The View From Mrs. Sundberg's Window

One Summer Day

June 30, 2008

Listened to the show Saturday and it was not bad. Got me all nostalgic about summer when I was a kid, and how things were different then, and simpler, and how my brothers and I often wish for one summer day, just one, to be kids again, together.

There weren't computers back then, at least not in our house. There was a TV, but it had a 13 inch screen and no cable, so there was "Gilligan's Island" and "Tom and Jerry" and "The Brady Bunch." We didn't watch much TV, and when we did, it was something of an event. The one show we rarely missed was "Night Stalker." Seemed it was on on Thursday evenings, or maybe Saturdays. We'd come running in from an afternoon of swimming and take a quick shower while Dad made popcorn or chocolate malts and we'd pile on the couch all sunburned and worn out and, for an hour, have our pants scared off.

Apart from that, we mostly played outside. We rode our bikes out to "D" bridge and waded and poked dead fish with sticks and lay on towels in the sand and ate the Cheetos and licorice Mom sent along in brown paper bags. We drank sugar pop and jumped from the bridge on days when the river swelled up with water from thunderstorms, and we stayed as long as we could, often biking home as the sun set. There were hot days when we set up fans in the living room and read books and dozed off, and there were days when we pretty much just walked around town with pockets full of change and ate ice cream and cheese curds and played Pac Man at the cafe. We set up the tent and slept outside now and then, and kept each other awake with stories about ol' Green Eyes, who drowned in the river. We stood under the gutters and washed our hair when it rained, and played football over on the church lawn for long afternoons, and sat on the porch swing in the evenings sipping root beer floats and watching the cars go by. Our feet were bare and our shoulders were freckled and we didn't give much thought to why we never caught any fish in Hollicker's Creek.

There's been a stretch of perfect days lately, hot but not too hot and sunny, with a cool breeze coming through in the afternoon, and it's been pure joy watching the kids just be kids. They've been fishing down at the river several times already, and out flying kites, and they've gone through two boxes of popsicles just this past week. I want to take them sailing, but I don't have a sailboat, so the old fishing boat will have to do. Not that they mind. They just want to be out there on the water, waves lapping at the boat, dangling their fingers or feet in far enough for small fish to nibble away. I'll pack some sandwiches, and some grapes, and Orange Crush and oatmeal cookies and a sack of lemon drops. A lot like a lunch I once shared with two boys on a beach near a river in July.

Make this recipe. Take it to the next gathering on your calendar. There will no leftovers, and you'll be invited to at least one party, perhaps two. Seriously.

Cheesy Potato Casserole

1 bag of tater tots
1 can cream of chicken soup
2 small containers sour cream
8 oz shredded Cheddar cheese

Let tater tots thaw and crumble into a large bowl.

Mix in soup and sour cream and 1/2 the cheese.

Spread into a baking dish and sprinkle remaining cheese on top.

Bake at 350 for 45 minutes.

Enjoy. MMM.

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