Ned Luce

It is really hard now, isn’t it? The weather is nicer but one either cannot or should not get too adventurous with those masks on without feeling like Bonnie or Clyde. 

No matter, there are friends of yours wandering about looking to avoid you and everybody else lest the dreaded virus invade their space. 

Don’t get the COVID-19 police squad out on me, but I confess to some conversation with several other folks around town. I was down at Active Life using their “NuStep” machine and saw Jack Zalaha also in-house trying to take reasonable instructions from Monica in the universal effort to improve personal well-being. He even took time out to encourage my attempts to reclaim my youth of
50 years ago. 

When I left Active Life I encountered the Morans, who had just been barbered by Sonja, the “barberess” of the Bayside Barber Shop. They confessed to reading this column regularly and enjoying the reported antics of our grandsons. Thanks for the grandsons’ contributions to the “meat” of these ruminations. 

One of the regular readers of this column is my friend Steven Gross. In fact he provides almost weekly critical reviews of my writing and has concluded that the best of these columns always include his name. I stopped by his place the other day to let him inspect my newly cleaned and polished car and was delighted to see his wife, Fran, and Judy Smith, Stephanie Buehler and Nancy Kiesler talking gardening. Not to worry, they were all more than 6 feet apart! 

On a nice Friday several weeks ago we invited Steven/Fran Gross and Vic/Sharon Draper to join us in our driveway at 5 p.m. to enjoy a glass of their own wine whilst sitting in chairs they brought and eating treats they brought for themselves. 

This format has turned into some drinks outside at somebody’s place, be it a patio or driveway. The driveway option is really nice given the reality of the occasional rain and the natural availability of a garage. The Smiths moved to their boat, having sold their home, and we have not hosted since our deck reconstruction started. So the regular attempt at some level of socializing has continued at the Draper’s and Gross’s under the principle of BYOE, “bring your own everything.” 

BJ and I try to walk regularly as we take almost everybody’s advice on either getting or staying healthy. It is nice to see other folks even though the conversations almost always take place around 20 feet apart. 

Last week we talked with Jodie McDaniel who reported that Niblick’s, the café at the
Port Ludlow Golf Course, is under new management and doing a great job with breakfast and lunch. We enjoy seeing Jim Brannaman, the Makarowskis, Pat Cooper, the Wilsons, and some pickleball players out getting the mail, walking the dog, or anything else as we play Russian Roulette with the virus.  

We miss the LMC potluck dinners, the Dine and Discover dinners, the performances provided by the Port Ludlow Performing Arts, the car shows down at the Village Center, going out to dinner and more. 

Facts are facts, my friends, I am afraid we are going to be hunkering down behind these masks and staying at least 6 feet apart for some time yet. 

I am reminded of an admonition from a manager of mine during an economic downturn back in the 1980s when there was widespread concern about layoffs. 

He told the group I was in, “Take your job and love it.”

We need to “Wear the mask and love it!” 

Just to make sure you are aware, filing your taxes today does mean you can violate all the pandemic guidelines.

Love a curmudgeon and have a great week!

(Ned Luce is a retired IBM executive who continues to embarrass his grandsons with their frequent mention in his Life in Ludlow column.)