I seem to have a fascination with 'natural' things these days -- like logs, fire (as in outdoor fire pits), sticks & twigs, and rocks.

Yes rocks.

There are plenty of fun things you can do with rocks:

Strategically place them in your garden

Use them as stepping stones for a walkway

Place larger ones in key areas and use as outdoor seating (patio, fire pit)

Place one on either side the path or steps leading up to your front door

Make fun centerpieces using stones and pebbles

Arrange them at the bottom of glass vases

Create outdoor water features

One of my most recent 'rocky' finds was the Inukshuk -- a unique arrangement of large rocks that signifies one's home turf or territory. (It's an old Inuit tradition that's still alive and well in Canada... on Rush's Test For Echo album... and in the Vancouver 2010 Olympics.)

Well, now there's a fun new board game that is along the lines of the Inukshuk. It's called Rukshuk.

Who knew?

I was browsing through an issue of Martha Stewart's Real Simple magazine when I read this:

...You've been down the chutes and up the ladders, and the box has seen better days."

This caught my attention because I've got a handful of board games whose boxes have definitely seen better days! You, too?

Martha recommends these...

Fun Bunco News...

• Friday, May 11, 2007 11p.m. ET/PT
• Sunday, May 13, 2007 10a.m. ET/PT (re-broadcast)

I was introduced to Bunco (a dice game that's taking the country by storm) in much the same way that I was introduced to Cornhole (a beanbag game that has a cult following). I just sort of "showed up" and the game found me.

Both have weird names. Both are adult games. Both are rapidly growing in popularity... and trends... and tournaments. Most of all, both are highly addicting.

They say that Bunco is played by over 17 million women nationwide!

Bunco may not be a household name, but it is rapidly becoming a household game. This dice game favored by women as an alternative to "poker night" has turned into a hot new suburban trend. Like most dice games, Bunco is based primarily on luck. For the women who play, Bunco is not merely a game, but a reason to connect with female friends for a home cooked meal, good gossip and just plain fun." Source

When my neighbor asked me to sit-in as a sub at her Bunko game tonight, I jumped at the chance. Because I'm pretty good at card games and dice games -- usually.

Have you played Cranium yet?

Each year at Christmas time, my side of the family buys a new board game. And a couple years ago, Cranium was it. Since we had so much fun playing it there, Jim and I went out and bought our own game soon after that.

These days, it goes to almost every party we go to. (Okay, so that's usually only the boring adult New Year's Eve parties and an occasional football-themed party or something, but still...)

Hasbro's newest Monopoly Board Game is the "Here & Now Edition".

In short: the classic monopoly game has gotten a facelift. No, wait... I guess it's more like a complete makeover!

They asked people to vote on which properties they wanted on the Here & Now Edition of Monopoly. (More than 3 million online votes were cast!)

As a result, there are 22 new properties...

The biggest day in board game history is... Friday, May 12, 2006.

According to the folks at Hasbro, anyway.

That's the day that America decides which streets to place on the brand new edition of the Monopoly game board.

Here are some "boredom busters"... A growing list of online games that you can play by yourself on your computer when you're really bored (or just have some time to kill).

There's nothing to download (might need to have shockwave installed, but most people already have this), and you're not competing with anyone but yourself.

Trust me, I'm not much of an online gamer... For real. But these are the classics! Long-time favorites that everyone will enjoy.

Who knew the Wizard of Oz would still be so popular today... more than 65 years after it hit the big screen?

And, with Halloween just around the corner, October also appears to be the most popular month for Wizard of Oz festivals.

Speaking of Halloween, first check out these one-of-a-kind Wizard of Oz Halloween costumes:

• Wizard of Oz Costumes on Amazon


• Costume Craze Wizard of Oz Costumes


• Wizard of Oz Costumes For Kids

Now, onto the festivals which transport you back to the Land of Oz and celebrate all things Wizard of Oz...

Enjoy!

After my little rendezvous at the Post Office, and before our night out on the town with Harlo and Georgia, Neil & Abby came over Saturday night to play our favorite adult couples game: Euchre!

First Neil obliges by giving us a CD filled with photos taken during the Spring Training games that we enjoyed with them in Arizona (in MARCH!!!).

Which is fine, I had no big plans for the pics just yet. I figured the lapsed turnaround time was due to the fact these guys aren't big into tech, and such things get low priority in their household.

That is, until a few weeks ago!...

They don't provide nameplates for the employees where I work, so I made my own...

Eleven points...
Try that on a Triple Word Score!