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Thursday, March 16, 2023

Progress report

Let me start out telling you about bingo. A while back I ran out of quarters. That's the euphemistic way of saying my wins did not cover my losses. I blamed it all on not locating that original card that was a winner a couple of weeks in a row. I bought two ten dollar rolls of quarters.

I steadily lost those eighty quarters. I said to the room that I would give up the game if I did not have enough quarters to play. We play for an hour, a quarter a game and four quarters for the jackpot game. Four dollars generally is enough to cover the cost.

Mary Lou has been winning steadily. She sits to my right, and we've become buddies. One time she was so tied up with physical therapists she was out of breath when she arrived for bingo and worse, had forgotten her quarters. It was game time; too late to go back to her room. "Sit down, Mary Lou, I'll stake you" I said, and put four stacks of four quarters in front of her. She made enough to repay me at the end of play. She loves to tell how I fronted her bingo money.

Mary Lou generally comes out even or ahead. Lately she has been way ahead. Sadly there were jeers from the other tables, criticizing her good fortune. She won almost every game, and come time for the jackpot game wondered if she should sit it out. I told her to ignore the sourpusses and play. She did, and she won. She was ashamed and embarrassed by the not so good natured ribbing.

One of the ribbers was the Mary Lou at my dinner table. I took advantage of her proximity to tell her how upset her table made my Mary Lou. She didn't really believe my Mary Lou was that upset; however, since then I've heard her shut down the other three at her table when their ribbing began.

So to return to the story, last Friday I was two quarters short of the four dollar stake to play bingo, assuming no wins. Mary Lou was so upset; she would give me the two quarters. I refused; it was time to quit. But on Monday I bought a new roll of quarters, and showed up, to Mary Lou's great delight. I only needed two more quarters, for crying out loud.

I'd tried out several different cards over these losing weeks, never coming up with a winner. Monday I picked a card that gave me a couple of wins. Wednesday I picked a card that gave wins like the very first week I'd played. I think I lost two of the first twelve games. 

Then come the jackpot game. It's cover the card, with a marker on the Free Space and on the lucky numbers. This time they were 7; cover every square whose number ended in 7. The game began. I covered and covered as the numbers were called until one number remained. Pretty much the story of my previous games; I waited and waited, and it was not called. Someone else won the jackpot. I asked the caller if the number 67 has been called, and she said it was a lucky number, to be covered at the outset. My mistake, my loss. The winner wanted to split her jackpot with me but I didn't. I lost fair and square.



My daughter Beth belongs to a group that holds an occasional, very popular white elephant sale. She volunteered to take my towels, and took every one I had woven. After the sale she texted me the recap of my sales. I read that I would be receiving over $1,000. Woo-hoo, that would pay my taxes.

Tuesday I took the car to get new front end brakes. Because the towels made so much, I paid cash for the brakes, $400. When Beth came with a huge box of towels to return that night, I knew something was wrong. She does accounting backwards from me. I was only getting $400, which won't pay a $1,000 tax bill.

Fortunately, it won't be paid before April 14th, so I have ample time to decide which Peter is robbed to pay Sam. Bingo could stay very lucky, especially if I remember to cover all the lucky numbers.

33 comments:

  1. Well, dang. It would have been nice to have that tax bill covered. I've never played bingo, I had no idea there were lucky numbers and that the card you got was not random.

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  2. math and money and gambling - I have no talent for any of these things! You wild thang!

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  3. Hari OM
    Living on the edge there, Joanne! 😉 What a shame about the towel sales - still, $400 is that and it did cover the brakes... more power to that dibbing and dabbing ol' gal! YAM xx

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  4. I have never played bingo and didn't know you could choose your own cards. I thought they were just given out as you paid your stake or came in and sat down or something like that.

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  5. You know how bingo players always surround themselves with their magic charms, troll dolls, and such like bringers of good luck? You need to get some or (if you already have some), get some new ones, LOL!

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  6. You and Mary Ann have the same type of winning genes in your bodies. My mother had that trait too at the area KC casinos. I wouldn't have thought 67 was a free number if the number was to be 7. Puuuh toooie. Bummer about the math and the tax man. Linda in Kansas

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  7. $400 is still a good amount of money and it did cover your brakes! Your Bingo games sound like fun. I have never been lucky at winning anything but it never hurts to try.

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  8. There is a demand for your wonderful towels. I am happy with them here every day.

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  9. I did not know that bingo was so complicated.

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  10. Humans do love to gamble. We get that hit of dopamine when we win and it's lovely. I wish you and Mary Lou the best luck in the house.

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  11. hang on to that winning bingo card. Mary Lou was only trying to return the favor by loaning you two quarters. why refuse? anyhow, now that Katherine was dragged out from under the bed and given cuddles, is she a little less skittish?

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  12. I'm baffled by the high level bingo talk! No idea how it works, and I guess I'm not a candidate.. I wondered how you'd made so many towels that you earned $1,000. But heck. $400 isn't to be sneezed at.

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  13. I was so excited for you when I read that you were getting $1000 in sales but then I saw that it was only $400, which is still nice. I hope bingo pays off so you can take care of your taxes and not rob Peter or Paul or Mary to pay Sammy.

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  14. My only venture into gambling is owning one government premium bond. I've had it for around 60 years and never won anything. Perhaps I should try bingo instead.

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  15. Bingo sounds mostly like fun! It's people that can ruin it. $400 is a lot of money but $1000 would have been more helpful.

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  16. I am glad you shut down the all sourpusses. Good work Joanne! Why can't people just be happy for someone that wins a game? You and Mary Lou are a good team and supportive friends. We can all use good people in our lives.

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  17. Way to go Joanne. It's bound to improve your luck

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  18. Goodness me! It sounds absolutely ruthless.

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  19. That's some cutthroat competetiveness ya got there :D
    Shame about Beth's calculations! Hope you get the tax payment figured out.

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  20. Well, shoot! At least your brakes are paid for. I feel queasy when I think about taxes. We need a copy of the appraisal of the Rv park we sold. I know the appraisal was higher that what we (HeWho) settled for, but new owner refuses to send ua a copy. If we fail to obtain it, we will have a huge tax bill to pay and will likely be audited. We have a accountant to do the job ..... his name is Jimmy Carter. Not the former president.

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  21. Well done for the sales..and the winnings! At least the car costs are covered.. isn't there always something!!

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  22. Do you have to hand in your guns at the bar before you sit down to play?

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  23. It really sounds like you're enjoying your life there, Joanne. I'm not much of a gambler - just don't find it fun, but have played Bingo before (when my mom was alive and visited the Senior Center). Here's hoping you get on another winning streak! And that everyone loses graciously.

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  24. Good on the sales!

    My quarters get used up at the laundry, which is close by and quite well run.

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  25. Whoa, they take their bingo pretty seriously there! I am glad you spoke up though.

    Congrats on the towel sales.

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  26. Wow! Looks like you're really getting into life here. This would stress me out. I've only been to Vegas 3 times in my whole life. It's called the 9th island here in Hawaii. I'm too stressed by any gambling

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  27. Well, good look to you for winning enough for the taxes!
    I think that Bingo is the only game I ever (!) won something: a bottle of Baylyes Original Irish Cream.

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  28. Your bingo sounds like serious stuff, some people have a bad attitude about losing. Of course you are playing for big bucks. Nice you made some money with your towels, even if not the full $1,000.

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  29. Bingo sounds fun, hope your luck improves. That's too bad about people not being nice about Mary Lou winning. Big difference between 1,000 and 400.00. How did she get that so confused in the text. Better luck next time.
    Sandy's Space

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  30. Getting worried! Long time no post, nor comments on other blogs. Hope you are all right!

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