Tall Tales from Kansas

a fine advertisement for the therapeutic benefits of walking

Before I put the Colorado trip and posts to bed for good, here is one last look at some nice moments there. Random stuff that caught my eye. 

I spotted the badges on her backpack at Emerald lake and then ran across she and her husband again on the trail back. He is 80 and she is 72! They have hiked all over the world.

A fine advertisement for the therapeutic benefits of walking. In addition to the wonderful scenery. Though that, in and of itself, is quite enough. 

This young woman got my prize for best hiking hair. Stylish yet functional, with a hint of pink. 

Our little Airbnb was just right. Clean, comfortable bed, perfect location, good outside spot for sitting and staring. Or having dinner - al fresco. 

The end. Until next trip...

farmers market regulars are rugged individuals

The morning began with stormy clouds and thunder, lightning in the distance, but no rain until I was about 7 minutes from home. Walking in the rain is perfectly ok with me, if I have a hat. Which I did. 

The rain did not stop me from going to the market. Not after working and vacation had me missing 2 Saturdays in a row. I brought sunshine home with me. In the form of Teddy Bear sunflowers. 

The farmers market regulars are rugged individuals, not scared off by a bit of rain.

This morning while juggling umbrella, camera, basket, and money, I did wish for a second pair of hands. For about a second. The problem with a second pair of hands is they also come with a brain. A brain that has ideas.  On a Saturday at the market, I only have space for just my ideas. Which are subject to change on a whim. 

we are experiencing a prolonged fluctuating plateau

Today I thought I would take a minute to share a snapshot of the COVID-19 situation in my area.  To start, I am now off the COVID positive palliative care team. I recognized the need for a break from this very difficult work and the 6 advanced practice nurses on our team are all taking turns rotating through it. This makes sense for lots of reasons. 

Lets start with the numbers:
In the hospital this morning we had 25 COVID positive patients hospitalized and in isolation.  We also had 27 patients who are considered to be recovered (no longer in isolation) but still sick enough to be in the hospital. More about that in a minute. 

In Kansas we are experiencing a prolonged fluctuating plateau but have moved from low to high numbers. It is anticipated that we will have a slower, more prolonged downward trend, and may have more “peaks” in the future.  As of today, in the state of Kansas we have had 40,968 cases and 446 deaths. In Douglas county, where I live, we are seeing an influx of college students and a BIG increase in numbers related to this. Specifically among the fraternity/sorority population where there is a 10% positive rate and quarantining is supposed to be going on in an effort to decrease these numbers.  

At the hospital were I work, we are seeing more new admissions per day than we have previously seen at any point in this pandemic. We are not “overwhelmed” but it would be appropriate to say the system is “stressed”.

Above I mentioned patients who are considered to be “recovered”. Let me take a second to explain what that means.  In the hospital a patient can come out of isolation if the following criteria are met:

1. COVID + patients who have confirmatory lab results who have gone 24 hours without a fever of 100.5 or higher (without use of fever reducing meds), AND improvement in respiratory symptoms (cough, shortness of breath), AND it has been 10 days since the first diagnostic test.
2. Patient with high suspicion of having COVID 19 without confirmatory lab test who have gone 24 hours without a fever of 100.5 or higher (without use of fever reducing meds), AND improvement in respiratory symptoms (cough, shortness of breath), AND it has been 10 days since the first symptom appeared. 
3. For the ICU level patient with severe to critical illness at least 20 days have passed since first diagnostic test, AND at least 24 hours without a fever of 100.5 or greater (without use of fever reducing meds), AND improvement in respiratory symptoms (cough, shortness of breath).  

The above is based on available data that persons with mild to moderate COVID 19 remain infectious no longer than 10 days after onset of symptoms, and those persons with severe illness likely remain infectious no longer than 20 days after onset of symptoms.  Recovered people can continue to shed detectable virus in upper respiratory specimens for up to 3 months after onset of illness but in lower concentrations and infectiousness is unlikely.  Because of this we are relying on symptom-based rather than test-based strategies to determine who can come out of isolation. This is really important for families because once a patient is out of isolation, they can have one visitor per day. The importance of this can not be overstated. 

I will share more about a vaccine in my next COVID-19 post. For today, I have already exceeded my usual word limit. But not before I remind you all one more time of the vitally important trifecta of continuing to mask, maintain social distancing, and wash those hands.  In general, masks are not needed outside, unless there are 15 other people milling around looking at the same glorious view you are. If that's the case, mask up. 

You may already know this, but if you don't, let me share a few thoughts on masks - cloth masks should have 2 layers of washable, breathable fabric. Masks should completely cover the nose and mouth and fit snugly against the side of your face. Gators are not considered to be effective (I am seeing lots of these around). Masks with vents are not effective. Masks should be removed using ear loops, wash your hands after removing a mask and before you touch your face. Wash masks regularly and iron them after they dry. 

These are my perspectives on what is happening in my area, as a palliative care nurse, not an infectious disease specialist.  I believe they are applicable everywhere. Take what you need, leave the rest for later.

P.S.  Happy Friday everyone. 

P.S.S. Thank you Marilyn Parker for our masks which were the best looking, in all of Estes Park. 

for my personal enjoyment alone

Inspired by my inherent love of cutting and pasting, and this wonderful issue of Uppercase magazine and all the glorious ways to use scraps...

... today I hauled out some "stuff" and proceeded to play around with my new planner/calendar.

I always get the "school" version of a new calendar, starting with September because us dreamers typically begin making plans for the the new year now, and want to start writing things in.  This year I got a slightly larger version of the calendar.  By mistake, but I am trying it anyway. 

Here are the last 5... some more embellished than others. Using all the beautiful imagery available in the world gives me great pleasure. It seems wrong not to use it, for my personal enjoyment alone. 

Old photographs, found items, stickers, images cut from magazines. Such fun to put together.

Saved notes from Pam that have been living on my inspiration board will of course be incorporated. And you will notice that Sister's hand drawn labels are always used as well.

I hope you are equally occupied with some creative, simple, diversion today, and that you are following my lead by having a local shrub with club soda as a refreshment on the side. 

a more responsible guest would have discouraged this activity

Tonight let me fill you in on a few things about our trip to Colorado, not related to the national park.

First up, there was a parliament of Black-Billed Magpies convening in Estes Park while we were there. Extremely entertaining to watch as they debated amongst themselves and swooped about showing off their long tails. 

Our Airbnb also came with a house rabbit. Almost as good as a house cat. 

He pretty much stayed on the deck, munching the plants that had been carefully planted there. A more responsible guest would have discouraged this activity, but... rabbits have to eat too. Right?

There was also a contingent of elk that come down out of the woods into Estes Park every year in the fall as part of their mating ritual. We saw them in a park in the middle of town, as well as on a golf course.

Apparently they have been doing this for many years and even as the town of Estes Park has grown, they continue their customary practice.

We did not spend much time downtown but for those who may travel there, here are a few places that should not be missed.  Beginning with Inkwell and Brew, a store with a carefully curated collection of pens, cards, papers, journals, gifts, and coffee. They also had the loveliest patio for sitting out of doors.

Which I of course took advantage of one afternoon.

The Provencal latte (lavender & honey) is highly recommended.

Right by this delightful spot, is MacDonald Books. It's hard for me to ever pass up a local bookstore. They had a great selection of books about the area and the park in addition to anything else you want from a bookstore. 

Masks required downtown, and hand sanitizers were plentiful. 

On our last day, we did the 3.5 mile walk around Lake Estes. Mostly flat, with nice views of the lake, it was a great way to spend the morning.

Parts of the trail also took you by the Big Thompson river, which was beautiful. 

This was one of the "easiest" trips we have ever taken. Relaxing, slow paced, doing whatever we felt like, whenever we wanted to. A perfect getaway. It's going to become an annual thing, like the art retreat Mary Ann and Pam and I do every year in January. I haven't thought of what to call it yet, but I am working on it.

a perfect destination in COVID times

Today just a bit about our perspectives on traveling in the midst of a pandemic. Where. Why. How. 

We had made plans to go to Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP) in January, before COVID-19 changed the way the world operates.  So when it came time to decide if we were actually going - here is what we took into consideration.

To start, Colorado is not seeing a spike in numbers. At this time they are doing better than we are in Kansas. Not traveling to a "hot spot" seemed like it would be a reasonable thing to do. Also, a 10 hour drive is do-able, and not getting on a plane felt "safer".  We found the rest areas along the interstate in Kansas and Colorado to be pretty clean. All along the way at gas stations masks were required and people were complying. We brought along paper towels/napkins for door handles since many bathrooms these days don't have them, however most of the ones we stopped at did. 

Second, all of our activities were going to be out of doors. No museums, theaters, or big gatherings of people. Just a change of scenery sort of doing what we have been doing at home, but still a "get away". 

Third - we rented an Airbnb where we were by ourselves, self check in, no housekeeping (except Chris), no shared spaces with strangers. This also allowed us to do our own cooking, bring our groceries, and again limit exposure. We did stop at a grocery store for a few items that don't travel well, but we are used to that routine. We did a "contactless" pick-up of a pizza on the night we drove in to Estes Park (high marks to Anthony's Real New York pizza for ease of ordering and pick up, in addition to excellent flavor and seriously good crust).

At RMNP masks were required when around others and when not able to be socially distant - so on the shuttles to trail heads, in the visitor center, and when on a crowded trail. Again, compliance was very high. 

The National Parks are really our treasure. We have visited many through the years. This year, more than ever, we appreciate the ability to travel to them and enjoy the great out of doors. They are a perfect destination, in my opinion, in COVID times. 

P.S. Getting on line in advance of your trip to see if the park you are planning to visit has any special restrictions is a great idea. We made reservations on July 1st for the days we wanted to visit Rocky Mountain Park in August. I don't know if all parks are restricting visitors or not, but good to check. Forewarned is forearmed, as someone used to say.

in case you want to briefly return to 1971

Yesterday we motored home from the mountains, trees, lakes, and rivers of Colorado. Our drive literally flew by. The license plate game started on the drive out was finished - 45/50 spotted. Unfortunately we did not see West Virginia, Alaska, North Dakota, Alabama, or Rhode Island, but did hoot and holler when Hawaii flashed by. 

We brought three audio books for entertainment, but the first two were not conducive for travel.  Road noise, complicated story lines and narration that failed to hold our attention were the downfall of those. Rather than start #3, we listened to a couple of episodes of Twenty Thousand Hertz. The episode about the theme music from Seinfeld was great, as was the one about the evolution of accents. 

Our favorite activity though was when Chris and I alternated between picking songs from years gone by to listen to... and of course singing along. It started when I asked Chris to look up what was on the flip side of the 45 that featured "Sign Signs, Everywhere a Sign" by Five Man Electrical Band, which I have included below, in case you also want to briefly return to 1971. 

We had a wonderful time at Rocky Mountain National Park, but it's amazing how quickly we settled back into the routines of home.

Getting flowers on the table, puttering in the kitchen.

Walking in the morning.

Going through the mail, watering the flower beds, doing the laundry... getting back to the usual routines of daily life, but refreshed by what we saw and hope to do again in 2021.

I hate to do this, but I am going to have to quote Dorothy and say "there's no place like home". Heel clicking optional.  

It will not be another 23 years before we return

“Within national parks is room - glorious room - room in which to find ourselves, in which to think and hope, to dream and plan, to rest and resolve.”

                 Enos Mills

The quote above is from the inside of the new Rocky Mountain National Park hiking book we found yesterday. Something to guide our “dreaming and planning” since it will not be another 23 years before we return. 

 

Yesterday’s hikes were lakes, today there were rocks, streams, waterfalls, and chipmunks. And flower boxes in downtown Estes Park, which is not a hike, but still ...

While I hunt and peck this out on the iPad, Chris is searching for a lunch spot for us tomorrow.  Burger, beer, riverfront, outdoor seating. Let me know if you know just the place. 

everywhere you turn

Chris and I are up in the mountains of Colorado, doing a little hiking, enjoying the scenery. Which is pretty good, everywhere you turn.  

We are in the middle of trying to pick a hike for tomorrow at this exact moment, which is code for - that’s all for now folks.  I have to get my vote in. 

do this again before the month is up

Last week I decided to visit the Saunders Mound trail at Clinton Lake. With all these new walking places I have discovered, I have neglected a few old favorites. 

It is as glorious as ever.

Pink clouds, big trees, sunrise over the water, a pretty deer, sunflowers in the morning light, and of course the lake.

We have a date to do this again before the month is up. I don't think it will be a hardship, but I will say the grasses are super tall right now, and the spiders are weaving some human catching webs across the trails. I am going to wear a bee-keepers helmet and a long sleeve shirt the next time. Which will hopefully cut down on the number of spaz attacks I have when I walk through one of them because I am not paying attention.

it feels important to continue to grow

Instead of going to the farmers market this weekend, I went to work. But I still have a few things to say, some food related, some not.

Behold the watermelon, tomato, cucumber salad. This was the first course at my first dinner out since February. It was wonderful and inspires me to do more simple things with fresh tomatoes. It was beautiful, each bite a burst of flavor perfection. You can't see the very light sprinkle of sea salt but it brought everything together.

No flowers were purchased but happily I cut and arranged and placed these on the table on the front porch. The ones below were also selected and placed in a vase on a plate on the dining room table.

Will you get a load of that neon coral pink? 

Since I can't show you any farmers market vendors, let me do another type of show and tell. This is Lindy Landzaat. She is one of my physician partners on the palliative care team at KU hospital.

Dr. Landzaat is our fellowship director, and one of the best educators I have ever met. How great it would have been had our paths crossed 30 years ago, earlier in my palliative care career, but she was just a baby then. I watch as she teaches our palliative care fellows (and the rest of us) and I am so grateful for the way she listens, encourages, challenges, directs, advises, praises, but never intimidates. One of the very best things about KU is that it is full of learning/teaching opportunities every single day. Even, and maybe especially, in these later years of my career it feels important to continue to grow.  

When you work the weekend with someone, it provides an opportunity for interacting that is different than during the week. It made me want to sing her praises a bit so thanks for following my down that rabbit hole of appreciation for a colleague.

The End

then I began to hear things white people say about racism

If I recall correctly, the decision to check out White Fragility was based on seeing something about it on instagram. So I requested it from the library and waited.  While I was "in line" I read some mixed reviews (links at the end of this post), which made me think about returning it before reading it, but decided to try it myself. 

As you see, I got the audio version and the overly cultured voice of the narrator (sorry Amy Landon, your voice is lovely but not right for this book, in my opinion) once again made me want to return it. That was strike 1. In the beginning I recall being very irritated by all the preamble about what we were going to hear/read about.  "Alright already would you just start!" was what I recall thinking. That was strike 2. Then I began to hear things white people say about racism that have come out of my mouth. Things that demonstrate my individuality. That make me different. So I kept listening.

Bottom line - there are some very valid points in this book. It has made me open my mind to broader perspectives of racism and to think differently about how we are socialized. This is not me telling you what to do. It's me saying I have work to do. Recommended reading.  

Helpful links:

John McWhorter's review of White Fragility.

New York Times feature on White Fragility. 

celebrating the commonplace

Tonight its a jumble of topics, loosely pieced together with a beat up roll of yellowing scotch tape instead of thread. Photos will not necessarily match content, except in my mind. 

First of all and before I forget - I just discovered this: Diving In - the podcast
In this episode Louise and Virginia (the hosts) discuss The Dutch House which I loved. It was like being part of a book club but with my own refreshments and I didn't have to contribute to the dialogue (unless of course I wanted to and then I interrupted at will).  Plus they talked about 2 other Ann Patchett books that I haven't read, but now want to. Win. Win. Win.

A big dose of pure LOVE in the form of a visit from a cat. I would not trade these random occurrences for anything. In the whole entire world. 

Pressed flowers taken out to put into the everyday journal. All from morning walks. 

The discovery of ALL the Little Free libraries in my town. We have many. Very fun to drive by, have a look, drop off, pick up. No membership card required. I am sorry if you were behind me when I was driving around trying to figure out where some of them were. 

Flowers in front of the sink.

You can not imagine my glee when a bird that looked just like this one flew across my field of vision on a recent walk. NEVER seen one with a turquoise looking belly before. This photo is from eBird and it identifies it as an indigo bunting - non breeding male.  

And with that, let me wrap up tonight's episode of celebrating the commonplace. I hope you will find a bird, a flower, a book, a cat, and if you are lucky, all 4 to enjoy this weekend. 

lightning flashed, thunder rumbled, rain fell

Purple skies are a bit less common in the sunrise hours in my experience. Perhaps, as with many things, it is just that my attention is only now drawn there, allowing me to experience this when it could best be appreciated. All photos taken with my iPhone, no editing needed.

Forty-five minutes into this walk lightning flashed, thunder rumbled, and the rain fell.

I love a morning that begins with an unexpected treasure. The unpredictable ending was a complete bonus.  

do not worry if they don't look like the picture

Plans to make a tomato corn pie this week were pushed aside when I saw a recipe this week for apple dumplings.  Not that tomato corn pie, which would be for lunch, is in any way similar to a baked apple dumpling which is clearly for dessert. Except that they both involve making crust and take a bit of time. 

The recipe is for 8.  I cut it down to 2. Which means 4 servings, because unless you are a marathon runner or a teenage boy, you can't possibly add all those calories to your day.  Take my word for it, 1/2 of a dumpling is plenty. 

I have never made a baked apple before, which means I hadn't cored an apple with the intent of leaving it mostly intact. It was easy. Except Chris kept watching me because he was sure I was going to stick the knife through my hand or cut off a finger. I did neither. 

As of this writing, the fate of the 2 extra mini crusts is unknown, but I will think of something. 

These are not hard to make by the way, though if you are not a crust making expert, you may curse a bit as you get the apple's wrapped. 

But it's very do-able, especially if you grab some waxed paper to roll it out on, then use that to help shape the crust around the apple. Do not worry if they don't look like the picture. 

Because the bottom line is, they eat like the picture.

Especially with a bit of vanilla bean ice cream.

I parceled them out into individual ramekins to be heated up as needed... for a very tasty, tender, gooey, carmelly, apple-licious treat. 

tomorrow he may save the rain forest

Upon entering the farmers market this week, I encountered a budding botanist. Inspired by the collection of a succulent grower that revealed the great variety of species, his imagination was sparked. Here he is holding his first plant. Tomorrow, he may save the rain forest. These are the things that can happen when you bring your children to the farmers market.

There were also hot peppers, honey, and sisters in masks helping to sell the family crop of sweet corn.

This is where my cherokee purple heirloom tomatoes have been coming from. 

This week I paired tomato #1 with fresh basil, burrata, and a drizzle of reduced balsamic for salad to go with dinner. I usually put mozzarella on a caprese salad but saw someone using burrata and gave it a try. Delicious. 

My favorite sign of the week. Lots of information and just plain black and white, but the lettering somehow made it artistic. 

I spotted this bag-carrying woman and remarked on how much I LOVED the artwork, to which she replied "well I like your dancing cat tee-shirt too". I had forgotten what I had on. 

I had to bring home this "bouquet" of basil this week. So pretty AND fragrant.

Plus it works well with the zinnias from the back yard.  

to be sure you don't want to reconsider

When Saturday starts with a sky like this,

and then you head to the farmers market, jumping in the car at just the right time to hear this interview with Nate Marshall.

You can just stop right there and call it good. After you submit a request to your library to purchase his latest book of poetry, Finna. Which is exactly what I did, right after I mailed this link to both of my sisters so they could experience what had just caused me to pause with my hand over my heart in wonder. 

If you don't love poetry, that's ok. But listen to the first few minutes of the interview as Mr. Marshall reads "What Can be Said?" Just to be sure you don't want to reconsider. 

to get your thoughts in a less frantic place before you drift into dreamland

India Opal Buloni is a girl who happens upon a runaway dog wreaking havoc in a grocery store, claims him as her own, names him Winn-Dixie, and takes him home to see if she can keep him. If you want to know more, go to the library and check out Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo. 

I hope you get an edition like this one, with thick pages that are easy to turn. This is my third Kate DiCamillo book this summer, and they are not for everyone. If you don't like kid books don't get it. If you want something deep and mysterious with twisting/turning plots don't look here. If though, you want something to settle you, to get your thoughts in a less frantic place before you drift into dreamland, try it. They work for me.

as I saluted the sun

On a day off, there is nothing better than racing the sun to see if you can arrive simultaneously at a designated spot to greet the day together. Today, victory! Below, the rewards of starting the day with the sun. The preamble and that first glorious hour of the day are unmatched. If you look closely in the pond, you will see the great blue heron who carried on with his morning routines as I saluted the sun.  

P.S. if you have not listened to the Michelle Obama Podcast, promise me that you will. The episode with Michele Norris is a must.

it's pretty much nirvana

I love discovering a new (for me) interesting area in Lawrence.  Most recently it was the Pinckney Historic district. Right up from Burcham park and the river trail. It makes for the perfect ending to a nice walk.

So many interesting houses to look at, with gardens.

And porches that looked "lived on".

It has historically been a neighborhood of "working class" people, across the street from the "mansions" of old west Lawrence. That's what I read anyway. 

I got a really nice vibe as I walked the streets. 

One of those "this would be a great neighborhood to live in", kind of feelings, which evolved into an imaginary journey about which house would be mine. If I moved in. It would be within close proximity to downtown and my new job as a shopgirl/barista/librarian/fortune teller. I could walk to work. 

When the endorphins are up in the stratosphere, after a great walk that concludes with a home/garden tour, it's pretty much nirvana. But that could just be me. 

how have I gotten through all these years without discovering your charms sooner

Featured this week in the usual, ordinary, commonplace, and regular activities of daily living I present the following:

Collected on a hike.

Cut from the garden.

Made in the kitchen.

Seen in the sky.

Eaten for breakfast.

Everything bagel with plain cream cheese how have I gotten through all these years without discovering your charms sooner? 

everything you need it to be, and then some

Lines at the farmers market don't happen too often.  Especially at 7:45 am. Which can only meaning thing. Peaches! 

Here is a well prepared shopper.  Box of peaches procured - meaning she must have had plans for them in advance.  AND - will you look at that hair? Someone didn't tell her it'a a pandemic and her hair shouldn't look that good.  

There was also a fine selection of flowers. Anything you were looking for. Lisianthus, sunflowers, 

soothing whites or vibrant jewel tones. 

I could not choose one. So brought home two. I needed the height of the white and no excuse for the jewel tones. Had. To. Have. I think you will agree they are perfect with the limes.  

Taking the go together theme one step further, below I present "divide and conquer" and "like mother like daughter". 

There was also a nice selection of heirloom tomatoes again this week.

I stuck with the cherokee purples. But next week I may have to make a tomato pie which will require multiple varieties for maximum color and flavor.  This week Smitten Kitchen had a recipe for a tomato corn pie that looked divine and warrants further investigation. 

And thus concludes another richly satisfying week at the farmers market.

Hope your slide into Monday is everything you need it to be, and then some.