Clinton Township Newsletter

1 A u g u s t 2 0 1 6 August 2016 Since 1982 CLINTON TOWNSHIP Newsletter ® CLINTON TOWNSHIP Newsletter ® "Perfect song on the radio Sing along 'cause it's one we know It's a smile, it's a kiss It's a sip of wine, it's summertime" – Kenny Chesney I've been suffering (oy vey!) with a sore knee for months now. This means I can't do my daily walks. I can barely make it to the top of the driveway to the mailbox. Psychologically and physically, this is a BAD turn of events. At any rate, before being diagnosed with a badly torn cartilage, I was sleeping peacefully on a Monday night when, at 3:00 am, the ungodly relentless beep, beep, beep of the smoke alarm pierced the nightly silence. For some reason it never occurred to me that a fire was in progress, so I opened the bedroom door and confronted a rude, persistent smoke detector. There was, of course, no smoke, but I refused to be intimidated by a little white box on the ceiling so I gave it hefty swat with the broom handle. (Remember, I am in great pain with a very sore knee at the time.) The beeping continued. The swatting continued. If that smoke detector had a face there would have been multiple bruises on it. Nothing stopped the noise so I climbed on a stool to better reach the offending gadget. Not high enough. I dragged a kitchen chair over, climbed it and….of course….. fell on my already sorry knee. What seemed like several pints of blood poured down to my ankle, the chair and the carpet. After what seemed like hours I managed to replace the battery and tend to my wounds, but not without great cost to life and limbs. There is a moral to this story for senior citizens. Even if your mind says it's OK to attempt minor acrobatic endeavors, listen to Grandma Ruth and opt for another solution. At 3:00 in the morning I was reluctant to call a neighbor, decided 911 wasn't an option, and thought better of calling my daughter in Morristown or my son in Minnesota. I suppose I could have taken refuge in my car and driven to an empty parking lot somewhere in my pj's. What I know is you CANNOT kill a smoke detector easily. Like so many other tasks that were a "piece of cake" in 1980, they have now become more like a "piece of mutton" at this time of my life. However, with all the trials and tribulations associated with this time of life, there are some plus's as well. I'm dating a 78 year old guy (I know – he's kind of old for me) and having a lot of fun. Being 88 may be old, but it surely isn't dead. And, the best part of all of the above is that it did make a monthly column. – Julie Fl�nn A c c o r d i n g t o Wikipedia (so it must be correct), the dog days are the hottest, most uncomfortable part of the Northern summer. The American weather and farming annual, The Old Farmer's Almanac, explains that "the phrase 'Dog Days' conjures up the hottest, most sultry days of summer," coinciding with the heliacal rising of Sirius, the dog star, in the constellation Canis Major. It's right about now that people will be asking you, "Is it hot enough for ya'?" to which I'm sometimes tempted to answer, "No, can you turn up the heat a bit?" I've promised myself I wouldn't complain about the heat after the winter we had this past year. Of course, I say this every year. But then, come Fall, I'm truly happy for that first day that includes a bit of nip in the air. Relief! Things are heating up all over the country, too. I really try to not get political in this publication – it's not my place to be espousing my opinions. (Readers have told me, "Espouse away! Tell us your opinion!" but they assume that my opinion is the same as theirs, I think.) I admire my neighbor who answered, "I'm not saying." when asked, during another heated election, which way she was leaning politically. That resonated with me. At the time, friends were fighting with friends, neighbors were fighting with neighbors and family with family. How wise to just take a step back and serenely remain quiet. Also heating up across the country right now is the "Black Lives Matter" movement, the "All Lives Matter" movement, and the "Blue Lives Matter" (for Law Enforcement) movement. Perhaps I grew up in a bubble – I did – but I just keep wondering why we can't all just get along? Why can't people just treat each other with respect? As a child in the 70's, I had an album called "Free To Be... You And Me", by Marlo Thomas. Its message was that anyone can achieve anything. This being the land of the free, I feel the message is broader, as well. You carry on with your life, and I'll carry on with mine. We don't have to agree, we just have to live peacefully together. Oh, if only the whole world felt the same way. I'm not taking sides on all of the "Lives Matter" movements, but, serving as a board meember for Crime Stoppers of Hunterdon County, I feel the need to invite all of you to our "Shindig Fundraiser" on September 18, at Valley Crest Farm on Old Allerton Road right here in Clinton Township. Our honoree(s) will be Hunterdon County's Law Enforcement. Please see our Save the Date ad on page 18 of this publication for more information. In the meantime, please, for goodness sakes, stay cool... Jie Fly, Edit

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