June 18, 1999

In McDonald’s I bumped into Mrs. Connie Fabre Guidroz. She said her mother loves to read my column about people she remembered years ago. I suppose most people like to reminisce, especially about their old acquaintances.

Working in Cannata’s Deli in Bayou Vista is another lady, Isorge Perera. She always tells me she loves my articles and we always talk and laugh and we enjoy our conversations immensely. She is a jovial person, always smiling. She talks to me in Spanish and I answer her in Italian. We get along exactly like the “Odd Couple.”

When I was in Jerusalem, I met an old man in the Shouk who came to me with his hat in his hand. He said something to me that I did not understand. I knew he was not Arabic, Italian, French, German or Spanish because I can handle all those languages. Anyway, I put an American dollar in his hat. He was not satisfied; he shook his head with the “no” sign. Then I remembered that I had a couple of old food stamps in my wallet. I gave him the food stamps and he still didn’t look too pleased. So my wife, Ruth, looked in her purse and found about five coupons from Cannata’s Food Store for 50 cents off on Tide detergent. I gave these to him and he grinned and bowed, and bowed some more and then finally left. His actions puzzled me because he will have a hard time trying to find Cannata’s Food Store in Jerusalem!

Monica Smith, manager of the restaurant at the Holiday Inn, told me how much she enjoyed one of my articles in “Recollections” about what I said about Christmas – how I used to light two candles on the mantelpiece, have a roaring fire in the fireplace and roasting chestnuts and marshmallows, and my two dogs, Badonni and Gileeda, sleeping by the fire. She said it brought back a lot of memories of her young days. I met Mr. and Mrs. Marvin Hardee at Cannata’s Supermarket in Bayou Vista. Virginia Hardee told me how much she enjoys my column “Recollections.” She said they are so comical and witty – and true to life. She told me that she looks forward to the Friday edition of The Daily Review to read my column.

* My wife just took her shopping cart in for a 1,000 mile check-up!

* Every time my wife has an accident in the kitchen, I get it for dinner.

* I went out with a girl who had so much bridge work that every time I kissed her, I had to pay a toll!

* The End *