911 NUMBERS . . . The Parish Council has begun the process to enact an ordinance requiring all residences and business locations to prominently display their 911 street address. This is a much needed step and will certainly be welcomed by all emergency responders. It will also make it much easier for anyone looking for a location to find it when the address is known. If your home is not already clearly marked with its address numbers, check to see what the proposed ordinance calls for and proceed to get those numbers displayed. If you ever need emergency assistance, you’ll be glad you did. 2009 STORMS . . . Although I hesitate to bring it up, hurricane experts have modified their predictions for the 2009 hurricane season, forecasting an average season with 12 named storms, including six hurricanes, two of which could be major ones. The original forecast of an above-average season with 14 named storms — seven hurricanes and three major — was scaled back because of improved chances of El Niño conditions that suppress hurricane formation. The storm names selected for this year include Ana, Bill, Claudette, Danny, Erika, Fred, Grace, Henri, Ida, Joaquin, Kate, Larry, Mindy, Nicholas, Odette, Peter, Rose, Sam, Teresa, Victor and Wanda. HAPPINESS INDEX . . . Read where some agency has come up with a “happiness index” that is supposed to indicate which states are best weathering the current economic storm. Factors taken into account include unemployment level, number of foreclosures and non-mortgage debt. Louisiana ranks 5th on the scale of “happiness,” trailing Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas and Hawaii. Texas was in 13th place, Mississippi at 17, and Arkansas at 33. The “unhappiest” states included California, Florida and Oregon. THIS & THAT . . . Nearing 125 – With last week’s issue the Teche News began its 124th year of continuous operation, easily making the paper the oldest business in St. Martin Parish. Founded in 1886 as the Weekly Messenger, the name was changed in 1948 to better reflect its location in St. Martin Parish. Great News – I underwent a “midway” CT scan on April 6 to see how my first three chemo sessions had impacted my lymphatic system, and there’s great news. The scan showed significant decreases in most of my lymph nodes, and my spleen is almost back to its normal size. Underwent my fourth (of six) treatment on April 7, and the after effects continue to grow less severe, although my taste buds remain out of whack (that was rough with all the good food served up Sunday during a gathering of the Bienvenu clan at brother Bruce’s home). My oncologist says despite the excellent progress it will be wise to proceed with the full regimen of six chemo sessions, so I’ve got just two more to go. I’m thankful for the expertise of my medical caretakers, the advances in drugs, and certainly for all the prayers on my behalf. Rough Weather – While the Easter weekend was generally nice, the weather sure got ugly on Sunday, with really blustery winds and finally a pretty good rain around mid-afternoon. I’m sure lots of family moved their Easter egg hunts to the morning hours and may have rushed the barbecues and crawfish boils to beat the storm. We’ve been fortunate here in south Louisiana over the past few weeks as violent weather fronts have generally passed to the north of Acadiana, sparing us any serious damage. Camping Trip – Maria and I finally got to take our motorhome out for a few days at Lake Fausse Pointe a couple of weeks ago. It was our first trip since Thanksgiving due to my being tied up with cancer treatments. As usual, fellow campers included rigs from around the continent, including Indiana, Michigan, New York, South Dakota, Florida and Ontario, Canada.