Our next door neighbor moved away a couple of weeks ago. A few years ago she adoped a “Katrina” rescue dog and I offered to walk him at lunch time on weekdays and also learned he was terrified of thunderstorms, which we get a lot in TX, so I’d bring him over for the duration so he could burrow under my down pillows.
Someone is moving in tomorrow and I realize I have the key, so looked on my key racks (two, imagine that) and I had a couple of other neighbors’ keys as well so turned them in. When I first moved here I learned that the people who live here “trade” for dog-sitting. I took care of one neighbor’s dog once a day for two months before she returned from an overseas gig and we finally met – we’re now fast friends! For three years I collected keys and took people’s dogs out or over here for a weekend, all for free. A couple of years ago an emergency came up and Jim and I had to go away for a few days and I called ten people who I’ve helped numerous times without them EVER taking Zoe. Everyone turned me down, so she had to board at the vet’s. So I quit taking care of other dogs, except my neighbors but only in thunderstorms.
Years ago, in another location, my neighbor always called with an emergency, that he’d be working late or such, and wanted me to take care of his two wonderful Aussies. A couple of years after he moved away, there was a knock on my door from the new condo resident. “Do you have a screwdriver” he asked. “What kind?” “Both.” I asked what he was trying to do and he said he forgot his keys and needed to jimmy the lock.
I asked if he’d ever changed the locks then sheepishly added that the former owner gave me his key. I apologized and gave it to him. Five minutes later there was a knock on my door. He was giving me the key back. I told him he should keep it. He said “no,” that he misplaces his keys from time to time and would knock on my door if there was a problem. It happened a couple more times during my tenure there.
I’m making pizza tonight. The dough is rising now and I have peppers and mushrooms prepped and sauteed. All I need to do is separate the dough, form it and let it rest, slice pepperoni and put the mozz through the food processor. I’ll freeze the cheese and shredding disc for about fifteen minutes beforehand. Mozzarella gets extraordinarily gummy. As it is, I had to buy pepperoni from one store and cheese from another. Last time I got the really expensive mozz at the specialty store it was very salty and I’d rather it be more bland so that the vegetables and pepperoni can shine.
Hope you’re cooking your loved ones a fantastic meal! I made pizza because I already had peppers and mushrooms in the frig (so they’re “free”). Tell my brother that I knew I didn’t have much flour so went out and bought 5#, and when I took out the flour canister there was already a 5# unopened bag behind it. Oops. Cheers! Dee
Cooking with Dee 
Maybe in your next home (keeping fingers crossed for you & Jim) you should start a dog walking business! Or if that’s too time consuming with your travels, maybe a pet-sitting biz when it’s convenient for you. A little pin money, a little fun.
Split pea soup and beer bread tonight!
Mmmm, sounds good. I actually have split peas in the pantry, lentils, and ham hocks in the freezer. I do need some onion, though.
We’ll see how our environment is in a few weeks. Some of the dogs people are getting these days can take me for a walk! It bothered me that I probably put in a thousand hours and no-one was there for me. Since then one kind resident has helped us out when we had to go see Mom at hospice. Zoe was very happy and well-adjusted when she returned and we thank our friend in need.
Might you share your beer bread recipe? I’ve never made a loaf. Thanks, Dee
I’m posting the beer bread recipe on my blog, probably tomorrow. I think the bottle will model a piece of knitwear, and it will make a nice segue!
I used a smoked turkey drumstick instead of ham hocks this time in the soup. The taste was very similar; there was a lot more meat, but the meat was a bit stringy. I think the ham hocks make the soup fattier, and it has a better “mouth feel,” but the turkey is probably better for you. Even with all those smoking chemicals!
So go knit a bottle-warmer, girlfriend… xoxo Dee
I got someone’s key out of my closet at 7:00 on a Sunday morning and walked to her place to walk her Bichon. When I got there the key was no longer in my pocket. I re-traced my steps, no key.
Frantic, I went home and looked for locksmiths. I called the most reputable-looking one and he came. I explained my predicament and told him once he got in there is a letter addressed to me on the kitchen table with instructions and no, I forgot my ID at home.
He let me in and says it happens all the time. I called the owner from her home and told her what happened and she pointed me to another key. I paid the same amount to the key guy as I got for the pet-sitting gig.
Eight months later I was combing our park prior to an event to pick up trash and doggie doo and what did I find? The key. Oh, well.