The company’s Betty Crocker brand is rolling out gluten-free mixes for cookies, brownies and cakes. The mixes are the first gluten-free offering from a major, mainstream brand in the cake-mix aisle. Gluten is a key protein in wheat, but many people react badly to it.

Ann Simonds, General Mills’s president of baking products, says the company decided to pursue gluten-free products last year after its customer-relations department noticed that customer inquiries about food allergies and sensitivities …

Hannah (left) and Bekah of Mossyrock, Washington, take their beloved cat, Patches, on a little summer bike ride. Who ever heard of a cat liking to ride a bike?

The most amazing thing about this little girl, however, is not her knowledge of medical details, or her unbelievable bravery, it is her joy.

Sierra has suffered from various medical conditions since birth. Although a cause for her conditions has never been determined, her symptoms have progressed over the years. She has been admitted to the hospital 12 times over the last 18 months and has had 2 recent surgeries due to a severe motility disorder. Sierra suffers from post traumatic stress disorder as a result of her medical issues and is now sedated for many simple procedures.

Developmentally, she is globally delayed and has diagnoses that include severe ADHD, generalized anxiety disorder and PDD-NOS. When upset or overwhelmed, Sierra will have meltdowns, or pull out her nails or hair.

She is often unaware of common dangers due to her inattention. Sierra is sometimes discouraged by her differences, and social situations can become frustrating for her. Various medications have been tried but have been unsuccessful.

At the recommendation of Sierra’s doctors, she was considered for a service dog. A Service Dog will:

• Provide Sierra with the comfort and calm she needs when encountering a stressful situation. The dog can accompany her to the hospital, doctor appointments, even school.
• Interrupt unwanted behaviors and help stop meltdowns before they begin.
• Be trained to tether to Sierra so she can be safe in large public places when she is too inattentive to be safe.

These dogs have been proven to bring independence and confidence to the children that need it most.

The Ohio-based non-profit agency 4 Paws For Ability accepted Sierra’s application and her family is now partnering with them to raise the $11,000 it takes to train a dog in the skills that would best suit Sierra.

Would you consider helping 4 Paws to provide Sierra with her canine companion? For more information about this wonderful agency please visit 4pawsforability.org.

Note: I highly endorse 4 Paws for Ability as a source for extremely well-trained service dogs. The organization is sound and its goals exceptional. Judy Vorfeld.

Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary* says, “Although considered a solecism by many commentators, awhile, like several other adverbs of time and place, is often used as the object of a preposition (for awhile there is a silence — Lord Dunsany).

For the word “while,” the dictionary says “1 : a period of time especially when short and marked by the occurrence of an action or a condition : TIME 2 : the time and effort used (as in the performance of an action) : TROUBLE (worth your while)”

Thoroughly confused? Sit back and rest for a while!

*By permission. From Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate(R) Dictionary at www.m-w.com by Merriam-Webster, Incorporated.

We bought a bell type bird feeder that hasn’t attracted any of the birds yet — although there are many around the yard. I don’t think they know it’s there. But, today, one of our little chipmunks found it. Ron got a picture of the chipmunk munching on the bird seed from the bell with a bunny in the background.

He threw with all his might, but the third stone came skipping back. Zack called his grampa. All of a sudden a goblin popped out of the lake and chased Annie, Zack’s sister. The goblin was green, hairy, fat, and only had one eye! The green hairy dude ate Annie. The goblin started speaking, “This does taste like chicken.” The goblin yelled and skiped back in the lake.

The next day Zack and his grampa went to Annies funeral. It was Zack’s turn to look in the case that Annie was in. Zack saw her. She started blinking and breathing. Then she popped out of the case and hunted Zack. She was a ghost! She was no where to be found. She walk right through the door and never caught Zack.

A couple more years had passed. Zack was 13 now. Zack missed his sister he was the only child. The next summer came; he went to his grampa’s cabin. This summer his grampa said, “let’s go fishing.” Zack answered, “I thought that we were going to skip stones.

Oh, I forgot to tell you, I like to go fishing now!” said Grampa.

“Of course I would go fishing with you but what about Annie,” said Zack

Grampa replied, “Oh, forget about her!”

Zack mumbled, “ok then let’s go.”

Zack and his grampa walk to the lake. They finally got there. Zack and his grampa sat down and put a worm on the hook and waited….Zack caught something! He pulled the fishing pole up. And you guess it was ANNIE! She had long, dark, black hair in front of her face. Zack let go of the fishing pole and fan! Annie got out of the water and started chasing Zack.

Zack yelled out, “Please don’t kill me,” and started praying

Annie said two words, “Get up!”

Annie said it again, “Get up!”

Zack got up and asker her, “Why are you doing this to me?”

Annie answered, “Well, cause you’re my brother and I wanted to do a pranck on you.

Zack laugh and said, “Siriesly!”

Annie smiled and mumbled, Uh yeah!

Zach said, let’s go to the beanch and talk.”

Annie laughed, “OK”

Zack said, Ok then this was all a joke?”

Annie said, “YES”

Zack smiled, “You know it’s been boring without a sister?”

Annie said, “yeah right!”

Zack replied, “but how did you become a ghost?”

Annie said, “Magic.”

Zack laughed, “funny!”

Zack took Annie by the hand and went to there grampa.

Zack called his grampa and said, “look who I found?”

Granpa replied, “your girlfriend”

Zack laughed, “very funny”

“Who then?” said grampa

Zack replied, “My sister!”

“Oh, Annie nice to see you again where were you?” grampa asked

Annie chucked, “long story!”

“Well, your parents are going to glad to see you!” smiled grampa

“Here they are right now” said Zack

“Mom, Dad! Guess who I found?” smiled Zack

“Who, your girlfriend,” said mom

Zack laugh, “Nice!” But no it’s Annie

Oh, hi, hunny, I missed you so much!

Annie smiled, “well, should we go home!”

Zack laugh, “OK bye grampa.”

Everyone said, “BYE”

Annie’s parent drove them home. I mean “home”

THE END!

Chicago Manual of Style, 15th edition, University of Chicago Press, (6.8), says that periods and commas precede closing quotations marks (whether double or single).

However, it says that unlike periods and commas, colons, semicolons, question marks and exclamation points follow the closing quotation marks unless a question mark or an exclamation point belongs within the quoted matter. (6.9)

CMS uses this example:

I was asked to state my “name and serial number”; I have no serial number.

A Writer’s Reference, Fourth Edition, Diana Hacker(Bedford/St. Martin’s)
agrees (P6-f), and gives this example:

Harold wrote, “I regret that I am unable to attend the fundraiser for AIDS
research”; his letter, however, contained a substantial contribution.

There are exceptions, and alternative systems, but for the most part, the above applies to American English.

Benjamin was born with 3 major heart defects. When he was a week old he had open-heart surgery to correct two of his heart defects. Two years later he had to have another heart surgery to correct the third heart defect.

The next day after coming home from his second heart surgery his little sister came into the world and changed his life again.

Little did we understand or know that Benjamin had Asperger’s. After some help from our friends who saw peculiar traits that Benjamin had, we were able to have him tested.

Benjamin is a very active little boy and sometimes just needs some help calming down. This is a hard task since he is our BIG little boy. He weighs about 60 lbs!

Let us explain the picture of the children in the dog crate. Last year we rescued a golden lab named Jack from the shelter in Tupelo, MS. He was an amazing dog and Benjamin and Emily adore him.

Our family needed to move in with some friends temporarily, and we gave Jack to a wonderful family that enjoys him as their own. The kids continuously call dogs Jack and even name their stuffed animals Jack! We are hoping that our 4 Paws dog may be a golden lab and they may be able to call him Jack. We know that may not come to fruition, but we can still pray specifically, right?

A service dog would be a great help for Benjamin in helping with his outbursts of energy and his rambunctious behavior. It is hard for my wife to handle him sometimes, and especially when we are in the public, it is hard to control him.

Benjamin also has what is called Sensory Processing Disorder. This is where his senses are heightened and he has a hard time with loud noises and bright lights. A service dog would also help him deal with these problems.

He also has a little problem of running!! The problem is he likes to run out of the car and into the parking lot when we go to the store. The dog would be great to help him slow down and be more aware of what is going on.

When we heard about 4 Paws we were so excited! We finally could get some help. It was such a relief to know that one day Benjamin would have a special friend to sleep with him and keep him company.

This organization is amazing! If you could help Benjamin get this special friend that could help him, please donate to “4 Paws for Ability”” and write “in honor of Benjamin Shawa” on the check.

Thanks to everyone for your prayers, love and support!

Note: I highly endorse 4 Paws for Ability as a source for extremely well-trained service dogs. The organization is sound and its goals exceptional. Judy Vorfeld.

But this isn’t the Chris that most people see. Most people see a boy who won’t make eye contact or respond to a hello or goodbye. If he does talk it may be lines from a movie, or a random phrase completely out of context. Of course the other kids don’t know how to respond and may laugh at him and adults may comment or feel rebuffed. If children do say “Hi” or ask him to play, he usually won’t answer or will mumble “No” out of fear. If there are more than two or three people nearby he will run and hide, refusing to come out.

If we are in a crowded or noisy place he may “head butt” me, pinch me, rock or make inappropriate noises. He may lash out and hit if he is extremely stressed. He sometimes hurts himself and frequently calls himself stupid. When he is in sensory overload he is oblivious to the dangers of crossing streets and runs out in front of cars. There have been several very close calls. He has run ahead in crowds and nearly gotten lost several times. He also has extreme auditory sensitivity.

The usual transitions in life are hard for our son: anything out of the routine, even taking a different way home, can set him off. At about four he began to have some serious anxiety issues and it became very hard to leave our home for any kind of family outing. Anyplace different, even just a restaurant would send him into a panic. Pretty much everything that other kids seem to love is a source of fear and anxiety for Chris. Birthday parties are nightmares. School functions are out of the question, and even going to church has become draining. Sometimes at home he doesn’t even want me to go upstairs or downstairs without him. He gets anxious at bedtime if I can’t sit with him until he falls asleep. Sometimes he sleepwalks and frequently gets up in the middle of the night, needing one of us to stay with him while he falls asleep.

School has been hard for him as well. Academically he does well if on medication and with an aide, but social gatherings or changes in routine are still very difficult. He did have to leave one school when the staff became worried that he would hurt himself since crashing into the concrete walls was Chris’ way of coping with sensory overload. The staff at our rural public school have embraced him and his disability, helping him in any way they are able to, but socially Chris is still struggling, and as his peers interact with each other their social skills are building while his remain behind.

The gap is getting wider each day that he cannot participate with them and the differences are obvious. He rarely goes out for recess.

Then by accident (or divine intervention, I like to think) the idea of a service dog “found us.” After Chris got up the nerve to attend and completed a short Saturday pet care class I thought it might help if he could volunteer somewhere to work with animals. Even though it was hard for him to participate, this class was one of the few social activities he could muster the courage to attend and we wanted to keep the momentum going. Then I saw an advertisement for help needed at a local service dog training facility. Before we went there, I sent an email telling them about Chris and what to expect when we got there. I didn’t want them to immediately assume he was “bad” if he got over stimulated and out of control. I desperately wanted this to be a good experience for him. It was - and then some!

As a result of a mix up (they thought I was there to see about getting a dog) I was introduced to a volunteer who had a son with autism that was greatly helped by his service dog. She told me about all the ways that these dogs could help kids like Chris. I had no idea! While we talked Chris was introduced to a service dog in training, a ’smiling’ dog named Tuck. Chris immediately felt more confident and came out of himself just enough to give the dog a few commands. Tuck’s eagerness to please and quick response seemed to empower Chris.

Tuck was one of those dogs that simply oozed “joy”! After playing with the dog for awhile my son looked up at me smiling and whispered “I LOVE this place!” I thought I would cry right then and there. For those fleeting minutes Chris looked just like any other boy playing with a dog, caught up in the moment, oblivious to the noise and the people. No hiding, no head butting. The fact that he was able to express his current emotion was also no small thing. After we left an hour later my son wanted to know when we could go back! It was nothing short of amazing. I knew then that this was exactly what Chris needed and I couldn’t wait to tell my husband about it!

Although we were unhappy to hear that this organization didn’t provide autism service dogs, or service dogs to children under 10, it did start us on our journey. It wasn’t long before I found 4 Paws for Ability and did some research. I asked Chris’ doctor, psychiatrist, OT and teachers if they thought it would help and if they would provide references. It was a unanimous “Yes”!

We are now working with 4 Paws, a nonprofit, 501c3 organization whose mission is to place quality service dogs. To date they have placed over 400 service dogs with the majority being for autism assistance. We particularly liked the fact that many of these dogs come from shelters and rescue groups. As explained by 4 Paws, these dogs “create a consistency in the child’s life as their dogs go everywhere that they go, even within places of public accommodation, and the educational system bringing along with them: consistency, stability, and calm reassurance that the feelings of anxiety or fear are not needed because the trusted buddy is by their side.”

I know that once Chris gets his special dog that his horizons will broaden.

• He will talk to children that he may not have had to courage to interact with because he will have the security of his buddy as well as the perfect conversation starter!
• He will have a friend that can hold him back before he darts into traffic without the embarrassment of Mom hanging on to him.
• He will feel more comfortable in places that may have seemed too much because his dog will watch for increasing anxiety and respond with comforting pressure or nuzzles.
• He even will have to interact more at home when working with his dog.
• At family get-togethers he will have a furry friend to hang with while Mom and Dad talk to others, and this friend can help him interact.
• He will have a strong buddy to stay with him and help him feel safe at night.

We know that Chris has the ability to do a lot of good things when he grows up but it won’t happen if he isn’t able to get out and gain the basic social skills he needs. We also worry about high risk of depression and suicide in teenagers with Asperger’s since they often become isolated or frequent victims of bullying. These are all things that having a service dog can help him with.

The best thing is that this dog will not only help Chris but many others in his world. It will help us be able to go out and do things as a family again. It will even bring joy to other children when they get a chance to know a really awesome kid, Asperger’s and all. Maybe they will get to see the side of him that we see; the real Chris. And who knows, maybe more people will come to understand autism and Asperger’s a little better too.
All because of one special dog.

For more info about Chris and Asperger’s Syndrome please visit: http://www.AserviceDog4Chris.org or http://www.4pawsforability.org.

If you would like to help Chris get his “helping paw,” please donate to 4 Paws for Ability in his name: Chris Wallrauch. It will be appreciated more than words can say! Beverly, Ken and Chris Wallrauch

Note: I highly endorse 4 Paws for Ability as a source for extremely well-trained service dogs. The organization is sound and its goals exceptional. Judy Vorfeld.