I Heart Scrabble
Your thoughts and words are powerful … they think we're disposable … well both my thumbs opposable …are spelled out on a double word and triple letter score … ~ Kimya Dawson
Warming up for a game with my poet friend, Mara, I put the Scrabble box by the woodstove after it sat in the back seat of the car overnight. “I hope you’re dressed warm,” I said to her, holding the phone in one hand and pushing a log in the woodstove with the other. She assured me she had long johns on and that she would bring a paper from The Harvest Moon because my article on musician Bernie Coveney was in it and I hadn’t seen it yet.
Before we started the game, she downloaded Microsoft publisher on my computer so I could make my own chapbooks of poetry. I read her my poem about Jesus in answer to the one she read at the last Spoken Word night. My Jesus paints graffiti. Hers is an Aries. We drank tea with jasmine and listened to the music of Kimya Dawson, who features prominently on the movie soundtrack Juno. 
Mara buys valentine conversation hearts like she was playing the lottery, looking for that winner that says, “Write Me.” One like it was given to her by another poet at the start of their friendship. They started writing each other after that, and Mara’s been trying to find another “Write Me” valentine heart ever since.
“At four boxes for $1, I can afford the habit,” she told me. We dumped them out in a bowl. Neither of us would eat them; we just like to read them. 
Later I learned that the theme for this year’s hearts is weather, with messages like Could Nine, Chill Out, In a Fog, and Melt Me. “Write Me” came from the 2003 line.
I fed her homemade soup, crackers with melted Swiss cheese. She brought me my first valentine. I think it was Sponge Bob Square Pants, but he was shaped like a heart. The message on it said “You’re the Spongiest.” She put it on the table before heading home. I was upstairs on the computer at the time, playing with a conversation heart generator. “I can’t spell WRITE ME, “I called down to her. “Too many letters … will BITE ME do?
Our game? Considering that I got the Q, X, J, and a 50 point Bingo and only won by 16 points, I think she played the better game.
Comments
Love all those little Hearts with 'sayings' on them....And I did laugh when you said..."Will BITE ME do?" LOL!
Posted by: OldOldLady Of The Hills | January 26, 2008 6:11 AM
How lucky you are to have each other to play with.
Posted by: June | January 26, 2008 7:41 AM
I wish I had a Scrabble playing friend again. I haven't done that since my first born was an infant.
Posted by: kenju | January 26, 2008 8:54 AM
sounds like fun way to pass a winter day--i didn't know they had different themes for the heart messages. here today from Michele's
Posted by: sage | January 26, 2008 10:07 AM
your comment thing may not be working--i don't think mine went through.
Posted by: sage | January 26, 2008 10:08 AM
delightful - life doesn't give us that many extraordinary friends I'm glad you cherish one another
Posted by: sandy kessler | January 26, 2008 10:36 AM
You sound like you have the best time playing scrabble. I love that game! Used to love board games...but,don't have anyone around to play them with anymore...I'll have to find a board game friend!!!
Posted by: Sara | January 26, 2008 11:40 AM
It like our form of knitting.
Posted by: colleen | January 26, 2008 12:33 PM
I can see that it would be your form of knitting...
BTW...there is an award awaiting you at my blog...
Posted by: Sara | January 26, 2008 3:00 PM
I do a fun activity with my students to warm them up for poetry. They are given a pile of conversation hearts and have to put words in front or behind them to create poetic thoughts. I have had some classics. It is just about time to do that again soon!
Posted by: inlandempiregirl | January 26, 2008 10:11 PM
Chapbooks of poetry! Wonderful! Do let us know how that goes - I just this morning happened to do an entry about self-publishing in response to a comment.
Posted by: CountryDew | January 27, 2008 9:14 AM
poetry and knitting.. wonderful creationism... :)
Posted by: Shelby | January 27, 2008 11:32 AM
I love to play scrabble!
You have a lovely blog here!
~ Margie
Posted by: margie | January 27, 2008 2:01 PM
I forgot to tell you at the last meet n greet that my sister's name is spelled the same as your....just a small world thing.
Also, thanks for the tip on the conversation hearts this year, DH is a meterologist so I will have to do something special with the hearts for him. :)
Posted by: graceunderautism | January 27, 2008 8:55 PM
Hi Colleen. I popped by from Michele's at the end of the weekend to share my thoughts on Scrabble. It's one of those things that brings us great comfort on a cold day. I especially love the feel of the letters in my hand, and the potential of an empty board, just waiting to be filled with words.
Posted by: Carmi | January 27, 2008 11:36 PM
I've been having a lot of fun playing Scrabble on facebook with friends.
Interesting that the message hearts have yearly differences. I never knew!
~S
Posted by: Shephard | January 28, 2008 2:49 PM
This sounds like the nicest way to spend an afternoon.
Posted by: Coll | January 29, 2008 11:14 PM