OK, so it didn’t start out “It was a dark and stormy night” but …

Got an email today from my friend Kathy … as in Kathy of Years Gone By.

One thing about Kathy. She has a really good memory. This can be both good and bad, I suppose. But she has been reading and enjoying the Happy Holly Project blog … and she commented on the one that I did from back when she and I were in Elementary School together. The one about the Printing Press.

Believe it or not, I remember that printing press.

Now that really surprised me. I know why I might have remembered the whole situation. After all, it was the only time I ever got into trouble as a child. Well, officially, that is. But I was surprised that she did as well.

She continued …

I also remember doing little shows with puppets that we made out of paper bags.

Oh my goodness … the paper bag puppets. I remember the paper bag puppets … and the creative stories that went with them. What a memory.

It’s amazing to think back of the good times that we had with simple things and some imagination.

It is indeed. I remember when one of my favorite toys was a board with sides that I could roll marbles around in. And little cubes that slid together that I could sort pennies into.

Simple toys. Not even toys. But a lot of imagination. Lots and lots of imagination.

Then she reminded me of one item that I had forgotten all about … but instantly remembered.

There was also a certain little reel-to-reel tape recorder that I got for Christmas that we used for some creative story telling …

Oh. My. Goodness.

The tape recorder. Quite the wonderful gift for a child in the early to mid 1960’s. And there was no lack of imagination and creativity in the stories that we made up … and of course played out onto the tape recorder.

The most famous one was a kind of mock horror story. I unfortunately do not remember all the plot details … I’m sure it was riveting … but I do remember the one line which was repeated over and over again … as did she …

(screaming as she went)

And of course we then had to actually do the screaming. It was amazing how often the protagonist had to escape one situation or another … screaming as she went.

I guess I was always meant to be on the radio, eh? Or maybe on the stage.

I wondered if she remembered the couple from the printing press escapade … and I used the couples real names … not to be confused with R******* B***** who used to lean over and whisper to me each day “I’m gonna beat you up”.

This caused me to shake like a wet dog … and to cover the half block and three houses from school to home in record time each day. She never did catch me.

I don’t remember the couple in question, but I do remember R******* B*****. Bullies like that are hard to forget.

Hard indeed. Then she wondered what R******* might be doing now.

My guess is 20 to life somewhere.