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My grandfather always claimed that after God created the Garden of Eden He thought, “That’s a good first try, but I can do better,” and then created south Louisiana.
That’s easy to believe at this time of year, when everything comes back to life.
It is especially true in years like this one, when azaleas, and bridal wreath, and wisteria, and flowering trees magically color the countryside, all at the same time; yellow-tops and red clover and plants that are considered weeds at any other time of the year guide us along the roadways; when, hidden in the grass, clover, wild violets, oxalis, and whole families of tiny flowers put on their own little show.
Louisiana iris will be blooming in the wetlands in just a few weeks, and I consider them further evidence of Grandpa’s claim.
I am told that they are the only plant — at least in these parts — that blooms naturally in every color of the rainbow.
They are native to south Louisiana, so that makes us a little bit special.
I’ll admit, I am not sure just what the Creator had in mind when He decided to bedeck oak trees with those messy little things that I call “yellow wigglies,” and botanists call catkins.
That’s one of the mysteries that we’ll have to discuss once we’ve passed through the Pearly Gates. I suspect they are evidence of God’s sense of humor. (Another is ears. I think He’d just about finished fashioning Adam when He grabbed two more handfuls of primal mud and plopped them onto either side of his head — one just a bit lower than the other — took a look at what He’d done, sat back, and laughed out loud.)
Spring days in south Louisiana pull us out of the house and make it absolutely necessary to at least putter around in the yard and, of course, to become serious about the spring ritual of tending the vegetable garden.
(Part of the Garden of Eden claim is that we can grow practically anything here.)
I keep a much smaller garden than I once did.
It came to me late in life that it was a bit ridiculous for me to do a lot of weeding and hoeing to grow more vegetables than we can possibly use, especially since we can’t even give away the extras because everyone we know also has grown some extra that they’re trying to give to us.
But I can’t give up the spring rite altogether.
Some people say it is a spiritual rite, since so much of it is done on our knees. That might be part of its attraction for me.
It’s a thought that comes back to me each year, when I reread parts of a gardening book that was already old and battered when I first read it as a kid. The book ("Garden Work: A Book for Garden Lovers, "Dodge Publishing, New York, 1913) was written by William Good, who was for many years the head gardener at an estate in England.
The English climate is much different than ours, so a lot of his advice doesn’t apply to south Louisiana.
Some parts of the book are outdated.
Other parts of it have become fashionable again because in his day there was no alternative to natural, organic gardening.
I read it now mostly because it includes passages such as this:
“One cannot cultivate the soil, sow seeds, tend seed beds, or watch the growth of plants without becoming conscious of a great unseen power, a power undefinable, yet manifestly present to all. … When we look more minutely into the construction of plants, examine the different parts under a microscope.
;Study … the relation between the parts, we cannot but wonder at the perfect adjustment of each and every part, all so intricate, and yet so perfect.”
That’s something to contemplate while we’re on our knees tending our plants and flowers.
Particularly at this time of year when all things spring alive again and we can defy anyone to show us a prettier place than this.
Spring is here, and the Easter message blooms all around us.
A collection of Jim Bradshaw’s columns, Cajuns and Other Characters, is now available from Pelican Publishing. You can contact him at jimbradshaw4321@gmail.com or P.O. Box 1121, Washington LA 70589.

The following are the radio dispatch logs from the Morgan City Police Department. To report unlawful or suspicious activity, call the police department at 985-380-4605.

Tuesday, April 3

7:56 a.m. 6400 block of La. 182; Alarm.

8:02 a.m. 2300 block of La. 70; Traffic incident.

9:05 a.m. 1400 block of North Third Street; Forgery.

9:24 a.m. Railroad Avenue; Traffic incident.

9:33 a.m. 1000 block of Missouri Street; Medical.

11:44 a.m. 1600 block of Front Street; Medical.

12:22 p.m. 2100 block of Cedar Street; Alarm.

12:56 p.m. 800 block of Ninth Street; Assistance.

12:58 p.m. 300 block of Halsey Street; Medical.

1:11 p.m. 200 block of Pecos Street; Utilities.

1:58 p.m. 300 block of Louisa Street; Medical.

2:09 p.m. 200 block of Terrebonne Street; Accident.

3:11 p.m. 1400 block of Second Street; Frequent patrols.

3:56 p.m. 500 block of Roderick Street; Theft.

8:33 p.m. 200 block of Patton Street; Loud music.

9:36 p.m. 400 block of Fifth Street; Complaint.

9:39 p.m. 2400 block of Cypress Street; Complaint.

9:46 p.m. Pecos and Glenwood streets; Suspicious person(s).

9:51 p.m. 7500 block of La. 182 East; Suspicious person(s).

10:06 p.m. 700 block of Myrtle Street; Complaint.

10:49 p.m. 700 block of Fourth Street; Suspicious person(s).

The Franklin Police Department is asking for assistance in locating Darien “Gerber” Mitchell.
Mitchell was developed as a suspect and is wanted on charges of attempted second degree murder, firearm or weapon in a firearm-free zone and illegal use of weapons or dangerous instrumentality.
On Sunday at approximately 7:24 p.m., officers responded to a complaint of a shooting in the Broussard-Harris Park.
Upon arrival, officers learned that a tall, thin, black male wearing a white t-shirt and blue jeans shot a revolver into the air and then ran away from the scene. Mitchell was positively identified as the subject of interest.
If anyone has any information on the whereabouts of Darien “Gerber” Mitchell, please contact the Franklin Police Department Detectives Division at 337-828-1716.
In addition to Mitchell, the Franklin Police Department is asking for assistance in locating Devon Londo.
Londo was developed as a suspect and is wanted for the charge of armed robbery.
On Thursday at approximately 8:37 p.m., officers responded to a complaint of an armed robbery at a local business located in the 800 block Martin Luther King Boulevard. Upon arrival, officers learned that two unknown masked male subjects went into the business armed with handguns and demanded money from an employee.
One of the suspects, Dequellin Antione was arrested, but Londo is still at large.
If anyone has any information on the whereabouts of Devon Londo, please contact the Franklin Police Department Detectives Division at 337-828-1716.

Mayor-elect Eugene Foulcard discussed Franklin’s infrastructure, tax trends and business re-enrichment prospects Tuesday in his address to Franklin Rotary Club.
He opened with nods of thanks to current Mayor Raymond Harris, for serving Franklin so well, and Jimmie Daniel, for running what Foulcard called a “classy” mayoral race devoid of “mudslinging and dirt.”
After explaining that he was looking forward to taking office in July, and accounting for his administration’s current provisional state, Foulcard thanked God for his good fortune and the “beauty of democracy,” and said he is looking forward to “incentivizing and revitalizing the housing market in Franklin. Especially, with some of the adjudicated properties out there, if we can get some of those properties lifted out of adjudication,” he said, “then we can lift up the housing market by getting some of these homes back into the market.”
He said he plans on being “very aggressive and very pro-business. Doing things to turn the corner and change some of the mindsets in Franklin.”
When asked what he might consider a focal point for the first steps of his upcoming term, Foulcard unhesitatingly replied, “roads and streets. I think our roads and streets are in pretty bad shape, and we need to address those.”
He proposed using parish bond money to augment millions in capital outlay planned funding, already budgeted by the city council for the purpose of city infrastructure repair.
Foulcard said he hopes the bond money doesn’t all go to rural development, so that Franklin’s city streets find some in their prospective restoration coffers.
He said he figures that due to Franklin’s status as one of the parish’s densest population centers, along with Morgan City and Patterson, Franklin should see its “fair share,” a goal toward which he says he has been working with parish councilmembers.
“Because, at the end of the day,” he said, “we have already paid into that with our taxes. So, in the city of Franklin, we are not covering any of the cost, but we have already covered the cost.”
He went on to say that he looks forward to continued cooperation with parish and state representatives toward fixing Franklin’s streets, “without raising taxes.”
Next, with a question asked about the state of the city’s tax collection, Foulcard shifted gears.
“It has recently had a slight uptick,” he reported.
Having worked through the city’s 2018-19 budget workshop, ahead of February’s budget publishing, he said the city showed a 3 percent uptick in sales tax collection, with hopes the trend continues its upward momentum; the city having budgeted with an eye to a possible 2 percent increase, topping off the anticipated rise at an estimated 5 percent for the budget’s span.
He professed uncertainty about a recent proposal to bring the parish under the umbrella of a unified Industrial Tax Exemption Program, citing a need for clarity concerning the clauses and expectations involved therein.
The final question posed was “Have you heard of or talked with anybody who has any ideas about how we could re-enrich the businesses in the downtown area?”
Foulcard responded, “I’ve given it some thought, and I really believe that many of the businesses need to formulate a Blue-Ribbon-type commission. I know we have the downtown merchants’ association, but I think we need to collectively take a look at this.
“I plan on revamping the economic development office within the City of Franklin, so that we can re-incentivize things coming to fruition in the downtown area.”
He closed by saying that he is concerned with “getting folks back into downtown,” adding that he thinks there are some wonderful businesses in downtown Franklin, and that he would like to look at rebranding the area using unconventional media, including incentives through social media, as tools toward revitalization.