Weather in the South

by June Shaw

Jean's post and scenes from yesterday make me think so much of home. My home is south Louisiana, sixty miles southwest of New Orleans. No, that's not in the Gulf of Mexico, but it's pretty close. I live in Cajun country, where food, family, and faith reign most important. I may get to some of that--especially the food--in a later entry.

The pictures from yesterday reveal scenes similar to those we see a few miles down the bayou (ours being Bayou Lafourche.) Tug boats and shrimp and oyster boats move into and out of various waterways, and ships carry oil near our shores. Many of us have camps or houses down near the beach at the Gulf of Mexico on Grand Isle, where you saw much of the oil spilled. We don't want drilling banned near our shore; too many people down here work in the oil industry. Besides their lost income, we'd lose schools and other public services. Most of the oil rigs have withstood numerous hurricanes without major problems, although lots of homes and camps and even parts of a highway were washed away.

It's cold down here today, but nothing compared to what most of you are experiencing. I wish you luck if you're trying to dig out of snow. Many people I've spoken to tell me they're glad to be here, even if we sometimes face hurricanes, instead of lots of snow or earthquakes.

I'm sure we should all be content with what we have. The snow and sleet stopped a parish or two above ours, and our students and teachers all wished for it here so school would be canceled. But we'll take our normally comfortable weather, especially while we sympathize with those whose houses and cars are covered in frigid white.