Out and About – Week of June 27th

We still have two months left before school starts, so if you’re undecided as where to go for that summer vacation, I strongly suggest that you stay right here in Michigan. There is so much to see and do, and you don’t need to spend a lot of money. If you’re interested in camping, there are plenty of state parks within a few miles of your home. There are also plenty of other campgrounds that would love to have you spend a week or even a weekend with them. There’s nothing quite like sitting around a campfire enjoying the peacefulness of nature. Take my advice and leave your computer and television at home. I enjoy catching up on my magazine reading, or just sitting back and watching people.
Speaking of traveling around the state we call home, here are a few facts that you might want to share should you chance upon visitors from Indiana, Illinois, or Wisconsin:
Rogers City boasts the world’s largest limestone quarry.
Colon is home to the world’s largest manufacturer of magic supplies.
Vernor’s Ginger Ale was created in Detroit and became the first soda pop made in the United States.
Michigan has more shoreline than any other state except Alaska.
Please save these bits of trivia. You never know when you might be chosen to be a contestant on Jeopardy.
We recently attended a 50th Anniversary Dinner. My wife’s roommate from college has been married for fifty years, and her children had decided that it would be nice to celebrate this important marriage milestone. There were about fifty in attendance, and to me, everyone there didn’t look, or act old enough to be married that long.
A fifty-year marriage is not unheard of these days. My parents never did reach the fifty-year mark. Not because they divorced, but they just didn’t live that long. My father died when he was sixty-eight, then my mother lived for almost another twenty years. I congratulate those couples who have stuck it out through thick and thin. A fifty-year marriage is a sign of true commitment.
I’ve been criticized for dwelling too much on death. I’ve probably had this problem since my mother passed away, and I wish there was something I could do about it. We all have an expiration date, and I’ll freely admit that I really don’t care to live much past eighty-five. I don’t feel my age, and it’s been suggested, more than once, that I should grow up.
I’m not that worried about passing on to that next plane, but I am concerned about what to do about the passing of friends and acquaintances. It’s a fact that the older one gets, the more funerals one is obligated to attend. I think the best cure might be to live every day as if it were your last. Some day you’ll be right. Most importantly, let those you care about know how you feel. If you love them, tell them so. Hugs are also nice.
Next Monday is the fourth of July. Remember, he who comes forth with a fifth on the fourth, may not come forth on the fifth.
See you Out and About!

Submitted by Norm Stutesman