Out and About – Week of November 14th

With Thanksgiving a week away, it’s time to make plans for your Thanksgiving dinner. If you haven’t already made plans, you might consider attending the 29th Annual Community Thanksgiving Dinner, hosted by the Community Kitchen, located at Trinity Church, 321 North Main Street in Three Rivers. The dinner, with all the trimmings, will be held Tuesday, November 22, from 4 to 6 PM. The dinner is FREE and all are welcome. There will be a donation box available for those wishing to contribute.

Because this dinner is on Tuesday, the 22nd, the Community Kitchen will be closed on Thursday, November 24. This will allow all the volunteers to celebrate Thanksgiving with their families.

If you are retired, or have extra time on your hands, you might check with one of the workers at the dinner and find out how you can be a volunteer with the Community Kitchen. There’s nothing bigger than the heart of a volunteer.

If you are planning to fly anywhere during the upcoming holiday season, be ready to face the crowds. One way to avoid the crowds would be to try flying on the actual holiday itself. Bookings are often lighter and cheaper. By flying on the holiday morning, you might make it in time for the Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner. Be aware, however, that airlines do cancel some flights on a holiday, due to lack of bookings.

Now that the autumn colors have peaked, we are faced with the task of raking up those colorful leaves. Here are several hints that might make the task easier:

Walk in a straight line. Raking sideways across your body throwing the leaves off to one side, then going back swinging the rake the opposite way. Doing this eases the strain on your arm muscles and lets you keep going a little longer.
Use the wind. Rake downwind when cleaning up the lawn, so that the breeze can give the leaves an added lift every time you swing the rake. It’s a fact that the wind doesn’t start blowing until you pick up the rake.
Rake in rows. Rake the leaves into long rows six to ten feet apart. Then walk down the rows, raking them into piles ready to be picked up.
If you know of a young school student, offer them a job raking your lawn. They can use the money and it will teach them some responsibility. If you have children, ask them to help you.
I have difficulty saying no. I envy those who don’t have this problem. You can say no without hurting someone’s feelings if you’re honest, polite and succinct. To keep high-pressure salespeople from pestering you, try old-fashioned manners. Simply say “No thank you” calmly and quietly. You’d be surprised how quickly and easily aggressive salespeople will handle this. You do not have to give a reason for saying no.

See you Out and About!

Submitted by Norm Stutesman