Out and About Blog by Norm Stutesman

I’ve never considered myself a party animal. I’m not a “teetotaler”, but I do believe that you don’t have to drink to have an enjoyable time. The consumption of alcohol is glorified on television more and more these days. I remember one commercial that showed a lady picking up necessary groceries in preparation for an upcoming storm. The last thing …

We all have a fear of something. Whether it’s a fear of heights or a fear of clowns, we all have something we will do almost anything to avoid. I can handle speaking in front of one hundred people, as long as I’m speaking about something I am very familiar with, but don’t ask me to sing or dance in …

Being associated with Lions Clubs International for almost eighteen years, I’ve been to my share of conferences and conventions. I look at these events as opportunities to get together with fellow Lion friends and get caught up with everyone’s life experiences. I’m not a major fan of crowds; as a matter of fact, I really didn’t want to attend the …

Last August, my brother and I attended the “Thunder Over Michigan” air show at Willow Run Airport near Detroit. The air show was more than worth the price of the ticket. The main reason for going to the event was to take a ride in a B-17 aircraft. I mentioned this experience in a column about a month later, so …

Where are all the volunteers? Most fun events are made possible by using volunteers. The same can be said for assistance in a disaster. Without volunteers, a lot of things would never get done. A perfect example would be the recent Three Rivers Water Festival. Without the many volunteers, Water Festival would never have happened. Without volunteers, the local food …

Water Festival 2017 is now in the history books. My participation in this event was limited, so I have no idea how successful the vendors in Scidmore Park were, or how many attended the classic car show on Main Street, Saturday morning. I do know that the parade was as entertaining as ever and that the Three Rivers Lions Club …

I could never be a teacher. Besides the fact that one needs more than a Bachelor’s Degree, a teacher must also have the patience of a saint. Teachers are among those professionals who should be addressed as Mister, Mrs., or Miss, and this would be difficult for me. Whenever someone refers to me as Mr. Stutesman, I start looking around …

I’ve never been much of a boss. While working for a freight forwarder near O’Hare Airport in Chicago, I vied for a position as warehouse foreman. I was told that I didn’t get the position because I wasn’t a hard-nose slave driver. They used another term, but I’ll refrain from using that name here. I’ve overseen individuals working toward a …

Everyone has their share of problems. Sometimes the problems are small and easily solved. Other times they are beyond imagination. We’ve all had problems so difficult that we’d wish we would wake up and discover that it was all just a bad dream. I remember listening to a speaker whose topic centered on problems that people encounter and have to …

I admit that I do my share of procrastinating, especially when it comes to having to tackle a task I don’t want to do. It’s so easy to say, “I’ll take care of it tomorrow.” Tomorrow is one of my favorite days. People usually procrastinate the most when it comes to that “Honey-Do” list. This is that list that never …