-image by SCEhardt, released to public domain
When I was a kid, I collected things. This is no surprise to anyone who knows me. Stashing is cumbersome in adulthood. But as a kid, it was a goldmine.
I tended to be the slow, silent type who savored and squirreled things away. I cached items like carefully folded and dog-eared Life Savers books (12 candy rolls in every volume), a Mount Everest of Halloween goodies, bags of Tootsie Pops and Rolls, the half-bitten ears of milk chocolate Easter bunnies, and Peeps.
Okay, the Peeps didn’t last long in my sock drawer; they turned hard, chewy, and plastic tasting. And they made my socks smell like, well, that Peep smell. But the point is I could trade out bits and pieces of buried treasure to my brothers and sister for more valuable commodities. Important things like dusting the furniture, ironing, or doing the dishes (my chores).
Instead of cattle, cowrie shells, whale’s teeth, ornamental jewelry, tobacco, rice, indigo, wheat, or maize, I bartered candy.
“Hey, how about 3 Atomic Fire Balls, 1 pack of Black Jack gum, 3 Blow Pops, and a Wax Lips for dusting the living room?”
Pledge anyone?
I didn’t end up using the secret barter system all that much. The truth is I liked the savoring a lot more than I liked the bartering. I’ve never been all that interested in money. Maybe I should have paid more attention to the economics of candy. It might have afforded a much sweeter ride through later life. For now I’m left with visions of a 401-Kandy-K dancing in my head.
Friday, April 27th, 2007
-related to Topic post, WRITING TOPIC – CANDY FREAK
My older sisters used to barter Corn Nuts for back scratches. Scratch my back for five minutes and I’ll give you three corn nuts.
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Ah, women after my own heart – older sisters. 8) I think they might have gotten the better deal. Did you go for the Corn Nuts?
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Of course! Who wouldn’t?
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I always found Corn Nuts to be hard on my teeth. Although I do like the flavor of them. I’ve cracked so many teeth and pulled so many fillings out from candy. 8(
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Candy (and poor teeth) gave me a mouthful of filling. Fortunately, I’m not so much into caramel these days. I used to love those Sugar Daddy suckers. Those are filling extractors for sure.
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amen. those corn nuts are real busters.
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this almost makes me want to have children. Imagine how clean my house could be. And nowadays the cavity stoppers in our water, toothpaste and who knows where else would make it quite neat and safe.
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LOL
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Yeah, I have to watch the teeth. I’ve got a mouth full of gold. It runs in the family. Sigh. I’ve always envied those who have perfect teeth. Or is that jealousy? Can someone remind me of the difference?
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I believe you suffer from tooth envy.
Click on this link to learn the difference between envy and jealousy :).
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LOL. Yes, tooth envy. That link is actually very helpful. I used the correct term in the above case – envy. Jealousy follows a scarcity model of living. I used to be very jealous in relationships when I was much, much younger. I’ve come a long way. For now, I will settle for tooth envy.
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[…] 32. Snickers 33. Kit Kats 34. Twix 35. Pay Day (sigh, perchance to barter) […]
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( runs in the family )Well now being the yungest of the 6 with bad teeth I finaly have someone to blame for them. Seeing as I am the yungest and thats what we do it only seems fitting to blame the rest of you. What other burdens could you help me get off my sholders. 8)
gues who.
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Tacker, oh, you got the bad teeth, too? So sorry to hear that. I thought there might be at least one of us that escaped! Good to hear from you. Do you have as many crowns as I do?
I often wondered what it was like to grow up the youngest, since I’m the oldest. I’ve had this discussion often with friends. It seems like an almost different upbringing between youngest and oldest. And then they say the middle child gets put in the middle of everything. There’s just no winning, is there? 8 > )
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You should try being the mother of those six!! What a life, what an exciting life. It was wonderful though and quiet a challange always trying to stay ahead of you all. Of course from what I’m learning now, there were a lot of things I didn’t know. There were a lot things that I did and didn’t let you know that I did, also. As long as no one was getting hurt I let a lot slide by. Sometimes I just relied on your upbringing and knew you would make the best decision in the end. And all of you did. I love all of you and I am very,very proud of the way you turned out. Thanks for all the grey hairs and memories, I love you. MOM
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LOL – Yikes! Hard to imagine being the mother of any 6!
That’s such a tender comment. Part of it sounds kind of mysterious. I think you could rely on the upbringing because you provided a strong foundation. I liked that we had independence and were taught to follow our dreams. I know I gave you more than 1 of those gray hairs!
Thanks for believing in all of us. 8)
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[…] -related to posts: the velveeta cheese of donuts haiku, WRITING TOPIC — CANDY FREAK, Homage to a Candy Freak, On Candy, Candy Stash — Barter Is Better […]
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