Grazing, along Butler Street

I admit it. My dog is a beggar. And a schmoozer. And a flirt.

She's also hard-headed. Lately this has led to an interesting turn of events.

No longer does she want to walk by the river. Bunnies? Boring! Arsenal Park? Been there, she says, done that!

What is her preferred route these days? A stroll down Butler Street. It's a time-consuming -- and calorie counting -- exercise, I can assure you.

Minerva may be a mutt, but she's had a discerning palate since the day I met her -- at the pound. Concrete. Iron bars. Dry food. It's a wonder she survived.

Fair is fowl, and fowl is fair

Here's the scoop on Dozen's new coop.

One of Dozen's bakers is raising chickens at her Butler home. She has nine birds, some named after Dozen staff members.

The hens aren't producing yet, but Dozen is counting its chicken eggs before they're laid.

The bakery and cafe uses hundreds of eggs every week, said James Gray, Dozen's owner and L'Ville's unofficial ambassador. James expects to get only a small amount of eggs from these hens to use for select items. "All of our eggs do come from local sources, but that source is a larger producer," he said.

Will we see one of these cuties on the menu for, say, chicken pot pie? "NO!" James said. "Eggs only."

Whew!

Photo courtesy of James Gray