Have You Ever Played These Games?

Have You Ever Played Crokinole? Google must not have played because it doesn't recognize the name in spellcheck and won't even search for it directly. However, opening a search window separately did take me to this page, so it is not completely unknown

I have played the game; in fact, I have a photo of Sue and Shauna on the floor by the crokinole board one Christmas at my parents' house  —  in 1974, I think.

I don't know what happened to that board, but I wish we still had it. They are not inexpensive, but it would be a fun game at family get-togethers, or at least I think it would.

I would have last played it in the late 70s or early 80s. A couple from the church had a number of couples over for a crokinole evening. Each man played a game with each woman for a partner although I am not sure if we played with our own spouses.

At evening's end, it was calculated that I had the worst results amongst the men. I remember saying, "I couldn't find a good partner, and I played with all of them."

So that was it. I last played crokinole more than 40 years ago, but I remember it being a fun game and have been thinking about quite a lot as a possible family activity. It would be great to have a board again, but the price is an obstacle, and it wouldn't get much use.

Have you played? Do you still have a board?

We were, quite surprisingly, able to play another ancient game on Christmas Eve: Tiddly Winks.

Tiddlywinks is a fun game played on a soft felt mat where players use small, flat discs called "winks" and aim to flick them into a target called a "pot". The objective is to get your winks into the pot to score points. It is a Victorian children's game that involves launching these disks from a flat surface into the pot, similar to beer pong.

According to the quote, above, it is an old game, more of my dad's generation than mine. I believe it because I never played it much, but when I did play with my dad, he was clearly more skilled than I.

We couldn’t find the game, or at least not inexpensively, in town, but, of course, Amazon had it for a reasonable price. I ordered it but then saw that it would not arrive until January. However, there it was in or mailbox about a week later, all of the way from Germany if you please. 

I will now thrill you with a very brief Tiddly Winks clip from Christmas Eve. 

Not So Glory-ous

I step into the shower and hear Hark the Herald Angels Sing.

While puttering in the kitchen, O Come All Ye Faithful is playing.

I sit at the computer, as I am now doing, and I listen to It Came Upon the Midnight Clear.

I have recently heard Gloria in Excelsis Deo and one or two other carols that I cannot remember at this moment. Oh wait! One was Once in Royal David’s City. The non-carol, Onward Christian Soldiers, occasionally sounds its trumpets, as it were.

Sometimes I report the music to Sue, but she can't hear it, for these are my earworms, and they are playing constantly — incessantly. This doubtless indicates that my grip on sanity is slipping, and if that is not the case, it soon will be because the music is beginning to drive me crazy.

But wait! There's more!

This music is playing over top of or in harmony with my normal tinnitus. I have experienced tinnitus for a long time: something like a motor running constantly in the background. I cannot control this regular, typical tinnitus, but at least I don't always notice it.

But now with the overlaying earworm(s), it is harder to ignore.

The music drones on in the same frequency range as the normal tinnitus. Unfortunately, whatever the tune of the moment, it is more or less the same few bars that seem to repeat over and over and over again, ad nauseum.

Sometimes, however, the song changes. Last evening I informed Sue from time to time of my current song. At that point, they seemed to be shuffling fairly frequently. Usually, however, the same bits keep on repeating themselves. 

To some extent, if I concentrate, I can change the tune. I am doing it right now: from Hark to Faithful. Unfortunately, I cannot stop the music entirely. If I concentrate hard enough, I can stop it for seconds and just hear the raging tinnitus. Of course, I can't cease the usual tinnitus — ever!

Having said that, I just noticed that the tune has just now transposed from O Come All Ye Faithful to Once in Royal David's City. Don't ask me how or why.

First thing in the morning, I may enjoy some respite from the music and just hear the normal tinnitus sound. It's a welcome but temporary relief, for the music soon recommences its incessant droning.

When I go to bed, I am having to play a podcast in my almost deaf ears to try to override the music or at least take what passes for my mind away from it.

This is my life. When Christmas is finally over, it is my hope that this will abate, but I fear that is faint hope indeed.

One thing I should make clear is that if my mind becomes fully engaged in something or other, I don't hear either the music or the normal tinnitus. I assume that it is still playing but that my mind is being shifted to tv or just an absorbing task. Even now, writing this, when I become totally involved in thoughts and crafting words, I tend not to hear it, but the second that my mind is less engaged with the task at hand, the sounds resume noticeably. Then, it becomes like the tree in the forest question: If a tree falls in the forest but no one hears it, does it make a noise?

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It is now Wednesday, January 07. What I wrote about ear worms, above, more than a week ago, remains the case — constantly, Oddly enough, once Christmas passed, my brain didn’t play the carols so much anymore. This morning, I am Standing on the Promises, over and over and over again. Apparently, this will be my life from now until the end — an atheist constantly playing church hymns.

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For a lighter touch, just after finishing, I just came across this in FB. The caption read: Gloria …. in Excel Sheets.

The Snow Queen on Display

On September 23, I posted about Sue’s latest crochet project: a Snow Queen afghan  Three months later, on December 23, she was done, just in time for both winter and Christmas. 

Soon, she shall embark on a new throw: Tulips & Blossoms. The wool has been ordered although it hasn't arrived yet.

The link to the previous Snow Queen afghan post also shows previous projects if this interests you.

Lighthearted Monday

Except for gender this ⬇️ about daywear and nightwear is pretty much me: track pants and tee for both. For daytime, I add underwear and almost always a sweater or hoodie, at least in winter – well, underwear in all seasons.

The rest require no further comment. Enjoy your day, assuming that I am not actually ruining it for you with my attempt at humour. I know that my funnybone is not necessarily on everyone’s wavelength.  😇😎😉

I got an email the other day telling me how to read maps backwards Turns out it was just spam

On Being Somewhat Normal

On Friday, I determined that I would drive my decrepit body to the store around the corner for just a couple of supplies. Shauna has bought in a few aid packages, but we are slowly on the mend, so this was my bold plan.

Sue opined that we needed to take the car for a little drive because it had been sitting in frigid temperatures for a week. Tremulously, I turned the key, and my 2010 CRV, Hermione the Honda, started up on the first try.

Off we went on a little trip, maybe 20 minutes that would take us through the little hamlet of Appleton where there is a dam and where there once was a hydroelectric plant. In fact, the shell of it is still there.

We had to stop because the spray from the water going over the dam was very prettily icing up the nearby trees. I didn't get close enough to get a good photo because I didn't feel like trying to push through the snow. I just stayed by the road and did my best.

Sue pushed in a little farther.

We then treated ourselves to Tim's coffee and turkey bacon club sandwiches and took them to our spot near the park overlooking the river.

Of course, you know what is coming next . . .  😇

I really should have put my cap back on for the selfie,
but we had kept the motor running,
 and I was actually getting too toasty.

It was a treat just to get out as normal people tend to do, and the coffee and lunch in the car seemed like a feast.

Caturday 86: Sabine Steals Christmas

How nice to be able to have the material to compose a Caturday post. Sabine was very present on Christmas morning and gave me even better photo ops than the humans. You've already seen this first one from under the tree, but I think it deserves another showing.

For awhile, she sat on the back of the couch to my right.

Sabine moves around a lot, but when she spent a few minutes on the couch by Danica who was sitting next to me. I zoomed in.

Finally, a touch of rim light caught her on the back of a different couch,

First Day Walk

We are not out of the sick woods yet, but the trees are a little farther apart. Sue was eager to get out for some fresh air. Being a little farther behind in my recovery, I was less keen, but I hate to let her walk alone, so I acquiesced. She was only planning to go the top of the street and back, maybe a half mile in total, maybe a wee bit more, so we donned our gear and off we went.

Before I describe our little walk, however, I feel that I must share Heather's walk. She lives close to Lake Ontario and took the dog down there for sunrise. What a great photo for a New Year sunrise!

Heather reported that there was another spot down in the lake where people were polar dipping. Can you imagine?

Back here, the temperature was probably around -18C/0F. But it was a great day to get out: sunny, no wind, fresh fallen snow. You get your winter duds on and just enjoy the beautiful day. I took this at the top of our block where we turned around.

Walking back toward home, I was too late to photograph the plow coming toward us.

I took a selfie before we went back inside. I was hoping to get more background showing the street behind us, but you don't fiddle around too much in those temperatures.

Frankly speaking, while it was very enjoyable to be out on such a beautiful day, I think we did push the limits of our weak reserves. I am on the upside, but my eyes won't stop watering, and I am trying to recover my voice from wherever it went. Sue still coughs so much that her chest hurts.