Baja St. Martin

Winter is back! Ugh! For a blessed day or so I worked in the yard, cutting back dead ruellias, actually planting vegetable seeds in a flat in my greenhouse, and sat on a log beside the spillway at the boat landing just dozing in the sun. Now it’s back to a cold, cold north wind, gray skies and I think an occasional rain.

A tug passed this morning pulling a barge loaded with two giant hollow tanks, each as long as the barge. My husband pointed out that the tanks probably would be stood up and then be containers for something. Never seen this before.

My friend Jackie just texted me to say it was sleeting in St. Martinville. So far here it is just a nasty north wind but we may get the same sleet soon. It is cold. My house is on pilings right over the river and the wind blows underneath making my floors very, very cold. No bare feet in my house! The cat is on the back of the futon and the dog will be on the cushion when she returns from the daily shopping trip with my husband.

Crawfishing continues somewhat sporadically due to the weather. None of the buying stands across the river show any signs of activity, but I know a few people are selling a sack here and there. I’ve heard/read that the crawfish ponds may not be producing early crawfish because they are or have been frozen. I guess that will be good for the spillway crawfish fishermen.

I repainted/repaired my two purple martin houses and have them both erected on poles on the dock. There’s been no sign of birds yet, but it shouldn’t be too much longer and I wanted to be ready. If I was a purple martin I’d stay where I was assuming that would be warmer than here!

My sister- and brother-in-law in Michigan are becoming a little concerned that the propane they bought last summer will not last the winter since they’ve been having such cold weather. In summer they pay something less than $2 a gallon and buy 500 to 1000 gallons. The price now is over $5 a gallon and they’re hoping they don’t have to buy more at that cost. I hear that may be an issue with lots of people in the north.

I attend the Assumption Parish School Board meetings and at the last one, it was reported that the cost of “fixing” a termite-ridden primary school gym would be a minimum of $725,000. A new one would be more than a million. Apparently it would cost several hundred thousand just to tear the building down and then more to get rid of the material in an EPA approved site. As you might guess, the board is wrestling with what is best to do. The school district is fiscally in good shape but not rolling in dough, so to speak, but they weren’t expecting this problem.

Food for Seniors went well last time. Grover Angelle and helpers came over. Everyone got their commodities. No spinach this time! The Belle River distribution took place in the new community meeting room which is so nice and clean.

Ms. Shirley Akers in DA Phil Haney’s office is working on getting a meeting for Lower St. Martin Parish veterans so they can share information with one another. When scheduled, that meeting will take place over here – in Belle River, I hope. I will let everyone know. I’m impressed already with Ms. Akers’ quick response to my request for this meeting.

Someone suggested to me that because we’ve had such a cold winter, we might have a bad storm season this coming summer. I certainly hope they’re wrong. By summer I should have my yard cleaned up, things replanted/replaced. I do not want to do it all over again.

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