Bob Woods, of Mandeville, says, "When I was growing up, on Springfield Lane off Scenic Highway in Baton Rouge, we had a Morning Advocate deliveryman named Bud Rankin — great guy. He drove a Jeep station wagon with wooden sides.
As might be expected, Carnival stories are rolling in.
Mention of Piccadilly Cafeterias' 75th anniversary caused Terry Maderson to recall how important the original Dilly in downtown Baton Rouge was to impoverished, hungry LSU students:
Bob Cisco tells of an incident bringing home the point that folks of a certain age are telling stories to people of other generations who have no idea what the storyteller is talking about:
My recent tale of meeting strangers in a New Orleans restaurant and briefing them on local food and fun brought this response:
With Carnival coming so soon after The Great Dome Robbery, we can expect the NFL to be a major subject at parades.
Lillian Miller, our holiday poet, penned this ode to Valentine's Day:
There's really no place quite like this part of the world during Carnival season.
Back when Lady Katherine was single and living in New Orleans, I visited her on weekends. We went out for dinner one wintry Friday, in the kind of weather the tourism folks don't tell you about.
With Valentine's Day fast approaching, our thoughts turn to love, flowers and candy.
Ann Purnell Collom, of Kenner, tells of a surprise dinner:
I was surfing Twitter on Monday to see what folks had to say about the Sunday evening travesty in Atlanta and the New Orleans mega-party, and came across this exchange, which made my day.
I like children (from a distance, of course), and one of the things I enjoy most is their way to taking things literally.
Wayne Smith, of Covington, tells of a thoughtful attorney:
Frances Pickering Billeaud says, "My dad, Jack Pickering, was with Desi Arnaz’s band (before the 'I Love Lucy' show), and the band was on tour a good part of many years.
Doing a reader-driven column as long as I have means that, sadly, you lose favorite contributors along the way.
You might have noticed that men and women have differing attitudes about shoes.
Jo Ann Paulin, of Metairie, tells a story that has me craving boiled crabs (actually, the MEAT from boiled crabs, not the other stuff):
A while back we reported on a "camo wedding," where the wedding party (including the bride) was dressed in camouflage clothing, and decorations were around a hunting theme.
Keith Horcasitas feels your pain and wants to offer solace:
Frank Fronczek, of Baton Rouge, who on Tuesday nominated me for Louisiana's poet laureate, has graciously accepted my decision to decline his nomination:
Comments from outraged Saints fans about proposed boycotts of the tainted Super Bowl brings up the question of what to do instead.
Robert Cabes, a Lafayette attorney, says a reader's story about proper dress for a court appearance reminded him of his visit to the Allen Parish courthouse in Oberlin to argue a motion:
Frank Fronczek, of Baton Rouge, makes me an offer I CAN refuse:
The phone callers who invade your privacy in an effort to sell you stuff (when everyone knows you should only sell stuff through ads in The Advocate) are reaching new depths of deception:
Dear Smiley: I agree with Ray Schell (in Tuesday's column) about Huey Long’s most famous speech (under the Evangeline Oak in St. Martinville).
Barbara Anne Eaton, of Baton Rouge, tells a story that made me laugh out loud:
In August of 2005, everything changed.
Jim Mestayer, of Baton Rouge, adds to our growing series of "small world" stories:
Even today, Huey Long is a controversial figure in Louisiana.
Watching the Clemson dismantling of Alabama, I noticed that the players were VERY large indeed.
Annabelle Armstrong says the congregation at Baton Rouge's Broadmoor Presbyterian Church on the Sunday before New Year's Day was small, with only 55 people in attendance. So they opted to meet in the fellowship hall for a service and brunch.
My readers come up with such great ideas I often wish they were running the country.
It's not easy for someone named "Smiley" to be a curmudgeon, but as I enter my Golden Years, I find I'm increasingly irritated by ill manners.
Warren Byrd, of Baton Rouge, offers evidence of the power of ladies from the South:
This modest proposal by Donald C. Burnham might not sit too well with our friends in Georgia, since the Union general mentioned caused some unpleasantness there during the Civil War:
Lillian Miller, this column's unpaid holiday poet, sent this in while I was on my Well-Deserved Vacation.
For many years, my Thanksgiving column told of the members of my small family, and was the only totally personal column of the year.
Consider this my Christmas gift to you.
A language story from Pauline ("Madame Ewing" to her students):
The closing of Hymel's Seafood Restaurant in Convent brought many tales about the landmark eatery, treasured by lovers of fried seafood and frosty fishbowls of beer.
I always enjoy hearing about true characters — larger-than-life folks, and such originals that when you describe them it sounds fictional. Here's a tale of one such character:
Seasonal stories of kids and Nativity scenes: