The View From Mrs. Sundberg's Window

Be alive while you can

February 10, 2009

Listened to the show Saturday and it was not bad. It was a welcome lift for me, I'll tell you, especially with those Buddy Holly songs, and "Do You Know You Are My Sunshine?" I was singing along with that one, and the kids were wondering how the heck I knew the words. Seems to me that one goes way back to my childhood when my dad listened to the country music station while he worked making jigs down in the basement. Funny how the words just stay with you all your life when you learn a song as a kid.

Anyway, it was good to hear some happy tunes. It was a bit of a downer of a week. The weather has been somewhat crappy with rain and sleet coming down and gray skies pretty much every day. Doesn't bother me all that much, but it seems to get to people in general. It's that time of year when spirits are low for some reason. You throw the tax deadline on top of the weather, and Valentine's Day, too, and muddy driveways and salt all the heck over everything, and lack of vitamin D or whatever it is the sun gives you, and you've got yourself a good potential for bad days.

Now, I feel compelled to say something here. Last week, in my small town, a woman whom I knew only by name got so down and out that she thought the only way to make it all better was to take a gun and turn it on herself and pull the trigger and put an end to what was a lovely and productive life. And that's just what she did. Now I don't mean any disrespect to her or her life, but what could be so awful that it would be worth ending your life? What pain could be so great that the goodness of things couldn't in some way balance it out? I just don't know. I'm at a loss here. I do know that I can come up with a list of a thousand things better than dying a person might do on the worst day of his or her life. A good cry, for starters. A walk in the woods. An afternoon of bowling. A spending spree at the grocery store. A long-distance phone call to mom. A long letter to dad. A drive along the river. A homemade pizza. A long nap. Another good cry.

I could go on all day, but you get my drift. Instead of dying on your worst day, rent a Winnebago and head west to the Rockies. Paint your house blue. Buy a tractor and drive it around town. Do something. Be alive while you can. You might have the blues, but they won't last forever. Trust me on this one.

Shrimp Scampi
If you're looking for something good to cook up for your sweetheart, give this recipe a try. Serve it by candlelight. An elegant dish, for sure.

Marinade 2 lb shrimp in 1 cup olive oil, 1/2 cup white wine (your choice), 1 T oregano, and 2 cloves crushed garlic.

Place in a bowl and cover. Marinade in refrigerator for 4-6 hours. Using a slotted spoon, remove shrimp and transfer to a fry pan, and sauté in 1 T butter, turning shrimp until they just turn pink. Do not overdo or shrimp will be tough.

Serve over buttered green (spinach) fettuccini. Serve with a nice white wine of your choice, maybe a Pinot Grigio, and a dense Italian or sourdough bread, with a side dish of herbed olive oil for dipping. Serves 6.

Enjoy!

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