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

  • it’s best to learn these things young

    I was delighted to find these little bundles of bittersweet at the market on Saturday. Who would not be delighted to be handed a sweet bouquet like this? Maybe the bittersweet in one hand and a mini pumpkin in the other.

    These dahlias survived a morning almost frost? Or was it a frost? All I know is they were unexpected and fantastic.

    A little further on there were these.

    Pinks or yellows your choice.

    You might remember “Charlie” from a few weeks back… sampling the juices at Liquid Garden? Well Saturday she was in no mood to be messed with and she did not want to have to be bothered to carry that bag. She has all the makings of a force to be reckoned with. She was practicing giving me the side-eye. It’s best to learn these things young.

    I have got to make some butternut squash bisque. Soon. The one with the tiniest hint of cayenne, served with some really good crusty bread on the side.

    Here is what my basket held this week. There was no skimping or penny pinching. I went all out.

    Here is the bittersweet bundle I got.

    Have you heard that phrase “eat the rainbow”. I think this photo sums it up nicely.

    All rainbows should have caramel apple cake at the end too.

    Life is all about balance.

  • they both get what is coming to them in the end

    Last month the NYT Book Review had a special edition of the 50 best thrillers of the 21st century. Being a lover of thrillers, as long as they are not too violent or dark, I of course looked through it. I sort of thought I would had read the book determined to be #1 on the list. But I could not recall every having read it. Thus, I requested Gone Girl on Libby, from the library, and waited.

    It came up for me about 13 days ago and I buckled down and got to listening. It’s 20 hours long! You only get a book on libby for 14 days. When it is called for, I can be quite disciplined. So here’s a few things about the book…. about 5 hours in, I decided to ask google if it was based on a real case. They told me that a real case of a missing woman with a suspicious husband (Laci and Scott Peterson) may have influenced the author, but that this book was about a woman who sets up her husband to take the fall for her murder and she leaves of her own accord. ACK!!!!! I read this 5 hours in and was irritated. BUT, I decided to keep on listening and need not have worried that it was a serious spoiler. There are so many twists and turns in the novel that you just keep rolling with it. In the end, which I will not spoil for you if you have not read it yet, both the husband and the wife get what is coming to them. In my humble opinion.

    I usually do not like to watch a movie if I have read a book. However, I have it on good authority that the movie should be watched, and that the cast is stellar. So, this coming weekend, I have a date with my knitting, in front of the TV, with a cup of warm apple cider, and I am going to watch. Just to see what I think, and if I change my opinion about the ending.

    To be continued. Maybe.

    Do weigh in if you have an opinion about the book.

  • as photo worthy as the rest

    I was smitten with all the squash and pumpkins Saturday at the market.

    The blue/gray/green Jarrahdale pumpkins are a particular favorite.

    I should have gotten some tomatoes, basil, and zucchini and brought them home, roasted the tomatoes, sliced the zucchini, grated some cheese, chiffonaded the herbs, and threw it all in a pan to serve for dinner tonight. A final hurrah to the produce of summer. Alas I did not.

    I did however pick up a slice of the pumpkin spice latte cake.

    This combination of zinnias, dahlias, millet, oak leaves, and various assorted greenery was amazingly beautiful.

    The stems in the water, as photo worthy as the rest.

  • a feeling of community that felt good

    This is Stella. My new cat friend that I did not post a photo of when I talked about her recently. We are becoming better acquainted. She walks down the driveway to greet me when I approach. I have developed ridiculous pet names for her.

    This in no way implies that I am not still seriously in love with Barry. He has taken to visiting me on my porch. I have a lot of inside pockets in my body where I can store endless amounts of cat love.

    In other news, while in Sarah’s fabrics downtown the other day, (https://sarahsfabrics.com) I spotted a lovely bundle of 9 fat quarters that begged to be made into a set of new fall napkins. I like an even number of napkins so I snagged a ringer that looked like it went with them, from a color perspective anyway.

    A few short hours later there was this lovely stack. Napkins are an immensely satisfying project that make me very happy every time I look at them. Since that is every single night with dinner, there is a serious amount of bang for the buck. Especially since I love actually making them. These fabrics are part of the Golden Harvest collection by Martha Negley. Who happens to be from Kansas City by the way.

    I snuck in this quick read recently. It’s a page turner. The story of a young woman with a mysterious illness that turns out to be very rare, but through the perseverance of all the people who love her she gets diagnosed. I went to my very first book club ever where this was discussed. I loved it. Low key, really nice people, perspectives different from my own, it only lasted one hour, snacks were available. What’s not to like about all of that. There was a feeling of community that felt good as we sat around.

    The sky on a recent walk.

    How about a quick close up of the flowers from last week’s farmers market. They seem perfect with the fall napkin color palette don’t they?

    What are you sewing, knitting, crocheting, growing, cooking, painting?

  • wielding their celosia like swords

    Let’s just start the farmers market post this week with a little cake porn shall we? I am kinda, sorta, sorry to do this to you on a Monday morning, but there it is.

    This weekend marked a return of some cooler temps which means it’s hat and jacket weather at the market.

    There are still plenty of flowers to be had though.

    I have not seen cane ribbon syrup at the market before. My Louisiana relatives never ate a biscuit without it. I have a recipe for a Steen’s cane ribbon syrup cake that I may need to pull out again. It’s perfect for fall. I am not certain that sorghum cane syrup and Steen’s cane syrup are the same. I will investigate. Anyway the cake is a perfect warm, spicy, gingerbread kind of thing. In my mind it’s a perfect breakfast cake.

    I am a fan of hand holding at the market.

    These two were wielding their celosia like swords when I came upon them. I am not at all certain any of the stems made it home intact. Dad had a nice bouquet he was holding as back up.

    Here is what came home this week. I got one of this hand-dyed scarves I spied last week. The spinner, knitter, dyer, that made it told me it was dyed with onion skins. I love the gold/metallic look of it.

  • a mutually beneficial relationship

    Lately I have fallen into the habit of getting up extra early when I am not working, to enjoy the sunrise and be able to walk when it is a bit cooler. I have been rewarded with these sights.

    These are all just walks in my neighborhood. Who can say if this habit will take hold as we move into cooler weather. Right now I am just enjoying each one of these mornings as they unfold.

    P.S. the bonus is that I have a new friend in the neighborhood. She is out in front of her house when I go for my very early walk. Her name is Stella, she has beautiful hair and green eyes. She is a cat. She likes to be petted. I like to pet. It’s a mutually beneficial relationship in all the right ways.

  • very simpatico with the pumpculent

    The return of “pumpculents” is a reason for rejoicing. If, you are a fan of succulents, pumpkins, and all things fall, which I happen to be. Therefore, this morning I rejoiced. I did not sing the hallelujah chorus, but I did want to.

    This one may or may not be the one that came home with me today. I had my eye on it though. Let’s face it, we all know that there will be more coming home as the season progresses. No pumpculent likes to exist in isolation without a kindred spirit to play with.

    Bittersweet!

    I met Charlie today at Liquid Garden, she was tasting a variety of juices before picking her favorite. She has a discriminating palate. And, she carries her own purchases in her special bag.

    She carries her own purchases too.

    It’s been a few years since I put out seeds for marigolds in the back. I must remedy that. I so love the fragrance.

    Hand dyed light, lovely, but very warm scarves. These will go with ALL your fall outfits.

    Cake this week: Brown butter apple spice. It’s on the menu for dessert tonight.

    Here is what came home with me. I am not normally a huge fan of celosia, but the amazing orange color of this one called to me. I am used to red or purple, both perfectly fine colors, but these spoke to me like they do not. The round-ness of the heads also seemed unusually spectacular.

    Yes, another bunch of eucalyptus. I am captivated by the way it looks in this vase.

    Speaking of vases, I selected a nice blue one for the celosia. It is very simpatico with the pumpculent.

  • second on the cuteness scale

    This is the quintessential fall farmers market picture. I wanted to get in the truck, drive it to my house, unload all the gourds, then bring the truck back. There was not a sign for what it would cost if that’s what I wanted to do.

    Second on the cuteness scale were these eggplants. Tucked into their little baskets, all lined up in neat rows.

    There had been rain right before the market opened, she was ready for the second wave of showers, which (luckily for me), did not materialize before I scooted out of the market.

    Salad tonight = arugula, chopped dried apricots, goat cheese, pistachios, champagne vinaigrette.

    When I turned around from getting the arugula, these two were picking out teeny, tiny, flower arrangements.

    My top flower contenders for this week are below.

    Good thing there is only one cake a week so I don’t have to decide. Brown butter banana bread was on rotation and it is always good. Buttery, maple-ish, moist, banana flavor through and through.

    Loved these asters, but got 2 pots of the mums behind them. I had to replace the geraniums on the front porch that have suffered badly the last 2 weeks in the intense heat.

    You know I got some of these little gourds.

    But while I am at it, one more close up of the big gourds in the truck.

    It was a great Saturday at the market.

    P.S. The red velvet cake from last week, made with beets was primo. It had some little chunks of chocolate in it for added punch.

    P.P.S. In case you were wondering… I DID go to the “Sing your Heart out” at the Seniors Center on Thursday. A whole new experience with a new group. It was fun. There were 5 guys strumming their guitars, a woman playing a ukulele, a tambourine phenom, a keyboard player and 4 of us who were not playing anything. One of the guys even pulled out a harmonica a few times. My verdict is that I will go again.

  • Sing your Heart Out

    Here we are, a Saturday morning in September, at the farmers market. These orange/pink/lime zinnias make me want to shriek with delight. Not kidding. Is there a more beautiful, stalwart, flower in the whole entire world?

    As soon as I got out of the car and turned on the camera this morning I realized it had been left turned on (who did that?) and the battery was dead. Instead of stomping and cursing, I pulled out the iPhone and rolled with it. I think we can all agree that there are many worse problems in the world then a dead battery in a camera.

    I have gotten into a habit of tomato, toast, egg breakfast at least once a week recently. I intend to carry on all through the end of tomato season with this routine. Happily there seems to be no end in site.

    With September comes signs of autumn, beginning with these pumpkins and other lovely varieties of winter squash. Some of them may be summer squash. I am not an authority on the squash species.

    All-natural, old-school, red velvet cake as promised this week. Can’t wait to try it tonight. Unless I can not resist the baklava, which is sort of calling to me right now as I write this.

    So here is Linda, she plays music at the market on a regular basis. As I was leaving the market today, we exchanged a few pleasantries and then she said “Don’t sleep on Thursday!” To which I said “huh“? And she proceeded to tell me about Sing your Heart Out at the Senior Center on Thursdays from 1-3pm. What the what? Was there a bubble over my head that said LOVES TO SING? And how did she know I had been wanting to find a way to do some singing with a group? I have no idea how this is going to turn out, but I am going to check it out for sure. It will either be a big bust or great fun. You never know until you try. That’s my motto. I will keep you posted.

    Here is my market haul for the week. In addition to flowers, I have been enjoying some fresh eucalyptus lately. Good stuff. Gotta run! Off to practice my scales… La, la, la, la, la, la, la…..

    P.S. if any of you are in some kind of informal singing group for fun, please tell me about it. Spare no details.

  • I coveted Jennifer’s stars

    In the month of August, I officially finished 2 projects that have been in the works for a bit. Maybe 2 bits. My creative endeavors don’t tend to have deadlines, or timelines, or any kind of external pressure that requires completion by a certain date. Absolute buzzkill for me. Anyway, a hat and a wallhanging. Both quite enjoyable to work on. I want to put that smallish quilt up in a spot where I can change it out every so often with all the other smallish quilts I am going to dream up and make. Doesn’t that sound like a good idea?

    The quilt is my take on the Wayward Arcs pattern from the Block Studies Collective by Tara Faughnan. I derived a ridiculous amount of satisfaction from learning to do the curves and then puzzling out how to put it together into a cohesive (said loosely) unit. The knitted thingamajig is the Slouchy Hat in malabrigo mechita merino – really nice soft yarn to work with.

    A recent beginning of sunrise on a drive to work. Viewing the start of the day like this never gets old. Some mornings when I am driving, I think about doing this when I am not working, pulling off the highway, grabbing my coffee, opening up the back of the car, and kicking my legs as the day reveals itself to me.

    When I was at Jennifer’s house for Marti Huff’s memorial, I coveted the star garland I spied in her entryway. There were too many people there so I could not sneak away with it. Instead I searched around for something that would be similar. I found these stars at Cambridge Imprint and decided they were just the ticket. They were strung and hung today.