It's just plain Os

What is there about reaching middle age that makes us look at almost everything differently than we did before? I don’t know why this “thing” has happened to me, but most of the time I like my introspective self. Then again, there are times I’d just as soon kick my own behind and promise to make better use of what moments I have left on this wonderful planet.

These thoughts raced through my head yesterday after I made a trip to the grocery store to buy some breakfast cereal. It was BOGO time, and I wanted to get my fair share. I entered the store, and there they were right at the entranceway, easy for me to find and throw into my cart. They were available in the 12-ounce and 14-ounce boxes, which made me wonder, “Who would buy a 12-ounce box of Cheerios when they could get a 14-ounce box for the same price?”

Then, a light went off and I got it. In the 14-ounce boxes was just plain Cheerios, the kind I have been eating my whole life. In the 12-ounce boxes were the fancy Cheerios, the ones General Mills has to make in order to keep up with the changing tastes of America. For me, it seems like marketing gone awry. Don’t those people know there is nothing better than just plain old Cheerios, a fresh banana and milk? I don’t need those fancy “designer” brands of toasted oats.

I had never noticed how many other varieties there were. There’s Honey Nut (one I have tired and liked, too), Berry Burst, Yogurt Burst, MultiGrain, Cheerios Crunch, Fruity, Frosted and Apple Cinnamon. Now, that’s what I call a smorgasbord of Os. Why I think I would like being invited to that meal, even though plain old Os are the best.

You see, I have been eating Cheerios long before there were so many trendy varieties. My family discovered they were cheap and mixed well with just about everything. I fell in love with them. While I flirted with Wheaties and Rice Crispies, I always returned to my first love

I went to the Internet to learn more about them, and discovered they are a little older than me. I was born in 1949, but America’s first ready-to-eat oat cereal hit the market in 1941. They were called Cheerioats. In 1945, the name was changed to Cheerios and the rest is history. Well not exactly.

In 1949, my birth was unremarkable, but it was in that year that Cheerios found a new partner on a new medium called television. Cheerios saddled up to sponsor a show called “The Lone Ranger,” and the brand was never the same. Millions of Americans were raised watching Tonto and the Lone Ranger on black-and-white TV, and Cheerios became “our” cereal of choice.

Today, I don’t eat it to build strong muscles and such. I eat my Os for their cholesterol-busting effects. And the Os seem to be working. I’ll find out this week when I go to visit the cholesterol czar, my caring family physician.

And I’ve resolved to try one or two of those “designer” brands before I turn 59. After all, I am one of General Mills’ adopted children, and it’s about time I meet the rest of the family. I think the Cheerios Kid and Sue would agree, right after reminding me “The ‘G’ is for GOODNESS!”

Oh, you don’t remember the Cheerios Kid. The Cheerios Kid appeared on boxes of Cheerios from 1953 to 1973. He regularly rescued his friend Sue from cartoon-world dangers. He became really popular and was seen in ads with Bullwinkle in 1966 and 1967, too.

Gee, I just thought, “What if you are reading this and you don’t know of Bulwinkle?” Well, that answer comes to me clearly, too. Maybe it’s that Baby Boom thing raging again. It’s like this: If you don’t know of Bullwinkle, you not only should not be reading my blog, you shouldn’t be a member of EONS either. Skedaddle!