Out and About Blog by Norm Stutesman

The regular college football season is pretty much finished except for the bowl games. The pro teams still have some games to play, which is fine with me. I don’t know if anyone else is puzzled with the different jerseys some of the teams are wearing, but I can’t help but wonder where they come up with some of the …

I am very happy with my little office. It’s always been sort of a sanctuary where I can hang out, think, dream, write and on occasion, enjoy a power nap. The office has a great view of the Rocky River as I look out the north window. By looking out the west window, I can keep tabs on the ambulances …

Thanksgiving is this Thursday. It is a legal holiday so there won’t be any mail delivery and the banks won’t be open. Also, there will not be any trash pick up. If your garbage is normally picked up on Thursday, it will be taken care of on Friday. Friday’s garbage will be picked up on Saturday. There will be football …

My father reminded me more than once that if you don’t learn something new every day, you’ve missed out on a learning experience. I’m not sure if I accomplish this, but at least once a week, I learn a new word. The word this week is “Aphorism”. Aphorism is a statement of truth or opinion expressed in a concise and …

Many years ago, I was lucky to have a dog that could actually talk. We spent a lot of time together walking and playing in the neighborhood park or in our own backyard. One autumn evening, we sat on the back deck enjoying the setting sun. Rufus, my dog, said that he had something to say and asked that I …

Unless you’ve been hiding out in a cave somewhere, you’re aware that tomorrow is Halloween. Hopefully the weather will cooperate and we won’t be having any rain or thunderstorms. By now everyone should have a costume ready along with a large shopping bag for all those sweet treats. This is all you need to go trick-or-treating. Most kids will dress …

Dining out, especially for breakfast, continues to give me material for this column. I especially enjoy having breakfast at a small quaint cafe where they usually have regular diners who gather there every morning to discuss the world’s problems. Some of these eateries have unique little signs placed on the wall with hopes that the customers get a chuckle or …

I can’t help it, but here I go again venting about television ads. It seems we just can’t get away from them unless you follow the Turner Classic Movies (TCM) channel. I don’t think there are any ads on HBO or any of the other premium cable channels. Anyway, there are some ads that are clever, but the majority of …

Like many, I have a problem throwing anything away. I’m afraid to throw out a receipt for fear of needing it a week after I throw it in the wastebasket. At one time I had three or four empty three-ring binders. There was nothing wrong with them so why get rid of them? A friend suggested that I give them …

The 2019 cars and trucks are finally arriving at the dealerships. There are many who shy away from purchasing a new car because of the depreciation that occurs the minute you drive it out of the showroom. You can buy a very nice used car if you go about it the right way. It’s difficult to find that older lady …