42...

42...

When I was a kid everyone in our family played 42. We only played it with my Mom's side of the family, and I've never met anyone who didn't have connections to the little farming community where she grew up that had even heard of the game.

The folklore is that playing games with face cards was forbidden in their church because of the commandment not to have 'graven images'. Necessity being the mother of invention someone transposed Euchre into dominoes.

(I've always taken some comfort that, according to the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, the answer the question of life, the universe and everything is 42.)

This Thanksgiving gathering was hosted by a cousin on my Mom's side, so of course we got out the dominoes. Chuck and I bid high, lost big, and had fun getting set.

But it got me wondering if 42 was ever played outside of central Illinois. You can guess that the next thing I did was search using Google.

I was surprised: 42 is very popular in Texas (read the rules here). They call it Texas 42, if you can believe the nerve. It is Illinois 42 if it is anything. You can play on-line and there is even an International Player's Association (42IPA), dedicated to "promote the game of 42."

Uncle Leo would have gotten a kick out of that.

I wonder if he would have joined.

Of course you find the answer to one question and it generates a bunch more like 'So how did it get from Texas to central Illinois?' and 'Or did it move from Illinois to Texas?' and 'Who came up with it in the first place?' and 'When was it invented?'

Today was relaxed and easy. Altogether a fine day of too much rich food including 3 different kinds of pie. After all that pie I didn't bother with supper.