Clinton Township Newsletter

Since 1982 C L I N TO N TOW N S H I P N ews l e t t e r ® J u l i e F ly n n , E d i t o r F e b r ua ry 2014 "What we have once enjoyed we can never lose. All that we love deeply becomes a part of us." – Helen Keller "Another Birthday! More Fantasies!" by EDITOR'S COLUMN by Ruth Keesing I am fully aware that on this year's February Birthday, there are zero chances of my becoming a millionaire. I don't buy lottery tickets; I don't frequent Atlantic city casinos; I have no wealthy relatives at all!; I don't play online poker. But that dismal prognosis doesn't stop me from fantasizing about what I would do if Publisher's Clearing House drove up to 29 Charlotte Drive with balloons, microphones, cameras and a hefty fortune to bestow upon me. How would a cool million change my life? • I would not stand in line ANYWHERE. I would bribe supermarket cashiers and bank tellers or just hire someone whose primary duty would be to stand in line in my place. • I would buy the latest gadgets Apple offers – iPods and very smart phones that do everything except make cracked ice. • I would enroll my great-grandchildren in Princeton or Harvard. • I would arrange it so my kids could all retire next month with enough cash to live a life of luxury. • I would build an extra room to house all the pocketbooks and shoes I am compelled to purchase even though I already have too many. • I would establish a "Ruth & Fred Keesing Foundation" to distribute annual bonuses to my plumber, lawn/snow man, cleaning friend, fixer and all other service providers without whom I could not live in this house. • I would purchase a private plane for trips to Minnesota and thumb my nose at Delta and Continental Airlines. Big Time! • I would purchase a beach front cottage in Cape May and a lake front cottage on Lake Wentworth in New Hampshire. • I would re-seed my sorry lawn and replace the awnings on the breezeway. • I would donate big bucks to Hunterdon Medical Center, the American Cancer Society and the Open Cupboard Food Pantry. • I would publish the Clinton Township Newsletter every week and fill the Democrat with envy. It's becoming clear that one million wouldn't come close to accomplishing all of the above. I would need a billion or so and that is as likely to happen as my hair roots growing in ash blond instead of gray. Better I should re-think my luck in being reasonably healthy, being able to afford the property taxes (barely!) and enjoying wonderful friends and family. In the long run, nothing else would really matter. P.S. I might look into marrying a very rich, very old, marginally healthy suitor. On second thought, I don't think so. F e b r u a r y J u l i e F ly n n Even while growing up in sunny Jacksonville, Florida, February tended to be a bleak month. By this time, we were sick of our 1½ months of winter and needed a pick-me-up. Solution: Valentine's Day. Now that I live on the Ice Planet (at least it feels that way right now) I enjoy Valentine's Day even more. Valentine's Day is my Super Bowl. My husband and sons enjoy Valentine's Day about as much as they do Arbor Day, or possibly President's Day. They put up with the hearts and flowers if it means chocolate for them. I think Valentine's Day was a brilliant marketing idea for an otherwise desolate time of year – and I love everything about it. Saint Valentine was a martyr for love who, according to me only, probably resembled Hugh Jackman. According to History.com, "While some believe that Valentine's Day is celebrated in the middle of February to commemorate the anniversary of St.Valentine's death or burial--which probably occurred around A.D. 270--others claim that the Christian church may have decided to place St. "I claim there ain't Valentine's feast day in the middle of February in Another Saint an effort to "Christianize" the pagan celebration As great as Valentine." of Lupercalia. Celebrated at the ides of Febru~Ogden Nash ary, or February 15, Lupercalia was a fertility festival dedicated to Faunus, the Roman god of agriculture, as well as to the Roman founders Romulus and Remus." Well, that sounds like it could be fun, doesn't it? The Super Bowl could be considered both a pagan holiday and a sort of religious holiday, but it's not very romantic at all... unless you count passion for the sport. Since I come from the land of football, you'd think I'd appreciate it more. Some of my earliest memories are of being taken to the "There are two times Auburn vs. Alabama games and taught of year for me: to yell: "WAR EAGLE"–  which made no Football season, and sense to me at the time, since Auburn's waiting for football season." mascot was (and is/are) the Tigers. –Darius Rucker When Florida played Georgia, you could feel the entire city come to a dead stop. And even I have been known to say, "Go Jags!" once in a while when my boys are watching them. My sons then tease me, "Oh, yeah? Who's in their starting line-up, Mom?" Hmm... According to the always correct Wikipedia, the Super Bowl was created as part of a merger agreement between the NFL and its then-rival league, the American Football League (AFL). It might have started as a competition, but it's become quite a brilliant marketing event as well. At 4 million dollars for a 30 second commercial, the Super Bowl is some of the most expensive advertising available during the year. With a captive audience of an average of 108.4 million people (according to Nielsen), maybe it's worth it. I know that the Clinton Township Newsletter probably will not be running a commercial in Super Bowl XLVIII. Maybe in XLVIIII, depending on our budget. Instead, we've filled this issue with hearts and flowers, cupids and chocolates. We hope you enjoy your February, whether it's filled with thoughts of love or football... or both! Happy Valentine's Day!–Julie Flynn 2 0 1 4 ♥ 1

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