Dear Smiley: I agree with the concern expressed by your readers about the abuse of "like" in contemporary speech.
Our discussion of longevity of appliances led Richard Harris, of Baton Rouge, to share this story of a beloved pot:
Amy Drago addresses an all too timely issue:
"Can you take another 'mispronounced name' story?" asks Nolen J. LeBlanc Sr., of Harahan:
Joan Felder, of LaPlace, offers "Wisdom from a child's mouth:
As a gumbo purist, I was somewhat shocked by T.W.'s note:
Dear Smiley: My dog Boudreaux is beautiful; a mixed-breed with thick brown, black, and white fur.
Phil Ragusa says, "Years ago I went to a dermatologist to have a small growth removed. After removing it, he said to call him Friday — he was going to have it biopsied! That shook me up.
Jolie Bonck, of New Orleans, says, "This happened when my now 31-year-old daughter was about 2 or 3 years old.
Perry A. Snyder, of Baton Rouge, says, "En route to 'Pre-school 3' (whatever happened to 'kindergarten?'), grandson Harrison asked, 'Mom, are we going to have a hurricane this week?'
Just when I think I've lamented enough about this terrible year, along comes another story:
James R. "J.R." Clary Jr., of Baton Rouge, has this "hard times" story:
Dear Smiley: Regarding your mention of being on oxygen due to COPD:
As readers of this column no doubt know, my motto is "Always look on the bright side of life." But multiple disasters in 2020 have made it increasingly difficult to find a bright side. For instance:
Maybe it's the cooler weather, but readers keep telling food stories. I hope the folks at The Advocate's award-winning Food section don't mind us nudging in on their territory:
The arrival of cooler days and nights brings thoughts of gumbo, and the seasonal controversy about this divisive issue:
Charlie Anderson says, "Some years ago, I was manager of a state Health Department program that enforced regulations of institutions.
I can't help it. I've developed a fondness for all those stories about "things kids say," and can't get enough of them. For instance, here's one from Faye Hoffman Talbot, of Clinton:
Dear Smiley: I had an interesting weekend three weeks ago.
Kristina L. Posey adds to our series, "Why We Love Our Grandchildren":
Allow me to explain why I get irritated when folks reject wearing masks during the COVID-19 pandemic:
I just realized how jaded I've become about the trials and tribulations 2020 has thrown at us.
T.W. tells of a ubiquitous Louisiana seasoning and a stunning omission:
Joseph W. Berey, of Covington, offers this example of going into a situation with too little information:
Dear Smiley: Sherry Wilkes's article in your column about having small talk with high school student Steven Soderbergh at a house party near LSU reminded me of another house party an LSU faculty member hosted to celebrate my pending graduation as …
Bill Bankhead, of Baton Rouge, says, "When I was supervising the 1989 Special Olympics Winter Games at Reno, Nevada, and Squaw Valley, California, my son John, publicist for the games, got actor John Amos, who was performing at a Reno casino, to f…
Wayne LeCompte, of Metairie, tells the week's best kid story:
My spouse, Lady Katherine, tells me the quarantine is turning me into a curmudgeon.
Margaret Hawkins, of Ponchatoula, tells of an experience that's all too common during our months of hunkering down at home during the pandemic:
Sherry Wilkes tells on an encounter when she was in her early 20s:
Dear Smiley: The day I met Ed Orgeron (now LSU's Coach O), I was working in the LSU Infirmary. It was July 1979.
Nobey Benoit adds to our tales of Cajun boucheries:
My readers responded to the “Name That Dixie Beer” contest with the same enthusiasm the Saints showed Monday night against the Raiders.
Every year about this time we get a taste of cooler temperatures, and folks start saying it's "gumbo weather."
Before the New Orleans Pelicans became a basketball team, the bird was the symbol of New Orleans' minor league baseball team.
"Recent stories reminded me of this amusing interchange," says Ann LeBlanc, of Gonzales:
Dear Smiley: In 1958 I was drafted into the Army. With four other individuals, I was driven to the induction center in New Orleans.
As I perused the Wednesday Advocate's photos of Hurricane Sally's near-miss in Louisiana, I came across a scene by photographer Chris Granger that has to be the most Louisiana image ever.
Dave Arata adds to our Tuesday story about Uptown New Orleans residents selling parking spaces for Saints (and other) football games in Tulane Stadium, which lacked parking:
Henry Bradsher, of Baton Rouge, adds to our "airplane adventures" series:
Richard M. Gibson, of Lafayette, reminds us that the opening of the Superdome, with its parking garage for Saints fans, killed a nice little side business for Uptown New Orleans residents fortunate enough to live near Tulane Stadium, which offered…
I should have known our Friday story about a pet turtle escaping on an airplane flight would lead to an influx of turtle tales:
Dear Smiley: A few years ago, a friend asked for a suggestion for a half-way point between Lawrenceville and San Antonio and I suggested Lafayette. He said, in that oft-used pronunciation that sports broadcasters love, "I'll make reservations in '…
Our recent pet stories brought up some memorable images, but I especially like the scene on an airplane described by Mark Richterman, of Baton Rouge:
In recent years the New Orleans Saints have been one of the more successful NFL franchises. But for decades this wasn't the case.
"Like things aren't depressing enough…" says Steve Storey, of Baton Rouge:
In these difficult times, when civility can sometimes seem in short supply, I welcome signs that people are still doing kind things for one another.
Andree Herrington, of Metairie, adds to our story of unusual pets:
Dear Smiley: So much talk about Katrina reminded me of this:
Bill Jacobson says his brother Larry told him about his first Sunday in retirement after 62-plus years as a Methodist preacher.
Concerned about unsightly litter in Baton Rouge's Capitol Lake, near her Spanish Town home, Marie Constantin has been leading a drive to clean up the lake.