Out and About Blog by Norm Stutesman

Some would say that it’s just a sign of the times, and there really isn’t anything we can do about it. I’m referring to acts of chivalry. I have a feeling that “Ladies” and “Gentlemen” have been replaced by just “Women” and “Guys”. Gentlemen open doors for Ladies, and Ladies prefer to have a Gentleman help them get seated, or …

The Three Rivers area Snowman Making Contest is back. If I remember correctly, this contest was cancelled last year due to lack of snow. It seems that we won’t have that problem this year. The contest will be held this Saturday, January 25, from noon until 2 PM. The site is the west side parking lot, located on the west …

Last week was sort of a flashback to 1978. I was working at O’Hare Airport in Chicago, and was living in Schaumburg at the time. The airport was closed, and I couldn’t get out of my subdivision anyway. It was a memorable experience, and one I didn’t care to experience anytime in the future. Last week was another one of …

Welcome to the first Out and About column for 2014. If this is your first time reading this column, thank you for taking the time to do so. I’ll try my best to provide you with some useful information, and, of course, a bit of humor along the way. There’s so much depressing news out there these days, so I’d …

This is my final column for the year. It’s been a great year so far, so I really don’t have anything to complain about. Tomorrow is a new day and a new year, and like many of you, I’ve made a few resolutions that, hopefully, I’ll follow through on. Time will tell. One thing I will attempt to do is …

I find it very interesting how life works out. We are born without any teeth and we wear diapers for a while. The final days of our life here on earth, some of us don’t have our teeth anymore, and some of us wear diapers. I’m sure there are a few more similarities, but I won’t go into them at …

With Christmas just a week away, your time to mail your parcels, has just about run out. If you’re a procrastinator, you still have seven days. If you still need to make that trip to the post office, please note that you may have to wait in line for a few minutes. It may seem longer than that, but I …

I have always believed in fate, and that the world is small. The saying, “It’s a small world”, came true the Friday after this past Thanksgiving, often referred to as “BLACK FRIDAY”. My wife and I enjoy visiting a particular eating establishment near Constantine on Friday evenings. Upon arriving there on Black Friday, we discovered that it was temporarily closed, …

Ah, the holiday shopping season is now in full forward motion. With “Black Friday” behind us, we can now venture into the stores without fear of being trampled, stomped on, or being severely scratched. I’d like to give the ladies a few suggestions, so that when they shop for that man in their life, they might have an idea what …

Welcome to Thanksgiving week. The day after tomorrow, everyone should take a few minutes to sit back and reflect on the many things that they should be thankful for. This should be done prior to sitting down and stuffing yourself with too much food, then assuming a prone position on the couch and watching your favorite football team lose. A …