12 The Beauty of Being Old

Last night I finally experienced the thrill of advancing along our cribbage board highway to rest my winning peg in the golden hole!

Awhile ago, during a prolonged winning streak, George had drilled a small hole at the game’s finish line. He burnished it with paint so that it gleamed with a golden glow. Lately the glow had been reflecting – more often than not – on his merciless face at the end of our evening games.

But last night I won two games in a row. I cackled with delight. George was not impressed.

Another game I play is online Scrabble. I’m better at in the mornings when my brain is less cluttered. The Scrabble people have designated my prowess level at 16. For years I have been trying to up my level to no avail. Oh well at least they haven’t downgraded me.

My sister-in-law, Marilynn, has been known as the top Scrabbler in our large extended family. I have out-scrabbled Marilynn a few times, but her daughter, Marlene, is unbeatable. Marlene knows so many top value scrabble words, some that haven’t been used much in the real world.

Who knew “zarf” was an actual word?? According to Google, it is a metal cup holder that you can use if there’s no handle on your cup. It’s also the sleeve that you pull over your paper cup so that the hot coffee that’s inside doesn’t burn your fingers.