Baja St. Martin

I can hear and feel the thunder outside and it is getting darker. More rain coming. Yesterday, it was windy and rainy and I didn’t even notice that the flag on my front deck went missing. The bracket broke and I know it and the flag are right below underwater. Probably right beside a missing plastic chair and last year’s flag!
I am not sure if there’s any connection between weather and hummingbirds but my feeder is being mobbed this morning. It has eight little places in which to poke a beak and a ring around the bottom for a perch. Every little hole is being utilized and the little tails are just quivering. I must have the fattest hummingbirds in SE Louisiana.
Last Saturday, we lost power for a few hours. Entergy texted that there had been a lightning strike. We have been having generator problems but yesterday when the pole power failed, the generator came right on and what was more wonderful, it shut off when it was supposed to. Hallelujah!
I went to a rodeo last weekend for Special Needs children. Actually, the rodeo was for adults, but they organized some events for special needs on one morning. The kids (and adults) could ride a horse around a ring, ride stick horses, sit on a mechanical bull and lasso a mechanical cow. It was fun to watch. One girl who was blind sat so erect and still as she rode. Another girl with Downs Syndrome kept urging the horse to “go around again.” I tried to photo some adult events, but discovered that my point-and-shoot camera wasn’t fast enough to catch a rider trying to lasso a calf coming out of a chute. By the time it clicked, all I got was a view of the dirt! I have to admit that I felt really bad for those little calves dashing about being chased by a horse.
On May 3 we had another power outage. This time Entergy said it would be 9:30 a.m., then 10:30 a.m., then 3 p.m. before power would be restored. Apparently somebody hit a pole over by Bayou Corne and broke it completely off. Fortunately, the power came back on just about noon.
Meanwhile, we had bingo and potluck scheduled for seniors at the Belle River Community Center. Much to our surprise and delight, more than 25 people showed up with all sorts of wonderful food. We played bingo in the dark, ate in the dark and just as we were through the lights came on.
Guests were very inventive when it came to making a dish with no electricity. Amazing what you can do with crackers, cheese and olives! My helpers, the Smiths and Fabres, however, as always were wonderful, decorating the tables, hosting the meal, calling the bingo. They are amazing!
Reports are that the price of crawfish to the fishermen is still 75 cents a pound. And that the crawfish are being brought in by the “tons” from the spillway. Apparently there are no limits on quantity. I watched a boat pass down Belle River yesterday and it was so loaded with sacks of crawfish, the gunwales were just about level with the water. The driver was going very, very slow!
Leroy Gros says Gros’ Marina business in Four-mile Bayou is picking up, especially his marine repair business. The houseboat slips are being used and
Leroy’s Facebook page mentions some bands coming. When my sister was here for a visit some years back, I drove them to Gros’ Marina where Leroy and Wanda welcomed them so nicely. Wanda gave my sister a T-shirt that said Six miles down the Four-mile Bayou Road. I don’t know if my sister still has the shirt but she always remembers getting a laugh out of the slogan!

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