City View

City View
Originally uploaded by Ruth Ruthie Ruth

Back from New York and into another busy week. I took so many pictures this weekend and meant to post them here, but there's just too many. So instead I will sing this instead:

Cocoa Wheats, Cocoa Wheats, can't be beat.
They're the creamy hot cereal with the cocoa-y treat.
Make you big and strong,
and they're lots of fun,
Eat Cocoa Wheats, Cocoa Wheats, everyone!


I made cocoa wheats this Sunday after a long night out (from 5 p.m. to midnight) with Tim and his two good friends. Refreshed me like no other! And I relived, but just in my head, the ritual of my mother making Cream of Wheat or Cocoa Wheats (she only sang the song when she made Cocoa Wheats) on weekend winter mornings.

All four of the Meberg children lived on the second floor of our farm house, and we'd be nestled in our comforable, ceiling vent heated rooms when mom would open up the hallway door and yell "Breakfast! Get up!" and we'd all say, "um, mumble," and roll over.

And then she'd yell, "Hot cereal is ready!" and all of us, even the teenagers, would throw the covers back and think "HOT CEREAL! Golly jeepers!" and run down stairs. I liked the lumps, so if I was lucky they'd get pooled into my bowl. I remember the day when David chose sleeping in over creamy delicious Cocoa Wheats...quite a sea change.

This is just one of the many mind fixes my mother placed on us. She also trained us to dole out yogurt like chocolate during World War II, and that things like Oreo cookies and Nilla Wafers were understood to be for baking only --- no snackin or eating for pure pleasure allowed.

How, mom? How? You trained us so well.