Sunday night playing cards at Richard's

I have mentioned more than a few times in Facebook posts that I play cards with some pretty sharp people on Sunday nights.  Sometimes I go a few months without playing, I get so busy.  But lately, I have been making it nearly every Sunday.  I figured I had better show up often enough to win a game now and then!  I don't think I have won more than a game or two, and that was probably by accident.

My card playing friends are Verl and Mayme who are 87 and 82, Richard the host, who is 94, Zelma, Verl's sister, who is 85, and Verda, another sister to Verl who is 92.  I bought my farm from Verda and Stanley.  Stanley passed shortly after we closed on the farm, but Verda is still going strong.  She lives in a small apartment in a senior citizen community in Plymouth.  Zelma moved to Plymouth, too.  The others all still live in their long-time homes.  Verl and Mayme are still on their farm, and are just a couple of miles from me.  Turn a couple of corners, and I am at Richard's place, another farm.  Mayme and I are the only non-Hoosiers, Mayme being from Maryland and I from Illinois.  Mayme and Verl met in a barn in Maryland when Verl was in the service.  That is a story I heard for the first time last night!

We play two different games, first Crazy Eights (but not with any rules like I ever knew) and Nines, a game I had never heard of until I met this bunch!

We stop and have snacks between games, sometimes sandwiches, always popcorn and usually a sweet or some fruit.

If I get there late, which often happens, Verl, who always keeps score, averages everyone's score and gives it to me.  The game is played until one person reaches 500.  Then the person with the low score is the winner (never me!).  Even though I get this artificially low score maybe half way through the game when I show up late, it doesn't take long for me to get caught with high counter cards in my hand and I am soon pushing that 500 mark!  Oh, dear!!

Last Sunday, I missed winning Nines by only one point.   Didn't even come close to winning last night.  :(

These were taken over two weeks because Verda was missing last week.  She showed up late this week, but we got her picture at last! 

Richard, our host

Verl is always the scorekeeper, but we check his work.  ;-)

Richard's turn to deal

Zelma serving treats

Job well done.  Everyone looks happy.

Melon, popcorn, homemade cheese.  Where's the pie?

Mayme cutting pie

Here's the whole crew - L to R, Richard, Zelma, Verda, Mayme, Verl

Treats are done.  Back to cards - playing Nines.