“The flowers of late winter and early spring occupy places in our hearts well out of proportion to their size.” ~ Gertrude S. Wister
The signs of spring are everywhere in the Memorial Garden. For those of you still suffering winter, a few vignettes are shared here with a hope that your spring is on the way.
Yes, no spring is complete without puppies. And last, but not least, a beautiful specimen of the treasured “sugar corculum”.
Building trust with the new arrivals at Homeward Bound…
one touch…
one kindness at a time.
“Properly trained, a man can be dog’s best friend.” ~ Corey Ford
“If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went.” ~ Will Rogers
The most important installation in the progress of the Homeward Bound Memorial Garden was finally completed this week. It shamed me a little that this one took so long, but it’s timing is perhaps fitting – as this year, the garden will burst forth in spring celebrating all the hard work of our first season’s plantings.
Our Memorial Path is where families remember their beloved pups with a commemorative brick. The bricks are laid in a sand base, so we can easily replace blank ones with new dedications,
until someday, every brick relays a special message to our pups over the rainbow bridge.
Thanks to Joe Porto and his crew of Top Line Masonry for their beautiful work.
It brings both tears and joy to walk, read, and remember. This one in particular – as it is dedicated to Chelsea, the Golden Retriever who inspired all that Homeward Bound has become.
A lasting tribute, soon surrounded by all the blessings of spring.
It was the perfect time after all.
Q: “What are you planting today?”
A: “Stone.”
Big weekend of work in the Memorial Garden; I am just recovering.
Jody and I began the stone walkway project on Saturday. I finished on Sunday, while she oversaw the completed clearing of the adjacent pen. Moving a half ton of stone certainly makes you sleep well at night. But the results are worth the effort, I think.
“It is better to wear out than to rust out.”
– Bishop Richard Cumberland
The curve creates obvious pockets for drifts of plants that echo the natives in Ina’s garden, coupled with some perennials to bridge the front and back of the garden. Next stop: nursery!
The garden is about to burst into spring. We’ve discovered that our flowering season is longer here; but winter leaves a little later. Things that have sprung in my home garden, are still hinting at spring in the Memorial Garden. The breeze that cools over the rice fields is welcome relief in summer, but keeps a chill on a while longer in spring.
We were joined once again today by a group of students from the University of San Francisco. They are studying Fundamentals of Organizational Management with a focus on nonprofits, and selected Homeward Bound to get some hands-on experience and information. They were attracted to us as an all-volunteer organization; and for our mission of rescue and sanctuary.
They had an opportunity to spend time with our President, and some of our newest recruits. Meet Lily…
Daisy…
And Lucy.
After spending time with the dogs, trainers and team leaders, Jody let them experience the manual labor side of rescue – clearing the adjacent pen. Not bad for city kids! It looks immaculate.
We return them to the metropolis a little tired, dirty, and wiser about the work of a nonprofit.
“Work is love made visible.”
– Khalil Gibran
Love is in the air – at home and in the Homeward Bound Memorial Garden. At home, Mourning Doves on a wire signal their return to the nest they use season after season.
In the Memorial Garden, the Killdeer have returned to the same spot we marked for them last year. Can you spot the egg?
These monogamous birds pair year after year; they share parenting duties, forming strong bonds. We often receive such bonded pairs of dogs at Homeward Bound; we go to extraordinary lengths to place them together. Sometimes, it simply becomes impossible – as was the case with our Brutus and his beloved Sierra.
She was sweetness and grace; all adopters were drawn to her. Her Brutus was of a different class. He was her big, rough and ready guardian; a lovable clod who, through no fault of his own, was never taught the simple basics of civilized behavior.
At some point, we were simply holding her back. Once the decision was made to allow them to separate, she quickly found a forever home. Heartbreaking as it was to break them up, it may turn out to be a blessing in disguise for our friend, Brutus.
With the opportunity to devote one-on-one time to him, he has made amazing progress. Simple things that we take for granted, are giant steps forward for Brutus – like returning a ball instead of eating it…
“look at me” –
and “leave it.”
But these are the things that will help people to see the magic in our boy who just needs a little attention and love.
Breaking up is hard to do. For Brutus, we hope it pays off soon in his very own forever home. One thing we are sure of: he has proven himself both loyal and true.
In honor of Presidents Day, we threw a bit of a Homeward Bound garden party (while Penny slept!) extending our reach beyond the Memorial Garden boundary in support of the Sanctuary’s struggling trees. Seven of us gathered to free the ‘Scarlet Sprite’ (Grevillea rosmarinifolia) and Crepe Myrtles of their Morning Glory tormenters…
and clear the trees in the dog pens of their choking weeds. Before…
and after.
Capping off the day – the long-awaited Highbush Blueberries were finally installed. Regular readers will remember our battle to remove invasive blackberries from the site. Before…
and after.
Triumph was not ours alone today. I watched with delight as one of our trainers, Chris, played and worked with Lucy – one of the breeder pups who came to us just a few short weeks ago. Before…
and after.
“The harder the conflict, the greater the triumph.”
― George Washington
Our work outside the garden is not quite done; the day was called due to a change in weather and the fact that we ran out of room in the refuse pile. Nor is Lucy’s transformation complete, but great progress was made on all fronts. Special thanks to gardeners Randy, Vonnie, Peggy, Pat, Ina and Maria today. It makes the exhaustion so worthwhile.
Some things are worth waiting for. Like a Robin anticipating spring…
bulbs pushing through the earth, signaling an end to winter…
0r dreams of forever homes finally come true. Our beloved Bogey was Homeward Bound’s blind, golden guest; regular readers have met him here before.
He may not see, but he has never let his blindness slow him down a bit. He goes careening through life with joyful abandon. Exuberant, playful, strong, and thoroughly adorable, Bogey has charmed all the volunteers who work with him.
We were pleased to provide a safe place for him to live and be loved. Resigned to his status, we made him an Angel Fund dog, and wrote on his description – “Insight is better than eyesight when it comes to seeing an angel.” ~ Eileen Elias Freeman. We said that Bogey had a special feeling his guardian angel was reading his description “right now.” Bogey was right.
On February 14th – Valentine’s Day – after three years in Sanctuary, Bogey was adopted. His adopter angels: two retired eye doctors.
We cannot begin to express our delight. A collective cheer could be heard across our ranks to read that Bogey spent his first night on the couch and his first day walking the canyons with his new forever family. Some things are definitely worth waiting for.
Happy life, Bogey friend (with special thanks and credit to our photographer friend, Rob Kessel). We will miss you!
Saturday was spent continuing to clear the shrubs and trees along the drive of the pesky Morning Glories. Progress is slow, and my aches and pains are a reminder that I am not as young as I once was.
An impromptu trip to the nursery was fortuitous. The Highbush Blueberries were in stock, and going fast. I picked up 12; six for each raised bed where the blackberries were unceremoniously removed from their resting place in the Memorial Garden. There are four different varieties which will keep us in blueberries from early to late season – assuming success.
This is not a simple plop in the ground operation. The Highbush Blueberries can be grown in our area, but they still require extra care. They demand somewhat acidic soil and good drainage. Our raised bed will help with drainage; mounds running the length of the bed will assist. We’ll amend the soil to make it more acidic, incorporating compost and sand as well. I read that coffee grounds placed at the bottom of each planting hole can also help with the ph level. Guess it can’t hurt.
Finally, we are advised to mulch with a layer of pine straw – a luxury around here that has to be shipped in. These simple looking shoots should come with a difficulty label rating, like those projects you have to assemble. But we’re accustomed to handling things with extra care around here.
These sweet pups are breeder dog rescues. The come to us having spent their whole lives in the production of puppies. Unaccustomed to human interaction, building trust is a painfully slow process.
Chris and Steve dedicated a good portion of their morning to coaxing them out to sit in the sun, while learning that a human touch could be kind and comforting.
Kylo and Rose have both had recent surgeries to address long neglected issues.
“This is what you should do;
love the Earth
and sun and the animals…”
~ Walt Whitman
We will love them all at Homeward Bound.
These are the Scouts of the Pioneer District, Miwok Chapter – members of Scouting’s National Honor Society: The Order of the Arrow. And luckily for us – they are experts at removing blackberry roots!
When Homeward Bound needs extra hands, talented builders and strong backs, these are the guys we turn to. Last summer, they built beautiful shade enclosures with seating by the pond for us, so our dog walkers would have a quiet place to work with the dogs. Today was all about digging. Within a few short hours, this crew obliterated the last of the blackberry roots from our raised beds, leaving them spotless and ready for planting Highbush Blueberries.
Meanwhile, the more senior members installed a new length of split rail fencing which now fronts the center of the garden, and creates a beautiful frame for Ina’s California Native Garden.
The Arrowmen of the Order of the Arrow are known for maintaining camping traditions and spirit, and for providing cheerful service to others. Truly. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that their efforts were powered by hot chocolate and donuts this morning! The Scouts perform service projects throughout their Miwok Chapter region. We’re so thankful it includes us.
Their generous service saves valuable resources for our organization that can be redirected to the rescue of hundreds of dogs each year. You’ve heard of Pitbulls and Parolees? Well, we have Scouts and Goldens. We think they make a wonderful combination.
If you look very closely, you can see the first signs of winter’s departure in the Homeward Bound Memorial Garden, not far behind the recent weeks’ frost.
Of course, the most beautiful colors in Northern California gardens this time of year come from the oranges and lemons that overflow our trees.
Maria and I finished the shrub roses today – and not a minute too soon, as they are already budding. We left these a little taller than the tea roses so they would continue to climb and cover the fences.
We welcomed and trained a couple of new dog walkers today. They are lured in with puppies before introducing them to the big dogs.
I had the pleasure of meeting Elia and her boy, Cooper. Elia adopted Cooper, and his son, Bear around Memorial Day in 2011. She continues to bring them to Homeward Bound for regular training and socialization.
The same tactic has apparently worked miracles on her two teen boys, who both cook and clean! Who knew?
Some of our best friends visited with us in the garden – Nicholas aka Obi who went from his walk to a bath –
and Gina with her twin best bud, Hank.
Thankfully, we have had a good number of adoptions recently – because the call “incoming!” best describes the latter part of the week. Meet Quinn,
Socrates,
and Kyo.
This is Gus.
While we can all see a little too much of Gus right now, that won’t be the case for long. He was adopted today by folks committed to his future weight reduction and exercise routine.
There’s a lot to love here, but we can’t wait to see the before and after.
And this is Christy.
We share a little in common. She is here is because she lost her human dad not long ago. On top of that, she had a needed surgery and dons this cute t-shirt to prevent her from popping her stitches…again.
She spent a good amount of time with us on a blanket in the garden monitoring the rose pruning while basking in the warm, January sun.
Good fortune shines upon her. A family came through that was instantly taken with her. Keep your fingers crossed; it looks like she might have found her forever home.
There are more on their way. It’s like that in rescue – and in gardens.
“The gardening season officially begins on January 1st and ends on December 31st.” – Marie Huston
Gardens For Goldens 