December 1, 2021

Good morning, World!

Well, okay, it's afternoon, but I love the way that sounds. 

I started a blog over five years ago. I can't even find which site it was on. My backup writings are probably on one of the computers we can no longer access. 

That is okay. It good to start over. It's good to have a fresh start and a new outlook on life. Let me say, this took a long time to get started. I wanted to share good, positive stories that would keep you wanting more. Then it hit me. I, of all people, should know that bad comes with the good and makes us who we are. I cannot promise they will always be good stories. I can promise that good will always come out of them.

 Today is simple. Food triggered a memory. Yes, a simple food item triggered so many wonderful memories that I kept eating them only to have more heartwarming memories come flooding over me. Haystacks. If you don't know what they are, they are a mixture of butterscotch chips, peanut butter, and nuts or peanuts. Add chow mien noodles to the melted mix, spoon out on a pan, and you have Haystacks! 

Growing up, family members would make them around the holidays. I don't know why they didn't make them any other time, but I only remember them around Christmas. They are a deliriously tasty snack of sweet and savory flavors that bring back warm thoughts of Christmas time. Thoughts of card games, carols, and marvelous food filled my senses! I closed my eyes and was transported back to my youth when times were simple and more festive. 

I can see our silver Christmas tree with more silver tinsel on it. There is a picture of me next to the tree somewhere. We didn't have a fireplace, so our stockings were placed under the tree on Christmas Eve. We crossed our fingers and said our prayers hoping that Santa would fill them with goodies. And, he did! 

Each year, our stockings would be filled with what I called Christmas nuts. Christmas nuts are the whole nuts in the shell that you can get at the regular stores in bulk only during the holiday season. Christmas nuts and hard Christmas ribbon candies would fill the toe. Then would come a small toy of some sort with an orange or an apple. Santa was very conscience of our health back then. The candy was balanced with fruit and nuts! We also had a Life Saver Book! Oh, the joy of pulling that book out knowing you could have a piece of candy everyday for months! 

It continued on through my eighteenth birthday! There were a couple of times after that since Santa seemed to have the same route as my parents. I miss that. I miss the small things I can remember because of a treat. I miss that we become complacent as we group older and forget traditions that simply make us smile. 

Signing off for now as I dream of other warm memories. I will leave you with this. What food brings back those kind of memories that make you smile and warm all over? Until next time...

Shell