October

POO and the Snake:
POO is getting along in years and like a lot of older fellows he needs to
"go" often. He came to me preconditioned to meet and greet the public
while doing his work. He also came Paper Trained.
Still, he enjoys going outside to take a "hike".
When he was young it was his way to sniff every blade of grass and smell every flower and
eventually decide to lift a leg. Now-days he exits the door with one leg up and ready for business.

This morning I heard a baby bird in the shrub POO was headed toward but didn't worry because he is not interested in birds.
I saw the parent birds diving but thought they were diving at POO.
I was wrong.
POO doesn't have much height but he does have distance and while his left leg was up a black zig zag of lighting made it's way diagonally across the yard and disappeared under another shrub.
By the time I looked back at POO he had his right leg up to finish business.
My first thought was "SNAKE!!".
My second thought was POO wasn't hurt or he wouldn't be taking his time.
I didn't count on POO being POO.
I called him to me but he put his little nose to the ground and followed the exact path of the snake, zig by zag, across the yard to the base of the other shrub.
POO could smell the snake but the shrub was too dense for him to get in and too low to the ground for him to get under.
So POO couldn't get to the snake and he couldn't beg it enough to get it to come out to play with him.
Sooo...the boy-dog part of POO took over and he started where the snake went under the shrub and hiked his leg there and every 6 inches all the way around the 4 foot by 4 foot shrub.
And while he is doing that I am standing at the back door screaming every obscenity I can think of at him for being disobedient.

Yes, the baby bird made it back to it parents. POO hiked every 6 inches around the "Snake shrub" for a couple of weeks.
When the grounds keepers came by I had both shrubs cut back.


ONE CRUST POT PIE
***Special Note to my Student Friends with only a Hot Plate and
Toaster Oven.
You can just buy a can or 2 of Meat and a can of Mixed
Vegetables and a Package of Frozen pre formed Pie Crust in it's own
bake pan.
All you have to do is remove the Pie crust from the pan and break off
the Edges and Sides and Crumble them in small pieces and Brown them
in the Oven at 350 degrees for a few minutes.
Save the Center on a Paper towel.
Then All you have to do is open the Canned foods, drain them, and mix
in the pre baked Crumbs.
Dump everything in the Pie Pan and slide your
hand under the paper towel to lift and flip the Center Crust to the
middle of the pan.
Poke a couple of holes in the middle of it and bake
until it is over 165 degrees.
I go for at least 170.