We’re
still getting used to the change in scenery in our neighborhood… If we look
down the street to the left, it’s nice enough but it’s all about the 2
relatively new houses. If we look up the
street to our right, it looks like the view that we had for the first 8+ years
living here in East Tennessee. Still, as we get older its better to have neighbors close by...
In the
last couple of weeks, despite all the building going on within 3 – 4 blocks of
us, much to our delight the deer have returned.
This doe grazed her way through our back yard/wooded area, thoughtfully
trimming back our oak leaf hydrangeas.
Then she watched us watching her for a while.
Just the
other day, Laurie took these photos of a doe and her triplets grazing along the
edge of the woods across the street from our house. The pictures are a little blurry as she was
taking them through the window.
Notes:
· While twins are the norm for most populations
of deer, about 15 to 20% of does will bear triplets when the deer population is
in balance and living in a high-quality habitat.
· Did you know that twin and triplet fawns are
not always sired by a single buck?
Research shows that 20 to 25% of twin fawn sets were sired by two
different bucks.
I was
looking around the internet for new pizza venues and I came across Metro Pizza
in Alcoa Tennessee. It’s located in the
middle of a large strip shopping center that is part of a larger shopping
complex. It was hard to spot from the
road but we kept looking until we saw it.
The
dining area of Metro Pizza is basic but colorful. Customers go up to the counter to order their
food and the staff brings it out to you.
The staff was friendly and efficient and they make the pizzas right in
front of the customers.
As per
their website, Metro Pizza isn’t part of any chain but the restaurant is the
result of an Italian gentleman who started it all about 25 years ago. Dough is made from scratch daily and it’s
never frozen. The pasta sauce is made
from oven baked vegetables cooking in 100% extra virgin olive oil, premium
spices and tomatoes. Pizza sauce is also
made from scratch. The cheeses are
purchased in bulk and sliced in house.
The meats used at Metro Pizza are shipped in from a source in New
Jersey.
This was
our huge 18” Pepperoni and Italian Sausage Pizza. I didn’t get a detailed receipt but as per
their on line menu, it cost $21.45 if the listing is up to date. We
both had domestic light beers at $3.25 each.
This is a
thin crust pizza…pretty much what one would expect in a New York style pizza
pie. We could have folded it to eat it
like a true northeasterner but we prefer the knife and fork method when eating
a crust that sags. The pizza was crisp
on the bottom but with the sauce, cheese and meat, the ends drooped a bit.
This
pizza has now taken second place in our list of favorite pizzas in East
Tennessee. The ingredients were
flavorful, with the sausage and pepperoni acting as key players in the medley
of taste! More good news in the sense
that we had 4 slices left to take home for another meal…
We’ll
have to come back to try some other items on the menu. In addition to pizza, this restaurant also
serves calzone, Stromboli, pastas (with salad and garlic bread), hot subs, and
dinners with a side of spaghetti. Metro
Pizza is located at 1084 Hunters Crossing in Alcoa Tennessee. Phone: 865-982-2200. Website: https://www.mmmetropizza.com/index.html.
Speaking
of critters, a local Loudon resident posted a request for a temporary place for her
cats to stay while she looks for a new place to live that will allow her to
have these felines cohabit with her…
Laurie
volunteered to help despite her allergies…and so we have this photo of our bed
with Loulou on the left and Roger on the right.
Loulou is
only 2 years old and she’s quite small.
She was rescued by ‘her human’ right after having a litter of kittens
when she was far too young for such a challenge. She is shy when she first meets you but once
she’s used to her environment, she runs and plays all over the place. It’s difficult to get a good photo of her…she's always in motion!
Roger is
an entirely different story. He’s a 17
lb. 8 year old boy who has been raised from a kitten by his human. He normally has very long fur but his owner has him regularly given a reverse poodle cut...because he loves the close feel of the human hand. He is spoiled and he’s a lover. He can’t get enough attention! Roger is an explorer and he can’t stand a closed
door. He’ll cry and paw at it until
someone opens it or he gets tired. He is
good at posing for photos…
This
photo shows Roger being held by Linnea, his very own human! He actually likes being held like a baby and
picking him up for any reason just isn’t an issue.
As this
picture shows, Roger likes to get close to people! He tends to get as close to your face as he
can… Here he’s trying to see just how bad Laurie’s allergies can get!
Loulou isn’t
a cat that is into being held! If you
pet her too long, she gets all worked up…like a 2 year old on a sugar
high. Like most 2 year old children, her
favorite toy is the most simple. In her
case, she goes nuts playing with 2 plastic straws tied together!
So that’s
it for now. Just click on any of the
photos to enlarge them…
Thanks
for stopping by for a visit!
Take
Care, Big Daddy Dave
