8 Months Late

It was in November 2012 that I should've written this post.  It was a very sad day indeed.  Things would never be the same in my life again.  Something was taken from me that I would never get back---WAIT---On July 15th all was right with the world.
The return of the Twinkie.

I know.  What a ridiculous thing to post about.  Not so.  I love Twinkies.  And Ding-Dongs.  They have childhood memories embedded in them.  And not the type of memories you might guess.

When I was in the 2nd or 3rd grade, back when kids still took the buses and went on field trips, I got to go to the Wonder Bread/Hostess factory on a tour.  It was the best thing ever.  We got to bring home a mini-loaf of bread and a package of Twinkies.  The clearer memory of the day however, is where we had lunch after the tour.

Wow, stop the presses.  In the middle of typing this post, I actually got a phone from my favorite grocery contact who told me it will be another 2-4 weeks before I can buy a Ding-Dong.  What a coincidence huh?

Okay, back to my youth.  When we finished at the Wonder Bread Plant, we went on a tour of the fire station next door and then we boarded the buses to our lunch destination--the deaf and blind school.  Is is okay to say that it was the first time I realized I had it good?  Can you say that?  Every time I say I'm thankful that I don't have the trials that someone else has  I have a guilt pang, like I'm a Zoramite on the Rameumptom or something.-- 'Thank you God for making us so much better than our brethren."
Back to the initial point.  I didn't know anyone who was deaf or blind and it certainly wasn't the time of inclusion in the schools.  I don't think it had ever occurred to me that Helen Keller wasn't just a movie.

I've never forgotten that day.  I don't think of it often, but it is linked to Twinkies.  Pretty cool.  Twinkies make me realize how thankful I should be for my body that works the way it is supposed to.

There is one right way to eat a Twinkie too.  You have to split in half lengthwise so you can see all the filling inside and eat one half at a time.  What a treat.

Then there's Ding-Dong memories.

My brother and I didn't get along too great when I was young.  He's a lot older than me and I was probably not only the sibling that took away his baby of the family status, but I was also the first girl in 4 generations.  Let's just say I was spoiled.  (Not that I remember provoking him to tease or anything remotely deserving of his torment.)  Anyway, one of my good memories with him was eating Ding-Dongs--well, not the eating.  The unwrapping.  Taking off the aluminum foil perfectly without a single tear and seeing who could smooth it out into a pristine perfect rectangle again without any wrinkles.

That,  and contests of who could keep the hiccups the longest.  Isn't childhood great.  Silly things that come back to our memory 40 years later when we are informed that Hostess is going to be gone forever.  I'm so glad it's not.  I've eaten 5 or 6 Twinkies in the last 2 weeks and plan to eat that many Ding-Dongs when I can find them.

I wish all good things that are taken away could make a comeback!