“It is with our brothers and sisters that we learn to love, share, negotiate, start and end fights, hurt others, and save face…”
The day is sunny, but the humidity has returned, and a thunder shower is predicted for late this afternoon. I find days like today, sticky days, are best spent sitting and doing as little as possible, and I am quite good at that.
Movie night was great fun. We watched M.A.S.H., a film none of had seen in a very long time, and we still found it funny and laughed out loud. The only glitch in the evening was caused by Miss Gracie. She found the meat, ready for the grill, in a bag on the kitchen counter and helped herself to the burgers. Some had disappeared entirely and the rest were gnawed. Luckily there was more meat so we all got a burger, though not special Tony burgers, the highly anticipated dining highlight. Later, during the movie Gracie, exhausted by her escapade, fell asleep on her afghan on the deck.
My brother and I had a similar experience with Duke, the Boxer we grew up with. He found my mother’s roast beef defrosting on the counter and helped himself. Luckily, we caught him almost in the act and were able to wrest away the roast. Boxers are gentle dogs so we didn’t think twice about saving the meat. When we looked at the roast, we saw teeth marks all across the sides. We washed the meat then spent time pushing and pulling and smoothing until the teeth marks were pretty much gone. We put the roast back on the counter far enough from the edge that Duke wouldn’t be able to grab it again. We never told my mother.
The roast was delicious and we kept looking at each other during dinner and laughing every now and then. Nothing brings a brother and sister closer than a shared conspiracy.
Explore posts in the same categories: Musings Both comments and pings are currently closed.
keepthecoffeecoming.blog 
August 9, 2010 at 11:08 am
Kat,
The only dog I ever had to steal things off the counter is my current German Shepherd male, Fritz. He is 127 pounds and so tall his head easily clears the counter and with a lean he can even reach the back of it! When I’m cooking it’s not uncommon to feel hot breath on my elbow and look to see Fritz’s giant head sniffing out what’s for dinner.
I’ve come home from work after not being careful before leaving to check for any contraband in his reach to find: broken butter dish with butter eaten, a week’s worth of dog treat bags shredded all over the living room with all treats missing (I think the other dogs helped him with that one), a flour bag all over the kitchen floor and living room and my all time favorite…a bottle of Captain Morgan with the cap chewed off and lots of rum missing. I’m hoping most if it went into the rug. But Fritz is also a gentle giant. He does the obligatory “head down and look ashamed” dog posture when we come home and he’s been up to no good. I usually blame myself for being so stupid.
I now defrost all meats in the microwave. It’s up out of his reach and I can leave the door ajar so the microwave doesn’t act as a freezer.
Good luck!
August 9, 2010 at 9:57 pm
Erin,
The worst marauder of all was Shauna. She could strew a trash bag in mere minutes and take all the cats cans upstairs to clean. She was a counter surfer as well and once ate my dessert for a dinner with friends. Ask Sheila about watching her one time. Maggie touched nothing: not the counter and not trash. Gracie is a neat thief. She can steal from a trash, take her booty outside and leave no trail except trash in the yard.
August 9, 2010 at 11:18 am
I´ve lost many a dinner that way 🙂 Usually there´s not a single scrap left when my three cooperate 🙂 🙂 The worst one was old Viran. She destroyed three refidgerators for me 🙂 🙂 and stole my neighbors food too 🙂 🙂 Thankfully everyone loved her, so it was a sad day in my part of the village when she had to go.
I simply have to find MASH on dvd here. I`ve heard so much about it and only positive things.
The fog was here already when I woke up and now it has become even thicker. It rains too, a lot actually! Why does the rain always fall where it´+s not needed?
Have a great day now!
Christer.
August 9, 2010 at 10:00 pm
Christer,
That was one amazing dog!
With three, I totally understand the thievery. I had cats who helped the dog by opening cabinet doors.
And what does it never rain when needed?
August 9, 2010 at 1:52 pm
Hi Kat
My father’s dog, also named Duke, once jumped up on a kitchen chair and licked all the frosting off my father’s birthday cake. My mother was not pleased. Our animals all seemed to know that my mother did not quite approve of them. They focused a good deal of their mischief on her. She tells stories about the cat Liam. She was carving a roast beef when, out of the corner of her eye, she saw a black and white paw come up over the edge of the table, snag a slice of beef and drag it off the platter onto the floor. She grabbed it back and told the cat she had been planning to give him some but not after that little trick. Another story about the cat Liam. My mother did not like to have the cat rubbing about her ankles while she cooked and she employed a maneuver we called “the ankle sweep” to shove the cat away. That particular day she had swept Liam away several times to no avail. After the last sweep the cat came back and peed on her foot. One seriously po’d cat. 🙂
August 9, 2010 at 10:02 pm
Hi Caryn,
I’m laughing out loud at Liam’s revenge! That was one funny cat.
My mother was a sucker for my dogs, and they all knew it. They’d stand in front of her or put their heads on her lap, and up she’d get to give treats. I’m so sorry she never met Gracie.
August 9, 2010 at 5:05 pm
That’s True! I Love those shared conspiracies. They do bring people closer together. As for animals stealing stuff we had a cat that did that to chicken and fish. We could not bring Salmon in the house EVER! Couldn’t cook it, get it readied for the pan, the cat would be all over us. Once we bought fish in to watch him go nuts. It was a laugh a minute. For some reason I forgot his name. But thanks for that memory.
August 9, 2010 at 10:03 pm
Z&Me,
Animals can be so darn smart and tricky! I never hear the dog steal a thing. She is just so quiet in her mischief.
I am always happy to help bring a memory back. It’s fun to remember, most times anyway.