Peggy Villemarette says, "My daughter, Megan Roark, an elementary school administrator, welcomed her three daughters home from school — first grader Charlotte and kindergarten twins Katherine and Everette.
"She asked how their day was as she opened their take-home folders. Charlotte and Everette gave a resounding 'Great!' while Katherine remained silent.
"My daughter questioned Katherine as to why her 'conduct dot' was lowered. Katherine explained that maybe she had been talking a little.
"My daughter replied that the teacher gives multiple warnings before moving the conduct dot, then went on to say Katherine was being disrespectful by not listening to the teacher and heeding the warnings.
"My daughter then asked her how many warnings she had received before her conduct was lowered.
"Katherine replied, 'There will be no followup questions.'"
Eye to eye
"The alligator stories brought to mind an incident many years ago that involved 'friends' and 'root beer,'" says Tony Falterman, of Napoleonville:
"I was invited to a marsh camp by a trapper along with several 'friends.'
"We enjoyed the boat ride, with lots of drinking, and were served a delicious meal by the trapper’s wife.
"That night several of the men decided they would go frog hunting. I declined, and decided to go to bed when they left.
"Several hours after I had retired for the night, I was awakened by my legs being shaken by someone.
"When I awoke, I looked, and there staring at me was about a 2-foot alligator sitting on my chest and looking in my eyes!"
(To say Tony was not amused would be an understatement.)
The hard way
"I was out on the Caribbean somewhere on the Carnival Valor," says Keith Horcasitas, of Baton Rouge.
"As many of us were dancing to a great New Orleans hometown tune heading down the Mississippi River, a little girl on board was heard singing her own version of the Ike & Tina Turner's 'Proud Mary:'
"'Rowing, rowing, rowing on the river!'"
Storing knowledge
"I was at a friend's house on the New Orleans Mardi Gras parade route," says Mr. G.
"I was to hold the ladder steady for her young son to watch the parade when he asked me why I was so fat (which I was).
"I said this was because I knew so much my brain couldn't hold all the knowledge, so I stored much of it in my stomach.
"Some 50 years later, I am now 85 pounds lighter, but I am not nearly so smart."
Special People Dept.
Gerard Shaw and Mary Rose Lovoi Shaw, of Mandeville, celebrate 64 years of marriage Tuesday, May 14. They are both from New Orleans' Irish Channel, graduated from Redemptorist High School, and were married at St. Alphonsus Church. (That should ring a lot of bells in that part of the city.)
Sarcastic mom
Our stories about strong women drew this comment from an anonymous reader:
"My mom was a strong woman with a sense of humor.
"I once accused her of not having a sense of humor.
"She came back with, 'Yes I do; I kept you.'
"I was six weeks premature, and when they could finally bring me home I was colicky and didn't sleep more than 45 minutes at a stretch until I was six months old.
"When she told me, I asked her, 'How did I end up with a younger sister and brothers?'
"She said, 'Your father and I didn't think it could get any worse.' She was right."