Out and About – Week of July 18th

Brad Sugars once said, “If you can’t be positive, at least be quiet.” You don’t have to look far to find negativity these days. A good example would be the current political campaigning that has been going on for at least six months, and will continue until election day next November. The constant mudslinging makes me think that perhaps we should start over when it comes to finding any candidate worth trusting. Ooops! I apologize for being so negative.
Like everyone, I have my negative moments, and I’ve been told that I’m not much fun to be with when I’m in a negative mood. When this is brought to my attention, I feel bad about it, which adds to my negativity. I think it’s time to change the subject, because I’m beginning to feel depressed, which just adds to the negativity.
Probably about eight years ago, we visited the Animal Control facility in Centreville. At that time, we had two cats that were getting on in years, and we thought it would be a good idea to adopt another one, which would make losing one of the other cats easier on us mentally. It has always bothered me more than my wife, when a pet crosses that Rainbow Bridge. She has always looked at death as just another part of life. She, of course, feels sad, but accepts the fact that all mortals have an expiration date. Anyway, when we left Animal Control, we had Dixie with us. At the time, we figured she was about six years old and had come from an abusive household. It took about five years, but she has become a loving and trusting member of our small family. She is now our only pet. She has aged gracefully, but we can tell that her time of passing is close. We have never had a pet “put down”, but we’re thinking that this might be the considerate thing to do. By the time this column is read, something will have happened. Our last cat died in my wife’s arms. The animal lovers will appreciate these words, and if you’ve never had a pet as a family member, you have no idea what you’re missing.
A brief update on where you may take your used eyeglasses. The Three Rivers Lions Club has two additional drop boxes for used eyeglasses. There is a drop box in the lobby of the post office and one at the public library in Three Rivers. The drop boxes are checked a couple times a month, and the glasses are processed for distribution to those in need. Other locations include City Hall, Lowry’s Books, Sussex Vision, August Optical, Meijer Optical, LA’s Coffee Cafe, The Specialty Clinic on the campus of TR Health, Fred’s Pharmacy, and the TR Community Center.
Near Detroit, the city of Novi was named from its designation as Stagecoach Stop #6, No.VI. Now, you might know something that you didn’t know yesterday. Who says this column isn’t educational?
For the next several weeks, I’ll include some interesting facts about this great state that we call “Home”.
See you Out and About!

Submitted by Norm Stutesman