Everything is black and gold, The hubster is not too thrilled at being the one answering the door all night -- Halloween is one of my tasks. I love seeing all the kiddos dressed up, and some of the parents get into it, too. All told, we had 59 bing-bongs of the doorbell. My husband said the best costume of the night went to a group of high school girls who were dressed as M&Ms. He turned the lights out when he saw lightning off in the distance, and by the time he took out the trash and got back into the house the deluge came. We had only only 17 players this week, so we paid out 5 places and 2 teams. Congratulations to... Tom Goeschel, who brought a bucket of candy (thanks, Tom!) and left with 1st place, earning 16 / 8 / 137 Mike Due, who won the consolation at the John Medeiros Memorial after being High Qualifier, took 2nd with a 13 / 6 / 94 John Morch took 3rd with a 13 / 6 / 70 Liz Henderson, back from her SCUBA adventure, took 4th with a 13 / 6 / 38 and Heather Chilsen rounded out the place winners, taking 5th with a 12 / 6 / 38 1st team: Ernie Hodgson (11) and Glenn McMahon (11) 2nd team: Brian Wilson (11) and Jennifer Johnson (7) The updated standings are below, after 9 weeks: So, of course, it being All Hallow's Eve, we need to discuss the history of this fine pagan holiday and some of its traditions. Halloween’s origins date back to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain. The Celts, who lived 2,000 years ago, mostly in the area that is now Ireland, the United Kingdom and northern France, celebrated their new year on November 1. This day marked the end of summer and the harvest and the beginning of the dark, cold winter, a time of year that was often associated with human death. Celts believed that on the night before the new year, the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead became blurred. On the night of October 31 they celebrated Samhain, when it was believed that the ghosts of the dead returned to earth. The Celts would light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off ghosts. Carving Jack-o’-Lanterns The tradition of carving Jack-o’-Lanterns originated in Ireland using turnips instead of pumpkins. It is allegedly based on a legend about a man named Stingy Jack who repeatedly trapped the Devil and only let him go on the condition that Jack would never go to Hell. But when Jack died, he learned that Heaven did not want his soul either, so he was forced to wander the Earth as a ghost for eternity. The Devil gave Jack a burning lump of coal in a carved-out turnip to light his way. Locals eventually began carving scary faces into their own turnips to frighten away evil spirits. Black Cats The idea of being spooked by black cats dates back to the Middle Ages, when these dark felines were considered a symbol of the Devil. It didn’t help that centuries later, accused witches were often found to have cats, particularly black ones. People began to believe that the cats were a witch’s “familiar”–supernatural entities that would assist in their practice of dark magic–and black cats and spookiness have been linked ever since. Bobbing for Apples The game of bobbing for apples has been a staple at Halloween parties for many years, but its origins are more rooted in love and romance. The game traces back to a courting ritual that was part of a Roman festival honoring Pomona, the goddess of agriculture and abundance. While multiple versions existed, the gist was that young men and women would be able to predict their future relationships based on the game. When the Romans conquered the British Isles in 43 AD, the Pomona festival blended with the similarly timed Samhain, a precursor to Halloween. Bats Bats were likely present at the earliest proto-Halloween celebrations, not just symbolically but literally. As part of Samhain, Celts lit large bonfires, which attracted insects, which in turn, attracted bats. Soon spotting bats became connected with the festival. Medieval folklore expanded upon the eeriness of bats with a number of superstitions built around the belief that bats were harbingers of death. Candy Corn A candymaker at the Wunderle Candy Company in Philadelphia is sometimes credited with inventing the tri-colored candy in the 1880s. But candy corn did not become a widespread sensation until the Goelitz Company brought the candy to the masses in 1898. Candy corn was originally called “Chicken Feed” and it sold in boxes with the slogan “Something worth crowing for.” Initially, it was just an autumnal candy because of corn’s association with harvest time. Candy corn later became Halloween-specific when trick-or-treating grew in popularity in the U.S. during the 1950s. Trick-or-Treating There is much debate around the origins of trick-or-treating, but generally there are three theories. The first theory suggests that during Samhain, Celtic people would leave food out to appease the spirits traveling the Earth at night. Over time, people began to dress as these unearthly beings in exchange for similar offerings of food and drink. The second theory speculates that the candy boon stems from the Scottish practice of guising, which is a secular version of “souling.” During the Middle Ages, generally children and poor adults would collect food and money from local homes in return for prayers for the dead on All Souls’ Day. Guisers dropped the prayers in favor of non-religious practices with the inclusion of songs, jokes, and other “tricks.” A third theory argues that modern American trick-or-treating stems from “belsnickeling,” a German-American Christmas tradition where children would dress in costume and then call on their neighbors to see if the adults could guess the identities of the disguised. In one version of the practice, the children were rewarded with food or other treats if no one could identify them. Here are this week's cut-card poker hands: Heather Chilsen had trip 10s Liz Henderson had a pair of Queens with an Ace left over Jennifer Johnson had a pair of Queens, but with only a King I hope everyone had a fun, safe Halloween, and you didn't get TOO sick on candy :) Our next event is the GRRT, being held on Saturday, November 19, at our usual location. Details are in the Tournaments section of the blog.
Have a great rest of the week, everyone; see ya'll Monday! ~ Jennifer
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“October is crisp days and cool nights, a time to curl up around the dancing flames and sink into a good book.” Or, if not a good book, then a good night of cards. We had one of those; made better by the appearance of Dot Davis and Jim Townsend. We're always happy when Dot is feeling good enough to come out for the night with us, and are grateful that Jim brings her to us (of course, it's great to see Jim, too). This has been quite a week. Work has been exploding with our group being reorg'd (is that even a word) and trying to get things closed out before being out of the office on Friday and Monday. I schlepped all my tournament stuff from the basement and the spare bedroom (I really need to pick one place) and figured out what supplies I need to replenish, and I've been tracking my brother who's on his way down from MA to attend the tournament this weekend (!!) So, a lot of words to say, sorry it's almost next week by the time I got this posted. Including Dot and Jim, we had 23 peggers on Monday. So, we paid out six places and three teams. Jerry Gooden took 1st with a 15 / 7 / 112 Stephen Podolski took 2nd with a 15 / 7 / 95 Brian Wilson took 3rd with a 15 / 6 / 106 Larry Phifer took 4th with a 14 / 6 / 124 Allan Simpson took 5th with a 12 / 6 / 65 and Kristy Haught took 6th with a 12 / 6 / 25 1st team (21 / 10 / 74): Frank Abernathy (11) and Jennifer Johnson (10) 2nd team (19 / 10 / -38): Tom Goeschel (10) and Dot Davis (9) 3rd team (19 / 9 / -116): Heather Chilsen (11) and Pete Amacher (8) Current standings (through this week) below: All of our club's streaks (the good ones at least) are now kaput (cue the frownie face) and Frank and Jennifer did NOT make any advances toward their [next] GR award. We did pair up to take top team though, so there's that. With 129 of the songs he has written/co-written charting in the UK, Paul McCartney lays claim to the most songs to feature in the UK singles chart. An astonishing 91 of his singles reach the Top 10, with 33 of those making it to No.1. Here he is pictured with his wife, Linda, at a dinner in his honor hosted by Guinness World Records at Les Ambassadeurs Club in London this date (October 24) back in 1979. Guinness Superlatives, publishers of the Guinness Book of Records decided to make this special award to Paul saying: “It has been our practice, over many years, to issue certificates to new world record holders. We thought of making this presentation to him to mark the fact that he is a triple superlative (Most Successful Composer of All Time, Holder of Record Number of Gold Discs, World’s Most Successful Recording Artist) who has featured in so many of our editions that we have come to regard him as a virtual fixture. To be a superlative is hard enough, to be a triple superlative is something very rare indeed.” Since Paul’s achievements are rather extraordinary it was decided that something unique should also be given to mark the award. Gold and platinum discs are quite commonplace nowadays so it was decided to give Paul the first ever disc to be pressed in Rhodium — one of the most rare of precious metals. McCartney also boasts a number of other records, including the first live concert broadcast to space in 2005, the first Bond theme nominated for a Best Original Song Oscar ('Live and Let Die' with his band Wings in 1973) and the most questions asked online (he received over three million queries from fans during a 30-minute web chat in 1997). And that’s before even taking into account the 20-plus shared records that he earned with The Beatles... Mike Due had a straight to the 9 Jennifer Johnson had a straight to the A John Morch had a straight to the 5 ... that' s a lot of straights Megan Player had trip deuces Our Grass Roots Regional Tournament (GGRT) has been scheduled for Saturday, November 19th. Registration is at 9am, with play starting as close to 9:30 as we can get it.
The second annual John Medeiros Memorial Tournament is THIS WEEKEND. Looks like we'll be close to the 54 number we had last year, if I get a few walk-ins. Have a great week, ya'll, and see some of you Friday! ~ Jennifer There is no better time than the autumn to begin forgetting the things that trouble us, allowing them to fall away like dried leaves. I don't have much for commentary this week :) I've been in the office the last couple of days, and it's been exhausting. I got super SPOILED being able to work from home for 28 months -- the three days a month I go in now shouldn't be such a trial. While it is nice to see people again, I get far more done when the only other person around is my husband. Far fewer "drive-by" encounters. Ah well. I'm extremely fortunate to have kept my job through the pandemic; I can suck up the three days a week in the office. And hey, we have ice cream on Wednesday afternoons! It's not all bad... We had 21 players come out this week -- we paid out 5 places and three teams. Congratulations to... Allan Simpson, who took 1st with an almost-grand-slam 16 / 8 / 112 It was ruined by... Tom Goeschel, who took 2nd with a 14 / 7 / 27 Jennifer Johnson took 3rd with a 13 / 6 / 41 Jeff Raynes took 4th with a 13 / 6 / 30 Mike Due took 5th with a 13 / 6 / -2 First team (21 / 10 / 49): John Morch (11) and Steve Podolski (10) Second team (21 / 9 / -14): Roger Doenges (13) and Pete Amacher (8) Third team (19 / 9 / 75): Frank Abernathy (10) and Larry Phifer (9) Standings through this week are below: Well, 2/3 of our streaks have run themselves out. Both Joe Greiner and Frank Abernathy had less-than-12 cards tonight. Jeff Raynes, however, keeps his GRPs-for-every-appearance streak going. How long will it last? There are a couple of other things I want to mention. First, Frank Abernathy is just 71 points away from earning his Silver Award, and yours truly is 78 points away from Bronze. But, and I feel this is an AMAZING accomplishment, Larry Phifer has broken the 5000 GRP barrier. He is now the proud owner of 5009 GRPs. He is only the second active member in our club (Jerry Gooden is the other) who has reached this milestone. A quick trip back to ancient times because this particular point in history always fascinated and terrified me as a child…Though we may have visited this topic once already... On this date in 79 AD, Mt. Vesuvius, a major stratovolcano in southern Italy, violently spewed forth a deadly cloud of super-heated tephra and gases to a height of roughly 20 miles ejecting molten rock, pulverized pumice and hot ash at 1.5 million tons per second, ultimately releasing 100,000 times the thermal energy of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. eruption buried the cities of Pompeii, Herculaneum, Oplontis and Stabiae and killed thousands. New research in 2018 suggests the eruption occurred on or after this date not the previously used August 24. Scientific research has actually contributed to both sides of the debate. Analysis of the remains of ancient fish sauce called garum found in Pompeii seems to support the traditional date in August, because the fish from which it was made were most plentiful in summer. Archaeobotanical evidence, on the other hand, points to the opposite: pomegranates and walnuts, which would not have been harvested until autumn, were also found. Atmospheric studies, meanwhile, have suggested that the fallout pattern of volcanic ash reflects high-altitude south-easterly winds, which today are prevalent in the region in autumn. Wind patterns may, however, have changed in the almost 2,000 years since the eruption. Far more recently than that but still almost 100 years ago (and included because gangs and organized crime are my son’s area of interest)... O on this day in 1931, Gangster Al Capone was convicted on five of the 23 counts of tax evasion against him, later fined $50,000 and sentenced to 11 years in jail. Capone, also known by the nickname "Scarface," came to power during the Prohibition era as a boss of the Chicago Outfit. The organization was led by Capone and Johnny Torrio, who together controlled the distribution of illegal alcohol. Capone's criminal career began when he joined the Five Points Gang as a teenager, he then came into contact with Torrio, for whom he served as a bodyguard and would soon become a trusted confidante. This was Capone's first encounter with the illegal alcohol business. While the group was initially involved only in the bootlegging business, they would later expand into a range of illicit activities. This expansion was went hand-in-hand with greater violence, but Capone was protected by his relationship with the police. Public opinion was also on Capone's side for a while, which he seemed to revel in. He would make regular donations to charities, for which he was seen as something of a modern-day Robin Hood. This would change, however, with Capone's implication in the Saint Valentine's Day Massacre in 1929, when four men dressed as police officers enter gangster Bugs Moran’s headquarters on North Clark Street in Chicago, lined seven of Moran’s henchmen against a wall, and shot them to death. Capone was subsequently branded as "Public Enemy No. 1," and the federal authorities ultimately apprehended him on tax evasion charges. While he appealed against the case, it would mark the end of his criminal career. Liz Henderson had a club flush Jennifer Johnson had a straight to the King Andy Wagner had a pair of sixes Our Grass Roots Regional Tournament (GGRT) has been scheduled for Saturday, November 19th. Registration is at 9am, with play starting as close to 9:30 as we can get it.
There is just over a week until the second annual John Medeiros Memorial Tournament. Thus far, I have 35 players for the tournament (including my younger brother), but I had that number at this time last year, and got almost 20 walk-ins day-of. If you're planning on attending, please let me know so I can make sure you have a label for your scorecards :) Have a great week, ya'll! ~ Jennifer “Every new friend is a new adventure… the start of more memories.” We made a new friend today :) Allison Carpenter, a grad student at UNC, joined us for the first time this evening. She found us via our website and came to check us out. She has been playing cribbage with her family her whole life, and loves the game. We hope to see her back soon! We had 22 players this week, so we paid out five places and three teams. Larry Phifer took 1st with a 15 / 7 / 109 Frank Abernathy took 2nd with a 15 / 7 / 32 Megan Player took 3rd with a 14 / 7 / 96 Roger Doenges took 4th with a 14 / 6 / 84 And, rounding out the place money, Allan Simpson took 5th with a 13 / 6 / 94 First Team (23/11/-16): Al Robinson (12) and Jeff Seidenstein (11) Second Team (20/10/13): John Morch (12) and Jerry Gooden (8) Third Team (17/8/-17): Mike Due (12) and Liz Henderson (5) Here are the standings through this week's play... And, an update from one of our guest speakers, Joe:: To start the season….. Jeff [Raynes] ~ 4 weeks played 4 weeks 12+ Frank ~ 5 weeks played 5 weeks 12+ Joe ~ 6 weeks played 6 weeks 12+ When will the strings be snapped? On this date in 1871 The Great Chicago Fire was finally extinguished after 3 days, leaving approximately 300 dead, 100,000 homeless, and costing $222million in damage. The fire destroyed more than three square miles of Chicago and the original Emancipation Proclamation. For two days in 1871 fire ravaged Chicago, Illinois. The fire killed approximately 300 people, left more than 100,000 residents homeless and destroyed 3.3sqm (9km2) of the city. The conflagration began around a small barn belonging to the O'Leary family, southwest of the city center. The exact cause has never been determined, although a popular story that a cow owned by Catherine O'Leary at the farm knocked over a lantern and began the fire. Two-thirds of structures in Chicago in 1871 were made of wood, and the fire spread rapidly. By the time the fire was extinguished on October 10, some 17,500 buildings were destroyed. Help came from around the country and around the world; the United Kingdom made a donation that led to the establishment of the Chicago Public Library, and the city was rebuilt with stringent building codes. More than 100 years after Catherine O’Leary’s death, the city would officially exonerate her of any wrongdoing. The precise cause of the spark that destroyed much of the city is still unknown. History professor Heather Cox Richardson has an interesting item in her column "Letters from an American" where she discusses the thought that the Great Chicago Fire told a political story that fit in with the country at that time. You can read her words here. Another interesting take, talking more in depth about the myth of Mrs. O'Leary's cow, and the stereotypes of the day that fed this myth can be found here. You may have noticed a few of us keeping track of our cut cards on our scorecards. We're playing "Cut Card Poker". Just for fun, we're seeing who can cut the best poker hand. Heather had a full house, 4s full of Kings Jerry also had a full house, 6s full of 3s Liz had a straight to the 7 Jennifer had a measly pair of Aces Megan had three-of-a-kind, in Queens Alright folks, that's it for me for this week. Remember, there's a tournament coming up the last week of October at the Doubletree, I've got flyers with me. Walk-ins are welcome if you don't want to pre-register, or if it's a last-minute decision.
Have a great week everyone! ~ Jennifer “Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall.” How the heck did it get to be OCTOBER already? This month’s name stems from Latin octo, “eight,” because this was the eighth month of the early Roman calendar. When the Romans converted to a 12-month calendar, the name October stuck despite that fact that it’s now the 10th month. In Old England, the month was called Winmonath, which means “wine month,” for this was the time of year when wine was made. The English also called it Winterfylleth, or “Winter Full Moon.” They considered this full Moon to be the start of winter. In weather lore, we note, “If October brings heavy frosts and winds, then will January and February be mild.” Or, if you live south of the Mason-Dixon... We had 22 people come out to play this week, including a third visit by JB. We weren't very nice to him (again) so he's going home (lol). We may see him again in December and can make amends. We had six of our 22 players this week come away with GRPs, and this week all came away with cashola. We paid out five places and three teams this week: Jeff Raynes took 1st with a 15 / 7 / 103 Ernie Hodgson took 2nd with a 14 / 6 / 55 Our current first-place holder Joseph Greiner took 3rd with a 13 / 6 / 93 Brian Wilson took 4th with a 13 / 6 / 61 Roger Doenges rounded out the 5th with a 12 / 6 / 18 Second Team (20 / 9 / -30) - Frank Abernathy (12) and Jerry Gooden (8) First Team (20 / 10 / -53) - Jennifer Johnson (10) and Megan Player (10) Third Team (19 / 9 / -18) - Larry Phifer (11) and Heather Chilsen (8) Here are the current standings after five weeks in the books.... There were quite a few things that have an anniversary on this date. For example, in 1872, Bloomingdale’s department store opened in New York. The company was created by Lyman and Joseph Bloomingdale. The two brothers opened a garment store for women in the Lower East Side of New York City in 1861. The first product that they carried was the hoop skirt, which was the latest fashion trend at the time. The store moved to 3rd Avenue and 56th Street in Manhattan in 1872. This location was known as the Bloomingdale Brothers Great East Side Bazaar. Joseph and Lyman gradually expanded their product offerings. They paid attention to what clothing companies in several international markets were selling. Their first store began to carry more and more garments. By the mid-1870’s, Bloomingdale’s’ was turning into one of the nation’s first department stores. In 1945 Elvis Presley had his first public performance, at the age of 10. He sang "Old Shep" in a youth talent contest at the Mississippi-Alabama Fair and Dairy Show, in Tupelo, Mississippi. Dressed as a cowboy, he stood on a chair to reach the microphone. The contest was broadcast over WELO Radio, and he won fifth prize - $5.00 in fair ride tickets. But, perhaps the most notable event on this date, at least in recent history, is the 1990 Reunification of East and West Germany. The West German flag was raised above the Brandenburg Gate on the stroke of midnight. In the wake of reunification, Berlin was once again designated as the capital of a newly united Germany. On September 20, 1990, the legislative chambers of both West and East Germany voted overwhelmingly in favor of unification. The vote in the West German Bundestag was 442 to 47. In the East German Volkskammer, it was 299 to 80. With the defeat of Nazi Germany in 1945, the country was divided into two separate areas, with the east becoming part of the communist Soviet bloc and the west aligned to capitalist Europe. Separate military alliances were formed: NATO and the Warsaw Pact. Berlin was divided into four occupied sectors of control. Germans lived under these externally imposed divisions throughout the ensuing Cold War. The East German regime had begun to falter in May 1989, when the removal of Hungary’s border fence with Austria punched a hole in the once formidable Iron Curtain. It enabled an exodus of tens of thousands of East Germans who fled to West Germany and Austria via Hungary. A so-called Peaceful Revolution, actually, a series of protest marches by East Germans, led to the first semi-free elections on March 18, 1990. They in turn triggered negotiations between West and East Germany that culminated in a unification treaty. (Its official name was Treaty between the Federal Republic of Germany and the German Democratic Republic on the Establishment of German Unity.) These negotiations ran in parallel with another treaty between the two about-to-unify Germanys and the four original occupying powers: The United States, Great Britain, France and the Soviet Union. They resulted in a grant of full sovereignty to a newly unified German state, whose two parts had heretofore still been bound by some postwar curbs. You may have noticed a few of us keeping track of our cut cards on our scorecards. We're playing "Cut Card Poker". Just for fun, we're seeing who can cut the best poker hand. Heather had an A-high straight Jennifer had two pairs, 7s and 8s Megan had an impressive four of a kind, 3s That's it for this week :) See ya'll on Monday!
~Jennifer |
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