The other day some friends and I went out to lunch. As we ate, we talked about some favorite snacks. It was unanimous – the favorite snack was toast. Some liked it with jelly. Some liked it with cinnamon and sugar. Some liked it plain.

I guess the reason toast came up was because I was enjoying breakfast foods for lunch. That day I had French toast. The day we visited, there was a new menu. It took us a while to make our decision as to what to eat. Actually, it took us a while to find what we were looking for.

My entree had not been on the menu for a while. I know it was there three years ago because I shared my breakfast that day with a little great-grandson. Don’s granddaughter came for a visit with her little one. He loved the pieces of French toast that I shared with him and the sausage. I kept watching because I wanted to order it again, but it was never there. Thank goodness it was back.

Back to the toast aspect. Now that we have garden tomatoes, I fix BLTs. When I fix them I always toast the bread. Somehow it seems more substantial that way. During the fall BLTs are some of my favorite sandwiches to enjoy. They are easy to fix and quite nutritious. I get my veggies right along with my meat.

Toast was the first snack that my grandchildren learned to fix at Grandma’s house. I kept the toaster in the pantry on a shelf that was low enough for them to reach. One of them reminded me recently that we used to sing “Pop Goes the Weasel” while we waited for the toast. If we were lucky, we ended up singing “pop” just as the toast popped.

The favorite topping here was cinnamon and sugar. Although I see that in jars on the shelf, I never buy it. I make my own. Some shakes of ground cinnamon and a little sugar and it is ready to be applied. I also use this on cut up apple. I have a container on my lazy Susan at all times. I love cinnamon toast.

If I make cocoa and toast, I eat it with just butter. When I lived at my Grandmother’s house I had toast and cocoa for many of my breakfasts. It also made a good after school snack.

When my daughter’s children came here after school, toast was the snack of choice. I think they liked it because they could make it themselves. The other reason they liked it was because it allowed them to share with my dog Hannah. They did not eat the crusts. Instead, they placed them on cabinet door handles for Hannah to find. One of them kept her in the other room while the other hid the scraps. Once she was released, she knew exactly what to do. She really liked this game. Sometimes they were placed just out of her reach. Then, she had to beg for them.

Just a note here about birthdays. Do not ever take a birthday for granted. Eleven years ago, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. Once you have it and beat it you are a breast cancer survivor. They now recommend mammograms every two years, but I have one each and every year. I was blessed. My cancer is gone. When Don and I married I knew that I could go first even though he was older. With cancer you are never sure.

This year I celebrate on my own. Last year I was not even thinking about losing Don, but it happened. We shared this birthday month. Last year, he was good at this time. We attended my class reunion, his class reunion, and made a trip to Pittsburgh to collect his 65-year pin from the Ironworkers. When his birthday comes around it will be bitter sweet. I will not make a mincemeat pie! That was his favorite. I will remember, but not be too sad.

I found a quote by Dr. Seuss that seems to fit. “Don’t cry because it’s over. Smile because it happened.” I definitely am smiling!

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