Olly, Olly Oxen Free!!!

Our latest Sibling Assignment was given to us by Inland Empire Girl, who tries here darndest to get her two slackard siblings to post their assignments in a timely manner. Well, I'm only about 4 days late this week.

This week's assignment was this: " Many hours of our childhood were spent playing games. Share a memory that involved playing a game(es)." IEG's wonderful post about playing Yahztee is here, and RP's post will be here someday.

Growing up on the Sunnyside area of Kellogg, we had a great group of neighborhood kids who would gather together during the summer to play "hide and seek". There were the Rinaldi boys and the Poutto's from over on Mission Ave., the Absec boy who lived over by the park, and the Freers, Higbees and Cralls on Riverside Ave., where the game originated. And then there was myself and sometimes the Cumming's boys who would come over to join the fun from Cameron Ave.

As we gathered for the game, boundaries were set so we knew how far we could go to hide. Hiding places were found up in trees, inside bushes, and anywhere else we couldn't be found on a dark summer night in Kellogg.

"Okay, I'm going to hide my eyes and count to 50, and everyone go and hide," one of us would say."

Then there was the "base", of course, where you could run to, and, if you made it there without getting tagged, then you were doing pretty good. But, eventually, if people still couldn't be found, you were here ringing through our neighborhood, "Olly, olly oxen free." That meant you could come in for free, and not get tagged.

Sometimes we would do a variation, and play "Kick the Can".

Our neighborhood was full of games. I remember watching L. Poutto's old Italian grandpa play bocce ball back behind her house. I remember a pit of some sotrt, that was enclosed by wood, and the men would toss the balls into the pit. As they enjoyed the game, they were probably drinking some Dago red wine as well.

Touch football games were also played afterschool in yards throughout the neighborhood. I'm not sure the girls ever got to play, though. I think we just had to play "cheerleader".

We had a great neighborhood to grow up in, and I'm glad I spent summers playing games with all the kids.