Out and About – Week of March 28th

We set our clocks ahead one hour over two weeks ago, we celebrated Palm Sunday, Good Friday, and Easter, so this has to be spring. It’s one of my favorite times of the year, because I can usually leave the house without a jacket and not have to worry about scraping the ice off my car windows.
On the subject of setting our clocks ahead one hour every spring, I cannot think of a valid reason to do this anymore. I think at one time this was done to help the farmers, because it gave them an extra hour or two of sunlight, which meant they could spend more time working in the fields. I’ve mentioned this to a couple of my friends and they tend to agree with me on this. I even know a couple people who have difficulty adjusting to this time change. As for me, the biggest challenge is staying up until 2 AM twice a year just to set the clock ahead or back one hour. I think the decision to do away with the time change rests with the members of Congress, and we all know just how busy they already are.
Spring is the time to get Out and About and start working on that garden and other chores around the outside of the house. Along with that comes the problem of keeping the weed problem under control. There are many products you can purchase to get rid of those pesky weeds, or you can mix up your own concoction for a lot less money. I haven’t tried this, so I can’t testify as to its effectiveness, but I would be interested in hearing from anyone who would like to give it a try. Here’s the formula:
One gallon of vinegar
Two cups of Epsom Salt
One-quarter cup of Dawn dish soap (the blue stuff)
Mix this all together and spray it on the weeds after the morning dew has dried.
Give this about a week to see any results.
A couple of weeks ago, I had to be in Sturgis for a health fair. I needed to be there by 8 AM to help set things up. I decided to have breakfast at a family-style restaurant in Centreville. We’ve frequented this restaurant many times, because of the good food and the “homey” atmosphere. This visit was a reminder of just how nice it is to live here in St. Joe County. After I had ordered something to eat, a friend stopped and chatted with me briefly on his way out the door. I was seated near the front entrance; therefore, anyone entering the restaurant had to pass by my table. Just about everyone who entered the restaurant bid me a pleasant “Good Morning”, even though I didn’t know them. Most of the clientele at that time of the morning are farmers, or they gave that appearance, because most of them were wearing bib-overalls. I thought, “What a wonderful way to start out a day.” Patrons came into a restaurant to enjoy a cup of coffee and visit before taking on the tasks of the day. Something else I noticed was that not a single person was texting anyone with their cell phone. This experience really brightened my day. Besides, the waitress called me “Honey”, and I had never met her before.
See you Out and About!

Submitted by Norm Stutesman