Humanity | Gardens For Goldens

Justice for Justice

August 11, 2019 by Ogee

She spent her life in an outdoor yard. So terrified of indoor enclosures was she that she broke through a window to avoid being confined. Emaciated. Sick. She had to fight to protect what little food scraps she was given. A Great Pyrenees mix weighing in at only 58 pounds. Her mouth partly paralyzed; who knows how many litters of puppies she had produced and what damage that had inflicted. Used up, she was dumped. Two others were “coincidentally” found […]

Categories: Dog Rescue, Homeward Bound Golden Retriever Rescue, Humanity, Rescue • Tags: dog rescue, Homeward Bound Golden Retriever Rescue, Humanity, Justice

With Gratitude

November 22, 2018 by Ogee

“For each new morning with its light, For rest and shelter of the night, For health and food, for love and friends, For everything Thy goodness sends. For flowers that bloom about our feet; For tender grass, so fresh, so sweet; For song of bird, and hum of bee; For all things fair we hear or see, Father in heaven, we thank Thee!” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson I share this poem each Thanksgiving, as a reminder of all that we […]

Categories: Humanity, Thanksgiving • Tags: Giving Thanks, Raph Waldo Emerson, Thansgiving

When Bad Things Happen

November 11, 2018 by Ogee

California is on fire…again. Each occurrence seems to set a new record for destruction and loss of life. The entire town of Paradise is gone and with it, 23 lives and countless animals, domestic and wild. The thick smoke has drifted and settled in our valley turning the landscape an eerie orange – blocking out the sun and delivering an early cold that caused a premature freezing of tender fall blooms. It is tempting to complain about the suffocating air […]

Categories: Humanity, Loss • Tags: California Wildfires, Camp Fire, Helping Others

Choose Your Garden

November 4, 2018 by Ogee

You can create whatever man-made environment you want – just as you can build false societies. But these artificial landscapes require strict restraints, constant oversight, and continuous, often heavy-handed, feeding to maintain control. Without it, they eventually return to their natural state – often in bullying or survival-of-the-fittest ways. Natural gardens spring from what was always intended to be there. True to their nature, they find paths of peaceful coexistence and mutual cooperation. And they thrive. Their success supports future […]

Categories: Humanity, Nature, Thought • Tags: Choosing our Future, Vote

Tend the Garden

August 26, 2018 by Ogee

Charlie came to us from the streets of China at age one. Just a puppy, really. He was adopted and returned months later for being an overly exuberant adolescent. With time and training, he would have grown into a well-behaved and loved family member instead of finding himself homeless again. (He is homeless no more.) A garden that is not tended can easily fall back into disrepair. All hard work and effort will be lost – swallowed up in nature’s […]

Categories: Humanity, Thought • Tags: Abraham Lincoln Quote, Ideals, McCain, Values

The Real Things Remain

April 8, 2018 by Ogee

I had a blog post all written for tonight. I deleted it. I was going to tell you about the rains that created lakes in the spring garden, and then I woke to today’s headlines. And I wondered, what is the point of this silly blog in a world gone mad? Lately, the magnitude of our capacity as humans to do harm to one another seems boundless. And overwhelming. I know that bad things happen daily to good people, animals, […]

Categories: Humanity • Tags: Adversity, Finding Light in Darkness, Humanity, Rescue

This is What You Shall Do

December 17, 2017 by Ogee

I try to keep politics off these pages but, increasingly, I feel as if I live in an alternate reality. The daily news confounds me. Disavowing science and banning its words. Ignoring clear and present dangers while creating divisions between us at home. Setting our history back decades – maybe more. Have we forever lost sight of who we are and the compass that guides us to common ground? Words for our times from some time ago: “Other states indicate […]

Categories: Humanity, Thought • Tags: Activism, Leaves of Grass, Service, Walt Whitman Quote

To Rule A Garden…Or More

August 6, 2017 by Ogee

“Anybody who wants to rule the world should try to rule a garden first.” ~ Author Unknown I found this unattributed quote and it struck me as true. Nothing humbles like a garden – a tiny microcosm of the world where distinct forces work best in harmony, but are sometimes pushed into doing battle for survival and the chance to ensure future generations. I’m not really sure that anyone ever rules the garden; to assume so would tempt Mother Nature’s […]

Categories: Gardening, Humanity, Nature Photography, Thought • Tags: Anna's Hummingbird, Dahlia, Dragonfly, Gardener Traits, gardening, Monarch Butterfly, Praying Mantis, Swallowtail Butterfly, Tiny Frogs

Civility

July 2, 2017 by Ogee

It doesn’t matter if you were once rich, or poor… are powerful, or petite… young or old. Here, we are all equal dogs, and we’re all in this journey together. At the rescue, we don’t allow mouthy behavior. Being rude will get you schooled. And not playing nicely with others will quickly earn you a time out. Frustration is normal, but it doesn’t give you a green light to hurt others. Good social skills are not just encouraged – they […]

Categories: Dog Rescue, Homeward Bound Golden Retriever Rescue, Humanity • Tags: Being Kind, Canine Good Citizen, Civility, The Golden Rule