Great things about being blind. Another ice cream adventure.

As As I was writing about my ice cream adventures with tulia the other day, I was reminded of another ice cream story.  This happened with my first guide dog Gwenny.  Near where we were living at the time, was a little diner.  They had excellent burgers and fries and an interesting owner and cook who read constantly.  He even read as he was cooking your burger.  I had many conversations with him about books.  They sold ice cream too.  Once in a while, they would have mango ice cream.  I love many kinds of ice cream (especially chocolate ones and chocolate mint) but once in a while what I really love is mango ice cream.  Whenever he had it, he would call out of his door to Gwenny and I as we walked past, "Kim.  I have mango ice cream."  Sometimes I didn't stop.  But, often I did.  One particularly hot day, as we were walking by, I got the call.  We had to climb quite a hill to get home and mango ice cream sounded awfully good.  Gwenny was my first guide dog.  A wonderful black lab (not quite as small as tulia) full of personality, a great worker, and as most labs are, quite passionate about her food.  Into the diner I went, got a mango ice cream cone, and proceeded towards home.  The cone was in my right hand, Gwenny's harness in my left hand as we walked.  Gwenny kept glancing up at the ice cream.  She was looking back at me.  Not sure if she was hoping for melting, tipping, falling ice cream or what exactl.  Maybe all of the above.  But, as she looked at me, she ran herself right into a sign.  Smack!  I had been about to tell her to pay attention to her work but figured the sign did that for me.  She sat down right away and hung her head.  If a blakc lab could turn red with embarrassment, perhaps she would have.  After that, she kept her eyes and her mind on her job and off my ice cream.  I still love mango ice cream and whenever I eat it, I think of her.