Sweets and Confections

     There was a unspoken tradition among my brothers and I that no pie my mother made every made it past breakfast. It was first come first serve and the pie would be gone, and usually one person did all the damage.

      When I think about and all the candy I ate as a youth it is surprising I was not overweight or afflicted with juvenile diabetes.  I was probably lucky and also living in an era where we burned off on a daily basis all the sugar we consumed.

      As far as pies my favorite has always been pumpkin with whipped cream on top. This was usually associated with Thanksgiving meals but we often insisted having it on other nights when my Mom was baking. Next came cherry, blueberry, and apple, in that order.

     As far as candy I was a Sweet Tart and Milk Dud man, after having grown out of a childhood fascination with Pixie Sticks. Amazing as it might sound for someone from my generation but I never liked bazooka bubble gum and never learned how to blow a proper bubble. Not even the Bazooka Joe comics each piece contained or the act of saving the wrappers in order to mail them away for a prize could change my mind. I did chew a fair amount of other sugary gums, especially that stick which came with a 5 cent pack of Topps Baseball cards. Though I eventually stopped collecting cards and heeded the warning from my dentist and switched to sugarfree gum.

      My tastes have matured as I have grown older but I still love sweets. Though now I am the one who makes them, with my favorites being English Trifle and various types of fruit pies and tarts. Pumpkin still remains my favorite and it always makes me nostalgic. I like to silently reminisce about those first ones I ate after a big Thanksgiving meal in Ridgewood. Also, to show times haven't changed too much I am not above having a piece of my homemade pie for breakfast the next time. Why change a fine tradition?