Out and About – Week of April 7th

It’s getting down to “Crunch Time”. A week from today is April 15, and the tax man is saddling up and getting ready to ride. Hopefully, most of you have already filed your returns and can sleep easy, knowing that the big refund check will soon be in your savings or checking account. As my accounting professor used to say, “Prepare for a rendezvous with destiny.” This is what the rest of you must do, and you only have a week to do so.

Time sure does pass quickly. It seems as if it were only a month or two ago, that we were concentrating on the preservation of frogs, but it has been almost a year since we last heard the proclamation to “Save the Frogs!”

Last year, the “Save the Frogs!” day event brought an estimated 350 people to Scidmore Park, here in Three Rivers, for games and education about what needs to be done to aid the situation. This year the events will be spread over several months. Another opportunity and more time to become educated on a very important topic, and we can all help with this worthy cause.

Beginning early this month, the popular “Find the Frog” contest will again be hosted by some of the Three Rivers merchants. These merchants will hide a small foam board picture of a frog among their merchandise. Customers who find the frog picture, may then register in that store for a later drawing for a prize offered by that store. The great thing about this is that visitors of all ages may register for a prize at all participating stores. Next week, I’ll let you know the plans for May, June and July.

The Three Rivers Lions Club will solicit donations for their annual White Cane Days on Friday and Saturday, May 2 and 3. Plans for this campaign are still not firm, but they are likely to be at Wal-Mart, Walgreens, and Hardings Market. Lions will be onsite from 9 AM until 5 PM on both days. Donations received from this fundraiser go toward providing eyeglasses for those local individuals in need.

About a year ago, my wife had neck surgery. It was during her time of recovery that I started accompanying her to the grocery store. We really enjoyed this weekly event, and I became aware of her skills as a shopper. She carries a clipboard with a list of needed items and where they are located at each store She is very organized, and I have the highest respect for her shopping skills.

On these trips, she allows me to be in charge of the shopping cart, and she allows me to reach for those items on the higher shelves. I am also the one who places the items on the conveyor belt at the checkout lane. We rarely use the self-checkout, because by doing so, we feel that we are taking the work away from a human who needs the job. Anyway, I always place the items on the belt, so that the cashier can place the items in our canvas shopping bags as s/he scans each item. This way, all the heavy items don’t end up in the same bag. Lately, I’ve had to monitor this more closely, because the cashier has been bagging the items differently than the order placed on the belt. I thought that I was helping out, but evidently I was wrong. I’m wondering if anyone else has experienced this same problem. It is my task to carry our groceries into the house and, since my block and tackle is out of service, I prefer to have the bags of groceries weigh less than thirty pounds each. I won’t even mention the cost of groceries these days. My mom used to buy for a family of four for around $50.

Keeping in time with this religious holiday season, the Three Rivers Church of the Nazarene invites everyone to their “Living Last Supper”. This event takes place Palm Sunday evening, April 13, at 6 PM. The church is located at 1221 Coon Hollow Road, on the west side of Three Rivers, just off US-131. The presentation is FREE.

We are in Spring Break this week. It’s a great time to celebrate family and do things together. Students, enjoy the time off and get your batteries recharged. Parents, relax; Spring Break only lasts a week, so make time to give your children a hug or two and let them know that they are loved.

See you Out and About!

Submitted by Norm Stutesman

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