Out and About – Week of February 16th

I consider myself to be a fun-loving person. I’ve been known to play a few practical jokes on friends from time to time, and I’ve had practical jokes played on me more times than I care to remember. We can all use a good laugh as long as no one gets hurt either physically or mentally. My oldest brother used to enjoy sneaking around and jumping out at me, or surprising me when I was least expecting it. To this day, I jump whenever someone magically appears without me knowing it. My wife gets upset with me when she walks into the kitchen without me realizing it and I practically jump out of my skin. It’s all my brother’s fault. He started it, that’s my story, and I’m sticking with it.
Along the line of practical jokes, I enjoy watching “You Tube”, or reading about someone who enters a clothing store, goes into a small changing room, and after a few minutes shouts out, “Hey, there’s no toilet paper in here.” I’m sure you’ve all read about this, but I find it quite funny. I’ll end this subject with this idea that I discovered on Facebook. Some morning, when you’re feeling bored, call in sick to someplace where you don’t even work. If you do this and get in trouble, please don’t blame me. You are your own person and are capable of doing the right thing.
There’s always a need for donors to give blood for the blood bank here in St. Joseph County. Because of that, the American Red Cross is hosting two blood drives within the next two weeks. The first one is tomorrow, Wednesday, February 18, from 11:30 AM until 5:15 PM, at JOCO Hall, which is located at 805 Wood Street, Three Rivers. The second blood drive is scheduled for Tuesday, February 24, from noon until 5:45 PM, at the UAW Union Hall, 15802 Hoffman Road, just west of US-131 in Three Rivers. It doesn’t cost anything except your time to donate blood. The end results are priceless. They’ll even offer you some juice FREE of charge.
I’m still getting settled in my new office. As I’m putting stuff away, or pitching things that are no longer useful, I keep wondering where I had kept all this “stuff”. I did have a nice closet, which explains my quandary a little. I don’t think I could possibly move all my “stuff” back into my previous space. By the way, my old office is now available for rent. Contact me and I’ll be happy to put you in contact with the landlord. I put together over eight years’ worth of “Out and About” columns in that office, so it is the perfect area to think and let your imagination run wild.
About a year or two ago, I wrote about a group of friends that I used to join for coffee every morning at the coffee shop downstairs from my office. A lot has happened since then. A few members of that coffee klatch have changed jobs, or just moved on. I miss those times, but, like everything else, we must move on and adjust to various changes. Our current group is smaller, but the quality remains the same. Scooter Bob no longer has a scooter, but he still is usually the first to arrive. Oxygen Bob comes in early, and he’s usually gone by the time I get in. Harold still shows up, but not quite as early as he used to. Windshield Jim is joining us now, but he’s not a big fan of crowds, so he usually leaves as soon as the place gets busy. He makes frequent trips to Battle Creek and Kalamazoo, and he always asks if there’s something he can pick up for someone while he’s Out and About. A couple of other interesting fellows include Toolman Tom and Bernie the Educator. Toolman Tom usually comes in on Thursday. Bernie can show up any day of the week, as long as the waffle iron is plugged in and there’s a sausage patty with his name on it. We’re not as rowdy as we were at one time. Aimee sees to that. She is quick at snapping her fingers and keeping us in line. She also makes sure that we never see the bottom of our coffee cup. We’re always looking for new members, especially if you possess a little class and have a sense of humor
See you Out and About!

Submitted by Norm Stutesman

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