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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. March 5, 2007 The importance of having a plan Listened to the show Saturday and it was not bad. I'd looked forward to it all day, really, as we'd been hit with another snowstorm on Thursday and the snow came down until sometime Saturday afternoon. Now this was a humdinger, bigger than the last, and the kids and I were in the house until church on Sunday morning. I remember reading, as a girl, stories about pioneers who weathered terrific storms and were snowbound for weeks on end and how they lost their minds and went after each other with axes and pitchforks, or lay themselves down and refused to eat a thing until they passed on, or simply wandered off into the storm, never to return. You've got to wonder what pushed them to those edges. Was it the silence? Boredom? Marital strife? Lack of sunlight, perhaps. Who knows. What I do know is that I climbed into bed Thursday night knowing what was ahead (I'd stocked up on food earlier in the day) and understanding the importance of having a plan. When you're home with kids (Mr. Sundberg is still in New Jersey) and somewhat confined for a stretch of days, you don't want to be without some kind of plan. Friday morning, over orange rolls and oatmeal, as snow came down in clumps the size of small rabbits, I explained to the kids that they'd be spending the morning with me up in their bedrooms trying on clothes and sorting through books and toys. Seems things pile up and, in my mind, everything a person owns ought to have either a purpose or a story, and if it doesn't, off to the church sale it goes. My mother always says how a house is a likely representation of the mind of its owner. For her, order is a sign of health. So are swept floors, unsmudged windows, and clean bathrooms. I don't know if I'd go that far, but I can tell you she's been far more often right than wrong. I remember Lizzie Hamilton's house, three doors down back when I was reading those pioneer stories. Lizzie lived alone with seven cats and kept everything. I mean EVERYthing. You couldn't get through her living room without climbing over a stack of newspapers or an old television or a box of yarn. Nope. When she died in her eighties of natural causes, it took them nearly two days to find her. She'd been putting shoe boxes away in the walk-in closet upstairs and must have set off a chain reaction because they found her under nearly 40 empty shoeboxes, four rhinestone pins on her blouse and a smile on her face. For good measure, I keep a little chaos in the house, on a bookshelf here and in a desk drawer there. There is something to be said for balance. The kids' closets are pretty much out of my jurisdiction, and that's fine by me. They do pretty well. They did on Friday, working all morning filling 9 grocery bags full of clothes that don't fit, un-played-with toys, and books. Needless to say, I didn't see them for the rest of the day. They played outside and I made a couple loaves of fresh bread and a big pot of soup for dinner and listened to the wind in the chimes under the eaves. One of those afternoons when things were as they should be. Nowhere to go, but no desire, either. The snow just kept coming, and the kids were laughing, and I dozed off awhile there in the kitchen, at the table near the window, as the soup simmered and the clock struck five.
Here's a fine soup for a snowy day in March. Try it with fresh bread or biscuits and a little plate of sliced cheddar cheese. 1 meaty soup bone from a water buffalo Pepper to taste In a 5 quart pot, brown the soup bone on both sides in 1/2 T butter using high heat. Add 2 qts water to cover soup bone. Cover and simmer 2 hours or so, until meat is nearly falling off the bone. At 20 minutes into simmering, add the barley and onion. This is the kids' favorite soup, but it never turns out the same way twice. Soup making should be a pleasant endeavor, so be creative. Enjoy! Serves 6-8 as a side dish, 4-6 as a meal. |
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" |