Of doctors and collectors and heroes

Yesterday was my biannual bone doctor visit and shot. I get bloodwork before this, which she reviews before okaying the shot. She tells me the buzzy neck is a pinched nerve, agrees that it's overuse, and said to continue with the remedies I've been doing, unless it stops responding, then get her to recommend a physio.  Otherwise I'm fine, just fine, wonderful blood.

I felt better all day. Dr L is wonderfully cheering and encouraging. She's also a model of courage and adaptability, having fled her own country, and I think retrained to get her credentials accepted in the US,  and now she's in a very good practice. Yay her!  She's board certified in rheumatology, which apparently includes bone density, I'd never have known until my doctor referred me.  Anyway, another good visit. All my doctors are women, good hands.

And here's what arrived yesterday. Chef Andres is a hero, showing up with his team, and local volunteers, to cook and serve hot food after disasters. He's in Morocco even as I type.

Proceeds go to WCK, so, as with Megan's Grenfell cookbook, I'm donating as well as benefiting.

And since that roast chicken I mentioned recently needed a use to finish it up, within half an hour of opening the box, and finding this, I was shredding chicken.

 I'd already had a cooking adventure for lunch. Bad food, hot dogs, no buns left, so I split a pita bread, spread each section with relish and Dijon mustard, rolled them up! High end hotdogs.

Then I thought, can I make potato chips? Which I proceeded to do. I'll do this more adeptly next time  I discovered, trial and error, that halving a potato and using the parer to slice off thin sections, worked better than the big slice side of the box grater

Then, tossed in olive oil with basil seasalt, which I mixed a while back, dried basil and fine salt, and baked at 400° for about half an hour, they were pretty good for a beginner.

I was so eager to try them that I forgot to picture the plate of lunch, so, like the hummingbird clearwing, please take my word for it. Never buying potato chips again! Down from twice a year.  

The mustard container you see is the last of the Dijon mustard, after I'd spread it on the bread, filled with water and shaken and now in the freezer until I make something, sauce, soup, that needs a bit of fire.

Woman cannot live by hotdogs alone, and since I correspond with the director of the Textile Museum of Southern California and the HGA Textiles and Tea people, I have bits of news.

The joint presenter of that excellent Indian trade cloth program and the TMSC, both got back in touch after I thanked them for the program and asked about a companion program on the materials and techniques seen in the textiles.

They reminded me that's not their focus, and here's part of the further info the presenter wrote. I don't think anyone will mind my excerpting and quoting an email. It's for blogistas who may have access to a major library

And at another point I asked HGA if textiles and Tea could feature Rebecca Mezoff and/or Sarah Swett. They gave me a YouTube link to a Mezoff program from their earliest days, before I started following then, and said Sarah was already on their future list. Great.

Textile art people are so open and friendly, it's great company to be in.

Speaking of which, as I came downstairs this morning, I caught the early sun, a raking light right on the applique, showing the texture so excitingly. After a couple of minutes, the sun  moved on.

 

View over the banister

And closer.

For those who prefer less excitement, here's another shot, flatter lighting

The texture is as important as the images, so you're getting both. 

Happy day, everyone, here's to Chef Andres, and I hope your food today is joyful!