The Voice of Southwest Louisiana April 2017 Issue

My Senior Moment 2.0
Pat and Bonnie
By Joyce R. Kebodeaux
Landreneau
Not like the typical
retirees of yesterday.
Upon meeting Pat and
Bonnie Landreneau you’d
wonder why I am writing
about them in a senior article. For
sure they are not like the typical
retirees of yesterday. Bonnie still
enjoys going to work every day
and Pat says he doesn’t work. Pat
claims that he does a lot of things
that interest him. It is kind of like
a hobby “ These are like projects
which interest me and give me a
sense of accomplishment and selfsatisfaction,
so therefore it can’t be
called work,” he told me.
I asked Pat about his family. “Bonnie
is in Ashville, North Carolina for the
week, visiting one of our two sons
and his family: playing with the
grandchildren,” he laughed. “Our
other son lives in Lake Charles, not
far from us. He is the computer
nerd and does all of my online work
for my 3 businesses. We moved to
Lake Charles several years ago. This,”
He points to the house, “was our
home when we all lived in here in
Jennings. Now everyone calls this
place, which was my old outdoor
kitchen, my laboratory.”
I had arrived early and Pat was
busy with other people so he
invited me into the other part
of his domain. Inside this side of
Pat’s laboratory/ man-cave, I saw
evidence that he probably stays
busier than most folks who say
they work. Much of the things
I saw in there remain a mystery
to me. Most of the hand crafted
items had something to do with
hunting, fishing and the outdoors,
like calls, scents and attractants for
all sorts of wild game.
There were green t-shirts sporting
the name “Slick” in white letters.
A sign read,”Cajun Slick Wildlife
Products, certified Louisiana
Products, sold here.”This turned
out to be the name of one of Pat’s
businesses. He must have at least
six different projects going here, I
thought, and all at the same time.
The products in this room I believe
are for hunting. Six feet of wall
space, ceiling to floor, is dedicated
to calls.” Mallard Master, finest hand
made duck calls available” one
package read. Chien-Caille, Duck
Call was on another and on one Pin
Tail Whistle. There is even a CD to
learn to call wild game.
Then there was the card that read
“Pig Squealer” describing feral
pigs squealing when hit by an
arrow or caught in a fence. Other
pigs come to investigate when
they hear the caller, Pig Squealer.
“The Boss Hog Call, lower in pitch,
“one read. It was fascinating to
see his display which included
lanyards, Deer Jambalaya and
cases of local raw honey canning
jars in stacks against the wall.
There were different scents to
mask the human scent when
hunting. Musky Woods Cover
Scent, Boar Urine and Poison Ivy
Soap, unscented insect repellent;
too many other products to name.
Among so many Unknowns in this
room were the two canning jars of
brown sealed liquid that was still
warm when I touched them. What
is he doing here/and what is this?
I wondered. It turns out Pat ships
honey to wholesalers for a friend
who has bee hives. Boy I sure felt
silly when I realized that dangerous
warm stuff was only good old local
raw Louisiana Honey.
Pat Landreneau has always wanted
to help others and he was able to
realize his dream by becoming a
pharmacist. He graduated from
Northeast Louisiana University in
1968. While attending college in
Monroe he met the love of his life,
Bonnie Barron, also a student. They
married the year he graduated.
They moved to Jennings in 1969.
He was the pharmacist in the
Gibson Store until 1975. They
purchased a building and opened
the 13 th of 33 Louisiana’s Thrifty Way
Pharmacies. Bonnie became the
office manager. Their friends from
Pat’s graduating opened many of
the other Thrifty Ways.
It was in1985 that Pat began feeling
like he needed to implement
preventive health care which
would assist in maintaining health
and boost his energy level. He
investigated the Shaklee Nutrition
Research Company which made
an impression on him. He began
using the multivitamin and mineral
formula and in seven days he felt
more energetic with increased
mental alertness. With renewed
mental clarity and his allergies less
severe he was feeling so much
better, Bonnie decided to try the
product. It took a bit longer for her
to realize the benefits but she too
became convinced. Their boys, both
pre-teen, began and grew up on
Shaklee’s Healthy Kids Program.
Pat has a wealth of information
about the human body and
nutrition and enjoys introducing
everyone to Shaklee and its
benefits. He and Bonnie are active
in the community. They walk
together five days a week and are
living life to the fullest. In 2016
they hiked the Grand Canyon. They
also participate in several annual
nationwide hiking excursions.
For more information about
Shaklee Products and preventive
health care call Pat Landreneau
at 337-230-3598 or log on to
www.patsnc.myshaklee.com
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April 2017 WWW.THEVOICEOFSOUTHWESTLA.COM Volume 4 • Number 7