Family Matters

"How was your weekend in Akron, Mom? Did you and Rudy get to see Mindy?"

"Yes he picked her up at the airport Thursday. She'll be home for ten days. She looks good, but she looks tired and her final project for teacher certification has her under a lot of pressure.

C R U N C H ............12 points

"You mean she's actually going to take on school projects while she's going through this chemo? What if she never gets to teach? What she's got is bad Ma. You and Rudy get that don't you?

P O I S O N .........16 points.

"Yes, we get it, but she's worked so hard for her career and she wants that certification. She's a tough young lady. Right now she's just having fun visiting everyone during her school break".

F A M I L Y .......22 points

"Must be rough on everybody with the holidays and all."

E M P A T H Y .......18 points

"It's all good. We had the crab feast early so she could pig out with the rest of us. Lot's of laughing and sick jokes at the table. We made a mess of Grams kitchen I'm afraid. Twenty eight pounds of crab legs and seven hungry people".

L A U G H ........10 points

"I saw the picture of Rudy's dad that you posted on Face book. Where did he get that stupid crab hat?"

"Mindy found it at some weird shop out in CA and brought it back for him a couple of years ago. You can't help but laugh when he puts it on."

"So what's your feelings on all this? I mean it's gotta suck to watch Rudy go through this. What if it breaks him? Not every relationship survives this kind of thing. Look how tough it is with Jim and I. Him being a widower and all.

H O N E S T Y ...........18 points

"I don't know. It kills me to watch it all go down, but there's that part deep inside that says "Thank God it's not me." It's such a selfish feeling. I can never really know what he's going through." G U I L T ........8 points.

"I don't always understand Jim either. Sometimes I want him to just get over it. But I know that's not right." S H A M E ...........12points

" All I can do is be there when he needs me and give him space when he needs that. Maybe it'll be enough." H O P E .......8 points

"Yeah. I feel so bad for him, but I don't want to see you hurt either. Make sure you take care of yourself while you guys go through this." L O V E ..........7 points

"I think I have a pretty good support system around me. I've got you guys."

E N O U G H .............9 points

Gender Issues

"Hey Bobby! You're a handsome dude. Oh look, he rolled over for me to scratch him."

"Yup. He's easy all right. You should see him when you've got a cat treat in your hand. I'm gonna go first. OK?"

"Go ahead. He is a cutie. Still puking on the carpets?"

"Not since I switched him to canned food, but now I've got to haul his ass down to Akron every time I spend a weekend with Rudy." Q U I Z ......... 44 points.

"OK Mr Mgee, I see Mom's cheating already. No wonder you wanted to go first." I D I O T ..........8 points. "How is he with Rudy's cats?"

"Not so good I'm afraid. Lots of hissing and spitting and five-in-the-eye stuff." F I G H T ..............12 points.

"That's not so bad. They're all declawed. Right?" F A I R .......10 points.

"Yes, but Bobby wound up with fur in his teeth, so apparently he bites too."

B U L L Y.........9 points.

"Ouch! Bring him over to my house. The boys will take care of him real quick.

P R O M I S E ......26 points.

"Argos doesn't need another chew toy. He's got all those door knobs to keep him occupied." B R A T .....7 points.

"I thought pets were suppose to make us live longer because they give us love and stuff. How come our guys are such a pain in the ass?" S T R E S S .....16 points.

"Not sure exactly, but I'm thinking maybe it's a gender issue.

M E N .....5 points.

"You don't suppose they're getting back at us for neutering them?"

R E V E N G E ........12 points.

"I don't know, but it's the only time we've had the upper hand ."

S E X ......14 points.

"Maybe Jim and Rudy............"

"Don't even go there Sarah."

" I'm just sayin' " W O M E N ...........10 points

Virtual Reality

"Hey! Hey! You can't use that. Un uh. Take it off the board."

"What? Are you kidding me? It's used all the time Mom. It's like talk to me. "
C O N V O....... 23 points.

"You mean like short for conversation? Like slang. Like cheatin'"

"Some words have become integrated into the language and that's one of them."

"Integrated? Now that's a real word. Whatever. Use it, but I'm telling you, you're gonna regret it by the end of the game."
T H R E A T ....12 points.

"You should be familiar with words like that. You're on the computer all the time."

"Says who?"

"Me. I'm up at 10 and I see you're on-line. What the heck do you do on the computer anyway? It's not like you're on-line dating anymore."
G U I L T Y .......18 points.

"I'm gonna have to de-activate my available button so you can't spy on me. If you must know, I'm farming" D A R E ..........10 points.

"Oh My God. Tell me you are not playing Farmville."
F U N N Y.......16 points.

"And what if I am? It's not like playing a game. I have crops and livestock and stuff. My little farm girl even pets the animals so the little hearts come out of their heads and they jump up and down and make happy noises."
H A P P Y...........12 points.

"Mom. That's insane! It's not real. Aren't you the one who got pissed about me being on Face Book all the time? Hmmm I think you called me a Virtual Child. " A V A T A R.......8 points.

"Oh...nice word. Uses all those vowels you're stuck with. Well, my little avatar is quite happy on her farm. Thank you very much! It's an urban escape for me, that's all." P O U T ........6 points

"Yeah, you need an escape all right. They should have a virtual Nutsville for you to join. You could wear white and make baskets. Hey! You can't use that word. No way, Mom..."

"Just watch me!" B I A T C H...........16 points "As in ..."

"I know, Ma. I know."

The Devil's Game

"You're sure off your game tonight. You didn't even block that triple."

Q U E R Y........38 points.

"I know. There's something I wanted to tell you about and I'm not sure how to do it."

W O R R Y........12 points

"Is it something I want to hear?"

"Probably not."

"Then I'm just fine living in blissful ignorance." T R U T H .....8 points.

"I'm meeting Dad next weekend."

"Who's dad?"

"Don't be stupid, Ma, my dad. I've been talking to him by phone and e-mail the past month."

F A C T .....10 points.

"Why? No. Don't answer that. I know why. You want to see if he's changed. If he finally gives a shit. Even as adults all we ever want is for our stupid parents to love us. Fortunately, my dads dead, so I don't have to wonder anymore."

P A I N ........6 points

"It's been nearly fifteen years since I've seen him. He's had some bad luck and none of his kids talk to him."

"There's a reason for that, Sarah, and you know it."

"I just want to see for myself. You're not mad are you?"

P L E A S E ........10 points.

"No. I can't be mad over something like that. You're a grown woman and you have every right to see your father. I just don't want you to get hurt again."

C O N C E R N .....18 points.

"He can't hurt me. I'm not six years old anymore."

"No. You're not, but he can still hurt you. Don't think for a moment that you're tough enough to face the devil alone."

"I wanted Wendy to come with me. He asked me to ask her to come along."

N A I V E .........8 points.

"Yeah. He'd do that. Ask for Wendy, I mean. Is she going with you?"

"No"

"So you're going alone?" F E A R .......6 points.

"Yes."

"What if he doesn't even show up, Sarah, then what? What if he promises and then blows you off?"

"I don't think he'll do that after all this time." H O P E .........12 points.

"I hope not. You know he won't tell you he's sorry. He can't. He's not like the rest of us."

"You just still hate him."

"No. Honestly, I don't. But I do fear him." A F R A I D ........9 points.

"For Gods sake, Ma, he' s seventy years old. What's he going to do, kill me?"

T O U G H .........10 points.

"Of course not. There are worse things to fear than death. He can hurt you in ways you can't even imagine. When he walks in a room, the light dissappears." S A D ......4 points.

"I have to do this." F I N A L ........8 points.

"I know you do, and I understand why. You know where to find me if you need me."

"I'm sorry I told you."

"So am I, Sarah. So am I." T R A G E D Y .......12 points.

Mini Vacation

"This was such a good idea, Sarah. A little mini vacation in the middle of the week." R E L A X ........32 points

"I figured if Jim could go to bike week in Daytona with his buddies, I could take some time off for myself. Now I'm having second thoughts with those points you're racking up."
H E X .......15 points.

"Scrabble, wine and some of my experimental treats. Maybe I can pull off a coup on the board tonight." H E C K L E ........18 points

"It's a game, Ma, not a war." L I A R.......8 points

"Right."

"I booked our massages for tomorrow. We won't need reservations for lunch at the Brewing Company."

"It's probably been two years since I got a massage from Kelly. She is sooo good. But it's just too far to drive and it's not exactly cheap." T R E A T ....5 points

"Do you miss the East side at all? Ever drive by your old house?"
J O K E ....20 points

"Hell no! I wouldn't go near that neighborhood. Bad schools, crime, no jobs. Even the churches are closing their doors in Cleveland." B L I G H T ......16 points

"I wish Jim and I could get out of Euclid, but looks like we're stuck till we get some bills paid off. Not exactly a great time to sell either. Just hope we haven't waited too long already."
Q U I T ........36 points

"Nice score. These monster dogs of yours need some room to run. As soon as we retire, Rudy and I are headed someplace where the nearest neighbor is five miles away."

"Probably just about the time I finally get pregnant, you'll move away."

"I'll always have time for my grandkids. And letting a kid spend a week in the country every summer is priceless." Q U I Z .......38 points

"Now you're being a pain in the neck, Ma. Do you have to reach every freakin' double and tripple on the board?"
P O U T ........12 points

"Sore loser. Maybe you can get that neck worked on tomorrow at the spa. Until then just have another glass of wine."

Stalker Talk

"Hey Mom! While you're up would you get that other bottle out of the fridge?"

"Sure. Where are the glasses?"

"Just use the plastic cups on the counter. I don't have any more wine glasses."

"Um...What happened to them all?"

"I broke them. OK? Just use the plastic." N O S E Y .........16 points

"I'm not even going to ask. Here. Take your glass and be very very careful. No spillage on the game board." C L U M S Y .......14 points

"Like you never do anything dumb. Wendy told me about the phone episode the other day."

A N C I E N T......9 points

"What about the phone?"

"You were on the phone with her and you started to get all upset cause you couldn't find your phone in your purse. You thought you'd left it at work or something. You had it right in your hand for Gods sake!"

"Oh that. R A T ........6 points. She shouldn't have blabbed. Anyway, I was just upset because she was telling me about that stalker guy who bought a pup from her a couple years ago."

"Yeah. He's some nut case. Those e-mails were spooky. Talking about guns and post traumatic stress shit. Not to mention wanting to make love to her."

W E I R D ......15 points.

"At least the police are taking it seriously."

"I think the part about the guns kind of makes them nervous."

"Them? What about Wendy? She's home alone with the kids most of the time and this guy knows where they live." R I S K ......10 points.

"I was surprised they only found a DUI arrest in his background check. I figured there'd be more. I doubt if Wendy's the only woman he's ever stalked." C R I M E .....13 points.

"No. Just the only one who's husband went to the police and filed an incident report."

"Maybe we should all chip in for Christmas and buy them a home security system."

"Or maybe she should start breeding and selling Rottweilers instead of Goldens."

G U A R D ....8 points.

"Wonder if they've got phone locators for seniors on the market?" S M I R K ....16 points.

"Ha Ha! You might want to look into buying in bulk from The Pottery Barn. They have nice glassware." T A K E D O W N ....72 points. "All seven tiles. Bonus points! Cha-Ching!"

"You can't use that. It's two words! It's hyphenated or something....."

"Perfectly legal. It's a wrestling move. As in: I win. You're pinned"

"You're cheating, Mom. Take those tiles off the board......."

"Oopsie. Good thing that was plastic.

Me & Bobby M'gee

"I can't believe you got a cat, Ma. What on earth made you change your mind about owning a pet?" F E L I N E..........18 points

"I don't know. The pressure of the layoffs, feeling crappy all the time maybe. I just suddenly felt like I wanted something else alive in the apartment besides me.
Now it's me and Bobby M'gee!"C U T E.......8 points

"Weird name."

"You're just too young to get it."

"I'm glad you have some company and I'm glad you don't have cancer.
All the biopsies came back negative. Right?"
R E L I E F...........12 points

"Yeah, but I'm still crawling with these damned parasites! Rudy thinks it's funny that I adopted a cat and I'm the one who needs to be wormed."
I R O N Y............12 points

"That's soooooo gross. Speaking of Rudy, how'd the coyote hunting go this weekend?"
Y U C K......20 points

"Only saw one coyote and that was from the window of the car."

"I thought he was gonna call them in with his predator calls."

"Too much wind and we were dodging rain storms most of the day. But the hiking was great and we had a blast the next day on the four wheelers." F U N ......10 points

"You never liked ATV's before." O D D...........8 points

"I know. I was scared to death at first, but I was trying to be a good sport in front of his friends."

"Four wheeling is awesome!"

"Once I got use to it and relaxed, I had fun. We saw hundreds of deer on our sunset ride. Wish I could have caught them on the camera, but they were too fast." R E G R E T.........9 points

"The pictures you took were great. I still hate hunting.
W H I N E ...........16 points

"Well, Rudy didn't hunt anything but groundhogs this weekend."

"Groundhogs have feelings too you know. Crap! I've got nothing but vowels."

"Not when Rudy gets done with them." S L A M...........21 points

"Nice, Ma. Real nice You guys are seriously messed up!"
E E R I E...........5 points

"Way to use up those vowels."