“RETIREMENT”
Byline: June Shaw
“What would I do if I retire?” many people approaching retirement age ask.
“You’ve got to be kidding,” two active women in Thibodaux respond. They find countless events to fill their time.
For many years Jeannette Nannie was a Registered Nurse working with dialysis patients. Since she retired, her calendar remains full. Jeannette helped with scouting for over twenty years and now, during Boy Scouts of America’s one hundredth year, she participates in many scouting activities with her grandchildren.
She enjoys weekly exercise classes at the Thibodaux Senior Center and in warm weather, walks and takes part in water aerobics classes. She enjoys dancing and has taken line dance classes at the Civic Center. Jeannette is on a committee that counts money for her church and is also a member of the Thibodaux Playhouse and Lockport’s Bayou Playhouse.
She attends year-round concerts at Nicholls State and takes advantage of many of its Jubilee programs.
Adding even more variety to her days, she is part of a discussion group on banned books at the Thibodaux library and always learns something new at Chef Nino’s monthly classes sponsored by Rouse’s.
Jeannette enjoys tours and short bus trips to a number of locations. For longer trips this year, she will join friends for a visit to Georgia and then cruises in Alaska and the Mediterranean.
She learns about events available from other people, an area AARP group, and local media: The Nicholls Worth, KTIB radio, Gumbo, and The Daily Comet. Although Jeanette loves her travels and activities, her friends, family, and faith always come first.
Another lady who doesn’t stay put for long since she retired is Lois Naquin. Having worked for State Farm for five years and the state at the Driver’s License office for over twenty, Lois loves to dance and cook, often having family members come over to eat. She counts money at her church. Watching movies is a special treat. Every night she views an old TV favorite, Golden Girls. She’s seen them so often, she knows many lines before they’re spoken. She goes to a theater to see every movie that comes out as soon as it is released. Sometimes she’ll see two in a day, and once she watched three.
Lois enjoys casinos. She plays Pokeno and the card games Damit and Liverpool Rummy with different groups every month. She likes trips and going on cruises with friends, and takes enough of a break from other activities to plant tomatoes and bell peppers at home.
Lois takes great pleasure in photography. She snaps pictures of family and friends and vacation trips and dates each one. She then prepares albums for members of her family. Loving the time spent with her children, grandchildren, and great-grandson, she also adores her cats Patches, Nemo, Milo, Precious, Bobby, and Midnight.
With enthusiasm and great attitudes, both Jeannette and Lois search for events in which to participate. Whenever anyone tells them, “Let’s go,” they are ready. Neither could imagine anyone in this area not finding enough things to do to fill spare time in retirement.
Reach June Shaw at www.juneshaw.com or jushaw@bellsouth.net. June retired from teaching in public schools. Now, besides having her own days filled with her terrific family, friends, and faith, she is fulfilling her lifelong dream of becoming a novelist. The first books in her series of highly-praised mysteries with a Cajun flair are RELATIVE DANGER and KILLER COUSIN.
