despotic coverage derelict

My shrunken head collection-  I keep it in the back yard. 

To live is so startling it leaves little time for anything else.   Emily Dickinson

( Don't tell the heads!)

I'm playing hooky today from therapy, first time.  Think I'm getting a cold, or more probably cold feet.  TY threw me a curve ball the other day and invited folks for dinner-  this is fine because I do love mucking about in the kitchen, but it only allowed me two days to clean up the house, set the table to hide the dust, plan the menu and do the shopping, and OH YEAH, Cook!  I started last night and roasted a bunch of peppers and pulled out plates.  I also had to iron a tablecloth because it's been wadded up for so long in the cupboard.  And I decided to use the 'wedding silver'-  a very informal pattern I dragged down to Florida in my suitcase because it wasn't getting any use in a vacant condo.  So that had to be gone over with the rouge cloth.  I'm waiting for Whole Foods to get their fish order in so will waste a few more minutes here and then get going.

Making a fish paella, so hopefully there will be something in it that everybody can eat.  I made up a recipe a few years ago from an average of as many recipes as I could access and it was so good I even wrote it down- not my usual MO.  And as I was cruising Home Goods the day before the party I found an All Clad paella pan that retails for $200, but for less than half the price!  Not that I needed it but hey, I 'needed' it.  I laughed at myself as I dug out the recipe I used before because I titled it, 'Paella Worthy of a $200 Pan'.  I've barely used it, but this dinner will take down the cost-per-use another notch.  I guess I should start scrambling eggs in it to help devalue it some more.  Ahh, I just found out why it was the price it was-  no lid!   Good thing I have an industrial size Costco roll of tinfoil-  it's lasted me years.  Price-per-use by now is working negative!  Humor me-  it does balance out the pan. 

The bummer part is that Rayna is in town and we made a date to meet tomorrow down in Palm Beach so I'll have to cut it short to get back allowing time to cook. But I wouldn't miss meeting her unless I am hospitalized.   I finally got my site meter working again, and Rayna's website is still a major driver of traffic to this blog after all these years.  Anxious to see her again.

Ashley V. Blalock's installation of larger than life crocheted doilies.  

Brett Kern, The sculptures look remarkably like inflatable vinyl toys, but are made of glazed ceramic, complete with blow-up tab glazed in gold or silver and featuring the artist's stamp. 

If somebody gave me this Thomas Paul squirrel pillow I would be so happy...