Month: August 2012

How Hot Is It?

You’ve heard of the dog days of summer? So just how hot is it in the west this weekend?

Here’s a hint.

I made a quick trip to the Homeward Bound Memorial Garden this morning to water the fence-line Roses which we didn’t get to yesterday. While I waited on them, I decided to remove the birch tree that we accidentally drowned.

I filled the hole, graded the surrounding area to prevent a recurrence, and cut the water to its companion for a bit. It still has some buds, so fingers crossed please.

Temperature is rising. Too hot to work anymore. What to do? Puppy Play Date!

In the pen next to the Garden were three cuties; two from a litter delivered last January at Homeward Bound.

Puppy Play Dates are a great way to socialize your young one. To ensure that things didn’t get too out of hand, they were joined by Bella, the grown-up in the group.

Come on little pups…I’ll show you how it’s done.

There you go! Now it’s time for a nap…

and dreams of catching squirrels.

Heroes in the Garden

There are heroes among us. In the Homeward Bound Memorial Garden, between the Dahlias…

and the Roses…

the Lupine…

and the delicate White Lavender…

you will find some of the heroes of Homeward Bound.

1.  Robin and Jim – with their rescue, Owen who visited with us in the garden before “school” today.

Even the staff of HB was surprised by their pick; Owen had flunked adoption twice for his youthful exuberance and ill-mannered ways. A suggestion was made that they might want to foster first to determine if he was a good fit, Robin’s reply was simple: “I don’t return things.”

True to her word, she and Jim have put in the training and love needed for Owen to succeed.  A month later, he is already a changed dog. He is still a work in progress, with much more training ahead. But it looks like he has found his forever home.

2. Laura.  She and other dedicated dog-walkers were out early to get the dogs walked before the temperatures soared too high in the middle of our heat wave.  She shared the Willow Garden – the coolest spot on the property – with her golden friend, Tom (such a ham!)

Here she is with Tristan – one of the dogs who has come all the way from Taiwan.

In the past few years, Homeward Bound has taken in over 30 dogs from Taiwan, working in partnership with the Taichung Universal Action Protection Association (TUAPA) and Asians for Humans, Animals and Nature (AHAN). Many have been adopted, but Tristan remains a much-loved Sanctuary dog due to his special needs.

3. Edna. A very special hero. She – too recently – said goodbye to yet another of her permanent fosters. She has another at home. And today, she  arrived with with Jezell, her adopted pup, to share some tears, hugs, and to pick up yet another foster.

Edna is a long-time foster mom. From a 2007 newsletter speaking about one of her fosters with terminal cancer, she said, “For all that I give them; they give 1000 times more in return. It’s like having a ‘No Vacancy’ sign on your heart. All of them teach me life lessons every day. Even with Monty’s cancer, he shows me how to just be happy for this day and this moment. I try each day to celebrate his life and not cry so much about his dying. We have today and that’s a blessing.”

Edna’s heart seems to have endless capacity.


The world needs more Edna’s.

When One Door Closes…

I thought that these sunflowers were the perfect metaphor for our Memorial Garden. Growing from one stalk, one head has faded, while another blooms. This is the cycle of quiet ends and new beginnings – sadness and joy – that we see so often at Homeward Bound Golden Retriever Rescue and Sanctuary.

“When one door closes, another opens; but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the one which has opened for us.” – Alexander Graham Bell.

The Memorial Garden as a place to remember and celebrate the lives of our four-legged friends who brought us such joy, companionship and happiness.

Every dog lover knows the heartache of loss, and yet we risk it all over again – because the need is so great. So many pups in need of homes; so many homes in need of the unconditional love of pups.

“Dogs just wrap themselves around your heart in ways you never thought possible.” – HB

Often we hear people say that they can’t bear to adopt an older dog with the possibility of only a few years together. And yet, there on the organization’s Facebook page this week, was a post from a woman who said goodbye to her Golden – adopted at 10 and lived to 17. Seven wonderful years. Life has its own plans, and there are no guarantees. So worry less about the age and more about the connection and the difference that you make in each other’s lives. Hearts are like gardens – with endless capacity to be reborn. Never the same…

but equally beautiful.

What is a Weed?

“What is a weed? A plant whose virtues have not yet been discovered.”
– Ralph Waldo Emerson

I always thought of Milkweed as a weed. I never knew that it had such mysterious powers.

I stumbled across Asclepias, or Tropical Milkweed, in our nursery this spring. I never had enough hours of direct sun in my own shady garden to even consider it. Listed among its virtues (color and height) was its ability to attract butterflies. In our area it grows as a perennial. Bonus. It will return year after year. I planted a couple of 6” pots at the Homeward Bound Memorial Garden and waited.

It wasn’t until later that I read that it was a preferred habitat of Monarch Butterflies. By the looks of things in the garden tonight, they are delighting in their home.

As the sun lowered and temperatures “cooled” to a more moderate 94-degrees, they were putting on quite a show; delighting in a dance that had everything to do with each other and nothing at all to do with me. It looked a lot like these Milkweed seeds.

Still as I stood, they would not settle long enough to capture them in a photo. So I put away the camera, returned to my watering duties, and just enjoyed them as they swooped, fluttered and glided through the air.

For their beauty and companionship in the garden, they are more than welcome to munch and make their home in the Milkweed of our Memorial Garden.

What the Garden Means

:

Just in case, amid the planning, planting, coaxing, and admiring of our Homeward Bound garden blooms, we lose focus on why we have created this Memorial Garden and what it means to others, these comments left on the organization’s Facebook page are a perfect reminder:

“I was so grateful to be able to walk it a few weeks ago and remember those waiting for us at the Rainbow Bridge. Two of my adoptions had bricks and I stood there crying – the etchings are so real – they really do look like Vinnie and Bob.”


“We saw Bob’s brick and Ralph and I both cried. We weren’t sure when we sent in the photo if it would come out looking like Bob but it sure does. He was a handsome boy and so loved and we miss him so much. This garden and his brick mean alot to us.”

The Memorial Garden is a place to honor and remember Goldens (and their Golden friends) who have left our lives, but not our hearts. That it means so much to others, makes us feel that we have contributed meaningfully.

You can learn about designating a brick here. When you do, you create a loving and thoughtful gift or memorial, while contributing to the care of Homeward Bound’s resident Goldens.

It’s Raining Dogs!

I made a trip to the garden late yesterday afternoon. Sometimes, I find it more productive to break up the weekend chores into two sessions instead one long marathon. (Didn’t Ina do a beautiful job on the White Garden this week?)

It was definitely cooler, with ominous clouds moving in – unusual for our Sacramento Valley which is usually baking this time of year.

I met Janet and Dale in the gardens. They were visiting with Holden, the sweet pup they adopted from Homeward Bound about a year ago. A special-needs dog, he does not produce tears. So every few hours, they administer them for him. Such dedication.

Janet, it turns out, is also one of the designated administrators for the organization’s Facebook page. We have her to thank for sharing our blog and video, bringing it to the attention of so many more people last month. Thank you, Janet! We appreciate the assist!

I thought maybe the darkening skies carried coastal fog – perhaps causing our 20-degree day-to-day temperature drop.

Good thing I’m not a weather forecaster. Not long after I got home, thunder set in, and then a brief rainfall. This really does not happen here very often – and I feel a little guilty considering how parched so many parts of our country are this summer.

By the next morning, the clouds were gone, replaced by a light breeze and blue skies, and accompanied by a light shower of dogs all morning long – just happy to enjoy the beautiful morning in the Homeward Bound Memorial Garden.

As I left the night before, I saw the pens filled with new, beautiful, blond Goldens.

This morning, I met many of them in person. Among the newly emerging Dahlias…

I met new arrivals, Sunny –

Huntington –

Bristol –

and Shadow (such a happy face!)

Amid the flourishing roses…

I found Chris – one of our dog-whisperers – and her own pups Tigger and Missy. They visit us pretty regularly, before Chris gets to a long day of assessing and working with the new dogs.

And not long after capturing this visiting Monarch Butterfly,

I was introduced to Tosh. He’s a handsome young man and full of “ready-to-roll!” Look how nicely he sits already!

It never ceases to amaze me that so many beautiful dogs find their way here for rescue.

Thankfully Ina paid a visit to the gardens this week and Pat joined me this morning. The extra hands made it possible to spend a little time appreciating the pups and still get the weeding, watering, dead-heading and fountain-cleaning accomplished. All while Maria is off playing in Europe dog-watching when she should be site seeing. She sent this picture of a “Hungarian Shepherd” (I suspect it is actually a Hungarian Kuvasz) –

and this unusual creature.

Don’t worry Maria. We’ll save you a couple of projects so you will feel missed when you return!

Perennial Progression

Here is another in the series of garden bed transformations at the Homeward Bound Memorial Garden.

When we read about the need for volunteer gardeners in the Homeward Bound Newsletter last Fall, a group of us showed up to see and select “beds” that we would assume responsibility for. It was a little hard to find the beds! This is how the Perennial Garden began.

Soon to be garden
The (very loose) vision. We wanted a palette of intense color, breaking every garden design rule.

Garden Watercolor
Work gets underway.




Tulips surprise us in early March, poking up through the bark that keeps the weeds at bay.


Planting day finally arrives in early April after rain delays. The plants looked pretty puny in nearly 400 square feet of space.


Two weeks later.


In May, the plants are loving the moisture-retaining clay soil. Deb installs branches for Dahlia stakes in anticipation.


Things are filling in. Watch how the flooded rice field in the background changes over time.


Early June; not looking so puny anymore!


Mid June. Still waiting on the Dahlias, but the Coneflowers are magnificent. Look how the rice field has turned a brilliant green.


And July.The Dahlias have arrived, joined by Delphinium, Bee Balm, Coreopsis, Cosmos and a few Zinnias that snuck in.



On the other side you can see the Yarrow, Dianthus, Lavender, and Salvia.

And on the corners, Verbena and Gaillardia. OK…so maybe we went a little crazy this year.


All in all, not too bad for a first year effort. Just imagine what next year will bring!

Honest and Upright: Sunflowers

Those who follow this blog regularly know that Maria, one of the dedicated volunteers of our Homeward Bound Memorial Garden, has abandoned us for a few weeks to run around Eastern Europe. She forwarded this photo of Sunflowers grown in Bulgaria.


The sheer quantity is impressive and creates a stunning impression. I’m a bit biased, but I’m not sure they can compete with those growing in the Sunflower bed in Maria’s absence.

Is it the TLC they are receiving while she is gone? Hmmm…

This one looks like a Las Vegas showgirl,


and this one – lemon sherbet.


“Flowers have an expression of countenance as much as men and animals. Some seem to smile; some have a sad expression; some are pensive and diffident; others again are plain, honest and upright, like the broad-faced sunflower and the hollyhock.”
~ Henry Ward Beecher