Wednesday Card Games

While visiting family recently, I stayed with my grandparents' instead of my parents', as my mom recently turned their guest room into a craft room.

My grandparents' place is within walking distance from my parents', just a few houses down the road. I slept the best I had in weeks in the guest room bed.


My last morning there, after sleeping in a little longer than I should have, I awoke to voices in the kitchen.


My grandfather ("pappy") and his brother ("Uncle Forrie", short for Forrest) were playing cards at the kitchen island.


This is a tradition for them, every Wednesday. They alternate between each others homes. When they play at Forrie's, they go to the Senior Center for lunch. When they eat at Pappy's, Forrie brings lunch from Jack in the Box (you can see the paper bag on the counter in the photo.)


They play two games each of cribbage, pinochle, golf, and a gameI think they call acey-duecy. They cajole each other and laugh and are brotherly competitive.



I ate my cereal then chatted with them while they played. I don't know how we got on the subject but Uncle Forrie told me a story about the time he played in a baseball game and this player named Joe DiMaggio was there and gave him a signed ball. Of course this was back in the late 30's/early 40's, before Joe DiMaggio was you know, Joe DiMaggio. So Uncle Forrie brought the ball home to his little brother, my pappy, and said "now don't play with this ball it's signed and special."


Well now my pappy needed a baseball one day while playing with friends so of course he used it. And what do you think happened? Yep, he lost it. They looked everywhere for that ball and it was never found. Uncle Forrie said he wasn't mad though. That's a cool big brother if I ever heard of one. My pappy and Uncle Forrie are two of 12 siblings. I imagine they know a lot about getting along with your brothers and sisters.


Uncle Forrie told me he used to play baseball in the minor leagues and he got paid something like $134 dollars a month. He chuckled over the comparison to pro sports players now, making millions a year.



I loved that random, little moment with them that morning. Our family, our relatives....they are fountains of stories like this one. We so often forget to ask, to listen, to the wisdom and insight they have to share.