Our World Needs Healing

  As garden work demanded, I was out and about early this morning.  With times being what they are, this is now a necessity and not just a hobby.  Desperate times call for desperate measures.  It would not surprise me to see things continue to slide downhill for about a year or so even after the current virus situation is under control.  I figure to get a head start on filling the pantry with canned goods from the garden.  I was also in hopes to fill the freezers with seafood but now that stands iffy.

  Today, the Bonnet Carre Spillway was opened to lower the water levels of the Mississippi River in New Orleans.  While this is great news for those folks, it is devastating to wildlife and even the local seafood industry.  This is getting to be quite troublesome for those of us who depend upon seafood for sustenance or those who depend upon it as their livelihood.  The inundation of fresh water into the Gulf of Mexico creates deadly algae bloom that kills a lot of the sea life. The algae bloom depletes oxygen in the water. Dolphins and sea turtles are the most noticeable but if they are affected, everything below them has already been decimated.  Entire oyster reefs died with last year's opening of the spillway, hundreds of dolphins perished, along with nigh on that many turtles.  Fish and shrimp were hit hard, too, with thousands being found upon the beaches.  Not only were our fishermen dealt a mighty blow but the tourism industry did, as well.  With the beaches being closed due to toxins, there was just not enough draw to vacation here.  Now, it is to be a repeat situation.  Not too many things cause me to get angry but inside, a gnawing anger is brewing.  Our waters are to be tainted once again and there is nothing we can do about it.

  About mid morning, my thoughts were being twisted and turned and fueled by the turmoil of the world.  I headed to my sanctuary...the pier.  There I can find peace as I sit and meditate.  While there, I heard a familiar sound.  Dolphin blows.  Yep.  A pod of dolphins were corralling mullet for their newborn calves to chase.  The little ones could be seen trying to imitate the adults as they surfaced and rolled.  The sight is always thrilling but, this morning, it was also rather saddening.  Will those little ones even have a chance at life?  Will they be able to frolic and play?  Will they even be able to mature to adulthood?  Not if the spillways continue to be opened.  Our world needs healing in so many ways.

The Troubling Secret

  At daybreak, I eased my way to the pier just to calm the brain after yet another sleep-interrupted night.  Mr. PJ (the old dog) has some serious problems that seem to be worse at night.  I deal with it the best I can but there are times that I have to escape.  The pier is the one place that I can find solace.  This morning, however, that peacefulness was just a facade for what the water truly hides.  Beneath those calm waters, hides a misery for so many folks here on the Coast.  With the recent opening of the Bonnet Carre spillways (second opening this year which is unprecedented), things are bad...really bad for the waters.

  The fresh/flood waters from the north brings a lot of problems for those down south.  It is those chemical laden waters that have created a near death situation for the Gulf of Mexico.  While the spillways are meant to protect, they are, in a sense, the root of the problem.  Farm runoff and lower salinity equals dead marine life, algae blooms and flesh-eating bacteria. The fishermen whose lives depend on a healthy Gulf, have taken a cruel blow.  The waters are unsafe. The seafood is unsafe. The beaches are unsafe. What was meant to protect has done just the opposite.  

  My calm waters of the Bayou hide a troubling secret.  What I intended to refresh the soul has done nothing more than cause a troubled mind.  When will this ever end???