Remember when Mutt LeBlanc worked for Richard Loeb’s Clothing Store? Richard told Mutt that if someone bought $20 worth of goods on credit that he was to charge only $10 in case they didn’t pay. That way the store lost only $10. Also, he told Mutt not to sell suitcases to strangers on credit because they would pack their new suitcases and leave town.
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Remember Lenny Gray? Lenny used to walk to work every morning and walk home at night. At lunch hour, his press never stopped. He would be eating a sandwich half full of ink in one hand and with the other hand he would be printing his papers, with his foot on the pedal in perpetual motion. If you should go to see him, he would continue his printing while he was talking to you. Lenny also would walk all over Berwick and Morgan City to tack up death notices that he had printed. Talk about loving his work!
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Remember during the good old movie theatre-going days, there was always a movie star that was your idol – and you tried to act like them. Well, mine was John Barrymore. He wore pirate shirts. I wore them too. He wore wide-bottom pants legs. So did I. He also had his hair combed straight back that waved in the wind. Naturally, I let my hair get long. But when he played in the movie “Moby Dick” where he had a wooden peg leg, that’s where I drew the line.
Additionally, my favorite comedian was Harold Lloyd; my idol western star was Hoot Gibson.
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Like I have said before, there are some wise and proven tips for those people becoming of age. Here are some of them:
Stay out of that rocking chair and recliner.
Throw away that tube of liniment.
Get on the walking trail, walk 2 miles every day.
Stay active. Take part in a lot of functions. Go out with your family at least once a week to a good eating place and relax, laugh, enjoy life, because if you don’t you will soon be a forgotten somebody.
And another thing, don’t complain to anybody about your aches and pains and problems. We all have our own share of these.
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Remember Noo-Noo Adams? His daddy used to be the railroad bridge tender. As kids, we used to have a lot of fun together. Under the bridge, Noo-Noo and I used to get a piece of twine and a piece of meat and tie it on the end of the string. We would then drop the piece of meat into the water for about 15 seconds and then slowly pull it up with a large net underneath. There would always be at least six large Blue Claw Crabs on the string.
We went around town with a little wagon in order to try to sell the crabs for 10 cents a dozen. Nobody wanted them! Crabs were so plentiful everywhere. Well, you know in those days there were more crabs than people; today, because of their scarcity, there are more people than crabs.
Noo-Noo Adams was a good man – honest as the day is long. He would do anything in the world for you. He has a son, Digby, who is just like him. He has a “heart of gold.” He supplies me with spices and condiments the year long.
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Did you know that George Kruck can make the best split-pea soup of anyone around here? Every time he makes some, he calls me up and before I know it, he is there with a pot full. George said to me the other day: “Nina, the next time it gets cold, I’m going to bring you a pot of soup.” This conversation was in January. I’m still waiting for George!
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