Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Missy's Homestead...BINGO!

Missy's Homestead...BINGO!!


Now that I live closer to my family I try to get over and see them as often as I can.  My grandparents lived for most of my life up in the very northern part of California, where they had a fishing resort.  I would visit them every summer and have the best time cleaning cabins, going fishing, swimming in the pool, you name it i did it during my summers there.  It was an amazing time and a great way to grow up.  

Bingo Machine!
A couple of years ago my grandparents decided that it was time to "Officially" retire and move down a little closer to the family.  They sold their resort and moved about 4 hours south to Sacramento.  My aunt and her family live in Sacramento and it is where my husband and I went to school and first met.  I love Sacramento.  It has and always will be like a second home to me.  I have a ton of collage friends that still live there.  I did my first professional theatre gigs there and we spent many a holiday with the family gathered in Sac since it was a halfway point for my family and my grandparents to all get together.  My grandma and grandpa are pretty social people so they didn't want to move to a place where they would be isolated from other people.  Also if you are new to a place and you want to meet friends and have a good time, living way out in the country is not always a great way to meet new friends.  Outside of downtown (About Thirty Minutes) is a retirement community where my family decided to live.  It is pretty quiet, well maintained, it has a pool and there is a post office and a grocery store around the corner.  In the middle of the 100 or so homes that are in the park there is a community center where the community has many different events for the people who live there.  They do potlucks and play cards but the best thing that they have is a BINGO night.  Several weeks ago I was visiting my grandparents and my grandmother said, "Well you can come visit, but we do have bingo tonight..."  I said YES immediately. 




BINGO!

I don't care how young or old you are BINGO is a wonderful game.  And let me tell you this group of people that my grandparents play with are serious about their BINGO.  You pay like 50cents a card and some of those little ladies play like 6 different cards.  (Pots are anywhere from 5-8 bucks a win) Not only do they play for money but they play like 10 different versions of the game.  It is not always about getting a regular bingo.  They have all kinds of different ways you can get a bingo in certain games.  It was a blast.  Unfortunately I did not win anything but I had a great time hanging out with my grandparents and their community. I even got to bring my glass of beer with me and they had snacks!  What better way to spend a Wednesday night?!?  While we were there I mention to my grandmothers friend, who in charge of the whole shindig, that if I was ever around on a Wednesday night, and they needed a bingo caller, that I would be happy to pitch in.  And what do you know....last wednesday I rolled into town and not 30 minutes after my grandmother got a call asking if I would call Bingo.  

Pic of me doing my job!



Well you bet I said yes!  I went in a few minutes early to check out the list for that night and practice dropping and calling the bingo balls from the machine (yes they have a Bingo Machine).  It was a blast!  Everyone loved me because I spoke very loudly and clearly. I can't tell you how much fun it was to call those bingo numbers for that small bunch of Seniors.  They all had a great attitude (except when I wasn't calling their numbers j/k) and overall it felt great to be sharing in my families community.  I think small acts of community service are very important.  And it felt great that I could help out and have a good time.


The game patterns we played


What types of community service do you do for your local and surrounding communities?

Well I am off to the Heirloom Vegetable Expo, more info on that coming up.

Until Next Time: Consume More, Buy Less 
(Be a volunteer in your community)

Cheers,

Melissa 
Self Portrait of a Bingo Caller

2 comments:

  1. Glad your grandparents finally decided to retire! Sacramento is definitely a beautiful place to settle down. It is surrounded by the Sacramento River and the American River, so your grandparents can go fishing anytime they want. It also has lots of recreational places they can both enjoy! Overall, I think it’s nice that they found a great retirement community that caters to all their needs. I wish them both a very happy retirement!


    *Cara Larose

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  2. That’s a smart decision for both of them. Living in a retirement community will ensure their health safety and security. There are caregivers who will take care of them at all times. What’s more interesting is that they are with the same age-group, which makes it easier for them to blend in. ->Taneka Carl

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