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

  • 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.

  • it’s a sweet/salty thing

    See that heirloom tomato there? The one third from the front on the bottom? It’s a cherokee purple and this morning it got sliced up and eaten atop some of the French sandwich bread that was toasted and buttered, all with a fried egg on top. Nothing beats it. A few grinds of pepper and some coarse ground salt. Simple and perfect.

    I don’t know what she is going to do in life, but the farmers market training will do her well. I am certain of it. I love seeing kids understanding where food comes from, how it’s grown, sold, etc.

    Honeycrisp apples were at the market. This farmer (who also had amazing peaches earlier in the season) told me there would just be this one harvest this year. They are delicious. Crisp, tart, but also a little sweet, and very juicy.

    Cake of the week…. lemon poppyseed with a raspberry glaze. He tells me next week will be red velvet made with beets! I am in.

    Despite the oppressive heat, there remains a nice selection of greens. Displayed on beautiful cotton tablecloths.

    Hurray for matcha protein balls this week at the market. This booth is a staple for me, as you know. I have to have a protein ball in the morning with my first cup of coffee… sometimes just a couple of them for breakfast, or before yoga if I need “something” but not too much in my stomach. My refrigerator must be stocked with juices for the afternoon snack both at home and while I am working on notes late in the day at work.

    What about those selection of beautiful potatoes? I want a plate of them steamed, with some sour cream and chives on top + salt and pepper and a glass of very cold sauvignon blanc.

    We had a nice chat about our favorite protein balls and juices this morning, then I passed them again and felt a photo was needed. He had a perfect mustache. It is these wonderful moments of normal connection with my fellow residents of Lawrence that make life good, that get me through, that are my antidote to the hard stuff.

    Here is what came home in my basket this week. There may have also been a corn cookie from Chonky Sweets and Eats. They go really well with some vanilla ice cream – it’s a sweet salty thing.

  • firm, sweet, juicy

    Oh the delight of standing in front of a truckload of watermelons, trying to pick the most perfect one, knowing when you get home you will sit on the porch and with the help of your sister, cut this baby open and commence to munching on dripping wedges then spitting seeds, seeing who will win the prize for the most distance from the end of the steps. Hoping all your practicing will pay off.

    This week’s cake is Pina colada. Yes, pineapple and coconut, in a moist, rich, buttery batter, with that amazing frosting and a cherry on top. Did I ever tell you my mom used to make a coconut cream pie and put pineapple in it? She was a trendsetter back in the day and didn’t even know it. Actually I think she got that recipe from Aunt Mabel – the maker of the best chocolate pie in the universe.

    These two are a couple of natural born stand up comics, ready with the expression to respond to my question about taking their picture. LOVE them. It’s as if I was their cousin and they started the family goofing for the camera. Why does everyone think you should look perfect in a picture when FUN is so much better?

    Here are a couple of styling hipsters. Would you please get a load of that purse? I wanted to whip out my new “retro-modern” sunglasses and hang with them for awhile.

    Tomorrow morning I am having a toasted English muffin with salty butter or maybe Dukes (I haven’t decided), thick slices of tomato, and an over easy egg on top for breakfast. Hot coffee on the side. Maybe a slice of bacon. It will be messy. A bib will be required.

    Are these tiny terrariums not the cutest ever? Can you imagine having one by your bed, and leaning over when you get up first thing in the morning to see if the animals moved around or multiplied while you were sleeping.

    You know the seasons will be changing when pattypan squash and sweet potatoes begin making their appearance.

    I don’t know where she got her 50th anniversary t-shirt but I am going to have to get one too.

    I seem to be on a cantaloupe kick. Can’t stop eating it. Today I found out this variety is an Athena. Firm, sweet, juicy, it is one of the best I have ever had. I have been subbing it in for a side salad with dinner, just a bit of salt and lots of pepper. Add cottage cheese and it’a a meal by itself.

  • the way all meals should conclude

    Oh it was lovely at the market this past Saturday. Despite some recent days of oppressive heat, it is not stopping things from growing.

    The selection of flowers is incredible. I want to get bouquets for every room.

    This week’s cake was brown butter peach. More on that later.

    This is the grower of the tomatoes in photo #1 at the top.

    I don’t have the need for a braid of garlic, but don’t you want to have a big Italian kitchen with these hanging down and a pair of scissors at the ready to cut when needed? They just put me in an Amalfi coast frame of mind, seeing all the tomatoes growing on the steep hillsides, dreaming of pasta for dinner.

    These flowers below the garlic… that peach, champagne, ivory, pink color is spectacular.

    These 2 were discussing something very important. I don’t need to know what it was so I didn’t ask. But I wanted to.

    Would you get a load of the squash? For sure that is the biggest butternut squash I have ever, in my entire life, seen. Ever. Period.

    I simply adored her crisp white shirt and hat, plus earrings and lipstick and a lovely bunch of flowers. He was the perfect partner with his hat carefully creased and shaped to meet his specifications. Right behind him is Mary Pat! She is going to Santa Barbara next weekend and will be giving me the full scoop when she gets home.

    These 2 had the crowd ready to move and groove.

    Charlie, below, was just about to bust a move when he saw my camera and got all shy.

    Here is what came home with me today.

    That loaf of French sandwich bread gives Mrs. Peter’s sourdough a run for its money when it comes to making toast. I had a warm slice this morning, carefully buttered, and toasted just so. The crisp snap, the slightly salty melty goodness. After every single bite there was the requisite moan of delight.

    The brown butter peach cake – was right up there with the toast, but with a totally different flavor profile. Moist with lots of bits of peach, and that frosting with its’ perfect texture and not too sugary sweetness. It’s the way all meals should conclude. Especially when you are in your 60’s and can really appreciate the way the perfect sweet tops off a meal. With the last few sips of cabernet if you don’t feel like getting up to make coffee or tea.

  • restraint is my middle name

    Let me just dive right into this mish-mash of topics I am throwing out into the world today. Firstly, I just finished Kingdom of the Blind – the 14th installment of the Three Pines series by Louise Penny. It’s all I can do NOT to immediately go and get installment 15 because I want to know where we are going next. As is often the case in this series, we are caught up from the last book, move along into some new territory, a case is solved, and we delight in being in the company of our old friends. Restraint is my middle name, so I am holding off, knowing I will be glad I did, when I do start the next one, this fall.

    As always, highly recommended. I was so glad to see Isabelle Lacoste in the mix as well as Amelia Choquet hanging in there.

    I lied when I said above that restraint was my middle name. If it was, I would not have had to get this S’more Latte complete with toasted marshmallow and graham cracker lined rim when I met Nancy for coffee the other morning at Zeb’s coffeehouse in Eudora. And yes, highly recommended if you are local.

    The sunflowers! I am not certain what variety these are but oh my goodness they are beautiful. It’s that pink and buttery yellow combination that can not be beat. Mother Nature knows how to choose a palette.

    I have been meaning to tell you about The Salt Path by Raynor Winn for a bit but it got buried underneath stuff on my computer table. Firstly, how about this amazing art work on the cover. The illustration is by Angela Harding and the hand lettering is by Colin Webber. Stunning! It’s a memoir about a couple in England who lose their home, and set off on a 630 mile walk to figure out what to do next. Oh, did I mention the husband in this duo is terminally ill? It’s a great read and really made me examine my thoughts about why people may be homeless. There are more books in this series. I look forward to dipping back in.

    Finally I have fallen hard for Ride or Die with Hannah Waddingham and Octavia Spencer – on Amazon Prime. Why wouldn’t any of us enjoy watching 2 smart mature women kicking butt and taking names… and looking good doing it. Link to trailer below if you are interested.

    https://www.youtube.com/embed/Yg_m61kBW0E?si=VYY0394yhxj4wHAm

  • when we next have ham and beans and there is not a market going on

    It’s melon season in Lawrence Kansas. Last week was the “man with cantaloupe”, this week is “woman with watermelon”. This was the 50th year anniversary of the farmers market! Everyone was in a celebratory mood.

    Huckleberries below. What do you do with a huckleberry? Do they have lots of seeds? I will investigate, but left these few containers for the huckleberry aficionados who already knows all that stuff.

    I loved this display of all the different types of onions.

    Same for these little tomatoes. Who has heard of a “currant” tomato? I hadn’t, but the nice lady in front of me getting her juice and protein balls, informed me of the name as she munched on her little cup full.

    He was not going for the little tomatoes, he had other things in mind and selected these very carefully before calling it good.

    The flower selection for the week. It’s always hard to decide but these won out.

    Midnight garden cake this week. You know the one with tomatoes for extra moistness that just tastes like the perfect chocolate cake. I was happy to see it back in rotation.

    I could not resist the cute girl with her carefully balanced boxes of treats.

    Here is what came home with me Saturday. It’s been too long since I had baklava so that was remedied. My first cantaloupe of the season, right under those sunflowers.

    Do you see those cheddar-garlic scones, tucked in behind the cake? They are made by the Chonky Sweets and Eats cake baker. OMG. I got them to go with the ham and beans we were having for supper Saturday night. They elevated the meal to seriously delicious, along with a side of pickled cucumbers and onions. But seriously, those scones! Moist and cheesy with a hint of heat on the back end. Will get more to freeze for the cold winter night when we next have ham and beans and there is not a market going on.

  • you can not eat too many carrots

    Today I am starting with this super-cute, head to toe, outfit from the farmers market on Saturday. 100% perfection – the checks, the orange, the toes/sandals, and the chambray shirt thrown on over it all, keeping it real. Love. Love. Love.

    Next up is the super-sized zucchini, perfect for stuffing with some sort of savory, spicy, cheesy mixture.

    I think garlic scapes are super cool looking. I do not have any idea what you do with them. They look like something you would throw in a wok, maybe with some kind of protein and other veg, soy sauce, sriracha, rice on the side, but that’s just a wild guess.

    I do know what to do with blackberry margarita cake. Slice and eat. Try to get all the seeds out of your mouth before you drive yourself nuts with a toothpick later.

    Here we have a man with a steady hand, carefully balancing the cantaloupe, which he is having for breakfast when he gets home. Or maybe not.

    Queen lime zinnias!

    Or, if you want a different look you could have these.

    My haul for the week. I have some serious pickling to do. I went for the basket of red onions this week instead of just one.

    I roasted these carrots up on a big sheet pan. There is nothing not to like about a roasted carrot. A drizzle of olive oil and some herbed salt = a simple side dish. Today at work, someone told me they glaze theirs with hot honey.

    You know that means I will be trying it out next week. You can not eat too many carrots. Melody says the roasting tempers the heat and they are just perfect. She tends not to lead me astray.

  • they fall down and get back up and sometimes surprise you

    This week I finished the 5th installment in the Amgash series by Elizabeth Strout. Tell me Everything came out in 2024, but I had not gotten to it until now. I like to save up my favorites sometimes, holding back till I am fully present and ready to read something I know I am going to get caught up in. This did not disappoint. It was a delight to meet up with Olive Kitteridge, Bob Burgess, and Lucy Barton, as well as the other familiar characters from previous books.

    The story revolves around a man suspected of killing his mom and Bob Burgess agrees to represent him. In reality though, that is just a small part of this story about people and love and friendship and hardship and the lives that people lead. Gosh it was good. Astonishingly relatable in the best sort of way. Elizabeth Strout is one of my most favorite writers. I love how she has developed these characters through the years, how they fall down and get back up, and sometimes surprise you. I was also very glad to see Olive Kitteridge featured larger in this book than she has in a bit. She is a formidable/stalwart woman in the best way and we would all benefit greatly from having a friend like her in our lives.

    Of course, very highly recommended.

  • I have never forgotten this advice

    Seriously cute family Saturday morning at the farmers market. I was immediately drawn to the little girl with all her jewelry, holding a butterfly on a wire, and her own purse that I am sure had some “mad money” in it. A girl should NEVER be without mad money squirreled away somewhere. That is what my mother in law Eleanor used to say. When she died, and we were going through her things, we found over 400 dollars in various denominations in her shiny red purse that matched her red shoes. I have never forgotten this advice. I also love the mom’s toenail polish and how the baby has his eye on his sister.

    Stop it already with the cuteness of this skirt and the matching pale pink tee and Birkenstocks!

    Whenever I see these teeny flower arrangements, I think of all the things that originally came in the little bottles and LOVE that they are being re-purposed over and over and over again.

    I admired her for toting around those GIANT sunflowers. I wanted to ask if I could follow her home and see how she was going to style them, but I refrained.

    Cake this week is Orange-Honey. My most excellent recall (related to food) tells me this was very good last year. It’s dessert tonight. Will report back.

    When the basket was unloaded, the most companionable color scheme was appreciated by me, myself, and I.

    Yes, more peaches this week. The farmer told me he would likely have more next week and then that would be it for the season. That’s all it took.

  • somewhere, sometime, about something

    A recent walk through the Baker wetlands. Early in the morning with the mist rising – perfect conditions for viewing spider webs and staying slightly cool before the sun gets all the way up in the sky.

    There is a great crop of American Lotus on display out there right now. When viewed in such large numbers the abundance makes them even more magical. “An embarrassment of riches” as someone said somewhere, sometime, about something.

    Nature is such a balm to me.