Out and About Blog by Norm Stutesman

I can’t remember a February when the weather has been this pleasant, or perhaps I should say weird. We’ve had temperatures in the fifties and sixties, along with temperatures in the twenties and thirties. There have been times when we’ve had nicer weather than those Michiganders who have flown south for the winter. Back in the day, December, January, and …

Since my retirement, I’ve found myself busier than I was when I was punching a timeclock. This is common among many retirees. I’d like to think of myself as a professional volunteer, but that could be looked at as an oxymoron, because professionals get paid for their time, and the only pay a volunteer normally gets is a warm feeling …

To those of you who love someone or anything, I wish you a very Happy Valentine’s Day. If you don’t love anything or anyone, I believe you have a problem. To the majority of you, please take a moment and remind those closest to you just how much they mean to you. If you’re a hugger like I am, you …

There are two topics I try to avoid when putting this column together. They are religion and politics. I witnessed my father arguing both topics as I was growing up and I vowed to not waste my time arguing over such personal issues. Besides, I feel everyone is entitled to their own beliefs, and who am I to try to …

There’s nothing more American than the hotdog. Going to a baseball game is not a complete experience unless you have at least one dog and a bag of peanuts. You can’t have a real cookout without hotdogs on the grill. It’s also against the law to put ketchup on a Chicago-Style hotdog. You might be interested in knowing what the …

Now that we are well into 2017, it’s time to go through the file cabinet and get rid of those papers that we really don’t need anymore. It’s also time to get your paperwork in order so that you’re prepared for your meeting with your tax preparer. Many of you will take care of preparing your own returns, but I …

Breakfast is my favorite meal. I can’t think of a better way to start the day than to get Out and About to a local eatery and partake of a delicious breakfast. A good cup of coffee compliments the meal and without the coffee, the breakfast is incomplete. There are some who enjoy a cola instead of coffee, and this …

Honor is one of the nicest things to have, and it’s also a very nice thing to share. “It’s an honor to do this for you” is a very nice thing to say to someone. Unfortunately, this act is not done enough. The American Legion Honor Team, from Hice-Shutes Post 170, performs an act of honor every time they are …

I am sorry to admit that I am not much of a reader and never have been. I’ve always read just enough to get by. If I do read a book, it’s usually a biography. My problem is that I have difficulty concentrating on just one thing at a time. As a student, I could not have any distractions, such …

This is the final column for 2016. I’m taking the rest of the year off and recharging my brain. I do this at this time every year. The next column will be on Tuesday, January 3, 2017. One of the weird things about beginning a new year is remembering to change the year when writing a check. Then, with all …