GENEALOGY: Consort

While visiting the site Flipside today I saw an interesting post about her ancestor's tombstone. On the stone this woman was referred to as the "consort" of the man. In today's lexicon that may not conjure up the best image but back in the day the word referred to the spouse who died first, usually a woman. You see the marriage was considered a consortium.
The remaining spouse is then referred to as the "relic".

THREE OR MORE TUESDAY: 5 A Day

With recommended daily allowance for fruits and vegetable being 5 per day a trip to the grocery store can look like a piece of art. I love vegetables and fruit but I still find it hard to get the recommended amount each day. I had strawberries, grapes and pistachio nuts for lunch yesterday. Cauliflower at dinner and I nibbled on radishes in the afternoon. Still not 5 servings but close. Normally this picture would have sweet peppers in it too. Oranges, reds and yellows. I went to two different stores yesterday and the peppers were lousy.
There is a lot of talk now about the 100 mile diet. Not a weight loss diet but one to lessen the load on the earth caused by trucking food everywhere. They are filming a show about it not far from where I live in the Lower Mainland area of Vancouver, British Columbia. I'm sorry world but we don't have the warm temperatures of California or Florida or any other warm place. My picture above would contain some lettuce and hot house grown tomatoes and cucumber. Maybe some onions left from last year (not the way we go through them) and whatever stuff I would had canned last summer. I am too selfish I know but I can't won't give up on this wonderful, fresh healthy food.


Have a look at the rest of the Three or Mores hosted by
The Gypsy's Corner. Just click on this photo.

MELLOW YELLOW: Daffodils In Abundance

Nothing can make you forget the dreary, cold rainy days of Winter faster than
a bunch of daffodils. Their cheery warm nodding smiles make us feel like Spring really will make an appearance after all.

Make sure you stop by the Mellow Yellow Monday site to enjoy
all the wonderful entries for this Monday. Just click on the picture below.

COOKING: Pot Roast

Click here for a printable recipe.
Pot roast is one of those easy suppers that comes out great every time.

Use any combination of herbs and spices that you like. You can have an barbeque flavor by using some chili, ketchup, brown sugar and vinegar. Or go for an Asian flavor with soy and ginger along with some other spices. This time I went fairly basic.

1. 4 lb. roast, you can use an inexpensive cut such as blade or chuck
   
2. onion powder
3. garlic powder
4. parsley
5. rosemary, crushed
6. oregano
7. salt and pepper
   
8. 1 package onion soup mix
9. 1 carton beef broth or water
   
10. chili flakes
11. sliced onion
12. 3 tablespoons cornstarch (for later)

Heat a heavy bottomed pan over medium high heat. Put in a couple tablespoons of olive oil or a mixture of olive oil and butter (even better). Add the roast and brown well on all sides and both ends. Remove to a plate and add in the onions. Saute until slightly browned and toss in all the spices and seasonings. Stir it around for a minute to release the flavours and then add in the broth or water. (water is fine if you are using a soup mix because the broth is already in there).
Return the meat to pot and cover. Simmer over low heat for a few hours. You could put it in a crock pot too.

When the meat is done remove it from the pan and keep warm. Mix the cornstarch with some cold water. Stir this into the liquids in the pot. Increase the heat slightly to get it to boil. Stir occasionally for a few minutes until the sauce thickens. Pour this over the meat.

RANDOM: Men Don't Listen

 Oh Mimi what are we going to do with you? Only you would think this one up. Mimi over at Living in France has created a meme called F-Bomb Friday. Do you have an old post that makes you want to cuss? Re-post it. Did your day go really bad? Save it for F-Bomb Friday. I posted this one a long time ago but I can still be heard some days muttering through the house about this.






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Men don't listen but I don't have to tell you that. Did I ever tell you about the time we rented a cabin in the snow for a week. We had spent a few days with our families on Vancouver Island. We had a lovely time but had to head back home. We picked up the in-laws and came back to the mainland where we all live, separately.
We had rented a cabin and were going to spend a week with another family. We were on a tight schedule and had to be pretty organized. I had the food prepared as much as possible and in the freezer and fridge. The plan was we would go to our home and then I would make the 45 minute drive each way to drive the in-laws home. I was also going to stop at the grocery store to pick up the fresh veggies and other perishables.
My BB was to load his vehicle with all the food from the house that was coming with us. He was also to load the suitcases we had zipped out of my van and put them in his. I'm sure he had to do a few other things too. I just don't know what they were.
It was a great drive up to the cabin. Our friends were already there. The BB and other guys unload all the food and stuff from the trailer and truck. After a few pleasantries I ask my BB where he had put my suitcase.
It was not where he said it should be and I started to get this uncomfortable feeling in my stomach. I pressed him for an explanation as to where it was and what we figured out is he was trying to be helpful and had taken the suitcase from my car and emptied it into the laundry room at home.
So I was supposed to spend a week in the bush with nothing but the clothes on my back. Smart A** whipped out his American Express card and laughed about me taking it to go shopping out in the middle of nowhere. Common sense kicked in at that moment and he put it away real fast knowing I would use it to call for a helicopter to land on the frozen lake and take me shopping at the nearest urban centre. (spelled right...I'm Canadian)
So what to do. The other lady there loaned me a pair of pajamas. She kept offering me her underwear too but that was out of the question. I wore my BB's sweatshirts and my same pair of pants for 7 days. I washed out my undies repeatedly. I shared a toothbrush with my BB.
It has been some time since this happened but my memory is long for these things. I haven't got even yet but I will. Maybe on his next business trip I will replace all of his clothes with mine in his suitcase. That should be a real laugh at the airport security booth. Not that I hold a grudge or anything.

HOME & GARDEN: Primrose Lane

This primrose is my favorite one in my garden. The others barely come back each year. When they do they are small. This one, that I don't know the name of comes back first and big enough to see from my picture window to the middle of my front yard where it is planted.

Notice the snails. If I had moved a bit of the dried bits around you would probably see a dozen or so. Every year I get rid of thousands and every year thousands more show up. I can fill an ice cream bucket in about 15 minutes after a light rain. It doesn't help that I live next door to a greenbelt.

Mostly I just throw them out to the roadway. Yes I know that is cruel but I figure they can make a run for it to save their lives. The funniest thing was one day when I had tossed at least 100 snails out to the roadway and two teenage girls walked across the street. One said to the other "Look, it's a migration". I thought I would pee myself laughing. Who says they don't learn anything in school nowadays.

RANDOM: New Router, New Happy Face

I have my pretty new wireless router all set up and we are smokin' fast now.
My pages load properly and fast. All of your buttons show up along with the pictures of all my followers. Twitter is there and so is my signature.
Today is shaping up to be a good day.

RANDOM: Computers-Love 'em Or Hate 'em

Well I am off to the office supply store to buy a new router. I can't imagine how fast my Internet will be when that is set up. I already pay extra through my Internet provider for super duper ally-ooper fast speed. It must be the router that can't take this warp speed.
Wish me luck. Although I teach computer use I don't know much about the technical stuff.