365 True Things: 95/Games (7/1/15)

Heidi is playing a game of solitaire while I take care of my blog; Geoff is taking care of business on his iPhone; David is playing a game on the iPad.

The agreement was, we'll play a round or two of euchre before turning in. It's already 9:15.

So this will be quick.

I did not grow up playing cards, or games in general. I do recall playing Monopoly, Chinese checkers, backgammon, "the Game of Life," Careers, Sorry on occasion with friends, but we did not play games at my house. If any game was played, it was a serious one: bridge. Nothing for kids.

But anymore, I do enjoy a rousing game of something every so often. On SAR excursions, we often play hearts. My prayer group gets together occasionally without the prayers and we play hearts or a funny game that Wendy picked up from a New Yorker short story many years ago, Solo in Wyoming. David and I have a few board games that we enjoy sometimes—when we remember we have them.

Playing Scut in North Carolina

Euchre is an old Canright mainstay, and Geoff has taught it to Heidi, and now they play it whenever they get together with her sister Gunnhild and her husband, Amnon. Other Canright games that manage to cause much hilarity when we all, or some subset of us, get together: Pit and Scut. And a good game for two players: Casino. And Two-Ten-Jack, but we never play that anymore because David always wins. Even though he claims he doesn't. But he does.

Last night, Geoff taught us a solitaire game called Idiot, which he learned from Heidi. It's fast and easy, and you almost always lose. But that doesn't keep you from playing.

Here's how:

1. Deal four cards face up into four piles.
2. If there are multiple cards of any one suit, remove all but the highest card of that suit.
Do likewise for any other suits.
3. Deal four cards onto each pile (leave the bottom cards showing for reference).
Remove all but the highest card of any suits with multiple cards.
Do it again—until the top cards of all four piles are the four different suits.
If a hole opens up, you can move the top card of any pile you like into the hole. (This is where the "strategy," such as it is, comes in.)
4. Continue.
The goal: to have only the aces remaining in each of the four piles.

Easy, right?