Walt Brunty, the Benton Bard, was safe from Isaac, but he offers this to friends in the southern part of the state:
“There was Isaac, Katrina, Camille, and the rest;
we were sorry to see them, but happy they left.
The pain that they caused us was without a cure,
and the agony of loss was true agony for sure.
The homes that were lost in the waters abound,
the homes of our families and friends all around.
But for sure we will stay here until the very end,
because we are Louisianians, surrounded by friends.”
Ina G. Navarre suggests a new category: “Phrases Which Need to be Retired.”
She nominates “riding out the storm.”
“Anyone who has been through a hurricane knows there is no ‘ride’ involved at all — only nervousness, worry, terror, discomfort, loss and inconvenience, to give a brief description.”
Richard Marshall says, “My thanks go out to all of the hard-working folks helping us recover from Isaac.
“The hardest worker I’ve seen so far is the guy doing sign language for the hearing impaired, trying to keep up with Gov. Jindal’s rapid-fire delivery at his press conferences. What a job!”
James A. Culotta says on the Monday before Isaac’s visit, “I was in a check-out line at the Bet-R Store behind a young man taking ‘groceries’ out of his cart, apparently in preparation for the coming storm.
“He had two gallons of water, two jars of peanut butter and a fifth of Crown Royal.”
James says he was reminded of Brother Dave Gardner’s line, “Man cannot live by bread alone, he must have peanut butter.”
He adds, “The Crown was undoubtedly for medicinal purposes.”
“After Hurricane Isaac passed, and before cleaning up his own yard, David and his son Ruffin cleaned up two other neighbors’ yards. One neighbor suffers from Parkinson’s, and the other is in her 80s.”
Jimmy Serpas says residents of the Louisiana War Veterans Home in Jackson “need Community Dark Roast or Dark Roast with Chicory, and creamer. Donations of coffee, or cash to be used by staff to purchase coffee, would be appreciated.”
Get more information at pserpas@hotmail.com.
B. Baird was reminded of high school physics when his “ancient Ole Miss Col. Reb” drinking glasses stuck together.
“One Sunday we had a small group gathering and enjoyed a few Woodford Reserve bourbons in our tumblers.
“Cleaning up, we rinsed these and stacked one on top of another, with an inch or so of water in the bottom. The two became joined and inseparable.
“The following techniques ended in failure: generous application of hot water; microwaving; placing ice in the top tumbler; overnight in the refrigerator.
“However, after a few hours in the freezer, the two separated immediately with little effort.
“The water was largely frozen, so it seems likely that the pressure of the expanding ice forced the separation.
“All is well, independent of which physical principal was operative, and life goes on.”
Darrell Ourso says, “Working on Internet family genealogy searches, I came across a hit on the U.S. City Directories database for my grandfather, Wilfred A Ourso Sr.
“It showed that he worked as a coremaker for Istrouma Foundry & Machine Co., located then on Chickasaw Street. (My grandparents lived in the north Baton Rouge area for a few years before returning to Donaldsonville.)
“I’m looking for any pictures of the original facility, which opened in approximately 1920.”
Call (225) 752-9730.
Della Stout says, “Sure, there will be a stack of little boys named Isaac, but what to name a girl in about nine months?
“From the sounds emanating from many south Louisiana homes this past week, may I suggest ‘Genny?’
“Generator. Get it?”
Phil Hannaman, of Tyler, Texas, says this about the reader who recalled being told the advent of cable TV would mean we could avoid commercials:
“I remember my boss handing me a laptop in the early ’90s, saying it would reduce my workload.”
Write Smiley at Smiley@theadvocate.com. He can also be reached by fax at (225) 388-0351 or mail at P.O. Box 588, Baton Rouge, LA 70821.
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