Vacationing from Muscatine in Osceola with his family on Wednesday, July 11, 1951, Dale wrote, “Went to Clarice and Lloyd’s farm after supper for home made ice cream. Kids played ‘I packed my grandmother’s trunk.’ Funny.”
Clarice was the wife of Lloyd Gardner, Dale’s brother. Here’s how the game is played: Each player starts off with the same sentence: “I packed my grandmother’s trunk and in it I put ___.” The player completes the sentence with a word that begins with the letter A. For instance, “I packed my grandmother’s trunk and in it I put an alligator.” The next player repeats the previous sentence and must add a B word. “I packed my grandmother’s trunk and in it I put an alligator and a banana.” In turn, each player has to remember what the past players have said and add an item that starts with the next letter of the alphabet.
