Smiley Anders for Sept. 11, 2012

Martha Thornhill tells this story of a dramatic rescue:

“One morning, my husband was excited to try out his new omelet pan. Never being a fan of reading directions, he put too many eggs in the pan.

“Naturally, it cooked over and began to burn on the heating element.

“As a burned smell filled the air, so did a small amount of smoke.

“At that, our super dog Boudreaux began to rush around the kitchen sniffing the air in every nook and cranny.

“He also began barking and running to the door. Back to the kitchen, more sniffing, then more barking and running to the door.

“And here we thought all he did was sleep and eat — yes, good ol’ Boudreaux was alerting the family to get out and escape the burning … omelet.

“Do you think it’s too soon to disable our battery-powered smoke detector?”

Pall over Baton Rouge

Has anybody noticed that folks around here seem to take LSU football rather seriously?

And they seem to be especially upset over the outcome of a certain contest in January.

Leslie Tassin says he can identify with the new Metro Council member who said he delayed the announcement of his candidacy earlier in the year because he was too depressed due to LSU’s loss in the BCS Championship game:

“I had a similar experience. I was so depressed that I had to take a trip to the Holy Land to put things in perspective.

“I refuse to discuss that game with anyone, because it is over and we cannot change the outcome. …”

“I still attend LSU games, but I will not allow the agony of defeat to ruin the week after.”

She’s grateful …

Lucy Sloan says, “I know there were many Good Samaritans during Isaac. I would like to add two more.

“I am a senior citizen and did not have the physical strength to start my generator.

“My friend and neighbor, Carlton Jones, came out in the midst of the rain and wind to start it for me. He also brought extra extension cords and gasoline and got me hooked up. Then he came back twice a day for three days to bring gasoline and keep it going until my power was restored.

“And he always had a big smile on his face. He acted like I was the one doing him a favor.

“After the storm passed, another neighbor, Brett Woods, came over and cleaned up my front yard.

“Aren’t Baton Rougeans wonderful? I wouldn’t live anywhere else.”

She’s not …

A reader says, “As soon as Isaac cut our power off early Wednesday morning, I hooked up my elderly neighbor with my generator so she could run her refrigerator and a fan.

“After over 50 hours of continuous service (at my considerable expense, I might add), my fans and fridge began blinking, and I asked her if I could disconnect hers for an hour or two to see if it alleviated the problem. (My fridge was running hot as well.)

“She became very angry, and is no longer speaking to me.

“She told anyone who would listen that I ‘cut her off’ and left her to swelter in her hot house.

“I guess they are right when they say that ‘no good deed goes unpunished.’ ”

Foster mom

Doug Johnson, of Watson, says, “Several weeks ago a very small kitten showed up on our driveway. We trapped it three weeks later when it weighed only 18 ounces.

“How it managed to stay alive here, with surrounding woods that have large snakes, coyotes, hawks and even a couple of bald eagles, is a mystery.

“We were amazed when our toy poodle, Lada, which had her last litter more than three years ago, took Misha on as her own pup and began nursing her!

“And yes, Lada is lactating! Isn’t nature wonderful?”

Special People Dept.

• On Sunday, Therese Marquette Newchurch, of Paincourtville, celebrated her 97th birthday.
• Ted Newport, formerly of Berwick, now in Shreveport, celebrates his 93rd birthday Tuesday.
• Jewell Davis, of Denham Springs, celebrated his 90th birthday Saturday with family and friends at First Baptist Church of Denham Springs.
• Earl and Carole Corkern, of Hammond, celebrated their 60th anniversary Thursday.
• Walt and Velma Beadle Dawson, of Patterson, celebrate 58 years of marriage Tuesday.
• Dr. Joeann and Norvall Clark celebrated their 57th anniversary Sept. 2.

Save the bugs

Joe Tuminaro, of Ville Platte, tells of his friend Boogie, “who liked to take a short ride every day in his pickup.

“We used to tease him by saying, ‘If Boogie came across love bugs on the road, he drives so slow that it would not kill them if they hit his windshield.’ ”

Getting deep

J.P. Morgan, of Geismar, adds to our collection of old sayings:

“After a really good rain, the farmers would call it a ‘middle fuller.’ ”

(My dad had a colorful saying to describe a hard rain, but I don’t think I can repeat it. …)

Write Smiley at [e-mail]. He can also be reached by fax at [phone] or mail at P.O. Box 588, Baton Rouge, LA 70821.