Clinton Township Newsletter

1 S e p t e m b e r 2 0 1 5 CLINTON TOWNSHIP Newsletter ® –Julie Fl�nn As unlikely as it seems, some folks are confused over who is Julie Flynn and who is Ruth Keesing. Outside of co-authoring Page l of this Newsletter, we bear little resemblance to each other. Julie is 49. I am 87. Julie has naturally curly golden brown hair. I have naturally straight and thinning grey hair. Julie looks terrific in a mini-skirt and high heels while I look barely mediocre in Tog Shop slacks and New Balance sneakers. But people in the supermarket ask me to tell Ruth they enjoyed her last column and Julie meets others who ask about Julie as if she were me. What matters most, however, is the relationship we have nurtured over the years as co-workers and friends. Our annual Christmas office party consists of lunch for two at the Clinton House. In 25 years working for the Bell System I can count lousy bosses with one finger (the middle one – extended straight up). His name was Dan and he regarded all female non-technical employees as low level nuisances. The other dozen or so bosses were wonderful to work for and I still correspond with a few of them. Likewise I continue to have lunch with several former co-workers and enjoy exchanging e-mails with others. Even my "bosses" at the Volunteer Office of the Medical Center are top-notch as well. Rewarding relationships for half a century. Don't I know, and appreciate, how lucky I've been. Working with Julie is a somewhat different ballgame. We most always are in total agreement over family values, local politics, child rearing, religion, extended family and what entrees are the tastiest at the Clinton House. We are in sync about all things Newsletter and regularly reassure each other about the contents of our columns. I am so pleased with the way she has upgraded the NL in the past few years. Fred might have questioned the idea of going on-line, but he would be proud beyond words of our current publication. I love it when I hear someone say "Better be careful what you say in front of Ruth or she may write a column about it". There are times I feel like a celebrity and my ego enlarges to the size of a watermelon… however briefly! That is POWER and I'm loving it. Our collaborative duo will end someday, of course, but in the meantime the two of us strive to bring the Clinton Township readers the best little hometown newsletter in NJ! Since 1982 "Duet" b y R u t h K e e s i n g I'm happy to tell people that one of my best friends is an octogenarian! Since September of 2009 I've been working at CTNL and, ever since, Ruth and I have been BFFs. After our first introduction (in my interview with CTNL's original owner Fred) Ruth's first words to me were, "Nice to meet you. As for the Newsletter, I want nothing to do with it!" Luckily that was a bluff and, as it turned out, she very much still enjoys working on this little publication. Thank goodness, because I very much enjoy working with her. Together we make a great team. Ruth makes me laugh on a daily basis, and reminds me that the priorities in my life are the right ones – the choices I'm making are the same as she did many years ago. I especially appreciate Ruth's example of laughing a lot, speaking her mind, exercising both mentally and physically, making lots of time for friends and, most importantly, taking time for herself. Ruth reminds me that everything will all work out--the kids will make it to and through college, the bills and mortgage (and property taxes!) will get paid, and life will get easier (and harder, and easier, etc.) While Fred was alive, Ruth and I (and Steve, the IT guy, and Jan before me, and Meg and Becky before her) often found ourselves confounded by him, bless his heart (as we say in the South). Being around Fred always reminded me of another saying (with my apologies to the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick), "You can always tell an Irishman, but you can't tell him much." Therefore, Ruth and I often were in cahoots to try and figure out how to deal with the Irishman at CTNL, a consummate gentleman whose "way" was the only way. Since Ruth's way was also the only way, you can just imagine what interesting situations this created. I'm happy to say that Ruth and I are much more collaborative. Recently, at the Town of Clinton's Community Day, I introduced myself as "Julie from the Newsletter" to some Clinton Township residents, and one of the men in the group quizzically said to me, "I was so sorry to hear about your husband." "Hmmm..." I thought to myself. When last I had seen my husband Mike that morning, he was in good shape and, if he managed to stay away from the chainsaw (now off-limits to him, due to three different and unfortunate chainsaw incidents) Mike should still be all in one piece once I returned home. And then I realized that this man thought I was Ruth! I explained that while Fred's death was very sad, he was 97 years old – so it wasn't entirely unexpected. I must say, that would have been quite a May/ December romance, as I was actually 44 years old when Fred died. Perhaps from her years as a theater major in the 1940's, Ruth is gifted with the wonderful ability to come across as both an early-Judy Garland-innocent ("Oh My! Did you ever see such a thing?") and also a wily, wise-cracking Ginger Rogers, plus the ribald humor of Mae West at the same time. Ruth has said some things that would make a grown man blush, In front of an audience is where she's at her most comfortable (and I, conversely, am at my least). When I first started working at this Newsletter, I told the Keesings that I knew they had the Fountain of Youth hidden on their property somewhere, and I was determined to find it. While that magic elixir still eludes me, I've figured out that Ruth's love of family, strong work-ethic, multitude of friends, volunteering and connection with the community have something to do with her longevity. I do hope we can continue to work together for a long time! EDITOR'S COLUMN b y J u l i e F ly n n Jie Fly, Edit September 2015 "By all these lovely tokens September days are here, With summer's best of weather And Autumn's best of cheer." ~ Helen Hunt Jackson

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