Clinton Township Newsletter

3 a p r i l 2 0 1 9 Carol Beder's – Julie Fl�nn Years ago, as I was weeding in our garden, a nice young couple stopped their car and ambled up to me. "This is the house I grew up in!" said the husband. Perhaps I should have worried that they were serial killers, but I didn't, and I immediately invited them inside. (Turns out they were youth pastors – friendly and harmless). As we stepped into the house, I looked around and realized it was not ready for prime-time viewing: legos everywhere, a half a dozen Fisher- Price little people play sets strewn around, omni-present art supplies and half-finished craft projects, Star Wars light sabers, you-name-it, it was kidsville. They brushed off my apologies for the mess – the husband didn't seem to mind at all. His eyes glazed over as he looked around and I knew that his brain was flooded with a million memories at once as he took it all in. Because we were on a budget (always), things hadn't changed much since he lived there."WOW! This is the same linoleum in the front hall that was here when I was a kid... and this is the same kitchen counter... and the same cabinets!" Years later we were ready to sell. With more of a budget to tackle the needs of that house, we fixed it up, spending (in my opinion) way too much money. The wood floors were more stunning than I ever imagined they could be. The driveway new, the wood around the windows and on the cabinets re-done, a new(!) septic system, deck, front walk, stairs, and back patio... We sold the house quickly, bringing the price way down, but we didn't re-coup those expenditures. A bit of advice: check with your realtor first before spending money on your home for resale. So, in this busy real estate season, the question of "What is it worth?" is an important one. The answer is: whatever someone is willing to pay for it. But what was our precious home on Blossom Hill worth, in my opinion? Since that house was where we raised our babies, I'd say roughly maybe ten or twenty million dollars. Needless to say, that's not what we got for it. If I were showing the house, these would be some of the features I would point out to prospective buyers: • This is the living room where both of my sons played hours and hours of piano, resulting in (brag-alert!) two performances at Carnegie Hall. See that scuff mark on the ceiling in the corner? It was from the Christmas tree... every single year. The scuff mark next to it, however, is due to my husband practicing his golf swing once (and only once) indoors. • This is the kitchen my daughter wrote about for one of her college essays. She had to describe a Bazinga Moment. ("What the heck's a 'Bazinga Moment', Mom?!!!" she asked, exasperated, and not a fan of The Big Bang Theory.) She decided that for her it happened in our "little yellow kitchen" creating art with me and her brothers. After reading her sweet essay, as far as I was concerned, the kitchen should stay yellow forever. • Underneath that deck is where our youngest, at age 5 or so, and his good friend Will played elaborate scenarios with their army "guys". Years later, when the deck was re-done, the workmen handed me all of the stray army guys they found here and there, bringing tears to my eyes. • These are the front steps (beautiful now, but a mess before) where many Halloween and first-day-of-school photos were taken... a summer snack spot for the children, and my perch when watching their countless driveway basketball games, and front-yard football and wiffle-ball games. • This is the closet where, in the summer, we stowed all of the extra winter blankets – and then the kids turned it into a secret fort, playing happily in there for hours while I tried to get some work done on the computer a couple of feet away. • This is the big backyard where countless summer birthday parties were held, complete with water guns and water balloons... where baseball games were played... This is the spot where the above-ground pool stood. It was old but we kept it for our children's entire childhood, until as teenagers it had really lost its magic for them. And then our youngest, always inquisitive, wondered what would happen if he shot an arrow through the side. He found out. (By the way, bubble-gum makes a good patch for above ground pools). That's just the short-list – I have a million more – I'm sure you do too! Perhaps it's best that we leave real estate sales to the realtors. Happy Spring, Happy Easter and Happy Passover! Community Easter Egg & Scavenger Hunt April 20! Families in the Clinton area are invited to an Easter Egg Hunt Saturday, April 20 at 10 am at the Clinton Community Center, 63 Halstead St., Clinton. In addition to finding eggs, kids can play games, make crafts and enjoy snacks! After the Egg Hunt, families are invited to continue the fun with a Scavenger Hunt throughout downtown Clinton! Eggs will be hidden in shop windows for children to find. Enjoy the Easter Bunny with prizes for the scavenger hunt at the Hunterdon Art Museum until 2:00 pm. This event is FREE. The Egg Hunt and Scavenger Hunt is sponsored by the Clinton United Methodist Church and The Guild of Clinton. To learn more about both organizations please visit: www.sentforothers.org and www.VisitClintonNJ.com Good Morning Ruth and Julie, Ruth, I truly enjoy your" words" and wisdom! Julie, in the March issue, I missed the "quotes" that have appeared in past issues of the newsletter. I used to share them with my childhood friend who lives in Yonkers, NY. She too enjoyed them. – Dorothy, Cokesbury Hi Dorothy, Thank you so much for the compliments! You have a good eye — the quotes didn't make it into our March issue due to demand for space — there's so much going on in the spring! It's so sweet that you used to share them with your childhood friend — we love that. We will definitely do our best to get quotes into our future issues. Keep reading us! – Julie Flynn

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