Growing up in the East New York section of Brooklyn in the ’50s and ’60s meant being out on the sidewalk after school and during the summer.

One of the games that we girls played with a bouncing pink rubber ball; either a Spauldeen or Pensy Pinky, entailed crossing your leg over the ball as you “sang” verses that had changed names, places and products based on the letters of the alphabet.

We started with:
A my name is……..
And my husband’s name is………
We come from…………
And we sell…………

It went on as long as you didn’t miss crossing over the ball.

We competed to see who could go through the whole alphabet with a mistake or repeating someone else’s choices.

Lots of giggles accompanied this game as the
choices narrowed and became more difficult.

The letter “Q” was always a tough one.

Ellen Grove