Clinton Township Newsletter

1 A p r i l 2 0 1 4 J u l i e F ly n n, e d i t o r A p r i l 2014 Since 1982 C L I N T O N T O W N S H I P N e w s l e t t e r ® The world has changed, dear Readers We've reached electronic heights We talk in different languages Of pixels, spam and bytes. When I was growing up, a mouse Was just a household pest Now it sits upon my desk As though an honored guest. During a rainstorm in late February, I found myself feeling suprisingly ebulliant–but why? Thinking it over, I realized that the rain made me happy... because it wasn't snow. This past winter has been so fierce that, in my opinion, precipitation warm enough to be rain is a good thing. Life be- ing what it is, however, several snowstorms slammed us the week after that rainstorm... followed by weeks of ice. My excrutiatingly painful fall on the ice on an otherwise happy-go-lucky morning walk sealed my feeling about this past winter – I'm done. Enough already. Even I can't find a silver lining in it anymore. Of course, I'm not the only one. As of this writing, we are still in the in-like- a-lion part of March. Everywhere I go right now in Clinton Township, people are saying the same thing: this year, Spring can't come fast enough. By the time you read this, we should be in the out-like-a-lamb part of March. For all of our sakes, I truly hope that saying is true this year. During another particularly harsh Winter about a year or two ago, I made a vow to myself. No matter how hot it gets during the summer, I will not complain. I will remember how much I dislike being cold in the Winter, and I will enjoy the heat. When other people complain, I will mentally shut them out and remember what I'm see- ing outside of my window right this minute – ice and snow. But before Summer, I am going to appreciate the forsythia – such an optimistic plant that ours tried to bloom during an unusually warm week in January. I love when the thicket on the wooded lot across from our house gets the first ever-so-slight halo of green, because I know that within days, we will be looking out onto a verdant wonderland. Every flowering tree – the cherry blossom, the dogwood, the crabapple, the magnolia – is precious for those few weeks when they are in gorgeous full bloom. The Daffodil, the first flower in our garden to make its appearance, may not be very glamorous, but the sight of them makes me happy–like running into an old friend at ShopRite in the middle of an otherwise dreary day. One of my favorite flowers, the Peony, makes its debut (in our yard) in late Spring–late to the party but very welcome none-the-less. They never stay long in our yard– I always end up cutting them and bringing them inside. For a week or two, our household is rich with massive bouquets of Peonies. On the downside, no fun are the little critters that hide in my cut flowers. For a time, I thought I had brought the stink-bug-plague into our house when I found one or two lime-green ones in those Peonies (until I realized that NJ is lousy with em'). I also know that Spring can be not fun for some of you. Half of my household is medicated and miserable in the Spring due to the pollen that flies through the air like miniature kamikazi pilots. To those of you with spring allergies–I'm sorry for your misery. I know you-all will be enjoying the Spring from inside, with the windows firmly shut. With this month's cover, you may think you're seeing things, or that we made some kind of big mistake with our masthead. Nope--that's just our idea of an April Fool's joke. (That's about as wild as it gets for us.) This April, we hope you enjoy April Fool's Day, your Easter, your Passover and Earth Day. But most of all, we hope you enjoy your Spring. It's about time, right? "O, wind, if winter comes, can spring be far behind?" ~Percy Bysshe Shelley –Julie Flynn E ar t h D ay : T u es d a y , A p ril 2 2 "April 1. This is the day upon which we are reminded of what we are on the other three hundred and sixty-four." – Mark Twain EDITOR'S COLUMN b y J u l i e F ly n n "One Byte At A Time" b y r u t h K e e s i n g I used to wait for daily mail Letters, cards meant just for me My curbside mailbox is now half full Most correspondence comes by "e". And viruses were in my chest My nose was sore and runny They now appear on MacBook's screen I don't think that's so funny. Outlook, Chrome and Firefox So many apps to master My world is full of questions And I want my answers faster. I Google several times a day For movie times and such There's info at my fingertips I cannot ask too much. And buying stuff on Amazon A neat way to spend money My cart gets full in nothing flat And rainy days turn sunny. The time has come for discipline It's what I seem to lack Get off my duff and realize There's life beyond my Mac. A written letter to a friend And back to in-store buying More contact on the telephone At least you'd know I'm trying. Hold this cover up to the mirror!

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