Out and About Blog by Norm Stutesman

It’s Christmas 2019. You still have time to get out and pick out those last minute Christmas gifts. Growing up, this is the time my family would gather around the Christmas tree and open our gifts. As a child, I received an allowance of thirty-five cents a week. To earn this, I was at my mother’s beckon call when it …

Last week, I sort of left you hanging when I wrote about LED lights. I’m not talking about those lights usually found on the newer cars. I’m referring to those lights you might use in your home. I would like to share something about the lifespan of LEDs. The useful life of LEDs is defined differently than for other lighting …

A few ways to feel better about yourself: Be forgiving of yourself and others. Floss your teeth. Return all things you borrow. Treat everyone you meet like you want to be treated. I love to watch movies, but I usually wait until they come out on cable, rather than go to a movie theater. The reason for not going to …

Welcome to December. This is the final month of a year that has experienced some very odd weather. Last June was cold and wet and a month ago we experienced weather that normally arrives in December and January. It has become very difficult to keep seasonal clothing nearby. No one really knows what the next couple of months have in …

It has been rumored that if you really want to see “Fall Colors”, you need to travel out east during the month of October. I discovered this to be more fact than fiction. The last weekend of October, found us traveling to Lebanon, Pennsylvania for a family reunion. Lebanon is east of Pittsburgh near Hershey. We traveled twelve hundred miles …

Two final ideas that might make your traveling experience more fun: Never wear new shoes, especially hiking boots. Purchase them so that you’ll have a few weeks to break them in first. Think about purchasing a travel plan that facilitates emergency care. A travel or medical emergency could leave you paying thousands of dollars for health-related emergency services not covered …

Here are four more suggestions that might make that international trip more enjoyable: Adjust your schedule of prescription medicine to account for differing time zones. Why not carry an extra watch and keep it set to “home time”? That way your medicine can be taken on time. If you’re diabetic and take insulin, carry a prescription for your syringes. Many …

Today is Election Day. Unless you’ve been living in a cave, you are aware of the many items on the ballot. Everything from a millage to electing a city commissioner. If you want change, this is your time to perhaps make a difference. The hours for voting are from 7 AM until 8 PM. If you don’t vote, you have …

I’ve never considered myself “cool”. In high school, I thought of myself as being pretty much of a nerd. I wasn’t one of the popular classmates, although I did have a lot of friends. Being cool meant different things to different people. The same can be said today. Here are nine ways to be cool, and you can’t go wrong …

Food items can be used for other things besides being consumed. Read on: Lemon and wood ashes remove tarnish from brass. Salts of lemon will aid in removing ink stains. Lemon and salt will invariably remove iron rust from linens. There are many things that are hard to believe these days. It’s amazing what people get away with and manage …