Just a Small Town Girl Sharing Her Sweet Memories...

 

“We write to taste life twice, in the moment and in retrospect.” Anais Nin

First of all, let me tell you that I am honored to be a blogger. My name is Mary Lynn Davidek Alpino. When I broke the news to my 20 year old daughter, Ashley, she was pleasantly surprised that her mom even had an inkling of an idea just what a blogger is and my 25 year old son, Ryan said quite simply, “That’s cool mom!” And since this is a blog for CandyFavorites, it is my intention “to taste life twice.” Did you know memories can affect taste! Recalling a positive memory about eating a certain food will make a present experience with it more enjoyable (Health World). That’s what I want to focus on in my upcoming articles, recalling a memory, a feeling, a place, a moment in your life that you’ll never forget.

“Well I was born in a small town”

The song “Small Town” by John Mellencamp reminds me of where I grew up and who I am today. Brackenridge, Pennsylvania, is where I called home. A small town about 22 miles from Pittsburgh. The kind of town where you could walk to the bank, barber shop, post office, dry cleaners, town news, drug store, shoe store and church all in a matter of 2 long blocks. My father owned a neighborhood meat and grocery store, one of 4 in that 2 block area. A store that my grandfather started.

“Oh, those small communities”

My two brothers and one sister all grew up working in the store. And as I grew older, I realized our store kept us close as a family, taught us core values, and gave us tons of great memories. I started my “store career” in grade school when my dad taught me how to make change so I could wait on kids that came in for candy and pop after school. The prestigious job of sweeping the tile floor and washing the meat case windows was bestowed on me as I longed to be there helping my dad any way I could.

“Used to daydream in that small town”

My day dreams used to be of being a nurse just like my mom. But one day in my college English 101 class, Sister Teresa asked me if I ever thought of writing as my major. She said, “just think about it.” So I did and I decided to be a journalism major. The rest they say is history. I’ve worked in public relations and enjoy freelance writing for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. So come and taste life (and candy) twice with me for “nothing is ever really lost to us as long as we remember it.” –L.M. Montgomery Bonne Vie!