Lilly

Lilly is my name and I am a female black lab mix with very cute, big ears. I am about 4-6 months old, and from the looks of my feet I will not be a large lab. The ladies say I am ready for some training – I already come when I am called. I am available to adopt right now so please come and see me. I can be found in Pen 23, Docket # 11262, at the St. Joseph County Animal Control Shelter located at 652 E. Main St., Centreville, MI. Animal Control is open Monday – Friday, from 9:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Their phone number is 269-467-6475. Up-Cycled Pets needs reliable foster homes so some pets can leave the shelter and learn more about living in a safe home before adoption. Go to www.upcycledpets.com for more information about how to help this group. Please visit the Animal Rescue Fund website at www.arfund.org to see more adoptable pets. Shelba, the grey kitty and Twilight from last week are still at animal control. Please come in and give them a loving home.

Out and About – Week of March 4th

My wife has always done the grocery shopping for the two of us. Her father did the family grocery shopping when my wife was growing up. He had a method of shopping that worked very well, so my wife’s mother let him do his thing. My wife inherited his grocery shopping traits, such as always making sure you have a backup on your pantry shelf. If you use a can of tomato soup, put that on your grocery list. It worked back in the day and still works today in our household, except when I use the last of the peanut butter and fail to let her know.

As I have mentioned, my wife had surgery back in January, and as a result, I’ve been going with her when she shops for groceries. If you’ve never shopped as a couple, you have no idea what you are missing. Here’s just an example of what I’ve learned. My wife carries a clipboard with a list of the many items you might need. On this list is the aisle number where the item is located. We start at the rear of the store and work our way to the front. I am in charge of the cart, which I will continue to be until the first time I get too close and run into her ankles. I am the one who retrieves items from the top shelf, because I’m taller than she is, and usually the items up there can be heavy. Grape juice and a two-liter bottle of Pepsi are good examples.

I must explain that when we go grocery shopping, we are on a mission. We greet friends, but if I start a lengthy conversation, I’m reminded that the ice cream will melt if we don’t scurry along. It’s only after we get home that I discover that we never bought any ice cream. At the checkout line, I place the items on the conveyor, then stand by and place the full bags into the grocery cart. We then proceed to the car, I let my wife into the car, and then I load the groceries. I have experience loading the cargo pit of an airplane. I can surely place groceries in the car. At home, I carry the groceries inside, and my task is finished. My wife puts everything away. I used to help with that until the second time she had to remind me that a quart of milk will freeze if you put it in the freezer. Anyway, shopping for groceries together can be a lot of fun. I’ll probably never get to know what it’s like to go by myself.

Dining out is one of my favorite things to do. I enjoy seafood, especially salmon. I enjoy the taste, plus I know that it’s good for me. If you are also a salmon lover, you’ll want to mark your kitchen calendar for Saturday, March 23. This is when Eagles Lodge 2303 will host an evening of dining and fun. On the menu are salmon patties, fried potatoes, plus a vegetable. All of this for $9. Dinner service begins at 5PM. While there, play DEAL/EAGLE/DEAL. The entry fee is only $5. In order to win, you must be there. The Eagle Lodge is located on East Hoffman Street, where Hoffman meets M-60, in Three Rivers. The public is welcome and encouraged to attend.

I’ve been told that spring is just around the corner. This means that Easter will soon be here. We are now observing Lent. In celebration of Lent, the First United Methodist Church of Three Rivers is hosting their annual Lenten Soup Suppers every Wednesday through March 26. The suppers are followed by a video series entitled “Wrestling With Angels”. Pastor Rob Nystrom will host the series. The soup suppers begin at 5:30PM, followed by the video series.

My buddy, Vic called me last week. He thought I’d like to know that a dime has 118 ridges around its edge and that our cat has 32 muscles in each ear. I sleep better knowing those things.

See you Out and About!

Submitted by Norm Stutesman

Twilight

Hi, my name is Twilight and I am a male tiger about 10 months old. I have a little motor and I like to snuggle and purr; all you need to get me started is simply rub my fur. The ladies say I am a very sweet boy. I am available to adopt right now so please come and see me. I can be found in Pen 7, Docket # 11217, at the St. Joseph County Animal Control Shelter located at 652 E. Main St., Centreville, MI. Animal Control is open Monday – Friday, from 9:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Their phone number is 269-467-6475. Up-Cycled Pets needs reliable foster homes so some pets can leave the shelter and learn more about living in a safe home before adoption. Go to www.upcycledpets.com for more information about how to help this group. Please visit the Animal Rescue Fund website at www.arfund.org to see more adoptable pets. Last week’s Pet of the Week has been adopted but Shelba, the grey kitty from is still at animal control and still hopes to find a family to love her. Animal Rescue Fund of St. Joseph County (ARF) has a small number of volunteers who donate their time to transport pets to local veterinary clinics for the purpose of spay and neutering. Low-income residents, elderly residents and those without transportation need assistance in spay and neuter of their pets, but do not have reliable transportation.
ARF is in need of a van in good working condition for transport of needy cats and dogs. If you would like to make a tax-deductible van donation, please call ARF at (269) 718-3826.
Visit arfund.org and find ARF on Facebook.

Out and About – Week of February 25th

We recently attended the Lions of Michigan Forum in Lansing. It’s an annual gathering of Lions from all over the state of Michigan. It runs from Friday evening through about mid-afternoon on Saturday. The Forum consists of about a dozen breakout sessions, from which we may choose to attend. A very educational day or so, plus we have the opportunity to visit with other Lions from the many clubs and districts throughout the state.

The Saturday luncheon includes a nice lunch plus entertainment. This year’s entertainment consisted of a group of junior college students who dazzled us with their singing and dancing. They entertained us for about forty-five minutes, and we were all greatly appreciative of their being there. We all gave them a warm round of applause, which included a standing ovation. This is what led me to wonder about this method of showing appreciation.

I’m beginning to think that a standing ovation has become more of an expected thing after a performance and, as a result, has lost its importance. In community theater, the only pay the actors receive is the applause delivered by the audience at the end of each performance. A standing ovation used to be a rare occurrence, but today, it often accompanies the whistles and yelps of joy dealt by the audience.

In high school productions, standing ovations are quite common. I suppose it’s because the younger generation has not been exposed to productions of a higher scale, and you can’t blame the parents for being tremendously proud of their children’s performance on stage. I don’t have the answer, and we probably don’t need one. After all, I haven’t asked a question yet. I think I’ll start the next paragraph with a one.

When is it appropriate to give a standing ovation? Every year, the Kennedy Center recognizes four or five outstanding individuals for their accomplishments in the arts. They always have several people who pay tribute to each of them. I find this very entertaining. At the end of each celebrity’s portion, everyone rises and faces the celebrity and gives them a standing ovation. In my mind, this is very appropriate.

In the Lions organization, when a District Governor or someone else of high ranking is introduced, everyone in the room stands. This is not a reward for a good performance, but is what we refer to as “Protocol”. The same could be said of the act of saluting a military officer of higher rank. You are saluting the rank, not the person.

Standing ovations were a common occurrence during the State of the Union address a couple of weeks ago. Part of this might have been protocol, but I’d rather refer to it as “Politics”. I don’t remember seeing the Speaker of the House stand that many times.

The reason I bring this topic up at this time is that Three Rivers High School will present the production of Thoroughly Modern Millie in the very near future. I know the director of this production, and she is a perfectionist. She will not settle for good enough; she expects the best, and the actors know this. Previous productions of South Pacific and Phantom both received standing ovations. It’s up to the audience to judge whether this coming production will fare as well. A hearty round of applause is very heart-warming. A standing ovation is something performers will long remember.

See you Out and About!

Submitted by Norm Stutesman

Bain

Hi, my name is Bain and I am a male lab mix about 6 months old. I have a beautiful brindle coat and can sit on command. I’m very friendly and loving, but I am a little afraid of car noises. I’m sure if I have a safe home I will get over that. I am available to adopt right now so please come and see me. I can be found in Pen 9, Docket # 11234, at the St. Joseph County Animal Control Shelter located at 652 E. Main St., Centreville, MI. Animal Control is open Monday – Friday, from 9:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Their phone number is 269-467-6475. Up-Cycled Pets needs reliable foster homes so some pets can leave the shelter and learn more about living in a safe home before adoption. Go to www.upcycledpets.com for more information about how to help this group. Please visit the Animal Rescue Fund website at www.arfund.org to see more adoptable pets. Last week’s Pet of the Week has been adopted but Shelba, the grey kitty from three weeks ago is still at animal control and still hopes to find a family to love her.

Suffering from presentee-ism

I read with interest a story in the Wall Street Journal last week that was titled “Go Ahead, Hit the Snooze Button.”

I love sleep. I love sleeping in even more. But I never use the snooze button. My wife, on the other hand, is just the opposite. I usually set my alarm to go off about 6:40 a.m. If I feel that I want to “sleep in” a little longer, I will just re-set my alarm for 6:45 or 6:50 before I go to bed. If I still do not want to get up, mostly because I am all snug in bed and do not want to face the morning cold, I will just lie there, hoping I do not fall back to sleep and then end up being late for work.

My wife is a snooze button abuser. I think that is something that she would admit, too. But she does things opposite of me. She sets her alarm earlier, knowing that she will be hitting that button several times before getting up. I must sleep like a log, because I rarely hear it and she gets up before I do.

Anyway, back to the article. The subtitle of the story was “Calculating the cost of workers who don’t get enough sleep.” I do not want to say that I fall into that category, but I am still one of those who don’t go to bed until midnight on most nights.

According to the article, the estimated cost to U.S. companies from workers with insomnia, who lose an average of 7.8 days of productivity a year, is $63.2 billion! In other words, this problem is caused by “presentee-ism,” which is people who show up for work but perform at below-average levels.

People waste 8.4 minutes online for every hour of interrupted sleep the previous night. I am pretty sure this has applied to me a time or two. The number of American workers who sleep less than six hours per night is 40.6 million, or 30 percent of the civilian work force. Guilty as charged!

Nine percent of Americans say that they are likely to fall asleep at an inappropriate moment, such as during a meeting. This has never happened to me. But I have witnessed this on several occasions, and not just in boring, lengthy staff meetings, either!

The article goes on to mention that those people who are exhausted from work and under tremendous pressure would rather learn about how to perform better on less sleep than how to get more. Interesting. I guess this is just a side effect from the “doing more with less” adage that many companies are adhering to these days. Yes, you can save money by slashing a 40-hour-a-week employee and giving those responsibilities to another person, but, aside from the bottom line, is it really a good idea?

I am not saying that companies do not have reason to trim the fat now and then, but when you have four employees and five managers, there is a problem. See the movie Office Space for a great example of this situation. Yes, once you start pushing too much onto a select few, the problems usually begin; morale and quality decrease, and then articles like this are written to explain the problem.

I don’t know. I was talking with a few co-workers the other day about getting older and how back in the day it was not uncommon for us “younger” folk to stay out until two or three in the morning, go to bed, and be at work by 8 a.m. The only reason that would happen these days is because of a restless or sick child, insomnia or some other odd instance.

But then again, there is always that snooze button …

**Stats used were provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Harvard scientists.

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