I was told once that this column, Baja St. Martin, was my opinion so to speak and I could say what I wanted. So I am. I found it very hard therefore to read a column in the May 13 Teche News in which the St. Martin Parish school board had received the results of a zoom meeting with LEAN FROG, a company whose job is to suggest ways a school district can be streamlined.
One of the board members responded by proposing that small K-8 parish schools, in particular Stephensville Elementary (it was mentioned) should send all its students to St. Mary Parish and I guess he thinks this will make the school district financially great.
Not once did this board member (at least not in the paper) mention that Stephensville Elementary is the BEST school in the entire parish! The only one to be given an A rating by the DOE. The article said the board didn’t agree with this man’s suggestion. Thank goodness.
Ok. Back to business here. We’re having sporadic rains lately. Sunny, nice and then a drencher. Then back to sun. Hard to get things done outside.
When I mentioned the absence of hummingbirds here, Mr. Huet reminded me that the little guys take sort of a break this time of the year. Not sure for what. My Purple Martins are still here, making a lot of noise, surely getting the kids ready to fly!
The Yoga classes at the Belle River Community center are ongoing. Not large groups, but steady. Honestly, a lot of the enjoyment, at least for me, is the time spent after the class just chatting and discovering mutual friends and places. I’m not a native of these parts as you know so it’s fun for me to listen while the others talk about relatives.
One of the regular Yoga attendees is Genevieve Cavalier, who has written a book, Images of Pierre Part –actually two books, the same type. They are published by Arcadia Publishing of South Carolina and are mostly pictures of the past. The same company has published dozens of these books of different towns, and places across the country and it turns out I personally have a copy of one about Jackson County where I am originally from. I may see if I can find the one featuring Jackson, Michigan, the actual town where I was born.
I’ve noticed how much Spanish moss is hanging from my cypress trees. One by the road has so much moss hanging it’s almost hard to see the road so I may have to cut a little off the lower branches. Everything is growing so fast. My corn plant, which was frozen, is coming up with a vengeance. The orchid tree is green and bushy. Wouldn’t it be nice if it blooms this year? My two trumpet plants have some flowers ready to bloom. My gardenia flowers are gone but the plant is getting bigger and bigger. The Confederate rose also has some blooms now. And the three little orchid plants on the windowsill are loaded with white and purple blossoms. And the rose buses are loaded with blooms.
I bought 25 blue and silver pinwheels from CASA and put them all around one flower bed where they spin and flash in the wind. Whenever someone wants to find my house I just tell them to look for the pinwheels! CASA is Court Appointed Special Advocate. I am not a CASA but fully support the organization which helps guide children through the court system after they’ve been removed from their homes because of abuse or neglect. There are far too many of these children and they need advocates to speak for them. And foster homes are needed!
Teche News’ Lower St. Martin correspondent, Linda Cooke, can be emailed at lindacooke1939@ gmail.com.
