The View From Mrs. Sundberg's Window

Work is like air

July 4, 2011

Listened to the show Saturday and it was not bad. It's been a bit frustrating these few days with the government shut-down and all. Nothing I can't deal with. My son can wait to get his driving permit, and the fact that the bridge work is on hold just means we'll have to wait a bit longer to get where we're going in a timely manner. The county road work is being done, though, and thank goodness for people who know how to fix roads.

Whom I feel for are the people whose work has been shut down. Work is like air. Keeps a person alive and smiling, and if you don't get enough, you can suffocate. I imagine they're finding things to keep them busy, but I wish more than anything that they get their work back in a timely manner. I imagine people find things to do in the meantime, but it's not the same as having your work to go to and do and come home from.

My oldest just started her first job a week ago. She's a hostess at a small family restaurant, and she chatters all the way there and all the way back about how happy she is to have work to do that keeps her busy and feels productive. She hasn't mentioned being paid for that work more than once, and for her the paycheck isn't the glory. It's the feeling useful and doing something that, to her, is meaningful.

Once she does get paid, and I ask for a cut to cover gas and her "uniform", I imagine she'll give more thought to the significance of the money she's earning. She may step back. She may get a bit ruffled. I'll explain that there's a cost to living, and to convenience, and that real life isn't as easy as it appears. That it's good to love your work, and it makes sense to get paid, and to pay your own way. And that when that privilege and freedom is taken from you, it takes your breath away.

I'm going to clean my house today. Not because it's so dirty, but because it's mine, and because I can. I'm going to bake, too, and take the back road to drop the kids off for a movie, and write some about what it means to shut down, and why it's important to be positive, and maybe a short piece about the best kinds of wooden spoons. Here's to good work, and hard work, and the people who do it, and those who wish to.

There are a few blueberries left in my freezer, and since I'm going pickin' soon, I'm using what I've got so I might load 'er up again. This recipe uses one cup of blueberries. And it's dang good. Remember to be gentle, always, when mixing in berries.

Blueberry Biscuits

Mix the following in a large bowl:
1 1/2 cups white flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup chopped almonds
3/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup white sugar
Mix in 1 cup blueberries.

In a separate bowl, mix the following:
3/4 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup of your favorite oil
1 beaten egg

Gently stir the liquid mixture into the dry mixture. Turn out onto a floured breadboard, divide into 12-16 pieces and roll each piece into a ball. Place pieces on a greased cookie sheet and bake in a preheated 400 deg. oven for 12 minutes, or until golden brown.

Enjoy!

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