Memories of childhood

No, I’m not going to regale you with stories of band camp. Because I never went to band camp. I laid down the clarinet in 8th grade. And every dog in the tri-country area sent me a bouquet of roses. Our high school band WAS AWFUL! I watched the video of my high school graduation about 5 years later – and “Pomp & Circumstance” was completely unrecognizable.

But again – that’s not what I want to talk about. I want to talk about your favorite childhood candy.

Bit-O-Honey!

Can you say yum?! Remember the big bars of it? And if you bought one that had been on the shelf for more than 15 minutes, when you would bite into it, it would break off a chunk of your tooth? So you had to let it soften in your mouth? And savor the honey nuttiness of it?

Let’s see, what else?

1. Chick-O-Stick

2. Super Bubble Bubble Gum

3. Lik-A-Stix

4. Candy Cigarettes (how very politically correct)

5. Candy Necklaces

6. Fire flavored Jolly Ranchers

7. Pixy Stix

8. Pop Rocks

9. Snickers

In Belle Plaine, there was a general merchandise store named “Heckerman’s” – I think that’s how it’s spelled – and when you walked in (and heard the bell jangle) you were faced with the biggest candy counter IN THE WHOLE WORLD! I was 10 before I realized you could buy something besides candy there – and that was my first bra (another story for another time). Anyway – I remember going in and looking at every option of candy that was available before making my painstaking decision. And Mr. Heckerman (he was at least 150) would stand patiently behind the counter and put your selections in a bag for you. I had to stand on my tippy-toes in order to give him the money to pay for my treasures.

Super Bubble and Jolly Ranchers were always a given. Hello! They only cost one cent! That’s easy. Then if I had enough, I would go for the other stuff.

I remember buying Pixy Stix at the pool – and trying to eat it before the tube got wet and the sugar got all clumpy. Because then IT WOULDN’T COME OUT OF THE TUBE! Why on Earth were they even selling that candy at the pool? It’s a recipe for disaster.

What about candy necklaces? Remember wearing them & getting stains on your neck?

Candy cigarettes were gross, but you had to buy them. All the cool kids did. Duh. And the puff of “smoke”. If you got a pack that was fresh enough to have that goin’ on – you must have done something right in a previous life.

I loved the stick in Lik-A-Stix. And preferred the cherry flavor as opposed to the grape. But if I was living life on the edge – hold on to your horses now – I would mix the flavors! Yes I would! I was a such a non conformist.

Or when Pop Rocks came out? How amazing was that? Seriously – a grape flavored explosion in your mouth? But don’t mix them with pop – or your stomach will blow up. And don’t drink pop after eating them, because you never know how long it takes for the danger to pass.

I usually couldn’t afford Bit-O-Honeys or Chick-O-Sticks, but when I could – YUM! I would savor them. Only one bite at a time, never the whole bar at once. And as I mentioned earlier – Bit-O-Honeys took forever to eat if they were old because of the danger to the teeth.

Snickers were my Dad’s favorite. I have very fond memories of every time Mom would cook liver & onions (YUCK) for dinner, Dad & I would sneak down to his shop & fill up on fun size Snicker bars. I’m not sure if I love them because they are so good or because of the memory.

The funny thing about the above list? I never eat any of that stuff now. I bought a package of small Bit-O-Honeys when I was at JoAnn’s yesterday, but I’m afraid to try one. Will it taste as good? Or is the memory better than reality?

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