"Roses, Wines, and Canines"

Every year, Greyhounds Rock Fredericksburg puts on a dog-friendly gathering ... the proceeds of which are donated to canine cancer research and support charities.  This year's event was held last Sunday, here at Hartwood Manor.

We started the day off with games, one of which was to determine the "Best Kisser".  I volunteered to be the judge.

This is Danny, a greyhound service dog.  No kisses from him.

At 12:00, we listened to a presentation about the benefits of Cold Laser Therapy by Dr. Laura Chretien of Loving Touch Animal Hospital, a nearby not-for-profit veterinary clinic.

Kanga, another greyhound service dog, was quick with the kisses, then he climbed into my lap.

Lunch was at 1:00 ... a tasty array of burgers, hot dogs, pulled pork, side dishes ... yummy cook out food.  (If you follow me on Instagram, you already know that I was up and cooking at 6am that morning.)

Bill the Borzoi puppy was very generous with polite kisses.

At 2:00,  Patti Goettler, of Greyt Hearts Service Dogs, told us about training retired greyhounds to be service dogs.

More kisses from Bill.

At 3:00,  we paused to celebrate and remember all of our guests' dogs who had passed.  There was hardly a dry eye in the crowd ... mine included, as I hugged Ruby and Winnie as each name was read.  After this, Theresie Houghton blessed each dog individually, offering them prayers and a small biscuit.




Organized activities ended at 4:00, with the raffle drawings and announcement of the Silent Auction winners. Companies and individuals were VERY generous with donations, and bidding on many items was very spirited.

This is Freya, who was leery of that overly friendly lady who wanted a kiss.

... and then it was over.  In between the organized activities, guests toured my rose gardens, (which look awesome, if I do say so myself), visited our vendors, and drank wine from our guest Bacchus Winery and next door at Hartwood Winery.  No one went home hungry, and everyone appeared to have a really good time ... me included.  It was exactly the type of event we tell people it is, a relaxing, fun day in the country with your dog, to support a great cause and learn a little in the process.

Who was the Best Kisser, you ask?  Bill the Borzoi, of course, because he was such a sweetheart.

Weekend Roses and an Announcement

Weather was glorious here in Hartwood over the long Labor Day weekend. The rain and wind from Tropical Storm/Hurricane/Post-tropical Cyclone Hermine stayed to our south and east, and temperatures were in the 70s and 80s for all three days ... perfect weather to slip on garden shoes and venture into the garden with my camera.  

Sit quietly, while I will bombard you with my photos from Sunday morning.

"Ruth's Tiny Polyantha"

"Lundy's Lane Yellow"

'Country Doctor'

'Pink Princess'

'Cupid'

'Prosperity'

'Joan Taylor'

"Maggie"

"Unrootable Red China"

'Homere'

"Cato's Cluster"

'Mme. Antoine Mari'

'Rhode Island Red'

'Teasing Georgia'

Unknown Noisette

'The Squire'

"Hollywood Pink Cluster"

'Marinette'

'Emmanuel'

'Tamora'

'Belle Story'

'Dorothy Rose'

"Mableton Rouletii"

"St. Thomas China"

Unknown Floribunda

"Sumerduck Cemetery"

'Tagalong'

'Lafter'

'Patty Lou'

'Fair Molly'

'Fresh Pink'

Without too much searing heat and with adequate rain this summer, and with my renewed promise to myself to pay better attention to the fertilizer and fungicide needs of the garden, my roses look better than they probably ever have.  Even though many of them are babies, either relatively newly planted or recovering from transplanting or renewal pruning, it looks as if I may finally be on the right track with most of the garden ... fingers crossed.

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... and now for the announcement part of this post ....

Want to come see the progress for yourself and support a great cause in the process?  On Sunday, September 25, 2016, 11am - 5pm, we are hosting Greyhounds Rock Fredericksburg's annual fundraiser, "Roses, Wines, and Canines" ... a day-long event with food, wine tastings with Baccus (our guest winery) and at Hartwood Winery next door, raffles and auctions, vendor market, tours of the rose garden and vineyard, and educational presentations ... on our historic property in its lovely country setting.  This is a dog-friendly event, and everyone is encouraged to bring their leashed, well-behaved canine friends.  Admission is $25 per person (children under 12 are free).  Please click HERE to register in advance, so we can plan as accurately as possible, but walk-ins are welcome.  (Just so you know, my fall schedule is completely packed, and this will be the only day this year that the garden is available for visitors.)

"Roses, Wines, and Canines"

If you've been around here for any time at all, you already know that I am one of the core members of Greyhounds Rock Fredericksburg, a nonprofit fundraising charity.  We raise money for, and educate the public about, canine cancer.  We staff the GRF booth at local events (pet fairs and wine and beer fests, mostly.), selling our hand-made collars, leashes, jewelry, wine glass holders, etc., talking pretty much nonstop, and soliciting donations.  We also organize an annual event in the fall.  Since 2010, Greyhounds Rock has donated over $40,000 for canine cancer research, support, and treatment.

Emma and Daniel, with their friend TJ.  All three of these sweet dogs died of cancer.

In the past, our fall event has been a two-day conference that we called "Take a Bite Out of Canine Cancer".  This year, we are doing something a bit different.  On Sunday, September 27, from 11am to 6pm, here at Hartwood Manor and next door at Hartwood Winery, we are hosting "Roses, Wines, and Canines" ... a fun family and dog-friendly day in the country.

Emma, our first greyhound, adopted in 1999.  She loved squeaky toys ...

... and laying in the sun watching the world go by.

She enjoyed children ...

... and she was a superb Therapy Dog.

(Now you know what's been taking up so much of my time and why I haven't been here very often.  I have been doing what I can to tidy up this place and whip it into shape to receive guests ... hopefully LOTS of guests.)

Then, there were two.

This pic was taken at the greyhound gathering in Dewey Beach, Delaware.

Emma was mostly people oriented ... she tolerated Daniel ...

... and I like to think that she came to enjoy having a little brother, after we adopted him in 2005.

As of today, five days in advance of the event, plans are in place, the gardens look as good as they're gonna get, and we are VERY excited.  We will have food, Blessing of the Hounds, a scavenger hunt through Hartwood Roses' gardens and Hartwood Winery's vineyard, wine tasting, a vendor market, photo booth, raffle, auction, door prizes, and more.

I love this photo of Daniel and me.  It was taken at the GRF conference in 2011, four short weeks after Emma died.

Daniel was such a sweet boy!

I knew from the first time I met him, while transporting him and another dog from NC to a foster home in VA, that he was intended to be my dog.

His sweet, smiling face got even more beautiful with time.  He left us way too soon, in 2013, just shy of his 12th birthday.  This is the last photo that I took of him.

Tickets are $20 for adults, $10 for children 12 and under.  We will accept walk-in registrations, but we prefer that folks register in advance (so we have the most accurate guest count for food and chairs and such.)  Register at the Greyhounds Rock web site, www.GreyhoundsRock.org.  Our beneficiary this year is the Greyhound Health Initiative.

There is still time to plan to attend "Roses, Wines, and Canines", and we will be honored to have you.  If you can't attend, and you want to support our efforts, donations are always welcome.  (we make this easy, with a donation page on our web site.  Click HERE.)

Ruby and Winnie are excited to welcome everyone on Sunday.  Okay ... Ruby is excited ... Winnie will probably just bark.

All of us who have dogs have probably lost at least one of them to cancer.  It's a heart-breaking fact, but I accept this as part of the bargain.  The joy that dogs bring to my life is worth the pain of their passing.  My work with Greyhounds Rock makes me feel like I'm fighting back ... paying it forward ... so future dogs can have the benefit of the programs that we support.