Out and About – Week of August 6th

I must apologize to my Canadian friends. I failed to mention earlier that yesterday was Civic Holiday in Canada. I’ll try to do better when it comes to holidays celebrated by our neighbors to the north.

As we begin the month of August, there aren’t any real days of celebration this month, unless you want to consider the fact that this is the last full month of summer vacation for the students. I have a good feeling that there are some mothers who are counting the days until the school bells ring and the children return to the classroom. Then, of course, there are those moms who will be sending their five year olds to school for the first time. For some, it can be quite a traumatic experience.

With the first day of school just around the corner, it’s not too early to get some school supplies purchased. Do it now and avoid the rush. You’d be surprised how many shoppers wait until the last minute to purchase pencils, paper and other needed items for the classroom. Some will wait until the last minute only to discover that some of those needed items are sold out. Don’t forget school clothes. You can get very comfortable sneakers for under $200 if you look in the right place.

Now would be a good time to make sure your child’s immunization records are current. You should also check with your dentist. If you call early, you might be able to get your child in for a checkup or cleaning before Labor Day.

Today is Election Day. The local polling places will be open from 7 AM until 8 PM. Every election is important. It is your duty as an American to exercise your right to cast a ballot. If you don’t vote, you have no right to complain about the outcome of any election. There is no Electoral College here in Michigan, so every vote counts. There have been many elections where the outcome was decided by just a few votes.

If you’ve been told that you have bad breath, you might consider having a cup of strong hot coffee. This should remove the odor of onions from your breath. Also, brushing your teeth, flossing and using a good mouthwash helps.

I’ve always been a fan of leftovers. As an example, chili always tastes better the second day. When storing leftovers, you should be careful. It’s okay to store most canned foods in the refrigerator in their original containers for up to two days. However, this is not good for acidic foods such as tomatoes. Tomatoes can take on the metallic taste of the can. You might want to use a glass or plastic container instead.

While on the subject of storing leftovers in the refrigerator, it’s not good to leave foods that need refrigeration out for more than two hours.

Finally, when packing your child’s lunch for school, you might want to include a frozen juice box. This will keep the lunch cool and should be thawed and drinkable by lunchtime.

It’s a fact that everything seen on Facebook is true and factual. The same can be said about what we read in the newspapers. There are, however, some things I see where I question what happened to the editor. Here are several examples:

“Bugs flying around with wings are flying bugs.”
“Marijuana issue sent to a joint committee.”
“Study shows that frequent sex enhances the chances of pregnancy.”
“Some people feel the rain. Others just get wet.” ~ Bob Marley

See you Out and About!

Submitted by Norm Stutesman

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