Ann Ruth tells this ominous story:
“On our way to the New Orleans airport Friday, an alligator was crossing the interstate and tried to enter our lane.
“Our son thought it might be an omen about the LSU-Florida game this weekend.”
Peggy Sweeney-McDonald, a Baton Rouge native and LSU grad, lives in Los Angeles.
But wherever life took her, at some point she always seemed to find herself back in New Orleans at Café Du Monde, “taking life one beignet at a time.”
Knowing that in Louisiana our best stories revolve around food, she started a series of food monologues titled “Meanwhile, Back at Café Du Monde.”
The talks about food and life by scores of folks from New Orleans to Shreveport are now in a coffee-table book by Pelican Publishing, of Gretna.
She has book launch parties in Baton Rouge (Tuesday at Mestizo) and New Orleans (Oct. 16 at the Irish House).
I have a story in the book (hey, it’s about food, isn’t it?), along with colleague Pam Bordelon, Mayor Kip Holden, Gen. Russel Honoré, Chef Don Bergeron, Whitney Vann and many others.
A portion of the book’s proceeds go to Liberty’s Kitchen, a New Orleans nonprofit that trains disadvantaged youths in the food business.
For more, go to http://www.meanwhilebackatcafedumonde.com.
On Tuesday, a “Painting a Brighter Future Art Show” will be held from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the D. Jensen Holliday Forum in LSU’s Journalism Building.
The show, by the Mental Health Association for Greater Baton Rouge, showcases artists of the Alliance House Drop In Center, who are in the “Arts for Wellness” program.
The center is a day program for adults with chronic mental illness.
Art will be available for purchase, and proceeds will benefit MHA and the artists.
Call (225) 929-7674 or go to http://www.facebook.com/mhagbr.
Full disclosure: Katherine Anders, who runs the Arts for Wellness program, is related to me by marriage.
Cary Fontenot thanks Eric at The Times restaurant on Essen.
“Having finished our lunch (which was excellent), we walked outside to a downpour.
“Eric came out and said he would back up my truck so we wouldn’t have to get wet.
“That was great. Then he walked back and said we had a flat — but he would fix it.
“A half-hour later, through many raindrops, the tire was fixed.
“We met a fine young man and are grateful that there are still a lot of good people around.”
STEM Day by Girl Scouts and St. George Observatory is from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday at Terrebonne Parish Donner Community Center in Donner.
Girls in grades K-12 will learn about careers in science, technology, engineering and math.
Tickets are available online through Girl Scouts Louisiana East, http://shop.gsle.org; or at council shops at 841 Clearview Parkway, New Orleans; or 545 Colonial Drive, Baton Rouge.
The third annual golf tournament for Brave Heart Children in Need is Monday at Greystone golf club in Denham Springs.
Whole Foods hosts a “Tea Time” for ladies with tea, food, holiday ideas, etc., in the Grill at Greystone.
Visit http://www.braveheartchildren.org or call (225) 296-0000.
Dan Burkhalter, the Carencro Curmudgeon, evidently has a lot of time on his hands, because he’s had time to look up these special occasions:
“October is National Pajama Month.
“Thursday is Toot Your Own Flute Day.
“Oct. 12 is International Moment of Frustration Scream Day.
“Oct. 14 is Be Bald and Free Day.
“Oct. 27 is Cranky Co-workers Day.
“And Oct. 30 is Create a Great Funeral Day.”
(I’m not quite sure how you’d celebrate that last one. …)
A couple of examples of youthful theology:
“Kennedy: ‘Mom, what does Ah-men mean?’
“Me: ‘The same as A-men.’
“Kennedy: ‘It’s a good thing God’s a man, cause if God was a girl, we would say A-girl.’ ”
“Misty inquired as to who this new friend might be, and Gabs promptly replied, ‘Uncle God!’
“You can’t make this stuff up. …”
Write Smiley at Smiley@the
advocate.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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