My Friends duster39 has 2 friends. View all of duster39's friends. Ari

hanging in there Posted 12/11/2006 7:50:37 AM Hi folks, Nothing really new to say. We are still open, I had to let everyone go. The father in law fell down the day before yesterday and broke his leg, he had surgery yesterday and they put in some plates to hold his leg together. The store is hanging in there. It won't be long and I will have to close. On the brighter side Chrismas is coming not that is is very cheerfull and full of happyness this year but It is for someone out there. I did manage to thwart a plot against the United States. I can't really give any details but it was interesting and gave me the sence of doing something good for the holidays. Like I had said I can't afford much. But at least I could help give alot of people some peace. I had a couple of people come from half a state away and thank me and that was it, They were probably a couple of flunky's anyway's. They certainly wer'nt very high up on the food chain. One of them compaired it to a casserole. HA HA. Almost insulting. Well I have to go now will wright more later. Happy Holidays. Duane (1) Comments

The saga continues Posted 11/17/2006 8:37:26 AM Hi folks, Well we are still open I manage to get the electric paid. I wrote the check hopeing it would clear. It did, I guess I hope this helps someone else by reading this that is down and out. I have many life exsperences. But just can't seem to get anywhere. I have done the most dangerous job in the world. ( Worked the flight deck of naval carriers 8years) had a sister servive in the freezing waters off the coast of Washington, 10 hours swimming. ( Boat Sank). My best friend at age 46 has cancer, been to just about every state and country. Worked for Northrup Grummon Arospace. I am also self taught in the arts, Drawing, Painting, in many differnt mediums including airbrushing. I have done work as a sketch artist for the FBI. I have mechanical engineering background, Welding and metalergy background. I look back and maybe it was'nt my destiny to mmake a decent living. It must be awlful hard and depressing to alot of folks that have no talents to figure out what road to travel. Sometimes I ramble on to think and put everything into perspective. Now I find myself running this small store. Where the people are good. But being good dos'nt seem to get you anywhere. other than well liked and have great stories to tell. I'm working on a new chapter in my life, due to national security I can't talk about it, Maybe one of these days I can share the wildest story you will ever read. Thanks For the comments and may your holidays be the best, PS: If you could share this story that woud be great. Duane (2) Comments

Was it worth it????? Yes Posted 10/24/2006 9:04:08 PM Hi folks, Let me start by telling everyone how my story got started. First I'm married with one child. I was born and raised in Bemidji, MN. Way up north where we all talk funny. My father was a police officer in town and I was 16. He had a massive heart attack at age 49. Soon as I turned 18 I went in the US Navy. Where I did great. I met this wonderful lady and we were married on Halloween. (We dint realize that it was Halloween due to me being out to sea) I just tell everyone it's the only time you can marry a witch LOL Just kidding I love her to death. After 8 years in the Navy we moved back to Bemidji, MN and I took any work I could find. I even crossed a picket line once. I have always worked hard for I was for many years a high school dropout. I later got my diploma. From Lakewood, NJ. I worked several jobs at once so my wife could stay home and raise our daughter, No we dint have much but we always seem to make it. I had to save up for school clothes every year, I was determined that our daughter was going to have it better than us. Up here in the North Country we seem to be an awful proud lot. Well back to my story. I held many jobs, installing cable TV in -40F temp. Then I went on to installing signs, Then I was a Schwas Ice Cream Route salesman, For which I hold the corporation sales record, I think it still stands to this day 16 years later. Worked for a metal fabrication CO. then my big break was to go to work for Potlach Corp. which around our area that was the best job you could hope for. It didn’t take long less than a year and I was making good money 21.00 Hr, only having to work 16 days a month and making 50.000 a year. We finally bought a house nothing fancy 1000 sq. ft. but it was ours. I could afford a new car (mustang GT) a nice boat. My daughter could go to school with nice clothes. And when my daughter turned 16 I bought her a 95 mustang. She was a good kid with a big heart. Her problem was for years she is what you would call plump. And she was always being teased and left out. I guess I didn’t see the signs starring out at me. She had gotten in to the wrong crowd and was what I would call used for her car. And her wanting to fit in with something and she started doing drugs at first it started with a joint once and awhile until she was heavy into Meth. By the time I seen the signs she was a heavy user, She would not listen to anyone or anything. Then we were at our wits end I decided that the only way to save her was to move her away from the elements. I scraped up enough money to buy a small store that was going under 120 Miles away. It was a fight and I wasn't sure if I was doing the right thing or not. I put my notice in after 13 years at Potlatch. And a comfortable living for the unknown. By the time I paid off the house and some other bills I was broke in this small town in North Dakota. Well the local bank set up a 10.000-dollar line of credit, if you know anything about retail and groceries that don't buy you much. So we moved dragging our daughter along kicking and screaming. We were only here two months and she had gone back to here so called friends in Bemidji. This was probably one of the hardest times on us, we never heard from her for three months. Then finally we received a call, It was our daughter she was living on the street and wanted to come home. But she wanted her boyfriend to come with, which he had an arrest warrant out on him for sexual assault. It was then we had to make the decision in which our reply was you are welcome. He was not. And if you want to change. If not then stay there. I hope no other parent has to make the decision. Now you have to remember during the time that she was gone It wasn’t easy for us we had already went for six months in the apartment above the store without a stove or a frige because we could not afford them. We were just scraping by. But she showed up the day before thanksgiving. She was trying real hard then the next month two days after Christmas my wife’s mother passed away. Then it was another month went and our daughter decided to inform us that she was pregnant. Now by this time our perfect little world had been shattered, Remember the wife and I are trying to run this small store in which I had added a Sub shop too, draw in more customers. We are run just ragged we hadn’t had a day off for over 8 months at this point and working 16-hour day’s 7 days a week. Back to my story. My daughter was due in April and this was Jan. She had gotten pregnant before running back to Bemidji. Well of course her first thought was She didn’t want it and wanted to have an abortion. But since the first option was out of the question she thought a bought giving it up for adoption. MMmmmm. Well as a concerned parent Our response was If she made the bed now sleep in it or we would adopt the child ourselves but there came a stipulation with that and that was she my daughter would be disowned from our family. MMmmm She didn’t like that one either. As I mentioned earlier that my daughter has a heart of gold and her family means everything to her. But the uses of drugs by our country’s youths cloud their thought. Anyway she had a wonderful baby girl and named it Jadia-Jo Jean Lundin. Now everything has turned out for her she had a tough road to haul. She went on and graduated High School with baby in toe and works at the store full time and attends College full time. She has turned her life around completely. She is an absolutely wonderful mother. Now on the other hand the store we have put everything we had into isn’t doing so well sale are down. The big box stores I can’t compete with their prices is running us out. The town we are in has 600 people and I can't carry everything but then we are supporting allot for our daughter and our granddaughter, her car, food, diapers, toys Just a bought everything but sometimes I think its well worth it. It’s been two and a half years now and we have had one day off. My wife’s dad isn’t doing to well know I have been trying to run the store myself with my daughter’s help. It almost feels as if the walls are closing in, creditors are calling, The checks are bouncing. Up here you still run a business on trust yes this is your small town store where we still charge to you even without knowing you. I guess I always knew that there would be a time where nobody would pay their bill in a timely fashion and it would all end. I probably won't be open by the end of the week. I have made arrangements for my wife to live at my daughters, Ironic isn’t it and I will get my cardboard box and live on the sidewalk outside the store. Until it gets below zero. Because the bank will have possession. Shortly. People ask has it been worth it and the answer is absolutely. Take care and god bless. Duane (1) Comments

Save the store Posted 7/29/2006 11:07:21 AM If you are from a small town or live in a small town then try to support your local bussinesses. Because without them you won't have a town for very long. No added income to the tax base so your taxes will have to go up so it directly effects you, so the next time you drive 30 miles to save a dime, Don't think of just the gas but also the health and well being of the quality of life a small town has to offer. If not, everyone should just move to the big cities and we can all fight with the traffic jams and road rage. The bigger companies are getting rich off of small bussinesses. They tend to charge them more than the guy that can order truckloads. so the small guy has the charge more or most of the time take a smaller percent. Next time you see a price of something that you think is overpriced, don't complain to the little guy blame it on the big companies. Thank you (0) Comments

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General Comments fusionstar Posted 1/4/2007 1:40:22 PM hello! Ari Posted 11/24/2006 9:27:18 PM Hope your Thanksgiving was a good one. Have a great weekend! Ari Posted 11/17/2006 8:59:11 AM Hello! Thanks for the friend request. Have a beautiful weekend! Please login to post a comment.