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

  • they could easily blend in on the streets of Montmartre

    On my return to the farmers market this Saturday, after being away for several weeks, I was greeted by a splendiferous grouping of buckets of peonies. Peonies waiting just for me, or so it felt when I saw them.

    I carefully observed the offerings, selected a bunch, walked them back to my car, and continued with my shopping. I don’t like my peonies to get jostled in the basket.

    These heads of lettuce ranked right up there in terms of beauty. We had the BEST lettuce in Paris. Simply laid on the plate with a drizzle of vinaigrette. It was wonderful.

    We also had a wonderful carrot salad from a boulangerie in our neighborhood in Batignolles that I must try to reproduce.

    Meanwhile, back at the market, this young entrepreneur, with her perfectly tied apron, stands at the ready to assist anyone who wants to try her cookies.

    I had the best time watching this young woman carefully select her juices for the week, then I did what she did – and got the Re-root and Re-energize.

    I had been dreaming about the Rye bread I got a few weeks ago from this vendor, alas, she told me I was the only one who bought it previously so she had not made any. Instead, I selected a loaf of her French Sandwich bread. It did not disappoint. Dense, moist, excellent as toast, or just with a dab of butter on the side with dinner. I will be trying all of her breads and other baked items.

    Next I happened upon this accordion player and the young woman (who I think was with him) settled in for a session of writing and sketching. They could easily blend in on the streets of Montmartre.

    Below you have the Brown Butter Caramel Latte cake. Somehow the flavors of the coffee, caramel, and brown butter were each distinct on my palate and I enjoyed every bite. Every, single, bite.

    They were in line in front of me at the Chonky Eats booth. That little miss in the stroller had cookies on her mind.

    Oh but it is good to be home and back in my usual Saturday morning market routine. Especially with the fragrance of peonies in the air.

  • an undertone of something magic about it

    As I crossed over Newfoundland today, bound for JFK, I finished When God was a Rabbit, by Sarah Winman. I think this was her debut novel. It’s the story of Elly and her brother Joe, the childhood events that bind them together and how their relationship evolves through the years. They face tragedies, we meet their friends, and the quirky, cobbled together, family that shapes them.

    it is written so tenderly and was a perfect read for the trip to Paris. I tried to limit myself to just a few short chapters each night and then threw restraint to the wind and gobbled it up completely on the plane ride home.
    There is much to love about this book. The setting that bounces back and forth from London, to Cornwall, to New York City, the writing that is concise but never feels spare, and the ties of love and friendship that change over time. There is an undertone of something magic about it despite the hardships. Very highly recommended. Thanks for another winner of a suggestion Sharron.

  • do things like this happen to you when you are traveling

    At this exact minute, I am looking out the window of the Sheraton at the Charles de Gaul airport in Paris. An Air France flight just took off. How is it possible that 11 days have passed since I departed from Kansas City? The wonderful Daniella from My Paris Driver, scooped us up from our place in Fontainebleau and safely deposited us here to spend the night before our departure in the morning. Easy walking from within the airport to security and to our gates. More tales of our travels to come, but I wanted to show you some scenes from the Fontainebleau version of the farmers market.

    Posting from the iPad is slightly different than my usual way. Hopefully this works. Right now I must go downstairs to ask at the desk why the lights in our room have gone off and we can’t figure out how to get them on. Do things like this happen to you when you are traveling?

  • right in the middle of a neighborhood

    After a morning dash out of the apartment to the local Boulangerie and coffee spot, I sit looking out the windows to the rooftops across the way. We are wandering the streets, going to parks, riding busses and taking the metro, walking all over, looking up and down and all around. Making masterpieces in our journals, noting the wonder of it all.

    Good stuff. All of it. The 17th arrondissement is a wonderful place to stay. We are right in the middle of a neighborhood with everything we need. Plus really comfortable beds, which are a necessity for a couple of intrepid siblings in their 60’s.

  • to know better is to do better

    James by Percival Everett is my latest finish on the libby app. It’s been on my list for a bit. I read Tom Sawyer, and the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn many, many, years ago. This story has me considering a re-read of the Huckleberry Finn tale. I do not recall in any detail exactly what happened in that book. Nor do I remember Jim and the relationship he had with Huck. This is the story of James as he tries to reunite with his family and escape the life of a slave. He encounters much along the way.

    This was a hard book to listen to at times. The experiences of being a slave, whether a historically accurate representation, or a fictionalized account, are difficult. I have no memory of the way we were educated about this when I was a child. Maybe differently than todays students of American History are? Well, I will just say I think I should know more. I should have asked more questions back then. The part of this book with white minstrels in black face performing songs as slaves was one of the hard parts… it now has me wanting to read Darkology: Blackface and the American Way of Entertainment. To know better is to do better.

    I recommend James. It warrants your attention.

  • a garden success story

    The storms this year have wreaked havoc on peony season. That, combined with missing the farmers market due to work has left me with zero bouquets this year. Plus my friend Pam, who had the loveliest bushes, and invited me to cut annually, has moved. Well, to everything there is a season (or not) right? Next year will be appreciated even more. In the meantime, I did enjoy this one that was on a walking route the other day. I sniffed every flower on the bush. This particular specimen was the most fragrant.

    It feels like it’s been awhile since I did the solo cafe sit and think thing. I squeezed one in recently. Just made me remember to schedule it more often.

    The geranium front porch pots were planted before heading to Paris. If I wait till I get back it is likely the best geraniums will have been snatched up. I’m very happy with what I found at Pendletons Market. The rest of the pots will have to wait until I return.

    I had a happy surprise when I looked out the window the other morning and spied a few Japanese Iris. I planted these maybe 10-15 years ago and things that were around them crowded them out or something and they stopped blooming. Last year I cleaned out some bushes and will you look what happened. I love a garden success story.

    This has also been an amazing year for the Japanese maple. I planted this tree maybe 16 years ago. The first one I put in this spot got caught by a freak Spring ice storm and died. I never take this beauty for granted. Especially since my tree planting years are behind me.

    I do hope you are enjoying your spring, or whatever season you are in, wherever you are in the world right now.

  • you might want a pencil on the nightstand

    I just finished this little treasure of a book, Foster by Claire Keegan. A short story if you will, about a young girl who is sent to live with relatives when her mother is about to have yet another baby. The reader senses that things are hard at home, not enough food to go around, the relationship between the mother and father feels strained, so off she goes, to what she does not really know, or understand. She comes to see a different way of living, of being, of learning what it is to feel love. That’s all I will say about it. It’s so well written with no stereotypical trite reductions. There will be more Claire Keegan in my future. Highly recommended. Don’t you love the cover of the book? It’s the perfect size/weight to hold in your hands in bed at night. You might want a pencil on the nightstand. For underlining, or notes in the margins, your choice.

    While we are talking about books, I look forward to settling in with Michaels Pollan’s new one: A World Appears: A Journey into Consciousness. Those who have followed me for awhile know I loved his book about psychedelics – How to Change Your Mind. I find the whole concept of consciousness to be fascinating. Do I understand it fully? No. Must I to be intrigued by it? No. Maybe it’s better if it remains a bit wondrous, something not be be fully pinned down by the scientific community.

    Below I am adding two links to some good podcasts related to Pollan’s book. The first one is an interview he did with Ezra Klein – it’s about 90 minutes long.

    https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/31/opinion/eza-klein-podcast-michael-pollan.html

    The second one is an interview with Terry Gross on NPR – it’s about 45 minutes.

    https://www.npr.org/2026/02/19/nx-s1-5719479/michael-pollans-journey-to-understand-consciousness

    I enjoyed them both.

  • all things are relative

    The Huff + 1 lunch club met at Pigwich in the city market area in KC this week. Listen, this is a serious eating establishment, and is not the place to come if you are expecting a ladies lunch. We had the pulled pork sandwich, a pork meatball bahn mi, and a cornflake fried chicken sandwich, plus an order of the sweet potato fries. We put it all in the middle of the table and attacked it like a pack of wild dogs.

    We did an excellent job cleaning our plates. Many napkins were used. You have GOT to GET the sweet potato fries with the spicy aioli on the side. One order is plenty for the whole family. Warning – the bahn mi sandwich is spicy. We love to laugh at Nancy when she eats hot foot and goes into full on “head sweat” mode. This is only because we love her.

    Marti has a nagging chronic cough. She says she has investigated this and it may mean that “my days are numbered“. Always these comments are made with a slightly hopeful note in her voice. She laments that her brain does not work the way it used to. It continues to work better than mine, but all things are relative. She continues to teach us, we continue to laugh, we take it one day at a time.

    While in the vicinity a quick stop was made at Hammerpress. A fabulous local letterpress store. I had to replenish my supply of postcards – I have taken to sending them instead of emails to Tracy Mann, Roger Marshall, and Jerry Moran – my Kansas representatives in Congress. I think you will agree I found some good ones.

    I keep them on my table, addressed, stamped, and ready to go. When I reach a place of maximal irritation, I write out a message and send them. It’s highly therapeutic for me.

  • my basket of goodness for this week

    This was my first stop at the market this past Saturday. More local strawberries. As Dad would say “you gotta get ’em while the gettin’s good”. And I did. And they were. Very good.

    Look at these lovely poppies that Moon on the Meadow also had for sale.

    Below is a helpful grower assisting this fellow in his quest to get exactly the kind of kale he wants/needs for whatever it is he is planning to do with it.

    You know I am a sucker for a good sign.

    This is the bouquet I selected. Ack! so wonderful. Kind of a cross between an old fashioned rose and a poppy. I know that is not accurate but it’s where my mind goes.

    Another good sign below. Here is the story that goes with it. The winner of a silent auction package got to choose a cake for the Chonky Eats baker to make. From their website he reports… “this is an old Great Depression era concept that traditionally uses a can of tomato soup” but instead he subbed local tomatoes that he canned plus a dash of local tomato wine (? never heard of tomato wine in my life). Again from the website “the acidity from the tomatoes helps activate the leavening and enriches the flavor and color of the cocoa”. I LOVE the name he gave it. They also are featuring a browned butter snickerdoodle this year. It’s insanely good, softer, more flavorful, deeply satisfying. It’s on my list to repeat (every week).

    I got a bag of tender salad mix from here… and then I saw a very dense loaf of dark bread – she called it “Norwegian Rye” I think. I don’t care what the name is – a thick slice, toasted, and spread with peanut butter alongside those local strawberries with yogurt and chopped hazelnuts is a breakfast of champions. I had it on both Saturday and Sunday to be sure my taste buds were tasting what they thought they were.

    This intrepid adventurer was busy looking for something needed on her scavenger hunt list. I loved the dinosaur. He was helping her look. Or so she said.

    These 2 gals in their skirts and jackets helped me pick out the best succulents on the table. They will go in a pot on my back deck.

    Here is my basket of goodness for this week. I am working next weekend and then off to France so will miss the next 3 markets. I hope I survive.

  • how our stories can define us

    The True True Story of Raja the Gullible (nd his mother) is the tale of a 63 year old Lebanese man living with his mom in Beirut. It starts in 2023 but moves back and forth in time to provide context for all the things happening in the present.

    As an adult, Raja is a teacher and his students love him. He speaks of them in that dismissive way that one does when not wanting to admit the extent of how much you care. His mother is always getting him to tell her things about his students and actually gets to know many of them. He lives in a small community where everyone knows everyone and their business.

    There is much I did not know about Beirut and the things the people there have endured (corrupt politicians, a banking crisis, an immense explosion in the Beirut harbor). Raja goes through many difficulties as the story unfolds. The dialogue is snappy and it took me awhile to get used to that. Raja is a quirky character that grows on you. He is not predictable. He is not someone who forgives or turns the other cheek. The novel, in the end is a story about how our stories can define us. BUT we have the ability to influence our stories through our decisions. I have provided a link below to an interview with the author that I thoroughly enjoyed. I had not heard of this author previously. Will read him again. Thanks for the heads up about it Sharron.

    https://centerforfiction.org/videos/rabih-alameddine-on-the-true-true-story-of-raja-the-gullible-and-his-mother-with-john-freeman/