Ned Luce

Most of the time this column is a weekly refuge from the problems and controversies that permeate most of the daily television, internet or newspaper feedings from the news trough. 

However, my friends, it is getting pretty challenging to sort through the chaff and get to the fun or positive foundations of life. 

I mean, 200,000 folks have died from or have been helped along the way by an epic and mismanaged pandemic. We are in the midst of an election where it seems we must choose the candidate best able to hurl an insult, or survive one. Honestly, are there really more than three people in the U.S. who have not yet made up their mind and wouldn’t change it for love or money? We shouldn’t expect to leave our homes without subjecting ourselves to the “Very Unhealthy” outside air full of smoke from the deadly forest fires of the West. In the early stages I took a trip out to the mailbox and it was like licking an ashtray. Heck, I inhaled so much smoke last weekend I was reminded of some of the taverns I would frequent with BJ in my misguided youth. We did it for the music.  

OK, enough. As old country-and-western singer Bob Luman encouraged us, “Let’s think about living, let’s think about loving etc…” After all, this is “Saturation Week” for the Leader in Port Ludlow. You should find positive articles this week about people, places and things in Port Ludlow you will appreciate, or need to learn about. You will probably even find an opportunity to purchase a product or service that will enhance living here. 

Actually I tried to buy one of those nice air purifiers from Amazon last weekend using their “Amazon Prime” service. Don’t they advertise delivery to my doorstep in 32 minutes? For some reason the purifier was not available until mid-October. 

When we moved in to Port Ludlow 12 years ago I bought, split and stacked two cords of firewood. Surprisingly it is almost gone! 

Yeah, I know, most of you would have gone through that in a couple years. 

To continue, I contracted for one cord to be delivered, split and stacked last week. I figure it may last for the next decade. 

Football is back, at least on the “tube.” Yes, I did watch 16,000 fans, sitting in the 76,000 seats, attend the first game of the NFL season and cheered as the Kansas City Chiefs continued their winning ways and the Seattle Seahawks showed championship form again.

The college games were less available as the Big 10 and the PAC 12 both cancelled fall sports. 

In addition, the North Coast Athletic League, home of the DePauw Tigers and the Wabash College Little Giants teams, cancelled all games this fall. 

You probably already knew this but in case you did not, or forgot, BJ went to DePauw and I went to Wabash. 

When confronted with needing a bridge to something to do these days, BJ and I are  not above taking a day to binge watch some TV show or series. Some of the best stuff to our taste seems to be series with a Canadian, English or Australian accent. There was “McLeod’s Daughters” from Australia, “Heartland” from Canada, “Last Tango in Halifax” set in Halifax, England and more. 

“I reckon” the big takeaway is the wonderfully confusing mangling of what those of us from the Midwest would call a normal use of the English language.

Love a curmudgeon, wear your mask, test negative and stay positive!

(Ned Luce is a retired IBM executive who says it’s always sunny in Port Ludlow, but not lately.)