Photography – Page 5 – Gardens For Goldens

Worked Like Dogs

As gardeners, our big game day tradition has been to ditch the guys and spend the day pruning the roses of the Homeward Bound Memorial Garden. All 84 of them!

However, when you start to see this…

you know that you are already way behind. With daytime temperatures now in the 60’s…the roses just could not wait for game day this year.

Last weekend, Ina and Maria were out to do some. Anna, Lynn, our youth volunteer, Ara and I worked like dogs to finish them all off over two long days this weekend.

And we have the mountain of clippings to prove it!

I don’t know who is more tired…me, or our garden mascot puppy, Sybil.

Sybil is one of four from Lady Edith’s litter. You’ll remember their adorableness from the Puppy Pop Quiz post in late November.

They went home in December and are finally old enough to attend (muddy!) puppy class at the rescue.

Sybil was delighted to be reunited with her sister, Kensie.

As the two youngest in the class, you can imagine that this first day of raucous socialization and light training was a little overwhelming – and very taxing!

“Uh-oh! Gotta go!”

“OMG…He’s killing her!”

“No thanks. I’ll just sit this one out.”

Covered in mud, cute Sybil was able to sit just long enough for a couple of shots…

before sinking into a deep slumber.

And without further ado…I am going to do the same!

Wordless Wednesday: Jingle and Belle

A Wish For The New Year

“Live quietly in the moment and see the beauty of all before you.”
~ Paramahansa Yogananda, Autobiography of a Yogi

I enjoy photographing birds almost as much as dogs. Off topic as they are, birds make their way here quite frequently. Theirs is not the easiest life, but you have to envy their freedom – which got me to wondering: if dogs could fly…

would they hover close to home, or travel the world?

Would they pull sticks from the tree tops?

And catch balls in mid-flight?

Would they travel in packs?

Or set a solo sail?

Would old dogs become young dogs?

And young dogs never grow old?

Could they fly free of pain and injury?

If dogs could fly, would they bark our friends ‘hello’ just over the rainbow bridge?

Would they reach for the stars and try to touch the moon?

And still tumble back to earth when the dinner bell rang?

If dogs could fly, would they always find their way home to us?

Where the Sugar Flows

In the big dog Park, the rough and tumble play.

But on the other side of the fence is where the sugar lives.

Sugar Shack Acres is home to Homeward Bound’s most senior dogs: the sugar faces –

our sanctuary dogs – like once-and-forever feral Red –

and dogs who just love being with other dogs – like Lucy, who is only five, but desperately needed to lose weight. After a couple of weeks with her Sugar Shack friends, she dropped nearly ten pounds (and was on her way home!)

These pups may be a little slow,

But they still get around.

And everyone gets along.

As they say: it takes a long time for a soul to get this sweet.

Some of our volunteers spend all their time in this sanctuary – where the dogs have their own house and a large open yard so they can come and go freely.

Some just pay a visit after walking, feeding, and cleaning up after our “dorm” dogs – only to be mobbed by smiling faces, tail wags and kisses.

And when the young dog pack leaves the Park…guess where the sugar flows?

Wordless Wednesday: Ruffled Feathers

Chessy’s Inner Lion

Hear her roar!

Hope Delivered

Oh the weather outside was frightful…but rain in California is delightful. We are so grateful for (count them!) two storm systems this week, moving through our drought-dried state. While it dumped in buckets, it was still very manageable (for most of us…sorry little bee!).

The walkers who braved it today were rewarded with a brief blast of sunshine by the end.

And of course, dogs!

This is pre-El Nino cheer bringing hope to our thirsty state.

The weekend also delivered on the hopes of five of our dogs. Our ”going homes” include Booker – who is the perfect foil to his new human, Mark.

Talk about mugging it up for the camera.

Charlie got the thumbs-up from gorgeous alum Goldie to come home and stay with her (and to shed a few pounds!)

Babe couldn’t wait to get in the car and go (not that she didn’t appreciate her time with us!)

And Precious and Lexi. These two came to us when their person could no longer care for them. I hope it brings them comfort knowing they will be in good and happy hands.

Dogs going home. A kennel that is half empty. The garden nearly put to bed for the winter. And rain.

The perfect way to end a weekend.

Wordless Wednesday: Marley

Still Something Right

The fog has arrived.

The meadow is greening.

My bird friends are back.

And the rain is coming.

There are still some things right with this crazy world.

Winter Approaches

All signs point to winter. In the span of one week, the garden has transformed from a fall garden to a winter one. This, of course, means that I am way behind. Dogs come first, and more than a few have had their turn recently. Hurray for…

Marley,

River,

Keiko,

and Dart.

While it looks like the garden is beginning to slumber, there is still a lot going on under the surface. Until a freeze, newly transplanted perennials and trees, and an army of spring bulbs are all growing roots, while earthworms and tiny microbes are still hard at work.

“Every gardener knows that under the cloak of winter lies a miracle … a seed waiting to sprout, a bulb opening to the light, a bud straining to unfurl.” ~ Barbara Winkler

All of this will come to a halt when we get our first real freeze. Before then, we need to complete the raising and mulching of the beds to keep them from floating away during our much hoped for El Nino, and to keep the soil temperature even.

Despite removing mountains of leaves, we still have heaps of them.

I rigged an open air container and ~~assigned~~ begged off the chopping duties. The leaf bits will over-winter in the container, creating a leaf mold to use as soil conditioner in our packed clay by spring.

I never mourn the passing of a season. Gardeners always look ahead. Besides, the colors of an approaching winter are beautiful in their own right:

Browns,

faded pinks,

yellows and reds,

And of course – the snowy whites…

the best color of all.

Tag: Photography