The View From Mrs. Sundberg's Window

Something to be said for the moment

July 25, 2011

Listened to the show Saturday and it was not bad. It was the cruise show, and while I listened I imagined myself all sprawled out on the deck of a ship, with nothing to do but breathe in the ocean air and listen to the birds and feel the lull of the ship and the mild vibrations from Mr. Sundberg snoring next to me. Makes me shiver a bit. Not my husband's snoring, but the thought of floating out on the ocean with no dryer buzzer going off in the background and no one asking, "Aren't you making bars today?"

No, I'm not making bars today. It's not my destiny. My destiny has to do with a house on a lake with a big front porch and some rose bushes and pine trees. My destiny includes a boat (I don't care much whether it's a canoe or bass boat or pontoon but now that I think about it I think I'd go for the pontoon), a swing on that big ol' open porch, and whitecaps on those lake waves as often as the North Wind pleases. There's a big ol' gas oven in the kitchen, and toilet seats that don't pinch your butt, and a bed with a soft, even mattress, and windows with shutters to fling open in the morning and lean out like in that aftershave commercial.

There will be photos all 'round of everything between now and then, and the phone won't ring; it will hum, "Hail, Hail, The Gang's All Here" and I will hear echoes of my children's voices in every room. And yes, there will be bars. Of course. How could bars not appear in my destiny? Chocolate cherry bars, mostly-baked chocolate chip bars, lemon bars. Bars every day, or cookies, or a good loaf of cranberry orange bread.

Lord, Almighty. I'm going to have to make a pan of bars. The cruise, a nap with Mr. S on the deck, my dream house on a Minnesota lake, that enormous porch with a view of the sun falling away... It can wait. The kids will be home from the beach soon, and it's been awhile since I've made those peanut butter bars, the ones with the chocolate topping. Something to be said for the moment, this moment, and life within it.

The best things are pretty simple, and one of my favorite meals of my life included cabbage with vinegar poured over it. Here's a fine recipe, one you can count on, and it won't take more than a minute or two.

Simply Fine Coleslaw

1 cup mayonnaise
2 T milk
2 T vinegar
1 1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1 medium head of cabbage
1 lg. carrot, shredded

In large bowl, mix mayonnaise, milk, vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper; mix well. Add cabbage, shredded, and carrot. Toss gently until well coated. Cover and refrigerate 2 hours or longer to blend flavors. Makes 8 servings.

Enjoy!