"I enjoy your articles about accents and speaking 'Southern,'" says Tim Smith, of Denham Springs, “so I must tell you one more. Many years ago, my wife and I hosted a foreign exchange student from France. There was somewhat of a language barrier.
"Our neighbors one block over also hosted two exchange students, who came over to visit one day.
"They decided to go for a walk, and goodbyes were said.
"As they were going out the front door my wife yelled out, 'Y’all come back!'
"We heard the front door slam, and were a little surprised to look up and see them standing in the kitchen. They came back."
Carousel beats Mom
"When my son, Robby, was 3 years old," says Mary Nell Barringer, "I found a preschool called 'Carousel Academy For Children.'
"It had a full-size, operating carousel, as well as lots of tame chickens and bunnies running around in the yard.
"He was hesitant about the idea of 'school,' so I took him to visit it. While clutching tightly to my hand, he solemnly looked all around, as his notions about 'school' readjusted.
"After about 10 minutes of this silent inspection, he looked up at me and quietly said, 'Bye, Mom.'"
Keeping his cool
Collin B. Hamer Jr. says, "Recent stories about snakes reminded of the trip my wife Jackie and I took in 1995 to Conway, Arkansas, with grandsons, Rory, Blaise, and Jerrod, to visit retired teacher Emelda Giblin.
"While at the rest stop at Tickfaw, we caught a pencil-sized brown earth snake. I thought it was a great opportunity to teach the boys about nature, so we put it into one of the jars they had brought for the expected lightning bugs and butterflies.
"As luck would have it, Jerrod fell asleep and the snake got away.
"A couple of days later, our friend was giving us a driving tour of Petit Jean State Park when she suddenly let out a bloodcurdling scream, slammed on the brakes and jumped out the door.
"There was the snake with its head poking out of the air-conditioner vent on the dashboard.
"We quickly turned off the engine, and I grabbed the snake and sent it to join its Arkansas relatives."
Legal name
Attorney Alex "Sonny" Chapman, of Ville Platte, says, "All these pet snake stories remind me of the famous 'Little Green Snake' case in Louisiana jurisprudence.
"A fellow had parked his truck along a canal in the New Orleans area and began fishing. When he was finished fishing he got back into his truck and got on the highway to go back home.
"Suddenly, a little green snake made its appearance inside his truck, causing him to wreck.
"A lawsuit ensued and the case went up and down the trial and appellate court levels concerning liability when such a situation occurs and an accident ensues.
"In the original trial, a sharp young lawyer, in legalese, asked the driver when exactly in the journey did the 'alleged' snake appear.
"The driver responded, 'It wasn’t no alleged snake. It was a green snake.'"
Death notice
Glenda Andes, of Covington, says her cousin has an idea for those of us whose green thumb is more of a black thumb:
Gardening stores should have a "pre-killed plants" section "where you could just give them a couple of dollars, bring the dying plant home and leave it out until it gets pot-bound and shriveled. You can then replant and water, but forget about it for a while, until it's completely dead.”
(This isn't new; I've been doing it for years.)