Tall Tales from Kansas

one of the owners is not coming clean about what he knows

The conclusion of The Brutal Telling by Louise Penny has left me with a bit of inner turmoil. This is book # 5 in the Three Pines series, featuring Inspector Armand Gamache and his team of agents from the Sûrete du Québec. Don't get me wrong, it's a well written ending. It had me guessing and hoping until the very, very, very, last sentence. Hoping for a different outcome even though I knew this was the way it had to go. 

Those of you who know the series know there is always a murder and a search for the perpetrator of the crime. In this book the main suspect seems to be one of the townspeople we know and love. In a nutshell - a hermit is found murdered in our favorite bistro where we, as the reader, feel we have consumed numerous wonderful meals with our friends, and one of the owners is not coming clean about what he knows. We want the murderer to be someone we don't know as well, we don't like so much... I will stop there. 

Another wonderful addition to this excellent series. I love learning a bit about Canada through these stories. Very highly recommended. 

time to sit and watch it all unfold

Warning: multiple sunflower images ahead. Some may appear redundant but I assure you they are each different. At least that's how they looked to me on my early morning walk at the start of a fresh day. When it also happened to be 50 degrees and I was wearing a sweatshirt. 

In addition to all these sunflowers, there was a discarded snake skin. Which I assume was left by a snake with a fresh new fall coat. Note to self: google the whole snake discarding their skin thing to understand why they do this. There were snails, furry caterpillars, and a lone great blue heron in a small wet area. The Baker Wetlands are not very wet right now. 

I saw several snowy egrets take flight then circle around and land in trees!  Say what? Of course that makes sense, but I don't think I have ever seen a snowy egret or a great blue heron in a tree. 

When I got home I took a shower, made a pot of coffee, sat on the front porch, and watched as yellow leaves fell from the trees across the street whenever the wind picked up. All of it was imprinted in the "good stuff" file in my memory bank. 



Fall is here and I love that this year I have more time to sit and watch it all unfold. 

tiny amazing colorful tomatoes

This morning at the farmer's market there were sweatshirts being worn, bittersweet bundles for sale, fall wreaths at the Pendleton's booth. Forgive me while I get giddy over the arrival of fall.

There was arugula, dahlias, and apples.  

My new "try" of the week were a few bags of dehydrated apple chips. While I generally prefer a nice juicy apple to munch on, these dehydrated chips are a wonderful addition to lunch. The very nice lady I bought them from told me they freeze well. 

Pumpkins and gourds were sprinkled here and there, even with this week's cake "Pumpkin Spice Latte" from Chonky Sweets and Eats. 

These tiny amazingly colorful tomatoes... the perfect topping for a piece of toast with some soft ricotta or burrata and a drizzle of balsamic. 

My happy couple prize for the day went to these two because, well just because. 

I came home with a lot of stuff this week. That always happens when I have missed a week. Arugula, kale, falafel, baklava, cucumbers, red onions, apple chips, an espresso muffin, and a piece of cake. Plus more JUICE from Liquid Garden.

This week I am trying watermelon, pineapple/orange, and another bottle of the pineapple/cucumber/mint/green apple that I got last time and enjoyed so much. 

That's it for this week from the very best farmer's market this side of the Mississippi, where everyone is smiling, and life is good in this exact moment. 

holding their wings open to dry in the sun

During my post-vacation return to the activities of everyday life I have been doing extremely important things.  Such as:

Meeting up with the Huff's for lunch. Stonefruit salad with kale, burrata, crouton, chopped hazelnuts. It was divine and only bettered by the piece of lemon meringue pie for dessert - the filling was tart and rich with an almost lemon curd quality to it. The meringue was whipped into a state of absolute creamy perfection and then torched. To. Die. For.  We discussed books, field sobriety tests and heel to toe walking. I think the topic of forgetfulness came up but I can't be sure. 

Washing my cantaloupe Hoka's. Which were beyond filthy. Wow did they come out clean!

Taking a morning walk, checking in with the natural world. There was a tree with a whole lot of turkey buzzards in it - holding their wings open to dry in the sun?  Not this tree that is falling slowly into the river, a big tall tree, it reminded me of the cormorants in their trees on the beach around Summerland

Making banana bread even though it is pumpkin bread season because these 3 bananas required using. Since the last batch I made, I  have become a firm believer in baking the bananas before putting them in the batter. Sort of the same way toasting nuts and roasting vegetables intensifies their flavor. 

Cutting zinnias.

There was other stuff, but this covers the highlights.

P.S. If there is a more divine color combination than pink and orange I would like to meet it. 

it's called making do

Today just a few more photos of our time down at Big Cedar Lodge. Over the last 30 years our family has been there numerous times, beginning with Ray and Angie for special occasion meals, taking walks, skipping rocks, playing putt putt, trick or treating with the great nieces and nephews... lots of good memories there.

There is something nice about returning to a place that feels familiar, where you sort of know what to expect, and you are surprised by new things.  

For me it's the well appointed paths to walk on, just outside your door, water, trees, birds, flowers, all that. 

On our last day there, I was greeted by 3 deer, 2 ducks, and a turtle... along with the regular crew of squirrels chasing each other up, down, and all around the trees. While I missed the usual displays of gourds, pumpkins, mums, and all things fall, there were plenty of other flowers in bloom. 



Chris was real sorry there was no wagon full of pumpkins to take the usual set up shot with. We settled for the Ma and Pa Kettle photo in the rockers in front of registration. It's called making do.  

general hang around sort of a 2 day getaway

Chris and I just got back from a trip to southern Missouri/northern Arkansas for the annual trip to freshen up the headstones, replace the flowers, tell stories, and have a picnic with mom and dad. It's a little earlier than usual this year, and it was just Chris and I, because that's how things go sometimes, and Ray and Angie taught us how to how to roll with what gets thrown our way. 

The leaves had not even thought about beginning to change yet at the Maplewood Cemetery, but there was some lovely colors on the bark of the trees.  Does that count?





Chris and I had a cozy cabin for two, we went out for dinner one night, we sat on the patio and played cards and had drinks.

The yoga mat was rolled out on the deck, stretching was done as I looked up at the leaves overhead, listened to the birds, enjoyed a breeze.



It's hard to beat a very nice, low-key, do what ever you want, general hang around sort of 2 day getaway. For those who keep track of these things, yes, we did hold the annual Moss family putt-putt tournament. I am holding onto the trophy with a score of a smooth 22. Chris however, was nipping at my heels with a hole-in-one and a second place round of 23. 

not one bit bothered by my presence

The back deck with the flower pots, and the zinnia beds, have been getting lots of winged visitors - butterflies and hummingbirds abound. Here are the ones I caught today. No hummingbirds here, and none of those yellow "sulphur" butterflies, but there was a very active swallowtail and maybe a monarch and a few that look like a monarch but are smaller. They are so lovely. 

A pure delight to watch them flutter about. Just another example of the wonders of the natural world.

P.S. The swallowtail was not one bit bothered by my presence. It came very close, almost landing on me several times. 

the combined collective energy of a group of like minded individuals invigorates me

In follow up from the farmers market last week let me just say this cantaloupe was flavorful, soft and firm (if that makes sense), and was the perfect addition to my lunches for work. I am a fan of pepper and a speck of salt on my cantaloupe. That's how Angie always ate it.

The bag of tiny potatoes was made into "smashed" crispy potatoes. Olive oil, salt, pepper, into a 375 degree oven for 20 minutes or so, slight cooling period, then coated with combination of melted butter, olive oil, chopped chives, grated parmesan, smashed with the bottom of a measuring cup, back in oven at 425 degrees for about 15 minutes or until crispy. Success! I made potato salad with the second half of the bag. Little potatoes are creamy and dreamy any way you make them.

There was an Oh My Gouache Art Zoom this past Sunday that was tremendously fun.  We painted together from parts near and far on ZOOM. Each of us working on what we wanted to...the combined collective energy of a group of like minded individuals invigorates me. Here is what I worked on. 

Flying birds, leaves, and a self portrait on toned paper with colored pencils. Good clean fun. 

Other activities this week have included a walk by the river and a "hot Indonesian" latte at La Prima Taza, one of the oldest coffee spots in Lawrence. 

Unbeknownst to me, there is a crowd of regulars that brings their chairs and sets up a coffee klatch on the sidewalk outside on Wednesdays at 9:00am. I can not say if this is a recurring weekly event, but I will say they all ordered "my regular" drink, and the barista greeted them by name. Just one more thing to love about Lawrence, Kansas. 

the lemon/white combination

Gosh it seems like just weeks ago that I planted this bougainvillea, when in fact it was near the end of May. How, in 4 short months did these branches get so long? Bougainvillea by their nature, like to sidle up, encroach, invade, dominate, which is something to be admired in a bright, flowery, heat tolerant - when everything else is fading - plant.  

The fact that this aeonium survived the summer is a huge surprise and I will winter it over inside. The succulent pots did well this year, in large part because I tried to move them under cover when it rained  a lot. That’s what I am attributing it to anyway.





The lantana is also a stunner right now.

It's the first year for the lemon/white combination along with the orange/pink and orange/red. It's very pleasing to me. 

both Dottie and Ray on the good juju duty

On my last day in LA, Iris was still not sure about who I was and what I was doing walking around her house acting like I knew her.  However, after she saw Otto rooting around in my suitcase, trying to take my t-shirts out, she decided she would get in on the action by simply sitting on top so I could not open it again.

Then she looked up at me and indicated that perhaps if I stayed 2 more days a pet would be allowed. Meanwhile Otto said I didn't need to worry about her, he would continue to play with me, allow petting and kissing, join me on the floor for daily stretching sessions, and sit on the table to watch me work in my sketchbook.  

Oh it was fun playing with a rambunctious cat, and trying to tempt a shy one. Being in a house with 2 cats was completely wonderful. Especially when the other person doesn't mind one single bit if you make a complete fool of yourself talking to them. 

We had a warm hike on my last day there followed by a nice sit on the porch. 



Since we are constantly bombarded with tales of the foibles of travel, it would be wrong of me not to tell you that I had nary a problem on this trip. No cancelled flights, no delays, no obnoxious seat mates, good parking spot in the garage, excellent shuttle service.  I did have both Dottie and Ray on the good juju duty which I am certain helped. The benefits of a travel whisperer can not be overstated. 

It was a delightful short getaway with walks, naps, cats, and general hanging around  with no scurrying or hurrying. My favorite kind of trip. And I haven't even told you the part about sister cooking fabulous meals while I sat at the table and stayed out of the way. 

making sure the doughnut trays were full and lined up properly

After a few weekends away, it was good to be back at my farmers market this morning. Fall is approaching, the air was cooler today, there were marigolds, gourds, and apples for sale. As I write this it is raining gently. I am positively giddy at the thought of fall, but back to the market before I get seriously off track.

I had as much difficulty as the woman in photo #1 trying to decide which flowers to buy today. Sunflowers? Tuberoses? Marigolds?

New purchases this week include juice (I got the pineapple/cucumber/green apple/mint) from Liquid Garden Juice and some spelt flour from Stone and Sparrow farm and mill. I started with a biscuit mix from them so I can see how it bakes up and then will experiment with substituting for all purpose flour.

Black Forest Cake. Yes of course. 

This young worker was making sure the doughnut trays were full and lined up properly this morning. It is very common at the market to see all the family members participating in the work of running the booth. 

I spotted butternut squash, delicata squash, and cantelope this morning. 

A basket of peaches was snagged as well as a bag of tiny potatoes to "boil, smash, and roast" in the oven. 

I will let you know how the drop biscuits with spelt flour turn out. My afternoon cocktail consisted of the juice I described earlier with a shot of limoncello - completely delicious.

As I get ready to launch this post, the tuberoses have begun to pump out their fragrance, Chris is making dinner, and we are going to watch the "new" Downton Abbey movie tonight. Our favorite kind of Saturday night. Hope your day is unfolding as nicely. 

a very "readable" story

While on my way to and from California recently, I entertained myself with Oh William! by Elizabeth Strout. I first met Lucy Barton, the main character in this story, when I read My Name is Lucy Barton a number of years ago. In this current novel, she references that time and some of the events from that book as well.  I liked that sense of history with this character. 

In a nutshell, Lucy and William used to be married, have 2 kid together, he is now newly divorced again and a little shell shocked by it all. Lucy's second husband has recently died as well. They are helping each other through some stuff. 

This is a very "readable" novel, with pauses to give you time to digest and consider what's just happened and how that fits in to the whole story. There is also some back and forth in time with revelations from the past sprinkled in as well as hints of what you will learn more about later... if not in this book, maybe in a future story, or one from the past. 

I liked it very much. Highly Recommended. It is not necessary, in my opinion to read these books in any particular order. Lucy by the Sea is her latest novel, and picks up the tale of William and Lucy during the pandemic. It will be released later this month. 

we sat under an umbrella in the coolish morning

Maybe you saw some of the photos of how crowded the beaches were on the Santa Barbara Coast over the Labor Day weekend? Let me tell you, at 7:10am it was just the two of us, a fisherman, some paddle boarders, a couple of dogs taking their owners for a stroll, pelicans, shore birds, rocks, shells, and whatever else the tide washed in.

We examined it all closely as we filled our lungs to their maximum capacity with cool ocean breezes. Completely fantastic. I picked up a collection of feathers to fill a page in my journal. 



After the walk we high-tailed it over to Pierre LaFond's for a big cup of French roast and a cinnamon rose. We sat under an umbrella in the coolish morning and let our beach time sink in deeply as we watched the comings and goings and speculated on the "story" of each person we saw.

and thanked our lucky stars for shade

Sister is always showing me photos of things she see's while on her walks in LA. Stuff I want to see. So when I am there, morning rambles are a must. Here are the things we enjoyed on our first morning.

Fabulous trees in the morning light. A Frank Lloyd Wright house. Big bunches of cactus. 





We sat in the garden behind the Gamble house in Pasadena and pretended it was ours. We stretched on their comfortable benches and admired architectural details. 







Sister showed me her favorite house and I investigated up close. I wanted to go and sit at the table and chairs on the hidden front porch and have scones with clotted cream but alas no one answered the door when I knocked. No matter, we went and had iced coffee and wonderful vegan fennel/maple sausage biscuits at the Little Barn Coffee House in Mount Washington and thanked our lucky stars for shade. 

Iris is still thinking about it

At 5:59 am on Saturday we hopped in the car and left the city of angels for the cool breezes of the coast.  When you’re this close to the beach the pull of the sounds and smells of the ocean are strong.

In a short 70 minutes we were out of the car, beach shoes on, hats at the ready. OH MY!  That’s the best I can do right now to describe how it feels for a Kansas girl to be at the shore.



As you can see The Moss Sisters are together for a quick few days of adventuring. Yes, it is the hottest time of the year in LA. Yes we have to get up at the crack of dawn to take walks. But here’s the thing…. 



I needed to meet Iris and Otto. While they are still kittens. So far, Otto, has succumbed to my cat whispering charms.  Iris is still thinking about it. I tell her resistance is futile. She follows my every move closely from the safety of her favorite basket.

p.s. excuse any formatting glitches that are bound to occur when posting from the iPad. 

maybe it's just me, what did you think?

This book (Anxious People) started out as one of the most irritating works I have ever listened to. Ridiculous dialogue between characters so annoying they made me roll my eyes, grit my teeth, and talk back to my car stereo system.  It seemed to me the author was trying way too hard to be overly clever in the way the characters interacted with each other. 

I am not entirely certain why I persevered. Except, I did sort of want to find out how it was going to end. About 3/4 of the way through, when there was a light at the end of the tunnel, I got less fussy. 

In the end it took a turn and moved from complete chaos to a complete fairytale where everything worked out like it should. Glass slipper fits the foot, you get the idea. 

So what I have to say is this, if you have a low threshold for irritation don’t even start this book you won’t be able to get past the first few chapters. I certainly did appreciate this authors previous works (A Man Called Ove, Britt-Marie was Here, my grandmother asked me to tell you she’s sorry) so I’m not sure what happened to Frederik Backman with this book. It just didn’t quite hit the mark. Maybe it's just me? What did you think?