Sometimes Good Things Happen Because Your Kid Has to Pee.

. . . Such as rumbling over the dusty gravel ruts of a wayside gas station on a back road in Pennsylvania in the Fall and rediscovering one of your childhood favorites.

That’s what happened to me.

I was hanging out in the general store (a/k/a the “Food Mart”) when the familiar crystal-ly golden brown leaves caught my eye.

That’s right: those yummy-on-the-tummy, melt-in-your-mouth soft maple sugar candies that Dad used to pull out of his pockets as, taking almost the same route we were on that day, we made our way to Grandma’s in the huge green Buick.

Now, these candies aren’t like those that come in gargantuan bags at Wally World and Costco and which get thrown to the kiddie winds at Halloween.

No, to my way of thinking, maple sugar candies are to be enjoyed one at a time, once in a while. And to me, that’s the very definition of a confectionary treat.

Of course, these days, when one doesn’t need to be traveling in a northeasterly direction, for example, to find maple sugar---when any treat from anywhere can be had at any time off the internet---it’s not surprising that those fascinating little brown candy leaves have been the hit of Autumn wedding banquets and bridesmaids' favors.

And that maple sugar has found its way into creams, fondants, and edible gems such as “Jack Wax” and “Maple on Snow.”

And that this homey flavor has even found its way into the spice chest, in concotions such as Maple Sugar and Spiced Pepper Blend.

(For a wonderful tutorial on all things maple and confectionary, look no further. )

But, for my money, I like how that one tantalizing package holding a single maple sugar leaf takes me back to the backseat of that huge green Buick and to the many miles of flaming forests that passed by my car window as we made our way north.

So, you know what I did.

I bought four of the little cellophane packs and passed them ‘round after we’d all settled back into the minivan.

Then I looked in the rearview mirror and watched as Jipper and Finkie, smiles spreading across their faces, had their first maple sugar leaf, all the while the miles of flaming forests passed by their windows.

*** Photo from the Yankee Grocery.