Out and About Blog by Norm Stutesman

July and August have the reputation of being the two hottest months of the year. Normal heat isn’t too bad, but when you throw in the heat index, the atmosphere becomes extremely uncomfortable. However, this is Michigan, so we must learn to deal with the heat and humidity. Most of us have come to rely heavily on air conditioning. Just …

I don’t know anyone who doesn’t appreciate ‘FREE stuff. It’s difficult to find anything these days that doesn’t come with a price. This year’s Water Festival had quite a few activities that didn’t cost one cent. It hasn’t been a month and yet here’s another event that is absolutely FREE. Core Community member Kirstin Vander Giessen-Reitsma would like everyone to …

Dr. Norman Vincent Peale authored “The Power of Positive Thinking” quite some time ago. I’ve never read the book and I’m pretty sure that if I had read it, my life and attitude would have been much more positive. There are those individuals that live almost every day in a negative attitude. The glass is always half empty instead of …

This Thursday, June 21, is the first day of summer, at least according to my calendar. Unfortunately, my calendar has no way of knowing that this is Michigan. In Michigan we’ve been known to experience several different seasons in the same week. This makes it difficult to keep separate closets for winter and summer clothes. I have faith, however, that …

Several times a week, a friend joins me at the American Legion for coffee. My friend is a Marine Korean War veteran who flew just about anything that had wings. He is a wealth of information and usually has a story or two from his early years. Recently, we were discussing air battles that were fought during various wars. There …

As a Notary Public, I’ve become educated in planning for the future. One of the things I’ve become familiar with is the Power of Attorney. This document allows people to name someone to act on their behalf as far as monetary issues are concerned, should they become incapable of making decisions of that caliber. Unfortunately, there are some who wait …

Whether we want to admit it or not, we all have an expiration date. That day when we cease living in this world and pass on into eternity. We all have our own belief of what eternity means. Many have a fear of dying because it’s hard to find someone who really knows how it feels. Unless you die a …

I stay away from discussing politics and religion, because they just aren’t worth arguing about. I’d rather focus on local happenings and things that might make you feel life is definitely worth living. I’m not sure what category this next topic might fall under. I wouldn’t bring it up if it weren’t for a letter I received from an inmate …

Next Saturday is Armed Forces Day, a day we recognize those members currently serving in the Armed Forces. These men and women sacrifice a lot. Not only are their lives sometimes put in danger, but most of them spend months and years separated from their families. If you’ve never been separated from your loved ones, you have no idea the …

Back in the day when gasoline sold for twenty-six cents a gallon and self-serve gasoline stations hadn’t been invented yet, one could reach inside the pop cooler and buy a Pepsi or Coke for ten cents. If you took the bottle with you, it would cost an additional two cents. The bottles were glass and cans of pop and diet …