The Connections Warren Watchung Edition Feb-March 2021

THE WARREN-WATCHUNG EDITION PAGE 52 FEB - MAR 2021 theconnectionsnj.com My wife, Abby, and I first learned about Warren when we met our friends, Helaine and Allan, in New York City for dinner over 30 years ago. They had moved to Warren from Tampa when Allan was transferred to Piscataway by Johnson and Johnson. We moved to Warren short- ly thereafter, in 1991. On our first night in town, Helaine and Allan invited us to go to din- ner with friends of theirs, Janet and Ron, who live about ½ mile away from us. We have all been friends ever since. Our children are about the same age and now we all have grandchildren. Many years ago, Janet and Ron moved to the other side of town. This past October, one of our granddaughters, who I call Peanut, age 7, stayed with us for a few days. In the morn- ings, she attended school re- motely from our basement. With the pandemic, Abby and I were challenged to find new activities for us to do with her in the afternoons. The Peanut needed to do a school project. With the fall foliage in progress, Abby sug- gested a leaf collage. Peanut agreed, so they invited me to go along with them on a leaf walk. We walked on our street and the adjoining streets, including the one Janet and Ron lived on, which are noticeably quiet with little vehicle traffic. Abby and the Peanut took a bag to collect leaves. When we left the house, I grabbed a bag to collect trash. With all the walks I have taken on the streets around us, I have never collected trash. Off we went. Peanut had fun pointing out garbage for me to pick up as well as se- lecting leaves with Abby. We walked up the street, about halfway to Janet and Ron’s former street, then turned around and started back to our house. I had fallen behind them by about 15 paces as we passed the second to last house be- fore arriving at ours. I looked down at the edge of the road and spotted what looked to be a busted apart luggage tag. I reached over and retrieved one part of it and put it into my garbage bag. Then I bent over to get the oth- er piece. I turned it over, looked at it, and walked up to Abby saying, “You’re not going to believe this.” I handed it to her. She said something like, “OMG, unbelievable, I can’t believe you found this.” It was an identification badge for our friend Ron. I snapped a photo of the ID with my cell phone and text- ed it to Janet. A few minutes later we called them. Ron said the picture was taken for his corporate ID badge about thirty years ago. He trashed it 11 years ago right before they moved. A TRASHY COINCIDENCE By Dan Rosenberg With all the walks I have taken on the streets around us, I have never collected trash. “OMG, unbelievable, I can’t believe you found this.”