Gilbert stories
Our yard is lush and green after the recent rains. The recent waves of heat have made it necessary to venture out early in the day or later in the evening to garden, mow, or play. Gilbert is still trying to shed more of his winter coat. When he hears the ice machine, he will appear at my side. I slip him a piece of ice and he happily runs off with the cool treat. Lu will drop ice chips into his water dish after an early run, as well.
Lu and Gilbert joined a Lions Club friend to go golfing recently. Gilbert will usually wait in the golf cart, until Lu brings out his soft dog frisbee to toss. Gilbert enjoys this game and is adept at jumping up and intercepting his toy in midair.
Gilbert will turn six on July 6, and has definitely become more sedate at this age, catching naps between every activity. However, the other day he suddenly got a wild hair, running in tight circles, his tail wagging happily. Then he found one of Lu’s old dirty socks and shook it back and forth in his mouth, as he ran around the room acting like a young giddy pup.
Generally, after a shower, Gilbert will run in circles, shaking his still wet pelt back and forth, smiling as he does a Happy To Be Alive dance. It is pure fun to watch.
One day outside, he put his head in my lap. As I reached down to hug him, he grabbed the hat off my head and raced around with it, starting a merry chase. Gilbert’s trainer, Jerry Shendler, told us that Gilbert has a fun personality and we have found that certainly is the case.
Joan Cary, a writer from Lions Club International, contacted us after reading Gilbert columns online. She is going to write an article about Gilbert and Lu for the Lions Club International magazine’s September issue. Lions Club was originally founded 100 years ago. Helen Keller inspired Lions to commit to ending preventable blindness and serving the visually impaired. Currently, their focus has expanded to include type I and type II diabetics, as they can experience loss of vision. For that reason, Lions Club has a connection to CanDoCanines and the service dogs that help diabetics, as well as the Leader Dog Program. At Gilbert’s graduation, friends Dave and Linda Laechel, from southeast Minnesota, attended as representatives of the Lions Club. Lions Club International will arrange for a photographer to take Lu and Gilbert’s picture to accompany the article. So now Gilbert will not only wear the titles of service dog and ambassador, but will be a bit of a celebrity as well. Of course, he will always be a star in our family.
Popsicles
1 cup boiling water
1 (3 ounce package) fruit flavored Jell-O.
1 banana
1 cup plain yogurt
Combine boiling water and gelatin in a blender and pulse until gelatin is dissolved. Blend in banana until smooth, then blend in yogurt. Pour mixture into popsicle molds or small paper cups with a popsicle stick inserted, and freeze until hard.
Watermelon Pops
2 1/2 cups cubed seedless watermelon
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 cup white sugar or Splenda
1/2 cup fresh raspberries or strawberries.
Place the watermelon, lemon juice, sugar and berries into a blender, and blend on high speed until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is smooth. Pour the mixture into ice pop molds, and insert sticks or handles. Freeze until firm, several hours or overnight.