The Cheez Balls Tradition

My maternal grandmother is an amazing person. She is 87 years old and still lives by herself and tends to herself. At one time, she drove all the way to Texas (from Missouri) to see us at least twice a year. A few years back, she had to stop driving down due to her declining health and age. I have lots of memories to share of her visits, but watching Sydney snack the other day got me to thinking about one of my favorites. 

When my grandmother would come down to visit, she would pack fruit and other snacks in the front seat of her car to munch on during the drive. When she climbed out of the car after a VERY long trip, I would raid what was left of her snacks. She almost always had a half-eaten can of Cheez Balls waiting for me in the front seat. I remember being very forlorn one time when much to my dismay, there were no Cheez Balls. So, what did my grandma do? Well, what any grandma would do. We hopped in the car and went to the store and promptly purchased a can of Cheez Balls. I pulled back the paper seal and breathed in the intoxicating aroma of artificially flavored cheesy goodness. This is what the can looked like...way back when.

A tradition had begun. From that point on, we would ride to the store together and purchase our snack. Then, we would sit side by side and pop these bits of heaven into our mouths and catch up on everything that had been happening lately. My mom rarely bought us junk food, so this was a rare treat. Grandma and I were very stingy with the Cheez Balls. No sharing took place. The sound of us crunching and talking is something I will always remember. This is our special tradition.

Last Christmas, I was looking forward to Grandma coming down, but at the last minute, she was unexpectedly hospitalized. Grandma was not able to make the trip. It was very disappointing that I wouldn't be going to the store to purchase our traditional treat and spending time with her. 

Pretty soon, Chris, Sydney and I will be making a trip to see Grandma and we will have those Cheez Balls in tow. For now, Syd is practicing her munching etiquette with baby cheese puffs.