Out and About – Week of February 2nd

I’m one of the luckiest guys in town. I’m retired, am happily married to my best friend, and I keep busy volunteering. I love writing and am honing my writing skills by writing this column, plus a couple of other newsletters.
For the past eight years, I’ve occupied a small office upstairs at LA’s Coffee Cafe. As a matter of fact, I was there before LA’s moved in. My office was about the size of a large walk-in closet. It has been comfortable, cozy, and has suited my needs. Recently, there have been a few changes in my life and, after discussing this with my wife, we decided that it was time for a move. I am still upstairs at LA’s, but now I’m down the hall. My new office has two large windows, so I’m able to look out and see what’s going on at Memory Isle. It’s a perfect location to watch the fireworks during Water Festival.
In moving down the hall, I’ve discovered that I have accumulated way too much stuff. I don’t consider myself a pack rat, but rather a pack mouse. All my stuff has a tremendous amount of sentimental value. For example, my wife sends me three greeting cards every month: one commemorating our first date, another to commemorate the date I proposed, and, of course, the date of our wedding anniversary. Whenever I do some “guy” thing that upsets her, I look at those boxes of cards and realize that she really does love me.
Anyway, I’m still in the process of unpacking and repacking. I’ve also managed to throw some stuff away. Jerry, Leslie Ann, and Aimee, of LA’s Coffee Cafe, have been very supportive of my move. They are all happy knowing that I’ve finally come out of the closet. You have no idea how many times I’ve had to explain that phrase to someone.
You still have time to nominate someone for the “Bruce C. Snook Lions Club Citizen of the Year”. The deadline for submission is February 14. To nominate someone, submit a letter explaining why this person is deserving of this award. Send the letter to: Three Rivers Lions Club, P.O. Box 134, Three Rivers, MI 49093, ATTN: Margaret Shultz.
Super Bowl 49 is now in the history books. I’m hoping that everyone’s favorite team won. As I mentioned last week, a lot of people made money on the game. I have no idea what the price of tickets was for the game, but I was perfectly happy to watch the game from the comforts of my easy chair, knowing that the bathroom and refrigerator were only minutes away.
My wife and I own a cat. I’d better rephrase that. The cat owns us. If you have a cat, you know what I’m talking about. The cat does as she wants and when she wants. If you can train a cat, you are very lucky. Dogs on the other hand are just the opposite. Dogs are trainable and not as independent. We can learn something from both pets. If you want to be more independent, watch and learn from your cat. Here are a few things you can learn from a dog:
When loved ones come home, always run to greet them.
Take naps.
Avoid biting when a simple growl will do.

A few aphorisms worth thinking about:
A good time to keep your mouth shut is when you’re in deep water.
How come it takes so little time for a child who is afraid of the dark to become a teenager who wants to stay out all night?
Business conventions are important because they demonstrate how many people a company can operate without.
See you Out and About!

Submitted by Norm Stutesman

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