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

  • tart, sweetish, moist, and heavenly

    Let’s start with the cake this week, shall we? This is a strawberry lemonade cake. A perfect summer bite of dessert, but also wonderfully versatile for afternoon tea, as a breakfast with iced coffee, or a thin slice to get you through anytime of the day when you can’t stand to walk by it without a taste. I think that sums up all the ways it could/should be enjoyed. It is tart, sweetish, moist, and heavenly.

    Below is a truck full of corn, straight from the field to you. That sign refers to efforts to preserve farmland from industrial development. A movement I can get behind.

    While we are on the subject of corn… I have never seen this variety before. If my basket was not already full I would have snagged a few ears. Maybe next week.

    How about this good looking group? Stage left are 2 visitors from Melbourne Australia, stage right is a visitor from Laguna Beach, and smack dab in the middle is the dad with one popcorn-eating daughter in front of him and one hiding behind him. A most congenial group to chat with.

    Right before I saw these peaches I had said to myself I did not need to get peaches THIS week. I ate them daily LAST week. But then I saw them. End of story.

    I grabbed a half dozen tamales from her. Half of them pork, half of them chicken. We love tamales in the Moss/Mulvenon family. They are way to labor intensive for me to try and learn to make. I am looking forward to comparing them to the ones we get from our usual tamale procurement spot. No reason not to work them into the dinner rotation more frequently.

    This week’s BLT will be made with a Margold heirloom tomato. Know that I will report back with details.

    She got her hair cut between last week and this week! Same great smile. These two are not related (of course I asked) but it sure seems like they have the same wonderful spirit.

    This week’s basket contents. It was a heavy one. There are plans for it all.

    As soon as I unpacked the basket, I got out the vase with the tall thin neck that is perfect for sunflowers and hoped that they would all fit. They did.

    I do love a good bouquet of sunflowers.

  • some things are hard, let’s go ahead and admit it

    The priceless expression on her face as she puzzles out what the numbers mean, and then how much to charge a customer for the tomatoes on the scale. Yikes! this could be my most prized image of all the pictures I have captured through the years at the market. I love her. She is keeping it real. Some things are hard, let’s go ahead and admit it.

    I knew when I went by the sea of yellow with dots, that some of these would come home with me.

    Ditto for the peaches. They should be baked up into a pie or a cobbler, but will most likely be gobbled up with yogurt and granola for breakfast.

    Listening to the comments of kids tasting the flavors of juice at Thuy’s spot is always 100% pure entertainment.

    Don’t these gladiolas look great with their outfits?

    This week’s cake – dark chocolate espresso. I know I say this all the time, but it IS one of my favorites.

    Heirloom tomato snagged for BLT’s this week.

    She is seriously tending to the zinnia bouquets, with her apron tied like a pro.

    That smile, that flower, that dress – could not be passed up. She was a very easy subject to photograph.

    Pants+shirt+ hat = excellent market outfit. He is her perfect foil.

    This was my haul for the week. Those green beans were fantastic with smoked chicken and potato salad for a Saturday night dinner.

    Another great week at the market. The thing I did not get a picture of, was the really nice lady who put her arm around me as I slipped in beside her to snap a picture of some beautiful produce on a table. All the BEST people are at the Lawrence Farmers Market.

  • the gift of the example of a life well lived

    This is the picture I snapped at the very first meeting of the Huff+1 lunch club. The date stamp on the photo is May 16, 2014. It had been a few months since mom died and I recall sending Nancy a message to pass on to her mom… about how I would be looking for someone to step in with guidance when needed, as I know found myself motherless. Marti responded immediately telling me that she was contacting an attorney to “draw up adoption papers”.

    And thus began 12 years of lunches and one of the most meaningful friendships of my life. At the outset I could not have imagined just how it would go. Initially we met sporadically when I happened to be off and was able to join them. Once we started up though, and especially when I started working part time, we transitioned to the monthly meet up. Occasionally we missed a month, we were easy that way. Conversation flowed, opinions were given, stories were told, Marti provided wisdom and perspective in a way that was smart, funny, and appreciated. Having the grounding viewpoint of someone who has lived a long and meaningful life was a gift. One that was recognized in the moment, instead of only in hindsight. Which again, seems rare.

    My very dear friend Marti Huff, pictured above in all her glory with her back up singers Nancy and Jennifer, departed the earthly realm on July 1st at the age of 102. She was in her home, in her bed, with her cat, being cared for by her marvelous family with the support of hospice and extra caregivers. Below is the photo of our last lunch together in May. At that time Marti told me that she had a chronic nagging cough which she had investigated and “it could mean my days are numbered”. She said this in a hopeful way. If there was ever anyone who had their business wrapped up, and was ready to go, it was Marti. Don’t get me wrong, she loved life and lived fully – we had plans for lunch on July 2nd until she took a turn and steered her boat towards the far shore. Her body was letting her down. For the last year, every SINGLE time we said goodbye after lunch she said “If this is the last time we see each other it has been great” and we would hug and tell each other how much we enjoyed the other’s company. I can’t say why it worked so well, I think we each appreciated what the other brought to the table and were not afraid to say it.

    Marti gave the people in her life the amazing gift of preparing them for her death. She was not afraid to talk about it. She was not afraid to die. She was ready to go. She normalized the experience of her inevitable death by having a sense of humor about it, and again, by TALKING about it. So many people think talking about dying is morbid and try to shut it down if anyone starts to mention it. It’s almost as if by not talking you are going to hold it at bay. You won’t.

    Thank you Marti, for the gift of the example of a life well lived. Nancy, Jennifer, and I will do our best to carry on the tradition without your physical presence. We will set a place for you at the table though. Always.

  • alas, I know nothing about astrology

    I have a humdinger of a suggestion for you if you are looking for a book with a quirky main character (Janina Duszejko) who lives in a small village on the border between Poland and the Czech Republic and during the long winter “minds” the homes of the residents who are only there in the summer. Full disclosure, she is guided by her belief in astrology, her love of nature, and aversion to anyone or thing that is hurtful to animals. She does not believe that people are given the names that suit them and so has other names for all the people in the story. The story opens with “oddball” knocking on her door in the middle of the night because “bigfoot” has died. Oddball and bigfoot are 2 neighbors that live in close proximity to her. Other people begin to die. Who is murdering them? Theories are put forth, based on the laws of nature, karma, and astrological signs. Drive Your Plow over the Bones of the Dead is by Olga Tokarczuk, I can’t remember who translated it. The audio version is read (very very well) by Beata Pozniak.

    I love the cover of the book. It reminds me of a modern quilt. This novel is not for everyone. I can’t predict who will and who will not like it. Mrs. Duszejko would be able to if she knew the date and time of your birth, but alas, I know nothing about astrology.

    This is one of those books that you are never going to mix up with anything else you have read. Trust me.

  • couples holding hands and cute dogs to pet

    I hit the market at my usual 7:30am time yesterday – rain was expected, the sky was dark, I did not want to carry an umbrella. I zigged and zagged through the aisles, making time to tell Mary Pat about the Douglas Family Preserve in Santa Barbara (she is going in August), and picking up the orange creamsicle cake and carefully storing it in the basket. Then with these important things checked off the list, I roamed around a bit.

    There were an abundance of gorgeous sunflowers. So much variety.

    I appreciated the red, white, and blue outfits.

    Get a load of the heirloom tomatoes! It’s official, BLT season is here.

    There were couples holding hands and cute dogs to pet. In other words a regular Saturday morning at the market.

    Above is my “loot”. Lunch this week will be bitter greens with sweet onions and tart cherries a la Mollie Katzen. I haven’t made it yet this summer. Sauté onions in some olive oil, let them get good and soft and a little dark, add the Swiss chard in batches letting it wilt and salting as you go. At the end throw in your tart cherries – I use dried, and let them plump up. Most excellent eating.

    Sweet corn cleaned to go with burgers on the grill to celebrate the 4th.

    We started watching Hacks this week. Late as usual to all the “in” shows. Two episodes down, and we are hooked. What’s not to like about Jean Smart? Hope you all are surviving the heat and anything else that may be tormenting you.

  • if I don’t tell myself to pay attention

    Here are a couple of things that have been making life better recently. Starting with these Mount Rainier cherries which are sweet/tart and completely delicious. I had a conversation with a friend recently who pits them ahead of time. I tried to convince her that part of the absolute enjoyment of eating them was popping the whole thing in your mouth, pulling the stem off, rolling it around in your mouth, and finally spitting out the pit. Discretely of course, using your fingers, and tucking it into a napkin for proper disposal.

    Wildflowers on a walk.

    Barry on the front porch for a morning visit, lots of petting, and ridiculous one-sided conversations about how much I love him and what a good cat he is.

    This collection of flowers from the market, along with the heads of the dill and some zinnias from my beds.

    The fountain finally got turned on! I was late in getting it done this year because of travel. It does require some regular attention which is more than worth the sound it provides on the front porch. But that did mean I could not leave Chris to tend the flowers and the fountain while I was off gallivanting around.

    The oak leaf hydrangea is turning pink.

    And finally, this sky on a drive to work in the morning. All perfectly wonderful things which might go under appreciated if I don’t tell myself to pay attention.

    You’ll give me your opinion on the pitting or spitting in regards to the cherries of course.

  • an unexpected treat this late in the season

    I loved the looks of the baskets at this “new to me” vendor at the farmers market yesterday. That is a craft which has always intrigued me, that I have never jumped into. It does not stop me from greatly admiring the handiwork.

    Lemon Blueberry cake this week from the Chonky Eats baker. A perfect follow up to Death by Chocolate from last week. Have I already mentioned the brown butter snickerdoodles he started baking this year?

    The zinnias are coming on strong right now in the Kansas heat. I especially loved the soft tan, lime, orange mixed with the teeny white flowers with yellow centers that I should know the name of but don’t. I could look it up, but can enjoy them without knowing so I keep typing.

    Here is what jumped in my basket this week. I was delighted to get the bunch of dill to add to the cucumbers and onions that will get pickled. A very nice farmer told me that the dill is about past it’s time here in Kansas even though the cucumbers are coming on strong with no signs of stopping anytime soon.

    The strawberries from last week were so good that my first stop Saturday morning was at their booth to get another one. It is such an unexpected treat this late in the season. Small, perfect, bite-sized treats to pop in your mouth with whatever else you are having for breakfast.

    Those carrots got roasted up lickety split before the day got to hot and are packed up for lunches at work this week. That’s it from here on a Sunday afternoon, where I am grateful for the fan turning the air overhead as I Iook out the windows and am just happy to sit and stare.

  • a circle of life moment

    You all know I am a full-on color lover, but seriously, is this bouquet of white flowers with pops of yellow and the green foliage not the most splendid ever? If I was getting married tomorrow, these are the flowers I would carry down the aisle. Which makes me attempt to recall what I did carry down the aisle… no memory of that can be located in my mental files. What I do remember about the flowers is I handed them off to my maid of honor so I could blow my nose after walking down the aisle. My dad was crying so I was crying. Which is an apt memory for the Father’s Day holiday. I promise not to go down anymore rabbit holes on this post which is about the Farmers Market!

    How about this for a display of morning light on a table of beautiful cauliflower and cabbage.

    Look at these girls with their incredibly shiny, braided, perfect hair.

    These may be the teeniest, tiniest, potatoes I have ever seen. I had the most delicious oven roasted fingerling potatoes recently. I think they must have been par boiled first, then coated with olive oil and salted generously before putting them in the oven. Simple cuisine at it’s finest.

    These local strawberries were a very happy surprise. I thought we were done for the season. This basket was absolute perfection.

    When I stopped at my favorite honey vendor’s booth, I spotted this fellow trying to decide exactly which flavors of honey straws he needed. He took his time making up his mind. I loved that his mom did not hurry him.

    A perfect advertisement for the Lawrence farmers market below. It encapsulates everything I love best on a Saturday morning in Lawrence.

    Here is what I came home with. I could not resist that package of biscuits. They are from the woman who makes the Norwegian Rye and French Sandwich Loaf. I had to try them.

    Cake this week is Death by Chocolate. A favorite. Rich, dark, flavorful, not to sweet, with bits of chocolate to bite into interspersed throughout the cake.

    I had a wonderful chance encounter at the market with one of the palliative care fellows I worked with right before COVID. He has since moved on and I had not seen him for 6 years or so. We had a great conversation about things back then, what we are doing now, and the like. Gosh it was lovely to see him. It reminded me of all the people who float through our lives and we forget how great they are. He had such a soft, gentle, open manner of communicating with patients. They loved him. It was a circle of life moment that I could go on about but I already said I wasn’t going down any more rabbit holes.

    The end.

  • letting it all soak in

    It’s been almost a month since Sister and I got back from France. Time is such a slippery thing isn’t it? Moving fast, moving slow, all of it swirling around with hardly any boundaries to keep it in anywhere close to orderly. Sometimes a month feels like a day. Sometimes years can seem like only a short time ago – especially when we think about momentous events. I find myself thinking all the time “how can it be that many years ago that X happened”.

    One of the things that sister and I told each other on this trip, while we were taking in all that we were seeing, was there was no need to know too much about anything, because we were going to forget it all anyway. I don’t want to work too hard on a vacation. That said, when we were back at the apartment in the evenings, it was fun to look up things we had seen and had questions about. No need for a tour guide to explain things while we are looking. I dislike being at the mercy of what someone else deems important.

    Just a few last photos from the trip. The wonderful flowers at Parc Monceau, approaching Sacred Coeur from the back side, the Eiffel Tower in the rain in the early morning.

    We did not do a lot of museums or go to places we “should see”. The chateau and forest in Fontainebleau were as close as we came to that… maybe. The opulence at the chateau was over the top and all the craftsmanship that went into the carvings and art and tapestries were very interesting to see. We decided we could go back there again.

    We explored a few of the covered passages, very early in the morning, and looked in all the windows and found many things we could have bought. Exploring the streets of the arrondissements and villages was delightful. What is it about doors and windows?

    I have shown a view from our “balcony” in Les Batignolles before, but a second view is warranted. We looked out A LOT. The light, the rooftops, the sounds of the neighborhood, were all enchanting.

    Have I mentioned that I lit candles in several neighborhood churches. All for the state of the world. It can’t hurt. Angie was a candle lighter.

    On the day we packed up and left our airbnb we got yet another selfie. Our motto is you can’t take too many, and you have to take a lot of pictures to get a few decent ones.

    A nice couple from Texas took this photo for us at the Cour-d’Honneur du Palais-Royal. The clouds reflected in the balls – bonus!

    I think that wraps up the things I wanted to show you from the trip. I am letting it all soak in as I finish working on my travel journal. Sister and I have been doing FaceTime sketchtime and completing some pages. I see what she does, I get inspired to try too. Sometimes I am happy with the result and sometimes not, BUT it always makes me remember the thing better for having attempted to capture it. I love how it takes words, pictures, and drawing to put together the whole sense of on an adventure.

  • it completely absorbed me

    My latest listen on the libby app is shown below – My Huband’s Wife by Alice Feeney. It was a twisty, turny, winding, up and down, non-stop, couldn’t put it down, sort of book.

    I had to listen to the last 7 minutes twice, just to be sure I I had it all straight in my mind. For a minute I considered reading the whole thing again after knowing what happens, to see if I missed things along the way that would have provided clues about what what was what and who was who. But I am not going to. This was one of those books that just engrosses you thoroughly and surprises you. There were a couple of characters that I really did like (Birdie and Sgt. Carter), the rest just supported the story. I liked imagining the setting – Cornwall! I enjoyed this book very much simply for the way it completely absorbed me. Sometimes, that is exactly what you need from a book. This would be an excellent airplane read. Let me know if you have read other books by this author that were compelling.