Games people PLAY

I think everyone has a favorite game.The favorites change as we age. I can’t remember any child hood games before 4 or 5. I remember playing bus driver. I laid out a bus with rocks and bricks drove a stake up and put an old wagon wheel on the stick to make the steering wheel. I spent hours sitting on a block opening an imaginary door to let riders on and off. I played hop scotch but didn’t let the boys see me.

I got a used Indian bicycle when I was six. At that time we lived in Burlington, NC and had sidewalks to ride on. I got a Yo-yo, there were Jack-rocks. (Still can’t figure why we called them jack rocks!) At seven I started making and flying kites.

I think in Albemarle was when we started table games, Parcheesi, Sorry and the complicated one, Monopoly. That is a bad game for a devious boy. I always stole from the bank when I played with Shirl. Remember passing GO you collected $200, I usually collected $300 or $400 (we operated the bank on the honor system and my honor wasn’t too good!). I remember the names were pronounced in Southerneze. Especially the chance card that read ‘ take a ride on the Reading RR if you pass go collect $200’. WE said it like it was printed, like you read a book. Who in the name of common sense would have thought it was ‘Redin’ RR. Y’all from Pennsylvania have a rough time with pronunciations.

About 8-9yrs old, skating was big. I know you remember the steel wheels and skate keys. AT nine I was playing marbles.

Anyway I don’t remember any games in Valdese, except I learned to really spin a top there. I learned a game in Valdese I think was native only to Valdese. PEGGY was the name of the game. Using a stick cut from the woods, and trimming a peg about six inches long, sharp on one end. There was an art of laying one peg crossed another one and hitting the pointed end to make it go into the air end over end, just beside the hitter. You then tried to hit the peg in the air. When you hit it, you had to guess how many steps/jumps you could call without your opponent being able to reach it in that number. Scores were added. And the loser had to ‘root the Peg’. The winner got to drive a peg into the ground with his ‘stick’ the number of times he had won by. The loser then had to pull the peg with his teeth. Girls did not play this game.

Sherry taught me Spin the bottle and Post office (what did we do in the post office game, I forgot?)

Later it was bowling. But games have been part of society for thousands of years. They pass the time and entertain. Some keep you physically fit. Now we play card games on the computer. WE also have a States game, where you have to place all states in place. On a blank USA map, it is tough to place Nebraska and Kansas properly.

Did you have a favorite game?
Thanks for coming this way.
Nite Shipslog
PS:
A foolish husband says to his wife, "Honey, you stick to the washin', ironin', cookin' and scrubbin'. No wife of mine is gonna "work"."

Sherry wanted to marry a military man - he could cook, sew, and make beds and was in good health, and he was already used to taking orders.