Florida, Oddly Enough

Card playing and card decks as works of art. I do not collect them, really, but I've bought a few packs over the years, always based on the imagery. This deck was given to me by my friend Barb, and they were a few decades old when she gave them to me in the 80's. I'm not a card player, either. I admire the sometimes beautiful artwork used on playing cards. We had a game we played as kids called Nail and Hammer which used two decks. I do not recall how it went, but know we filled many hours on rainy days playing that game and checkers.

 My grandmother tried to teach me Bridge as an adolescent, and from that, I presume traumatic experience, I never learned another card game.  I have absolutely no recollection of her lessons, but I never even learned Euchre, the most popular card game of Ohio. My sister, who never had bridge lessons with Nanny, our grandmother,  did go on to learn and become expert at many other card games. I feel my life would be benefitted by learning a few, it's never too late, I hope. I have a canasta game and a rook game too. I'm pretty sure I played Rook a time or two as a teen, but do not remember how to play that at all. Again, I think I bought it because of the rooks, members of the crow family, on the cards. 

I loved staying awake in my room listening to my parents and their friends talking and playing cards, when it was their turn to host a card party. That, the chance to overhear adults conversing, and the delicious food that was prepared, made my sister and I extremely happy. I have friends on social media who get friends together for games, and I always think it looks fun. Then I dread the thought of having to be taught a card game.... Food and socializing and games of skill on a regular basis hasn't become a thing of the past at all. And that's a good thing.

In parting, here is a deck I covet. 

Here's hoping you enjoy your days and evenings with friends and loved ones this week and for years to come.

~Dorothy Dolores