Continuing with my diary from 1980:
January 16: After school we went to the Library and got a “Our Gang” book.
–I don’t even need to mention how significant this is. My interest in Laurel and Hardy and Our Gang was not only flourishing at this point, but I was actually reading research material on them at the age of eight!
January 17: After school at 4:15 I went to Lee’s house and played. At 5:35 I came home.
January 18: After school I went over to Mark’s house. Then Lee, Chiris And Lisa came over and we played in the field.
–It’s interesting that I call the area beyond our backyard fence a ‘field’. Thinking back I do remember that the first couple of years we were on Winterset that the woods behind us was relatively clear and could properly be considered merely a ‘field’ – it eventually overgrew to the point that you could hardly walk through it.
January 19: At 7:30 A.M. “Roy Rogers” was on. then I went to Lee’s house but he couldn’t play. then I went to Chris and Lisa’s house But Chris wasn’t home. So I came home and watched “Cisco Kid”, “Annie Oakley” and “Roy Rogers again. Then I made a Book.
–I don’t remember being into TV Westerns. I was most likely influenced to watch these by my Dad. It would be nice if you could watch these on Saturday mornings now, though.
January 20: After church Kenny came over and we played Spies.
January 21: After School I played with Kenny, Mark, Chris And Lisa and we played in the woods with Walkie-Talkies. Then we ate Lunch then we went to the Museum. After that we went to Sears and I got a record called “Heart of Glass” By “Blondie.” then we came home and I played in the woods I played with Chris, Lisa, Kenny, Mark and GreG.
January 22: After school Lee and Kenny came over. then Lee came to my house and we ate supper together.
January 23: At school we got a 15 minute reading program card. I cam home read about “Abraham Lincoln” then Lee came over.
–I distinctly remember being very excited about this 15-minute reading program. We had to read for 15 minutes each day and have our parents sign off that we actually did it. When we completed this in some unknown amount of time, we won prizes. I loved to read anyway so I thought this was cool.
January 24: After school Kenny came over and we built a snowman then I read “Abraham Lincoln”
January 25: After school I came home and read. Then after Supper I went to Larry’s house to spend the night.
January 26: I got up and Larry’s brother took me home. then Lee and I went into the woods. Me and Lee got into trouble. a man back there chased us back. we were realy nervous. then we went to Grandma’s house.
–This WAS scary. We went deep into the woods and crossed a couple of fences until we found some bridge that was built over a creek. We apparently were in someone’s back yard and the landowner came out and scolded us for being on his property. Then instead of just having us leave, he walked us all the way back almost to our house. He didn’t really do anything inappropriate so to speak, but I remember that he wasn’t nice at all. After he first yelled at us, Lee whispered in my ear “He’s a dick!”
January 27: I got up and watched Little Rascals. Then aunt Bev came over and we played Yahtzee. Then we went to Arline and Carl’s house and I played with the dog. Then I wrote a letter to John Mcabe (a author of a book)
–Here I go again. This is even before we joined the Sons of the Desert and I was writing John McCabe a letter. Below is the response to this letter from his wife. Almost 25 years later, McCabe would award me with the Sons of the Desert Founder’s Award.
January 28: After school Lee came over and we played Yahtzee. then Mom and I went to the Store. We came home and Mom and I played Yahtzee again.
January 29: After I came home from school I saw we got our new Laurel and Hardy tape we sent away for. Mark came over and we watched the new tape.
January 30: Today I was sick and stayed home. I watched the new tape.
—Predictably, I played sick so I could watch this Laurel and Hardy video over and over again. We only had a few L&H films at this point and those were recorded off of public television. This was a Nostalgia Merchant collection of shorts: Blotto, Brats, Towed in a Hole, and Hog Wild. I remember this tape vividly.
January 31: After school I brought home some make up work. When I was doing it Lee came over and we did an experiment on Class 3 Levers.
–My Dad made me go through with this optional assignment probably because he knew I wasn’t really sick.
More 1980 diary entries at a later date…
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