Out and About – Week of January 13th

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 those experiences. Like most of you, we didn’t venture out, because we were informed that if caught, we would be fined $100. There were people Out and About, because they didn’t catch the warning on the radio or on television. Oh yes, Facebook notified everyone, but as we all know, you must be selective as to what you read on Facebook. The city and the county have Facebook pages, so these would be the most reliable. I wouldn’t advise that you pay too much attention as to what Lucy Lu, down the street, advises you to do. I doubt seriously that the authorities are going to impound your vehicle, strip you naked, shoot your dog, and sell your children into slavery. My suggestion, and I suggest it strongly, is to keep your radio tuned into WLKM-FM, 95.9,or WRCI, 97.1. They will keep you advised as to school and business closings, plus much more. Their advice is reliable and FREE.

A big “Thank You” goes out to all the Department of Public Services employees. You people did a fantastic job of clearing the streets of the white stuff. I was smart enough to wait until you plowed our street before I attempted to clear my driveway.

I mentioned a week or so ago, that it’s a very good idea to keep your vehicle’s gas tank at least half full during the winter. I’ve discussed this topic with the “guys” at our daily coffee klatch, and the general consensus is to keep an extra container of gasoline on hand for the snow blower. I came very close to running out, and was not able to get to the gas station for a refill. That won’t happen again. It was also suggested to use premium gasoline for those small engines. I guess you might compare it to having prime rib over a hot dog. Now, that makes sense to me. Enough about our winter conditions.

Christmas is in the history books, which means that our pocketbooks can take a break for a while. There always seems to be something we need, and I’m very much an impulse shopper. If I see something I want, I want it now. I try very hard to wait until the appropriate time to make certain purchases. If you are the same way, here’s something you might want to make note of for future shopping. Winter is the best time to buy homes, exercise equipment, and TVs; spring is best for computers, digital cameras, and carpeting; summer for indoor furniture, camcorders, and snow blowers; and fall for lawn mowers, gas grills, and GPS navigators. I’m cutting this part of the column out and sticking to our refrigerator door. On second thought, the refrigerator door already has too much stuff on it already. I wonder when it might be a good time to purchase a refrigerator.

It seems that I’ve made quite a few suggestions, this week, on what you might do to make life more enjoyable. I might as well wrap this up by offering a few more suggestions:

Take a vacation from your cell phone, internet, and TV, once a year.

Never get your hair cut on the day of a special event.

Never eat lunch at your desk, if you can avoid it.

When you marry someone, remember you marry her/his entire family.

Invest in good luggage.

If you have to fight, punch first and punch hard.

Remember, this is Michigan, so we’re going to get more snow. The days are getting longer, which is a very good thing. If you are warm and not hungry, please think about your outside pets. Are they as comfortable and as happy as you are? If you love your outside dog, spend the night with her/him out in the doghouse.

See you Out and About!

Submitted by Norm Stutesman

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