April 1, 2018. Madison, Mississippi. The Delta.

Mississippi Roads is a half hour program produced by PBS in Mississippi. Ever since we moved here I have enjoyed watching their show. For half the year, the programs are new. Then the rest of the season you get to see the repeats, which for us is fine, because I miss a lot of them. Very often, an area or town is selected for study. Last week it was about Lelend, a town I had never visited. This week the topic was The Mississippi Delta. I learned a lot that I had never known before. Shortly after moving here, Ken and I drove to see the Delta. The most important feature was that it was flat. Very flat. And the soil is fertile so agriculture is king. It is also poor. We had trouble finding a restaurant for lunch. We were not impressed. But since talking with folks and reading, I have discovered that the Mississippi Delta is an area of course but also has an almost mystical place in the minds of Mississippi people. The Delta has a special place in the hearts of Mississippi folks. The music is special. The Blues started there and many musicians got their start there. And many writers are from the delta and still write and work there. The population has decreased almost 50% since it's heydays, all due to mechanization of the land. On the program today, I learned that one man on a tractor could do the same work of 30 people one hundred years ago. People moved where jobs were available. Delta is agriculture. The closer you get to the Mississippi River, the more expensive is the land. For instance, the cost of raw land in the Delta is 4 times the cost of land in Bedford County, Pennsylvania. But I think The Delta will continue to improve and grow. Just like Newfoundland, when you are born there but leave for work, you always return to retire. That is happening now in the Delta. The place is fascinating. Now I must find the book by Percy telling stories of the Delta called "Lanterns on the Levy". Perhaps Ken can find it for me. That would be good because I need to learn more about The Mississippi Delta.