Clinton Township Newsletter

3 f e b r u a r y 2 0 2 4 from CarolBeder ' s DAYS TO KEEP IN MIND Thursday February 1 Black History Month Friday February 2 Groundhog Day Friday February 2 Candlemas Day Sunday February 4 World Cancer Day Sunday February 4 Rosa Parks Day Sunday February 11 Super Bowl Sunday Monday February 12 Lincoln's Birthday Tuesday February 13 Mardi Gras Wednesday February 14 Valentine's Day ♥ Wednesday February 14 Ash Wednesday Monday February 19 Presidents' Day Thursday February 22 Washington's Birthday Thursday February 22 Girl Scouts World Thinking Day (February 23 – March 6, 1836: The Battle of the Alamo It was the best of times, it was the worst of times... I had just graduated from college and was interviewing for the BIG jobs in Manhattan while working three small jobs just to pay the rent and survive. While out with my friends one Friday night at a grungy dive bar listening to immaculate blues music (or so it sounded to me), I met a suited young man whose eyes matched both the music and his button-down shirt. And kids, this is how I met your father, 35 years ago on an exquisite night just as spring was turning into summer, at the now beautiful Café Elysian in Hoboken. The definition of Elysian is: "relating to or characteristic of heaven or paradise. synonyms: heavenly, paradisal, paradisiacal, celestial, divine." So I like to say, it was a match made in "heaven". As I've said many times, Valentine's Day is one of my favorite holidays of the year, and it's not just for romantic relationships, of course. My parents used to give me and my siblings Valentine's cards and treats first thing in the morning on Valentine's Day, which often fell on a school day, and made what would have been an ordinary, bleak February day into something exciting and special. My father kept up the tradition by sending me heart boxes of chocolates when I went far away to the big city for college, which felt like a hug from home. I have to say I lean toward maximalism, and this cover is no exception. It reminds me of the time I took my daughter, around age ten or so, to the girls' section of Walmart to look for bathing suits. After eyeing the sea of rainbow- colored suits with all manner of ruffles, ribbons, and sparkle, she exclaimed, "Ugh! It looks like a unicorn threw up in here!!" With that in mind, I'd say it looks like Cupid threw up on the cover of this issue. But, more is more, right? Again with the Super Bowl?! It seems to come around every year. The Super Bowl and I were born in the same year, 1966, so now you always know how old I am, and I can always easily translate those Roman numerals for each Super Bowl game. I'm not a football fan, but I am surrounded by them, so I try to enjoy all of the graphics and mild hysteria while not worrying too much about the well-being of the athletes and all of their injuries. That said, I was disappointed to see the Jacksonville Jaguars lose to the Tennessee Titans, eliminating them from the playoff race... and let's not even talk about the Giants this season. But anyway, y'all enjoy the game and, most importantly; have fun and be safe! While this month is the month of Valentine's Day and the Super Bowl, it's also the month that we observe Presidents' Day, when we honor Black History Month, and this year, Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday) and Ash Wednesday also fall in February. 2024 is also a Leap Year! According to www.Almanac.com, "a leap year is a year with an extra day – February 29 – added nearly every four years to the calendar year. Adding an extra day every four years keeps our calendar aligned correctly with the astronomical seasons since a year according to the Gregorian calendar (365 days) and a year according to Earth's orbit around the Sun (approximately 365.25 days) are not the same length of time. Without this extra day, our calendar and the seasons would gradually get out of sync." Personally, I'd choose to have that extra day in June, but that's just me. Whatever you're celebrating this month, stay warm, stay sweet, and let's leap our way towards spring! ♥ –Julie Flynn

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