Yesterday’s howling winds prevented us from eating lunch outside with my mother-in-law, something we do on Sundays. As her dementia has progressed, she doesn’t engage in much and it’s hard to come up with something that interests her. The hummingbirds and white roses in the yard usually capture her attention and she enjoys the sun, but since that wasn’t an option yesterday I fished out an ancient deck of Old Maid cards.
I’d guess that this deck is from the late ‘50s or ‘60s, judging from the graphics and the 19-cent price. My friend Julietta, a gifted writer and artist, found this deck on eBay and sent it to me more than 20 years ago, a clever, quirky gift that matched my fondness for children’s books. The deck’s illustrations are based on fairy tales and nursery rhymes.
When I checked yesterday, I was surprised to find that you can still buy new, not vintage, Old Maid card decks on Amazon, an unwelcome reminder that the sexist notion of an unmarried woman as an old maid, the person and card nobody wants, persists.
With a pile of quarters as big money stakes, Bonnie concentrated as carefully on matching the whimsical pairs of Little Boy Blue, Jack and Jill, and Mary Had a Little Lamb as if we were playing high jackpot poker in Las Vegas. She ended up owing the house 50 cents, but we assured her that her credit is good.
The Green Side of the Grass 