January | 2013 | Gardens For Goldens

Two Lives Saved

January 29, 2013 by Ogee

In my “Winter Gathered” post I promised the story of Maggie, the adopted Golden who literally saved her human dad’s life. I have the inside scoop as the compiler of the organization’s newsletter. Now that it has been published, I feel free to bring you her story now. Bill and Carol adopted Maggie from Homeward Bound last year. It was love at first sight, but they had no way of knowing what a huge impact she would have on their […]

Categories: Homeward Bound Golden Retriever Rescue • Tags: dog rescue, dog saves life, Dogs, Homeward Bound Golden Retriever Rescue

Incoming

January 27, 2013 by Ogee

If you look very closely, you can see the first signs of winter’s departure in the Homeward Bound Memorial Garden, not far behind the recent weeks’ frost. Of course, the most beautiful colors in Northern California gardens this time of year come from the oranges and lemons that overflow our trees. Maria and I finished the shrub roses today – and not a minute too soon, as they are already budding. We left these a little taller than the tea […]

Categories: Gardening, Homeward Bound Golden Retriever Rescue • Tags: dog rescue, Dogs, gardening, Homeward Bound Golden Retriever Rescue, Homeward Bound Memorial Garden, Nature, Pets, Photography

imperfection

January 23, 2013 by Ogee

A friend shared a disappointment recently, which caused her to question the good she contributes to because the results have occasionally been imperfect. Sometimes, in trying to do too much, we end up doing too little. Now and then, that causes us to fail. Like an over planted garden. We want to save them all, but the soil can only accommodate so many. Hard choices sometimes have to be made. But in the end, they’ll stand stronger, taller and more […]

Categories: Rescue • Tags: Failure, gardening, Imperfection, Nature, Photography, Rescue

pausing

January 21, 2013 by Ogee

“Learn to pause … or nothing worthwhile will catch up to you.” ~ Doug King Today I paused. I went to the Memorial Garden and worked only at my pace. I walked some dogs; stopping in the garden to spend time with each. A pat on the head; a belly rub; a promise to help them find a home again. The garden is quiet in January. Everything is curled up in a tight, frost-bitten bundle protecting its roots and the […]

Categories: Gardening, Homeward Bound Golden Retriever Rescue • Tags: dog rescue, Dogs, gardening, Golden Retriever, Homeward Bound Golden Retriever Rescue, Homeward Bound Memorial Garden, Nature, Pets, Photography

Telling the bees

January 17, 2013 by Ogee

I have been absent for a bit; apologies. This is for my father, who instilled in me a love of gardens and dogs; who entrusted his care to me – the middle daughter – for the past two years, making me a better person; and who passed early this morning after three days’ vigil. Telling the Bees ~ by Deborah Digges It fell to me to tell the bees, though I had wanted another duty— to be the scribbler at […]

Categories: Uncategorized • Tags: Deborah Digges, father, passing, Telling the Bees

Winter Gathered

January 12, 2013 by Ogee

Jody and I had a rose pruning session in the (very cold) garden this morning. You’ll recall that we shared a grape pruning session recently. I think she was pretending inexperience with roses (showing up with manual in hand) just to have an excuse to play in the garden. She took to it immediately, quickly pruning all of the tea roses in her bed. We did a quick lesson on one of the shrub roses growing along the fence, which […]

Categories: Gardening, Homeward Bound Golden Retriever Rescue • Tags: dog rescue, Dogs, gardening, Homeward Bound Golden Retriever Rescue, Nature, Pets, Photography, Rose Pruning, Winter

The virtues of dogs and gardens

January 9, 2013 by Ogee

Maria was out at the Memorial Garden today doing some January clean-up and bare root planting. I’m jealous; missing both the pups and the garden. Funny how I’m drawn to such seemingly different obsessions. Dogs offer unconditional love; gardens require conditions that are just right for sharing their bounty with you. Too warm and they shrivel; too cold and they withhold; too wet and they wilt. Dogs are grateful; give them food and water, an old blanket, a worn tennis […]

Categories: Gardening, Homeward Bound Golden Retriever Rescue • Tags: dog rescue, Dogs, Gardens, Homeward Bound Golden Retriever Rescue, Homeward Bound Memorial Garden, Nature, Pets, Photography

A Welcome Frost

January 6, 2013 by Ogee

Below the frosty morning surface of the garden, all the little microorganisms are busy creating nutrients. But for gardeners in need of rest and recovery, January is mercifully slow. After a week of hard overnight frost in the Sacramento Valley, the roses in our Memorial Garden have finally succumbed. On New Years’ Day, Jody and I completed pruning and tying the grapes; soon, the roses will be ready for their turn. Yarrow is the only perennial still in bloom, but […]

Categories: Gardening, Homeward Bound Golden Retriever Rescue • Tags: dog rescue, Dogs, gardening, Homeward Bound Golden Retriever Rescue, Homeward Bound Memorial Garden, Nature, Pets, Photography, sacramento