Tuesday. What a return! I’m still trying to catch up!

Oh, yes, how could I forget! The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development has announced that a design flaw in the Belle River bridge reconstruction has postponed the project again. A new design plan will be submitted to DOTD by June 6, which they will approve or disapprove, and the public will be given a 30-day notice of closure.

The announcement said the bridge would not be closed the week before or following the 4th of July. The rate things are going, we’ll be in the middle of hurricane season or school will be starting again before the bridge is fixed!

Linda Cooke

The Teche News’ Lower St. Martin correspondent, Linda Cooke, can be contacted via e-mail at lcooke9417@bellsouth.net.