Humanity | Gardens For Goldens

Life Lives in the Gray

June 21, 2020 by Ogee

I have not written lately; I have not been able to find my words. I simultaneously feel like I have an obligation – and no right at all – to speak. I feel ignorant and naïve about the depth of the pain that has swirled around me. And I feel lost; I barely recognize my world anymore. The endless drone of falsehood and hate; the path designed to wear us down. Each day obliterating another norm of decency and democracy. […]

Categories: Humanity, Thought • Tags: Life lives in the gray

Perspective

April 5, 2020 by Ogee

A carrier pigeon arrived in the garden in late February. It spent the better part of the day just watching. It was not carrying a written message on its banded leg, but perhaps it foretold what was about to unfold. The ducks and geese mock us now. Public use areas have been closed due to COVID during the remainder of hunting season. The birds have found plenty of places to feast and fly – unmolested. We envy their togetherness. The […]

Categories: Dog Fostering, Dog Rescue, Dogs, Homeward Bound Golden Retriever Rescue, Humanity, Nature • Tags: COVID VIrus, Solitude

Let the Strong Survive?

March 29, 2020 by Ogee

Yes. I heard him correctly. A cavalier statement until your child, spouse, or parent fall ill. And yourself? Will you promise not to reach out for help if you need it yourself? Is your attitude limited to the current situation – or does it carry over to cancer, heart disease, childbirth, and more? I am concerned for a world where this kind of thought takes hold. These are times that test our humanity. And I am grateful to be surrounded […]

Categories: Dog Rescue, Homeward Bound Golden Retriever Rescue, Humanity, Rescue • Tags: COVID VIrus, Humanity

Noelle: Our Christmas Joy

December 24, 2019 by Ogee

A Good Samaritan saw her stray and shivering in the rain and mud. She was frightened, emaciated, and would not come. Animal control was called. A catch pole was used; something that can be terrifying to dogs but life-saving when there is no other option. She was covered in mats and filth, and it was obvious that she had recently had puppies. There was no sign of them. It’s unclear if she was turned out after weaning them, or had […]

Categories: Dog Rescue, Homeward Bound Golden Retriever Rescue, Humanity, Rescue • Tags: dog rescue, Dog rescue holiday story, Homeward Bound Golden Retriever Rescue, Inspirational

Rocket Scientist

December 22, 2019 by Ogee

As I turned the corner at the rescue into the front parking lot, I came upon an elderly man looking a bit lost. It was well before adoption hours. He looked frail and sad. I asked if I could help. He said he had just let his dog go. It turns out that he had lost her a week earlier; he had just returned from picking up her ashes. She was 11-year-old Emily, a beautiful Golden Retriever. He had her […]

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

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