The View From Mrs. Sundberg's Window

A dark, cool corner somewhere

June 23, 2009

Listened to the show Saturday and it was not bad. It wasn't hot, either. Warm, maybe. Really warm. But nowhere near as hot as it has gotten since, Lord help us. I'll confess. For the first time in my life, I cranked the air conditioning to "High" sometime on Monday, and that still didn't do it. Heat everywhere, even behind the towels in the hall closet. Hot, wet heat that makes you want to fold up into a ball and fly off into orbit where there must be a lack of moisture and a dark, cool corner somewhere.

We tried just about everything. Went out and bought mini oscillating fans and plugged them in and lay on the living room floor, all four of us, with air blowing full blast up and down our faces and bodies. Mr. Sundberg walked in at lunchtime and there we were, all sprawled out and red-faced and damp. We must have looked liked victims of some kind of serial-fan-killer or something, because Mr. Sundberg let out a tiny little scream. "Aahh!" he squeaked. None of us moved at all except for our heads which we turned to look at him and say, "IT'S HOT." He shook his head at us and went into the kitchen where I'd made a three-layer turkey and Swiss sandwich on rye and wrapped it and put it in the fridge because we'd eaten our lunch early. Popsicles. Cherry.

Today is different. Today the heat index is way the heck up there beyond sanity, and fans seem a bit silly when your internal organs are at risk. Today we head to the beach where Nature Herself has provided relief in its most practical form: cool water. Today the kids and I will immerse ourselves in one of our state's bazillion lakes and stay there until our skin turns white and our internal organs are sufficiently cool, and while there we'll probably talk about what we'll do over the Fourth or maybe what we need to get for camp, or perhaps we'll just reminisce about how much fun it was to go sledding last winter and how much fun it will be this coming winter and how it's really not that far away, it being almost July and all, and September not long off, and once September is here, well, it's pretty much almost winter time, don'tcha think?

Pepperoni Pasta Salad

This recipe is light and tangy and just right for a hot summer evening on the deck when you don't feel like having dinner but you need a little something. Serve with bread and white wine and perhaps a sliver of cheesecake.

1 large package sea shells macaroni
1 can small black olives, drained
1 jar green olives, drained
1 package sliced pepperoni
1 small red onion, sliced and halved
8 ounces (or so to taste) cubed Mozzarella cheese
Fresh grated Parmesan Cheese
1/4 cup oil
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
Oregano, basil, garlic, parsley, rosemary, salt, and pepper to taste.

Cook pasta; drain and cool. Combine all ingredients except Parmesan cheese. Toss in oil and vinegar. Add herbs and salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle Parmesan on top.

Enjoy!

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