Tuesday, February 25, 2014

Old habits...

Den of the Beastly Bear

Hi Folks!

Back before Princess Bear was born, it was just Mama Bear, Tasha the wonder dog and I.

Along with help from a friend I had converted my gas grill to use Natural Gas, so I never had to worry about running out of propane.

As a consequence we cooked on the grill all year long!

In fact it was our preferred method of cooking. 
One thing that always annoyed me (and still does) was how hotdogs, bratwurst, and kielbasa always came 6 or 10 to a package, yet buns always came 8! I've never been able to decide who perpetrated this conspiracy upon the American people...but if I could get that guy alone in a room for just five minutes....but I digress.

Because it was just the two of us, we were able to get more than one meal out of, say kielbasa. I'd have 2, Kathy was good with one and we'd have baked beans with them. A pack of ten was good for three meals!

I had grilled up a package of kielbasa, warmed up the beans...and put dinner together on our plates.

We seldom ate in the dining area of our trailer, as it doubled as my reloading area, and later as my computer room, as well as housing our dining table and chairs. So TV trays were the order of the day most nights.

So as I dished dinner and got drinks, Kathy had set up the trays and gotten the silverware and napkins. 
The remainder of the kielbasa went on a diner plate to cool, and were pushed to the back of the counter well out of reach of Tasha.

Kathy took her plate and drink, I did the same and we set in the family room to eat and watch the news.

Tasha, who had been laying in the front bay window surveying her domain padded into the room to see what she could mooch. She made a circuit of the room, then uncharacteristically went back to her window like she heard something out front she needed to check out.

Tasha, as well as being way too smart for her own good was also quite athletic. She could leap straight up in the air, to be caught in my arms at chest level! So jumping up into the bay window was no problem for her.

After a minute or so I heard her jump down, go to her water dish to get a drink.

She then jumped up on the couch and sat next to me.
I looked over at her, sitting at about my height and said:
"Decided to join us, eh?"
I had leaned towards her when I was talking to her and she gave me a quick lick.
"Quit," I told her "I'm eating here!"
That is when she looked at me, and burped.

Not a dainty, ladylike burp either...a big old frat boy burp that smelled suspiciously like....KIELBASA!!!!

"You didn't?!?"

I jumped up off the couch, and rushed into the kitchen. What I was in such a hurry for I don't know, if my suspicions were true it was already too late.

There sat a perfectly clean, and empty dinner plate where once rested 7 perfectly grilled kielbasa.

I swear to God, her recon trip through the family room had probably been to count how many we had...and calculate there were some left!

As I came back around d the corner, she looked at me and knew...the quasi smile vanished, she hung her head and slunk off the couch and back to the bedroom.

"How many did she get?" Kathy asked

"All of them..."

"No way...how did she reach them?"

"She must have leapt up onto the counter, that's the only way!"

From that point on, whatever didn't go on our plates went into the microwave until it was cool enough to put away.

She's been gone nine years now, and it's still a habit ingrained in us. We did have her for 16 years...those old habits are hard to break!

Be Well Folks!

Beastly Bear





6 comments:

  1. Silly dogs! They are all so food driven aren't they? My German shepherd has gotten into so much. He's eaten whole sticks of butter off the butter dish if i leave the lid off. One time I didn't push a glass dish far enough out of his reach and he slurped down about 6 large, raw boneless chicken breasts that were marinating. He once observed me putting a large box of milk bones in a bottom cabinet. I came home from somewhere to find the cabinet door open and most of the box eaten. I will still come home and find that door open from time to time even though it's empty. He's eaten a banana bread, almost all of an Entenmann's apple coffee cake, leftover sandwiches left on the counter and tipped over the trash can to get at bones. I have to be so careful.

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    1. Yes they are JoJo...one of these days I will relate the "venison tenderloin caper"!!! And it was 7 years before Tasha discovered goodies in the trash...but that's a WHOLE other story!!!!! Lol

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  2. Gotta love our furry friends. You do know how to spin a yarn Joe, keep it up - I am enjoying them! Mary

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    1. Thank you Mary, for your encouraging words! I am glad that you enjoy them.

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  3. Omg. I'm so glad my FiFi is so little otherwise I'm quite certain she would eat the entire house down! She's such a garbage pit. So far I've only found one thing that she doesn't like, bananas.. Crazy dogs..

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  4. The only thing my dog won't eat is olives! Mocha is funny though, if you are eating chips with some type of dip, she will only eat one WITH the dip on it, if you try to give her a plain chip she'll turn her head and refuse it. However if you are JUST eating chips she will gladly eat everyone you give her!

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