Granny's Homemade Ways: Winter Games and Lessons for Boys and Girls, January 9, 2010

Most of the country has been blanketed with snow, lots of snow, and Tickle Belly Farm is no different. We haven't been spared the frigid cold weather either. Both man and beast has been challenged to brave the outdoor weather or else be stuck inside another day.

Today, when the sun finally emerged from hiding behind all those snow clouds, the termperature rose slowly to a balmy 20 degrees...just warm enough to let the horses outside for a good breath of fresh air. They were like school children at recess! They couldn't wait to get out of the barn. All I could do was let them off their lead ropes and get out of their way! Some horses, just like people are just more rambunctious than the others and have to buck and kick out as they make their way to the open pasture. Not that I blame them. They all were turned out to the west pasture were there is a nice little grove of oak and maple trees surrounding a small pond. In the summer the trees offer cool shade from the heat and in the fall their leaves give us a colorful show. Right now, without their leaves, I can see the horses gathering around the frozen pond. Some of the silly things like to slide on the ice. The first time I saw a horse take a running start and then slide across the ice, I laughed. Then I realized how easy it would be for them to fall and break a leg or hip! That was a long time ago and I have since learned that horses have much better balance than I have. Dozen of horses that have lived here on Tickle Belly Farm, have taken up ice slidding and thankfully, no accidents.

I almost hate to bring the horses in from the pasture. They have been so bored being kept in their stalls most of the day. They can not play games the way people do. I was thinkng back, a long way back, to a time before television, IPOD's and computers. There was actually a time when children and adults too, played games that did not require batteries or electricity. Perhaps, with so many of you being stuck inside, you might like to try some games that children played a very long time ago.

This game requires a table, enough chairs, enough people to make two teams and a coin or button. Some people know this game as "Button, Button, Whose Got the Button" but I recently learned that it also goes by the name of "Up Jenkins".  It can be a lot of fun especially once you learn to keep a straight face!

You begin by picking two teams and having each team sit together on one side of the table and across from each other. The game starts after everyone has their hands under the table. One team has the button or coin and the object of the game is to keep passing it under the table to each other and to keep the other team guessing where it is at any given time.

After about 15 seconds or when the first team has had time to confuse the other team, the team begins to bang their hands palms down on the top of the table including the person who has the coin or button. That person has the hardest job because they have to banf their hands like the others while still holding onto the coin!

Now team 2 has to guess where the coin is. They do so by pointing to a player saying  "Button, Button" or “Up Jenkins.” Each time a player lifts an empty hand, team 2 scores a point. Because the object of the game is to leave the palm containing the coin to the very end. If team 2 guesses the hand containing the coin before the very last hand is revealed, team 1 scores a point and gets to hide the coin again. If team 2 chooses all the empty hands and finds the coin in the very last palm, they get a chance to hide the coin.

Here's some hints from Granny:

-You might consider selecting team leaders so that there is less confusion when ending the coin passing, the hand banging and calling "Up Jenkins" or "Button, Button".

Now team 2 has to guess where the coin is. They do so by pointing to a player saying “Up Jenkins.” Each time a player lifts an empty hand, team 2 scores a point. Why? Because the object of the game is to leave the palm containing the coin to the very end. If team 2 guesses the hand containing the coin before the very last hand is revealed, team 1 scores a point and gets to hide the coin again. If team 2 chooses all the empty hands and finds the coin in the very last palm, they get a chance to hide the coin.

(This story is one of many that were published in 1924 in a large, hardcovered book called "The Annual Mammoth Book" by Whitman Publishing, Racine, Wisconsin.  This book has Bible stories, Mother Goose fairy tales and other stories like "Black Beauty". But what I have always loved were the short stories-all 365 of them- that were meant for daily reading at nap or bedtime. I would give credit to the author but unfortunately, none of the authors of the daily stories are listed. I hope that you enjoy this one!)

Sqeaky's Adventure

One day a tiny gray mouse named Squeaky was sitting on the attic window sill sunning himself. He heard footsteps. Then he heard voices. He hopped down and ran into a hole in a trunk where he lived.

"Oh, Jack-in-the-box, someone is coming to the attic," he cried.

Jack-in-the-box, who lived in the same trunk, said, "I do hope they will take me out, I am always hoping that I may be taken out and downstairs again."

But Squeaky wasn't so happy when he heard the voices say, "We'll clean the attic next week." Nor was he happy when he heard the truck lock being opened. He crept closer and closer to Jack-in-the-box until he was way under his collar.

"Well, well, here are the old toys," said one voice. Squeaky saw a smiling woman. "And here is Jack-in-the-box, his face is still as bright is ever. How he used to make the children laugh!"

She pushed his head down, Squeaky couldn't help but cry out, "Squeak, squeak, squeak."

"Oh he still squeaks!" laughed the woman. Then she said, "The next time the children come, I shall give Jack-in-the-box to them."

And while she was fastening the lid on the trunk, there was a happy smile on old Jack's face for he knew that before long he would be taken downstairs again.

Squeaky was so happy not to be found that he stood straight up on the tip of his tail and sang a squeaky song.