Need for Sweets

Every once in a while, a craving for the candies of youth sets the mind into motion.  Hard candies were the best, but chewy candies, especially the older ones, set the mouth to watering, too.  Sweet Tarts, Sprees, Runts, Now and Laters, Jolly Ranchers, gumballs, Fruit Stripe Gum, Atomic Fireballs, Smarties...

Blo-pops had the best of both worlds with their hard candy outside and the bubble gum guts.  Tootsie Roll Pops were right up there, too... you just didn't get to enjoy it as long.  Ask Mr. Owl.

Those candy necklaces were cool.  They never made it onto the neck, though.  If they ever did, they'd leave a multi-colored ring around your neck.

Then, there were the candies that prepped kids for future vices.  Big League Chew, candy cigarettes, Mary Janes Candy... Pixie Stix, Fruit Roll-Ups... Okay, maybe that's reaching.  Maybe not.

Towards the end of my heavy candy eating days, they came out with all those extremely sour candies.  Those were some of the best.  A particular favorite were gumballs that looked normal but had sour powder inside.  Salivary glands had to work overtime on those.

M&Ms, Skittles, Reese's Pieces, Nerds, Gobstoppers and all those other candies that came in little bags or boxes were awesome.  They usually cost too much for a kid, though.  Most of the time, you had no money at all.  In those circumstances, you'd just have to find a penny on the ground, somewhere, and get a piece of Ford gum.  

Today, that's not a concern.  There's so much more variety, now, too.  Even jelly beans come in ten thousand different flavors. 

I've got to stop... or I'll be taking a trip to the store.