Tall Tales from Kansas

love at the farmers market

I found love today at the farmers market.  Flower love, 

cinnamon roll love,

and love love.  

Under the spell of all that love, I surrendered to the call of the flowers.   I don't have any peonies in my garden.  That is something I should remedy.  

when I find the Dizzy Three I'll let you know

Given my love of coffee and my great like of vodka, my curiosity was piqued when I stumbled across this news flash. 

I haven't been to the liquour store to see if it's available here yet.  I have placed that on the to-do list of my personal shopper.   In the meantime, here it is Friday night.  The WEEKEND as we say at our house.  It's perfect porch sitting weather.  The fountain is burbling.  I made do with cold coffee (3 oz), plain vodka (1 oz), kahlua (1 oz), milk (1 oz), and a splash of simple syrup. 

When I find the Dizzy Three I'll let you know if it makes a significant difference in the overall flavor of this concoction.  In the meantime, please note the precarious balancing feat I pulled off with that nice glass on the arm of my rocker.   Just know that I did the balancing before I did any drinking and I did not re-attempt once I had commenced sipping.

when you have something to say

On my birthday I received these.

To be used on those occasions when you have something to say but you don't want to talk about it. 

if you get a parking ticket

I've told you once, I've told you twice, I've told you at least 10 times... but this bears repeating.  If you live within 100 miles of Lawrence Kansas you must come and spend the day.  If you want to spend the night too, that's your business, but you gotta spend a day.  Four of my friends came for lunch this week. 

There was coffee.  Some walking downtown.  A little bit of shopping.  A lot of laughing, and after all that we went to Pachamamas for lunch.   I am going to INSIST that you try it. 

The baked brie and blackberry jam on a crostini (perfect on a summer day with a nice chilled sauvignon blanc) was our starter.  It was warm and melty and sweet and savory and crunchy.  All my favorite taste sensations wrapped up in one perfect appetizer.  I am not going to try and describe each of our lunches, but I will tell you that every one was delicious.  Yes, I tried them all.  It was my duty to do so.  How else could I tell you they were all good?  Lunch with wine was $19.00.   I can not think of a better way to spend a double sawbuck. 

P.S.  If you get a parking ticket dowtown the price has gone up from $2.00 to $3.00.  Not that I got one today.  I'm just saying. 

those baby cats were not the main reason we went out there

This past Sunday was the last day of asparagus picking at Pendleton's Country market in Lawrence.  Thank goodness my friend Nancy told me about it so I could check it out.  I would have hated to have missed this.

Oh wait a minute.   Those baby cats were NOT the main reason we went out there.  We went for the fresh asparagus.

It was slim picking at first.

But then I changed my strategy, jumped the rows of kale and purple cabbage, and headed for the patch by the silo out there. 

Within 15 minutes I had enough for Chris, myself, and 8 of my closest friends.

Isn't it pretty?  Tasted good too.  Little olive oil, sprinkle of sea salt, 425 degree oven, 5-6 minutes later (depending on the freshness and diameter of the stalk) they are done.  I could eat the whole 2 pounds, but I stopped before that.  I won't say how much before that. 

P.S.  thanks Chris for documenting the outing so I could concentrate on picking. 

feliz cumpleaños hermana

I am going to have to insist on a re-match of the Mexican Train Dominoes competition Dottie.   I didn't want to say anything while you were here, but I let you win since we were celebrating your birthday.   You might want to start practicing now. 

my perfect happy mothers day

I hope each of you had one too. 

one more day in the sun with Sheila

When I went to get some roasted vegetables for tonight's dinner I walked by the baklava and it said "I think Dottie would like some of me for dessert tonight".   I have a hard time ignoring food that speaks to me so I bought some and headed for the vegetables before the cakes started chattering too. 

 
The nice 60-something year old man in the chefs' whites, with the little speck of kleenex on his freshly shaved face, that waited on me suggested if I had any roasted vegetables left over I "give them a chop and mix them in your scrambled eggs for breakfast".  Then he asked if my mom was still around.  I said yes and inquired after his mom.  He said "I sprinkled her in the ocean last week.  Right off Ponte Vedra where her condo was.  I took 12 of her pals to lunch and afterwards we spread her ashes in the water off the boat.  We didn't get sad, it was one more day in the sun with Sheila". 

If I was a mom, I would want to be the kind of mom who had a son like that.

you make do with the blues that are immediately at hand

We had a family picnic last Saturday when it was 90+ degrees outside.  Ninety degree days in May calls for the cooling properties of blue.   Johnson's blue geraniums, blue glass pitchers, blue markers & pencils, blue jeans, blue pots and blue skies.  When you don't have a big blue pool to dive into to cool down, you make do with the blues that are immediately at hand. 

after they each passed a field sobriety test

Dottie's in town so the Moss girls hit the town last night.  I went along strictly to keep them out of trouble.

They were on their second beer by the time I got there.  I had to put my foot down and hold them at that. 

We had a lovely meal at The Classic Cup on the plaza.  Then Angie had to go and walk up to this table of 2 women and ask the first one if the other one was her mother.  I swear you have to be on your toes all the time with that one.  The woman replied "no this is my dear friend" and was very gracious as I grabbed Angie before she could stick her other foot in her mouth.  I returned her to the table and ordered french press coffee for 3.

After they each passed a field sobriety test I returned their keys and made Angie promise not to stop and talk to anyone else on the way out the door.