My grandfather's name is Armand P. (the "P" stands for Pierre) Moliere', and he is 66 years old. He was born in a tiny bayou community in southern Louisiana. He was the youngest of 13 children, and he was also born the "runt" of the litter (as he says).
Grandpere' Armand was born in Bayou Cane, which is a little-bitty town near the city of Houma, Louisiana.
Armand, or as we kids call him, "grandpere'", is a rather short man, being under 5'5" tall, and he weighs around 175-180 pounds. He has thick salt-and-pepper hair that falls to his shoulders (it IS rather thin on top, though), dark, sparkling eyes, deep dimples in his fat cheeks, a round belly, and a double chin. Deep wrinkles outline his eyes, and he walks with a rather pronounced limp (arthritis, plus he has a lot of problems with corns on his feet). He uses a cane sometimes, but not always. He also has a rather thick French accent, and his English isn't that good (but it IS getting better).
He was born a Cajun, and he is definitely proud of his Cajun French heritage. This is evident when he cooks (he loves to cook!), and he also loves to play the fiddle or the Cajun accordion. He also loves to sing; his favorite Cajun singers are Belton Richard, Jimmy C. Newman, and Walter Mouton. He also loves bluegrass and traditional country music. (He can't stand rock or rap music; it drives him nuts whenever he hears it. He is always yelling at the grandkids to turn the music down--or off.) Before he hurt his foot last year (he broke it after he dropped a bowling ball on it!!), he was active, and he loved to go dancing. Every time we'd go to Louisiana (we have a lot of relatives there), he woud, more than likely, be found at places like Mulate's or La Poussiere in Breaux Bridge, Louisiana, dancing to the Cajun music.
Then his heart started giving him problems, and he had to take it easy. Just a few months ago he had open heart surgery, and he is feeling much better; but he has to watch his weight, cholesterol, and blood pressure; and he has to watch what he eats. Before he had the surgery on his heart he was having frequent dizzy spells and chest pains, and he often had trouble with his breathing; but since he's had the surgery he hasn't had any episodes of breathing problems or chest pains, and he hasn't had any dizzy spells either. (Grandpere' Armand has always had heart problems. He's already had three major heart attacks, and he's also had numerous angina attacks; but he then had the open heart surgery, and he now feels better than he ever has.)
And now he has the arthritis and the foot problems; so he doesn't get around as easily as he used to.
Despite the problems his body is giving him at the present time, grandpere' Armand is a very happy person. He loves his wife, Therese, and he loves his five daughters and his many grandchildren (and now has six great grandkids--two girls and two boys). He is always spoiling his grandkids and great grandkids, and he loves spending as much time with them as humanly possible.
But despite his jovial nature, grandpere' Armand hasn't always had it as good as he has it now. First of all, his wife, Claudia (maman's biological mother, my grandmother), died of terminal brain cancer three months after being diagnosed with it, and he then lost his three grandkids (maman's kids). He then lost his oldest daughter (Georgia, maman's oldest sister) and her family when they died in a plane crash while they were on vacation in Maine. He then lost several of his brothers and sisters, including one that had been struck by lightning while on a golf outing. Then, if that weren't enough, he lost his best friend.
Of course, grandpere' Armand grew despondant, and he didn't care about anything. His health went bad, and he nearly committed suicide more than once after his wife had died. (He and Claudia were married for over 30 years.) But then Therese entered his life, and she was the one who convinced him to go to counseling, which helped wonders. Not only did his attitude turn around: his health did, too (although he still had heart problems from time to time). It was after he got better when Therese and Armand were married as man and wife.
He was certainly lucky in that aspect: he had two women who loved him; most people are lucky if they even get ONE person in their lives.
It wasn't long before Therese became the apple of our eyes. She was like grandmere' Claudie in a lot of ways, but she was also more modern, as she was into health and wellness, and she exercised regularly. She was a little shorter than he was, but she was thinner--that was until about a year ago when she fell several times and started having pains in her joints. She now has full-blown arthritis and now gets around on crutches because her knees are so bad. She can't exercise like she used to, and it frustrates her to no end. She was rather joyful in nature, but now she's turned into something of a grouch. (I can't say I blame her! If I were hurting, I'd be something of a grouch, too!!)
Some of grandpere' 's interests include playing music on his fiddle or Cajun accordion, singing, going to concerts, taking pictures, playing with his grandkids and great grandkids, reading, writing in his journal, hunting, fishing, home repair (he can fix absolutely ANYTHING!!), bowling, watching fishing or hunting shows on tv, and going to the local McDonald's, where he gathers with friends and talks for several hours. (He does this at least 3 times a week, and he really enjoys hanging out with his friends.)
I wish kids had a grandfather like mine. Grandpere' Armand is funny, and he loves to make other people laugh with his jokes. He also loves to entertain the younger kids by taking out his teeth. For some reason this always cracks up the littler kids, as he looks like a pumpkin!! He is also very giving in nature, and he is always getting us something from the store when he goes out. He doesn't have to do this, but he does because he loves us so much. He also enjoys going to church with the family every Sunday, and he makes a dandy babysitter!!!
(By the way: his brothers and sisters were named:Anthony, Alcilde, Augustus, Jr., Alvin, Arthur, Alida, Archie, Achilles, Amite, Aloysius, Andre',and Boulon. Alida, Amite, and Alcilde were the girls.[This is a custom common in a lot of Cajun families--the parents will often name their kids with names starting with the same letter. In grandpere' Armand's case, the letter was "A".])
Let this coming of age story of a boy named Bean take you back to a simple time. Set in a small southern town in the 1960's, encircled by a river and gleaming white cotton fields.
It's almost Christmas. Lynn Basil is writing her last book about a secret entrance into the magical doll land of Sha Bebe that she loves so much. Bagannos have taken over the world! Lynn finally meets her dolls in real life. Can she write in a Secret
Let this coming of age story of a boy named Bean take you back to a simple time. Set in a small southern town in the 1960's, encircled by a river and gleaming white cotton fields.
