Pizza and Critters…

For the time being I have a bad knee limiting what we can do and where we can go… Such is life!  We have had a little excitement in our life though, mostly revolving around eating out locally, plus the critters that have entertained us as well as those that have found a temporary home with us.

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