Sunday, August 23, 2009

Meet Pongo



About a month ago we adopted Pongo from our local animal shelter and joyfully welcomed him into our home. I finally caved into the boys who had been begging me for a few days to take them to the shelter to look at dogs. Little did we know that we would all fall in love with Pongo, an energetic beagle mix puppy. Pongo got his name from the shelter and we felt like it suited him well. We don't know what he's mixed with because the shelter didn't have much information on him. However when the boys and I took him out to the playroom so we could get to know him, he stole all our hearts.

The only problem was that Keith was out-of-town and I knew we couldn't make the decision to adopt Pongo without Keith's OK. Keith was opposed at first as he didn't want to get another dog so soon after putting Highway down, but he had a change of heart, and we were able to convince Keith, upon picking him up from the airport, to come to shelter with us to meet Pongo. We came home with Pongo that night and felt fortunate to get him because there were already three applications filled out for him by the time we got back to the shelter with Keith. Luckily ours was the first.

Pongo is a funny puppy and likes to get into all kinds of mischief. It is impossible for me to sweep our floors with him in the room. He thinks it's a game and chases the broom around, trying to bite it. Ironing large items like tablecloths are also a challenge. He likes to bite the hanging edge and tangle himself in and around the ironing board. We've lost two sandals and a few socks, so far, and we still have to remind the boys to keep their shoes off the floor. The other day, I watched him pull a pillow off the chair and the next thing I see, is Pongo asleep on the floor with his head on the pillow.

He has a ton of energy but is also very smart. He's mostly potty trained, and crate trained. He goes to bed when we go to bed and gets up when we get up. He likes to fetch balls and sticks and will bring them back to us most of the time. He has brought so much joy into our lives, and although we'll always miss Highway, having Pongo makes our family feel complete again.

Berry Charlottes

I made these mini berry Charlottes for a friend's birthday last week. I found the recipe in Tea Time magazine and thought they would make a pretty presentation. As always I made a few changes to the recipe but I think they turned out yummy.

The bottom of the Charlotte is a homemade butter cake that I baked in 10" x 15" pan and then cut into 2 inch rounds. The rounds are surrounded by lady fingers and a bow holds them together. The Charlotte is filled with a heavy cream mixed with raspberry preserves and cream cheese, and then topped with fresh strawberries, blueberries and raspberries.