Advice to children crossing the street: damn the lights. Watch the cars. The lights ain’t never killed nobody.
~Moms Mabley
Yesterday, I wrote about the Quan. I emailed my sister, asking for a memory or two. This is her response in its entirety. I’ve changed nothing except the names.
Two things first.
I just set up an account with StumbleUpon. Writer Dad was taken (now I know how you felt Dave; sorry). My username is writerdaddotcom. If you’d like to be friends, let me know.
Also, I need help with my Feedburner feed. Since I started, I’ve been unable to deliver full feeds. Yes, I have the full feed plugin, and yes everything is set as it’s supposed to be. If anyone can help, I’d really appreciate it. Thanks.
Without further ado, Kittytown:
I’m a bit shocked and appalled that memories of the Quan are not crystal clear in your mind.
The Quan did not happen because we were bad kids. The Quan happened because we were not allowed to have sugar. I think that is the thing that is so shocking now… that MOM (our mother’s full name) would not let us have sugar.
The Quan could only happen when the stars were aligned just right. By which I mean (of course) that it was Sunday and Mom went grocery shopping without us. We never would have dared with Mom home. I believe that if it was announced she was going without us, we had some sort of secret signal… a look… we just knew. We had preparations to make: finish our chores and then we would each go to our secret stashes of change and cram everything we could into our pockets. Then we would make sweeps of the house looking for unclaimed change in corners and on counters, maybe under the couch.
By the time Mom had her keys in her hand, we were ready. Her car was barely out of the driveway before we told Pop we were going out to play and were out the door. We would walk to the corner, doing our best to appear casual. We probably thought we were sauntering with secret agent slickness, but I’m sure we were quite obviously up to something. By the time we hit the corner of Golden and 20th, we’d look both ways and race off. You pulling ahead of me on your scooter, me pounding my little pink moccasined feet against the pavement as fast as they would go. We’d fly to the Quan, our hearts pounding and so excited we were barely breathing. And I was not much bigger than Mia.
I can still see the candy display on the counter. I remember the selection. We’d get the big stuff first… the quarter candies: boxes of lemonheads, red hots, jawbreakers, and the occasional box of boston baked beans. No grapeheads. Never grapeheads. We neglected the chocolate because it was too expensive and we were bargain shoppers. If we were feeling spendy, we would each spring for a 45cent jolly rancher stick. Then we’d throw in some packs of hot dog gum and a few envelopes of cinnamon toothpics. Whatever money was left would be traded for as many bazooka joe’s as we could afford.
Quan counter guy would sweep our candy into a plain paper bag, which you would then roll up and hide under your shirt. We would race back home as fast as we could and then hole ourselves up in your room. The candy would be dumped out on the bed and divided… some of it to be gorged on immediately (only what we could finish before Mom got home) and the rest would be horded away, hopefully to last until the next clandestine Quan trip.
This was probably the only time not involving action figures that I was allowed in your room without being beat up.
About Sean Platt
Ok, I think I love your younger sister too! Shame on you for beating on your sister for being in your room!
Sibling beatings should be reserved strictly for serious offenses, like tattling, blaming you for putting gum on the dog, or being cuter than you. ;)
Jamie Simmermans last blog post..Character Development for Dummies
Ok, I think I love your younger sister too! Shame on you for beating on your sister for being in your room!
Sibling beatings should be reserved strictly for serious offenses, like tattling, blaming you for putting gum on the dog, or being cuter than you. ;)
Jamie Simmermans last blog post..Character Development for Dummies
Ok, I think I love your younger sister too! Shame on you for beating on your sister for being in your room!
Sibling beatings should be reserved strictly for serious offenses, like tattling, blaming you for putting gum on the dog, or being cuter than you. ;)
Jamie Simmermans last blog post..Character Development for Dummies
LMAO!
Gee,
You really brung back memories with this Writer Dad.
I agree that our moms (parents) not letting us have what we wanted, in your case sugar, in mine @$%#^$%, is what led us to go 007 on them!
Boy oh boy, I just turned 20 5 days ago, and now you make want turn back the hands of time — damn you, Writer Dad!
Luis Grosss last blog post..How To Build A Community On Your Blog
LMAO!
Gee,
You really brung back memories with this Writer Dad.
I agree that our moms (parents) not letting us have what we wanted, in your case sugar, in mine @$%#^$%, is what led us to go 007 on them!
Boy oh boy, I just turned 20 5 days ago, and now you make want turn back the hands of time — damn you, Writer Dad!
Luis Grosss last blog post..How To Build A Community On Your Blog
LMAO!
Gee,
You really brung back memories with this Writer Dad.
I agree that our moms (parents) not letting us have what we wanted, in your case sugar, in mine @$%#^$%, is what led us to go 007 on them!
Boy oh boy, I just turned 20 5 days ago, and now you make want turn back the hands of time — damn you, Writer Dad!
Luis Grosss last blog post..How To Build A Community On Your Blog
The option to set full/partial feed is in wordpress not feedburner. Login to your wordpress account, click on “Settings” (top right corner, second row), select “Reading” from the row-menu, Find the option : “For each article in a feed show” and select Full Text / Summary. Do contact me if you face any problem.
The option to set full/partial feed is in wordpress not feedburner. Login to your wordpress account, click on “Settings” (top right corner, second row), select “Reading” from the row-menu, Find the option : “For each article in a feed show” and select Full Text / Summary. Do contact me if you face any problem.
The option to set full/partial feed is in wordpress not feedburner. Login to your wordpress account, click on “Settings” (top right corner, second row), select “Reading” from the row-menu, Find the option : “For each article in a feed show” and select Full Text / Summary. Do contact me if you face any problem.
All right, as promised my story. The quest is the same: candy. I was staying over at a friend’s house. To make it more adventurous, we set up the tent in the garden, where we would spend the night. Everything was ready to get us through the night: torch lights with new batteries, sleeping bags, a walk-man, etc. Except: drinks and candy.
The first item was easy to get by. We just waited for his mother to go do grocery shopping, sneaked into the storage room and took a few bottles of coke. It had to be sweet, of course.
The second was a more adventurous mission. All the candy was stored in a big cupboard in the living room. The fact that the cupboard was locked was no problem. The key was located in one of the cups standing on top of it. The biggest hurdle was his much bigger brother. Not only did the two not get along at all, he wasn’t going to move from the living room quickly. His favorite program was on: the Tour of France. As you know, a cycling stage can easily last for 4 hours or more.
So we came up with the following plan: my friend would go to the basement, pull a fuse and in doing so fake an electricity black-out. The brother would go down to check and I in the meanwhile I would ‘steal’ the much desired sweets.
Of course the moment the electricity went off the big brother didn’t even assume for a minute that there was a real black-out. He immediately knew that my partner in crime was the culprit. He furiously jumped out of the sofa and rushed down to the basement. He was so quick that he almost caught my friend in the act and gave him what was coming his way: a small beating.
This all went so swift, that he also caught me red-handed. He of course didn’t beat me up, I was the guest. But we had to spend the night without candy after a mission that proved impossible.
Cheers,
Max
Maxs last blog post..Still a Boy or Close to a Mid-Life Crisis?
All right, as promised my story. The quest is the same: candy. I was staying over at a friend’s house. To make it more adventurous, we set up the tent in the garden, where we would spend the night. Everything was ready to get us through the night: torch lights with new batteries, sleeping bags, a walk-man, etc. Except: drinks and candy.
The first item was easy to get by. We just waited for his mother to go do grocery shopping, sneaked into the storage room and took a few bottles of coke. It had to be sweet, of course.
The second was a more adventurous mission. All the candy was stored in a big cupboard in the living room. The fact that the cupboard was locked was no problem. The key was located in one of the cups standing on top of it. The biggest hurdle was his much bigger brother. Not only did the two not get along at all, he wasn’t going to move from the living room quickly. His favorite program was on: the Tour of France. As you know, a cycling stage can easily last for 4 hours or more.
So we came up with the following plan: my friend would go to the basement, pull a fuse and in doing so fake an electricity black-out. The brother would go down to check and I in the meanwhile I would ‘steal’ the much desired sweets.
Of course the moment the electricity went off the big brother didn’t even assume for a minute that there was a real black-out. He immediately knew that my partner in crime was the culprit. He furiously jumped out of the sofa and rushed down to the basement. He was so quick that he almost caught my friend in the act and gave him what was coming his way: a small beating.
This all went so swift, that he also caught me red-handed. He of course didn’t beat me up, I was the guest. But we had to spend the night without candy after a mission that proved impossible.
Cheers,
Max
Maxs last blog post..Still a Boy or Close to a Mid-Life Crisis?
All right, as promised my story. The quest is the same: candy. I was staying over at a friend’s house. To make it more adventurous, we set up the tent in the garden, where we would spend the night. Everything was ready to get us through the night: torch lights with new batteries, sleeping bags, a walk-man, etc. Except: drinks and candy.
The first item was easy to get by. We just waited for his mother to go do grocery shopping, sneaked into the storage room and took a few bottles of coke. It had to be sweet, of course.
The second was a more adventurous mission. All the candy was stored in a big cupboard in the living room. The fact that the cupboard was locked was no problem. The key was located in one of the cups standing on top of it. The biggest hurdle was his much bigger brother. Not only did the two not get along at all, he wasn’t going to move from the living room quickly. His favorite program was on: the Tour of France. As you know, a cycling stage can easily last for 4 hours or more.
So we came up with the following plan: my friend would go to the basement, pull a fuse and in doing so fake an electricity black-out. The brother would go down to check and I in the meanwhile I would ‘steal’ the much desired sweets.
Of course the moment the electricity went off the big brother didn’t even assume for a minute that there was a real black-out. He immediately knew that my partner in crime was the culprit. He furiously jumped out of the sofa and rushed down to the basement. He was so quick that he almost caught my friend in the act and gave him what was coming his way: a small beating.
This all went so swift, that he also caught me red-handed. He of course didn’t beat me up, I was the guest. But we had to spend the night without candy after a mission that proved impossible.
Cheers,
Max
Maxs last blog post..Still a Boy or Close to a Mid-Life Crisis?
KittyTown – Great writing style (this better not be you in drag, Sean!) and great story! I await your blog with the excited anticipation and glee you must’ve felt running home with your clandestine candy. Only, I’m not wearing pink moccasins.
Blogger Dads last blog post..Want to do something good?
KittyTown – Great writing style (this better not be you in drag, Sean!) and great story! I await your blog with the excited anticipation and glee you must’ve felt running home with your clandestine candy. Only, I’m not wearing pink moccasins.
Blogger Dads last blog post..Want to do something good?
Lemonheads make my mouth water. Your sister writes like mine. It’s like suddenly reliving the moment. She never forgets anything either. I thought I remembered a lot, but my memory is more like black/white with periodic snow, whereas my sister is HDTV. She even remembers all the stuff I never thought really happened.
J.D. Meiers last blog post..Give Your Best Where You Have Your Best to Give
Lemonheads make my mouth water. Your sister writes like mine. It’s like suddenly reliving the moment. She never forgets anything either. I thought I remembered a lot, but my memory is more like black/white with periodic snow, whereas my sister is HDTV. She even remembers all the stuff I never thought really happened.
J.D. Meiers last blog post..Give Your Best Where You Have Your Best to Give
“This was probably the only time not involving action figures that I was allowed in your room without being beat up” – so funny!
And now I’m wondering what my two are up to when I go out shopping . . . They are as thick as thieves at the best of times!
Taras last blog post..Wordless Wednesday: This Sporting Life
“This was probably the only time not involving action figures that I was allowed in your room without being beat up” – so funny!
And now I’m wondering what my two are up to when I go out shopping . . . They are as thick as thieves at the best of times!
Taras last blog post..Wordless Wednesday: This Sporting Life
“This was probably the only time not involving action figures that I was allowed in your room without being beat up” – so funny!
And now I’m wondering what my two are up to when I go out shopping . . . They are as thick as thieves at the best of times!
Taras last blog post..Wordless Wednesday: This Sporting Life
I guess great writing runs in the family. Kittytown, thanks for sharing this great story. I LOVED it. I can’t get the image of your little pink moccasined feet pounding down the street out of my head. Delightful. Storytelling at its best. I ditto Blogger Dad…when can we expect to start reading the Kittytown blog? :)
I guess great writing runs in the family. Kittytown, thanks for sharing this great story. I LOVED it. I can’t get the image of your little pink moccasined feet pounding down the street out of my head. Delightful. Storytelling at its best. I ditto Blogger Dad…when can we expect to start reading the Kittytown blog? :)
I guess great writing runs in the family. Kittytown, thanks for sharing this great story. I LOVED it. I can’t get the image of your little pink moccasined feet pounding down the street out of my head. Delightful. Storytelling at its best. I ditto Blogger Dad…when can we expect to start reading the Kittytown blog? :)
@KittyTown: Ah, it all makes sense now. I remember Bazooka Joe Bubblegum! I used to collect all those little comic strips that came with them! Mmm!
@Blogger Dad: …WD in drag? Oh boy.
Matthew Drydens last blog post..Time Flies Like An Arrow
@KittyTown: Ah, it all makes sense now. I remember Bazooka Joe Bubblegum! I used to collect all those little comic strips that came with them! Mmm!
@Blogger Dad: …WD in drag? Oh boy.
Matthew Drydens last blog post..Time Flies Like An Arrow
@KittyTown: Ah, it all makes sense now. I remember Bazooka Joe Bubblegum! I used to collect all those little comic strips that came with them! Mmm!
@Blogger Dad: …WD in drag? Oh boy.
Matthew Drydens last blog post..Time Flies Like An Arrow
Great take on Sean’s story yesterday, KittyTown! I like your style!
So, Sean beat you up…bad Writer Dad, bad…
Lances last blog post..Spread Your Wings and Fly
Great take on Sean’s story yesterday, KittyTown! I like your style!
So, Sean beat you up…bad Writer Dad, bad…
Lances last blog post..Spread Your Wings and Fly
Great take on Sean’s story yesterday, KittyTown! I like your style!
So, Sean beat you up…bad Writer Dad, bad…
Lances last blog post..Spread Your Wings and Fly
Great story! Your sister can write , too!
I reviewed you on stumbleupon and added you as a friend.
Mike Goads last blog post..More from a wet and soggy farmer’s market…,
Great story! Your sister can write , too!
I reviewed you on stumbleupon and added you as a friend.
Mike Goads last blog post..More from a wet and soggy farmer’s market…,
Great story! Your sister can write , too!
I reviewed you on stumbleupon and added you as a friend.
Mike Goads last blog post..More from a wet and soggy farmer’s market…,
Jamie: At least when I beat her up, I didn’t leave marks. She scratched and bit.
Luis Gross: You’re only twenty, Luis? You’ve got a lot going on man. Good for you.
Avani: The settings are all correct in WordPress and Feedburner. No go. Thanks for trying though.
Max: Thanks for the story. It was good. Sorry you didn’t get away with it (sounded like a reasonable plan),
Blogger Dad: WD in drag. That’s funny. No, seriously, it was the easiest post ever. I literally copied and pasted. I was going to change the formatting, then decided to not even do that. I watched the first hour of Speed Racer instead. Cool beans.
J.D.: I remember things as a sketch. My sister remembers minutia.
Tara: Pretend to go shopping, then circle back and observe. You’d probably have enough material for a week of posts.
Sue: Make some noise. KittyTown needs her own blog. I’ll set it up for her and everything.
Matthew: I was a cheerleader for Halloween when I was fourteen.
Lance: I was a bad boy. I am sorry.
Mike: Thanks a lot. I’m going to put some attention into StumbleUpon over the weekend. I appreciate the support.
Jamie: At least when I beat her up, I didn’t leave marks. She scratched and bit.
Luis Gross: You’re only twenty, Luis? You’ve got a lot going on man. Good for you.
Avani: The settings are all correct in WordPress and Feedburner. No go. Thanks for trying though.
Max: Thanks for the story. It was good. Sorry you didn’t get away with it (sounded like a reasonable plan),
Blogger Dad: WD in drag. That’s funny. No, seriously, it was the easiest post ever. I literally copied and pasted. I was going to change the formatting, then decided to not even do that. I watched the first hour of Speed Racer instead. Cool beans.
J.D.: I remember things as a sketch. My sister remembers minutia.
Tara: Pretend to go shopping, then circle back and observe. You’d probably have enough material for a week of posts.
Sue: Make some noise. KittyTown needs her own blog. I’ll set it up for her and everything.
Matthew: I was a cheerleader for Halloween when I was fourteen.
Lance: I was a bad boy. I am sorry.
Mike: Thanks a lot. I’m going to put some attention into StumbleUpon over the weekend. I appreciate the support.
Jamie: At least when I beat her up, I didn’t leave marks. She scratched and bit.
Luis Gross: You’re only twenty, Luis? You’ve got a lot going on man. Good for you.
Avani: The settings are all correct in WordPress and Feedburner. No go. Thanks for trying though.
Max: Thanks for the story. It was good. Sorry you didn’t get away with it (sounded like a reasonable plan),
Blogger Dad: WD in drag. That’s funny. No, seriously, it was the easiest post ever. I literally copied and pasted. I was going to change the formatting, then decided to not even do that. I watched the first hour of Speed Racer instead. Cool beans.
J.D.: I remember things as a sketch. My sister remembers minutia.
Tara: Pretend to go shopping, then circle back and observe. You’d probably have enough material for a week of posts.
Sue: Make some noise. KittyTown needs her own blog. I’ll set it up for her and everything.
Matthew: I was a cheerleader for Halloween when I was fourteen.
Lance: I was a bad boy. I am sorry.
Mike: Thanks a lot. I’m going to put some attention into StumbleUpon over the weekend. I appreciate the support.
I’m ready to add Kittytown to my feedreader right now. Point me in the right direction.
I think I used to own those moccasins. And my sister owned the candy. She kept it in a shoe box under her bed and if she needed something from us out came the box and the bribe. She was evil. E.V.I.L.
And smart.
Wendi Kelly-Life’s Little Inspirationss last blog post..Cleaning Closets
I’m ready to add Kittytown to my feedreader right now. Point me in the right direction.
I think I used to own those moccasins. And my sister owned the candy. She kept it in a shoe box under her bed and if she needed something from us out came the box and the bribe. She was evil. E.V.I.L.
And smart.
Wendi Kelly-Life’s Little Inspirationss last blog post..Cleaning Closets
I’m ready to add Kittytown to my feedreader right now. Point me in the right direction.
I think I used to own those moccasins. And my sister owned the candy. She kept it in a shoe box under her bed and if she needed something from us out came the box and the bribe. She was evil. E.V.I.L.
And smart.
Wendi Kelly-Life’s Little Inspirationss last blog post..Cleaning Closets
Hilarious and vivid!
My cousins and I would routinely walk a mile to the country store for candy. My aunt would give us candy money in exchange for bringing her back a pack or two of Lucky Strikes! This makes me really old, doesn’t it? Gosh, I’ve been around prior to this practice being put on the child abuse list. Seems like I remember dirt being made, too.
Hilarious and vivid!
My cousins and I would routinely walk a mile to the country store for candy. My aunt would give us candy money in exchange for bringing her back a pack or two of Lucky Strikes! This makes me really old, doesn’t it? Gosh, I’ve been around prior to this practice being put on the child abuse list. Seems like I remember dirt being made, too.
Hilarious and vivid!
My cousins and I would routinely walk a mile to the country store for candy. My aunt would give us candy money in exchange for bringing her back a pack or two of Lucky Strikes! This makes me really old, doesn’t it? Gosh, I’ve been around prior to this practice being put on the child abuse list. Seems like I remember dirt being made, too.
Hey Writer Dad,
We used to have a Quan too when we were kids. I got .50 to go to the Quan and then the Quan owners kicked us out for hovering over the candy too long. They thought we were hoodlums ready to rip them off.
Good story!
Feedburner: don’t know what to tell you. I get the Atom feed and then I just clink on your link anyway to come on over.
Ellen Wilsons last blog post..The Power of Perspective in Photography
Hey Writer Dad,
We used to have a Quan too when we were kids. I got .50 to go to the Quan and then the Quan owners kicked us out for hovering over the candy too long. They thought we were hoodlums ready to rip them off.
Good story!
Feedburner: don’t know what to tell you. I get the Atom feed and then I just clink on your link anyway to come on over.
Ellen Wilsons last blog post..The Power of Perspective in Photography
Hey Writer Dad,
We used to have a Quan too when we were kids. I got .50 to go to the Quan and then the Quan owners kicked us out for hovering over the candy too long. They thought we were hoodlums ready to rip them off.
Good story!
Feedburner: don’t know what to tell you. I get the Atom feed and then I just clink on your link anyway to come on over.
Ellen Wilsons last blog post..The Power of Perspective in Photography
Nice writing, KittyTown! Writer Dad, how could you beat up a little Kitty?
Nice writing, KittyTown! Writer Dad, how could you beat up a little Kitty?
I have three older brothers, but we never conspired together like this — too much competitiveness. I remember being alone with my youngest brother one night, sneaking out in a wild Oklahoma thunderstorm, and cutting the farm’s main power because we had fought over which TV program to watch. He called the power company to come “fix” our power outage. I couldn’t share my victory with anyone, but oh did I relish it!
SpaceAgeSages last blog post..Criticism’s dark and light sides
I have three older brothers, but we never conspired together like this — too much competitiveness. I remember being alone with my youngest brother one night, sneaking out in a wild Oklahoma thunderstorm, and cutting the farm’s main power because we had fought over which TV program to watch. He called the power company to come “fix” our power outage. I couldn’t share my victory with anyone, but oh did I relish it!
SpaceAgeSages last blog post..Criticism’s dark and light sides
Every kid should grow up with a store like this where you buy Candy. When I grew up on the West Island of Montreal, it was the Swiss Vienna Pastry Shop. That was in the early 70′s, and last time I checked, it still exists!
It amazes me how these convenience store owners make a living selling bubble gum and lottery tickets.
Yet they do (and I hear it can actually be quite lucrative!)
Friars last blog post..Increasing your Traffic: Blog Posts that are Guaranteed Crowd-Pleasers.
Every kid should grow up with a store like this where you buy Candy. When I grew up on the West Island of Montreal, it was the Swiss Vienna Pastry Shop. That was in the early 70′s, and last time I checked, it still exists!
It amazes me how these convenience store owners make a living selling bubble gum and lottery tickets.
Yet they do (and I hear it can actually be quite lucrative!)
Friars last blog post..Increasing your Traffic: Blog Posts that are Guaranteed Crowd-Pleasers.
I am amazed that with your sister’s birthday and all…and the age factor, she can remember this event at all! :-) giggle.
I will find you on Stumble.
Harmonys last blog post..The Power Broker Bust (pt 2 of 4)