Clinton Township Newsletter

2 F e b r u a r y 2 0 2 1 W W W . C L I N T O N T W P N E W S L E T T E R . C O M C U S T O M PA I N T F I N I S H Transformations for Your Cabinetry & Furniture • D E S I G N 9 0 8 . 8 3 2 . 6 0 3 2 T E W K S B U R Y SHADES | MOTORIZED SHADES | BLINDS | DRAPES | PLANTATION SHUTTERS You Deserve Them! 908.236.2688 14 Lebanon Plaza n WindowExpressionsNJ.net Ruth Keesing, with her second husband Fred, began the Clinton Township Newsletter in 1982. I often thought they must have had the Fountain of Youth hidden somewhere on their property, as Fred was born in 1913 and Ruth in 1928, and they were both still going strong when they hired me in late 2009. Sadly, this month, her birthday month, marks a year sinceRuth's death at the age of 92, ten years after Fred's passing. I loved to hear all of their stories from throughout their full lives and though they might be now dancing together in the afterlife, we are blessed to be able to still enjoy their writing in this one. My love goes out to her family. – JF H I S A N D H E R S by Ruth Keesing (from 2 0 0 8) Locally Owned and Operated by Phil & Diane Koury 185 Center St., Clinton 908.735.4499 With the cold weather upon us, I realize anew how thermostatically challenged Fred and I are. He likes the bedroom 80 degrees at night with doors and windows closed tightly. I need fresh air with windows open wide and temperatures below 65 degrees. Fortunately Harold, my Honda, has dual front seat temperature controls because you know who has his seat heated and hot air blowing in his face in mid-July. I'm an eager fan of AC when the forecast even hints of humidity. This is only one of the many incompatibilities we endure after 37 years of marriage. Come to our dinner table (not really!) and you'll see two dinners with little resemblance to each other. Fred likes REAL butter, REAL mayonnaise, cream sauces, high fat cheese and high test coffee with REAL sugar. My plates contain low- or reduced-fat everything with a cup of black decaf. He drinks REAL ginger ale; I drink diet 7-UP. We have separate savings and checking accounts with different stock brokers and accounts. Maybe that's why we have never had an argument over money in all these years. We have separate telephone numbers – one for the office and one for home. We don't use the same shampoo, deodorant or mouthwash. He drinks Glen Livet and I'm a white wine person. I laugh out loud at funny TV shows and Fred seldom sees the humor in Seinfeld reruns. I exercise every day – some calisthenics and a 2-mile walk. Fred flexes his middle finger in the shower. His idea of a vacation is someplace within spitting distance of the ocean. Given my druthers, I'd pick an Adirondack mountain resort every time. Do we vote for the same people or issues? Seldom! Because Fred is legally blind I go into the voting booth with him and push all the buttons. Not easy when we each have our own preferences. I have to summon every bit of my moral strength to push his favorites. Then I push mine and we cancel each other out. May as well stay home and not bother! I think we may be headed in the direction of a tad more compatibility. I foresee a future when we'll both enjoy the same amount of pulp in our morning orange juice. And instead of whole milk for Fred and skim for me, we'll eventually settle on 2%. He must be doing something right as he hit 95 years of age in January. As for me, I'm just a babe in arms at 80. (From a Facebook post) "Julie – My husband, daughter, and I enjoyed reading the piece [in the January 2021 Issue of CTNL] on the history of the Hunterdon Art Museum over Christmas morning breakfast at Clinton Station. On our way home, we took a little local history detour: drove past the museum, the Parry House, and even stopped at the Clinton Presbyterian Church to see the grave of George W. Taylor!" – Laurie M.S. Laurie – I LOVE this! Thank you so much for reading and enjoying CTNL! – Julie Flynn

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