It was a great early New Year’s Eve celebration at Bahrs Restaurant in Highlands last night as former Highlands Mayor, former Freeholder, and now Immigration Judge Anna LIttle, her terrific husband, Rob, and some very dear friends for many years celebrated decades of memories together.

Bahrs is unique in its pre-midnight celebration of the new year, complete with hats, noisemakers, champagne,and most importantly, dropping a Coast Guard life ring into the Shrewsbury….

Highlands is a town for admiring our Coast Guard, all our military and the fine businesses that support them always

Having intelligent, curious and ever thinking friends is a joy to everyone, but especially to a writer. Then having a friend like that be unopposed to my sharing all the facts, fun and fancy of his research is just another benefit of a generous friend.

Shrewsbury’s Don Burden is that kind of friend to me. The former mayor of Shrewsbury, and former incredibly intelligent and hard working member of not one but two Monmouth County Commissions…the Historical and the Library commissions, shared some of his thoughts about bells with me during a delightful conversation.

BELLS.

It made me stop to think how often we hear them, where we hear them, how many kinds there are, who makes them, and so much more.

For instance…take a minute to test your brain. How many Christmas songs do you know that reference bells?

Sure, Jingle Bells probably comes to mind first. Then perhaps Silver Bells, Silver Bells? That’s only two. Don came up with a list of more than a dozen. How about Carol of the Bells? Or “I Heard the bells on Christmas Day”. Even White Christmas includes sleigh bells ringing and Caroling, Caroling talks about Christmas bells ringing. “I heard the bells on Christmas Day” goes into great detail about bells.

So bells are definitely associated with Christmas. And they are part of history in so many other areas as well. But that’s facts and fun for another story.

For now, the bell, actually an idiophone percussion instrument, generally made in the shape of a hollow cup, its sides providing the resonator, the clapper the tones, brings back at least one happy memory for Burden. It’s worth sharing that story here.

“As a child, I always remember my Grandpa putting up a leather strip with several large shiny bells attached on the back door. He would shine them all each year , with the exception of one.

The one lonely bell he never shined. Nor did it ever sparkle. It was dull. It didn’t make any sound.

Once I asked him when he didn’t shine the lonely bell. He told me it was a symbol of hope.

Hope that one day there would be peace in the world and then, and only then, could the dull bell join his shining brother bells.

Another time I asked him why he hung the bells on the back door and not the front door. He said it was because all the family, neighbors and friends come in the back door. He wanted to hear the bells ring sounding the alarm that people were coming. When I asked why not the front door, he said the front door was only used by Grandma’s blook club members.

The strip of bells remains in the family today with the one bell still unpolished.

Want to share your favorite bell story?

Christmas is an incredibly special time of year and a time to spend with family and friends, as well as with those to whom we can bring friendship and love.

It is also a time to express appreciation and thanks to all who have impacted your life throughout the year, and wish them happiness, success and continued blessings in the New Year.

For me, it is a time to thank all of you who have made my newest endeavor, www.venividiscripto.com the overwhelming success it has become in the months since I first started it. I have thousands of readers representing every state in the Union and at least 70 countries in Europe, Asia, Africa, North and South Americas and Australia.

I thank all of you for the support of my two most recent books, The ABCs of Highlands, which was published just over a year ago, and my Christmas Legends of the Bayshore published earlier this month. Both have been so well received and I am truly grateful.

I thank all those who are profuse in their praise for my writing and writing style, for my love of history and similarly, love of the Bayshore of Monmouth County. I also thank those who are critical of what I say, or the way I say it; their ideas and reasons, if they give any, give me impetus to review my writings and give more thought to the next.

I thank the politicians and others with whom I disagree who have the maturity and realization to know that while we can have alternative positions on some issues, we certainly have agreement and commitment on many others; disagreements of opinions should never sever friendship or an ability to work together on other common causes.

While I spend Christmas with a family I love so much either virtually because of distance and circumstances or in person because of proximity and ability, I wish to each one of you the happiness I have in my life, the friendships I cherish, and the thrill of looking forward to new and exciting things, activities, and adventures in 2022.

Merry Christmas and a Very Happy Year .

Muriel

Nobody is happier than former Atlantic Highlands Mayor Helen Marchetti that Winter Solstice is now passed and days will become longer, and sunsets will be later every day for the next six months.

Helen celebrated the event with a Winter Solstice Party with friends Muriel Smith, Kim Bruno and Vincent Vaccaro by blowing out the black candles on a cake to signify the end of short days Dec. 21, and re-ligthing the cake with white candles to celebrate bright and longer days are on the way.

Photo by Vincent Vaccarro

As always, there are so many things that can make any day happy if you just look for them. And yesterday was really a winner for so many varied reasons.

St. Barnabas Church in Bayville hosted a spectacular Holiday Cheer Concert presented by the Toms River Multigenerational Orchestra, a volunteer group of about 50 musicians who obviously love their music and even more, love others to hear it. Under the baton of conductor and music director Susan DeGoey, the violins, violas, sax, Frenc Horn, trumpets, cellos, double bass, flute clarinet trombone, tuba and percussion players filled the church with music from Beethoven and Bizet to Andrews Lloyd Webber, Mel Torme and Leroy Anderson. More than 350 incredibly happy folks filled the church and gave standing ovations to the musicians.

The volunteer musicians rehearsed at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, played at an Ocean County YMCA concert, and again at St. Barnabas and are always interested in presenting a concert. If anyone is interested in hosting them, visit Toms River Multigenerational Orchestra (TRMO) on Facebook or e-mail Susan DeGoey (Rosn’Up@ comcast.net. ) They’re also inviting more musicians to join the ranks. They are truly multi-generational, with one family having members in each of three generations, and others having brother and sister teams as part of their spectacular presentations.

Being driven from Monmouth to Ocean County to enjoy the presentation also gave me the opportunity to spend some extra time with my very busy daughter and hear once again how very proud she is of all the cadets at MAST. It also gave me the opportunity to appreciate all the homes and businesses brilliant with lights….in some cases, way too many, but still fun to see…..for the holiday season. JCP&L must be very happy for those December utility bills. But it does make you feel even happier to see them.

Far and away, however, was the spectacular view of Highlands from Sandy Hook at night! In addition to the Twin Lights with its brightly colored Christmas Tree in the South Tower, seeing the Christmas lights on all the homes at all the diverse levels, and Bahrs as a solid foundation by the bridge, is breathtaking. It’s worth a ride over to the Hook after dark simply to admire the view of Highlands.

It was that picture perfect sight on a beautifully moonlit night that also brought the only touch of sadness to a wonderful day. All I could think about is all those plans for 40 and 50 story buildings dotting the lower streets in the borough and completely obliterating the view of the higher streets and their colored lights as well as the very unique landscape that makes Highlands Highlands. With so many chances, it will definitely not be a very inviting town to visit for all those thousands of Sandy Hook visitors all that redevelopment is designed to capture to fill all those new stores on the flood level of those buildings. Coming back into Atlantic Highlands in daylight and having that newest ugly apartment and shop level building with no windows as one of the first things you see on that used-to-be charming First Avenue makes me wonder why on earth anyone wants to redevelop charm and beauty into Hoboken or Jersey City.

Like so many others, I have so many things that are making me happy this time of year, and grateful for everyone of them, sometimes a bit in awe that I have been the beneficiary of so many kindnesses, neighborly acts, sheer acts of kindness and thoughtfulness.

One that stands out is learning how Dava Grametbauer, and a lot of you know her from the Girl’s Café, discovered she is such a talented writer. Dava had written a story about Chooch, her dog, and her faith in God and told the story in such a warm, heartfelt manner it was printed by Paul Mark Printing in Freehold…the best around by the way…In printing it, the printers began reading the booklet themselves, and were touched by the wholesomeness and sheer beauty of the writing.

My happiness came when Dava first saw the printed version of her story, complete with a photo of Chooch on the cover and saw first hand how delighted she was to see her first book in print. Don’t know yet whether she is having more printed and offering them for sale, but if you like stories about God and faith, or even if you like heart warming stories about dogs, this is a delightful book for you. Stop in at the Girls Café…. before Christmas because they will be closed from Saturday through all of January…and talk to Dava about it. She’s a terrific waitress, and an even better writer.

Speaking of the Girls Café, now there’s a place that brings joy and happiness to everyone who comes in. Talking about God-given gifts that everyone has, surely some of the best gifts owners and employees at the Café have, but especially Vera, Cathy, and Charley, are the ability to make people happy, a terrific sense of humor, the gifts of understanding and sympathy …and the one no one sees but knows is there…the ability to not answer back when they hear stuff that simply isn’t true or is merely gossip. Don’t know what I’m going to do for my weekly dose of happiness during January, so have to stop back several times this week to load up.

Also happy to see that incredibly famous and excellent restaurant in Highlands is open, busy and still putting out great meals and has some wonderful plans for New Year’s Eve celebrations as well!

Also thrilled with the quick sale of my newest book, Christmas Legends of the Bayshore, which is available at both Bahrs and Bayshore Pharmacy, another terrific business in Atlantic Highlands. People like the legends of everything from squirrels and birds to angels and elves. Only have a few left before a second printing, so if you want one before Christmas, e-mail either murieljs1@aol.com or go to STORE to get it. Happy to deliver if close by, but can’t be positive the post office would have it arrive in time through the mail

Jimmie King is indeed the administrator at the Care One at King James Care Center, but it’s difficult to find him in his office. This administrator might be out delivering a medication to a recent resident, or helping staff decorate for the holidays. Or helping residents create paw print paintings with visiting dogs for unique framed hangings. For this affable, hardworking and very business professional, it’s all about the teamwork and getting the job done.

Jimmie King, with all his degrees, is Jimmie King, MSN, RN, MNHA, as well as husband, dad to four children and granddad to two. He is a native of Leonardo, which is still his home, and graduated from all the local schools…Bayshore Middle School, Middletown South, Monmouth Vocational where he earned his LPN, Brookdale College, where he earned his degree in nursing and Kean University where he earned his degree in business and management.

“I’m a local guy,” he says with a grin and obvious pride.

He also hasn’t gone very far from home in his professional medical career. He started out as a certified nursing assistant when Helen Marchetti, later the Mayor of Atlantic Highlands, was the director of Atlantic Highlands Nursing Home and he learned from the beginning at that facility that meeting each resident’s needs, big or small, had to be a priority of his work. After the nursing home closed, he came to Care One, then under the original owners, with Duke Black the administrator and has been there ever since.

His first position with King James was as a licensed Practical Nurse 20 years ago, and from there he earned his nursing degree and was a registered nurse in the same facility. It was October, 2020, that he was named Director Nursing, and then, ten months later, he became the overall administrator of the facility.

King looks at himself more as the captain of a team rather than the formal title of administrator. That is because he is a firm believer it is only with a talented team, a team that works well together and has the same ideas of perfection as he does that he can be the success he is as an administrator.

“We have a great team here, and that is important to me particularly because it is what is needed in order to provide the level of nursing care that the care center is known for,” King said. “Customer service is our overall obligation and that makes it our first priority.”

King said because of the training, background, education and enthusiasm of everyone on his team, the facility is able to reach out and go beyond their obligations. “Our team here not only helps our residents,” he explained, “but also reaches out to participate in community assistance as well.” As an example, currently employees and residents, as well as families of residents, are participating in a fund raiser for the niece of an employee stricken with diabetes. “This is what our family does all the time,” he said matter-of-factly, but with an obvious pride in his voice.

King believes said a well-staffed and enthusiastic kitchen staff is also necessary to keep up both health and morale for all residents. “We have a sound dietary program, and our chef can meet every resident’s dietary restrictions and requirements with ingenuity and attention. That is not only in the preparation of the proper foods in the proper manner, but also adding those little extra touches that make a dinner dish more appealing, and therefore more apt to be enjoyed by the resident. It’s a vital part of a good dietary program.”

The activities department has done everything from “running up and down the halls to provide entertaining Bingo games during the Covid restriction that limited their meeting together,’’ he laughed, “to preparing and helping with the first wedding we ‘ve ever had at King James.” That happened when the daughter of a resident wanted to be sure her mom could attend the ceremony. “A good time was had by all and it was a beautiful wedding,” King said.

The care center also participates in a number of veterans programs to honor their residents who served in the military. As far as the paw print program, that was on a day when several of the employees brought their canines to work for a full day, having them visit the residents in their rooms, then having the residents assist the dogs in putting their paw prints on artist canvas to be displayed in their own rooms or given as gifts. “Animals always are a treat for so many residents, and we have dogs that visit on a regular basis and delight the residents,” the administrator said.

“Striving for excellence is our goal and we do that every day,” he said,

“We want to treat our residents as if they were in a five star hotel. Here at King James, we’re family, and we treat the resident, not the computer.”

Since he was named administrator earlier this year, does King have any other ambitions within the Care One nursing home complex? “Upper administration knows I live close and can be here in any emergency, night or day, within minutes,” he said, “they like the fact that if any emergency ever occurred, I’m only five or six minutes away.”

Then he grinned and added, “I told you I’m a local guy. I’ve been here 20 years. I don’t plan on going anywhere.”

This is long, involved, convoluted, and shameful.

Grab a cup of coffee, sit back, scratch your head, and see what apparently the leaders of Atlantic Highlands are doing to people who are truly interested in knowing what’s going on in town.

They are making a mockery of keeping the public informed and involved. They are doling out one more very difficult blow to people with disabilities who cannot attend night meetings.

It’s all about last night’s reorganization meeting of the Atlantic Highlands Planning Board.

Was there an official meeting?

Among other reasons this makes me wonder because it was made clear even before the onset, that the general public did not have any idea where or how it was being held.

One also has to wonder whether all those five residents who had applications for approval on the agenda had attorneys they were paying to be present to represent them and whether the borough will pay those bills for them …

Even if there are no added costs and they simply postponed action on any of those things…is that any way to treat a new business in town or a taxpaying residents?

And one truly has to wonder whether no one from the planning board was present, heard, or understand what happened at the Jan. 1 reorganization meeting of the governing body. That’s the meeting when the public was told that ALL meetings that the public is entitled to attend would be held virtually, at least through Jan. 13, the next council meeting. Yes, even the physically disabled were led to believe Jan. 1, five days ago, that all municipal meetings would be virtual until Jan. 13 at least.

In fact the virtual meeting idea was discussed, questioned, and then yep, the Mayor said it again. All meetings that the folks have the right to attend, not only council meetings, would be held via zoom at least through Jan. 13. A couple of Council members questioned it out loud, just to be sure they, and everyone else understood, ALL meetings would be virtual.

That all happened Jan. 1. We’re in a state of Covid or Omicron or some other kind of health emergency. Making the decision five days ago to have ALL meetings be virtual gave the governing body plenty of time to get the word out to people, in the daily paper, on their website, on Facebook, any number of ways.

But that didn’t happen.

No matter how much I searched, I simply could not find the Planning Board meeting anywhere on line. Borough Council changed their own meeting to make it virtual at the last minute. Couldn’t they do the same with the Planning Board in five days?

To say actions in Atlantic Highlands have been disappointing at best, possibly improper or illegal at worst, is rather an understatement.

Either way, it’s downright scary.

OK, as a refresher, because this is getting a little difficult to follow. At the reorganization meeting of the Mayor and Council… you remember the one, the one where the public could not speak, were told there would be no public comment, yet an Assemblywoman who had no active part in the proceeding was indeed allowed to speak…yeah, that one….. the public was told that ALL municipal meetings to which the public had the right to attend, would be held virtually until at least Jan. 13 when the idea would be revisited.

Don’t know what happened at the Harbor Commission reorganization meeting Wednesday night through my own fault. That was presented on ZOOM. Thanks, Harbor Commissioners!

But Thursday’s planning board meeting had the agenda on line for all to view. It included agendas for the reorganization meeting at 7, a workshop meeting immediately following, which included a public comment period for items not on the agenda, and a regular meeting immediately after that ostensibly with the newly organized planning board members acting on minutes approval, paying the attorney for his November work, and no fewer than five applications for variances, or site plan approval.

But therein lie a FEW PROBLEMS. The agenda says the meeting would be as duly advertised by law and posted, etc. and gave the regulations on speaking out at a meeting. But neither the agenda nor the official website ever showed where the meeting would be…would it be the one advertised in the papers as part of the annual notice last year, or the one announced at the borough’s reorg that said all meetings would be available on ZOOM? Just wondering. Because there was no way the governing body or the planning board let anybody know.

So for those who believed the meeting would be ZOOM, just like the Mayor and Council said all the meetings would be, the only zoom connection on the website was for a Mayor and Council meeting. Could the planning Board use the same Zoom connection? Probably. Did they? Absolutely not. Or if they did, they did not let the public in on it.

So herein lies another dilemma. The Agenda says “as advertised…in the annual notice…” so that would make the meeting live and at borough hall. But the state is in a state of Omicron emergency. And the Mayor said five days ago ALL meetings would be virtual for safety and health sake. So in five days the governing body had the means, ability, and obligation to let the people know either they couldn’t act quickly in the face of an emergency…which they had done for their own meeting….or the meeting would indeed be virtual so all of us who cannot make night meetings could watch and be involved at home.

But in the end, there was No ZOOM capability at all. Not sure, but I think there was a meeting. At Borough Hall. In accordance, perhaps, with a notice sent out a year ago. But with no correction or advertisement to inform the public of the governing body’s decision five days ago.

Well, IF the planning board meeting was really held, IF they followed the agenda, IF the majority voted the way everybody apparently was sure they would, then these are some of the things that happened at a meeting that was held live, without ZOOM, and in contrast to what was said five days before:. Martin Hawley was recognized as the Mayor’s Class II appointee, newly elected Councilman Brian Dougherty the Mayor’s Class III appointee, Thomas Josko the Mayor’s Class IV appointee, and David Krupinski, Chris Kurdes and Katrina Majewski were named alternates 2, 3 and 4 respectively. In addition, presumably the board attorney, engineers, planner when needed, secretary, official newspapers, meeting minutes and calendar for the year were all approved.

What apparently DID NOT take place, since I’m pretty sure the public would have to be heard first, were approvals of the Little Chicken Kids on First Avenue, Starbucks on Rout 36, and a few more applications on South Avenue, Memorial Parkway and Ocean Blvd. Don’t know exactly when they’re going to be acted on.

Nor do I feel confident the Planning Board will let the residents, even the interested disabled persons, ever know.

It begs the question … Who’s the Boss? The Mayor & Council or the Planning Board?

For everybody waiting for The Girls Café to re-open….and I know that’s a huge group and they’re probably already lining up down Bay Avenue….you have to wait until Feb 23! With the weather being so February-ish, and ice and snow becoming more of a realty, Vera and Cathy decided the end of the month makes more sense. They’re down there all the time making sure everything is ship shape and ready for the Feb. 23 re-opening, so we all just have to be patient. They have to be patient as well……understand they are really eager to get back to work with those award winning pancakes, great coffee and everything else! Heck, I can’t even get the recipe for what makes their oatmeal so deliciously different!