Gaming.

 

One of the downers about getting a Mac was the stunning lack of free apps.

Solitaire? Nope.

Mah Jongg? Sorry.

The Cleaner (a little program I downloaded in the 90s that cleans up cut-and-pasted emails by eliminating extraneous line breaks and ">" at the beginning of quoted text)? Only for Windoze.

I did eventually find an inexpensive games for the Mac -- Kitty Spangles Solitaire has been my official play-while-on-hold game for a couple years. I have tried some free Mah Jongg games, both downloadable and online, but I didn't like any of them as well as the one I used to have for Windows.

And of course, now that I have complained that there are no free games for Mac I have discovered a bunch of online games that I can play. (And hope that there is no malicious code on the sites.)

But the biggest disappointment was that our version of Boggle didn't play on the Mac. We got the CD free in a box of cereal years ago. I have installed it on every PC and laptop we have had in that time, including the ones I had for work, plus copied and shared it with other people, and over the years Smokey and I have played it together for hours. Since 2006, however, when I went Mac, we have been limited to playing it on his laptop, mostly when we are on vacation.

Last week Crazy Aunt Purl mentioned online Boggle and the light bulb flashed above my head.

 

We have become addicted all over again.

* * * * *

Last Friday night we were playing online Boggle (yes, it's an exciting life here at Chez Kat™) when a message window popped up from Elder Son. Who informed us he had nearly been killed recently.

This is the same kid who emailed me from South Africa a few years back when he was studying there to say he had been held up at knife point and was feeling really bad that he had lost his cell phone and $60. I had to go lie down for a bit after reading that email.

Anyway, the most recent expiration of one his nine lives happened when the car in which he was a passenger made an inadvisable left turn and was T-boned on the passenger side by a big SUV. The car he was in was totaled because the entire side was caved in, but he suffered only a little scrape on his shin.

Kids. They make your heart sing and they make it fall through the floor.

* * * * *

This was the scene on the first morning of our most recent camping trip.

 

 

 

 

It was at this point that I got so excited to have coffee that I forgot all about the camera.

Comments

[Cookie]

No Mah Jonng?! I am suddenly rethinking my Mac WANT. /sigh

Kids!

So... the coffee thingy worked okay? ;^)

[Amy]

OK, now, y'all can make fun of me for being a Sylvia Plath dork, but your account about your son reminds me of her wonderful radio play Three Women, and here are some lines from a mother reflecting on her newborn son:

How long can I be a wall around my green property?
How long can my hands
Be a bandage to his hurt, and my words
Bright birds in the sky, consoling, consoling?
It is a terrible thing
To be so open: it is as if my heart
Put on a face and walked into the world.

[sophanne]

Guard dog in progress.

[deb]

If the dog could type there would surely be identifiers saying "Empty Food Bowl" and "Lame Water Bowl Disguised as Food Bowl".

[Erika]

Looks like your Squirrel Patrol is on high alert!

Yay, Bialetti! My espresso machine has entirely supplanted Mr. Coffee, who is going to a new home on Friday.

I wrecked my car three cars ago in the same type of accident. No passengers, thank goodness.

[Carrie K]

I've never tried Boggle. Uh oh. I fear I'm lost now.

Coffee!! Yes!!!

T-Boned sons - not so much! Yikes.

[Chris]

Glad Elder Son was ok!! Ah, sweet caffeine...

Hey, Ubuntu came with Mahjohngg. ;)

[Jeanne]

Lots of free games with Ubuntu.

[Diane]

Wow, I bet Elder Son's news made your heart pound for a bit. That was a lucky escape. So, did the coffee thingy work? Is it really strong?

And I think I may have to hate you for the link to online boggle. It's so not good for my competitive nature. What do you mean I only got 37 points!!?!

[Suzanne (Yarnhog)]

WHERE did you get that Emergency Knitting bag?! I must have one!

[NeedleDancer]

First, I "need" an "Emergency Knitting Kit" like that one! Where did you get it!
Second, on line boggle? I'm doomed! I'd thank you, but it may mean that we lose our house because I couldn't be bothered paying bills since it will interrupt playing boggle.
Third, where does one find that Cleaner thing you mentioned?? I'm stuck in Windoze for the foreseeable future; there may as well be some good out of it :-)

[Angie]

Have you checked out the downloads at the Apple site? Some are shareware, etc., and may yield some free games. I tried a fairy matching game...can't remember the name but lovely graphics and fun to play.