'A good laugh and a long sleep'

Posted

You probably don’t really feel saturated. However, today is the day that Port Ludlow is being saturated - with The Leader! Every household with a Port Ludlow address should be getting a copy of this week’s edition in an effort to make the community more aware of the local flavor and news available through this newspaper. This is column number 443 for me, not too bad from a guy whose only positive experience with writing before now was my high school English teacher, Miss Dolly Gray. She would be astounded and then proud. When I originally started writing “Life in Ludlow”, the intent was to expose the folks in Port Ludlow to highlights of Port Townsend, maybe even encourage shopping to the North instead of Southeast, as in Kitsap County. At the same time I was to expose the folks in Port Townsend to some of the good things about Port Ludlow and not just consider us “Dudlows”. So, this column is not the only great thing about the Leader. It has local news, articles about people around East Jefferson County, and it is successful! Frankly, based on NO scientific study, this paper has increased in size about the same percentage as the Seattle Times has shrunk. If you already get the paper and read this column, thanks. If you got this paper even though you do not subscribe, get a subscription, get tuned in with the local scene, and do your part to save America! Call 360-385-2900 and tell them I sent you. Heck, even Michael Haberpointer of Active Life Physical Therapy put his first ad in this week’s Leader!

Regular readers appreciate the warnings I give them about the fund-raising events of the East Jefferson Rotary Club. Consistent with that practice, the annual “Pot o’ Gold” raffle is now in full swing. Rotarians will be celebrating this Saturday from 1 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Finn River Cidery. The big news is that the tickets are half price this year, $50 each instead of $100. Of course my regular ticket-buying customers need not worry, you can still spend the same amount you just get twice the number of tickets! There are several changes this year but be aware that every dollar netted by the club in this and other fund raising projects by the club goes to support scholarships for local students or local projects like the pavilion at H.J. Carroll Park, or international projects like the eradication of polio. None of that money goes to non-charitable operations.

Another thing that begins at this time of the year is the AARP Tax-Aide Program. AARP TAX-AIDE is looking for new volunteers to prepare federal income tax returns for the upcoming tax season. They accept, nay, recruit volunteers of all ages and backgrounds. Volunteers provide free tax return preparation and electronic filing for low- and middle-income members of our community. Training begins in December, using materials and software provided by the IRS. Volunteers must attend training classes in Sequim and pass the IRS Tests before assisting taxpayers during the tax season. If you have basic computer skills, enjoy preparing income tax returns, and (mostly!) enjoy helping others, this could be a perfect volunteer opportunity for you! Please contact www.aarp.org/taxaide to complete an online application. Once your application has been processed, your Local Coordinator, Yvonne Starkey, will be in touch with you. If you have questions, contact Yvonne at 360-531-4040 or yvonneraestarkey@gmail.com.

So, you are now properly saturated. Be reminded of the old Irish Proverb, “A good laugh and a long sleep are the two best cures for anything.”

Love a curmudgeon and have a great week!