We have rain, but the day is still warm. I consider anything over 50˚ warm. Gracie balked at going out this morning, but I told her to bite the bullet and she did and went out. I can’t remember the last time I heard anyone say bite the bullet but oddly enough it was a fill-in for the Globe crossword puzzle this morning. Strange coincidence.

We played outside all summer. In the cooler afternoons we usually played whole group games on the grass behind our houses. Anybody could play. Other than in red rover, age and size made no difference. It was the only time the big kids and the little kids played together.

Olly olly oxen free meant we could get out of hiding as somebody else had been found and was now it. The seeker was always called it. I have no idea why. Both were just parts of the game of hide and seek. I did look it up this morning out of curiosity and I found the all call possibly originates from the German phrase “alle alle auch sind frei,” which loosely translated means “everyone is also free.” Mispronunciation by non-German children probably became “olly olly oxen free.” It doesn’t make sense but we never noticed. Olly olly oxen free was just what you said.

We also played red rover. The key was in picking the right team. The stronger the team, the better the chances. We’d stand in a line holding hands or even arm to arm and call the other team, “Red rover, red rover send Kat right over.” My job would be to break through the line. If I didn’t, they got me for their team. If I got through, my team got someone from theirs. I always looked for the weakest link, the smallest kid. We all did.

We also played stair ball or stoop ball if you lived in the city. Your team was spread into the street. The batter, loosely used here to designate a position, threw the rubber ball against the steps. He was out if it was caught but got bases if it went over the fielders’ heads. The problem was deciding how many bases the hit was worth. We used the stairs at the end of our walkway. They led to the street. They were perfect for stair ball.

Blind man’s bluff was another game we played. The person who was it got blindfolded. The game was really tag with a twist. It was never easy though we were limited about moving. We sometimes talked, and that gave away our position.

It’s amazing that the games are played just like their names, other than red rover and maybe Simon says. Dodgeball and kickball are other games whose names tells you right away the object of the games, the same with follow the leader.

I noticed that rock-paper-scissors has been used lately on TV. It was our favorite way to make decisions when I was a kid. I remember if I lost I always wanted two out of three. Big surprise, the winner always said no.