Nothing is the same since Katrina

Katrina left hundreds of trees either demolished or with weak root systems. Then we had a long period of no rain, and the result is that pine beetles of every variety have had a field day. They have already desroyed ten trees in our yard, and they are making their way across the parish.

We also have no more curbside recycle pickup, and even worse, no more recycling at all of anything but newspapers. Tossing aluminum cans, bottles and jars, and plastic containers is not something that comes natural to us, and I cringe every time I have to do it.

In my parish, retail outlets still struggle to find employees, so some of them are open less often than before the storm.

Of course, there are still many people living in trailers and people who have never even been given a FEMA trailer. They are still waiting.

Meanwhile, the Army Corps of Engineers continues to consult on levee repair, hold up work, and generally act as though it did not cause the deaths of thousands of people and animals, and the destruction of hundreds of houses and businesses.