The holiday season is starting to look like the election season. It starts early and seems to never end.

You have probably noted the “Black Friday” retail sales events, which used to be confined to the day after Thanksgiving, have already started, and they are not confined to Fridays. No problem for me though; BJ has already bought or told me the gifts she wants for Christmas.

Mary Ryan, the curator of the U.S. Naval Undersea Museum in Keyport, was the speaker for the more than 70 folks at the last First Wednesday luncheon. BJ tells me it was very informative and entertaining with information on the submarine operations we see begin and end from many of the windows in Port Ludlow.

I saw a very educational presentation on recycling here in East Jefferson County by Laura Tucker from the county’s solid waste program. She provided information on the problems and opportunities with recycling and talked about the incredible advantages we have locally.

For example, all of the corrugated cardboard we recycle is taken to the Port Townsend paper mill and recycled into, you guessed it, corrugated cardboard. Apparently the material can be recycled about 11 times, and it is local.

Did you note all of last weekend’s Veterans Day events? The Beach Club has a great display of the banners from each of the military branches. The Ludlow Lot Owners Association bought the banners and put them up as a part of their veteran recognition program on Sunday afternoon.

Of course, the clear weather also facilitated enjoying the U.S. flags erected by the East Jefferson Rotary Club around Port Hadlock, Port Ludlow and Chimacum.

All of this recognition was capped off for me when my 5-year-old grandson participated in a veterans recognition last week in his kindergarten class with a star bearing my name. Then he came to visit over the weekend and I took the opportunity to show him pictures of that time of my life. I am virtually unrecognizable.

Even though we are experiencing the cooler and sometimes wetter weather, there continue to be opportunities to enjoy socializing and eating with friends in the area.

Last Wednesday was “lite bites” night at the yacht club followed by Saturday evening’s potluck and some beer and chocolate tasting organized by Tish Satre. Tonight is the traditional “hot dog night” at the yacht club, carrying on a tradition established by the late Judy Newell. This Saturday night is the monthly potluck at the Beach Club organized by Billy and Debbie Fong. You need to bring an appetizer to share as that will probably be your dinner.

Here is a reminder for a couple of financial items. First, the Rotary Club’s Pot o’ Gold raffle is Nov. 15. Get that lucky ticket bought today!

The annual AARP tax preparation training kicks off in Sequim on the same day with training for the leadership team. The training for the volunteers is in December and January. This annual process for the Tax Aide volunteers gets them educated about the latest changes to the U.S. tax code so that, come February, they can provide the best help for you as you prepare your own tax return.

Be sure to get your records in order, whether somebody else helps with your return, or you do it yourself. Surprisingly, BJ does our taxes.

You might have seen the news report about the guy in the Netherlands who is trying to legally change his age from 69 to 49 so he can be more attractive to women on the internet. I am reminded of the question asked by the great Satchel Paige. “How old would you be if you did not know how old you are?”

Love a curmudgeon, and have a great week!

NedLuce@sbcglobal.net