Summer Treats of Years Gone By

Have I mentioned that it's super hot and humid right now? Yes, I know it's boring to talk about the weather, but I don't so much talk about it as whine about it.


When I was a kid, there was a convenience store located about, oh, a quarter mile or so away. One of our favorite summer pasttimes (all year round, really, but especially in summer) was begging my parents for a dollar so we could walk to the store and get some candy/snacks/sugar. The other was begging my dad to take us to the pond to go swimming (which started in the morning and pretty much never let up until he took us, usually after dinner when the fish were biting)

Anywho - back to pestering for money....sometimes we'd catch my dad in a good (or at least distracted) mood, and he'd give in. A lot of times, though, we'd have to collect cans (to return for the nickel deposit money, and come to think of it, I can't imagine people littering now like they did then. Oh - and there was no recycling program, either) to get our sugar money. Collecting cans was embarassing and kinda gross (most litter types preferred beer, it seemed) but a love for candy is a powerful thing.


Here are some of the treats we liked best:

• DinoSour Eggs - anyone remember these? One of those things that would break your teeth if you tried to chomp it, but took forever to eat if you just sucked on it.
• Nerds candy - usually strawberry/grape, because that's what was most likely in stock. I preferred blueberry/raspberry or cherry/lemonade.


• Jolly Ranchers Sticks (not the little wrapped barrels you get nowadays) - A stick was ten cents and my preferred flavor was green apple or peach. My little sister liked the "Fire" flavor, which was cinnamon, I think? It was too hot for this wimp.
  
• Pop Rocks
  
• Now and Laters - why did I like these? They always stuck to your teeth.
  
• Charleston Chew - the strawberry flavor was the best, especially when you would put them in the freezer


• Lik-M-Aid Fun Dip
  
• Whistle pops or Ring pops - half the time the whistle was broke and the ring would get all sticky and gross before you were ever done eating it.
• Slush Puppies - I'm pretty sure they used to let us add our own syrup. Who thought that was a good idea? What kid is going to obey the "three squirts/pumps of syrup per customer" sign?
  
• Italian Ice - usually we'd get the lemon flavor. The bottom was the best part because all the sugariest syrup sunk to the bottom.
  
• Orange Sherbet Push Ups - it sucked when the stick broke.

• Orange or Apple Slice - it was a soda pop, kids. RIP, Slice.