Winter by Bill Nielson

The cold sometimes makes writers of us all. These fragments first appeared on Facebook:

"I'm gonna take a ride down the road to yesterday...Back into a time when life was free...Gonna turn the clock back for a little while ...Just to see the way things used to be ....Gonna turn the corners of my youthful days of old...Before the real world got a hold of me...back when everything was in black and white...Back before we had a color TV...Sipping a coke at Lyons on a spinning stool...ABC Radio playing all the hits ...Heading off to Kenilworth to play some ball ...Bring a bat a ball and all your mitts...When you're thru hop on your bike and take a ride ..A quick short journey down to Graydon pool..Do a cannonball off of the high dive board ...Its summertime and we were outta school...I always will remember the 4th of July..The fireworks and Ridgewood's great parade..We never really knew it back then at the time ...But people we really had it made...And soon the heat of summer turned into the fall leaves turning colors all around the town ...we would all look forward to Halloween ...and all the candy we could all chow down.



Winter came the cold air and the empty trees ...Wait to hear the fire whistle blow ...Oh yeah you could stay home in your bed ....School was closed on the account of snow ....Soon spring was upon us all the snow was gone ...It always showed up sometimes it was late ...But blink your eyes you missed it and there you were ...On the High School Field ready to graduate....Oh Ridgewood I was lucky to have you then..You'll always have a warm place in my heart...And though I don't know where my life will end...I know that it was you that gave it its start."


Bill Nielson, RHS Class of 1974