Baja St. Martin

Don’t you wish this weather would last forever? I can hear lawnmowers, see people in shorts, enjoy having my windows and doors open. I know it won’t last but it sure is wonderful for a while. Hard to believe this is December! At last phone call, my sisters report that Michigan weather is somewhat moderate also.
Highway 997, on which I live, was blocked a few days ago when a portion of the road near the boat landing entrance sort of collapsed due to a damaged culvert. Traffic was never totally stopped to my knowledge while repairs were made, but the road was down to one lane. I don’t know what caused the damage so I won’t put the blame on anyone although we know this road gets a lot of traffic, much of it very heavy. Just another reason why we don’t need any more big vehicles.
I haven’t seen or heard of anyone having a lot of hunting success. Lots of camouflage painted boats passing on the way to the landing, but stories about great hunts are few and far between. The water is moderately high, at least in Belle River. Pretty clear also, with no flotons of grass which means the level is stable.
I have recently installed a commercial pet door in my back room and it is a challenge to teach my young dog how to use it. The cat sniffed the plastic flap a few times and that was that. Out he went with no fanfare. The puppy, on the other hand, is scared of the flap and so far I’ve managed to coax her in and out a few times using pieces of food for enticement, but she won’t use the door voluntarily. We will continue to work on this, however, because once the dog masters the “doggy door” I won’t have to let her in and out manually. Our yard is surrounded with an electronic fence so she can’t go anywhere but the property.
I hope to spend Christmas with my daughter, son-in-law and granddaughter in Pensacola. Relatives from Las Cruces, N.M., will be joining us for the holiday. It’s been several years since I’ve seen these relatives with the exception of one who flew to California, as I did, for a granddaughter’s wedding last May. It will be a nice reunion if things go well. Unfortunately, one relative’s sister recently died, and my son-in-law’s mother is in the hospital critically ill. Not the best situation for celebrating.
New District 1 St. Martin Parish Councilman Byron Fuselier, was in Stephensville for some function and I didn’t see him, but he was generous enough to send a monetary donation for the Belle River COA. Thank you very much, Mr. Fuselier.
On Dec. 15, we will hold our usual bingo with birthday cake for December birthdays, and a potluck social. If you’re in the area, come join us. We’ll be at the Belle River Community Center from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. that day. Bring a favorite dish to share if you can.
The bald eagle activity on the river has diminished a little, but it is still pretty common to see and hear at least one or two of the big birds swooping overhead. And the ducks are everywhere, in the river more than on the bank lately.
I’m going to Bayou Sorrel tomorrow to help with the winter Atchafalaya Basin Keeper mailing. A bunch of us get together and form an assembly line of sorts around a big table, licking stamps and envelopes, matching return addresses with names, swapping stories, gossiping. Dean Wilson fries fish for us when we’re through. It’s an eclectic group, I guess you could say. Retired teacher, retired college professor, parents, environmentalists, photographer – a little bit of everything.
Merry Christmas, everyone. Keep safe.

Teche News’ Lower St. Martin correspondent, Linda Cooke, can be e-mailed at lindacooke1939@gmail.com.