AN ODD SPOT FOR A GOOD TIME.

What was your favourite candy store? In 1969, a wonderful little shop opened in downtown Fort Saskatchewan. The vast selection of candies, chocolates, and potato chips dazzled us each time we entered the place.

In Deliverance from Jericho (Six Years in a Blind School), I wrote of those wonderful days when my sisters and I strolled downtown, coins jingling in our pockets, envisioning those wonderful treats that would soon be ours.

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Though my family stayed home that summer, we were preoccupied with plenty of activities. A new candy and magazine store in town, called The Odd Spot, had opened. Whenever my siblings and I could beg some money from Mom or Dad, we would walk to the shop and then we would make our agonizing financial decisions. My sisters and I had a limited amount of money and far too many tempting choices.

My favourite candy was called Hippy Sippy. It came in a plastic bottle, had a straw to suck up the tiny coloured beads, and a badge was pinned to the label. Slogans like, "HIPPY SIPPY SAYS, HOW DOES THIS GRAB YOU?" were printed on each one.

Linda absolutely loved the new candy store. She chanted, "Odd Spot! Odd Spot!" whenever we put our shoes on to go uptown. Naturally, we needed to budget for her since children that age are incapable of knowing how little or much money can buy.

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Deliverance from Jericho contains many more vignettes of what life was like in that government-run institution. These range from poignant experiences of homesickness to hilarious incidents of mischief. Click here to read more about this compelling story. You may also e-mail me directly if the comment form doesn't work.