aggies and oxbloods

some years ago we were visiting my wife's grandparents and she spotted a jar of marbles. now, my wife loves colorful objects and proceeded to fall in love with her grandfather's marble collection. it didn't take long before he had rummaged through his garage for the rest of his collection and presented them as a gift to her.
you might say it was the day he lost all his marbles. (wait for it) anyhow, these are the real deal. sure, you may be saying "marbles is marbles" but these were born here in america in the 1920's when kids still ran free in the kid world. in this subterranean world the coin of the realm for a young boy was these. how many dirty tears were wiped as they rose from their knees in defeat, faced with the lonely task of walking home with an empty bag?

now as they sit graciously adorning our little home they are a fit reminder of that time before the world of hand-held digital entertainment was even a thought. and as i wait for unbridled games of ringer to break out once again across the dirt paths of the land i'm knuckling down on the living room floor with my own little guys in hopes of preserving a little of the vanishing legacy that is making magic with the glass spheres.