I Heard The News Today, Oh Boy...

I read the news today oh, boy
About a lucky man who made the grade
And though the news was rather sad
Well, i just had to laugh
I saw the photograph
He blew his mind out in a car
He didn't notice that the lights had changed
A crowd of people stood and stared
They'd seen his face before
Nobody was really sure if he was from the house of lords

I saw a film today oh, boy
The english army had just won the war
A crowd of people turned away
But i just had to look
Having read the book
I love to turn you on.

Woke up, got out of bed
Dragged a comb across my head
Found my way downstairs and drank a cup
And looking up, i noticed i was late
Found my coat and grabbed my hat
Made the bus in seconds flat
Found my way upstairs and had a smoke
Somebody spoke and i went into a dream
Ah

I read the news today oh, boy
Four thousand holes in blackburn, lancashire
And though the holes were rather small
They had to count them all
Now they know how many holes it takes to fill the albert hall
I'd love to turn you on

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I can't listen to "A Day in the Life" without thinking about a friend.

Lately it means a friend who has just had a parent pass. I guess a lot of people might remember my brothers and sisters in Simsbury CT, even if they don't know me...

We just sold the old house on 113 Stratton Brook Road. Two of my brothers, Mike & Dan, handled it: Mike's the oldest and Dan lives closest, so it made sense.

Mom & Dad bought that house in '54. Dad had just started a new job at what today would be known as a startup: Associated Engineering @ the Agawam Racetrack.

Dad looked around for a good town to raise kids: Simsbury was the obvious choice. He looked in a couple new neighborhoods, but decided they didn't have enough bedrooms. There was a 4 bedroom house for sale on Stratton Brook, so he bought it and moved the family in...

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We spent time last March in Dan's kitchen up at his house in North Canton trading stories. Most of them revolved around that house:

The swimming pool

The nearby kids from Green Acres, Woodside Circle, Latimer Lane, Quorn Hunt.

Ethel Walker (always good for a free midnight horse ride...)

Names came up: Huckel, Connor, Rotondo, Sikes, Joe Kane, John Klingler.

A couple old yearbooks surfaced: I hadn't even thought of these people for decades.

Had I actually been from this place?

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As I flew back to North Carolina  I stared out the window. A flood of memories. Fifty years flew past in the short flight back to Charlotte...

I had a buddy from those years. I recalled getting a clipping from my mom a few years prior; no note, just an obit. My buddy's mom had died and as I read through the brief paragraphs I caught a familiar name...

One of the younger sons had a thriving software company up in Agawam; a startup...

I called him later on, and he enthused about his relative successes, his family, our shared memories. He talked about his house, the kids' school, their young friends...........