A Year of Blogging: April 22, 2011

April 22 was National Jelly Bean day. A very yummy day, and this year it falls just before Easter! Although this year, if you have seen any previews for the movie HOP, it's hard to think of jelly beans in the same way. My great-aunt Vera used to take my sister and I to Manchester, Vermont during the summer. It was about 2 hours north of our house (it doesn't take as long now that they've put in a bypass), although Aunt Vera always made it in about half that time. After we rode the Alpine slide at Bromley Mountain (an alpine slide is a cement track that is put down on the ski trails, then you go down the track in a little plastic sled), we went into Manchester Center. There was a store called the Jelly Mill. It looked like an old barn, and had three or four floors. It was a mix of various little shops. One section had designer stationary. You could buy the prettiest writing paper there. It was always my first stop. There was a section with Vermont made goods: maple syrup, Cabot cheese, smoked hams. The best part was the candy store. They sold Jelly Belly jellybeans. The jelly beans were in dispensers that lined the walls, and you could fill your bag with any kinds of jelly beans. You could mix your favorite flavors. I always filled my bag with very cherry and cinnamon jelly beans. They are both red (although the cinnamon ones have little yellow specks on them). I mixed them well so that when you grabbed a handful, you got equal amounts of both. Dad always ate my jelly beans (my sister bought really weird flavors). He grabbed a handful of jelly beans and popped the whole handful into his mouth. Cinnamon Jelly Bellys are hot. Dad thought all the jelly beans were cherry, and he got quite a surprise! I admit, part of the reason I combine the two flavors is because I like surprising people. I also like the two flavors combined. Now you can buy bags of Jelly Belly jelly beans at most stores. The International grocery store nearby has them in the bulk dispensers, and I still mix the two flavors. I've spent this time talking about jelly beans, and now I really want some. I guess we'll have to make a trip to Jungle Jim's soon!