The splendid table

Here's how it looked this afternoon, decked out in Robert's flowers. I got a minute between the rolls and the ham to get a shot, but didn't have a chance to take any pictures during the party.

Let's see: Ham and fresh warm rolls, with mayo, mustard or chutney. Chicken satay, with peanut sauce. Shrimp. Goat cheese torta, layered with pesto, roasted peppers and tapenade. Fruit. Lemon asparagus. Red, yellow and orange peppers. The chocolate truffles and Trinidads were over next to the sofas.

And to pass: devils on horseback -- dates stuffed with roasted garlic, wrapped in bacon, fastened with a toothpick, brushed with a teriyaki glaze and broiled.

Joyce, who's 91 and British and delightful and plays bridge often with Robert, was particularly fond of those. "I can't see very well," she said, "but I can certainly taste."

We rented St. Peter's lot, just up the street, for guest parking, and of course asked Father Don to stop by. He was the last to leave -- he had scotch, rather than the white sangria that I'd made several gallons of (a great, cheap Spanish blanco, plus peach schnapps, plus a little limeade concentrate and a dollop of pomegranate juice, garnished with a Christmas-red maraschino).

I stuck with the sangria, and for a few minutes there I didn't even notice the dozen or so little chef cuts I had on my fingertips.