“…Eyeballs…” Book II: 28. Guide Dog Chronicles: Hit By A Car

#28. Guide Dog Chronicles: Hit by a Car

That fateful day, Grace and Sandy put our many bags of groceries into two carts to get them to the van. The plan was for Sandy to push the first cart and steer the cart Grace would push. I was at proper heel position.

We stopped just outside the door at the crosswalk. A car stopped at the stop sign. We proceeded into the crosswalk toward our van in the handicapped parking slot. As we were walking, Grace heard a man yell very loudly. At the same moment she realized that the man was Sandy, she heard a thump and a yelp. I was hit hard on my left flank and thrown to Grace’s far right. As Sandy continued to yell at the woman through her closed window, Grace immediately took off my harness and made me lie down.

After she’d felt me all over and found no broken bones or blood, a stranger escorted us to our van. I walked with them and hopped into the back seat. I was okay; just shaken-up and sore.

Believe me, it is a lot safer to take Grace to church.

kathryngc1@verizon.net

“…Eyeballs…” Book II: 27. Guide Dog Chronicles: Grocery Shopping

Hey! You Got Eyeballs In There?

By Kate Chamberlin

As Grace grows up, some of her stories are happy, some trying, some enlightening, and a few themes are sad, but, they’re all the warp and woof of what goes into the tapestry of life we call Family. The daily living skills and techniques demonstrated by the fictional characters in these stories are valid, tried and true.

Book II:  The Teenagers

#10. Bad News

#11.  Grace’s Day One

#12 Knight With Shining Flatware

#13. The Locker Fiasco

#14. Lost In Thought

#15. The Musician

#16. Day Two And Beyond

#17. First Date

#18. The Zipper Creep

#19. Making Up

#20. Mall Cruising

#21. And More Questions

#22. Homecoming Dance

#23. Loyalties

#24. Sea Dragons

#25. Guide Dog Chronicles: Puppy Raisers

#26. Guide Dog Chronicles: The Training Center

#27. Guide Dog Chronicles: Grocery Shopping

Grace’s Mom will make up a grocery list for Sandy and Grace to do the shopping. Of course, I go, too. After Sandy parks in the Handicapped Parking slot, I guide Grace to the painted cross-walk and wait for her command:  Crackers, forward. If it is safe, I take her to the sidewalk.

Then, I take Grace to the bottle return for the deposit receipt and where Sandy catches up to us. From there I know we go to the Deli number dispenser and wait in line. When Grace has put our package of great smelling ham and cheese, or roast beef in our cart, we head over to the doughnuts. We wait out of the way while her brother chooses a dozen doughnuts. It’s important for me to get Grace to a safe spot, because, people have to serve themselves in the bakery department. They have a tendency to rudely jostle each other to get to the freshest doughnuts.

From the bakery, it’s simple enough to follow the outer wall cases. We stop at vegetables here and there, then go to the meat and bacon sections. Soda, milk, and eggs sections are next. It’s cold along here. As I stop at each place, Grace feels and chooses which items she wants. We like walking through the flower section. The dirt smells fresh if they’ve just watered the plants. The fragrant lilies seem to be Grace’s favorite; roses are mine.

The bulk food section smells pretty good, too; lots of cinnamon cookies, popcorn, and granola. The frozen food cases are too cold and a bit boring, except when the workers’ wheeled dollies make it like an obstacle course. It takes a lot of concentration to maneuver along safely.

In spite of my best efforts, the time I was hit by a car in the parking lot was really scary.

kathryngc1@verizon.net