The Chronicles of Ricky: 1983 Kindergarten and the start of an Active Imagination.

1983

Uncle Art

I remember Uncle Art dying in March 23,1983, and nobody ever talking about it ever again, it's like he just vanished. It was the weirdest thing in the world. Which is also why I don't have many stories about him.

This was the first death in my family that I actually recall as an event.

Years later I learned that he had a heart attack while out helping deliver news papers for his daughter. Doris. She worked that job for 40ish years of my life. I'm not sure if she was a manager and delt with bulk deliveries that sent their shipments to area delivery people, but eventually I get a paper route and she dropped off my stack.

Years later.
I had heard that my aunt Flossie blamed Doris for Art's heart attack, and now looking back I'm curious if misunderstood and someone said, she felt like Art was over exerting himself, since slinging stacks of newspapers is a bit of exercise.

I can't recall how long after his funeral, We were going to church, and I remember wanting to see his spirit, I felt like wanted to know that he was in a better place and was expecting something. I remember walking in into the middle bedroom and seeing a shadow and wishing it was him, I was hoping it would react with me, I was hoping to find a connection with it. lol But it was just a shadow. It wasn't like those figures in Colonial Estates.

I think this is the first time that I really noticed that no one talked about people after they passed away, and it was more like a burden. Everyone was sad and depressed, and no one ever celebrated anyone's life, No one passed on any positive morals or values, any stories that would inspire me to better myself.

I also noticed that some of the light went out of my Aunt Flossie after uncle Art died, she was always a light in my life, but you could tell she lost a part of her. I never got to hear her tell stories about Art, she did talk about other things, but Art she held close to her heart.

Another random story. 30ish years later. maybe after aunt Flossie's funeral? my dad told me that I had spit at my uncle Art or in his face and he slapped me in the face, he mentioned my aunt Flossie having words with him and putting him in his place. which makes me wonder if he felt like I needed a slap. lol

I have no idea why this stuck with me, but I've always been curious about behavior, and I know I copied a lot of things I saw on tv. It might sound mean, but a real slap in the face with teach you what a TV slap in the face should feel like. lol and it will hopefully teach people not to do it each other out of anger.

Man this is where is all started.

I loved watching Fraggle Rock, it's sometime around here that I really notice that my love of music and theme songs in particular really developed. I was watching a lot of TV.

I also remember watching jaws around this time, I was probably to young, lol but I would've snuck peaks, even if the adults said no, and that's why I'm afraid of the water to this day. lol even in a pond, my heart starts pounding and I imagine a shark could get me. lol

I don't feel dumb about any of these ideas, people make Sharknado movies, so I know other adults think crazy stuff.

I also remember watching the exorcist at aunt Flossie's on Ray ST. lol seeing that girl's head twist around, then Projectile vomit. That gave me nightmares for the longest time. I remember being fascinated and terrified at the idea of someone being possessed by evil spirits. Though I always imaged the good guys winning, I didn't imagine being consumed, lol

I remember my dad's friend Rick buying Rambo toys, I thought it was the coolest thing in the world, they had rocket launchers and machine guns, my brother and I played with these things like they were real and needless to say I was really rough with them, so they didn't last.

I used to have a blast throwing He-man, Skeletor, Fisto and anybody else that would get caught, up into the clump of vines, that was growing up the ground wire to the antenna, on the side of the house, in our driveway. The figures would get for days, and I'd have to wait until a windstorm for them to fall down, it was so exciting to walk outside and see that somebody was finally free from the Vine Trap. lol

Summer

In the picture below, top left corner is my brother and I playing next to the hatchway on Hope Street, top right corner is me on a walkway at Fern lake in New York..

the bottom left corner is my brother and I dressed up in Halloween costumes, and the other three are my brother and I in the General Lee. That's Ellie with us in the car, I'm not sure if Ellie and Billy were friends with the owners or we just stopped by and they were friendly.

I think this is the right year, either way, I absolutely loved the General Lee, Just like everybody else, I thought it was the coolest thing in the world and someone over by Duggan Middle School owned one, my cousin Ellie and Bill had lived over on Bretton Rd, in Springfield for years, that's how they met Mark Festa, he's our tax guy up until 2019.

I feel like we got really lucky to experience all these different events in the 1980's.

My brother and I slept over Ellie and Billy's house a few times and I remember racing General Lee Matchbox and other Hot Wheels/Matchbox cars down a ramp in their basement and I recall having so much fun that I made a improved version of that ramp for Dominic and I to race Hot wheels in 2012. our had rails on the side to prevent falls. This was once they came out with all the movie and tv show theme cars and monster trucks..

September

I started going to Mary M Lynch for kindergarten the end of 1983.

I took these pictures of the front and side of the school on 2026.

I don't remember much from my time here.

I'm curious if knowing my grandparents lived at the top of the hill outside, plus having the playground where I got to see all my cousins, right our side the class window, distracted me from paying attention in class or if we weren't learning much.