ruta

Raccoons are fascinating and exasperating — too intelligent for their own good —canny as a cat burglar. One got in our house.

I wish I’d had this talk with someone when I was a senior in high school setting out to set the world on fire. It was a pivotal moment that I’d waited for, but I didn’t have a clue what the real world and winging it on my own meant. Graduating seniors should focus on self-refl ection, goal setting, lifelong learning, and building healthy habits to navigate the transition into adulthood successfully. Reflect and know yourself Take time to reflect on your experiences and understand your values, interests and strengths. Knowing yourself helps in making informed decisions about your career, relationships, and personal growth. Avoid “drifting” by making conscious choices rather that following others’ expectations or default paths.

Recently, we reminisced about Dippity Do, Hai Karate, Mr. Bubble and other products from our youth. That opened the floodgates. Many of you shared memories of products we rarely see today. Let’s take another trip down the aisles of A & P, Piggly Wiggly, and Shop-Rite stores we visited every Friday night. As you know, pennies are being phased out of circulation. Let’s face it, most of us haven’t bent down to pick up a penny in years, so few tears are being shed. That said, I do have fond memories of “penny candy.” It seems like most of it stuck to my teeth. Many dentists built their fortunes on scraping off Bit O’Honey, Sugar Babies, Pixy Stix, and banana-flavored Kits. A penny could also land you a piece of Dubble Bubble or Bazooka bubble gum, with a color comic inside! Think about it. Bubble gum AND a Bazooka Joe comic, both for a penny. Someone made a pretty penny on that, for a long, long time.