Janice C. Remmetter, of Slaughter, has a story of a youthful rebellion thwarted:
“Our daughter, Susan Wallace, of Charlotte, N.C., was having a ‘talk’ with our grandson Forbes, age 8.
“Forbes didn’t really like the way the talk was going, so he said he was going to run away from home.
“Off he went down the sidewalk, with Susan watching from the porch.
“After Forbes got down the block, he turned around and came back home.
“He asked his mother if he was allowed to cross the street.
“She told him, ‘NO!’ ”
“So that ended the run.”
Over the weekend I was in New Iberia for the World Championship Gumbo Cook-Off when I realized that my foot, around the big toe, hurt so bad I could hardly walk.
I ended my visit abruptly, told the fine folks down there I thought I had a sprained/broken toe/foot, and headed home with Lady K at the wheel.
Back in BR, at an urgent care clinic, the doctor said it was no injury — it was gout.
“Gout?” I cried. “How did I get that?”
“Well,” he said, “it can be triggered by beer and seafood …
Which leads me to suggest a new name for the condition.
Instead of the inelegant word “gout,” why can’t it be called “South Louisiana Disease?”
Larry Conkerton says, “Some people have a hard time understanding football, and I have a suggestion.
“If you want to understand the game, turn the TV volume off, then turn on your radio and listen to Doug Moreau to get a play-by-play explanation. Sure way to not miss anything!”
Leslie Tassin, visiting Toronto recently, discovered Restaurant Bâton Rouge, advertising “Southern charm with a twist.” It offers shrimp cocktail, “Mississippi Delta Calamari” (?), and items with “Louisiana” or “Baton Rouge” in their names.
T he food seemed a bit generic rather than Louisiana-inspired: chicken tenders, club sandwich, burger, etc.
No gumbo, just soup of the day and “creamy potato soup.”
No jambalaya, just seafood linguini.
And the only Canadian dish was a “Nagano Pork Chop,” called “An exceptionally savoury Canadian product.”
Not even any poutine, the iconic Quebec snack consisting of french fries covered in brown gravy and cheese curds?
Yeah, that’s what I thought — how could THAT be bad?
On Wednesday, Old State Capitol Associates has a bus trip to the North Shore to visit the Wooden Boat Museum and The Abbey in Covington, plus the ever-popular tour of the Abita Brewery. The bus leaves Independence Park at 8 a.m., returning at 5 p.m. Call Karen Zobrist at (225) 336-4189 to reserve your spot for $60.
Doug Johnson, of Watson, says he knows we’ve received a great many old sayings over the past few weeks.
But he’s come up with one we can retire:
“This spring I built a box for a raised garden, then went to a nursery to buy a yard or two of top soil to fill it.
“Believe me, dirt is no longer ‘dirt cheap!’ ”
Tommy Watts says, “An older male friend I call the ‘Pink Lady,’ who has worked as a volunteer at a local hospital for many years, related a recent experience.
“While pushing a patient in his 60s down the hall in his wheelchair, the patient kept whining about his health
and all that was wrong with him.
“‘Pink Lady’ started laughing, which prompted the patient to question why he was laughing.
“My friend apologized and said he was only laughing at the situation, not at the patient.
“When asked for an explanation, the volunteer remarked that the patient was being pushed by an 87-year-old with lung cancer.”
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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