Growing up the backwoods of West Virginia there was very little to do outside the home. No malls to hang out in, no cable TV, NO Internet (it hadn’t been invented yet), no to a lot of today’s common kiddie magnets. We had to create our own entertainment. That was easy.
One thing we enjoyed playing was card games. Gin Rummy was the first card game I learned. My Uncle Roger taught me how to play. Many old-timers thought playing cards was a sin, but we only saw it as fun. I loved playing it, too! This is a game which requires more than one person, but what do I do, if I wanted to play by myself? I soon grew intrigued with my best friend’s mother’s game of choice – Solitaire. I watched her play, but never picked it up.
Solitaire stuck in my mind for years. I eventually taught myself how to play. I figured my brain could use the stimulation. Raising small ones sometimes left me feeling like dust was collecting on the shelves of my mind. Once home computers became a near essential, then I was introduced to computerized Solitaire. This was more convenient and enjoyable to play.
Solitaire filled in my spare time and kept rust out of the gears and wheels of my brain through the years. Recently, as recent as last fall, my father-in-law who is in his 80s taught me how to play Spider Solitaire. I had wondered how to play this game but couldn’t figure it out for myself. I guess some rust had my processor locked up.
After a quick 101 course in the basics of Spider Solitaire, it hooked me! I’m still on the lower level playing where I try to match up two suits before the fireworks shoot across my screen announcing I’ve won, but it’s not at all boring and at times a bit challenging. Once I’m winning game after game after game, then I will bump things up a notch. This isn’t medical research or physics or chemical engineering. It’s simply Spider Solitaire, but it my as well be my form of rocket science, as it allows this ole fat head to get a workout….a mental workout that is.
