Tall Tales from Kansas

more is more and that is better

It's hard to pick a favorite zinnia. There are a multitude of reasons to like each of them. That said, I am partial to the Queen Red Lime and the Queen Lime Orange. Especially with a few Tequila Lime thrown in for good measure. 

I love the varying degrees of lime combined with the red and orange, as well as the different shapes.

They are reliable and produce in abundance throughout the summer.  

The key is making sure to spend a little time at the outset, preparing the soil, keeping the area moist until the seeds germinate, and then a little watering every day or so until they take off. 

They flower on nice long stems, perfect for cutting and bringing inside. 

I don't know anyone who can pass by a patch of zinnias and not vow to plant some. My seeds are from Burpee. I have ordered from them the last several years and been very pleased with how they performed. I always sow way more seeds than is likely needed. I come from the "more is more, and that is better" school of seed planting.  

I'm having fun - pass it on

For those of you who've never met a buttonbush before, allow me to introduce you. I made it's acquaintance on a recent walk. Super cool looking flower isn't it?  At first glance it was reminiscent of the coronavirus image. 

It's not uncommon for me to come across things not previously seen on a morning walk. Today for example, there was a moth with a very thin line of pistachio green all along the border of it's wings, only visible as it lifted off, and wandered on.

The other day while strolling on a crushed gravel trail looking for feathers, I found a piece of aqua sea glass that must have fallen out of the pocket of a woman working on a road crew. When the road was torn up years later it came to live on a path in Kansas instead of the ocean. Except it's now among friends on my porch.

Views of the sun coming up are not new but I swear to you each one is somehow unique. I collect them all.

The very best new thing I encountered last week was a sweaty young man with curly black hair, running along like he probably used to run on the playground when he was 6 years old. Excitedly. Arms going this way and that. He was having a very nice conversation with himself and he winked at me as he went by. I'm pretty sure that was code for "I'm having fun - pass it on".

sigh. moan. freeze most of them.

At least 10 years ago, I made some ginger cookies with an orange/gingery cream frosting sandwiched between 2 spicy, crispy on the outside - soft on the inside cookies. It could be that I made them a few times. Then somehow I didn't get back to them. Until this week.

I don't think I'll wait so long in between batches next time.

My brother tells me that it was in fact HE that gave ME the recipe. But I am pretty sure he doesn't have the original recipe that was torn out of the February 2008 Oprah Magazine. And if he did he wouldn't admit it. 

Ginger, molasses, cinnamon, and cloves are perfectly paired - none overpowering the other. 

This is not a fussy cookie to make, mix, chill, roll, sugar, flatten, bake.

Cool, frost, sandwich.

Stack, photograph, sample.

Sigh. Moan. Freeze most of them.

Especially if you are a household with mainly just one sweet eater. In pandemic times, bringing treats to works just isn't a thing.  

P.S. They are really excellent when eaten frozen.  Kind of like brownies are. And key lime pie. and... and... and...

Helpful links:  

cookie recipe

 

I wanted to eject the CD's and throw them out the window

Let me start out by saying this is an unusual book review for me. Because...
#1 I couldn't stand the main character.
#2 I couldn't stand the main character's father who was prominent in the first 1/3 of the book.
#3 I could not for the life of me understand how the women who loved the main character could stand him.  

I wanted to eject the CD's and throw them out the window on the way home from work a few times. 

All of that said, I kept listening. For the history.

I have never read or known much about John Wilkes Booth, his family, or the circumstances around the plot to initially abduct, and later to assassinate Abraham Lincoln. Now I want to know more. From a factual perspective. I am going to have to do some researching, to see how much of this book is based in fact.  It seems like much of it is - at least at first glance. I am googling his siblings, Mary Surratt who owned the boarding house where many of his co-conspirators stayed - including her son John, and Lucy Hale the daughter of a US Senator who had a relationship with him. 

I am interested to know if any of you read/listened and what you thought about it. Do tell.  

stay cool, stay safe, eat melons

Though my farmers market trip this weekend was slightly later and slightly shorter it did not decrease my spending.

The first thing I did was march right back to the vendor with the cherokee purple heirloom tomatoes from last week.

They are incredible. I placed my order... "I need one for tonight and one for later in the week" and he provided 2 winners. Seriously you put 2 thick slices on a pretzel bun with mayo and the hamburger patty is really optional. 

There was a nice selection of good looking beans, eggplant, and friends stopping to say hello.

This won "best new sign at the market" this week.

This week's flowers.

It seems I am on an orange kick, and who can blame me. Speaking of orange...

I am on a mission to try all varieties of melons.  This weeks is a "sugar cube". Smaller and the seed pattern inside is super cool. So far I have enjoyed the "kandy" and the "ambrosia" equally well.  

Hoping your last week in July is a good one.  Stay cool. Stay safe. Eat melons!

 

poppy seeds scattered to kingdom come

It crossed my mind as I got ready to cut down the dried poppy's last week, that seeds should be harvested. In case my sisters want/need some.   

This year, in addition to those nice, big, deep red blooms, there were lighter pinkish ones, and some red and white ones with ruffled edges. Swoon.    

I can't wait to see how they come in next year. More seeds will be sprinkled, very early in spring, but most of these should come back again next year, usually heartier after a few years in the same spot - undisturbed. 

So I cut the stems, shook them over a box, and seeds came out like crazy. They were then funneled into little bottles because whats not to like about a little bottle full of poppy seeds.

While I wait to send them on their journeys I enjoy looking at them on my table, along with some other collections. I will ask myself why I did not seal them into envelopes the minute I collected them as soon as I accidentally flip this tray over one morning and have poppy seeds scattered to kingdom come. But for now....

my needs are few

Three things about last weekend that sustained me through the week and have me looking forward to the coming weekend include the following.

1.  This cup of morning coffee. With the Sunday paper.

2. This spectacular sunrise, 7 minutes from home.

3. Sitting around watching this pot of succulents grow. 

I am a simple person. My needs are few.

I let the flying squirrels know

At Mary’s lake, in addition to water, there are nice woods with deep shade, and open meadows with flowers. There are also lots of unmarked paths between these spaces waiting to be explored. 

I did not expect the gentle sloping that got my ticker pounding as I went up and down, and up again, along the paths. 

You might also want to know that I saw a branch along the path that resembled a sleeping fox, and another in the lake that looked like a floating alligator. 

I also learned about cavity nesters, thanks to this helpful sign along the path. Another amble at this exact spot is planned for later this month. I let the flying squirrels know in case they want to practice their routines for an audience of one. 

enjoying the bounty of summer

There was a whole lot of goodness at the market this past Saturday... starting with BABY FEET, ambrosia melons, and pink zinnias.  

One good pink deserves another so I present this little miss, spotted from a distance (I have a fine-tuned radar that alerts me to things such as this) and she was only too happy to demonstrate her moves for me. 

I also capitalized on what will likely be the last week of blueberries in Kansas. This box is getting frozen for the mid-winter blueberry snacking cake.

Big heirloom tomatoes meant BLT's with Duke's mayo and smoky bacon on Monday night. There is no word that can accurately and succinctly capture the flavor. So I will just say OH! 

Which is also a good word to describe the flowers selected to carry home, and this curly haired, mask wearing adventurer. 

Until next week, I hope you are all enjoying the bounty of summer.

on a mission to keep the classics alive

Sometimes, after a Saturday night hamburger, Hawaiian macaroni salad, key lime pie, three glasses of red wine, dinner party for two at home, I like to take myself over to the worship service where the big bells ring and the stairs are plentiful. 

This walk is also good after Chris makes fajitas, we drench avocados in lime juice, fix a pot of mom's Spanish rice, and watch "A Series of Unfortunate Events" with Jim Carrey and Meryl Streep (to name a few). I might have taken a piece of key lime pie out of the freezer to have for dessert.  

Photos are few as I concentrated on matters at hand. Up. Down. Up. Down. 

Helpful links related to dinners include:

The Pioneer Woman's beef fajitas. Excellent. We will make again and again and again.

Hawaiian Macaroni Salad from Cooks Country.  Make this exactly according to the recipe. To. Die. For.
Keeps well for a week in the refrigerator. 

In case you are at a loss for entertainment, below are the trailers for the movie mentioned above (free on amazon prime) as well as The Ghost and Mr. Chicken with Don Knotts from 1966, which will not appeal to all but we enjoyed. I was telling someone at work about it and they did not know who Don Knotts was. It was the same person who did not know who Laurel and Hardy were. I am on a mission to keep the classics alive.  

 

our numbers are increasing

It’s been three weeks since this last post about what is happening in my work life. Friday marked the end of my 16th week on the palliative care team that is seeing the COVID positive patients at my hospital. 

Here is a quick update from the front lines: 

Our numbers are increasing.  Today we had 35 COVID + patients.  Twelve of them sick enough to be in the ICU.  Four on ventilators, 2 more headed in that direction. Our ICU intensivists continue to try waiting longer before intubating patients; instead using high flow heated oxygen which is different than at the outset of the pandemic when we worried about aerosolization of the virus using this therapy. 

We anticipate a surge to numbers in the 50’s and 60’s is coming soon. At this time we have enough ventilators and enough ICU beds. We heard on Friday that our hospital just spent 3 million dollars on gowns in anticipation of this increase. Our supply of N-95's and other PPE remains good.  

Our infectious disease specialists tell us they are cautiously optimistic about the availability of a vaccine within the next number of months. Not a specific number of months. But less than a year.  

We are seeing a few very long term, extremely sick patients, who have been hospitalized for months getting close to discharge. Not back home, and not anywhere close to being as functional as they were prior to admission. COVID-19 is causing some fibrotic changes in the lungs and I have no idea what this means for patients long term. I worry that another infection in their weakened state may mean death. Maybe those changes will get better with a long long recovery. I just don't know. Patients are also extremely weak overall after months in bed. 

Other patients who have not been quite as sick have been able to go directly home from the hospital. Overall, the number of days in the hospital for these patients are decreasing. I think this is because we are learning more about therapies - how and when to use them. 

We remain vigilant at work. Watching out for each other. Cautioning each other if we are spending too much time in a room with a patient. Reminding each other that we can't touch (or remain too close to) patients and families as we comfort them - which is incredibly hard. Keeping the masks on. Wearing eye protection. Washing the hands. This is what team members should do for each other. It's easy to slip-up, which can lead to consequences we don't want to consider. 

What I want to say is we are taking this seriously. But you knew that. There is a lot of ignorance out there though. When I hear some of the ludicrous ideas, my instinct is to correct misinformation with facts. I haven't found that to be particularly effective. Let me share the most recent bit of idiocy... "the numbers of deaths are not that high, hospitals are inflating the numbers because they get money for patients who die with COVID-19". I have no words for this. 

Instead, here is a good link to an article about what we know about treatments for coronavirus. Which ones are showing promise, which are not effective, which could be considered fraudulent. 

For those who like graphs and numbers, see increases by date in Kansas. You might have to click on the photo to read it. 

what a convergence of creative talents

When I got home from the farmers market last week, I headed straight for a very specific pottery pitcher to use for a vase.

A creamy beige that just seemed meant to be paired with this unusual color of zinnia.

Then came the tablecloth, found on a trip through a second hand store years ago, treasured by me for the skilled needlework of the unknown maker. 

This weeks' flowers came from Firefly Farm, the pitcher was made years ago by Ken Klostermeyer (a potter from Salina Kansas), and let me not forget to mention the table and chairs, found and refinished by the one and only Alice Mills, given to us shortly after we were married, and treasured to this day by Chris and I.

What a convergence of creative talents.

I wondered what it would be like to have them each gathered around the table for a nice meal to talk about their contribution to this arrangement in my dining room. Probably best that it just happen in my mind, but I love the idea of all the different expressions of artistic genius coming together like this. 

a pipe smoking librarian

If you are looking for a far-fetched, slightly kooky, kind of formulaic, yet somehow charming book; Harry's Trees by Jon Cohen might be just what you need. It doesn't really fit anywhere on the shelves of books I generally reach for, but for bedtime, when you just want a little reading to forget the day before you go to bed, it works. 

Man loses wife, woman with daughter loses husband, they find each other. There are trees, a grum, a pipe smoking librarian, gold coins, magic, and a few bad guys who may be redeemed. I can't say more than that. 

a pleasure, a meditation, a favorite part of the day

I have changed the language around my habit of walking. It wasn't a conscious decision, it just happened one day.

Before I went to bed I began to think about where I was going to GET to walk in the morning versus NEEDING to get a walk in, or BEING SURE I walked.  

Instead of being a duty it has become a pleasure, a meditation, a favorite part of the day.

For the last many years I have been an early riser, sometimes piddling before I left the house. No more. It's up and out the door to see what there is to see right NOW.

Above are some of my recent walks (in no particular order). Dottie, Mary Ann, and I like to send each other what we are doing and discovering. It makes me want to explore whats around me, while also looking forward to the days ahead when we are again able to travel and enjoy each others outdoor spaces. 

a whole lot of good juju

Recently I did a deep dive into the Wishing Bench, situated at the intersection of 9th and Delaware streets in East Lawrence, not far from Decade coffee shop, which is still closed. Sigh. I have never taken my favorite coffee spots for granted but you can bet I am going to double down on my visits when they can safely re-open.  

But back to the bench. Even in the rain I enjoyed exploring all the sentiments, stickers, and ephemera

It was hard not to smile as I considered the sum total of all that was there. A mug, an extra swimsuit top, key chains, a tennis shoe, and a whole lot of good juju. 

another weekend at the best farmers market on the planet

They had everything I needed and then some at the market on Saturday. Those tiny tomatoes were positively glowing, and I might have said "holy crap" or something like that when my eyes fell on them.  I mean seriously.

These crocheted bags full of lemons were so cute I wanted to buy 7 and hang them all over my house... and will you get a load of the gladioli? Such a pleasing combination of colors.

Best t-shirt of the week goes to the CAT DAD who was also "easiest to strike up a conversation with", and one genuinely nice fellow. 

Sweet corn season is upon us and there were also some beautiful blackberries for sale. 

Onions and swiss chard were on my list and I was glad to see both available. 

Onions carmelized, chard wilted, lunches made, blueberries eaten right out of the basket. I decided to roast the green beans for the heck of it while I had the oven on. I am going to re-heat them in a skillet real quick to go with dinner one night this week. I don't usually roast green beans but wanted to try something different. 

And of course, this wonderful bouquet of flowers came home as well. Thus concludes another weekend at the best farmers market on the planet. 

if you need extra crunch

Some of my favorites from the last several weeks.  Walks, flowers (outside, on the table, by the sink), and my pick for "best flag hanging on a porch in Lawrence" for the 4th of July.  

It's not officially summer until at least one of Janelle's key lime pies has been made. Situation remedied recently. If you ever find yourself short graham crackers when making a pie crust, you can substitute granola in a pinch. FYI - granola absorbs less butter than the graham crackers do. I also thought about using pretzels. Does anyone routinely make a pretzel crust for a pie? If so, give me the 4-1-1 on that. 

When it's blueberry time in Kansas, they can and should be eaten as much as possible. In a salad with orange peppers, celery, and Napa cabbage with a fruity vinaigrette is the perfect side dish for whatever you are fixing for supper. 

Throw on some roasted pepitas, if you need extra crunch. 

with morning sun shining through their long silky ears

At the Baker wetlands right on the south/east side of Lawrence there are chattering red-winged black birds that sit atop tall narrow grasses that sway a bit under the weight. But never bend. How is that possible?

There are also what I believe are boxes of bees making honey, tended by an enterprising apiarist. Who I did not see.

I spotted a long legged bird taking flight as well as a squadron of geese who were waiting to get their final flight plan approved before leaving. 

The Queen Anne's lace is in full bloom and the butterfly milkweed is ready and waiting for the monarchs. 

There were also rabbits munching quietly with morning sun shining through their long silky ears. I did not bother them.

There were no muskrats or beavers spotted. But I was looking.

I am making it my mission to re-acquaint myself with every green space there is in Lawrence. My amazement knows no bounds. As does my delight.

a lot of thinking and talking

Baby robin #2 took a full 38.5 hours longer than baby robin #1 to leave the nest.

There was much thinking and talking, followed by hemming and hawing, in addition to lots of ongoing feeding, nudging, and encouraging by mom, before the standing and flying off happened. In the dead of night by the way, and much to my great relief. I was starting to wonder if there was something wrong. 

Having a robin nursery on your front porch, is not for the faint of heart. Or the worry prone. Hopefully we are done for the summer. The area under that wreath needs a good scrubbing. I alerted Chris to this since I have to work tomorrow. Also because deep cleaning really falls more in his realm of expertise than mine. 

he IS the voice of Danny Conroy

I want to tell you that The Dutch House, by Ann Patchett, read by Tom Hanks, is the best book that I have read for the year 2020. But that would mean closing the door to the possibility that something I might read in the coming 6 months could rival it in greatness, or perhaps be even better. Which would be quite a feat.

I want to tell you that this is the best Ann Patchett book I have ever read, but that would require me to review all of the Ann Patchett books I have read to be sure it truly is. And that seems like more effort than is necessary at this moment. 

Therefore, I will tell YOU in the most confidential manner possible, that this is a remarkably wonderful story with characters you will come to feel you really do somehow know.  I can see them all lined up in front of me now - Danny, Maeve, Celeste, Cyril, Fluffy, Joselyn, Sandy, Elna, Andrea, Norma, Bright, and May and Kevin. Moving through the years, checking in with me so I can see how their lives are progressing.

If you want a special reading experience go find this book. If possible you will want to have Tom Hanks read it to you because he IS the voice of Danny Conroy and brought him to life for me. Remember how I told you sometimes I gobble up books and chew with my mouth open? Not this one. It was a literary feast, cooked by a gourmet chef, served on the best china, in a dining room with large windows, and flowers on the table. I chewed each morsel slowly and savored every single bite. 

I left this one in the vestibule

If you go to the temple of the deep woods, where the paths are well marked, the shade is deep, and the wild roses are blooming, may offer a bit of advise?

If yours is the first car in the parking lot, meaning you are first on the trail, don't be like me and wait until 1/2 way through the hike to pick up a big stick to wave in front of you to break up all the cobwebs. 

When I departed, I left this one in the vestibule. Feel free to use it and put it back for the next person. You will thank me. 

this half-pint zucchini peddler

Happy 4th of July from baby robin 1 and 2.  Twenty-one days ago there were three eggs in the nest, today these two look about ready to fly the coop.  I see them practicing their flapping routines when I walk by the window. Mother robin is standing at the ready, and is not putting up with any nonsense from me. I open the front door, she chirps, the baby birds duck down into the nest. 

This morning I wanted to put a few flags on the porch though, so I snuck out, quickly stabbed flags into flower pots, then went to my side of the porch.  To read. After about 30 minutes mom adapted and stopped chirping. 

Which allowed me to get a few photos.  From a distance. 

The observation of baby birds is endlessly entertaining. But there was also a market to get to today. The winner of the best 4th of July Face Mask at the market prize went to this woman. I think her name is Muriel and she sells excellent brittles at the holiday market in December. 

Her pickled okra and jalapeños were also carefully packaged today.

Madeline was back from college with a table FULL of blueberries and zinnias.

The people who are selling and shopping at the market are doing a really great job about masking and distancing.

Even this half pint zucchini peddler was in good form.

I think we have reached the peak of beautiful flower season here in Kansas. So much is blooming.

Sometimes just one arrangement per household isn't enough, and happily there is not a limit. Happy 4th of July from Chris and I. We hope wherever you are, the fireworks are as colorful and quiet as this one. 

keeping a travel journal is a wonderful thing

How can this one be eight years old today? Just yesterday Sister and I were walking through the streets of Bergen, we had come out of a place where we bought a bunch of old books with cool covers and I ducked into a yarn store for a second when we somehow learned that Allie Grace had been born. 

I am sure you have seen some pictures from this travel journal before, but there is no reason you can't come with me down memory lane for a second.

I just read Sister some of the things I had written down. I have said it before and I will say it again, keeping a travel journal is such a wonderful thing... while I am doing it, when I get home, and years down the road. 

But I digress.  Happy Happy Happy Birthday Allie Grace!  Lets go to Norway together sometime. I can introduce you to Big Tom the Motorcycle Cat, or his progeny.  

Thank you Ellen Bass

Let’s face it, sometimes people say dumb things. Whether we admit it or not, even the most "enlightened" among us have committed blunders similar to those described below. The thought of it makes me cringe. So the next time you are about to open up and say 'insert platitude here', instead say to yourself "French chocolates" and be comfortable with silence. Thank you Ellen Bass for the creative, evocative, humorous, on-point, reminder.

French Chocolates
by Ellen Bass

If you have your health, you have everything
is something that's said to cheer you up
when you come home early and find your lover
arched over a stranger in a scarlet thong.

Or it could be you lose your job at Happy Nails
because you can't stop smudging the stars
on those ten teeny American flags.

I don't begrudge you your extravagant vitality.
May it blossom like a cherry tree. May the petals
of your cardiovascular excellence
and the accordion polka of your lungs
sweeten the mornings of your loneliness.

But for the ill, for you with nerves that fire
like a rusted-out burner on an old barbecue,
with bones brittle as spun sugar,
with a migraine hammering like a blacksmith

in the flaming forge of your skull,
may you be spared from friends who say,
God doesn't give you more than you can handle
and ask what gifts being sick has brought you.

May they just keep their mouths shut
and give you French chocolates and daffodils
and maybe a small, original Matisse,
say, Open Window, Collioure, so you can look out
at the boats floating on the dappled pink water.

from a recent edition of The Writer's Almanac.