Adventure 745: Manhattan, KS Reprise/Post C

One of my favorite Kansas traditions is Sunday morning nosh before church. It's usually fresh baked semel, the now famous bread stuff brought over by immigrants from Germany. Semel is served in a variety of ways. Of course, a person can just smash one into his face, feeling the luxurious warmth of the risen gluten and the slight crunch of either poppy or sesame seeds. But that's the vulgarian, usually reserved for those near the oven when the buns come out. In polite company, semel is served with strawberry jam and sharp cheddar cheese. The morning nosh also includes sliced of ham and some fruit. In Spokane we add hot coffee. After the nosh, we piled into the car for the short jaunt to church. Karen was greeted warmly by everyone she met, each one asking how her recovery was going. After church we ate again. This time it's our Spokane Sunday tradition in which I concoct some kind of vegetable scramble after we get home from church. Rod and I then settled in for some March madness, while the ladies attacked the puzzle. Sadly, Cinderella had her slipper smashed, but the games were enjoyable nonetheless. I even find myself rooting for Coach K, even though I'm hardly a Duke supporter. It would be a fitting storybook ending for Coach K's career if he could win it all on the way out. Time will tell. We spent the day inside because even though the sky was blue, the air was once again as frigid as Ted Cruz's soul. There are rumors that the weather will warm up, but ironically it's warmer in Spokane than anywhere we'll be in the next week. Not to worry. The Franz home is a very warm place to snuggle. Rumor has it that I even took another nap today. I may have missed a few plays, but I was awake enough to take a tour of Karen's plethora of dioramas, which warm the spirit in many ways. Basically, cold temperatures and bitter wind aside, life here is good, especially today.

Dorothy, mother of Judy and Karen, loved her cardinals. All of the sisters share the love.

Three of the sisters. Miss Jane is still missing.

Traditional Sunday morning nosh.

If one word can describe a place.

In we go to Sunday service.

Everyone, including me, got into the puzzle solving this morning.

Not to be outdone by breakfast, supper was baked chicken with vegetables. More thin gruel.

We play this card game every time we come to Manhattan. Some years back, Judy and I taught the game to Rod and Karen. It's become a favorite since then.