Out and About Blog by Norm Stutesman

People can attend college for as long as they wish, or for as long as their bankroll holds out and their grades remain acceptable. If they wish, they can work hard and receive many degrees and go on and succeed in any field they choose. However, I don’t know of anyone who has a degree in “Common Sense”. I doubt …

For those of us here in St. Joseph County, March came in like a lion and went out as a lion. So much for sayings of old. However, I’m sure there are a few farmers out there who feel that we didn’t get enough rain. Now I’m wondering what the April showers will be like. This month I start my …

Spring officially arrived a week ago yesterday, March 20. When it will feel like spring, remains to be seen. One day we are able to wear lighter clothing, then the next day we find ourselves scraping the frost off our car windows. I guess Mother Nature is having difficulty making up her mind, so we’ll just have to wait until …

I consider myself to be one of the luckiest guys around. I’m retired, so I have plenty of time to do what I want, or what needs to be done, and if I don’t get things done today, there’s always tomorrow. I volunteer with several groups and try my best to be a good citizen and a nice guy. Most …

Hopefully everyone remembered to set their clocks ahead one hour this past Sunday. Remember, spring ahead, fall back. I still haven’t heard a good reason for resetting our clocks twice a year. There has been talk of doing away with the time changing, but that would require an act of Congress and we all know they are way too busy …

The world is filled with critics. We are all critics in some way, and there are some people who get paid for their critical expertise. We have restaurant and movie critics, to name just two, but I have never heard of a “Restroom Critic”. Now this would be something I might be successful in pursuing. I’m pretty sure this newspaper …

I can’t remember a February when the weather has been this pleasant, or perhaps I should say weird. We’ve had temperatures in the fifties and sixties, along with temperatures in the twenties and thirties. There have been times when we’ve had nicer weather than those Michiganders who have flown south for the winter. Back in the day, December, January, and …

Since my retirement, I’ve found myself busier than I was when I was punching a timeclock. This is common among many retirees. I’d like to think of myself as a professional volunteer, but that could be looked at as an oxymoron, because professionals get paid for their time, and the only pay a volunteer normally gets is a warm feeling …

To those of you who love someone or anything, I wish you a very Happy Valentine’s Day. If you don’t love anything or anyone, I believe you have a problem. To the majority of you, please take a moment and remind those closest to you just how much they mean to you. If you’re a hugger like I am, you …

There are two topics I try to avoid when putting this column together. They are religion and politics. I witnessed my father arguing both topics as I was growing up and I vowed to not waste my time arguing over such personal issues. Besides, I feel everyone is entitled to their own beliefs, and who am I to try to …