Tag: Homeward Bound Golden Retriever Rescue

Evening Meeting in the Garden

Ina, Maria and I called an evening meeting in the Homeward Bound Memorial Garden. Over delicious Turkey, Pesto and Tomato sandwiches (thanks, Ina!) we talked through future plans.

We had our first sighting of a Monarch butterfly, but it would not sit still long enough to be photo-captured. We certainly have created a haven for them, and we hope to see more in the coming weeks.

Surrounded by Robins, Quail, and Bunnies who kept their distance, it was nice to simply enjoy the fruits of our labor as the sun dropped in the sky…

when everything takes on a golden hue…


including my Jackson, who accompanied us tonight and enjoyed Maria’s Elfin Thyme!

I’m a little biased, but I think he looks as pretty as the flowers, don’t you?

The highlight of the evening was Ina’s confession that she added another plant to her Cottage Garden bed.  A talented gardener, she was concerned that the ideal sun and soil conditions were quickly creating monster successes. She issued strict warnings to us: “no more plants!” Ha! Busted.

There is always more work to do in a garden…

but tonight was more about fussing, photos, pups and friends.

A rare moment to soak up the sunset and enjoy all that has been created in the garden. Apparently, we are in good company.

Cottage Appreciation

Logging the most recent pictures of the Ina’s impressive Cottage Garden bed within the Homeward Bound Memorial Garden, I was inspired to go back and look at its beginnings. Like the rescues at Homeward Bound, it has been transformed with TLC and a little training. I thought you might enjoy a simple pictorial review. P.S…she has graciously agreed to extend the Cottage Garden to frame a stunning entry next summer!

February; rocks and working the soil.

March; a river runs through it.

April; plantings and sprouting paths.

May; paths conquered! Drip and compost spur growth.

June; beautiful silvers and greens in late afternoon.

July; dotted with yellows, purples and the  brilliant pink of Crape Myrtles.

What the Garden Attracts

You know the Homeward Bound Memorial Garden is getting better by the sheer volume of visitors we are getting now – two legged and four.

Vonnie and Randy were out early to tend to their Butterfly bed. Vonnie has a new rule which is my favorite: “Come out to do your garden, and work on two others as well.” After weeding and dead-heading their bed, they weeded the Tree Circles and part of Jody’s bed.

We have seen many white butterflies, but few of color or spectacular display. Bemoaning their absence, Vonnie and Randy installed two solar cousins along with the ornament that already graced the garden.

The additions apparently established a welcoming tone – attracting the real thing later in the day.

Pat joined us early as well. She is a dog-walker volunteer who took a shine to our project, and graciously offered to help out. After a walk-through, she graciously weeded Sue’s Grandma’s Garden bed.

Maria arrived mid-morning with a long to-do list. Top priority was leveling some of the settled stones, and planting more of the Elfin Thyme.

What awaited in her Sunflower bed was a grand surprise; a gigantic sunflower measuring a foot across!

A family was getting acquainted with Raffy as a possible adoption. I’ll need to update you later on the status, but they certainly looked good together!

Peggy and Steve came to work on their Iris Bed, installing a scarecrow, and a string of fun dog toys. We hope the scarecrow will send a message to the finches. If the dog toys disappear, I don’t think we’ll be able to blame the rabbits!

In keeping with Vonnie’s new rule, they pitched in on multiple projects; dead-heading the roses, pulling crab grass from the Willow Garden, more weeding of Jody’s bed, and help with the stones and thyme planting. Being a guy, clippers and trowels were not enough for Steve, who quickly wielded an ax on some troublesome roots. When we last left him, he was using the ax to weed. It’s a guy thing.

We had more four-legged visitors than I can remember or had a chance to write down. Mosh and Marie (read their story here)…

Judy with Cisco…

And these Golden beauties:

Trishkin was our last visitor. He is a Sanctuary dog – which means that due to his health issues, he will have a forever home at Homeward Bound. Such a sweetie.

It’s been a long time since we had so many hands at one time in the garden – not to mention paws. We got so much done, that I was actually able to spend time in the Perennial and Hummingbird beds for a change.

There is an old Spanish proverb which says: “More in a garden grows than what the gardener sows.” That was certainly true at the Homeward Bound Memorial Garden today.

Thanks to everyone for pitched in or stopped by. It’s great to see you in the Gardens.

Tucking in the Garden

Another evening visit to the Homeward Bound Memorial Garden this week. My turn this time. Hopefully it is our last day with temperatures over 100 for a while, thanks to the Delta Breeze which is just beginning to kick in.

The bunnies were too quick for me to capture…

The dragon flies would not hold still…

So you will just have to take my word for it.

Nothing profound to say; the Garden says it all.

And then it says “goodnight.”

Maria’s Notes from the Garden

Maria did an early evening check on the Homeward Bound Memorial Garden this week to see how things were faring in our 100+ degree Sacramento heat wave. Ina surprised her with a visit earlier in the day to water, so a work visit turned into a rare chance to simply take in the garden as the sun mercifully dropped lower in the sky.

She found a Mantis – praying over her Sunflowers…

and a beautiful sunset.

Beau, her nine and a half-year old Homeward Bound foster dog, stayed home where it was cooler.

Maria is one of those special people who foster – generally taking the older, special needs dogs. What a good second-chance life for Beau. He seems to be right at home in his own little garden, complete with lizard!

Resetting

I have to admit, I was a little discouraged Friday night when I arrived at the Homeward Bound Memorial Garden; by the destruction being inflicted on Maria’s sunflowers, the paths that are in disarray waiting for our fall project, and the never-ending weeds that grows like trees in this country garden.

Unlike maintenance at our home gardens where we just step outside the door – the trek out to this country garden takes time. As a result, we generally are limited to one full day of gardening per week, and one weekly, evening visit. Things pile up fast and it’s easy to feel a little overwhelmed.

Sometimes , as they say, it is hard to see the forest for the trees. I’m sure the volunteers who waited Friday night for an expected dog drop-off sometimes feel similarly. It is not unusual for Homeward Bound to welcome 10-20 rescues a week. So much good accomplished; and always so much more to do.

I know for the dedicated volunteers of Homeward Bound Golden Retriever Rescue, the reward of seeing rescued dogs go to their new forever homes far outweighs the long hours and occasional discouragements. So I stopped feeling sorry for myself and hit the garden early with Maria, weed whackers, trowels, and beads in hand. Beads? Read on.

First, it is amazing how much better things look when the paths are closely trimmed – even if the “lawn” is really weeds. At least they are (mostly) green and neat for now.  Our plan is to create an isolated grassy area next fall, and surround the beds with mulched paths, letting them grow larger and closer together. This will greatly reduce the amount of weekly maintenance, and hopefully create a cool resting point for the eye in a sea of color. Can’t wait!

Close observation confirmed Maria’s and Ina’s suspicions; the damage caused to the sunflowers was done by Finches who leveled their bold attacks in full view of us today.  (Thanks to our readers for your suggestions.) Maria’s counter attack includes hanging beads, metallic spirals, CDs and putting an owl sculpture in place to watch over the garden.  The Sunflower bed looks a little like Mardi Gras, but Maria assures me the beads were purchased, not earned. If that needs explanation, please visit New Orleans.

Roses were fed and they, along with the fruit trees and beds were deep watered as we expect a week of 100+ degree weather ahead. This is when we are grateful for clay soil. Still, we will be paying extra visits to the garden this week.

Toward the end of the day, Maria planted some Elfin Thyme between the stone patio slabs. This will be beautiful when it fills in.

The hard work pays off in more frequent visits from dogs and dog walkers.  Today we welcomed Maggie,

Bones,

Brothers Bubba and (another) Bones,

Ashton,

And Cisco.

All is right in the Memorial Garden again.

Bunnies Be Gone

We are being overrun with rabbits.

Baby bunnies were everywhere I looked tonight at the Homeward Bound Memorial Garden.

Three of the running across the empty dog pens. Two of them fearlessly hanging out in the open garden.

One of them built a luxury condo in my Hummingbird Garden Bed.

And earlier this week, they feasted on Maria’s Herb Garden decimating one entire end.

Maybe a couple of the Homeward Bound rescued Golden Retrievers would like to camp out with me in the garden one evening for a little bunny surprise!!

Too many bunnies.

Perfectly Imperfect

There has been a lot of discussion recently about sun dial which was donated to the Homeward Bound Memorial Garden.

We set the dial in position – but it did not move correctly with the hours of the day. We read up on it a little and set it again. Still no luck. We assumed it was made incorrectly. Not true. We read some more and learned that it can tell time precisely – in its own way.

It definitely requires some extra effort and calculation to understand and make it useful in the way it was intended. It has to be aligned with the axis of the Earth’s rotation and point toward true Celestial north (different from the magnetic north pole.) Of course, the Earth’s orbit about the Sun is not perfectly circular, so the reading is not precise to standard clock time. Adjustments are also needed four days each year, and again for daylight savings time if you want it to deliver a perfect reading.

Perfection, however, is a relative thing.

I’m not particularly concerned about the exact time of day when I am in the garden. The position of the sun and the slowness of my pace tell me when it is time to take a break or retreat. So if the sun dial time is imperfect, it makes no difference to me.

I like this quote:

“Even imperfection itself may have its ideal or perfect state.”
-Thomas de Quincey

Like this bent, but still beautiful and blooming sunflower resting on our garden ground.

It’s the same with the dogs of Homeward Bound Golden Retriever Rescue and Sanctuary. Like Zander, the three-legged wonder recently adopted.

Three legs or four make no difference to his ball-chasing abilities, or his gigantic heart. One lucky family figured out that this was his perfect state. There are more waiting. Rescue. The compassionate (and perfect!) choice.

Thanks for Sharing

I don’t know which someone(s) linked our blog to their Facebook page, but we wanted to say…

It was our biggest single day for traffic. It’s great to share the chronicle of our Memorial Garden with others; it’s even better when it helps to spread the word about the good work done at Homeward Bound Golden Retriever Rescue and Sanctuary.  From what I hear, they have their hands full with the arrival of nearly 20 new dogs this week.

I took the opportunity to bridge the weekend with the 4th of July holiday for five days off of work. Two of them spent in the Gardens working with Maria. I don’t know how many loads of dirt I moved to level out ruts in the paths, but my feet might be able to tell you:

On Monday, we met a whole new group of dog walkers and dogs, including Goldie,

Annie,

and Isis.

Funny. The dog walkers are just as camera-shy on the weekdays as they are on the weekend. Maria too. Can you spot her here?

Everything else was happily showing off. Bunnies…

birds nests…

and this beauty from the rose garden, which unfolds from deep yellow with a hint of orange, to bright yellow, and then a pale cream.

These country garden beds look so bright and full right now, especially since the Crape Myrtles came into bloom. With luck (and many more loads of dirt and mulch) we’ll have the paths and grassy areas looking equally as good this fall.

On behalf of the many dogs waiting to be adopted at Homeward Bound – thanks for visiting and sharing our blog with others!

Gardens and Goldens: A Weekend Update

Light clouds and cool temps this morning. A good day for moving dirt.

I spent about six hours with Maria, my partner in crime, at the Homeward Bound Memorial Garden today, moving dirt to level the ruts left by the sprinkler project last spring.

Fall will be here before we know it, and we have a lot of prep work to do in order to create the grassy area and paths that will link our garden beds and banish the weedy fill. Always practical, Maria insisted on using the modified golf cart, outfitted with a large hauling bin on the back.  Unfortunately, I think we made more ruts using it as the ground was very wet today. Then, or course, the battery died. The good news is that I cannot be blamed for the cart’s misfortune! (Regular readers will remember that I have a bit of a reputation for breaking things.)

A good old-fashioned wheel barrel and shovel got the section done. The project continues!

Maria, somehow, managed to find more room in her Sunflower and Herb beds for more plants. The bird bath was replaced with a family of ceramic Quail, much to the surprise and unhappiness of the Robin who visits her garden.


Speaking of Sunflowers, they look as stunning from the back as they do from the front. A constant source of amazement in the gardens.

Roses were pruned; trees deep-watered; and flowers dead-headed.  But the best part of the day were the dogs and their human visitors.

Pat came by with Sunny. He was three when her family adopted him two years ago on Halloween. She was on the hunt for a young dog, but we know how that goes. While volunteering, she was asked to play with Sunny.  A ball was dropped and thrown, and the rest – as they say – is Homeward Bound history.  Masquerading as a younger pup, Sunny adopted Pat.

Pat has taken Sunny through all of the dog training classes offered at Homeward Bound.  A well-trained dog makes for a happy dog and family, and greatly improves the chances of a successful, long-term adoption. Together, Pat and Sunny also volunteer to provide therapeutic visits to patients at Kaiser. She says he comes home thoroughly exhausted and happy after spreading his joy to others.

Training has paid big dividends for two other visitors today. Owen is about two and was very well-mannered when he told us how anxious he was to find a home.

Black Jack was dropped off in the middle of the night. He is more “mature”, but has apparently discovered a love for little boys. You can read about them here and visit their galleries for more pictures.

Finally, Chris stopped by with her own Tigger and Missy.

Chris and Rob are Mentors who started a Homeward Bound Dog Walkers Club to help volunteers understand how to walk and work with the dogs. These dedicated volunteers ensure that the dogs get exercised and socialized by spending time with people and around other dogs. Their efforts help to give these pups a greater chance of adoption.

Speaking of which, I see from the Homeward Bound website that Zander was adopted!

I watched from a distance, holding my breath as a family played with him not too long ago. Looks like it was a match, which makes my day complete. Gardens. Goldens. And a home for three-legged Zander. What could be better? Oh yes…puppies!

A Summer Evening in the Garden

There is nothing I would rather do after work on a warm summer evening than avoid exercise and putter around in the Homeward Bound Memorial Garden.

The sun baths everything in this warm glow which coats the imperfections so you can relax instead of focusing on the weeding and projects you know will have to be done.

Out in this country garden, a light breeze picks up late each day off the cool Sacramento Valley rice fields.  Quiet as it is, the bees and birds are still hard at work getting their last meal of the day, while the shadows get long and the plants tuck in for the evening.

The gardens are full of surprises at this hour. You just never know what you will find.