Playing with the Eight Ball

I have been going down this week to visit my parents.  I have gone twice and will go again tomorrow morning.  I have committed to go visit them on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.  This is the first week of that schedule.  I hope the schedule can be maintained on my part.


Mom and I have enjoyed exercising together and then having a lovely swim together afterwards, including a relaxing dip in the hot tub.

This post is not to confuse myself with the swimming pool.  But Monday I went down to do these said activities with Mom.  Much to my disappointment when I arrived I realized I had forgotten my bag with my swimming needs (suit & towel).

We exercised none-the-less.  I was not able to enjoy the refreshment of the pool and enough time had not transpired that I felt I should leave my parents yet.  So Mom and I decided to play a game of pool.

The building has 2 pool tables available for use.

I am not a pool shark.  But in High School a friend had a pool table and I did spend many hours playing the game.   I don't have any other experience with pool that I can remember.  I didn't remember the time playing pool until sometime during the game my Mom asked now when did you have experience with this game.

Heidi and Cory have a pool table but I have not had many occasions to play pool there.

I was totally surprised at our experience playing pool with Mom.

Several things surprised me.   1.  It was a lot of fun.  Mom's unusual light hearted laugh took me a little by surprise, at first, and then totally delighted me.

2. Mom's ability to play a game is severely diminished.  Mom was not able to understand how to hold a stick.  I repeatedly showed her how to support her stick to no avail.   She was not able to remember to hit the white ball first on many turns.  Spacial relationship with the table was very confusing to her.
She would stand at one end oft trying to hit a ball that the stick was not long enough to reach.  It did not occur to her to move to one side or the other.
( Mom did not know which hand to hold the stick in as she doesn't know if she is right or left handed!!!!)

3.I don't remember ever playing a game with my mother.  I really have searched for a time that we played a game together.   Maybe at Lake Powell when we played Uno or the (wheat and rye) card game.

4. Mom was delightful with this new light hearted laugh!

5.Mom made a concerted effort to praise me whenever I hit the ball.  She really enjoyed the force that some of my balls were hit with.  Force seemed to equate to a good shot.  And if a ball bounced off the side and ricocheted to another side, that was enough for some real praise. At one point she wanted to know where I had learned to play.

5. And did I say that it was fun?   It was a lot of fun playing together.
 Her giggles and her seeming enjoyment made it delightful.

Cheers for more "playing with the eight ball"!!!