Central
Front porch days
Dear Smiley: John Thibodeaux’s Friday column submission about sitting on the porch, swinging and watching cars go by, reminded me of my early life.
In those days, pre-TV and cellphones, people used to go to friends’ homes and sit on the porch (no air conditioning) and talk to one another.
This was a method of communicating the news and events they knew, with some gossip sprinkled in!
In our area it was called “setting up.” It gave the kids an opportunity to make friends and travel a few miles from our homes.
Of course, when the mosquitoes began biting, everyone was forced inside.
After going out to dinner the other night and observing everyone at the adjoining tables looking at their phones, I wonder if someday there will be a time when people will no longer know how to converse?
TONY FALTERMAN
Napoleonville
Dear Tony: If you’ve dined with a teenager lately, you can observe the death of conversation.
Well, it IS addictive!
Dear Smiley: Stories of coffee reminded me of a trip my husband and I made with our Community Coffee. Years ago, we flew out to San Francisco to catch a cruise ship headed to Acapulco.
We left a week early to see the West Coast, and took our own coffee to make in our motel rooms.
Returning to the good old USA, we flew into Houston. The customs guy asked, “What’s this?,” pointing to our Community Coffee bag.
His words were, “You Louisiana people love your coffee.” Then he let us go.
“We found out later that people try smuggling in drugs this way. Great way to end a trip.”
LINDA WHITMAN
Denham Springs
Tall tale
Dear Smiley: I must be getting taller as I get older.
When I have to pick up something that I have dropped, the floor seems much farther away than it used to be.
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