Tall Tales from Kansas

My name is Carol. I live in Kansas. I write about stuff that happens to me as I walk through the world. Most of it is true.

recent posts

  • one of the absolute pleasures of getting older

    In these days of Ho! Ho! Ho! and Fa-La-La-La-La, my time has been occupied by the very worthy task of enjoying this little poinsettia on my table. Why did I go with the mini version this year? Because I saw it, I knew I had a little pot to put it in, and was certain it would be perfect on the table. It could be that I will only get a tiny poinsettia from now on.

    A good batch of corn muffins was made in anticipation of the arrival of soup and stew season. Chris made a pot of ham and beans recently that may have been his best ever. Butternut squash got roasted before I forgot about it in the pantry until spring. We’ve all done it.

    Christmas card writing was another task crossed off the list. I don’t send as many as in years past, but a few just want to be written. This year I ordered a selection of cards from Cambridge Imprint across the pond in England. Their paper is so so wonderful to write on. Same goes for Hammerpress right here in Kansas City – love their designs.

    Perhaps the thing that has been delighting me the most is this paperwhite bulb purchased at the Holiday Farmers Market. Absolutely amazing! It’s growing, growing, growing, taller every hour. And the roots are mesmerizing; reaching down to the water in the pebbles. No Christmas in the future will be complete without one (or three) of them.

    When we were kids, we always got fruit in our stockings, at least one apple and one orange, plus nuts we had to crack open. This pear, which came in a box of fruit from Ray and Cheryl Jean, keeps that memory alive for me. They seem extra good this year. Brother and I also had a hilarious conversation about how good fruitcake is and that we like mincemeat pie. If only Angie could have joined in.

    One of the absolute pleasures of getting older is finally relating to all the things your parents thought were good… and having siblings to talk about it with.

  • knitting for when you are listening to a book by a cozy fire

    The “21 color slouch” hat has been completed. Here I am in the mirror that Alice retrieved from some barn, on some old homestead near Russell Kansas in the early 1980’s, and thought we needed in our house. She was right, of course. What I wouldn’t give to sit down and have a conversation with her right this minute. But that’s a post for another time – the one about all the talks you want, with all the memorable people in your life who have died. Let’s get back to the hat for now.

    Really FUN knit. The details about the pattern are in the last photo of the post. I bought this pattern and a kit with all the mini skeins of yarn from Dances with Wool in Richmond Virginia. I just looked on their website and it looks like they still have the bundle of mini skeins if you are interested. https://danceswithwoolrva.com/products/blue-sky-woolstok-27-color-mini-bundle?_pos=2&_psq=mini+sk&_ss=e&_v=1.0

    I tried many different methods of working in the ends as I went along. Some were better than others, I am not sure I have the best method figured out, but it was all good practice. Bottom line, I loved every bit of the knitting and the working in. Good knitting for when you are listening to a book by a cozy fire. I love that this turned out exactly as I thought it would. You know how sometimes you make something and when you put it on you are disappointed and know you will be unlikely to wear it? That is not the case with the 21 color slouch! It is slouchy without being too baggy, it is not itchy, and I just LOVE all the colors.

  • Mary Pat it was nice to meet you

    Santa was giving out hugs at the Holiday Farmers Market in Lawrence on Saturday. I was second in line after Karen Pendleton, creator of those fabulous gourds in the photo below.

    They also had paperwhites, in the proper containers, with clear instructions on what to do with them when you got them home. Which is – nothing. Watch them and be amazed. Just don’t let the bulb get wet. Only the roots. Check.

    There was some good music coming out of this group, spirits were high, smiles were plentiful.

    There were some creative, wonderful, useful items for sale.

    I have been meaning to try Mrs. Peters’ sugar cookies for years. This year is the year. I got the box that came complete with cookies, frosting in bags, sprinkles, and some instructions. She told me to report back to her how they came out.

    If you are a hot cocoa fan, these gnomes came complete with the hot chocolate bomb and all the toppings you could ask for. Clever idea.

    I was delighted to see the holiday cakes from Chonky sweets and eats. I nabbed a piece of the peppermint mocha and the gingerbread. Along with a couple of the original chocolate chip cookies with a touch of sea salt on top. It’s going to be a long winter. One must be prepared.

    They won the award for best looking family at the market. Love those smiles.

    Good smiles from this group too… plus dogs!

    I wanted to buy everyone on my gift list a bag of flour. The bags are so beautiful.

    It was when I was taking pictures of the flower ornaments that a really nice lady came up and asked me if I was Carol. She said I had taken photos of her son and his dog several times over the years at the market and so had become a blog reader! Oh how I love a moment of connection like this. I should have gotten a photo but I think we will likely run into each other again. Her name was Mary Pat and she said she and her husband would like to go to the beaches that Mary Ann and I walk in California. I so love it when people who read the blog talk to me.

    These two know how to wear a stocking hat, and how about the gloves with the snowflakes? I wanted to hug them, but refrained.

    Speaking of stocking hats?!?? Just when I think the succulent man at the market has come up with his best idea ever… he comes up with something even better. Loved these.

    The guy below had on a great cat hat that you really can’t see in this photo so just take my word for it. They were well prepared in their layers and with plenty of baskets and bags for their purchases.

    You could also get your presents wrapped at the market. If you were so inclined. These two were armed and ready to cut, fold, tape, and apply bows.

    Here is what came home with me Saturday. The thing you cannot see but I hope you “get” through the pictures, are what a wonderful time I had there. It was good to get a dose of “my people”. There is nothing like the holiday farmers market to get your mind right and your spirits lifted.

    P.S. The cookies were very fun to decorate and the cookies themselves – delicious! The frosting was tasty, really easy to apply, and firmed up nicely. I will admit to being quite liberal with it and the sprinkles. Which is the joy of a do it yourself decorating party. Chris and I gave the whole project 4 thumbs up.

  • a skillfully woven together masterpiece

    Over the course of the last 14 days I have spent a full 26 hours listening to The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by Kiran Desai. It is read (masterfully) by Sneer Mathan. It is hard to condense into a few sentences what this book is about. On the surface it is the story of 2 young people from India and their relationship, but is is so much deeper than that. It is filled with details, customs, traditions, and a cast of interesting, vibrant characters who show us their worries, doubts, superstitions, and beliefs. We see the complex love of family with ways that are rooted in the past but still with us today. Whether you are knowledgable about the culture of India or not, you will likely feel the similarities that inevitably exist in all families.

    The writing in this book is such a pleasure to read. Early on, I found myself stopping to write down particular lines, but gave that up so as not to interrupt the flow of the book. I will leave you with this one though from early on… “it was essential to remain close to those who had caused you harm so that the ghost of guilt might breathe through their dreams, that their guilt might slowly mature to it’s fullest potential”.

    I have not read The Inheritance of Loss, Desai’s previous book, but have added it to my list. I need to let this one sit with me for awhile and fully enjoy the magical quality of it. Extremely HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. After I read it, I looked at a review of it that said it was “too long and fragmented” and wondered if we had read the same book. Yes, it is long, but so skillfully woven together that it is seamless. I found myself caught up in the lives of ALL the characters, not just Sonia and Sunny. In particular Sunny’s mother (Babita) and Sonia’s father.

  • in the manner of a tree decorated for the holidays

    Before the first snow of the season, I managed to squeeze in one more good walk out at Clinton lake. It was glorious. Foggy, moist, full of the aroma of decomposing leaves, cool but not of the type requiring a heavy coat. In other words, some of my favorite conditions for walking.

    It was a perfectly, perfect, walk.

    On the ground a plethora of hedge apples. But this tree below retained its fruit, in the manner of a tree decorated for the holidays.

    I love the hedge apples from the Osage Orange tree. Food for the squirrels, quite useful for hedge ball bowling on the trail, some say if you put one in your basement it will discourage crickets from camping out.

    On this day my Merlin bird call app told me I was hearing Carolina wrens, American crows, white throated sparrows, a tufted titmouse, and a white breasted nuthatch. But the most interesting bird related sound I heard was the noise made when the gulls feet hit the water as they landed. They were flying about, low, over the water, not calling to each other, and every once in a while they would land for a few seconds. It was so quiet and still I could hear their feet as they slapped the water. It is etched in my mind.

    The weather is nothing you can depend on in the winter in Kansas. You never know when it might be face freezing cold, snowy, muddy, or windy. It made this day even more special.

    Hello tree holding on to your leaves extra tight.

    Thank you for the gift that was this view.

  • all imagined disasters averted

    This walk on a day in late November, showcases perfectly the beauty of the season. Gray-ish sky turning blue by spells, the gold/wheat/tan/browns of the grasses, the turned leaves that are nonetheless spectacular, especially against the water and the sky.

    The dark branches of the trees.

    As a special treat, how about that great blue heron just standing there posing for me. Things like this stop me in my tracks and cause me to exclaim to no one at all (and anyone who might be in hearing distance) “will you just look at that?!”

    These are things to be thankful for. Also that the Thanksgiving gathering turned out well, the food was delectable (Sean made some amazing cider-glazed Brussels sprouts with apples and bacon – link below to the recipe), there were no catastrophes, it was nice to see everyone, and of course for the house that has been put back in order and the leftovers doled out so we don’t end up with too many.

    All imagined fracases and disasters averted. Isn’t that the way of it so often?

    https://dishingouthealth.com/cider-glazed-brussels-sprouts/

  • they have your gut microbiome taken care of

    On the day before the day before Thanksgiving, this post goes out in honor of one of the things I am very thankful for. The Lawrence Farmers market… and all the wonderful people that make it happen.

    On duty for the last farmers market of the regular season, these 2 brought their very best smiles. The number of vendors has dwindled greatly but I still managed to get what I needed, along with some parting shots of all the great people who contribute to making our farmers market what it is.

    When I was getting a shot of the squash, the Westside Bagel guy told me not to turn the camera on him or the lens would crack. I of course had to prove him, and his great supporting cast wrong.

    There was no chance of this sweetie cracking a lens. All snuggled up with tigger and waiting in line with mom and grandma for a breakfast treat, there is nothing but anticipation of something good happening on that face.

    Thuy was having a great conversation with a regular about getting juice and protein balls in the off season.

    I ran into my favorite big sister/little brother combo while they were waiting for juice too. She told me I did not have to be scared of her brother because it was “just an alligator hat”.

    The variety of sweet potatoes is vast and plentiful and Mellowfields farm has you covered for Thanksgiving side dishes.

    You gotta love this group of hipsters at the Wild Alive fermenters booth. They have your gut microbiome taken care of and then some.

    Oh how I will miss my weekly supply of locally grown greens, but everything in it’s season. In the meantime I am eating the heck out of them. There is truly nothing better.

    I love coming home, washing them, letting them dry out a bit, and I am good to go for the week. You don’t truly appreciate the taste of really good greens, until you don’t have them.

  • sometimes it’s best to ponder the unknown

    With some trepidation (that was carefully stuffed into my left shoe before leaving for the airport), I set out on a recent visit to sister. Short visits are always better for me, but that means more regular visits, and I hadn’t been there since June. Plus, Iris and Otto need to see me more often if they are to understand how I fit into the family, and that it is imperative for them to start to “cozy up” to me.

    Can I just say that Southwest was really great? Yes, I was shocked by such excellent communication about the status of my flight several days before the trip out and back. Reassurance that my flights were not being affected by the whole government hullabaloo, was most appreciated. I am not sure what it says about the airline industry that I was so overwhelmed by being treated with common courtesy and respect… but there you have it, and a big thanks to Southwest as well as the really nice TSA folks I encountered.

    The gardens at the Huntington were all spiffed up and looking their best. What a luxury to visit a place so beautiful. Next year I will visit in early December instead of mid-November and maybe the ginkgo’s will be at their peak then. No matter though, I love them when they are not peaking too. There are benches under them where one can lay on your back with your knees drawn up and stare at the blue sky and feel your entire body relax. If you are so inclined… and why wouldn’t you be?

    Below is a Feijoia – Sharron had them in her farmers market box on the front porch and invited us to try them at the ranch. Get a load of the cute little spoons you use to scoop out the inside then pop in your mouth. Google says they are also known as a pineapple guava. I don’t think I am going to find them anytime soon at a store near me in Kansas.

    Sister took me on some of her favorite walks, we went to the beach, had a moon bowl at the Lucky Llama, sampled the tacos at Homestead, went for tea at the Huntington’s Rose Garden Tea Room, and did some cat petting. By the way, the class at the Rose Bowl Aquatic center was FANTASTIC! How wonderful to be in a pool that is not too cold, moving your body around in ways that feel good, while trying not to bump into the other participants. Did I mention it was in the deep water, and that we got in the hot tub afterwards.? Pure bliss.

    Before you know it I was back in the air and headed home to Kansas.

    P.S. I NEVER tire of staring out of the window on a plane. One day they may invent a window that will tell you exactly what you are looking at when you touch it. On second thought, never mind, sometimes it’s best to ponder the unknown.

  • how a life might turn out differently based on the name we are given

    The Names, by Florence Knapp, is my latest “listen” from the library on Libby. I finished it in the airport and on the plane while traveling to see Sister recently. This novel, set in England and Ireland, explores the idea of how a life might turn out differently based on the names we are given. It follows Cora, her daughter Maia, and husband Gordon as their lives unfold in 3 different ways depending on the name given to the new baby boy they have just welcomed into the family. Cora, Gordon, and Maia each have their own thoughts on what would be a good name for the baby. They are unconventional; Gordon says they are continuing the tradition and naming the baby Gordon, just as he is named after his father Gordon.

    The story is told in 7 year increments, and as life proceeds and the things unfold we are introduced to other characters that also inhabit the lives of the different iterations of the son. It is not just the son whose life is different based on his name, but all the others characters as they are are shaped by their interactions with the son. The author did not resort to making one path of the son “bad”, one “good”, and one “middle of the road”. Each path was filled with the highs and lows of life, making the reader feel the sadness and joy in each name he was assigned.

    This is a hard story at times. Gordon the father is abusive to Cora and everyone lives in the shadow of that. My friends Peggy and Annette also read or listened to this and we finished within a week or so of each other, making it very nice to be able to discuss it, while it is still fresh and very much on our minds. This is a book you WANT to talk about with someone else.

    Very highly recommended. Extremely well written and such a different concept for a story. If you can listen, the narrator, Dervla Kirwan is really quite exceptional.

    P.S. do you know why you were given the name you have? I never thought to ask Angie until after she was gone why she named me Carol. Just another one of those things you don’t think about asking until it’s too late.

  • hard does not take the fun out of it for me

    Season #3 of the Block Studies Collective with Tara Faughnan has begun. Above is the palette for October. Don’t you just want to dive into it and roll around in all the color? Then maybe run your hands over the fabric to see which shades tell you they want to play together?

    We started with cutting a bunch of strips and then the placing/sorting began.

    For my first block (the one on the right), I didn’t plan at all, just pulled colors so I could see how they would look next to each other. I have yet to sew the completed sections together – there may be more sections added. The one on the left was a more deliberate attempt to try combinations. I hated it at first. Now I love it. Especially since I added that cinnamon border around it.

    This bundle of mini-skeins of yarn came up in an e-mail from “Dances with Wool” – a yarn store in Richmond that I make it a point to visit when I go see brother. The pattern for the hat was a suggestion for a way to use it. Don’t I want to make a hat like that? YES, yes I do. I started working in some of the ends as I go. Best not to save all that for the end. A very enjoyable project.

    What is it about making stuff? Such an absolute joy to see something, or think about something, or get inspired by what someone else has done… and then tell yourself you can do it, you should do it, you will do it. We are moving into the height of sitting in front of the fire season, the cozy/warm time of candles, and of course creating. Do tell what you are discovering, trying, diving into, this fall. One of us may NEED to try it too.

    It’s time to slap a bunch of stickers on a new planner for the year. I try to keep appointments in my phone, but I am a paper planner person from way, way, way, back. They are a record, along with my journals of lots of stuff I may want to look back on.

    While sitting on the back patio at Moss Cottage last week, it was essential to try my hand at some drawing. Hats are hard. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. But that is no reason not to try them. Heck everything seems hard when you don’t do it that often. Hard does not take the fun out of it for me.

    The November palette for block studies is below. Again, a wonderful collection of shades, tones, colors. One of the things I love about the format of this class with Tara Faughnan, is that you have a whole month to do things with no timeline, deadline, or due date. Work at your own pace.

    Creativity in the kitchen is calling me too. I have a serious hankering for pumpkin bread. Can you imagine how good that will smell baking while I sit at the table and knit? Yes, me too.

    Finally, because I have been meaning to do this for days, how about a fall mini flower arrangement comprised solely of the succulents and other plants out back that are showing off their fall colors? This falls into the category of “easy does not take the fun out of it for me”.

    This morning, when I sat down to do a read through of this post to check for typos etc I got a a message from Nancy with a link to a podcast. https://thetelepathytapes.com/podcast/the-telepathy-tapes-s2e03 With a title like The Consciousness of Creativity: Are ideas alive and do they choose us?, how could I not immediately listen. I am adding it here because it was intriguing, reinforcing, and informative. Plus, it is perfect to go with a blog post about “making”. This was one of my takeaways: Creativity is our birthright, we can all make art and become the best version of ourselves doing it. Powerful stuff. Let me know what you think if you listen.