The cereal aisle has certainly changed over the years. When I was young, we did not have all of the choices that there are today. We had Cornflakes, Wheaties, Grape-Nuts, Rice Krispies, and Raisin Bran. That was the cold cereal offerings. Of course, there was oatmeal, cream of wheat and cream of rice, and Maypo.

Really, I never was much of a cereal eater. My grandma always ate cream of rice because it agreed with her stomach better. Grandpa preferred the cold cereals, but sometimes ate oatmeal. I preferred cocoa and a slice of toast. Now I usually eat a slice of toast and a glass of juice – and of course, I have a cup of coffee.

I really liked Grape-Nuts. It had texture and it stayed relatively crunchy. I also ate Rice Krispies. I remember sending for the Snap, Krackle, and Pop puppets. I think I had to save box tops to send along. I never liked Rice Krispie treats though. They were too sweet.

Often now I eat cereal for supper. It makes a light meal that sustains me throughout the night. Sometimes I make oatmeal. I use regular oatmeal, cover it with water and just put it into the microwave for a minute. I usually add raisins or some other dried fruit.

Someone recently asked me what my favorite cereal was. Now I like raisin bran, Cinnamon Squares, or homemade granola.

Sometimes I eat yogurt with my granola. It takes the place of the milk.

Once when I was camping out with my son and his family, he and I were the first two up. We decided to make coffee on a little gizmo he had to heat the water. We went to the cooler only to discover there was no plain water. What could it hurt if we used lemon water? We were soon to discover that lemon water did not make good coffee. We waited until the others awoke and went to the house to fix coffee with water from the house. We had cold cereal there as well. You realize if we had not tried the lemon water that would have been the end of the story! That is the way life is. Unless something unusual happens there is no story.

Now days when you go to the store you have a myriad of cereals to choose from. I always dig out my glasses so I can read the boxes. I want to know what I am eating. There are generic brands as well as the tried-and-true Kelloggs and General Mills cereals. Each store also has its own brand of cereal. Most of the generic brands are just as good as the name brands. Of course, you realize the generic brands are probably made by the same companies.

I once visited the Kraft plant in Dunkirk with my uncle who worked there. They were bottling strawberry jam. Some of it had the Kraft label while others had generic labels. It all came out of the same tank. They just switched to the other labels.

Cold cereal is expensive these days. If you figure out what you pay per pound it is not cheap. Then, it is really only a handful of grain to boot. If you purchase oatmeal, you are getting whole grain. It is not as expensive that way and it is supposed to be better for you – lowers cholesterol.

For the small amount of cereal I eat I can purchase either kind without it unbalancing my budget.

When I volunteered at Hospice House, I was the early shift which meant that I fixed breakfast for those residents who were still eating. Some liked cooked cereal while others liked the cold cereals. I taught several of the nurses how to make the oatmeal with regular oatmeal, instead of purchasing the little packages that were so much more expensive.

I have also found that I like raw cane sugar on my cereal. It is especially good on the cooked cereals. I first had that when we were in Hawaii. It is a little grainier and it is brown.

Breakfast these days is not as easy as it used to be. There are definitely more choices!

Ann Swanson writes from her home in Russell, Pa. Contact at hickoryheights1@verizon.net.