i am at least six and eight years older than my two younger sisters, and eldest sisters are always motherly (read bossy). that position also carried responsibilities that excluded playing. i hated dolls and my choice of toys were slings and i preferred going up the guava tree or hopping over tombstones (we lived just beside the public cemetery). so i never learned this game the girls called 'jack stone' until i was twenty-five.
watching them do all kinds of tricks, loop the loop, piggy-back, and other fancy maneuvers. one day one of the young neighbourhood girls came looking for my sisters wanting to play with them. they were both at school but the girl hung around playing jacks and asked me if i could play with her. when i told her i didn't know how to play it, she simply sat me down and showed me how to play it. hard shit it was but by the time my sisters came home, i had learned some of the moves. the girls liked it whenever i'd play with them because we'd make sure the floor was well polished for when we played the game. later on when i started kicking their asses with their game, they'd hide from me or they played whenever i wasn't around. little buggers.
i found this set amongst the boys' toys in the toy box, part of some grab bags from a party from a long time ago. so i gave the game a go. i'm a little rusty and had difficulty capturing the ball in mid-air without it hitting one of the blue thingies.
for the mad hatters' games theme this week.
thank you for your kind visits and comments; know that they are truly and genuinely appreciated.
Little blue thingies in the US are called Jacks. I loves this game and ours were metal and the ball was red. Funny that I remember that. Not many things made out of plastic in the olden days. LOL
@lesip - yes, that's what we used to have back in the old country - red ball and silver coloured metallic jacks. when we do meet up we should have a tournament! hahahaha! thank you, leslie!
For some reason I am seeing a snowman in the green ball... Love the colors. and the story. I had to laugh.. Thank you for your stories that go along with your photos. Both make my day.
This is delightful! :) I used to play jacks as well. Like you, I'm 6 and 8 years older than my siblings. They don't know jack about jacks bc by the time they were old enough to play, my mother had banned them on account of stepping on them (metal, they were when I was young, too). Great capture!
gosh, talk about memories. hours spent sitting on the floor -- not that those hours ever improved my abilities too much. Nice pov, puts you right in the game.
LOL- i see, it isn't candy, it is the ball from this game, silly me. i should have turned the page, so to speak. love this narrative and the shot. fav.
