Pleasant Fellow

With Mr. P’s latest post on huckleberries, I think it’s important to remember that there are quite a lot of foods that dogs should not eat. While huckleberries are harmless, even something similar like grapes and raisins can be hazardous! For a comprehensive discussion on what foods to avoid, check out this article:

With the release of our new Jack Russell designs, I wanted to highlight some of the notable Jack Russells in recent history. The breed itself is actually relatively young. Although the name originates from a pack of terriers owned by Reverend John Russell in the early 1800’s, that particular line disappeared, and the breed didn’t become established until after 1900.

Famous Jack Russells:

Skippi(”Asta”) - Famous for his role in the “thin man” series back in the 1930’s and 40’s, he also starred alongside Cary Grant and Katherine Hepburn in “Bringing Up Baby”.

Max(”Milo”) - The wacky sidekick to Jim Carrey in the Mask

Soccer(”Wishbone) - The lovable and curious star of Wishbone, Soccer was famous for donning a myriad collection of costumes from all types of literature.

Moose(”Eddie”) - Of course no JRT article is complete without Moose, popularized as Eddie in Frasier, as well as playing the lead role in “My Dog Skip”. Moose’s incredible comic timing made him a fan favorite on the show.

We have a few weaknesses around here. Moose is one of them. The huckleberry is another. Huckleberries are similar to blueberries but generally sweeter. Perhaps, living in Florida, these fruits seem exotic to us. When visiting Montana one year, we overheard some locals deride these berries as mere “bear food”. Pretty lucky bears if you ask me.

The summer is a particularly great time to enjoy these mountain bounties. I’ve collected a list of the best possible ways to enjoy huckleberries. These are simple, easy recipes that require no time at all. The hardest part is just getting the huckleberries. There’s several stores online that sell them, Huckleberry Haven being our choice provider.

1. Berries and cream
Like blueberries and strawberries, huckleberries go great with some simple whipped topping or yogurt

2. Huckleberry pie
All you need is some Huckleberry pie filling (which is basically just lemon curd mixed with huckleberries, but you can buy it at the haven) and a graham cracker pie crust from the food store.  Just bake the filling in the pie crust for 12-15 minutes and top with ice cream!

3. Huckleberry smoothies
Perhaps our favorite option! Nothing beats one of these babies on an especially hot Florida day.

-Take several scoops of vanilla ice cream or frozen yogurt and place in a blender
-Ladle in several spoonfuls of huckleberry preserves.
-Mix well until the smoothie is well blended and has a lavender hue to it.
-Transfer to glasses and top with whipped cream (and a cherry if you can!)

4. Huckleberry soda
These are hard to find these days, as the online shop that makes these has since closed. However, you can recreate them with some seltzer and huckleberry syrup. You can also try blending it with pepsi for a richer effect.

5. Huckleberry candy
Candy made with huckleberry is a mixed bag, some of them are very good while others take on an unfortunate soapy taste. The best ones are the huckleberry jelly beans and chocolate covered huckleberries. Avoid anything with taffy or white chocolate!

We now have two new designs for jack russell terriers, for both short hair and wire hair varieties. JRT fans rejoice; design a shirt with one now!

I stumbled on this simple, yet oddly soothing little game called Music Catch. The premise is basically just collecting notes and listening to music, but something about the presentation puts you in a zen state of mind. Very pleasant!

http://www.kongregate.com/games/Reflexive/music-catch-2