Saturday

Woke up just before 7:00 AM and made a pot of coffee in my fresh, clean coffee maker. Took my meds and decided I really needed something to calm down my poor tummy. So, I made soft-boiled eggs (how much more bland can you get?) So, fortified against the day, I took a shower.

Then, I got dinner ready in the slow cooker. Another roast (still the 2006 meat) but English this time. It had a big ridge of hard fat on one side so I scored it every inch or so (that keeps it from tightening up when cooking). I assembled the ingredients in the slow cooker the usual way, except for the following deviations: I used less carrots and russet potatoes and added a medium size rutabagas, cut into chunks and I skipped the Montreal steak seasoning on the roast, opting instead for house seasoning first, then pressing a lot of rough ground black peppercorns into both sides. It's 9:00 AM and the slow cooker just got set to Low (Low and slow baby, that's what makes it good!)

This is the only day in the next five that is promised to be free from rain. So, it's outside work and all I can do until I can't move or it's dark. But, after dressing, first its errands aplenty (that's okay, because its only 42 degrees F, presently. It's supposed to warm up to an amazing 48 degrees this afternoon.)

So, first I hit the library. I returned my current books and got three more, plus put a hold on a book, "The Elements of Taste," by Gray Kunz and Peter Kaminsky. I am the third person in line to read it. I was going to buy it after hearing about it, but the cheapest one I could find was a used book on Amazon for $52.00 US, and that's just ridiculous! It's not a cook book, per se, but more a theory book on what goes with what to get the result you want. For example, every recipe that says "add a can of crushed tomatoes" also says to add some sugar. Why? It's because the sugar offsets the acid in the tomatoes (but you knew that). Since I rarely follow a recipe word for word or ingredient for ingredient anymore, I'd like to know the theory behind the recipe. But, I'll have to wait a bit for it...

Next it was Home Depot and picking up 4 of the energy-saving fluorescent bulbs that fit in a regular incandescent light fixture. I want to replace the bedroom and office overhead bulbs with them (Go Green! Go, saving money!)

Then it was Meijers and picking up a few items I need for this weekend. Bill came to $31.00 US, so you can guess, it wasn't much stuff.

Then I stopped by the bank and deposited another check, stopped and got gas for the lawn mower and, finally, washed my car in the quarter car wash and then vacuumed it out (I know, I know, its only gonna rain or snow again, but I got more caked-on mud than I can mentally deal with!) I got back home around 1:30 PM.

On to work! I get out the weed wacker and cut down all the dead ferns and lily of the valley in the St. Francis garden. I raked the debris into the grass. Then I got out my last two bags of mulch from this spring and top off the garden. Took a "before" picture, but forgot to take an "after" shot.

Then I got the blower and blew the leaves off both patios. Next, I got the leaf rake and pulled the leaves away from the house and into the path of the mower. Since I had the rake out, I went back in the back and installed the Styrofoam cones to protect my roses over the winter. I've never used them before, but I don't want my new roses to die. I did remember to take a picture of them.

I gas up the mower, check the oil and head out back. Again it takes two trips (one slow, one fast) but I get done just before dark (ran out of daylight to do the front, dammit!) I did take an "after" picture here, too and posted it, but you'll have to click on it to see it, it's that dark.

Came in, stuck my dusty clothes in the washer and my dusty self in the shower. Put on my indoor uniform and made a plate of food for my lunch/dinner. Odd to be eating lunch/dinner at 7:30 PM, but work gets in the way of lots of things, I fear.

Well, my roast confirms my theory I had developed with the beef stew: Rutabagas flavor is subtle, much like parsnips and like parsnips doesn't stand up to the stronger flavors in stews or a roast beef pot. There was a "hint" of rutabagas, but mostly they all tasted like beef and not easily distinguished from the potatoes. I haven't gotten back to the pasties (but I will! Oh, yes, I will!) but I think in general, to really enjoy rutabagas, you have to cook it by itself.

Anyway, the roast was just good, not outstanding in any way. However, it did fill and warm the empty spot that had developed in my tummy over the course of the day. Cleaned up the mess, except for the slow cooker (I'll do that in the morning) and decided to read in the living room again. Did that until I started nodding off, and then went to bed.