As I write, members of my household have all gone their separate ways in search of a big screen television, Buffalo wings, and every kind of snack chip and dip imaginable. Two professional football teams and Beyoncé are warming up (or so we are to believe) for arguably the single biggest entertainment event of the year. And me? I am sipping a hot cup of Crème Earl Grey alongside freshly baked bread with apricot jam and enjoying rare, but complete silence.
Years ago, I celebrated the Super Bowl with family and friends as any sensible child would. True football fans piled on top of one another in a cramped living room and gobbled up platter after platter of Totinos frozen pizzas while watching the Pittsburgh Steelers and Dallas Cowboys pummel each other on the field. (I don’t recall if either team was favored, only that both were despised because the hometown Minnesota Vikings didn’t make it that year.)
Along with the other sensible children, I sat in an equally cramped side room (eating the same frozen Totinos) and watched Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Despite Mr. Wonka’s edgy quirks and the still-lingering discomfort that comes of not being able to fully parse his moody disposition with any degree of certainty, I felt as though I’d fallen into his chocolate river, surrounded by sweetness and everything good for the tongue and the eyes. Through the thick bowed glass of an old tube television, I saw colors so rich I could have sworn I tasted them. I put my nose to the screen and wished to go behind it like Mike Teevee, even if it meant being broken up into a million little bits only to be put back together in miniature and sent to the taffy pulling machine to be restored.
But for a few moments, there with my mouth watering at the wonder of it all, I considered how even that might be a fair exchange for a walk down the path of Everlasting Gobstoppers. That Mr. Wonka–he had a way of plying my imagination with sweets. And I suppose in many respects, that’s what he was after.
Sometimes, I imagine the hardworking folks who pull the taffy levers to make the delicious confections in WordCandy as running machines like Mr. Wonka’s. And when they go to work and put on their bright white overalls, they find chocolate notepads on their desks and candy canes in their pencil cups. They chew Three-Course-Meal gum for lunch under trees bending with the weight of sweet desserts, guzzling Fizzy Lifting Drinks for a chaser. And from what our Sweet Bloggers pulled off the candy shelves and posted this month, all that sticky work pays off.
Some sweet words from our users:
Sometimes I suffer from toxic choice syndrome. I need to be more abundant, as in, if I like a confection, go ahead and ship it! If I like another one, I can ship it, too! I need to remember these sweets are calorie-free. I can indulge in as many as I like! —Sheila Lagrand
I enjoy the new surprises that are always popping up on WordCandy. New quotes from Rumi are my favorite right now. I especially like that I can now get “ready mades” on Tumblr. Keep on growing! —Lexanne Leonard
The humorously inspiring business category has been my favorite. For this month, at least! —Monica Sharman
So much fun! I can get caught browsing the images on Tumblr for longer than I care to admit. —Shawna Ervin
Sprinkling tidbits of sweet is made so easy here, I share often. —Karin Fendick
I continue to love WordCandy’s expanding categories and I have often found the perfect combination of verse and photo to share with others or to inspire myself. —Holly Grantham
We loved seeing your candies on the web this month. Thank you for sharing the sweetness of these poetry, movie and business quotes:
Darrelyn Saloom: Malone’s Mad Love
Karin Fendick: Yes to the Next
Shawna Ervin: A Journalistic Love Story
Holly Grantham: On Love
Sheila Lagrand: Choose
Heather Truett: Pick Me
Lexanne Leonard: Come With Me
Chris Yokel: If You Know What You’re Going to Write…
Donna Falcone: Do You See? You Are Love
Get Organised: Friday Productivity Quote
Elizabeth Marshall: The Cowardly Lioness Finds Courage, The End
Be sure to take a look through the new Rumi Lollies category, and if you need just a quick day-sweetener, stop by WordCandy’s delicious Tumblr site for ready-made photo cards. (I stumbled onto the archive page the other day and was positively gum-struck with all the delectable treats.) Keep sharing your sweetness all month long. We look forward to the next sugar-studded roundup in early March.
Photo by Aih, Creative Commons license via Flickr. Post by Will Willingham.
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Buy a year of Every Day Poems, just $5.99 — Read a poem a day, become a better poet. In February we’re exploring the theme Purple, Plum and Indigo.
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L. L. Barkat says
I read this yesterday but have been busy and so didn’t take time to comment.
As always, you make me smile. So. You think Beyonce didn’t really warm up? 😉
The Wonka movie scared me as a kid, as I recall. Even as I wanted to dunk into that chocolate river…
Ghasitaram says
Share very nice video