Twinkie Tribute originally an April 10, 2009 Blog Entry. Having problems trying to link to it so just re-posting due to latest Hostess decision. I added new comments at end of blog post.
For several weeks Dan
has been reminding me that he has never eaten a Twinkie. I’m not sure
that is true but could easily be considering I’m not a huge fan of
Hostess or Little Debbie’s snack cake types of things. There are way
better things to spend the calories on. After the 2nd or 3rd reminder, I had a burst of inspiration. I promised him I would buy Twinkies for April 8th and we would make it a family tradition to have them every year on April 8th.
So now you must be wondering why April 8th.
Well that is my brother’s birth date and one of his very favorite
things was Twinkies. I remember having the hostess snacks around our
house as a kid. Twinkies were generally frozen and then followed by a
small ritual of eating the cake first and then the cream center. I got
into that for awhile. I remember when Zingers were put on the market
and they were OK too but not the ones with raspberry and coconut! Not a
coconut fan.
My big brother passed away 12 years ago on March 28th.
It was our anniversary. I realized the other day (probably on our
anniversary) I’m the same age that he was when he passed away. That was
kind of an odd feeling. His funeral was on April 1st. It was fitting because he had a great sense of humor (not everyone knew that). My mom also went into false labor on April 1st
when she was pregnant with him and of course was sent home from the
hospital to wait 7 more days. We have joked that his humor had an early
start.
So we each had a Twinkie
after dinner to remember our uncle, brother in law and brother. Sam
needs to learn more about his uncle since his was given his middle name
because of my brother. Twinkies will become a new April 8th tradition.
When my brother was in
the hospital recovering from some fairly major surgery, I remember him
asking for some contraband. He just wanted Twinkies. I think someone
did fill that request. When he passed away among the many floral and
plant arrangements stood a most unique vase full of Twinkie flowers.
They were individually wrapped Twinkies covered with bright spring
colored cellophane and attached to a wooden dowel. Those Twinkies were
memorable and taken to the cemetery for a Twinkie Roast, something any
passerby would scratch their head at but fun none the less. Now the
Twinkie I used for the Twinkie Roast shortly after he was buried was
kept in our glove box for years. I think it even made it to Michigan
with us. Actually I think its still in there. It is true, Twinkies
NEVER mold and maintain their same look for a LONG time. Unfortunately
they did not preserve my brother. I love him and miss him but so glad
he has a wonderful family that I can still be close to. Well not
physically since we live at opposite ends of the US. So for some this
might seem an odd post. But it’s what I’m thinking of knowing he must
be so happy with his family and all the exciting things that have
happened and are happening this year even though he can’t be there
physically. I know he is there in spirit.
***UPDATE 11/17/12
Sad day in my family
with the latest decision of Hostess. Think of it as you will, greedy unions or
greedy management salaries. Doesn't matter as it just reminds us not
everything is permanent and must be enjoyed while they last. For our
family it will be the simple reminder of my brother gone. I'll still
remember him though. I think of him often. I don't need a Twinkie to
do so. Although it breaks a tradition we started so that is sad. We
will have to fill it with some other fitting tribute. Maybe something
Scouting related.
Also a comment back
when this was originally posted in 2009 was from my sister. She
reminded me of the Christmas tree that the family did for the Salt Lake
City Festival of Trees. It was so fun to work on it. It was a Twinkie
tree. Twinkie ornaments. I wish I had access to pictures of it right
now! I was thinking there were red wagons on it too no? If anyone has a
picture please send along! Fun memory! I miss the Festival of Trees!
I'm going to miss Twinkies, at least once a year.
7 comments:
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Kristin said...
- What a sweet way to remember your brother. Very special. :)
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April 10, 2009 10:37 AM
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Grandma B said...
- Made me cry! But what I cant understand is why you don't just crave a twinkie now and then. They are the best and definitely better frozen!!! I might add that at one point Ruth did a tree for the Festival of Trees and it was a "twinkie tree" in remembrance of Richard. Hmmm, I'm just trying to decide what I will be remembered for?????
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April 10, 2009 12:20 PM
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The Mink Family said...
- That was a such a nice tribute to your brother. Special memories like that are priceless.
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April 10, 2009 3:00 PM
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Garry and Mindy said...
- That was a sweet post. I would agree with my mom that Twinkies are a Cannon Family favorite! Garry's mom was a Zinger's fan, always had them in the house and we use to have fights over which ones where better. One night I even went to the store to buy both to have a taste test! But now it looks like Hostess bought Zingers. Anyway, it was really sweet and I'll always think of Richard when I see a Twinkie.
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April 10, 2009 11:24 PM
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Britt said...
- This made me cry. On a side note- I've never had a twinkie ...
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April 11, 2009 4:59 PM
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Katrina said...
- Yeah, made me cry too. We still always have a Twinkie roast at the cemetery on April 8. Well, this year we'll have it tomorrow, but it still counts. Of course, now we have to use plain old Twinkies since you're not here to make them into flowers. I'm glad to hear you guys are remembering the same way we are, even though you're halfway across the country.
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April 11, 2009 11:29 PM
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