Tall Tales from Kansas

November went "tap-tap" on my skull

I was going to welcome in December here on Tall Tales from Kansas today.  But then November went "tap - tap" on my skull and reminded me there were 30 days in this month.  December has 31.  So I will give November ALL the respect it deserves.  After all, it was a beautiful month. 

BUT - I have a shopping list for you.  Things you will need in preparation for the welcoming in of December.  Get this stuff tomorrow.  Because that is when I fully intend to reveal to you my newest cocktail creation.  I will give no mixology clues tonight.  Here is what you will need:  Butterscotch schnapps and coffee liqueur (ie ... Kahlua or Tia Maria).  I think everyone has sea salt on hand these days but if you don't get some of that too.  You will not be sorry. 

See you for our date.  Tomorrow night.  December 1st.  You can come in your pajamas. 

there is a right way to clean the stove and a wrong way to clean the stove

Just so you don't think it's all fun and games over here.  I think it's important for you to know that there is a RIGHT way to clean the stove and a WRONG way to clean the stove.

I can not, for the life of me, get down the steps involved in stove cleaning sorted into the proper sequence.   So the post Thankgiving stove cleaning duties fell on the shoulders of Chris the turkey baker.    The turkey was perfect this year.  The stove ... now that is a thing of beauty. 

it would be wasteful not to get the pattern

Cold rainy weekends in the winter were made for knitting projects.  I had forgotten all about my "secret love neck warmer".  It's fun to knit.  The rows are short and the pattern changes enough to keep it interesting. 

I am using Punta Yarn - Merino soft on #8 needles.    This yarn has some subtle variations in color.  Nice.  It's soothing just to look at.   If you are interested, I got the pattern at The Studio. A great little knitting store in Kansas City.

Naturally anytime I even think about maybe finishing a project I have to start a new one.   So as I am looking through my favorite knitting blogs today what do I see but this.

Zinnias and sunflowers.   Oh heck!   You know I can't resist a zinnia or a sunflower in any form.  You can get this pattern at here.   Wouldn't some of these be cute for christmas presents?  They are small.  I'm sure they're not too difficult.  And besides... I happen to have some yarn in all the right colors just sitting around waiting to be used up.

It would be wasteful not to get the pattern. 

in the event that you don't, or he isn't, and he didn't

If you had a brother-in-law named Daniel Patrick, who happened to be the best bread maker in the family, and he made an extra pan of cinammon rolls and brought it to your house on Thanksgiving because he knew you had guests, you could have been eating one of these this morning.

In the event that you don't, or he isn't, and he didn't,  I am sharing mine with you tonight.  Only because I know you will appreciate it.  The warm soft yeasty bread, the cinammon-buttery goodness between the layers, the melty cream cheese frosting floating all around after the 15 second microwave warm up.   I chose to have mine with a few pieces of salty bacon on the side.   It was a perfectly balanced breakfast.     

if you want to put on your christmas finery the day after thanksgiving

I saw lots of trees riding on top of cars today when I was out and about. 

Personally, I don't like to hurry into Christmas too fast after Thanksgiving.  I need a little time to let one holiday digest before I am on to the next one.  

But then I came upon this...

I stopped the car.  Got out.  Did a photo shoot.  And as I was leaving I said - "listen, if you want to put on your Christmas finery the day after Thanksgiving I don't have a problem with that."

gobble gobble gobble

Happy Thanksgiving from Lawrence Kansas

It's serious people. I mean it.

I don't know what you do at your house the night before Thanksgiving but around here we get the sweet potato casserole started. 

Then we get right down to business and the cut-throat games begin.  It's serious people.  I mean it.

Tonight we started with high stakes "apples to apples".  I barely escaped with my life. 

find a sunny spot and stretch out

In case you are one of those people who have forgotten the sheer pleasure of taking a nap in the sun, Clark wants to remind you that you can always make time for a nap.

If you get too warm you can scoot over just a bit and cool down.

If you hear a noise you can always roll over and check it out.

Naps are very restorative.  Especially around the holidays.   Find a sunny spot and stretch out.  Enough said. 

where you could get lost and the turkey might burn up

Thanksgiving in our house traditionally begins with a hike.   It's good to get a few calories burned off before we begin the marathon day of eating, drinking, playing games, telling lies, eating snacks... you get the idea.  Sometimes when it's cold we look at each other and ask "whose idea was this?"   This year the high here is supposed to be 62 degrees.  Perfect conditions for a hike.

I better look at some trail maps.  Maybe pick out a new hike this year.  Hiking is always more fun on an unfamiliar trail, where you could get lost, and you have a turkey in the oven that will burn up unless you find your way back. 

my delight in the task has not one thing to do with the reward

There are some tasks that are best done the Sunday before Thanksgiving.  This allows you to save the days immediately prior to Thursday for things like chopping and peeling and so forth and so on. 

So once a year on this very day I haul out the silverware.  I have the sets that both Angie and Eleanor got for their wedding.   I like giving it the once over and thinking about how their children and granchildren and now great grandchildren are using it. 

And just for the record, my delight in the task has not one thing to do with the reward that follows the work.  No siree Bob.  Not one thing. 

butter, worchestersire sauce, and a bit of bacon grease

The Mulvenon family has been in the business of making "snacks" since the 1940's.  Chris' grandmother was one of those early innovators who began tinkering with the recipe as soon as chex cereals came out in 1937.  She passed the secret recipe on to her son Charlie; who in turn got all his sons started on them as soon as they came off the bottle.  Today Chris made the first official batch of the 2011 holiday season. 

I can not divulge the exact proportion of any of the seasoning ingredients because I do not know them.  I can tell you there is butter and worchestersire sauce and a bit of bacon grease involved. 

I was first introduced to snacks in 1980 when my then boyfriend Chris brought a big red Folgers coffee can full of them to my roomate Peggy and I in our dorm room at Marymount College.  When we were eating them and the can got knocked over we promptly got on our knees, picked up every last morsel, put them back in the can,  and continued eating as if not one thing had happened.   To say they are addicting would be an understatement. 

no such thing as a free lunch

In the event that you need a newborn baby head, and you don't have one,  a 15 pound reluctant cat's head will make a fine substitute.

Only as a model for a knitted baby hat though.     Oh the shame and humiliation. 

Don't feel sorry for him.  We all have to earn our way in this world.  There is no such thing as a free lunch and he might as well learn that now. 

sometime in November, in the evening

I was diligently taking photos of the red sunset maple tree in my front yard.  I carefully recorded the date and the time.  All in an effort to capture the absolute best day of the year and time of day to photograph this tree.  Then I would let you all know.  Because I thought you would find it extremely fascinating.   

 

So today, tires screeching,  I race into the driveway.  I already know it's too late.  The light is gone, but I think to myself - no this will be ok.  I can make it work.  I'll get one last shot and call it good. 

And what do I find in the front yard?   A bare tree.  Hardly a leaf left on it.  Naked as a jay bird.  So here is all I have to say about the best time to photograph your tree in the fall.    Sometime in November, in the evening, before the leaves fall off.  You heard it here first. 

Eleanors' special cranberry dish

Those hedgeballs have gotten me thinking about our Thanksgiving menu.  My chief responsibilities for the day are setting the table, buying enough vodka for the pumpkin pie martinis, polishing the silverware, and making sure I can locate Eleanor's cranberry dish.  I wasn't even going to show you this.  I mean who serves sliced, out of the can, cranberries anymore?  

I thought all cranberries came out of a can until I was in my mid 20's.  That's what Angie served with our turkey, cornbread dressing, mashed potatoes, and canned peas when we were growing up.  My husbands' family did too.   This is the container his mom, Eleanor, always proudly served them up in.   We like tradition over here at Turkey central and so canned cranberries it shall be.  But only if they are served on Eleanors' special cranberry dish. 

hedge apple bowling

Out here in the midwest, at this time of year, hedge apples are a common site.  Some people gather them and use them as a form of pest control around the foundation of their home to cut down on the cricket and spider populations.  It hasn't done a thing for my crickets; luckily I live with 2 pest control specialists who are on the clock 24-7.

They are a lovely color though, and you would think there should be a good use for them.   

May I suggest hedge apple bowling?  The rules are simple.  When you go out for your traditional Thanksgiving day hike this year pick up a few as you walk on the trail.  When all participants have secured their apple, give them an underhanded roll just as if you were at the bowling alley.  The one whose apple stays on the trail the longest without veering into the woods wins.  This game can be enjoyed by all hikers from age 3 on up. 

The guy in front there with the big leaf one a few years back.  He was pretty excited about his prize.  We let him do the thanksgiving dishes.   He decided not to participate after that.  Something about having to stay home to brine the turkey... no time for hiking nonsense. 

the perfect accompaniment to any meal

Is there anything better than rolls fresh out of the oven? 

Warm rolls with honey and butter are the perfect accompaniment to any meal.    I can not think of a single thing they would not be good with.   And I have thought about it a lot.   Believe me. 

Caution I threw you to the wind

If you live within a few hours drive of Lawrence and you haven't been here to visit, do yourself a favor.  Call some friends, hop in the car, and drive on over.  It is a great way to spend the day.  Park at one end of Massachusetts street and just meander down one side of the street until you get hungry or tired.  Stop for coffee, a beer, a meal.  There are many good places to choose from.   After your rest, you can do the other side of the street.

The holiday lights are up.  Not sure when they are being turned on, but it will be soon.  Bring your holiday shopping list.   You can get all your shopping done in one day AND have a good time.    It's what I did today.  Had a good time I mean.  I didn't get any holiday shopping done.  But I did get a new winter coat.  It's white.  Very impractical.   Caution, I threw you to the wind. 

repetitions and shadows and curves

I never pass up the opportunity to check out a cemetery anytime I am in another country, city, or town.  For some reason though I don't visit the ones around here.  Today I decided to remedy that.  I had 30 minutes of free time between appointments and veered into this cemetery right in the middle of a regular neighborhood.  

I saw plenty of things that were interesting.  

Mostly having to do with repetions and shadows and curves.

I was wishing I had a blanket so I could lay on my back and look up at the sky through the leaves while the light was just perfect. 

I put one in my trunk when I got home.    Number  30 on my list of 52 by 53 is "lay on back outside and take photo of clouds".   I plan to cross that off my list before the first snowflake falls.   

dear Kansas grasses - I am sorry

It has been brought to my attention that in my zeal to show you the beautiful leaves of fall, the grasses that Kansas is famous for have been completely neglected.  This is me correcting the error of my ways.

These grasses will stand up nice and tall all winter long.   Unless we get a big ice storm and they crack in half.  But that's pretty too.  I promise to go outside in the sub zero temperatures, without concern for life or limb, to get a photo if that happens.    I hope this settles the score. 

a whole lotta nothing else

There are simply not enough mornings when it's just me, myself, and my coffee cup, and a whole lotta nothing else stretched out in front of me.   Note to self - make date with coffee cup. 

the world is such a big place

I hope I am transmitting to you my love for the city of Budapest on these pages.  The food, the architecture, the people, the things we did... captivating, all of it.  It's best not to have to work hard to have a good time on vacation.   I just like to walk through and experience life as it happens around me.  A life that is different from my own.  

I feel certain I will visit Budapest again.   But who can say for sure.  The world is such a big place.  There are so many places to see and enjoy.  In the meantime, whenever  I feel the urge I can flip through these pages and call my sister and say "hey, remember when......"

two days before we left Budapest the winds from the Carpathian Basin blew in....

More pages from the Budapest travel journal.   Today begins with that most delightful of Budapest experiences.  The thermal baths.  There are many throughout the city.  We started with Szechenyi Furdo.  We had such a good time there we went back instead of trying another facility.  We'll go to a different public bath on our next trip.  Maybe.

Well that does it for Part II.  Tomorrow I will finish up with the the last of my pages.  

Meanwhile as I drift off to sleep tonight I will make my way to the M1 tram and experience the public baths in winter.  Steam rising off the pools.  A cool dark starry night overhead.  Immersed in a cocoon of warm water. 

I wanted to make my own, but she insisted I use this one

In case you are interested, here are a few pages from my Budapest Travel journal. 

As you can see, I used a journal my sister made as a sample in her  Full Tilt Boogie class.   I wanted to make my own, but she insisted I use this one.... what could I do?    I did not want to appear ungrateful.   Especially since she gave me the one I had ooh'd and ahhh'd over the most.

As I added the pictures and re-read what I had written, I was transported back to Budapest.  That is the great thing about a travel journal.  It's not just the pictures, but the words that in an instant take me back to a certain moment in time.   Tomorrow - Part II.  

the pumpkin pie martini

The pumpkin pie martini is rich and flavorful.  It's the perfect dessert martini for any occasion this holiday season.  

There are a lot of ingredients, but I don't recommend you omit any.   You can try, but I can not guarantee the result will be this delicious.  It is a piece of pumpkin pie in a martini glass without the crust.  You can serve that on the side if you like.  Or maybe just a shortbread cookie. 

Pumpkin Pie Martini
    1 - oz Vanilla Vodka
    1 - oz  Plain Vodka
    1 - oz pumpkin pie torani syrup!
    1 generous splash (almost, but not quite 1/2 oz) Frangelico
    1/2 oz orange juice
    1 heaping tsp pumpkin puree
    1 oz half and half
Put all ingredients in a martini shaker packed with ice.  Shake and strain into glass.  Sprinkle with a pinch of pumpkin pie spice or nutmeg.  

where I help my sister with her memory

Yoo Hoo Sister- I beg to differ with you but you had your first passport when you were less than 1 year old.   Here is the evidence to prove it.   This is the photo from our "family" passport circa 1964.  So you are officially about to get your 3rd passport. 

I am pretty sure this one was issued right before we went overseas to Athens Greece.   Dottie, chime in with a correction if I am wrong.  I would kill to have that old original passport.   But the picture is pretty good.  I'm going to ask if I can use this photo for my renewal next year. 

Senior pictures

Lewis had his senior pictures taken this past weekend.   

This is his "sensitive" pose. We're thinking of getting it in a sofa size to go above the fireplace.

just to be on the safe side

Temperatures are dropping.   Precipitation is falling.   Snow might come tonight.   It's fireplace time!  And of course that also means  hot chocolate with peppermint schnapps or maybe a pumpkin martini.    Let me see if I can find that recipe I thought I had perfected last year.  I better try out a few just to be on the safe side before I post it. 

you don't always get what you want

On the way home from work today I passed a field of freshly sprouting winter wheat.

Can you believe how green it is?  I wanted a better photo of it but it might snow tomorrow night.  Which will result in the green being covered by white.   So this one-handed, on the fly, through the windshield, at 70 miles and hour shot, will simply have to do. 

I have put in a request for one more day of that beautiful golden, end of the day, sunshine that makes for just the perfect light for winter wheat pictures.  But you know how that story ends.  You don't always get what you want.