Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Dinner Guests

Wednesday, August 26, 2009




When I was a young child, I used to watch my parents and their friends, or my grandmother and her sisters sit around the table and play cards. They would play and talk and laugh and just have the greatest time. When I got a little older, maybe around 11 or 12, my grandma and my mom started to teach me to play.


I learned to play Canasta and Euchre mostly. They were great games and I loved to play, not only for the challenge, but for the fun time that would accompany such games. We would clear the table after dinner, get out the cards, and sit and play for hours. Soon, I was playing with friends and the great times continued.


I've taught my children to play a few card games and it's always fun when we play, but some games require more players. Unfortunately for me, Euchre is a game that most people in the South have never even heard of. I was thrilled to find it on Yahoo! games years ago, and stop in now and then and play a game or two.


While I was in Indiana and not able to have constant access to the Internet, I began looking through my computer to see what games may be on there that I would enjoy. I'd played most of them, but decided that I would try Hearts. I'd never played, but I was sure I could learn. I started playing and was hooked. I played quite a few games before I started looking to change the appearance of the cards and background. I saw that I could change the names of the other players (they had been pre-set on the computer). Hmmm........


I wondered, "Who would I want to play cards with for an evening? Who would be fun and interesting?" My first choice was a no-brainer! My grandma. So I entered Rozella as one of the names. My second choice was also pretty easy. I chose John Lennon. He seemed like he would be a lot of fun and extremely interesting. Lastly, I chose Elvis. Elvis in black leather. I could just imagine sitting across the table from him and melting out of my chair when he would give me that look that he gets.


So now I play Hearts with Rozella, Elvis, and John Lennon. I even feel bad when I stick my grandma with the Queen of Spades. The whole thing got me thinking about that old question:

If you could invite anyone to dinner, living or dead, who would it be? My choices might be different for dinner. For instance, I might invite Gordon Ramsay so he could cook dinner for me. But probably I would pick people that I could learn a lot from. I'm still thinking on it, but for sure I would invite Rozella, no question about it.


Now, I ask you. Who would you invite to dinner? And why?
Sis Bren

16 comments:

Sisters-in-Sync said...

Bren,

What a fantastic question!

For me it depends on what type of dinner. For instance...if it's finger foods, drinks and cards, I would invite Kevin Spacey, Morgan freeman and Sophia Petrillo.

If it's for a back yard BBQ/hog roast, I'd invite Brad Paisley, Jason Aldean, Matthew McConaughy, Cindi Lauper, Loretta Lynn, Johhny Cash and my dad.

Now, if it's an elegant dinner, I'm inviting Audrey Hepburn, Julia Roberts,Sally Field, Linda Carter, Jacklyn Smith, George Clooney, Tom Hanks, Kevin Bacon and Josh Groban (so he and I can entertain with our duet).

I see my dinner gatherings are growing in size.

One more...for drinks around a campfire, I'd invite Keith Urban, Brad Paisley (again), Elvis, Miranda Lambert, Bren, Beth, Brandy, BJ and Bobby!

Thanks for coming up with such a great question! This was a blast and I must get the invites sent out immediately.

SIS Barb aka Elle J Rossi

B.J. said...

Hi Brenda, For a nice dinner I would invite all the Ladies of the Lake; Morgana le Fay, Igraine, Guinevere, Argante, Nimue, Enid, Kundry, Dindraine and Ragnell. I know they are all characters from the Arthurian legends; but what of mythical people could come alive? What stories they could tell.

Tori Lennox said...

Oh, I love this question. Who would I invite? Hmm.

Agatha Christie (she's the master of the mystery)
P. T. Barnum (I've always found him fascinating)
Katherine Hepburn (love her)
Harry Houdini (another fascinating person)
Carol HIggins Clark (love her books)
Rudolph Valentino (you have to ask?)
Mary Pickford (she & Rudy would get asked lots of questions about 1920s Hollywood)
Hugh Jackman (need you ask, I mean really? *g*)

That's today, of course. Tomorrow I might invite a whole group of other people. :)

Richard said...

My "starting" guest has always been an easy choice -- myself! Think about it -- wouldn't it be interesting (and, hopefully, informative!) to sit down to dinner and drinks with yourSELF? AS yourself? The way I figure it, if I could get to know myself in the manner everyone else knows or perceives me, then everything else might be SO much easier in my life;)!

Sisters-in-Sync said...

Barb,

Great choices! You could invite me to any one of those dinner parties and I would be more than delighted to come!

Audrey Hepburn made me think of Grace Kelly which made me think of Alfred Hitchcock. I think I would invite Alfred Hitchcock. I'd better make extra food...

SIS Bren

Sisters-in-Sync said...

B.J.,

Very interesting thought. And what great names. Some I've heard of and some are new to me. Here's another thought... what if animated characters could come to the dinner party?

I'd invite Bugs Bunny and that little gangster guy (I can't think of his name, but I think it's Rocky), Rocky Squirrel and Bullwinkle Moose, Sully and Mike from Monsters Inc., and Woody and Buzz Lightyear! That should make for a great dinner party!

SIS Bren

Sisters-in-Sync said...

Tori,

I love your choices too! I saw a program about P.T. Barnum once and he WAS very fascinating.

Agatha Christie is definitely one I would add to my list. I'd love to pick her brain.

SIS Bren

Sisters-in-Sync said...

Richard,

I've never thought of inviting myself, but it makes total sense. It would be enlightening to say the least. Maybe perhaps a little scary too!
Great suggestion!

SIS Bren

Fedora said...

LOL! OK, I'm terrible with this type of question... let's see... actually, I think it'd be lovely to get to meet some of my fave authors, so, how about the three of you, plus Rozella! We'll have to keep the menu simple, since I haven't included a chef on the guest list ;) But you can bring the family and the kids and pets can hang out while we chat :D

B.J. said...

Brenda, Don't forget Scooby and Shaggy; though we wouldn't have food for ourselves if we invited them to dinner.

Beth Ciotta said...

I remember playing Canasta with grandma, although I couldn't remember the rules of the game today if I tried! Those were fun times indeed!

As to who I'd invite to a dinner party, well, I can thinks of lots of people (some already named) but I'd really LOVE to host an old fashioned dinner party (I'd have to hire a cateror, of course) and invite... Shakespeare, Jane Austen, Oscar Wilde, Charles Dickens, and Jules Verne. I'd probably be too in awe to speak, but I'd sure be hanging on their every word!

SIS Beth

Beth Ciotta said...

Fedora.. Aren't you sweet! SOunds like a grand time to me!

SIS Beth

Sisters-in-Sync said...

Fedora,

Thank you for thinking of us! We'd love to come and it would be a blast. Don't worry about food, we could get pizza or Chinese...of course since you invited Rozella, she'll be making homemade mashed potatoes and noodles! YUM YUM!

SIS Bren

Sisters-in-Sync said...

B.J.,

Of course Scooby and Shaggy can come, as long as they don't bring that twit, Scrappy. We'd definitely need lots of munchie food!

SIS Bren

Sisters-in-Sync said...

Beth,

Why the caterer? Don't you think they would enjoy Chinese or Progresso soup?

Your guests would indeed make a dinner party interesting. I think I would need to record Shakespeare though, so I could listen back and try to understand everything he was saying.

SIS Bren

Taylor said...

I'm never good with these kind of lists but a good person to think of just came to me: Quentin Tarantino. I've been seeing alot of interviews with him lately and he's a great storyteller just talking about anything. He's full of character! I'm sure a meal with him would a memorable one!

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