Wow, it was wet and stormy last week. I am here to tell you that putting up those U.S. flags for Veterans Day on a nice sunny Friday afternoon was in a different league from taking them down in the wind, rain and chilly weather on Sunday.

We Rotarians store the flags in a storage locker at Port Ludlow Mini Storage, and I don’t know if they are dry yet! Some would say that efforts like that build character and teamwork skills. Hogwash, which is exactly what I felt I was doing in a nice hot shower after we finished putting away the flags on Sunday.

BJ and I spent last week babysitting our 15-year-old and 13-year-old grandsons in Seattle. They are fairly self-sufficient, so we only provided rides to soccer practice and some meal preparation. (Yes, I did. Leftover burritos!)

By my count, we made nine trips to/from Seattle in eight days. We got to be real regulars on the Kingston-Edmonds ferries. We enjoyed getting a closer and longer look at the way teenagers operate these days, even including soccer practices and games. Sometimes it is educational, sometimes it is entertaining, other times it is perplexing.

However, we need to remember that these people will be paying into Social Security and supporting us, so we need to be nice to them.

Despite the travails of the travel, BJ made it back for the Yacht Club women’s luncheon at the Belmont in Port Townsend, and I made it back for Rotary lunch at the Tri-Area Community Center in Chimacum.

HELP WITH TAXES

Items for you to note are the tax aid program and the Pot o’ Gold Raffle. The AARP Tax Aide Program is gearing up again this year. Folks can get help preparing their federal taxes in a few months by making an appointment at either the Tri-Area Community Center or the Port Townsend Community Center. The program is still accepting help from local people willing to volunteer some time each week during tax season. Contact Ron Ryan at 360-379-1226 or ronkatr@msn.com.

You can get one of those attractive Pot o’ Gold Raffle tickets from your favorite East Jefferson County Rotarian. Or contact me.

With this weather, it is increasing harder to go outside and get much exercise either doing yardwork or walking around the neighborhood. In fact, with Thanksgiving coming up tomorrow, I offer a way to work off some of those calories we accumulate at this time of year.

Recently, I got a suggestion from a friend for an exercise program for people over 60 years of age. You begin by standing on a comfortable surface where there is plenty of room on each side. With a 5-pound potato bag in each hand, extend your arms straight out from your sides and hold them as long as you can. Try to reach a full minute, and then relax. Each day you’ll find that you can hold this position for just a bit longer. After a couple of weeks, move up to 10-pound bags. Then try 50-pound potato bags and eventually try to get where you can lift a 100-pound potato bag in each hand and hold your arms straight for more than a full minute. (I am at this level.)

After you feel very confident at this level, put a potato in each bag and start over.

Love a curmudgeon and have a great week.

Congratulate Ned this week, for this is the 401st column he has written for The Leader. Contact him at nedluce@sbcglobal.net.