ANNA MONICA

Celebrating a very special birthday PHOTO: Relatives celebrating the 75th birthday of Betty Scioneaux, front, are, from left, Carroll LeBlanc, Adeline Scioneaux, Janel Villerette, Karen LeBlanc and Bird LeBlanc. As they pinned a corsage on her they asked “How do you like your flowers, Mama.” “I don’t know, she replied, I didn’t see it yet.” Which brought more smiles to the faces of the family of Betty Scioneaux who had gathered to celebrate her 75th birthday at the American Legion home in Reserve recently. Scioneaux told it like it was, because she probably couldn’t really see it until she took it off later. It was lovely. It was daughter, Adeline Scioneaux, who invited me to the celebration. It was evident they were proud of their mom. “They” were Adeline, Janel Villerette, married to Al and they have two children, Donnie Donnelly and Jared Villerette; Karen LeBlanc of Paulina, married to Lee and their children are Coy, Curry and Ciji; and son Perry who with the former Kim Trosclair of Garyville, are the parents of Meghan and P. J. Betty and her late husband, Edwin, were both Reserve natives and raised their children there. Recovering from double knee surgery didn’t keep Scioneaux from enjoying her birthday party and she really perks up when talking with pride about her life as a housewife and raising her children. A no-nonsense person, she readily admits besides her family, great loves in her life include her plants, Tweety the bird, Sassy the cat, Goldie the dog and a fish whose name I can’t remember. All these things keep her interested in life. It was a pleasure to once again experience the culinary skills of Al Villerette. I had interviewed him once for a cooking feature and of course he is still the man of the hour when it comes to cooking for family. There were plenty of desserts, too, and quite a variety of friends and relatives. Among the relatives were brothers, Albert LeBlanc, Robert Jr., Carroll and sisters Frieda Rizutto and Bird LeBlanc, about 33 nieces and nephews and a host of cousins and friends. For the birthday lady, too, it was a time for reminiscing with an old friend like Rose Berthelot, wife of the late Dalton Berthelot. They have been friends since childhood and their dedication to and fondness of each other after all these years is still evident. They just wouldn’t dream of not being there for each other. Balloons were all around and the hall was really looking festive. Presents galore lined the floor. It is always such a pleasure to be around people from Reserve. For as long as I remember, they just don’t change a whole lot and, personally, they make me feel good by just remembering me through the years. They are just that way n people who refuse to yield totally to changes but attempt to maintain a way of life that has always served them well. For me, it’s like going back in time and that is a warm feeling we all need much of the time. ANNA MONICA, a resident of Garyville, writes this column regularly for L’Observateur.