Territory

We had a cook-out with friends on Saturday. They have a pool and invited us to swim, as well. They provided the meat, condiments and buns, I took red cream soda, chips and baked beans.

It was quite a treat. The adults ate portabella mushroom burgers. My friend, Karen, had marinated the portabellas overnight in balsamic vinegar, garlic and olive oil, then they grilled them lightly. We ate them on buns, and they were fabulous. I've never eaten portabellas as an entree. But I will again.

Another friend of mine, Anne, lives next door. She came and ate with us and we got to visit. She has a dog, a cute little stray they found several years ago, who's absolutely darling but doesn't like Donovan. Everytime they get near each other, Donovan wants to play and Scamper wants to fight.

As we were packing up to leave their house, Daelyn grabbed my arm.

"Mama," he said, "I think we should bring Scamper home with us to play with Donovan."

I laughed. I tried to explain that Scamper doesn't like to play with Donovan - he likes to fight. Daelyn couldn't understand how two such good-natured dogs could fight with each other. I explained the whole "male - territory" thing. Daelyn looked at me doubtfully.

"So, tomorrow can we bring Scamper over to play with Donovan?"

Maybe he's just not old enough yet to understand. Let's hope he never does.