Early this week when I ask you about the mouse game, Tammy was able to provide Darlene with the words of the game she was looking for.
I didn’t realize I had a variation of the game sitting in my files the whole time.
I was looking for something else when I came across an email from back in February of 2015 from Kryste Kessler. This is the version of the game she shared:
I’ve got some cheese.
Where’s my share?
In the woods.
Where are the woods?
The fire burned it.
Where’s the fire?
The water squenched it.
Where’s the water?
The ox drank it.
Where’s the ox?
The butcher killed him.
Where’s the butcher?
The rope hung him.
Where’s the rope?
The rat snot it.
Where’s the rat? (often accidentally asked “Where’s the snot?” 😛 )
The cat killed him.
Where’s the cat?
The hammer hit him.
Where’s the hammer?
Behiiiiiiiiiiind grandma’s church house. The first person to grin,
smile, or show his teeth gets a “jig jig jig in a hornet’s nest.”
Then the first person to “grin, smile or show their teeth” has to go up to the person who started and that person says, with each work tapping their fist on that person’s back, Jig, jig, jig in a hornet’s nest, how many fingers do I hold up? (and holds up some fingers, 0-5.) The person being “jigged” guesses how many fingers the other person is holding up. It then goes like this:
“[However many was guessed] you said and [the number actually held up] I had.”
and then over again with the jig, jig, jig, until it’s guessed right, at which point the person holding up the number of fingers says:
example:
Five you said and five I had, now get up! and “releases” them.
I’m sure there are other variations of the game. Old stories and songs often have different variations too. I’ve always liked to think about how they came about. Maybe someone was visiting an area and fell in love with a song, story, or game and once they got home they couldn’t remember exactly how it went but they got pretty close. Once they started singing, telling, and playing it in their area a new variation was born.
Last night’s video: Making Yummy Healthy Kefir Water in Appalachia.
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Will you tell me the kefir starter you like to use? I’ve tried to search your channel for the post you made about it but can’t seem to find it. I looked it up when you first posted about kefir, but I couldn’t buy it at the time. I would surely appreciate knowing the name/source as I trust your recommendation.
I surely enjoy your channel and have recommended it to my friends. I am a mountain girl from the deep hollows of the coal fields of Southwest Virginia and I can certainly identify with you in the mountain ways.
Cathy-they are Florida Sun Kefir grains. Here’s the video you were looking for: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5eJVvCH0my8 So glad you enjoy our videos!!
I’d never heard of that game, but it sure was a long talking game…lol. Most the games I played with my siblings were King of the Hill, Hid and Seek, Freeze Tag, Red Rover, Simon Said, Ring around the rosey, London Bridge, and Hot Potato. Mostly we rode our bicycles or took long walks or built forts/cabins in the wooded area close to our house until they built the filling (gas) station that took most of the woods. It’s good to remember those games and like one Donna said, kids don’t know what it is to be children anymore. They grow up way to fast because of all this world forces them to know when they should still be innocent children playing with toys, out door games, riding bikes, using their imagination to build forts or cabins instead of staying inside watching tv or playing video games all day. It’s really sad that as good as technology is, it has been our downfall too because it has caused the worst in our children and let’s face it, in adults too, because we all allowed it to happen.
There was some talk a while back about the old time jelly glasses. I have just got back from an Ingles grocery store. I saw some jelly in jars that looked similar to the old jelly glasses. Instead of twist on lids they had the snap on lids. I don’t remember for sure, but I think they were made by company named garden club.
“Higama, jigama, sawny cup. How many fingers do I hold up?” That’s the rhyme that was passed thru my husband’s family (Texas roots). My husband has always had lung issues, and his daddy would pat him on the back with each syllable. It was a way to calm his cough, distract him, & lull him to sleep. That tradition continued while I was pregnant & then with our child. Until this moment, we had NO idea that this existed outside our family. (I have heard the rest of the chant as a clapping game, but not connect to the back patting)
You are so right, Donna. Most kids today will never know the simplicity of our world we lived in where all those made up games were special and so much fun. Rather than to be outside, so many kids are into electronics and also sitting by the tv every chance they get. It’s such a different world now. My grandkids are going to a fall festival at their school tonight and that’s not even the same. I used to love doing the cakewalk and praying I would land on the winning number because I had already picked out my cake that I wanted. All the cakes were homemade and now, you can’t bring anything homemade to any festival or classroom party. When a child wins tonight on the cakewalk, they will get maybe a box of Little Debbie snacks. It’s sad. I’m so glad I grew up in the simple times. I appreciate it now more than ever. Thank you also Tipper for these blogs. It helps us remember the good ole days.
Many things Donna mentioned were true in my childhood. Because of living in the country we often had to play by ourselves. My best friend lived 2 miles from me. We would ride bicycles to each other’s home. You did not have to worry.about being harmed. The neighborhood adults were always looking out for us and would take care of us just like our own parents. I cut my foot on broke glass one time while playing in a creek and went to my neighbors home instead of home to get her to wrap it up.
I want to make another comment about yesterday’s blog. When I was 17 years old I worked the summer months in a manufacturing plant. My supervisor was a young black man around 30 years old. He had a left arm but an artificial right arm with a pincher hooks similar to a hawk’s bill. His story was he had won a football scholarship for college and was so happy because no one in his family had even finished high school. He was working at a sawmill during the summer to make money to buy clothes and some other things he would need for college. He said it happened so quick he really didn’t know what he did to touch the saw blade but the first thought he had was there goes my college education. It was amazing to see the things he could do with his artificial arm. He drove a hopped up 55 Chevy with a 4 speed transmission. He was very respected and well thought off by us young boys that worked for him. I wrote this to say I think we forget how dangerous it was to be a logger or work in a sawmill. This all took place in the 60’s. I have often thought of him.
Does anyone remember ” Eenie, meenie, miney, moe?
Yes, I remember that one. I remember stacking a closed fist around a baseball bat to see which team would bat first.
Larry, I remember my Mamaw Allen teaching me that. 🙂
Eenie, meenie, miney, moe,
Catch a tiger by his toe.
If he holders make him pay,
Fifteen dollars every day.
My mommy told me to pick you,
Out goes you dirty dish rag you.
At least I think that’s the way it went. That’s been many moons ago, and I’ve slept dine since then. 🙂
I have enjoyed all your children’s games post. Some I remember playing, some I have read about and wished I had played. I think about how many children have played them through how many years! Lots and lots! Long before I was born. It is sad that most of our current young generation will never even hear the rhymes, or learn the movements of games that every child knew at least the generation before me. I think they were fading by my generation. Tv and movies had convinced so many young minds to spend their time doing things that took them away from innocent childhood imagination instead. Maybe in other cultures around this world kids are still allowed to be carefree kids, where young minds find their happiness playing tag on a dusky evening before having to go inside their homes for the night. Or using their foot to draw a playhouse in the dirt for their friends to come visit them in with their doll babies. Or boys actually riding their bikes to far away neighborhoods around the corner and down the street a couple houses, where they will climb trees and scan the horizon exploring uncharted native wildernesses from lofty perches. How can anyone become a mature, functioning adult if they never get the chance to chant “one potato, two potato, three potato, four ….” while choosing “sides”. Or being pirates in their best friend’s backyard. I think a major prerequisite to growing up should be a childhood full of vivid imaginations playing until the age of twelve or thirteen, and not stopping at age five. I was in 8th grade before I stopped playing with my Barbies. I loved making clothes for them and having modeling shows. You wouldn’t find a seven year old girl playing with Barbies today, that’s being a “baby”. Times have not changed for the better in too many areas. It is sad how innocence is lost so young now. I am glad that I remain naive about a lot of stuff in this world. I don’t need it cluttering my mind. I would rather spend my time finding immense joy in the simple things.
Donna. : )