Photography – Page 18 – Gardens For Goldens

Still Planting. Still Rescuing.

I thought our gardening plans were ruined, it was so dark and dreary (and early) when I got up. Even the pups had to be dragged out of bed today. But then, the crown of the tree across the street turned golden – and the day in the garden was saved. A little cold. But saved.

Next week, Homeward Bound Golden Retriever Rescue and Sanctuary is recognizing its volunteers in a special annual event. Our Maria insists that the Memorial Garden must look its best. So, while my garden and photographer blogger friends showcase the fading season, we’re still busy planting. The benefits of California gardening.

I finally attacked the merging of the Hummingbird and Grandma’s Garden beds. Maybe it’s Grandma’s Hummingbird garden now. The rosemary, lavender and sage were spread throughout;

While this amazing Blue/Black Sage found its way to the Perennial Garden.

The petunias were pulled up as their season was over, and they were replaced with more seasonal Snapdragons, Iceland Poppies and Pansies.

Maria finished expanding the Herb Garden which now includes winter veggies; Ornamental Kale, Bok Choy, Broccoli, Red Chard and Artichoke. We’ll see if those are planted for our enjoyment – or the bunnies!

She filled the box behind it with Sages: Pineapple, Autumn, and Genetian (love that blue!)

Pat and Penny (she’s the one resting) dead-headed the roses…yes, still in bloom!

Meanwhile, Ina’s Asters are putting on a magnificent show –

appreciated by all.

Most appreciated, of course, are our visitors. This weekend’s hit parade includes more pairs (we’re seeing so many of them now) including Robbie and Nina,

and Ginger and Rusty.

There’s Dusty;

Goldie;

Sunny (recovering from a recent surgery);

Ollie;

and Pancho.

Bart;

Bogey (who is blind – and the sweetest boy ever!);

Little Scout (who is going to school to learn how to be a dog-loving dog);

and…Moe. As in Curley and Moe. As in – not even close to a Golden Retriever.

What can I tell you? We rescue.

Paths Fully Dressed

The day started early.

Very early.

The Homeward Bound Memorial Garden is beautiful and peaceful at sunrise…

and, when not even the Daylilies have opened, best served up with a hot cup of coffee.

A full day’s work was only a truckload away…

actually two truckloads.

30 yards of walk-on bark to put a final finish on our weed beaten paths and bring out the beauty of the garden’s beds.

“The unmulched garden looks to me like some naked thing which, for one reason or another, would be better off with a few clothes on.” ~ Ruth Stout, The Ruth Stout No-Work Garden Book

The hard work of wheelbarrowing and raking in place was done by the team of Wholesale Bark and Mulch. This family business features three generations pulling together to deliver their great work with pride. We are as touched by their generous added donation as we think they were by our dogs and mission.

While they toiled, we had no excuse but to do the same. Maria expanded her Herb Garden, while Ina took a pick axe to the blackberry roots, clearing the way for her expanded Cottage Garden.

The results of the day: fully dressed and manicured paths lined with rounded rock which highlight the beauty of the flowering beds.

This is the dressing we have been waiting for.

With benches moved in, the paths create a focal point of the “lawn” area and wonderful places from which to soak up the surrounding beauty.

This calls for a celebratory drink!

We’ll see you in the gardens. It’s lights out time for me!

A Good Day For Gardens and Goldens

Some days are too good to be true.
First, it feels like the night before Christmas at the Homeward Bound Memorial Garden. Today we met to finish prepping for the path installation which is scheduled to begin very early tomorrow morning. We’re so excited that the day is finally here!

The weeds have been beaten back and the ground leveled on our well-trodden garden paths. While they look manageable for the moment, they have been a constant battle of spring mud and summer weeds since we began this project.

By burying them in three inches of walk-on mulch, we will dramatically cut down on our weekly maintenance, while making the garden more dog, and dog-walker friendly.

Brutus and Sierra say that they whole-heartedly approve.

Can you guess which one is Brutus?

And which is sweet Sierra?

In the pen next door, I met Leslie and Tiffany, two Animal Behavior College (ABC) students who were doing their required “extern-ships.”

Tiffany was working with Scooby. She has always loved working with animals and would like to become a trainer herself.

She has completed most of the stages of the program, and was at Homeward Bound to put her new skills to the test.

Leslie has a special connection to Homeward Bound. Today, she was working with Buster – you’ve read about him here before.

But her first love was Rusty, adopted from Homeward Bound in 2009. Rusty helped her through some tough challenges; and she helped Rusty on his journey over the Rainbow Bridge. To honor him, she wants to gain experience as a trainer so she is equipped to foster, and provide the best possible preparation for, other dogs in search of their “fur-ever” homes.

As luck would have it, both of their pupils had very big days. Scooby caught the eye of a family with young boys; and we just received word that Buster was adopted late today as well. Buster’s adoption would not have been possible without the hard work and effort of the trainers, walkers, feeders and countless others who helped him to focus on people instead of a ball.

Here’s another one who is making great progress: Huck.

A couple of weeks ago, he wouldn’t even sit still for a picture – and now look.

Great gardens require preparation, care and continual feeding. Great pups need the same, and they receive these at Homeward Bound.

If there’s hope for Scooby and Buster, there’s hope for Huck. Not to mention these two near-identical beauties; Luni…

and Angel.

Another step forward for the garden – and the pups. It does not get much better than this.

Where We Have Ended Up

“I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I’ve ended up where I needed to be.” – Douglas Adams.

“Homeward Bound desperately needs help with their Memorial Gardens.” These were the words written in the November 2011 Homeward Bound Newsletter, recounting two years of fits and starts, and multiple set-backs in the establishment of the Homeward Bound Memorial Garden.

Volunteer groups had been mobilized, and projects started, but without a dedicated effort, nature quickly erased all that had been accomplished.

“By the time the gardens dried up enough to work in, we couldn’t see a single plant that was planted last year; everything was overgrown with 4‐foot tall star thistle and weeds that the rain brought out. Trying to mow the weeds in the pathways was almost futile because they had grown so tall.”

By November, 2011, the plea went out:

“The volunteers have slowly faded away again. We need to find a way to maintain the gardens on a regular basis and make it worthwhile for volunteers to come back. So, we have decided to have volunteers sponsor one or more of the garden beds themselves.”

The article stated that volunteers would only need to come once a month “on whatever schedule works for you.” Grateful to Homeward Bound for our own adopted Bella and Jackson, I had always been interested in volunteering but had difficulty juggling other commitments while contributing on a schedule that accommodated the organization’s needs. A lover of gardening, this seemed ideal.

Now, I look back and smile.

What was supposed to be a “once a month” visit has turned into at least weekly trips – and occasionally, as many as three. It’s not whatever schedule works for us – but the schedule that the gardens demanded to maintain forward momentum.

It is most definitely not where I intended to go. But it is very much where I needed to be.

“More in a garden grows than what the gardener sows.” – Spanish Proverb. I think I’ve used this quote before, but it is so appropriate here.

New gardening skills; friendships; community. These have all grown in a season of working in the Memorial Garden, along with pride in all that we have accomplished, together. And of course, all my new blogging buddies!

I look forward every week to our workdays and the opportunity to visit with pups as well as volunteers. I enjoy sharing our progress with all of you; benefiting from your advice and encouragement.

“This is a wonderful opportunity for you to make a huge difference to the Homeward Bound Memorial Gardens and what it means to all of our Golden friends.”

Absolutely, positively, true.

What’s In A Name?

“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet.” – Shakespeare

Hundreds of dogs come through Homeward Bound each year. Some arrive with names; some are given to them. And sometimes – it seems – they just get it wrong!

Flowers names are pretty true to form. Sunflower…

Black-Eyed Susan…

Coneflower.

Simple enough. This beautiful boy arrived as ‘Hank’. Does he look like a Hank to you?

Since there were other Hanks in residence, he was named Hank Spoon. It is a ridiculous name.

Rationale #1: “He has a tongue like a spoon.”

He does not.
Rationale #2: “ He’s like that character in Lonesome Dove.”

That would be Jake Spoon – a lazy gambler and drinker. Hank’s not lazy, but he may drink, and if he did gamble, he’d be taking points – betting the underdog. He may also be a bit of a wise guy. Which may be why he is now “Hank, The Spoon.”

On the other hand, the name Hank means ‘ruler of the home’ in German and Dutch. And that may be closer to the truth. Maybe the name ‘Hank’ really was astute…

but I prefer ‘Misunderstood’.

Vignettes from the Garden

“Always remember the beauty of the garden,

for there is peace.” – Author Unknown

Amazing vignettes full of bold, fall color and sweet notes…from the garden to you.

Where Friends Gather

“Gardens are not made by sitting in the shade.”- Rudyard Kipling

Maria lost no time today prepping the garden paths for our installation project, only a week away now. She removed buried rock, the few remaining weeds and leveled some hardened clay bumps and lumps.

Meanwhile, I set about expanding the Hummingbird Garden, giving the plants a little more breathing room, as the Russian Sage continues its skyward march.

Nothing gives us greater joy than seeing that the Homeward Bound Memorial Garden has become such a gathering place for friends – of all kinds. Today, in addition to walkers and trainers, we played host to frogs,

butterflies –

and our newest volunteer gardener; Pat’s newly adopted Penny.

If you’re a regular reader, you may remember her as Blossom. She’s a beauty – and great company in the garden.

The Hummingbirds returned,

this time displaying an amazing courtship ritual of aerial acrobatics. While the female sat on the wire playing hard-to-get;

the male rocketed high into the sky,

and then dive-bombed back to earth and to her…over and over and over again.

Some honored guests shared photos with us of the garden when it was nothing but a field of mud and weeds. We have come a long, long way.

The best friend visits of all, of course, are the dogs. Today’s line-up included Sanctuary pups Bebe and Veronica,

Hank Spoon…now Hank, The Spoon (more on that in another post),

Eastman,

Goldie,

Denver,

Susie and Hope,

Brittany,

and two extra-special friends. This little girl was found by one of our trainers on the side of a country road.

There’s not a stitch of Golden in her – except her obvious affection for people –

so we’ll have to craft a rescue plan for her. We call her Sanka – for her coffee-colored spots.

But the most heart-warming moment of the day belonged to Snuffy.

You saw him here a few weeks ago; shaved and obviously in need of adding a few pounds.

We watched him, hopefully, visiting the garden with a family considering fostering –

then saw them leaving together a short time later. That people can see beyond Snuffy’s missing coat and temporary rat-tail to see the adoring dog within, makes all efforts worthwhile.

Make a volunteer gardener’s day: adopt, foster, rescue. Who knows? We might even plant something in your honor.

Signs of Fall

“For man, autumn is a time of harvest,

of gathering together.

For nature, it is a time of sowing,

of scattering abroad.” – Edwin Way Teale

Fall has finally arrived at the Homeward Bound Memorial Garden.

The Language of Love

Judy, from Homeward Bound, shares that we had some honored visitors in the garden, recently. I’m going to piece together the story for you, borrowing many of her own, well-written words. How wonderful that the Homeward Bound Memorial Garden could serve as a backdrop to this amazing reunion.

On Friday, September 28th, Johanna Quinn came to Homeward Bound to visit dogs she had rescued in Taiwan and sent to the Homeward Bound sanctuary. Johanna (far right) is an American living in Taiwan, and she works with shelters there, and rescue groups in the U.S., to save these dogs’ lives and find them better futures.

As every gardener knows, flowers have a language of their own. Blooms express sentiments that, sometimes, cannot be spoken.

These pups have a language of their own as well. “They come to us with names we don’t recognize like A‐Tong and Momo, GinDian and San Li,” Judy writes. “Their paperwork is green and in Chinese. When we talk to them they look confused and don’t seem to understand us. But when we scratch their ears and tummies, and when their tails wag and they melt into our hands, these differences don’t matter – because we are speaking the same language; the language of love.”

In the past few years Homeward Bound has taken in over 30 dogs from Taiwan, traveling thousands of miles in search of a better life. Thanks to dedicated volunteers of the Taichung Universal Animal Protection Agency (TUAPA) and Asians for Humans, Animals & Nature (AHAN), Golden Retrievers – and countless other breeds, from Taiwan are getting a chance to live the doggie version of the American Dream.

Their medical expenses while in Taiwan, and all of their travel expenses are paid by the Taiwan rescue groups. Homeward Bound’s responsibility is getting a driver to the airport to meet the flight, and then finding the Goldens the best possible home. Many volunteers have made the trek to SFO to meet the flights, and witness the amazing arrival of Goldens coming through customs, along with other breeds that have been rescued by TUAPA and AHAN.

Only one of the rescues Johanna sent to Homeward Bound is left, and that’s Tom (below) known as ‘A-Tong’ in Taiwan.

When Johanna saw him for the first time she spoke to him in Chinese. “His ears perked up and he jumped on her with pure joy at the recognition of not only his rescuer, as she had spent a great deal of time with him, but of his language,” says Judy. “He clearly understood Chinese better than he did English!”

Judy writes: “I took Johanna on a tour of the facility and we started – where I always start now – in the Memorial Garden. As we were walking the garden, Jeff and Nancy Rogers, and a dog that Johanna had rescued, came to visit.

Ping-Ping came to us in 2009 and it appeared that she had been hit by a car, or otherwise injured, so that a portion of her mouth was missing. Although she had some surgery in Taiwan, Homeward Bound did additional structural and cosmetic surgery on her after she got here.

I worked on the adoption. The family – along with their two twin daughters about 13 years old – were looking to adopt a younger dog. We had very few young females available, and a lot of people didn’t want their children to meet Ping-Ping because of her deformity.

But these girls didn’t care at all, and they made it very clear that they wanted to adopt a dog that needed them. Ping-Ping was their girl. I don’t remember all of my adoptions, but I remember this one because the girls were so unique for 13 year old’s. Looks didn’t matter; it was about who needed them.”

Many of the dogs have been adopted by Homeward Bound volunteers, as well as others. Because Homeward Bound does not turn away a Golden in need, no local dogs are displaced by the arrival of the Taiwan dogs; all are welcomed here.

“We are grateful that TUAPA, AHAN and Homeward Bound all speak the same language. It’s the language of rescue; the language of love,” says Judy.

For more information about AHAN and TUAPA, please visit their websites: AHAN at: www.ahan.org, and TUAPA at: http://shibasenji.wordpress.com/2010/12/01/tuapa-taiwan-animal-rescue/

Hummingbird Cloaking Device: Me

OK. I’m an idiot.
The elusive Hummingbird finally made an appearance at the Homeward Bound Memorial Garden this weekend, and I pretty much blew the photo opportunity.

Turns out he really does love the bed we planted for him, full of Russian Sage, Scarlet Bugler Penstemon and Blue Salvia. There are plenty of treasures in there for the butterflies as well.

I spotted him while taking a break under the shade of the pear trees. And that’s probably the problem…”under the shade”. The Hummingbird was drinking up the Russian Sage in full sun, and I was in full shade. Doh!

I set the camera to shutter-priority to catch his rapid movement, but did not adjust the ISO or Aperture to allow enough light. Amateur! Then I happily snapped a good 50 pictures in rapid-fire succession. Rule #1 ignored; check your shot. I ran to show Maria my prize – and saw only darkness in the viewfinder.

I could have set the camera to Auto. I could have walked out into the sunshine. But no.

Photoshop was created for pretend photographers like me.

In Photoshop I adjusted the levels and tone…and while the image is not what I intended, it is kind of ethereal and seems almost fitting given the bird’s iridescent feathers.

I swear this bird has magical cloaking powers, buzzing around – heard, but unseen all summer – and now this mishap.

He did make a quick return, allowing me to capture just a couple of quick shots…in the sun!

So there you have it. Lesson learned. At least I didn’t forget to put the memory card in.

End of September Update

The humans were a little sluggish this morning at Homeward Bound. I’m not sure if it was the late-into-the-evening fundraiser for the organization, or the weatherman’s promise of 100-degree temperatures…on September 30th. Enough already! While we pounded coffee, the dogs and creatures were up and at ’em. Bees…

butterflies…

frogs…

and even the Hummingbird made its appearance!

We created a garden bed just for this fellow, but he has eluded us all summer – until now. More in another blog about how I almost blew his photo, and the interesting Photoshop save and results.

The only thing not moving was this Crawdad that must have made its way from the draining rice fields. The yards have been full of them, but this one was strangely silent.

Not to be shown up, Maria, Pat and I got busy dead-heading and preparing for the paths that will be installed in two weeks. Here’s Pat hard at work!

With the weeds beaten back, we can’t wait to cover this uneven baked clay earth in three inches of walk-on mulch which will show off the beds beautifully.

Once the paths are in, the goal is to expand the beds. Ina will extend the Cottage Garden across the length of the front entrance,

we’ll create some needed space in the over-grown Hummingbird garden,

Sue and Jeff have planned beds of pansies under the trees (once the weather cools!), and Maria was so inspired by the removal of the blackberries, that she has already begun the task of doubling the size of the Herb Garden.

Across the way she dressed the St. Francis bed for fall.

Goldie gave it the once over, and her approval.

And with that, the parade was on! This is Hank Spoon.

A terrible name for a sweetheart of a boy. Maybe someone will adopt him and change it to something more befitting.

Brutus and Sierra came in search of refreshment. They are still looking for their ‘fur-ever’ home together.

Goldie, number two. A beauty with, what look like, Collie ears.

Scout and Huck are new arrivals. Scout is part Golden and part Corgi. One of our gardeners already has her eye on him. Occupational hazard? Or master plan? I’ll keep you posted.

Huck is a people-loving little thing, who will do well with someone dedicated to his training and who can match his obvious enthusiasm!

Bones helped himself to another apple from the tree. He can’t hear, but he can see and smell! (Remember not to let them eat the cores!)

Bo-Bo and Hershey are not available for adoption, so they can call the garden ‘home’.

And finally, Wedo. This sweet pup has led a ‘sheltered’ life and needs someone who will be devoted to helping him discover life beyond. In exchange, you will be the recipient of this adoring gaze!

There is a lot more to catch you up on, but it is late, and I promised to bake triple chocolate cranberry cookies for work tomorrow…so off I go! See you back here soon.

Inspiration from the WPA Rock Garden

I have taken so much inspiration from my fellow gardeners at the Homeward Bound Memorial Garden. With a season under our collective boots, there is a garden closer to home that I now appreciate even more.

It is the WPA Rock Garden at William Land Park in Sacramento.

This three-quarter acre gem is tucked inside the park,

between the quaint Fairytale Town, Sacramento Zoo, the outdoor theatre in the round,

and the duck pond.

It was originally built in 1940 as part of the New Deal’s Work Projects Administration – thus WPA – and has been our city’s hidden treasure for generations.

But it wasn’t always the oasis it has become.

A well-known local horticulturist, Daisy Mah, took over care of the garden in 1988 after it had been overgrown by ivy. This sounds like a familiar tale to our Homeward Bound volunteer gardeners.

Instead of the typical water-thirsty and shade-loving plants you find in neighboring gardens, she planted drought-tolerant plants from the Mediterranean climates.

The paths are laid with decomposed granite; the beds raised with low rock walls.

The naturalized mixture of grasses and perennials, flower and foliage, light and shadow remind me of Ina’s Cottage Garden…

with little surprises tucked into every corner.

Beginning with a budget that would not even buy you a night at the movies – ingenuity, propagation expertise and, as rumor has it, fertilizer originally contributed by the zoo animals, has created this meandering maze of delights.

Daisy Mah has announced her retirement from the City Parks and Recreation department this year.

What will happen with to the garden remains to be seen, with the economy already severely testing city resources.

A great community volunteer effort has risen to the task of maintaining the park, and some have worked for years with Daisy to maintain this wonder. Hopefully, the WPA Rock Garden will continue with this dedicated group.