Black Jellybeans and Dad

Mom always had the idea of putting candy out in cute little dishes around the house for holidays. I think this was probably more of a hope than an idea. She hoped she could put the candy out and it would last, but inevitably each of us would devour the entire bowl on the side table next to us. For Valentine's Day, it might be conversation hearts, for Christmas, it was usually something chocolate, Halloween could be candy corn. Most often, however, it was the holiday colors of M&Ms and they were usually the peanut version. When I was a kid, the holiday bags of M&Ms were a fairly recent innovation and the novelty had definitely won the buying power of Mom. To have red, pink and white M&Ms for Valentine's Day was unheard of and how could we resist?

For Easter, Mom would set out dishes of jellybeans. Keep in mind this was before the Jolly Rancher or Starburst jellybeans; we are talking about the 59 cents-a-bag version from Brach's. Red, orange, yellow, green, purple, black and white. Most certainly, the red and orange went first, then maybe the purple. I personally enjoyed the yellow and white and didn't let anyone know that I didn't mind if they left them in the bowl. Had I told my younger brother, he might have decided to make those his favorite too. Within days (or hours) it never failed that the dish would sit with only the black beans remaining. Sometimes it would sit that way for days and Mom would say she is not refilling the dish until they are all gone. They would stick together at the bottom of the dish and occasionally Dad would reach in to grab one. This would gross us out as we could not fathom eating a black jellybean.

Dad would notice our looks of disgust and even further taunt us by chewing on the black jellybean and then opening his mouth wide so we could see how it changed the color of his teeth and tongue. Soon, they were all gone and Mom would appear with another bagful obtained from her secret holiday candy hiding place. Nobody knows where she hid the candy and if you looked, you couldn't find it. Yet it only took her seconds to secure the next bag and you knew there were even more bags where that one came from. She managed to do this without anyone noticing where she pulled the bag from.

Now I enjoy the black jellybeans and will even purchase the bag that has only the black ones. Their spicy, licorice flavor is an acquired taste and you must only eat them when there is no risk of anyone noticing your purple-colored teeth. Don't eat the whole bag as it could upset your stomach- take it from one who knows. Every time I have some, I think of my Dad and wonder if during this time of year, he has picked up a bag of his own yet or if Mom has set out the beans in a dish on her coffee table.

Texas Caviar and Katy

My friend Katy had been planning her trip to New Mexico from New York for quite some time. She purposefully booked the trip for late January, knowing that I would be over the holiday rush at Macy's and then the dreaded inventory the few weeks after. This way, I could take vacation time and spend some quality time with her.

The day she arrived, was an unfortunate one for her and a fortunate one for me. The first couple of days were pretty much a blur to me and I don't remember what I ate. I do remember what I drank- vodka/soda. Katy could not drink at all, as she is 7 months pregnant, so bless her heart, all she could do was watch me drink and console me.

She proved to be fantastic at the consoling and in no time, I was back to my normal self. We toured Old Town Albuquerque, where we had lunch at a place where I once took my grandmother, we visited a few boutiques and souvenir shops before heading to the Albuquerque Museum. The Albuquerque Museum is on old client of mine and I remember it being a little run down and low-budget. I don't remember great exhibits, that's for sure, so I didn't expect much. Little did I know that it had expanded and renovated into a beautiful, full-size, art museum! I was ecstatic to see the improvements. The exhibit was New Mexico Now which consisted of artwork of all media selected from artists throughout the state. We had an amazing time, until they decided to kick us out at closing.

The following day, we took the Railrunner train from Albuquerque to Santa Fe and spent the day walking around my old hometown. After the flea market, we walked to the Cowgirl Cafe, one of my favorite hangouts. We sat by the fireplace and we ordered Texas Caviar before having our lunch. Texas Caviar is nothing I had ever heard of before the Cowgirl, but it is basically a simple salsa made with black eyed peas. Sitting at the Cowgirl with Katy, my margarita (on the rocks, no salt) and my Texas Caviar and chips made me feel so comforted. I felt safe and felt excited about the new opportunities I would find.

Katy had to leave two days later, but the memory of sitting at that table, in that restaurant, at that moment will stay with me forever.