The sun is shining this morning and the forecast on my weather app says no rain today. We’ll see!
On Memorial Day, it had been nice all day so I decided to take the dog on the levee even if the grass was still wet. We barely got in the car when rains came, so hard and heavy I could not see the road. Foolishly, I continued just a way to put books in the Little Free Library at the community center and by the time I passed my house on the return, the rain had stopped. So we sat at the pavilion and then moved to the levee where we joined one friend and his dog and another neighbor joined us on his ATV.
I like these visits on the levee. It’s fun to just chat and pick up gossip and learn all sorts of things I didn’t know. My dog gets so excited when she sees the other dog but when they actually meet they just sniff various parts and then go their separate ways.
At the landing, I first watched some guy pull up to the floating dock, walk to get his truck backed into a ramp and when he went back to his boat it wouldn’t start. The poor guy tried and tried and eventually it did start and he was able to load his boat but I know he must have been soaked.
The same day, or maybe the next, I watched two boats come in, both packed from front to back with crawfish traps. I’m told a few people are catching some crawfish, but not much. Right or wrong, some fishermen leave their traps out from year to year, hanging in trees or in the water but that’s not a good idea and lots of traps get stolen.
Now the holiday weekend is over. School is over and it’s quiet on Belle River. The water is up but doesn’t seem to be going higher.
I currently have one daughter who is hiking the Appalachian Trail with four others. Four days and three nights she tells me, carrying everything in backpacks. I don’t think cellphone communication is very good or even possible so I’ll not hear the details until she gets home.
The husband of my other daughter is in a big VA hospital in Nashville, Tn where he had part of his intestine removed because of an obstruction. We don’t know if there is any cancer but he’s slowly recovering from the major surgery.
As I type I can hear the Purple Martins chirping away but still not a sign of a hummingbird. I may check in with Mr. Huet today. I think I missed a call from him.
I spent an hour this morning listening and watching my greatgrandson in Eugene, Oregon, at his recent recital. He plays the piano. Other young people from this same music school played horns and sang.
I’ve just learned that the French Immersion program at Pierre Part Elementary will be cut. Not sure quite why but the current French teacher has been here for many years and she will continue by teaching English. Such a shame to lose the French Immersion program. I believe totally that learning a second language, whatever it is, is good for a young person.
To be honest I am saddened by the lack of so many things that once were taught in school and are no more. Or not necessarily taught, but available. There seems to be so much ‘required’ that there is no room for the extras. Those that emphasized social interactions not just academics.
Teche News’ Lower St. Martin correspondent, Linda Cooke, can be emailed at lindacooke1939@ gmail.com.
