I hadn’t thought about SPUD in a long time. Thanks for reminding me. It was a game we’d play in the yard in Indianapolis in the 1970’s with brothers, sisters and neighbors. It was really fun.

Our favorite game as twilight turned into night was Ghost in the Graveyard. The IT (ghost) was chosen and sent to go hide in the bushes or wherever. The rest of us would stand on the stoop with our eyes closed and count: “One o’clock, the ghost’s not here; two o’clock, the ghost’s not here…all the way to…twelve o’clock, the ghost’s not here. We hope to see the ghost tonight!” We would work ourselves into a nervous frenzy counting, and then we’d split up to wander around the yard in search of the ghost. Whenever the ghost decided to come out, the ghost would chase any players. If the ghost tagged you before you made it back to the stoop, you were the next ghost. It was fun and scary.