Tag: Photography
Happy 4th of July!
Wordless Wednesday: When She Smiles
Wordless Wednesday: Lucy Loves Lilly
What Flowers Speak
Words are one of the ways I express myself. Writer’s block is a familiar foe, but I can usually push through it. Wine helps. But one thing leaves me speechless: the loss of a friend’s beloved fur companion. Words fail me; I’m helpless to console.
All I can say is “I’m sorry. So very sorry.”
And since I can’t find words, I will bring you flowers.
Because flowers always find the light;
they remind us that life unfolds in chapters;
and they are proof that there is beauty even in passing, and in sorrow, too.
These are for you. All of you.
I am so very sorry for your loss.
“Every flower is a soul blossoming in nature.” ~ Gerard de Nerval
Wordless Wednesday: Faith
Wordless Wednesday: Send in the Clowns
Bing’s Cinderella Hour
As the summer heat sets in, I prefer to work the garden in the early evening whenever possible.
The Delta Breeze blows lightly to cool the valley, and the setting sun saturates color and creates little jewels through the lens.
“The pale stars were sliding into their places. The whispering of the leaves was almost hushed. All about them it was still and shadowy and sweet. It was that wonderful moment when, for lack of a visible horizon, the not yet darkened world seems infinitely greater—a moment when anything can happen, anything be believed in.” ~ Olivia Howard Dunbar, The Shell of Sense
Unlike the morning which is always chaotic – the gardeners and the dogs racing against the sun and the heat of the day – the evening is productive but blessedly peaceful.
The bunnies, lazy lizards, and settling in birds keep me company as the dogs fall into an exhausted hush.
Twilight is a magical time giving rise to winged beauties and fairy tales – when “anything can be believed in.” Like Bing’s “going home.”
Bing came to us all the way from Taiwan. He’s been home before – unsuccessfully. It was all too much for him then: too much temptation, too many ways to get into trouble! He hollered at other dogs, hunted cats, and little critters best beware.
But people? He has always loved people.
He went home; he came back. He went home; he came back. But something interesting happened as Bing waited in our care: he changed. Not completely. But maybe, just enough. So much so that, last week, he even accompanied one of our volunteers to the annual reunion picnic.
He behaved like a model citizen in a venue filled with dogs and chaos, winning everyone’s attention and praise.
Bing must have felt like a prince at the ball. Transported in style; meeting friends old and new. When the clock struck midnight, he probably assumed his Cinderella moment was over. But by proving himself in a most unexpected way – he earned his “going home” papers, instead. Lorey, one of our devoted volunteers, made him her own.
Photo courtesy Rob Kessel
Anything can happen. Anything can be believed in. That’s the magic of the garden at sunset – and this place we call Homeward Bound.
Roots and Wings
Roots are more than an anchor to keep a plant in place. They provide a lifeline – pulling in all that the plant needs to grow from the soil –
sending it up through the leaves so the plant can reach for the sky.
A plant’s seeds are its wings – transporting it to new places.
Good soil provides the underpinning that nurtures the growth and flight.
At Homeward Bound, we give our dogs roots and wings, as well. For dogs that need extra help, we try to lay a strong foundation of trust, training, and understanding to make the best match possible.
For some, this takes no time at all (Gracie girl!).
Those with greater needs might be with us for weeks, months – and in rare cases – years (Red, feral dog).
This groundwork gives them wings, enabling them to fly away – a sometimes bittersweet joy.
But the roots we provide are permanent – an invisible lifeline. In a perfect world, a “forever home” means just that. But the world is not perfect, and unforeseen things happen. If for any reason, and at any point in the dog’s life, it can no longer stay in its home – the dog returns to us.
Winter came back not long after she went home: she decided she liked her new sibling, but not sharing. While all the dogs are tested and spend time with their potential dog mates, sometimes casual play in a neutral space is one thing but sharing a home is another. This weekend, she was matched, instead, to a human who needs but one canine love.
Finnean was home much longer. He’s a special needs boy who arrived emaciated and with a sparse coat.
He found love and success in quiet, calm, and watchful care.
When his dad became ill and could no longer look after him, Finnean came back to us, looking like a different dog. It is in cases like this when that lifetime commitment provides much-needed comfort to both the dog and the adopter. And thanks to the foundation laid by his dad, we know exactly what Finnean needs to fly home again.
Roots and wings. How we find our way to “home.”
Double Dog Dare You
Some said we could never tame this once-wild acre of thistle and weeds into a garden.
Apparently, we like a challenge.
Some things are their own reward.
But when the gauntlet is thrown down, and the impossible is achieved – victory is that much more gratifying.
So it was this week with some of our “Going Homes.” Jet (now Jasper) had a file as thick as an encyclopedia. He had been bounced around like a ping-pong ball for his one failing: he leaked. And not pee!
They said it was impossible, but our Doc proved otherwise. He’ll be on a strict diet for the rest of his life, but treats are easy to forgo when you exchange them for love and a forever home. Saturday, his foster mom joined our “Failed Foster Club” and made it official.
Myra celebrated Mother’s Day by adopting her own human “mom” (and dad!).
She is one of our dogs rescued from the South Korea dog meat market (I wrote about it here). What a journey they have had. Rescued by the Humane Society International, and brought to us by their partner in the effort, the San Francisco SPCA, she was part of a group of four with emotional and behavioral needs so extreme that they needed lots of TLC to be adoptable. This was Myra shortly after her arrival.
So fearful were they, that they were transported directly from crate to kennel when they first arrived. Sunday, Myra – now Kono – departed with her new humans,
just as Tag (now Max) did a couple weeks ago.
And – if you can keep a secret for a day – Roger, too. He went home as foster-to-adopt…adopt being the operative word!
That leaves only Lena, who still needs a little more support.
But she has found a confidence-building playmate in Cooper who is helping her come out of her shell.
And this week, we received two new puppies (my little man, Beau, packed his bags and headed for home). Both have Megaesophagus – or expansion of the esophagus. In their case, likely hereditary.
Dogs with Megaesophagus will suddenly start regurgitating undigested food soon after eating. As they lose weight, they are at risk. So I will hope that, once again, we can do the impossible.
“The difference between the difficult and the impossible is that the impossible takes a little longer time.” ~Lady Aberdeen
I double dog dare you to tell us we can’t.
“Do Small Things…
…with great love.” ~ Mother Theresa.
Wordless Wednesday: Love at First Hug
Gardens For Goldens 