Out and About – Week of June 24th

I’d like to make one more comment on this year’s Water Festival. Last week I gave sort of a review on the Festival from my perspective, but there seem to be a few who are still upset about the cancelling of the Saturday Main Stage entertainment and fireworks. The Water Festival committee did not cancel anything. The fireworks company cancelled the fireworks because of SAFETY. It rained a good part of the afternoon, which left the ground wet. It takes about four hours to set up the pyrotechnics on dry ground. It would not have been SAFE to set everything up in the time allowed.

The Saturday night entertainment decided to cancel, because of the possibility of not having a large enough crowd in attendance due to the prospect of bad weather.

I have used the word “cancel” so far. I should have used the term “postponed”, because plans are already underway to re-schedule the fireworks and entertainment for later this summer or early fall. The general populace has no idea of the logistics involved in re-scheduling. There are permits and insurance to consider. Oh yes, we must not forget to check with the fireworks company and the professional entertainment. It would be nice to have them on the same date.

To bring this issue to a close, I’d like to remind everyone that both the fireworks company and the professional entertainment cost money. As an audience, you pay nothing. I love fireworks and a nice band, but I also understand logistics, so I’ll pull up my big-boy pants and have a little patience. After all, HarmonyFest happens Sunday, September 1, and that is also FREE.

I have a nephew and niece who are physical therapists. Unfortunately, they live over in Canton so I cannot look to them for treatment. Fortunately, we have physical therapists staffed at HealthTrac right here in Three Rivers. I have made use of their services a couple of times of the past five years.

I have had the bad habit of placing things of bulk in the back pocket of my trousers. This is not a good thing to do, because sitting on a wallet or keys for any length of time plays havoc on your spinal system. The discs in your spine do not like to be pushed around, and they will let you know that, if you mistreat them. I have had a pain in my lower back and right leg for several weeks. I had an MRI, and it showed that these discs had definitely been mistreated. I will be visiting my physical therapist for about three more weeks, and I’m confident that I’ll soon be happy and so will my discs. I’m mentioning this because, if there are some of you with similar pains, and you have a thick wallet in your back pocket, you might want to make a few changes in your lifestyle. Besides, it’s actually safer to carry a wallet in a front pocket. This advice is mainly for the guys out there. I try not to offer any advice to the ladies, for fear of receiving additional pain to my backside.

This last Saturday, June 22, was a special day, for me anyway. My Mom would have been 110 years old, and it was the longest day of the year. Until next December, the days will be getting shorter and shorter every day. Fear not, we still have the whole summer ahead of us. Speaking of special dates, six months from today will be Christmas.

It’s hard to find anyone who doesn’t have a cell phone. Like many of you, I charge my phone every night. It’s so easy to plug your chargeable electronic devices in every night when you go to bed. I just read that if you want to save energy and keep your electric bill under control, you should unplug your cellphone and other electronic gadgets as soon as they’re fully charged.

While on the subject of telephones, I remind you that a landline can come in handy for emergencies, but you shouldn’t pay for a long-distance plan if your cell phone plan lets you dial anywhere in the country.

Here’s something I’ll bet you didn’t know: While in space, astronauts can’t burp. There is no gravity to separate liquid from gas in their stomachs. I sleep better at night knowing that.

See you Out and About!

Submitted by Norm Stutesman

Check Also

Out and About – Week of March 25th

As much as we all might enjoy getting Out and About, there are some places …