Tag: Memorial Garden

Sharing Our Pride

Jody is the co-founder of Homeward Bound Golden Retriever Rescue and Sanctuary. For those of you who are not regular readers, Homeward Bound is a volunteer organization which rescues and heals displaced, abandoned, and homeless Golden Retrievers and Golden/Labrador mixes throughout Northern California, no matter their age or health.

It was unclear this weekend what she was more proud of; Sedona, a gorgeous Homeward Bound alumni now happily adopted who she brought to the gardens for a visit…

or the Memorial Garden that is becoming a long-awaited reality, including this gorgeous rose grown in her own garden bed.

As volunteer gardeners, we couldn’t be happier when two, or four-legged friends share a little of our joy in these gardens.

Sunday Dogs and Gardens

Another beautiful Sunday in the Homeward Bound Memorial Garden.  I arrived early as the morning was cool, offering the best time for planting. It has been that way most of the week since our merciful Delta Breeze blew in, and the plants were showing their gratitude.  Everything looked refreshed and happy after our heat wave a week earlier. Maria joined me, neither of us anticipating much to do today – yet somehow it never works out that way!

I put in some more Zinnias to add color where spring blooms have faded, and started some Asters which will bloom into the fall. In a particularly dry and troublesome spot, I added Coastal Rosemary (westringia fruiticosa for those of you who are more formal). The compact shrub is native to eastern Australia and tolerates many soil types and dry growing conditions. I like its variegated leaves alongside the Russian Sage. Its size may eventually be an issue – but there are plenty of other spots for it to shine in the gardens if it becomes too unruly.

Sue has been a little overwhelmed with her new adopted puppy (you forget how much work the young ones are!) so we pitched in to make sure Grandma’s Flower Bed was well kept. Things have really filled in – with the Iceland Poppies, blooming very late into the season, producing an unexpected and rich color palette alongside the Petunias.

Thanks to lots of mulch, the weeds were few. Maria cleaned out the solar fountain that serenades us each day beginning around 11AM, and I added some Cosmos to an open spot until Sue returns.

Ina’s recent visit was evident in the perfectly coiffed white white roses…

and in the Cottage Garden where she has masterfully matched silvers, greens and muted colors with shades of grey.

Maria continued staking the monster sunflowers which just keep growing. While my back was turned, she started another project – lowering the sundial to be flush with the ground so flat stones can surround it. Luckily, two of our other volunteers came by and made the mistake of asking how they could help. They were quickly put to work digging! Thanks Peggy and Steve.

Errant tree branches were pruned and dead rose blossoms removed; Jody’s garden was weeded and the African Iris she contributed found a home in the Willow Garden. The entryway was weed whacked into some semblance of order, and the orchard trees deep-watered as we do weekly now.

But the best part of the day were the many dog walkers who visited us with Bailey…

Sonic (read about this ball-loving, part Chesapeake Bay Retriever boy here):

And Donna (a terrible name for a dog, and not a Golden at all – but she found her way here thanks to the big heart of the woman who rescued her. Read about her here.)

Sundays at Homeward Bound. Dogs. Gardens. What could be better? Thanks for stopping by.

When You Are Ready

This was recently posted on Homeward Bound’s Facebook page from the Petco Foundation. Wonderful advice to those who have lost a beloved friend and think they will never have room in their hearts for another.

We don’t know what life brings. Some are long, and some too short. But each has its own beauty, and leaves its own lasting impression.

The Homeward Bound Memorial Garden is dedicated to the golden companions we have loved. In it grow these spectacular Daylilies. Each blooms for only one day – but what a spectacular day it is.

Daylilies obviously can’t be compared to the dogs we love, but you get where this is going. Would we decide not to plant them knowing they had only one day to share with us? Or not enjoy the blooms that followed? Never.

When you are ready, there is always room to love and enjoy another.

The Best Part of the Garden

It was a very hot, sunny day in the Homeward Bound Memorial Garden today with temperatures over the century mark. Not ideal gardening conditions – but nothing that a margarita and a nap won’t cure.

With all of the beds finally planted and the major projects done until cooler temperatures in the fall, it is nice to be in maintenance mode at last!  Maria and I used a weed whackers to clean up the edges and the section in between the orchard trees. A garden that is tidy on its paths and edges hides many imperfections and just looks happier.

We adjusted some drip lines, added some mulch and addressed some issues with a few of the roses. Given the heat, we ensured that everything was well watered. The sprinklers and drip lines have been doing a good job. Still, the cooler weather next week will be welcome after today’s furnace.

The best part of the day are the dog visits. We see more of the older, sanctuary dogs in the garden, as they like to come sit in the shade while the younger dogs prefer romps in the adjacent yards and splashing in the kiddie pools.  We’re very happy to welcome these regal dogs who will live out their lives here at Homeward Bound due to advanced age and/or significant health issues. Dedicated walkers like Tatia are drawn to them. Here she is in the shade of the Willow Garden with Baron and Maria.

The only thing better are the sounds of families who have come to bond with a dog matched just to them. Word spreads quickly through the pens and gardens, and we are all delighted to hear when another Golden Retriever leaves to go to its forever home.

Sunset in the Garden

With the temperature over 100 for the past two days, I made an after-work trip out to check on the Homeward Bound Memorial Garden. I wanted to lay eyes on the new plants in the Willow Garden and make certain that the Herb Garden with its still young plants were surviving the heat.

I passed a bunny as I was walking in (too quick for the camera), our snake (we have to name that guy!) and something was most definitely lurking in the Iris Bed. I have no idea what. It wasn’t coming out, and I was not going in! I guess they were telling me that this was their time in the garden – and what a beautiful time it is.

I thought mornings were spectacular in this country setting, but they are nothing compared to the magic of sunset streaming through the sunflowers.

The beds looked good for the most part, but the trip was worthwhile. Everything in the Willow Garden got some extra water, and a few thirsty friends got an assist. Things will be a bit more mild over the next few days, thank goodness.

I found another gem in Maria’s bed. A painted tile that magically appeared. Very fitting.

Maria and Her Men of Stone

“Done.” This is the email I received from Maria – a woman of few words after spending an entire day with three burly guys (Kent, Kevin and Anthony) laying the new stone patio under Pear trees at the Homeward Bound Memorial Garden.

Here they are, before their pile of pain:

They make it look easy, don’t they?

Piecing together the puzzle.

The result: another shady spot in the garden for dog walkers and their rescued Golden Retriever wards to take a break and soak up the garden dedicated in their honor.

In one (warm) day, this crew managed to dig out approximately 120 sq. feet of heavy clay earth, move and place a pallet of beautiful flat quartzite stone, level, and then fill with fresh workable soil. Tired trio!

Eventually we plan something like creeping thyme between the stones. But that’s another project and another day. Today belongs to our garden heroes. Great job all! (Funny how Maria never makes it into the picture!)

P.S. Rumor has it we have a new sundial donated to the gardens. Probably a good thing. We lose track of time out there! Look for an update later in the weekend.

One of the Homeward Bound volunteers gifted the Memorial Garden with prayer flags. They are inspired by Tibetan prayer flags, used to promote peace, compassion, strength, and wisdom. The belief is that their prayers and mantras are blown by the wind to spread goodwill and compassion.

This thoughtful woman provides the colorful flags, inscribed with messages of remembrance, to people who have recently lost their dogs. It is a touching tribute to the four-legged friends who have graced our lives.

The cloth frays and the printed images fade as they are released over time to the wind and presumably, the heavens. As life moves on and is replaced by new life, hopes are renewed by continually placing new flags alongside the old, welcoming life’s changes and recognizing a greater, ongoing cycle.

When you lose a dog, you never think you will be able to fill the huge hole left in your heart. Yet when you are ready, you will find that each leaves space for another. Like the flags, the heartache fades with time – and new relationships are born.

These flags are fitting in the Homeward Bound Memorial Garden – dedicated to the dogs we have loved, and the opened hearts they inspire.

A Sanctuary for Goldens

Jody and AlyssaJody was one of our visitors in the garden this weekend.  She and her husband, Mike, are the co-founders of Homeward Bound Golden Retriever Rescue and Sanctuary near Sacramento, CA.  Visiting with her was Alyssa, a 12-year-old cancer survivor – thanks to the care of Homeward Bound. Given her age and recurring health issues, Alyssa is not a good adoption candidate.  At Homeward Bound, however, she has a forever place in the Sanctuary.

Homeward Bound Golden Retriever Rescue & Sanctuary is a volunteer organization which rescues and heals displaced, abandoned, and homeless Golden Retrievers and Golden/Labrador mixes throughout Northern California, no matter their age or health. The organization not only secures safe, loving, homes through a comprehensive adoption program, but also provides sanctuary for Goldens who cannot be adopted.

The Sanctuary was inspired by Jody and Mike’s second Golden Retriever, Chelsea. Hit by a car, the vet told Mike and Jody that she wouldn’t make it due to the severity of her injuries. But, Mike told Chelsea that if she did make it, they would devote their lives to caring for other Goldens.  She pulled through, and they have devoted their lives to rescue ever since. You can read about Chelsea’s story in  “Chelsea’s Tales, Memories of a Rescued Golden Retriever.”

The Sanctuary is a place where dogs can be dogs; running, playing and swimming in big, enclosed, backyard-like pens, and smothered in attention and love.

We volunteer our efforts to their Memorial Garden – a place to reflect on the Goldens we have known, and to hopefully raise funds to support the efforts of this amazing organization.