My friends husband….

Passed away at home peacefully last Saturday. Today was the visitation and funeral. I can’t imagine, not even one little bit, how being together for 1/2 a life time and now being alone the last 1/2. Sue is the most wonderfullest person. She has been so strong through all of this. Mike passed away with her right beside him. They were able to talk on Monday about what he wanted and what he thought she should do and how to take care of this and that and when it’s time she can’t what he thought she might like. I feel so sad for her. I went to the visitation for a bit and talked to the sisters and brothers. I have known this family since I was a wee one. One of the daughters loved my daddy and spent lots and lots of time at our place and my mama was her mama’s best friend. I was driving truck and in NY when her mama passed away. My mama asked me to come home, I was there in less than a day. I didn’t know Mike that well, he’s 12 years older than I am….but only 12 years older than I am. WOW!!! Way to young to pass away. Cancer is such a terrible thing.

His obit….

Michael Vernon Roring, 63, Aitkin, passed away at his home on Saturday, June 22, 2013, after a courageous battle with cancer. His last week was spent with his family and friends by his side.

He was born April 16, 1950, in Crosby, the son of Herbert and Eileen (Klatt) Roring. He graduated from the Aitkin High School in 1968. He married Susan Ford June 20, 1970, at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Deerwood. They were blessed with a son, Shannon Michael. Mike worked for the Pittsburg-Pacific Mine in Crosby shortly after graduation until its closing. Mike had many jobs as a heavy equipment operator. In the ’80s along with Bill Cook they started B&H Gun Supplies. Later it was bought out by Hoss and became Hoss’s Gun Shop. He enjoyed hunting, fishing, NASCAR/Drag Racing, and hanging out with friends. In his earlier years he participated in demolition derbies, snowmobile racing, pulling on tug-o-war teams and trap shooting.

He is survived by his wife, Susan; son, Sam (Vicki); and granddaughter, Candace (Roy); two great-grandchildren, Colten and Camden; brothers, Jerry, David (Tracey) and Alan (Janelle); sister, Dona (Jim) Svoboda and many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents and sister, Sandra.

A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday, June 27, from the Sorensen-Root-Thompson Funeral Home with the Rev. Ron Tibbetts officiating. A visitation will be held from 9:30 a.m. until the 11 a.m. services at the funeral home.

Please pray for Sue and the family for peace in this very hard time of life.

Life and more….

Mike and I went for a drive the other day and went past the first house Jim and I bought when we first got married. We were not the wisest buyers but I loved the rock fireplace and Jim loved the concrete floor in the barn. They told us it was farm land and we bought it in December with at least 4’ of snow and everything and believed them. Farm land for water buffalo maybe. There was a beaver dam on the north side of the neighbors property and it filled up our land, all 28 acres of it to about 5-6” or so. A couple of years later when the DNR blew the dam you should of smelt the stink from the dead stuff. We stayed there for 3 years until we sold it to go drive semi truck.

For two weekends Mike came home with steak. He wanted it and grilled it and fixed us Sunday dinner before he’d head back to his home. Jim refuses to quit any project he’s working on to come in and eat. I know, it bothered me for years, now 33 years later I gave up. We just eat where ever he’s working.

Speaking of working on….here’s the next set of pictures for our camper…

It’s a 1968 Frolic. We are going to be repainting her and I’m going to remove the lettering here and hand paint it. There’s one emblem on the front too.

The stuff that has come out so far. Work in progress.

New potty (really old potty just from the tenting camping to here. Need a new roof vent and some trim. It’s not water spots you see, it’s the grain in the wood (well except for around the vent).

 

We taillights, new bumper with jacks, new door handle.

 

Working on figuring out how to build new covers for the holding generator, a/c and ….crap can’t remember what else.

New seats boxes, new cabinets and a/c.

New sink, counter top, bed.

Now let me explain something. I am a camper, I love my tenting, hiking, outdoors and such. Jim is a camper with the comforts of home. I am not complaining one little bit. If I can go camping, I will take it anyway possible. And if a/c, hot coffee and a big bed does it, I’m game!

 

Summer is here. The turtles are laying their eggs and by the 4th I’m hoping to catch them hatching. Monster Bobby is just lazing around anywhere he can find cool ground.

The kids are in the pool and the sunsets are gorgeous.

Wilbur has picked a kitten from my parents he wants to call his own. He loves this one, cleans this one and tries to carry it around. If I didn’t already have Monster Bobby I’d let him have one of his very own.

 

And we have 3 new baby chicks. One mama has one and this one has two and is working on at least one more. And now I have a black mama wanting to set so that will mean another couple to add to the brood.

It’s a good thing too because this is my oldest rooster. He’s at least 15 and my most favorite. He eats from my hand and follows me everywhere and he’s dying. Right now I’m letting him live up at the house. I feed him bread whenever he’s on the porch and he’s got food and water under the porch. It will be a sad day when he dies but it’s the way it goes.

Almost every night we go for a cart ride. When the dogs hear the garage door shutting they know it’s time to go and they are such a pain in the butt. They bark, jump and just become nuts but are ready for to come in and go to bed after their ride. We go around the lake and check cabins and homes. Take in garage cans and check buildings so it’s a bit of a fun ride but also some work. It’s summer, that’s just what we do. While out and about we also picked some irises from my grandma’s old place. The vase I’m using is a creamer that I bought my grandma when I was about 8 and last year she gave it back to me. Gotta use it sometimes.

And last but not least. On Friday the Fed Ex man came to my door. I didn’t order anything but there was this large green box and my heart skipped a beat, I know what’s in there.

 

Mike sent me flowers. They are so beautiful and they smell awesome. Sometimes flowers just don’t have the scent but these do.

So I think your caught up again on what’s happening here. Tomorrow is my cleaning job and than a meeting at the bus garage for my Friday job starting the 12th. I am going to be working with special need children and have some learning to do on how to transport and also different rules and regulations. I have a yard to mow, a carpet to get cleaned here and at my parents home and I promised my grandma to come and help her on Thursday afternoon with some cleaning she can’t do. So it’s never a dull moment here and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Take care my friends.

Mary, Mary……

So Pam has been sharing her garden and though she’s far south from me and her garden is awesome, mine’s getting there. Here take a peek….

 

First I’ve got to show you Jim’s garden. Remember his homemade green house? Well look at his tomatoes now.

  

And my version up at the house. These are cherry tomatoes for the kids to pick while they are outside. Sometimes I will find a letter D on them, that is one of my daycare daddy’s waiting for a certain one to change and that means it’s his.

Now my garden…..

 

My tomatoes. See the itty bitty flowers starting?

 

My peppers. They are really short this year, at least so far but they are budding too.

 

Squash and kohlrabi. I forgot to take a pictures of the cucumbers and pumpkins.

 

Beets and green beans. I plant the green beans by the fence and pine tree so they can climb and the chickens won’t eat them for lunch.

 

Our corn which just isn’t doing great yet. We did fill in the spaces with seed this past weekend so hopefully it looks and produces better. The little line of green onions and more kohlrabi that needs to be thinned.

 

And my rhubarb. Which today I’m going to thin and cut up into either just freezer bags for later on (it’s suppose to get into the 90’s this afternoon and cooking in a house where we don’t turn on the A/C until we are dying is just adding to much heat).

So there, my garden. Looking good. Even the weeds are doing well. I’m not much for weeding, I will pick around the plants when I have to otherwise I just till them every week or so. It works and my garden produces enough for my family, all the daycare families and also friends.

Hope your garden is doing well. Our weather was a month late this year so we are hoping we’ll have a late frost and freeze so everything can grow up and fill up the pantries.

Take care my friends.