Tall Tales from Kansas

it is hard to believe we are discussing this - and not in the theoretical sense

Today I thought I would share a bit about what it's like to be working at a healthcare facility in the middle of the United States these days.  All experiences and thoughts are mine alone. Other parts of the country, other hospital departments, and other individuals perspectives will almost certainly vary.  

On Friday, at a morning briefing with medical leaders, we learned that we have a total of eighteen COVID + patients in the hospital, 10 are in the ICU, 6 are on ventilators. We have 22 additional patients "under investigation". By today, 3/31 these numbers will have changed.

Elective and non-urgent procedures/surgeries are being postponed. This will enable our hospital to increase capacity to meet the needs of patients we expect to be treating in the days and weeks to come, AND help ensure we have the personal protective equipment needed to care for those patients.  I would guess we are at about 60% of our normal capacity presently; which makes it feel eerily quiet in the hospital right now.

Temperatures are checked when you come to work. Visitors are not allowed except in very specific circumstances. Isolation precautions are being re-evaluated and we are all following very specific guidelines for how we protect ourselves with different categories of patients. We have had hospital employees who have tested positive but are all related to community spread, not patient contact. 

Clinic visits are being cancelled and we are moving to a "Telehealth" system. The structure and processes for these visits has been in the planning stages and it was predicted it would take 12 months to get up and running.  Over 800 visits have happened in the last week.

There are no FDA approved therapies for patients who test positive at this time. Some treatments are being used on a trial basis with very specific criteria. Most of the care we are providing is supportive. This means doing everything we can to help the patient get through the episode of illness- while having no specific remedy. 

We are reaching out to colleagues across the country and the world to see how others are handling specific situations. We are talking about the need to have conversations with people to determine their preferences for care in light of COVID-19. Would they want to go on a ventilator? How long would they be willing to stay on? Who will their decision maker be if/when they can not speak for themselves? This is especially important for older patients with other chronic illnesses, but really everyone should be talking about it. We have all seen accounts of young, previously healthy individuals who have become critically ill and died as a result of this disease. 

Planning is in place for how we will deal with potential shortages of medications for comfort if this becomes a reality. It is so hard to believe we are discussing this - and not in the theoretical sense. 

Meanwhile the moon continues to shine in the western sky as the sun goes down. Venus is currently making an appearance alongside. I only know this because Sister has instructed me to "GO LOOK!". So I do. 

                                                  The Sunday night sky as seen from Tall Tales Headquarters.

unless of course, I talk him into something I think sounds better than what he picks

There is apparently a new family moving onto the front porch at Tall Tales Headquarters.

While I am not thrilled about a nest right there, on the wreath, which is not all that stable in my opinion, I can not bring myself to take it down. It's a beauty. 

The vinca vine out back has started to bloom, and there is blue sky and sun today. 

On the knitting front, this botanical cowl got finished. Botanical Cowl free pattern

Modeling photos to follow once I unpin it from the bedroom floor upstairs. 

Or I may just leave it here. I love how projects look when they are blocked. 

I also joined the shoulder seams of a sweater and hope to sew up the sides, then pick up and knit a garter stitch border all around the bottom and along the front and collar area. This pattern calls for the sides to be seamed and then the sleeves to be eased in. Hmmm will some of you knitters tell me if you wouldn't put the sleeves in first and then sew the side seams and the sleeve seams at the same time. 

Last item in the knitting news portion of this post - I am getting ready to wind some yarn into a ball for another cowl. Winding a skein is akin to walking a labyrinth. Very meditative. The exception being if you drop the ball multiple times and it rolls down a flight of stairs. 

On the movie front, we watched Late Night last night. If you love Emma Thompson, and are in need of something a little bit predictable, with a good ending (who isn't right now?), this is your movie. I enjoyed it very much, Chris tolerated it. Which means he gets to select what we watch tonight. Unless of course I talk him into something I think sounds better than what he picks.  

marmalade cats are good therapy

Hello there three day weekend. I have plans for you. Starting with part 2 of the very close examination of the budding habits of all the trees in the state.

After that I will focus on birds, their unique calls, and why crows chase each other like a couple of kids on a playground, except in the sky.

Then I will review recipes to figure out what to do with the last bags of frozen blueberries and tomatoes in the freezer. It is highly likely they will be turned into tomato soup and blueberry snack cake, but you never know, I may change my mind. Though even now I am thinking about how nicely they would go together for next weeks lunches. It is really important to have a nostalgic, delicious, lunch to look forward to these days at work.  

Two weeks ago I kept thinking "well ok, bad things are happening, but surely this will turn around".  I am the eternal optimistic always looking for the bright side. 

All this week I have been waiting for the other shoe to drop... while still hoping that it won't... but how can it not? The future seems uncertain in so many ways. And yet, tonight I am grateful that the members of my family are safe, that all my team members are well, and of course for the chance to rest and renew this weekend. As soon as I hit the "publish" button, I am going outside to look for a couple of orange cats to play with. Marmalade cats are good therapy.

these are G. Double O. D.

I take my temperature each morning before leaving the house for work. A temp above 100 degrees Fahrenheit means I must stay home. Pretty soon, in addition to that, I am going to have to weigh myself daily. Here is why.

These are the Ultimate Flaky Buttermilk Biscuits from America's Test Kitchen.

When Chris and I watched the episode where they were featured, we were taken by how easy they came together, and the rolling and folding technique used. So when Chris decided he was making "orange stew" for supper the other night, I told him I would take charge of the biscuits.

These are folded into a square, the outside ends trimmed off to encourage rising, cut into nine pieces, and brushed with butter of course.

When I got to this phase I was high-fiving myself like a complete fool. Seriously though, don't they look perfect?

Without a trace of modesty, I will say they were super flaky and tender, not doughy, tough, or dry. Plus they were crispy on the top, sides, and bottom. And they rose really high. 

So you see the need for the daily weights. A weight gain of more than 2-3 pounds overnight means I need to lay off the biscuits for a day or two. 

They need no added butter, honey, jam, jelly, or cane ribbon syrup. They are perfect as is. But don't take my word for it. Recipe below if you need it.

P.S. They ARE ultimate AND flaky. I think all my Louisiana aunts (Ola, Lois, Beatrice, Mabel, and Pauline) would approve. They would also put their "hand-mixed, on the countertop, sans bowl or measuring utensils" biscuits up against these without batting an eye. The Louisiana aunts all were prize winning biscuit makers. All this to say, I know a good biscuit when I have one.

These are G. Double O. D.

I am touched by any little thing recently

Earlier in the week, while I was enjoying the tulips on my table.

The ones that replaced the daffodils.

I heard a bunch of honking horns, so I did what you, and any other naturally curious person would do, I jumped up to see what was what (without knocking over the tulips I might add).

I looked out the front windows and saw a group of cars driving around and around, waving and honking. A few of the cars had signs that read "we miss our schools". For some reason it gave me a lump in my throat and I ran out to the front porch to wave in appreciation. And solidarity. When I came back inside my voice was quavery as I told Chris about it. Such a small thing, but for some reason connecting in a teeny moment, across the social distancing, felt perfectly right. 

It was like seeing the picture of the labryinth on sister's blog, and reading the poem Kitty O'Meara wrote that she posted. I read it to my office mate's this morning and I cried while reading it. I couldn't help it. I am touched by any little thing recently. Maybe you too? 

Way back in 1979 when I was a very young nursing student, Sr. Evangeline Thomas told me "you have the gift of tears". I assured her it was more of a curse than a gift that I cried so easily. But she just smiled at me. Smart woman. 

I am giving myself lots of grace these days. And buying tulips when I must go to the store. 

don't trouble trouble until trouble troubles you

When I bought this "sea salt and water" candle a few weeks back, I didn't think about it as a balm for the house in the days of social isolation. But it is. Seriously wonderful aroma and the name makes me think of salt water rinses/gargles which are good for everything. Except, and let me be clear, it smells like the ocean, not gargled water, and I for sure am not gargling with it.

I love to light it first thing in the morning when it's still a little darkish out. 

Other things I have continued doing are regular walks, outside. Sky/cloud therapy is powerful stuff.

The daffodils will have to be replaced. I plan to go to the grocery store during "senior hours". Maybe someone will card me? Flowers are a necessity not a luxury.

Is everyone keeping some sort of journal to record these goings on? In future years I am pretty sure I will want to revisit what I thought it was important to capture about these current events.

Light the candle, take the walk, enjoy the flowers, write the thoughts, and in the words of the inimitable Marti Huff, shown below with her social distancing yardstick, "don't trouble trouble until trouble troubles you".

Well said. I believe in taking advice from 96 year old women that look this good. 

four reasons to try them

Because one whole lime poke cake was not enough, I also made 27 cookies this week. The recipe is supposed to make 9 dozen, if you make teaspoon sized cookies. Who does that?

These are the "Mint Devils Food Cookies" from the June 1988 Creative Ideas for Living magazine  (yes I still have it). I made a few modifications improvements to the recipe.

They have been a March tradition around here for 30 + years.

Super easy.

Reliably delicious.

Recipe usually requested. 

Freeze well.  That's 4 reasons to try them. Enough said. 

Recipe: 1 bag or 2 boxes of Andes mints wafers (chopped), 1 package devils food cake mix, 1/2 cup vegetable oil, 2 beaten eggs, 1 cup chopped walnuts.  Throw everything in a bowl and mix it up (I don't use a beater, just a big spoon).  Form into loose balls, put them on a cookie sheet, and bake at 350 degrees for 12 minutes. The original recipe calls for melting a mint on top of each cookie but that's too much work for me so I just put them all in the cookie batter. The original also calls for dry roasted peanuts and coconut - which just seemed wrong, thus the walnut substitution. 

it's hard not to worry about the potential significance of any symptom

Every sniffle, sneeze, cough, and ache can be a cause for concern these days. To help you sort things out I am providing this helpful chart. It is not meant to replace a call to your primary care doctor but rather determine at a glance when to pick up the phone (or set it back down).

It's hard not to worry about the potential significance of any symptom. But an algorithm like this may prevent panic from setting in. 

to check on all my favorite trees, shrubs, and flowers

As the COVID-19 pandemic marches on around us, so does this.

Spring is apparently immune to the virus. Birds are chirping, grass is greening up, and trees are blooming. Yesterday, in one last attempt to support all my favorite local small businesses, I went downtown for a quick dash into 2 stores. Both closed. I thought they might be.

Healthcare providers like me have traditionally been limited in our ability to work from home.  Telehealth visits are changing that to some extent, but as long as I continue to be in my car going to and from the hospital, there will be time built in for stops to check on all my favorite trees, shrubs, and flowers. 

That's good common sense medicine.  

about our personal owl siting

The other day in the middle of refilling my coffee container with a bold rich blend of Italian Roast (the motorcycle on the front and the memory it evoked of the motorcycle riders we saw in Bavaria had nothing to do with my selection), Chris hollered from the laundry room - "hey look at this, come here!"

So I of course dropped everything, ran in there, and he pointed out a big owl sitting on top of the lamp-post right in front of the house. Which of course made me run for the camera, acting as though I had never seen an owl in my entire life.

Which is completely not true - Sister and I just saw some last year at the Douglas Family Preserve in Santa Barbara - but I digress.

He was as curious about me as I was about him and he swiveled his head around to follow my movements. He did not swoop down and land on my head, or snatch my hat, or anything dramatic like that. Still it was a moment that needed recording. Though I will admit, to seeing how some individuals could think I am going overboard about our personal owl siting. 

In about 20 years when we are rocking on the porch talking about the "old days when we lived through the coronavirus pandemic"  Chris will probably reach over and poke me and say (in a very excited tone) "and remember that day we saw the owl?", and I will pat his arm and say "yes honey"... like old folks do.

P.S. you knew I was going to show you a photo of this man on his Vespa didn't you? I was also going to show you the photo of the chocolate/cherry Bavarian torte we had with coffee at the cafe we were sitting at when we saw this. But that would have been going too far.  

thank you Kansas for making me proud

Can I just comment on the confidence boost I received from the governor of the state of Kansas – Laura Kelly - boldly stepping out, as the first state in the country, electing to close ALL schools in the state for the remainder of the year? Yes, I understand the hardships it will impose on families. I also understand that the times we are in call for measures that even one month ago would have seemed crazy. Decisive leadership, relying on experts for guidance about the right things to do is what will get us through this pandemic. Which brings me to Dr. Lee Norman, the Secretary of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. 

We don't need business (politics) as usual. Statements from leaders that only serve to advance their agenda or support their "team" will not be helpful.  Thank you Kansas for making me proud.

it's an excellent dessert after pizza, pork fried rice, or salad

This happened the other day at our house. It was inevitable, so we made no attempt to fight it.

Sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do. FYI the photo above is shown with the amount of sprinkles that Chris prefers. Which is clearly inadequate.

It comes together lickety split, bake the cake, make the jello, poke the holes, pour the jello, whip the cream, sprinkle the sugar.  Recipe here.

It goes down real easy too, especially when the proportion of cake to whipped cream to crunchy sugar topping is just right, as shown above. 

Really moist, not overly sweet, a little bit tart, I could eat a whole line of the 9x13 pan. In one sitting. But restrict myself to a square. All things in moderation is a motto to live by. 

One could easily substitute whipped cream in a can instead of whipping it yourself, but I do like that drapey, soft, melty consistency of the freshly whipped.

It's an excellent dessert after pizza, pork fried rice, or salad. I should know, I've had it after all 3 and will have more tonight after spaghetti and meat balls. 

The end.  Happy St. Patrick's Day to one and all, near and far. 

the amazing pot of pansies I am going to plant

The resilience building activities (also known as routine regular stuff) that have been done of late include: admiring the houses of Lawrence enhanced by the shadows of trees, 

watching very sweet (and I do mean SWEET) movies on demand at home (I will also admit to being glued to an episode of the Andy Griffith show in which Gomer Pyle enlists in the Marines and meets Sgt. Carter), 

enjoying a trip to Decade at non-peak hours and sitting in the corner (what is it about shared community even when keeping your distance and doing your own thing that makes it feel "right"?),

dreaming about the amazing pot of pansies I am going to plant and put on the porch as soon as it warms up just a bit, 

and enjoying the occasional amazing Kansas sunset. 

In other news, we have cancelled our trip to fly to Virginia to see brother. There will be time for that later. In addition, work carries on as you might imagine it would at a major medical center. There are tighter visitor restrictions, patients with COVID-19 are in a special unit and cared for by staff that are not caring for other patients, I feel great confidence in the leadership of our hospital and the ongoing steps we are taking to keep our patients safe. 

because troubled times call for it

Even though the other day I spoke about being quarantined in a somewhat lighthearted manner, please do not confuse me with someone who doesn't take what is happening right now seriously. This new Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is changing how we live in the world everyday. I am not going to tell you how you should respond to the disease, there are plenty of experts out there offering advise on how to stay safe and providing recommendations for things you should and should not be doing.  

I will tell you that I absolutely can NOT get on board with the man who told me this week "that coronavirus is God's work - it's him telling us to pay attention to what is important and come back to him". I have categorized this take on the pandemic in the "complete and utter nonsense" category. Delusions abound in chaotic times.

I can also not get behind the people who say they are going to "carry on with life in the usual way". This kind of thinking will contribute to the spread of disease and increase the risk of critical illness and death for those in high risk categories. Please educate yourself if you must travel, considering how your choices will affect those you love. 

Toilet paper stockpilers... quit it. Enough said. 

Choosing to stock up on books from the library before they decide to close however, is a whole other matter. Reading books at home is on the list of things the CDC says you should do if you are forced to spend time in quarantine .  What I mean is it should be on the list. 

If I may be so bold, I am also going to encourage baking a St. Patrick's Day Lime Poke cake or something else completely ridiculous. Because troubled times call for it.

Buying daffodils and placing them in strategic locations around your home to make you smile is also highly recommended.  

even if it means bending the rules a teeny bit

Well, I am glad I decided to give Renee Ballard (Michael Connelly's newest protagonist) another chance.  In the second book she is featured in, Dark Sacred Night, Harry Bosch is also along for the ride and they make for pretty good "partners". At the end of the book we also find out that since they worked together so well finding Daisy Clayton's killer, they are going to continue their sleuthing efforts in a sort of "off the record" fashion. Finding justice for the victims of crime, even if it sometimes means bending the rules a teeny bit. 

That's one of the advantages of starting a series after the first several books have been published. There is already another novel out featuring both of them - The Night Fire. I am saving it for a bit, but am looking forward to seeing what direction Michael Connelly continues to move with them.  Good stuff.

houses that look like they were freshly painted for an easter party

Signs of the imminent arrival of spring include the following:

A: a crocus siting

B: the appearance of pastel malted milk balls on the table

C: the upward thrust, through the mulch, of tulips

D: the sudden veering to the side of the road to take pictures of houses that look like they were freshly painted for an Easter party

E: pansies at the garden stores

All of these things signal that unmistakable pleasure brought about by the simple changing of the seasons. 

we proceed with life as we know it for the time being

In the event that house quarantine becomes a thing in the future, there may need to be a slight reduction in the amount of True Vine Ranch blueberry jam that is being lovingly spread on toast today.

However, until such time arises, and because as of last inspection there remained 3 jars in the pantry, we proceed with life as we know it for the time being. 

This laissez faire approach to life also includes the frivolous burning of candles simply for atmospheric and aromatic purpose without a shred of necessity.

"church" at my favorite coffee spot downtown

Happy Sunday, from Kansas, where I just got done planting a Rising Sun Redbud tree. 

I had someone else plant the last 2 weeping cherries that have both ended up dying in that spot, and decided maybe I should just take matters into my own (capable) hands.  

When that was done, and after Marco Polo'ing my sisters, and sending Mary Joan a text about my accomplishment, because listen... one must announce one's personal moments of excellence to those who understand these things... I sat in the chair above and read the Sunday Review section of the NYT, where I discovered this article. This line in particular "...If in doubt, snuff me out" made me want to jump over to Mary Pipher's house (the author) and give her a double high five. I would give my eye teeth to have come up with that line. We have all got to learn to talk about the fact that we are dying. Well written pieces like this help normalize death as a part of life. A part that we are all heading towards. I like hearing others beliefs about what happens after we die. Some offer hope, others seem more hogwash than anything else... and yet, to each her/his own. 

Earlier in the day, I bolted out of bed so I could fill my favorite hours of the day with double the activity since we "sprang forward an hour" here in the US. My reward was a lovely sunrise followed by "church" at my favorite coffee spot downtown.

It never gets old. Time to think about the best/worst/most/least memorable moments of the past week feels like a worthy use of part of the day. Plus, I'll always choose a latte over communion wine , AND today there was a German Sheppard puppy at mass. I am pretty sure God laid on the floor and kicked her feet up with delight over that. 

you want to know what happened and are pretty sure the author is not going to leave you hanging

Chances Are by Richard Russo is the story of 3 college friends (men), who return to Martha's Vineyard after a 30 year hiatus, and try to come to terms with where they are at in their lives, relationships, and figure out what happened to their friend Jacy who disappeared the last time they were all together there in 1971.

It's one of those books you devour, chapters at at time, because you want to know what happened and are pretty sure the author is not going to leave you hanging. He doesn't. Good "before bed" reading. Recommended.