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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.

October 15, 2007


Lord Help those within Earshot

Listened to the show Saturday and it was not bad. It had been a cool day, a heavenly day, and I set about cooking up a storm while the kids raked leaves out in the backyard. I had the window open above the sink and could hear them clear as a loon at dawn. They were laughing an awful lot, that kind of silly giggling laugh you get when you don't have all that much energy and feel a bit sleepy.

At one point they called for me so I washed my hands and went out to the back porch steps and they were nowhere to be seen. There were three rakes lying in the grass along with a blue sweatshirt and a big ol' pile of leaves. And then I saw the white tennis shoe poking out from under the leaves. So I hollered out their names and waited and hollered again, something about pie being ready, and nothing. Well, I said out loud, I wonder where they ran off to. I'll just dump this bucket of dog poop on this here compost heap while I'm out here. And I threw a few chunks of dirt from the flower bed onto the pile of leaves. You never heard such screaming. All three kids shot out of those leaves as if they'd been catapulted from beneath the earth's crust. They ran around in circles, leaves everywhere, brushing themselves off. I stood there with tears running down my face, I was laughing so hard.

Dirt, I told them. It was DIRT. I told them to finish up before dinner and they picked up their rakes and I headed back in to the kitchen where the wild rice soup was bubbling away and the cheddar bread was nearly done.And then Carole King came on. Lord, I nearly tipped over. I couldn't believe it. Carole King. There was a time in my life when her songs were oxygen to me. I used to play "So Far Away" when Mr. Sundberg and I were first married and he was several hours away at school for the week and home on weekends. And "You Make Me Feel." Which I never could sing with a straight face. Still can't.But my favorite? Oh, my. "Tonight you're mine completely / You give your love so sweetly / Tonight the light of love is your eyes / But will you love me tomorrow?" Heavenly. And there it was on the radio. Lord help those within earshot. I know those lyrics better than I know the Lord's Prayer, and I re-defined the notion of "singalong." I stood on a barstool with my apron on and let 'er rip. I sang and sang and didn't hold back. Not one bit. The kids came in just then and within minutes I had all three of them up on the table, my back-up singers, each of us with a wooden spoon for a microphone. We'd gotten to the "when the night cha cha cha meets the mor cha cha cha ning suu uuhn..." just as Mr. Sundberg came in from the garage. "Oh, for God's sake," he said. "Can't we all just get a grip here?" I leaned forward and shook my spoon at him and sang, I'd like to know that your love / Is love that I can be sure of.

"What time we eating?" he asked.I jumped down and motioned the kids to join me. Go wash up, I told them, and then get back in here.

Mr. Sundberg headed out to the garage to wrap things up. Wait, I called. He poked his head back in. "What is it?" he asked. Well, I said, One Fine Day? You're gonna want me for your girl. Dinner's in ten.

Be here.

Well, one December a while back, I shared my favorite wild rice soup recipe along to you, the cheesy type that feels like concrete in your gut if you go overboard and eat too much, but, OH, is it good. And here's a variation on my recipe, wonderfully rich and hearty but not quite as heavy. Serve it up with some fresh bread and a slice of apple pie later on.

WILD RICE SOUP

Combine:

3/4 cups uncooked wild rice
7-10 slices crisp crumbled bacon
1-2 cups diced cooked chicken
1 can drained mushrooms (or 8 oz fresh sliced)
1 cup half & half
4 chicken bouillon cubes
2 T butter
1 can cream of mushroom soup
4 cups water
and 1 cup chopped celery if desired.

Cook on High about 4 hours in crock pot. 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"



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