Joanne Moulton, of New Orleans, says, "For the several days I was in the hospital with a new baby girl. My 2-year-old, Christy, had been told by her father and aunt that I would be back soon with a new baby sister for her.
Dear Smiley: After reading about twins in your column, I was reminded of the comments we constantly got from strangers when our twins were babies.
Please, no snarky comments about the decline in this column's subject matter. …
Katie Nachod, of New Orleans, reminds us that the best name for the Superdome might not be either a corporation or an individual:
Cheryl Gaudin has this "kids saying funny things" story:
Here are entries in the "Name the Superdome Sweepstakes" that don't call for corporate names but rather seek to honor famous individuals in the city and state:
Our "Name the Dome Sweepstakes" entries amaze me with both their quality and quantity.
Dear Smiley: Here is a quarantine story to share with you.
As you may have read, the Superdome is losing the company owning its naming rights, and after July 2021 will no longer be called The Expensive German Car Superdome.
As we close out our seminar on unique bar names, here are a few of the best ones we haven't had room to run yet:
Another in our "Kids Saying Funny Stuff" series:
We pause in this column's normal serious coverage of Major World Issues to present something unapologetically silly:
Bob Hill, of Denham Springs, tells of a clever way to celebrate a milestone event during the pandemic:
Dear Smiley: Recently, at our parish, we were celebrating Mass outside, in conformity with the slightly relaxed orders to limit gatherings.
One of the most touching developments of our current crisis is the ingenuity people are showing in finding ways to honor loved ones, young and old, on their birthdays.
Glen Balentine, of Prairieville, says, "Your Wednesday mention of the stringer phoning in a story reminded me of my high school days as sports editor and football statistician. (I was paid $5 to phone in the score and stats to the newspaper from a…
Edna Killian adds to our series on bars:
By a striking coincidence, I received this comment from Dudley Lehew, of Marrero, on the same afternoon I was considering cleaning out the drawer on my nightstand. (I didn't, but I did consider it.)
Mariano Hinojosa issues this warning to Neighborhood Watch members:
Dear Smiley: Your beard stories brought back an experience at Johns Hopkins' geology camp in the Bear Pond mountains of the Appalachian chain.
Thoughts on the joy of home schooling:
Martin St. Romain has this "UFO" story:
Glenn Balentine, of Prairieville, speculates on what sports will look like when this unpleasantness starts to wane:
Dick Hastings, of Abita Springs, says, "In 1954, when I was 13, my mother, baby brother and I went from our home in Port Gibson, Mississippi, to Eagle Harbor, Michigan, on the Lake Superior shore of the Upper Peninsula for summer vacation with my …
To while away the hours while stuck at home, readers have been adapting songs to our current situation.
Dear Smiley: About a week ago, I had the inspiration (er, Covid craziness) and rewrote the lyrics to "Don’t Cry for Me Argentina" from "Evita."
Katie Nachod, of New Orleans, says her local grocery has adjusted to accommodate shoppers in these difficult times:
"I was 7 in 1954 when we moved from Brooklyn, New York, to New Orleans," says Mark Richterman.
Katie Nachod, of New Orleans, says in this unsettled time "it seems especially important now to keep our sense of humor intact and functioning."
Our stay-at-home situation has reminded readers of past quarantines, for everything from measles to smallpox.
Anne Cummings tells a story illustrating how social distancing is especially hard on grandparents:
Dear Smiley: The vaccination for measles was not discovered until the late 1950s. Before that the whole family had to be quarantined.
A frustrated reader files this quarantine complaint:
Redean Parsons says, "I live near five of my great-grandchildren under 8 years old. Being elderly, I’ve been grounded by my children for several weeks. The hardest part is missing all the hugs from my littles.
Mariano Hinojosa, of Baton Rouge, observes, "Quarantine has turned us into dogs. We roam the house all day looking for food. We are told 'No!' if we get too close to strangers. And we get really excited about car rides."
Terry Grundmann, of Kenner, says, "With ladies unable to get to the beauty parlor, hair dye is the next hot item.
Chris Caballero, of Donaldsonville, joins many other readers in expressing concern about the quarantine and its resulting boredom's effect on our diets:
Dear Smiley: I laughed so hard at the story of Nancy from New Orleans acclimating to Atlanta.
Jay tells this story about his brother-in-law in Florida and his travel adventure:
"Following the thread started recently about clubs," says Julaine Deare Schexnayder, "I am reminded of a story I researched about one that, while it required membership, was undoubtedly very popular in Jeanerette in the 1920s — and easy to join.
A belated Easter story from many years ago, when I lived in Shreveport and worked for The Times:
"While briefly out of our house," says Paula King, of Gretna, "we noticed one of our main streets was really congested with bumper-to-bumper cars.
Donna Simoneaux adds to our paper airplane stories:
Dear Smiley: Being sheltered in place with no fever except for cabin fever, I have had time to process this new concept: social distancing of 6 feet.
Shooter Mullins penned an epic poem about the early shopping hours for senior citizens many supermarkets have instituted. Here are a few verses:
Mary Vernoy, of Metairie, says, "Buck Bertrand's tale of the girl’s mom advising her not to come within 10 feet of him (in the Wednesday column) reminded me of my eighth grade school dance (at a Baton Rouge Catholic school that shall remain nameless).
Here's a story I needed to hear.
Bill Haynie, of Slidell, says, "The ‘Stayin’ Alive’ story in the Monday column reminded me of the disco era and my youthful time in New Orleans.
Katie Nachod, of New Orleans, says, "I enjoyed the recent piece in your column about trying to order a sandwich 'dressed' when far away from New Orleans.
Dear Smiley: An alert came up on my phone about a fatal automobile accident. The headline was "Elderly man killed in accident."
My nomination for "the most New Orleans thing ever" is this: