Tall Tales from Kansas

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.