Yet another sad event in the summer of suck

Well... I must say I haven't had the best summer and I'll be quite glad when I get on with life as usual (for me that's mostly good with a little bit of not good).

Yesterday we (my mom, dad and I) had to put down our dear old dog Buster. Buster Tea Bear Junior, if you please. Buster had an exceptionally large tumor on his spleen causing massive internal blood loss. He had 10% of the normal red blood cells. He could barely walk and was having significant trouble catching his breath. We took him in to the vet on Monday when he stopped eating and found out on Friday about his blood work and he was in the hospital on Saturday for x-rays then back to us Sunday and Monday for goodbyes.

I can't really talk about it any more than that. It was so so so hard and I have been very very sad for several days. I haven't knit a stitch or looked at my sewing machine and can barely get a pan to the stove. Hopefully I'll snap out of this in a day or two... or a week... whatever. I'm going to go get some lunch now and try to think about happy things.

Rockin' Spicy Catfish!

I made some really good Catfish last night and I wanted to share.

1 lb catfish, cut into 1" strips

Marinade:
2 cups buttermilk
1 tsp Red Pepper Flakes
1 tsp chili powder
2 tsp Horseradish
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tbsp dijon mustard
Place all ingredients in a plastic zipper bag and squish around to combine, then add catfish and throw in the fridge for an hour or so

Using another zippered plastic bag, combine 1cup breadcrumbs 1/2 cup corn meal and 1 tbsp kosher salt, and mix to combine.

Add the catfish to the breading mixture, and just like shake n bake, shake it up to coat.

Heat 1-2 tbsp vegetable oil in a heavy skillet and add fish, don't crowd the pan. Cook for 3-4 minutes on each side and then place on a rack to cool and drain off excess oil. Serve with potatoes and ceasar salad, make extra.

What shoes?

So there's this color that i have been seeing in stores for fall. It looks kind of like this:

That picture is from Fashion Fabrics Club and the call it "Dark Taupe" which is as descriptive a name for this particular color as any, I suppose.

My question, if you purchase a dress, or suit or jacket in this color... what shoes would you wear? Surely not black, as Taupe is in the "brown" family... and despite what some people say, I still believe there are rules about such things. But a real chocolate brown? No... that would never do.

What do you, oh wonderfully fashionable person reading this blog, think? The only thing I can think of is maybe gold? But that's a little... loud for everyday wear. Red might work if you had something else that was red in the outfit, like a belt or scarf.

Do chime in.