January 17, 2012

Survival of the Fittest...




"They Melt in Your Mouth, Not in Your Hands"


M&M's, like them LOTS (especially the peanut version) but they are not my favorite candy...they are Thing #3's tho.  MINE?  Sweet Tarts claim that status. But you can't find them anymore.  I'm not talking about the regular Sweet Tarts, altho they have gotten me through many a movie courtesy of the concession stand.  But the BEST Sweet Tarts...those GIANT one's you bought in a two pack (usually grape and cherry).  They were hard, not like those weird chewy Sweet Tarts they sell today.  Chewy Sweet Tarts, where is the adventure in eating THAT?!?!?  We would suck on those giant Sweet Tarts so long that our tongues would get raw and start to bleed.  And THAT is how you knew you were having a good time.  A good ole' tongue-bleeder giant Sweet Tart of a good time.

Kids just don't know the joy of things that can do you harm.  It toughened you up while you had fun.  Like pogo sticks and bikes pre-helmet law, Clackers that were known to shatter upon impact that you had to dodge Clacker Shrapnel, the Dunkin Butterfly Yo-Yo's where you'd hit the kid behind you in the head while trying to attempt an "Around the World", Creepy Crawlers toxic goop that we poured into metal cast trays and baked on exposed hot plates, metal sliding boards that flew you off the end after they were wax papered down, and MY personal favorite....JARTS!  Remember THOSE fun giant lawn darts you'd lob up in the air with your friends?  Kids today just don't know how to high-tail it to get out of the way like WE did!






Ahhhh, the good old days when child safety was comprised of GETTING OUT OF THE WAY and sometimes taking a hard knock when our Keds let us down.  There is something to be said for survival of the fittest and natural selection, after all...we learned that in science so it HAS to be true!  Just give me a good ole-fashion Giant Sweet Tart and I'll pretend we were either smarter back then OR our parents didn't really care if we survived, or our tongues bled. On second thought, I think I'm quite fortunate to even be here to reminisce!


--Kathy 

32 comments:

  1. OMG... LOL!! I remember those Sweetarts and they DID make my tongue bleed! Hah! Soo dang funny, Kathy! And nice WB on your photo, by the way. Very nice. :) You know, I swear by Smarties anymore, the GIANT ones, not those piddly little packs - those do NOT taste right to me. You need to find the giant Smarties, oh my goodness, the Purples are the BEST!!! And they will make your tongue bleed, so there's that too! :-D

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  2. Lol. Love your blog.

    We are overprotecting our kids to death. Bring back the good old days, were you learned to think quick on your feet...not have everything done for you.

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  3. Oo they look so good from that angel! Not a huge sweet tooth, but I won't pass on a m&m is offered!

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  4. love your photo and your post! Your photos are always amazing!

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  5. Great photo. We still have our lawn darts!

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  6. I have always been a chocoholic, so M&Ms were always at the top of my list. Great shot and I loved your posy.

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  7. Love your post and photo! It really is too bad that kids today don't know the joys of bleeding tongues... that really brought me back to the good old days when going to the candy store was FUN.

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  8. Kathy, I think I've seen those clackers hanging off the back end of a Dodge Ram truck somewhere....:) I hear ya! We played tennis in the street whenw e weren't roller skating down it. Sledded down that same hill in winter whent he city blocked off both ends for us. Yipee! I still read real books, write real notes and take the stairs whenever possible. No Kindle for me, and I think handwritten stuff is so cool, and why not take the stairs instead of that crowded, germy elevator that could get stuck and my claustrophobia would kick in. Besides my thighs are in GREAT shape for it. I don't exercise regularly, I live life to the fullest. Great blog, Kathy. If you didn't live so far away I'd jog on over and give you a hug.

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  9. Ahh, it is amazing how we all survived and even my children managed to grow into adults without all the rules, laws, restrictions. Great post and wonderful pics!!

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  10. Kathy - great photo and edit!
    We have so many stupid health & safety issues that stop kids learning to play, it's a wonder they socialise at all! I keep telling my DD (now 17 and so cool!), that she used to eat mud, play with worms and put her own maggots on the hook for fishing and she refuses to believe me!
    I too am daily surprised at my stamina...

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  11. Oh I have so many candies I could call a favorite- I think that is a major part of my problem :)

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  12. You come up with the coolest ideas. I love the way the cellophane looks - the candy looks pretty inviting too!

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  13. Awesome shot!
    I never liked Sweet Tarts so I don't remember them but I had forgotten about Clackers. Oh my gosh I loved playing with those. Mine were a light blue.

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  14. I never got into the Sweet Tarts...but the M&Ms are still on my hips.

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  15. I love this shot! I took a similar shot of skittles for Scavenger Hunt Sunday this week! Makes me really want some candy!

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  16. hahaha... love it! so true. my husband and i grew up in the eighties... pre-everything-has-to-be-safe-for-every-kid-of-every-age. now we have a seven-month-old of our own, and while we want him to be safe, we feel everything is overboard when it comes to safety. i guess better safe than sorry, but still...

    love the photo. came here via k.k.'s t.t. {btw, i am also partial to the peanut variety of m.m.'s!}

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  17. I used the erase technique too to make the flowers/cup in my still life a little brighter. Love your use of the texture to highlight just a few candies.

    And your Scavenger Hunt photos are dynamite! What a fun series...

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  18. Thanks for the texture tip! Lovely photo!

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  19. hahaha....this really made me laugh, how did we survive. i drank water from a garden hose and played kickball after dark, with no shoes on!!

    ate leftovers, wore hand me downs, i never had my own room or bathroom!! in fact, a family of 5 shared one bathroom and we all made it to school on time.

    i have seen the old fashioned sweet tarts in cracker barrel!!

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  20. This photo is absolutely scrumptious... subject matter and technique/layer work. Thanks for the tip!

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  21. lol...Thanks a lot Kathy..now i'm gonna be looking for those dang sweettarts just for YOU!! I remember Badminton...I loved that game. Maybe now that V-day is around the corner they'll be around! You are so funny

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  22. LOL! I love to laugh for thing in the morning. I love the way you captured those darling little M&Ms. Mmm, I do enjoy those cute tiny confections, if nothing else for their vibrant colors and simple taste of chocolate, but I like you prefer them best with a peanut surprise wrapped inside each chocolatey bite. But, oh my heaven! Sweet Tarts. Now, that's something from my past. I had forgotten all about those two ginormous sweet-sour goodies. Now, that you've exposed all of the threats we had to encounter growing up, it amazes me how we survived to see adulthood. Again, I love the photo - simply beautiful! Have an excellent day!

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  23. We used to buy those giant sweet tarts in the vending machine at the public pool when I was a kid. Yep -- nothing like licking that thing until it hurt! :)

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  24. Love what you did with your photo.. And I am surprised I made it through my childhood. We never wore seat belts in the car.. My parents both smoked with all the windows up.. We would stay out all night play hid and seek and no one would come check on us.. But me and my 3 sisters are still alive to talk about it....

    Clackers I love to play with those I had purple ones!!!

    Hope you have a sweet day!

    Hugs, Linda

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  25. We have an old fashioned candy store here I have got Sweetarts from before. Love giving the occasional one with a cool saying to my hubby, just because!
    Love your photo, it looks good enough to eat!

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  26. I loved clackers - and M&Ms and chocolate/raisin/nut cubes called Chunky or something. Those bars could account for my hips! (same name)

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  27. Very nice use of this texture, and that eraser tool is definitely handy!

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  28. LOL,I am going to run right out and get me one of those giant sweet tarts. The good old days! Nice shot of the m&ms (light box)?

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  29. OMG, I'm laughing so hard because I remember all those things, AND especially because I love sweet tarts too! And because I remember exactly that raw feeling but yet still wanting more....hahaha

    I'll be on the look out for ya - I'm sure I've seen them somewhere?

    Love the pic!!

    P.S. - I was wondering why I hadn't seen a post from you, I never saw this in my dashboard...hmmm! Cause I'm always on the look-out ya know! ; )

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  30. that is some of the most artistic looking candy I have ever seen

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  31. I have to tell ya, your blog is my favorite! I got a good chuckle out of your post. Although I preferred Mallow Cups and candy cigarettes over Sweet Tarts. Candy cigarettes, can you imagine? The good old days when a seatbelt was your mom's arm. My grandfather would let my brother and I sit on the edge of the tailgate of his station wagon (it folded down) and intentionally go around corners and over bumps. Luckily we never flew off - it was better than the roller coasters they have today! Oh, and thanks for the texture tip!

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