Sponsor
A Prairie Home Companion with Garrison Keillor

The View From Mrs. Sundberg's Window
In this feature, regular listener Mrs. Sundberg shares her thoughts about Saturday's show.

June 25, 2007


Growing up is harder than learning how to fly

Listened to the show Saturday and it was not bad. I was a bit worn out, having spent the day getting the kids all set up for a week at camp, so the show was a welcome break from lists and laundry and packing. I fell asleep on the couch sometime before the sun set, and woke up around 3 a.m. thinking I'd overslept, and I hadn't, so I put away some dishes and ate a cookie bar, and climbed on upstairs to sleep a while longer.

Camp is only an hour away, but the drive there on Sunday afternoon seemed to go a bit quicker. The kids talked and talked, then argued a bit, then were silent as we got closer. They haven't been away this long before and I think it must have been a bit unsettling but they bucked up when we arrived and carried their own suitcases and sleeping bags and pillows to their bunkhouses after we got all registered.

There were swimming tests (they all passed so the big floating dock is an option, thank goodness) and we sat awhile and ate chocolate chip oatmeal cookies (not homemade but they did the trick) and I took a few pictures and then it was time. I gave Mr. Sundberg a look and he nodded and we hugged the kids and said goodbye and drove away waving and hollering, Have fun! See you Friday! They stood together and waved, then turned and ran off with their new friends while I kept on waving.

Summer camp gave me some of my best memories. It's where I met my friend Karen, who became my best friend in high school. I met a few boys there, too, and chased them around the woods at night with flashlights, and I first went skinny-dipping at summer camp. And I see now I learned there where my parents ended and where I began. Which is a good thing. And a bit of a sad thing, too, now that I'm the parent and the inevitable is unfolding. I'm supposed to teach them to live without me, and that's fine, and it's a good thing for the most part, but some small part of me wants to drive on over there and bring them home this very minute.

I won't do that, of course. This is free week for me and Mr. Sundberg. We've got work to catch up on and I was hoping to do some shopping and paint the bedroom and invite some friends over for a cookout. And I plan to take several long hot baths and sleep in a morning or two. We'll go get the kids Friday morning, and they'll have stories and the routine will pick up again and it won't be long before I'm wishing they'd find a friend and go play somewhere.

Until then, I'll think of them pretty often and wonder about the looks on their faces as they approach the obstacle course and choose between a brat and a burger and help build a bonfire for s'more-making and singing. I remember my mother said once, quoting Peter Pan, that growing up is harder than learning how to fly. One requires truth; the other, fairy dust.

Funny how so much of what my mother told me when I was a kid made so much more sense later on. Like I had to have my own kids to really get it. And I do.

Spinach Salad

2 qts fresh spinach leaves, torn
16 oz can bean sprouts, drained, or 2 cups fresh sprouts
8 oz can water chestnuts, drained
4 hardboiled eggs, peeled and sliced
6 slices of bacon, fried and crumbled
1 small onion, thinly sliced

Dressing:
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup salad oil
1/3 cup vinegar
1/3 cup ketchup
1 T Worcestershire

In small jar or bottle, combine dressing ingredients and shake well.

Set aside, and toss salad ingredients in a large bowl.

Just before serving, pour dressing over the whole shebang and give it a toss or two.

Serves 4–8, depending on how hungry you are. Enjoy!

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"



  • News/Talk
  • Music
  • Entertainment