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The View From Mrs. Sundberg's Window In this feature, regular listener Mrs. Sundberg shares her thoughts about Saturday's show. October 16, 2006 It's going to be a fine week Listened to the show Saturday and it was not bad. I'd spent a good part of the afternoon wandering through the dairy section at the grocery store trying to come up with something to make for my friend Esther, who needs a bit of cheer. I've known her for quite a few years now and though she lives only a few miles to the west I don't see her much. She's quite a bit older than I, and doesn't get out real often except for Bingo Night down at the Town Hall and the late service every Sunday. We have the kind of friendship where we check in now and then, and laugh a bit, and share something we learned lately that might help the other, like when she gave me the book on gardening after I managed to kill off a planting of peas and tomatoes. And like how, last summer, I helped plan her trip to Canada to visit her brother. The truth of the matter is Esther doesn't have much time left. I don't recall the doctor's exact diagnosis, but Esther told me she hopes to see in the New Year and whatever happens after that doesn't matter much because her life has been one fine trip. So we chat every week or so, and sometimes she calls after the show and asks whether I heard that lovely song about twilight or the monologue about sledding from one county to the next and I say yes and we laugh and I smile for awhile after we hang up and I imagine she does too. I've always had a rough time knowing what to say when people I care about are suffering or grieving or in pain. What I'm thinking, though, is that since death is a part of it all, it makes sense to treat it that way. Not to make light of it, mind you, but carry on with things because days are precious and you wouldn't want to waste even one of them steeped in melancholy. Oh, no. There are things to be done and misery isn't all that productive. Which is why I decided to drop in on Esther Sunday afternoon and bring with me a still-warm cream cheese coffeecake. I knocked and Esther hallooed and I let myself in. She was sitting in her kitchen near the window drinking green tea and paying bills. Brought you something, I said, and her eyes got big when I set the coffeecake on the table. "Why, I'll never be able to eat all that," she said, "but I'll sure give it a go if you help." I got two plates and a coffee cup for myself down from the cupboard and she pulled a knife from the drawer near the table and there went Sunday afternoon. The sun was low in the sky when I got up to leave. I hugged Esther tight and she hugged back and it occurred to me that one day soon I'll call and she won't answer, and that will be the way of it. Mortality gives life its own particular beauty. I have Esther now and she has me. The leaves are nearly gone, and snow is in the forecast, and it's going to be a fine week. Cream Cheese Coffeecake 1 loaf frozen white bread dough, thawed. Topping: 6 T butter, 1/2 c. sugar, 3/4 c. flour. Cut with a fork until crumbly.
1 T vanilla until smooth and desired consistency.
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Mrs. Sundberg's Archives June 2, 2008 Put a Sock In It May 27, 2008 Look Out Your Window Now and Then May 19, 2008 Oh, My May 12, 2008 To Everything a Season May 5, 2008 Tenderness April 28, 2008 The Big List April 21, 2008 Home Is a Fleeting Thing April 14, 2008 Spring Came Just in Time This Year April 7, 2008 A List, Some Cash and a Tank Full of Gas March 31, 2008 April Fool's Day Possibilities March 24, 2008 Something Good for No Real Reason March 17, 2008 An Old Farmer to Thank March 10, 2008 There Are a Bazillion Ways to be Together March 4, 2008 Time for "Plan B" February 26, 2008 An Ordinary Life February 19, 2008 No Strings. No Conditions. February 11, 2008 I Know When to Haul Out the Snow Pants February 4, 2008 Three Extraordinary Things January 28, 2008 A Few Precautionary Measures January 22, 2008 Seven Surefire Ways to Stay Warm January 14, 2008 'Bout as close to flying as a person can get January 7, 2008 Emergency Curtains. Just In Case. December 31, 2007 No Regrets December 26, 2007 A Lovely Version of Chaos December 18, 2007 There's frozen pizza in the kitchen. Have at it. December 10, 2007 Dipped in Vigor and Rolled in Vim December 3, 2007 I Did Not Win the Pillsbury Bake-Off. November 26, 2007 It's cold outside and warm in here November 19, 2007 Grief and Novocain November 12, 2007 Your Life Does Have Meaning November 5, 2007 Keep a Short Story Short October 30, 2007 Night Shopping October 22, 2007 Too Bad No One Was There to Witness It October 15, 2007 Lord Help those within Earshot October 8, 2007 A Fine and Stormy Evening October 2, 2007 And Did It Ever Rain September 24, 2007 Because I Could September 17, 2007 Such a Perfect Day September 10, 2007 Feeling Catapulted and a Bit Off September 4, 2007 Convictions, I think they call 'em August 29, 2007 Roses in my arms and tears in my eyes August 21, 2007 The Second Story of My Life August 13, 2007 Just me and the radio August 6, 2007 Comfort Is A Good Word July 30, 2007 Our Barefoot Days Are Numbered July 26, 2007 Jet Lagged and Lagging July 16, 2007 A Postcard from Mrs. S. July 9, 2007 A Real Gem July 2, 2007 Vacating Your Comfort Zone June 25, 2007 Growing up is harder than learning how to fly June 18, 2007 I feel pretty lucky, too June 11, 2007 Give me a good thunderboomer June 4, 2007 Perfection is reserved for very few things May 29, 2007 When a Moment of Silence is in Order May 21, 2007 Nothing like a good party May 14, 2007 Every plate was a work of art May 8, 2007 One heck of a fine time April 30, 2007 Out there is where the kites are April 23, 2007 Memorable, to say the least April 16, 2007 Things are a bit different now April 10, 2007 A Good Heart and a Full Pantry April 2, 2007 We Tried to Sculpt a Sunrise March 26, 2007 ...And a Mighty Fine One at That March 19, 2007 More of a Happy Secret March 12, 2007 I Could Think of Worse... March 5, 2007 The importance of having a plan February 27, 2007 I've Driven in Worse than This February 20, 2007 They Always Come Back February 12, 2007 Buck Up and Go About Your Business February 5, 2007 I really haven't risked much January 29, 2007 What if they come to our house? January 22, 2007 Heap coals of kindness January 16, 2007 Decadence Doesn't Have to be Pricey January 8, 2007 Repeat the Entire Process January 2, 2007 The Good Old Days December 26, 2006 I'll figure it out along the way December 18, 2006 And all the while you smile December 11, 2006 Patience Can Be Cultivated December 4, 2006 There's Just so Much November 27, 2006 In the Spirit of Gathering November 20, 2006 Buy one, get one. Free. November 13, 2006 Sometimes you give when you take November 6, 2006 Being good takes some work October 30, 2006 What Scares Me October 23, 2006 Both Lovely and Strange October 16, 2006 It's going to be a fine week October 9, 2006 Resist Prohibition October 2, 2006 When Solitude Presents Itself September 27, 2006 Surprise! No Cheese September 21, 2006 A Solid Routine July 6, 2005 Good To Be Home June 29, 2005 Something About Candlelight June 23, 2005 The Meaning of "Mojo" June 16, 2005 Plain and Simple June 9, 2005 A Whistle And A Song June 1, 2005 Go Play in the Rain May 26, 2005 Bring Me a Little Water May 19, 2005 What You Hold Onto May 13, 2005 An Ordinary Mother's Day May 5, 2005 The Boomerang Principle April 29, 2005 Silence Left Behind April 18, 2005 A Trip All Its Own April 7, 2005 Forgiveness March 31, 2005 Earth's the Right Place For Love March 17, 2005 Nothing Like a Good Road Trip March 11, 2005 How Time Passes March 7, 2005 A Kind of Balance February 23, 2005 Not a Trivial Pursuit February 15, 2005 Long-Time Friends February 9, 2005 The Last Word February 2, 2005 That's The Story Of Love January 25, 2005 Found Out January 19, 2005 You Just Never Know January 12, 2005 The Things We Need January 4, 2005 New Year's Wishes December 23, 2004 Dreaming at Christmastime December 14, 2004 A Perfect Pair December 8, 2004 A Wonderful Life November 30, 2004 Mr. Sundberg's Christmas Gift November 22, 2004 Shine Its Ever-Lovin' Light November 17, 2004 "Crazy" Can Be a Good Thing November 9, 2004 There’s Hope In Laughter November 2, 2004 Hot Coffee For Your Vote October 26, 2004 We're Out Here, Listening October 19, 2004 More Biscotti, Please October 13, 2004 A Voice Like a Hammock October 4, 2004 Polka Music. Oh, Yah September 28, 2004 Like Pie Heaven July 21, 2004 Wish You Were Here July 7, 2004 Let's Go Now June 28, 2004 Like Words to a Song June 21, 2004 People Are Very Much Like Icebergs June 14, 2004 You Love What You Love June 8, 2004 Alone in a Crowd June 1, 2004 What There Is to Be Afraid Of May 25, 2004 Goddess Victory Squat May 17, 2004 Things Could Have Been Different But They Weren't May 10, 2004 Best Mom in the World May 4, 2004 A Music Bath April 26, 2004 Tin Washtubs and Hay Mows April 19, 2004 It Was a Wonderful Thing April 12, 2004 The Waiting Room for Paradise April 5, 2004 A Solid Vocabulary March 29, 2004 Thank Goodness I Brought My Rhubarb Cobbler March 23, 2004 He Said, "There You Are." March 16, 2004 The Chicken Sure Was Good March 9, 2004 A Missionary in a Turquoise Polyester Dress March 1, 2004 No More Shanghai Barbecues February 23, 2004 I Happen to Love You Even Though You Make Me Crazy February 17, 2004 A Mother-Poet Version of Paul Bunyan February 9, 2004 Like the Garden of Eden With The Greens And The Pomegranates February 2, 2004 Crank up the Volume and Put on Your Parka January 26, 2004 Hash Browns, Side Pork, and Cold Whole Milk January 20, 2004 The Little Clock Radio And the Plastic Palm Tree January 13, 2004 I'll Bet You Could Smell That Cheese All the Way Down to the Mailbox January 5, 2004 The Tattoo, Joe Petroski, and the Llama Farm December 29, 2003 "Homemade Toffee Nearly Unhinged My Jaw" December 22, 2003 "So Much for the Meatballs" December 15, 2003 "Hallelujah in the Windshield Wipers" December 8, 2003 "How are They Going to Pull This Off?" December 5, 2003 "Red the Color of Wintergreen Berries" November 25, 2003 "Like a Firefly on a Hot Summer Night" November 17, 2003 "My toes were numb and the Fajitas were too spicy" November 10, 2003 "I'm in the closet. Chicken and dumplings are in the oven." November 1, 2003 "Maybe It Was the Barometric Pressure" October 28, 2003 "I felt that nyckelharpa in my fillings" |