Tall Tales from Kansas

all the other harmless chicanery

I am on hiatus. Chasing sunsets, observing the moon, listening to birdsong, eating all meals out of doors. Stuff like “vegan crack bowls” and “bacon on a date” sandwiches. All served with wine, the chilled white variety with lunch, the bold reds with dinner.

Making masterpieces with Sister. Stunning landscapes, botanical sketches, portraits.

All the flowers and plants have me itching to get my pots planted, ornamental grasses trimmed, boxwoods re-shaped, zinnia seeds sown.


All when I get home. Which will be before I know it. Back to all the other harmless chicanery now.  

an atmosphere of expectation

A recent walk on a foggy morning. It was magical. A muffled sort of hush all around, even the geese were muted, spider webs dripping. 

Sun behind the mist trying to break through. An atmosphere of expectation.

Who says all these shades of gray are not interesting? Not me. 

At the end of the walk my hair not covered up by a ball cap was very damp and my eyelashes were wet. My face felt clean and fresh, as if I had just had a spa treatment, for free, in the out of doors. It was completely delightful. 

This is the Burcham Park trail in Lawrence, it goes by the church of the glassy river, and winds around behind Lawrence Memorial hospital. Worth a visit if you live in the area. 

and bring him to life again with the telling

If you are not a fan of magnolia's, stop right here and come back tomorrow. Because all there is tonight are images of a grouping of star magnolia trees between 8th and 9th on Tennessee street in Lawrence Kansas.  After discovering them about 5 or 6 years ago, I try to photograph them every year in bloom. Some years the sky is brilliant blue, some years it is overcast, like this year. 

But always they are beautiful, no matter the weather conditions. Last year when they bloomed I was just beginning my long stretch of time on the COVID team.  What to say about this year? The cycle of life continues. I have been in touch several times recently with the wonderful mother of a patient who died of COVID last June. She tells me her family has been "broken" by his death. I want to wrap her in my arms and bring her to sit under the magnolia trees with me, and have her tell me stories about her son, and bring him to life again with the telling. 

an intermingling of stories about family, the ridiculous world of politics...

If you want to sit down with a former president and have a direct conversation about what it's like to be the leader of the United States of America, without having to get dressed up, or feel awkward/uncomfortable. You will want to read A Promised Land. Even better to listen to in my opinion. 

With an intermingling of stories about family, the ridiculous world of politics, details behind significant events of the first 4 years of his presidency - including finance, healthcare, immigration, climate change, foreign policy, it is informative on many levels. I don't begin to understand how we can change our contentious political system, but listening to this provided an increased awareness of what a screwed up process in can be at times. Very highly recommended.  

Full disclosure: it's long - 28 1/2 hours. 

an understudy if you will

In the days and weeks before harvesting from the flower garden is possible, may I suggest you gather instead, sedums, lavender, lemon balm, and cat mint.

It makes a charming stand-in; an understudy if you will. 

my ongoing love affair with Harvey

A conversation:

Me: Harvey! (in high pitched squealing voice)

Him: Oh, hello (in refined, slightly bored cat voice)

Me: come down here at once and let me pet you!

Him: sorry looking for lizards or other unsuspecting creatures right now.

Me: but you are yawning and look tired, you can sit on my lap.

Him: that's an act, I am on high alert.

Him: come to think of it, I am a little sleepy, you climb up here and pet me. Bring me a treat while you are at it. Make it something good.

My ongoing love affair with Harvey and his brother Alex continues. Unabated, despite the winter break. 

buds on the new redbud tree were observed every few hours

This weekend was occupied with very important things that needed to get done. I was all prepared to complete my part of the work on the taxes until I heard the deadline has been extended until May 17th. This caused for a change in plans. No sense in being done early. 

Battleship was brought up from the basement. Have you played recently? Good clean fun. What's not to like about sinking your opponent's ships? 

A few areas in the flower beds were cleaned up. Last year's blooms clipped from the oak leaf hydrangea.

A mind clearing walk was taken. 

Biscuits were made. The kind that rise high, with many flaky layers. 

Biscuits were eaten. As is. The tops are brushed with butter before baking and the addition of honey, jam, jelly, more butter, would be superfluous. For me not to want honey on a biscuit is saying something. 

The buds on the new redbud tree were observed every few hours. Because I am beside myself at the thought of them blooming. 

We also watched Robin's Wish this weekend. A documentary about the discovery, after his death, that Robin Williams had Lewy Body dementia.  Definitely worth watching. It focuses much needed attention on the tragedy that is dementia and the accompanying symptoms. 

plans, ideas, dreams, to look forward to

Beauty, coffee, history, laughter, the search for potential acquisitions, and culinary explorations have become the essential agenda items for days devoted to adventure. Curiosities should also be sought out if possible. 

These crested euphorbias filled the curiosity bill nicely recently.

One will be on my back patio this summer. I feel certain.

These "pop your eyes out" fuchsia geraniums were spectacular. Too early here for planting them, which in no way lessened my enjoyment at gazing upon them.  

This months history lesson was a visit to the Avenue of Murals in downtown Kansas City, Kansas. This project was begun in 2004 with the help of professional artists in residence and involved local high school kids. How cool is that? We only got to 3 of them, there are a total of eight. Shown below are a celebration Mexican folkloric dancing, one which honors the building that housed a local newspaper and features a printer, and one representing modern and traditional Hmong culture. Vibrant and beautiful. 

Below, in the realm of culinary experiences, is one of the most delicious things I have ever eaten. Butternut squash hummus. I must puzzle out a recipe to try at home. Holy Smokes it was good. 

While we were eating it, we came up with a whole list of things to do in the near, and not so near future. It's good to have plans, ideas, dreams... to look forward to. 

P.S. if you live in the KC area and you want to try the butternut squash hummus - get yourself to Brown & Loe in the river market area. 

Chris believes in making them every year

Although St. Patrick's day has come and gone, I would like to report that we continue to enjoy shamrocks and shortbread here at Tall Tales Headquarters.

As soon as the weather warms up a bit, the shamrock will head out to the front porch. The cookies on the other hand, will be long gone by then. There simply is nothing better than a crisp edged, buttery, firm/chewy center, shortbread cookie. Period. End of story. 

P.S. I love that Chris believes in making them every year. 

P.P.S. recipe below if you are interested. 

"deal, sister, deal"

Some poems you can not say why you love, you just do, on so many levels that you can't put it into words. At least not without getting all awkward about it.  THIS one is not one of those. Here is exactly why I love it:
1. It is so descriptive I am certain I was there and an active participant
2. It made me think of playing pitch in college with my friends (below from our last trip in 2018), when we should have been studying. I emailed it to all of them this morning so they could also recall those moments
3. Because it is a celebration 
4. Reading it for the 4th time, I still smile

My Old Aunts Play Canasta in a Snow Storm
by Marjorie Saiser - from Lost in Seward County. © University of Nebraska Press, 2001.

I ride along in the backseat; the aunt who can drive
picks up each sister at her door, keeps the Pontiac
chugging in each driveway while one or the other
slips into her overshoes and steps out,
closing her door with a click, the wind

lifting the fringe of her white cotton scarf
as she comes down the sidewalk, still pulling on her
new polyester Christmas-stocking mittens.
We have no business to be out in such a storm,
she says, no business at all.

The wind takes her voice and swirls it
like snow across the windshield.
We're on to the next house, the next aunt,
the heater blowing to beat the band.

At the last house, we play canasta,
the deuces wild even as they were in childhood,
the wind blowing through the empty apple trees,
through the shadows of bumper crops. The cards

line up under my aunts' finger bones; eights and nines and aces
straggle and fall into place like well-behaved children.
My aunts shuffle and meld; they laugh like banshees,
as they did in that other kitchen in the 30's that
day Margaret draped a dishtowel over her face
to answer the door. We put her up to it, they say,
laughing; we pushed her. The man—whoever he was—
drove off in a huff while they laughed 'til they hiccupped,


laughing still—I'm one of the girls laughing him down the sidewalk
and into his car, we're rascals sure as farmyard dogs,
we're wild card-players; the snow thickens,
the coffee boils and perks, the wind is a red trey
because, as one or the other says,

We are getting up there in the years; we'll
have to quit sometime. But today,
today,
deal, sister, deal.

 

living in the moment at it's finest

During the pandemic I have worked from home about 5 days. I can't decide if the best thing about working from home is:

A. A lunch that does not come out of a bag.

B. A very quiet office with a window.

C. The aroma of freshly baked shortbread cookies wafting upstairs.

D. The ability to observe the growth of the tulips while on the way to the bathroom.

Or possibly the extra hour of sleep obtained with the elimination of the commute.

But when push comes to shove, I am going to have to say the pumpernickel toast with cream cheese, hot sauce, a freshly sliced tomato, and a fried egg is hard to beat. 

It could be the best lunch I have ever had. At least it tasted like it at the time. Living in the moment at it's finest. That's what this lunch was.  

a-good-reason-to-spring-forward-if-ever-there-was-one

On my first outing to the levee trail this spring, a dog decided I needed a walking companion. He joined me about 5 minutes in and stuck with me until he found some better 4-legged companions. 

The horses came up to the fence when I walked by. Reminding me yet again that a carrot does not take much room in a pocket and why is it that I can't bring them one. This Saturday. For sure. 

The fields are mowed and look ready for something. Planting? Re-emergence of something? Laying fallow this year? 

This vegetable gardener has begun her work. How orderly and beautiful is her plot. 

On Saturday, because of the time change, I will be able to walk out when the sun is just coming up. A good reason to spring forward if ever there was one. The older I get the more sunrises I want to experience. Magical elixirs to be consumed regularly, good for anything (and everything) that ails a body or a spirit. 

the not so ordinary, ordinary review

These eggs are not for Eastering. They are just for peeling and eating. Ready whenever I get a hankering for an egg, or need one to throw in some tuna salad. But do not, for one minute, think that just because they are not for decorating does not mean they are not pretty. As is. Completely unadorned. I love the way the light reflects off their smooth, shiny, wet, surfaces.

Chris photographed this cardinal recently out back. Notice how he captured the underneath side of the tail feathers.  Purple/blue with a pleasing pattern formed by the layers. 

It's daffodil time and I could not leave the grocery store without a bunch. Or two. 

The red sunset maple has started its transformation from buds to leaves. It's an annual, multi-step, routine, process. 

A green oxalis jumped into my basket this week. You have to get them while you can around these parts. I love a purple one for the front porch but wanted a green one this year too. Because why not. 

And that wraps up this edition of the not so ordinary, ordinary review. Brought to you by regular me, in celebration of consistent, reliable, average things that make life better.

like someone who has been deprived of a necessary life force

The best way to describe my recent emergence back into the world of outdoor walking/hiking, is that I feel like someone who has been deprived of a necessary life force, who may not have realized how much they were missing it, until they have access again.

By the river, up on campus, in the neighborhood, every step is full of delights. Which I am gobbling up.

the world is ready for you

Tulips in reverse. From petals falling, to exposed inner workings, each step of maturing has been appreciated here. 

Spring you just keep on coming. The world (and me in particular) is ready for YOU.

Tom has agreed to bring hot water in a thermos so everyone can wash their hands before lunch

The Kansas City/Lawrence area contingent of the Mulvenon family has formed a walking cooperative. What this means is that on a regular basis each family will select a hike, pre-walk it to be sure it is acceptable, determine a date for the group to go, send a message about it (including detailed instructions for getting to the trailhead), and generally assume responsibility for organizing.

It's a given that lunch will be included, everyone brings their own. 

If there are any fairy crossings on the hike, the organizer must point them out and provide a brief history.

For the time being, in large groups, masks will be worn. Tom has agreed to bring hot water in a thermos so everyone can wash their hands before lunch. He came up with this idea on his own and we let him know that next time it doesn't have to be boiling hot. Medium-warm will suffice. 

Dan happened to bring a thin, chewy, ginger/molasses cookie to this hike and mentioned that he had a new cookie cookbook with 365 recipes. These cookies were so good, we voted and decided that he was to supply cookies as dessert for all hikes this summer. Even for those hikes where he already has organizer responsibilities. 

Since I came up with the idea, and named the group, I am assuming the role of chairperson. Which means I have no power, no further responsibilities, and get more cookies than anyone else. It's a pretty good gig if you can get it.  

how can I not love it best

Spring home-making has arrived. No doubt about it. Pat, one of my knitting group friends, made this lovely little work a few years ago. I treasure the delicate stitching and aspire to one day be able to do as well. 

I see no reason not to sprinkle artificial flowers around the house while I await the blooming of the forsythia. 

The rabbit mug made it's way down from the upper cabinets this weekend. The mandatory antecedent of jelly beans and easter baskets. 

Wreaths and ferns for the front porch, settling on the chair rescued from great Aunt Alice's garage in Russell Kansas in 1997 or 98. I want to put a note on the bottom so someone who comes after me will understand the significance of this seemingly broken down relic that Alice found in someone's chicken shed or attic 40+ years ago. 

Twigs from the red sunset maple and ground cover that is greening up from out back are snipped and brought inside. New front door mat below, with more of that faux forsythia. 

Autumn has always been my favorite season, except for when it's almost Spring and then how can I not love it best?

...what their idea of a perfect day was

Brother had a birthday recently. He probably thought I would do a blog post about it, so I fooled him and delayed it until several days after his birthday. Mostly because Dottie sent me this photo yesterday and I love it so much.

Yes, it illustrates the fact that brother has come a long way, Happy Birthday brother. Suspenders are a good look for you. But also, look at Angie! So stylish, hair so pretty, gold hoop earrings in, jaunty scarf around her neck, belt around her impossibly small waist. And while I am at it, how about Tia Tencha (Ortensia) and Tia Tere (Teresa) - in their dresses, thick hair perfectly coifed. Posing for the camera. Not knowing that 65 years later their great niece, who wasn't born at the time, would be showing it on a thing called the internet. 

It's so interesting as I get older, how much I want to spend about 30 minutes or so with long gone relatives. People I can't recall ever meeting, but have heard about and seen in pictures over the years. I want to hear their voices, listen to just a bit of their "story". What they did, who they loved, what their idea of a perfect day was. Wouldn't that be something? I realize that I would quickly forget most of it, but if Dottie was there she would remember, she the keeper of the family history, who always responds to my requests for photos and details. Thanks Sister, this one is superb. 

What is it about eating a lunch outside, after a walk, that makes it so tasty?

Even though Spring doesn't start officially for another 2 weeks, I have dived in head first into the season. It is so marvelous to be outside, to feel soft air on skin, air that doesn't make you shiver and race for the nearest refuge.

To walk on a trail where before you know it there will be green leaves and wild roses.

On our walk we were perfectly content with stacks of rocks, blue skies, freshly cut trees whose stumps look like flowers. 

We discussed this bridge and how old it was. Coming to no certain conclusions. 

90 minutes or so later we were back at the car, by a lake, munching on peanut butter sandwiches, a fuji apple, barbecue potato chips and water. What is it about eating a lunch outside, after a walk, that makes it so tasty? I have no answer for this either, but I intend to take full advantage of THIS spring season by having as many picnics overlooking lakes, woods, fields, and the like as possible.  

P.S. if you live in the KC area, this walk was at Shawnee Mission Park. Lots of places to walk there... as long or as short as you like. 

a whisper of fragrance that is perfection

It has finally come to me that the perfect description of the fragrance of stock (matthiola incana) is a combination of spicy red hots and vanilla. It hit me today as I was repeatedly sniffing each of the 5 colors I purchased at the store.

Sister has been painting stock out there in LA and going on about how wonderful it smells, which I completely agree with, so I just went to the store and got myself some today. 

It's probably my imagination, but I think the different colors have a teeny bit different fragrance. Is that possible?

This fuchsia color seems to be the mildest fragrance, the white the spiciest.

But really the bottom line is they make a room smell darn good. I put these upstairs in the art room.  When I get halfway up the stairs I smell them. Calling to me. Not overwhelming, just a whisper of fragrance that is perfection.    

that orange color just says cha-cha-cha!

In the very ordinary arena these days, we have taken to playing cards here at Tall Tales Headquarters. Specifically, Rummy and War. When us Moss's were kids we played cards. A lot. I think Angie told us to go amuse ourselves, and cards filled the bill.  Chris on the other hand, never played as a kid. High time he learn, said I. 

The lovely deck above was a purchase from the Hammerpress store. An extremely nice set of cards, uniquely interesting, from high quality card stock with a great finish that makes for good shuffling. If you are someone who enjoys shuffling... which I do. 

War (in cards) is easy and fun. The only bad thing is Chris has won every single game since we started playing last week. There is no strategy to it, it's pure chance, so surely my time is coming? It's especially fun when we get a double war (as shown above). 

This cardinal was out back chirping his head off this week. Clearly as glad as I am that it's warming up outside. 

Above is an example of my new knife prowess. I decided it was high time I learned to peel an orange with a knife like they do on all the cooking shows, then place it on the plate in slices instead of peeled segments. The appearance pleases me greatly, as does less pithy bitterness in each bite. I will likely be looking for more things to peel and slice. Beware. 

These are the very very pretty tulips from the grocery store this week. That orange color just says cha-cha-cha! Don't you think? They are holding me over nicely as I wait for bouquet after bouquet of local flowers from the farmers market. Which by the way, opens April 10th.

to evaluate the manner in which one approaches such a canvas

The moon was setting when I stepped outside recently for a walk. Do you step out the back door before a walk too? Just to "test the waters" and be certain the get-up you have selected to wear will provide the proper amount of warmth while being mindful that you also don't want to get sweaty.  I love a setting moon. 

Out the front door there was this. Coming up between the houses across the street and off in the distance. A rosy pink/orange/golden sun just coming over the horizon. Clearly I have done something right lately, for this kind of treatment from nature. 

The business end of this plow, that sits in a field by our house, has been repainted over the winter. I think. It was also lovely in it's perfect setting, backlit by the morning light. What would be most excellent would be to come upon the artist doing the painting. I would like to observe from afar.  In case I am ever faced with just such a challenge. 

Today I noted green stalks pushing up in the front garden. Bulbs! I keep meaning to plant more, for a bigger display, but it never turns into a priority at the right time. No matter, I enjoy the returnees and celebrate them like they were the Crown Jewels on display.  

Speaking of Crown Jewels... we just started watching season 1 of Downton Abbey. After hearing it discussed for so long, in so many circles, we have finally found the right time to watch. Smitten from the outset. I am ever so content at the thought of 6 seasons, all wrapped up like gifts, just waiting for me to open.