I saw in the paper this morning that our down the street neighbor , Ronnie Lefrenier, passed away last Friday. We’d seen a bunch of cars at his house on Sunday .Ronnie had been living with Parkinson’s disease for many years.. He’d always wave as we ran past his house or he drove past our house. He farmed about a mile down Duxbury rd.. in fact his house and barn are the mile turn around for my old road run.. He milked, made syrup and had a few turkeys and beef cattle. We’d buy hay and manure from him from time to time.. Most of our conversations were short.. but he was always funny and freindly… and he always waved.  I can only guess how many times I’d run down by his house in the past 27 years. He’d be sitting on his porch waving.. and his dogs Nosy and Niky would run out to me. I always remember the big lilacs in his front yard. Ronnie’s wife Charlene once gave me a big armload of those lilacs to give to Diane when we were expecting Max… Charlene passed away in 1998… They were both really nice people…

I went to the visiting hours at Giffords on my way home today..I wanted to wave at Ronnie one more time,  The place was absolutely packed. .. I’d never seen it more full. I was waiting in line when I realized that the last time I was in Giffords was when Diane and I were making arraignments for Sam’s Memorial here at the house… I had to stop and take that in … Tonight there were pictures laid out all over the small waiting room which we could look at while as the line slowly moved along. I was there for more than an hour….before I had a chance to talk to the family and pay my respects. I loved looking at the old pictures.. Here are a few of them I saw.. Here’s Ronnie as he always looked…

Here he is recently sitting on the rock behind his house out on the Winooski…

I found this picture of Ronnie and Charlene.. It was good seeing her picture too. I remember when they got the dogs.. Charlene was pretty ill by that time and they got the dogs as companions for her. These dogs always ran out to great me.. I saw in Ronnie’s Obit that they must have also died recently.. I’ll miss them too.

I also saw this article abotu a bad chainsaw accident that Ronnie had when he was younger.. I’d never heard about it.. but it must have come out all right.. he had full use of his hands as far as I ever knew

I finally got up to the family… and Ronnie and paid my respects.. One last time I gave him the same small wave that we’d traded over the bast 26 years. He looked like he was at peace.. I talked a bit to the family then headed out.. I was glad to have gone there tonight.. Rest in peace Ronnie.

That’s all for tonight..   Good night folks. Goodnight Sam
-me