Gardens Goldens – Page 2 – Gardens For Goldens

Garden Update: Listen for the Rain

Winter arrived with a blast of cold. It blanketed the garden in little crystals and frozen bird baths each morning for a week.

A final whisper from the north to the garden: “go to sleep.”

We have learned to let the garden stand instead of conducting an end-of-season clean up. The dead stalks provide cover from the cold for the future growth below.

While we have had some nice December rainfall, the total still put us at “average”; nowhere close to what we need to begin a recovery from our prolonged drought. I wish there were a way to relieve the rest of the country of the water that inundates them. Mother Nature is a fickle mistress.

They say the El Nino is now upon us. In a supreme act of faith, I completed raising the beds to protect them from the flooding they say will ensue –

and buried a shelter in Ina’s garden for our feral kitty. Shhh…don’t tell Ina. (Note to my sister, the cat rescuer, yes…our country cats have been neutered or spayed and have plenty of warm spaces to shelter with extra food and water.)

The holiday pines were recycled to mulch, and to provide the blueberries with the acid they crave.

And the birds are well fed.

In the next few weeks, we will prune the roses…all 43 of them…and the grapes.

Until then…we wait. And listen for the rain.

Teach Your Children Well

A garden is a reflection of its keepers. Tidy and structured;

casual and carefree;

or untamed and wild.

It inherits our priorities – not by birth, but by effort and example. So too, our children.

“Whatever you would have your children become, strive to exhibit in your own lives and conversation.” ~ Lydia Sigourney

Kate is a dedicated Homeward Bound dog walker. Despite juggling a full life with young children and a husband’s doctor hours, she shows up every Sunday to get the dogs out – rain or shine.

She has an eagle eye for the first sign of a sneeze, limp, or matted ear – and an enormous heart for those most in need. In 2014, she extended it to George. As a Black Lab with insecurities in a place surrounded by sought-after Goldens, she was worried that he would be overlooked forever. So she took him home.

And while he is still unsure when he encounters dogs on his walks, it turns out that he is fine with dogs in his home. Go figure. This, of course, makes him a perfect host for fostering, which he has taken to very nicely following Kate’s example.

Last week, Kate saw that Maggie needed a soft place to land as she recovered from recent medical procedures.

With George and family in tow, an introduction was planned.

It did not take long for Maggie and George to give the “all clear.”

The kids cheered.

Rescue runs in this family. Kate and her husband, Christian, see to it by living the example. The love, respect, and concern for animals that they have inspired in their children is obvious.

Because of that, Maggie is in their foster care today. She has an opportunity to get well in the comfort of home, and to be loved upon while she waits for her own furever family.

Fostering. A gift for the dogs.

A great way to inspire a love of rescue in children.

Wordless Wednesday: My Boy

Emmie: A Gift from the Universe

“We cannot stop the winter or the summer from coming.

We cannot stop the spring or the fall

or make them other than they are.

They are gifts from the universe that we cannot refuse.

But we can choose what we will contribute to life when each arrives.” ~ Gary Zukav

To the person who left sweet, thirteen-year-old Emmie at the shelter, emaciated, sick, and alone – in the winter of her life that she could not stop from coming;

thank you for this gift from the universe that we could not – and would not, refuse.

She brings light to our lives,

and purpose to our days. Our contribution is surrounding her with love and kindness, for whatever time is left.

Regardless of the sadness we know is coming,

this is what we choose. It is your loss that you could not do the same.

Update: Sweet Emmie passed peacefully and gently, surrounded by our volunteers the week that I wrote this post. We knew her time would be measured in days, not weeks or months. In a very short time, she touched so many hearts, not the least of whom was the woman at the shelter who alerted us to her need. Upon Emmie’s passing she writes: “I cried tears of sadness and anger when I got the call from the former owner stating she was bringing her to the shelter I work at. I am now crying tears for her passing. I am eternally grateful to Homeward Bound and for being there to show her love…she deserved nothing but the best, yet her owner was tossing her away. I will never understand that. Big hugs of thankfulness to every person at Homeward Bound! You are an awesome group of people.”

Fly free, sweet Emmie. You are our gift to heaven, now.

Thanks to Rob Kessel, of robanddog.com, for the beautiful photos of Emmie.

A Christmas Wish Delivered

‘Twas two weeks before Christmas, and all through the rescue –
All the creatures were stirring, believing something would ensue.
Whispers and wishes hung in the air,
In hopes of Bilos’ special someone. Could we dare?

Bilos is blind, born without eyes,
But we knew when we met him – he was a special prize.

Smart, and sweet, and anxious to please,
He surprised and delighted and adapted with ease.

Special needs dogs need special humans as well,
It takes patience and commitment to help them excel.
We understood it would take time, but impatient we grew,
Bilos was truly deserving of love, this we all knew.

And then…

A quiet visitor arrived not once, or twice, or even thrice,
But over and over, seeking answers and advice.

With great thought and great care she made her decision,
And two days before Christmas, took Bilos home on provision.

To first foster our boy she dispatched –
With paws crossed and prayers said,
We hope for a forever match.

In her first update she writes that she feels lucky and blessed,
Our joy and gratitude, we cannot express.

A Christmas wish whispered and delivered with speed,
Merry Christmas, sweet Bilos! With prayers answered, indeed.

Where the Sugar Flows

In the big dog Park, the rough and tumble play.

But on the other side of the fence is where the sugar lives.

Sugar Shack Acres is home to Homeward Bound’s most senior dogs: the sugar faces –

our sanctuary dogs – like once-and-forever feral Red –

and dogs who just love being with other dogs – like Lucy, who is only five, but desperately needed to lose weight. After a couple of weeks with her Sugar Shack friends, she dropped nearly ten pounds (and was on her way home!)

These pups may be a little slow,

But they still get around.

And everyone gets along.

As they say: it takes a long time for a soul to get this sweet.

Some of our volunteers spend all their time in this sanctuary – where the dogs have their own house and a large open yard so they can come and go freely.

Some just pay a visit after walking, feeding, and cleaning up after our “dorm” dogs – only to be mobbed by smiling faces, tail wags and kisses.

And when the young dog pack leaves the Park…guess where the sugar flows?

Chessy’s Inner Lion

Hear her roar!

Wordless Wednesday: Marley

Still Something Right

The fog has arrived.

The meadow is greening.

My bird friends are back.

And the rain is coming.

There are still some things right with this crazy world.

Winter Approaches

All signs point to winter. In the span of one week, the garden has transformed from a fall garden to a winter one. This, of course, means that I am way behind. Dogs come first, and more than a few have had their turn recently. Hurray for…

Marley,

River,

Keiko,

and Dart.

While it looks like the garden is beginning to slumber, there is still a lot going on under the surface. Until a freeze, newly transplanted perennials and trees, and an army of spring bulbs are all growing roots, while earthworms and tiny microbes are still hard at work.

“Every gardener knows that under the cloak of winter lies a miracle … a seed waiting to sprout, a bulb opening to the light, a bud straining to unfurl.” ~ Barbara Winkler

All of this will come to a halt when we get our first real freeze. Before then, we need to complete the raising and mulching of the beds to keep them from floating away during our much hoped for El Nino, and to keep the soil temperature even.

Despite removing mountains of leaves, we still have heaps of them.

I rigged an open air container and ~~assigned~~ begged off the chopping duties. The leaf bits will over-winter in the container, creating a leaf mold to use as soil conditioner in our packed clay by spring.

I never mourn the passing of a season. Gardeners always look ahead. Besides, the colors of an approaching winter are beautiful in their own right:

Browns,

faded pinks,

yellows and reds,

And of course – the snowy whites…

the best color of all.

Wordless Wednesday: Snowy

Run free, sweet girl.

Puppy Pop Quiz

Sugar and spice…and everything nice.

Except the poop. Puppies are adorable.

It is hard not to fall in love with each and every one. But matching the right puppy to the right family makes all the difference for dog and human.

Our latest brood was delivered by Lady Edith. She has gone to her new family and will have her long-awaited eye surgery this week.

Her pups are all spoken for; their anxious families wait. But before we send them home, we wanted to complete their puppy assessments using the Puppy Aptitude Test developed by Jack and Wendy Volhard.

Each litter we are graced with is assigned a human “mom” who watches over them, cleans up after them, and most importantly, socializes them – so critical in a dog’s early weeks. This time, the honors fell to Judy.

The test assesses personality and temperament, which will help their new families provide the environment and nurturing they need to be well-raised dogs. This is not a pass or fail test – and no – you cannot cheat off the teacher, either!

It measures social attraction to dogs and people,

confidence, dependence or independence,

willingness to accept commands or follow,

retriever instincts and prey drive,

touch, sight and sound sensitivity.

Born during a thunderstorm, raised by a good mama dog and devoted human, our pups are pretty unfazed by loud sounds, sudden movements or being handled. But certain personalities do emerge.

Puppies with a strong desire to lead or play very rough need experienced dog people with a commitment to training and exercise to bring out their best selves.

Shy or frightened pups need patient people in environments that are calm and stable.

Go-along/get-along pups are best suited to first-time dog owners, families with children, or older people.

And when the test is over…

everyone gets a well-earned nap!

Want to learn more about the Puppy Aptitude Test? Visit www.volhard.com.