Noun: A harsh, discordant mixture of sounds; dissonance: a cacophony of hoots, cackles, and wails.
This word makes me smile just to say it. It's not a word I use every day, but it's a word that employs just the right mixture of fricatives (consonants that use F or S sounds) and plosives (consonants that produce explosive sounds, such as T, P, and in this case, K) to make it an accurate emotive description of the past 5 days. Fricatives and plosives comprise most words we label as "cuss words" because they release emotional energy. That's why words like marshmallow and watermelon just don't cut it as swear words. But I digress...
Labor Day weekend is one of two times each year that Al gathers with a motley gang of family and friends for fun, fellowship and, of course, poker. In a matter of minutes the decibel level at the Miedema house rises to near deafening levels as stories are told, retold, and embellished. From what I can observe, listening skills are suspended for the weekend. The goal is to be heard...to tell the story. Fish Stories abound, along with plenty of laughter and the occasional chastizement over an inaccuracy in story-telling ("that's not the way it went down!), a misunderstood word or a misplayed card hand. Normal schedules are tossed aside as the poker game goes on through the entire night. Anyone who quits before 4 a.m. is labeled a pansy-assed weakling.
This year was noteworthy as we celebrated the 80th birthday of Al's aunt, Marilyn. 80 years old, and this lady is as tough as ever. She can play cards with the best of them. And even though her hearing isn't what it once was, that didn't stop her from chiming in on all of the story-telling! Marilyn is very special to us, and we were thrilled she was able to celebrate in such grand style!
A birthday cake that celebrates Marilyn's love for poker and casino games!
The whole family: Kathy, Mary, Marilyn, Bobby and Danny
What a beautiful smile at any age!
Let's be clear...Marilyn is NOT a Vickings fan!
And here are the guys...Bill, Bob, Al, Dan, and Steve.
No gathering of men is complete without a substantial helping of COW! These steaks were obscene!
'Round the poker table, somewhere around midnight. Three generations enjoying an age-old game with lots of modern twists! How about a game of Up and Down the River, Viroqua, or Oh, S**t? Whatever happened to good 'ole 5 Card Stud?
2 comments:
A constant din with frequent violent loud outbursts followed by laughter and then a noisy resumption...yeah, that sounds a lot like what goes on!
Great pictures. Thanks for sharing! Sorry it has taken me so long to view them but I have been swamped at work!
Mary
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