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 have exactly 2 and it’s high time I did a third

    With exactly 90 minutes before the trick or treaters are due to arrive I have finally hung up the banner that goes over the fireplace. Not that any tricksters in costume will be coming IN to the house, it’s just (as mom would say) the principle of the thing. Halloween is today. The banner should be up.

    I am an unabashed kid when it comes to the “feeling” of halloween. I am not one of those people that costumes up to hand out the candy, but I do like to spread a little orange and black around the house and think about where the pieces came from.

    Every year at Halloween I tell myself to make another hooked pumpkin. I have exactly 2 and it’s high time I did a third. As Mary Ann said today about something completely different I have to “buckle down and do it“. I like imagining all the ones I will make… next year, for sure. That’s the thing about making, the idea of it is almost as satisfying as the actual doing.

    Well let me get to the business of being ready to exclaim over the wee hobgoblins that may be arriving any second. Happy Halloween to all.

  • some mighty fine advice to live by

    If you are a person who enjoys the heck out of walking in the out-of-doors, it is likely you have a favorite place to get away to on a regular basis. Somewhere far enough away from home to require an overnight stay, but not so far that it requires a plane ride. For me, that spot is in the Ozarks, and it just happens to be beautiful in the fall when we go down to tidy things up at the cemetery.

    We generally stay in a cabin at Big Cedar Lodge where you can walk right out the door and ramble to your heart’s content. They used to have unpaved trails in the woods that we LOVED. Alas, those are no longer maintained and would require a machete to attempt to navigate now. But I am easily pleased with the paved trails. There are lots of ups and downs, through lots of beautiful trees, and views of the water. It is the reason we stay there. Well, that and the putt-putt course.

    This was not the most colorful year ever.

    It was overcast, cloudy, and drizzled a bit each day. But temps were in the low 50’s, and it was perfect for throwing on a snuggly sweatshirt. Let’s face it, I am tired of shorts and tee shirts and humidity and mosquitos.

    I found beautiful leaves and berries to exclaim over.

    There was woodsmoke in the air from the fireplaces in the cabins.

    In other words, I got in all the walks I wanted and enjoyed each one to the fullest.

    I was listening to an Eckhart Tolle talk this morning in which he advised “do not argue with the is-ness of the moment, let go of thinking, and welcome what is“.

    That is some mighty fine advice to live by.

  • off galavanting

    As dad used to say when we were kids, and off on some adventure in the world… I have been “off galavanting” for a few weekends and have thus missed my usual trips to the farmers market. This is why you have received no photos of my purchases, which is really a shame at this time of year when the bounty is plenty and colorful. Let me try to slip these colorful shots in as a substitute.

    Peggy and Annette and I swooped in to the big town of Salina Kansas for a trip down memory lane, in the form of “Dinner at Saga”. Saga was the food service/dining hall at Marymount college where we happily consumed what we thought was some fine cuisine between the years of 1977 and 1981. A group of alums who are still in Salina, and do a great job of coordinating things like this, put the festivities together. Thank goodness for name-tags. We didn’t even try to fake like we knew names, instead immediately looking straight at the name on tag, and then back at the face, trying to find a trace of the people we knew back then. We are flabbergasted as to why some people could easily identify exactly who we were though.

    Even though these things are all about the people you hung with in college, going back to the buildings, the town, the dining hall, the cast of characters on the periphery – all of that contributed to the entirety of what was (and remains) at the heart of all that was good about college. I am incredibly grateful to still have these women as friends 47 years after we first met.

    Chris and I also motored down to southern Missouri/northern Arkansas for the annual sprucing up of Angie and Ray’s spots at the Maplewood Cemetery. The leaves were not as stellar as they have occasionally been in the past but that did not stop us from our appointed duties of grass clipping, whisk brooming, scrubbing, and flower changing.

    We did not let the drizzle and overcast conditions keep us from the appointed Moss Family Putt-Putt tournament. We blamed our poor showing on the course conditions, but I still beat Chris by 4 strokes and claimed victory. There might have been a fair bit of cursing, but I am chalking that up to the 2 glasses of wine before we played. Highly recommended by the way when you don’t have to drive and the weather is less than stellar.

    Back to regular programming from the farmers market next week.

  • the story of a young teen-ager who disappears in the woods

    I just finished listening to The God of the Woods by Liz Moore, narrated by Saskia Maarleveld. It was 15 hours of “good book love”… as in I couldn’t wait to get in the car to go run an errand so I could listen. I put this on my list of books to read after I read a review of it somewhere, probably the NYT book review. After reading it, while looking for an image of the book to use for my post, I ran across some reviews that were less than favorable. Such a great example of how a good meal, a walk, a painting, a piece of clothing, and finally a work of fiction can be such a different experience for every person that encounters it.

    This is the story of a young teen-ager who disappears in the woods while at a summer camp. Her brother disappeared from the same woods 14 years earlier. The reader moves back and forth in time between the 2 searches for them and the impact on the family, the camp, members of the community where the camp is located etc.

    I was very engrossed in the story from the get go. I loved the setting in the Adirondack mountains and the idea of the summer camp where kids learn some good life skills. Let me also say that I was a young teenager in 1975 and kids today are not like the kids of 1975. I feel like we were much more self sufficient, but maybe that’s as dependent on how we were parented as the times. One of the criticisms I read was about the “believability” of the book, to which I would reply, “It’s a work of fiction“. There were also comments about the ending, which I actually LOVED.

    Personally, I highly recommend this book. I thoroughly enjoyed my time listening to it. The narrator has a wonderful reading voice that was a pleasure to listen to.

  • it took every ounce of fortitude within me

    If you have never saved dried sunflower heads and added them to a wreath along with bittersweet, okra, leathery brown leaves, wheat, and some greenery… well now is that time. Except if you don’t have all the supplies you need or the wherewithal to accomplish it, not to worry, Karen Pendleton’s got you covered. This wreath stopped me in my tracks on Saturday at the farmers market.

    The pots of mums right below were equally gorgeous.

    As soon as I collected myself and was able to walk along, I spotted this cute fellow holding ever so tightly to a bag of pecans. I think his mom was going to take them home, toast them, and make some kind of apple, pecan, brown sugar, butter creation. He was happy just to be at the market – with his person.

    Another good week for dahlias! Above from Cook’s Market and below from … drat, did not get the vendor name, but don’t you love those tan and pink cosmos? Such an unusual color combination in a flower.

    Squash, pumpkin, gourd season continues. In ALL of its glory.

    The morning light on this swiss chard was a thing of beauty. The rutabagas were holding their own as well.

    It took every ounce of fortitude within me not to lift the lid and grab one of the caramels right off the top of this brown butter caramel apple cake and pop it in my mouth, close my eyes, and just delight in the pleasure of it all.

    The only thing that stopped me was this woman ahead of me in line paying for her cake. Her hat caught my eye and I wanted to get her photo and was pretty sure she would run away if I acted like a person with absolutely no manners. When I saw her dress I was extra glad I hadn’t done that. The fabric, the cut, the color, how well it fits her… all of that.

    Besides, I knew cake was coming home with me and I could have that moment of total bliss in private.

    P.S. If you can’t make it to the farmers market, you can always run out to Pendleton’s Country Market to snap up one Karen’s fall wreaths.

    https://www.pendletons.com/

  • It was the pumpkin swirl blondies that made me write this

    Important October things I have been doing include, staring at the bittersweet, mini pumpkins and zinnias on the table. All of these while I sit at the table, read the paper, eat breakfast, and stare out the window at the top of the wall that needs to be weeded. Right now, while the weather is not too hot and not too cold. But the bittersweet casts a spell, and I keep sitting.

    Fall-ish walks have started.

    I tried a recipe for pumpkin swirl blondies. They were ok. At the outset I told myself to just make pumpkin bread, the recipe that calls for a whole can of pumpkin puree, not just 1/4 cup that is mixed with cream cheese and spices to make a swirl. I am calling this my “try something new” baking for the month.

    The third session of the the Block Studies Collective has started. Above is the palette, some strips, the pattern in the background, and I am diving in. With great delight. Tara Faughnan knows how to do an on-line class. Great written instructions, video demonstrations, zoom sessions, a place to show your work, and most of all – a chance to play with small scale quilts. FUN!

    Chris and I went to the Linda Hall library in KC this week to see the “Life Beyond Earth” exhibit before it closes. We remain undecided on what may or may not be out there in terms of life beyond our planet. I am thinking we may need to send the current occupant of the oval office out on a one man investigation to finally settle the matter. If he is scared to go alone we will let him take his pals JD, and one additional advisor of his choosing. Also, we must throw RFK Jr in the mix so he can continue to uncover bold scientific discoveries that no one has previously thought about.

    Good idea huh? I couldn’t help myself. It was the pumpkin swirl blondies that made me write this.

  • flowers and pumpkins

    It is entirely possible that the photo above is my absolute favorite picture I have ever taken at the Lawrence Kansas farmers market. I think it’s because I want to live in a world where a big sister is given some money (note the careful carrying of it in her hand) and told to head off with her little brother so he can pick out a pumpkin. He likely thinks it’s the best pumpkin ever, in the history of pumpkindom, and is so happy he could pop, and she was in charge but let him decide what to get.

    The Cook’s Market folks had some spectacular dahlias this week.

    These two were just chillin’ with their pup. LOVE their expressions as they clearly were enjoying the morning.

    Corn bundles! Grab them while you can, no front porch fall display is complete without them.

    How about some fresh young ginger. It’s so pretty and makes me want to get out the wok and chop some veggies and make some rice…

    Above and below – women LOVE their flowers and pumpkins. I stand united with them.

    Pumpkin spice latte cake. I do not know how he manages to get the pumpkin and the coffee flavors to play so nicely – neither overpowering the other, but he does. It’s a favorite. Heck everything is my favorite at this time of year.

    Kind of like these two below. Everyone is happy at the market on Saturday morning.

    Yes, some of these came home with me. It’s officially time in case you missed it. Fall candles came out as well… woodsmoke, clove, oak, leaves.

    As I was about to get in my car with my basket, I spied this family coming in. Please make sure you look at the daisy sandals. Squeal!

    Here is what came home with me this week. A very good selection if I do say so myself.

  • a wooly worm, an abandoned snake skin, a couple of solo monarchs

    It was a Cat Stevens Morning Has Broken start to the day at the Baker wetlands today. I went to see if there were any unusual birds waiting for me there. This is the time of year when migrating birds move through the midwest. Isn’t that a wondrous thing to even think about?

    I heard killdeer and saw red-winged blackbirds. There were also some geese flying overhead. I did not spot any white pelicans. I will have to head to Clinton lake soon and see if there are any of them hanging around, taking a rest along their journey.

    The sun was hitting the grasses, the breeze was nice, there was a hint of highway noise in the background but I ignored it. My attention was called to other things.

    Things like a wooly worm, an abandoned snake skin, a couple of solo monarchs, and a dragonfly or two.

    There was a leaf hanging in the middle of the trail, suspended there with the the aid of the long tail from a spiderweb. I do not know if the leaf hit it on the way down, or if it deliberately used it to ease the descent.

    The filtered sunlight on the fallen leaves on the trails is just so beautiful. No words can describe it. It’s one of those external cues that trigger a cascade of memory and feelings that together make up an entirely unique experience for each viewer.

    The leaves are starting to turn but small flowers continue to bloom.

    Today I saw some large shallow pools for the birds, but compared to 5-6 years ago, it is much drier at the wetlands.

    I was delighted to catch one great egret stepping carefully along.

    This was a most excellent start to a long weekend.

    Now I am off to dig an old Cat Stevens CD out of who knows where… Dottie if you are reading this do you remember how much Gracie Villanueva loved it when we sang Morning Has Broken at mass in Panama? I can see her as clear as day right this second.

  • I have worked out in my mind how the intertwined futures of Esme and Iris play out

    Tonight it’s an update from what I have been reading. As usual it’s a mish-mash of things that catch AND hold my interest. First let me tell you about The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox by Maggie O’Farrell. Sister told me I must read it; sometimes I listen to her about books and sometimes I don’t. This was one of the did listen times and I am glad I did.

    First let me say that I knew it was about a young woman who was committed to an “asylum” because of her “behavior”. That is all I knew about it, and in retrospect I am glad. I finished it this morning on my way to work and immediately sent a Marco Polo to sister to discuss the ending, never mind that it was 4am on the west coast when I sent the message. I listened to this book and the Scottish brogue was completely wonderful and added to the whole atmospheric feel of the story.

    I am reluctant to tell you a lot about the book and instead encourage you to dive in with an open mind and let the story take you where it will. THEN I will want to hear what you thought. The ending caught me off guard, but I have worked out in my mind exactly how the intertwined futures of Esme and Iris play out. Highly recommended.

    I finished The Mystery Guest by Nita Prose in the last week too. It is one of those “nice” little reads about a quirky character in a familiar place and it was a lovely thing to read before bed. As soon as I finished that, I put my head down on the pillow for a few minutes, let it all sink it, ran my hands over the cover, then took out the bookmark and put it in Italian Shoes by Henning Mankell.

    Dianne told me about it, it sounded intriguing, and they had it at the library. I read another book by him several years ago and enjoyed it very much. The older I get, the more I like to read authors from other countries. It takes place on a small island in the Swedish Archipelago and I love the references to all the places in Sweden that sound familiar after Sister and I visited there, back then, whenever it was, I can’t remember the year, but I remember everything else. I am about 6 chapters in and completely caught up in it. Something happened to the main character that caused him to isolate himself on the island – I don’t know what that was yet. Right now I just love saying the names of the places out loud in my best Swedish accent and imagining living on a small island inhabited by me alone, with a dog and a cat. Or maybe 2 cats. That right there is a good reason to get caught up in a book.

    This concludes my first book report on WordPress. The end.

  • where my mind goes in September

    It’s almost the end of September and I am willing myself to sit in it. To luxuriate in my memories of all the September’s that have come before this one. Each anticipated start of a new school year complete with freshly sharpened pencils, notebooks waiting to be filled, making covers for textbooks out of brown paper grocery bags, a few new items of clothing. No matter the numbers of years that have passed since I last started a new year of school, that is where my mind goes in September. It’s a great place to visit.

    But let me get back to the farmers market for a minute. The morning light on the eggplant was splendid. As were the carefully lined up pots of mums in front of these tables.

    Every market these days is a smorgasbord of flowers, take your pick, they are all colorful, vibrant, plentiful. This Saturday there was also the wonderful sound of a vaguely familiar tune played on an accordion.

    There amidst the steam and partially obscured by the lid, was a maker of tamales. I haven’t sampled hers but will make it a point to get some soon.

    This celery was beautiful, I love all the leaves. I was mostly interested in that bag of “tween kale” right above it though. It holds up very well to a roasted vegetable, bean, pepper, combo that can be dressed and taken to work for lunch and tastes as good on day #4 as it does on day #1.

    Death by Chocolate this week. As the baker told me about it “I don’t really crave chocolate, until I do…” and when I do, nothing fills the bill like this cake. Moist with chunks of chocolate that you bite into at random.

    The pot of succulents! I can’t stand it, it’s so cute. It came out of a barn on some property out in the county where it had been hiding for the last 50 years. In my mind.

    These two got the award for the most colorful AND friendliest at the market this week. I didn’t know about the friendly part until I asked to take the picture.

    Let’s end this market post with some more fall bounty shall we?

    Until next time, I will just be doing my thing, but mostly thinking about September, and October.