Pooch Park: One Giant Step for Dog-Kind Part 2

Saturday morning we awaited the arrival of our volunteers who generously offered to assist us with carving our rock garden into reality. We had no idea what time to expect our skidloading friends. We finally received a phone call from Missy around 11 am. "We are just outside of Ellsworth (only 4 miles away or so), but we might not make it there!"

Oh, brother. I just cannot let this project get away from me again. I am ready to grab the shovel and go finish it myself, one piece of gravel riddled earth at a time! Just as I am wondering, "why on earth would they get this close to the clinic, and then not make it here to get it done?!" Missy blurts out, "We got stopped for speeding, and my husband may be getting arrested. Gotta go!" She hangs up the phone.  We were left to sit and wonder, "What the?"
 
20 minutes later, in the door prances Missy.  Her husband, Allen, walks in behind her so we are now fully aware that he did not get arrested.  I was nervous that he might be cranky after a run-in with the law.  We were introduced, and he grumbled about the incident with a smirk of humor on his face. 
 
They were pulled over for speeding just four miles away from the clinic.  He had already driven this large vehicle that looks like it bounced out of a "Transformers" movie, forty miles from their home town of Steamboat Rock, Iowa, and suddenly found himself parked on the side of the road in front of a state trooper's vehicle, so close to his final destination.  To add a little salt to the injury, he neglected to bring his license with him, and his insurance card was outdated. 
 
What we learned that day is that Missy, our new employee, has a "flair for the dramatic".  While I am certain Allen took some heat from the officer, and probably from Missy, for failing to carry his license and current insurance card, I imagine he was never spread eagled across the front of the police car as we were envisioning after that informative phone call.  Her "flair" has made us laugh on more than one occasion throughout our workdays. 
 
Outside the clinic sat a long trailer attached to a big, shiny, bumble-bee-yellow truck.  On it's side is printed, "Mabe's Red Paw Landscaping".  The Red Paw is in reference to Missy's dedication to animal rescue, and to Allen's dedication to his landscape work that often leaves his hands sore and red.
 
 

 
Allen climbs into the portly trailer and starts the engine on the skidloader that is going to make my world so much easier!   Allen generously spends several hours, not only carving the initial shape into our gravel-ridden ground, he places the bricks around the edges patiently and painstakingly even, with a mallet and some help from some donated sand for levelling. 
 
 
 

 
Meanwhile, the Site Supervisors, Miranda, Connor, and Caleb, observe the production, inspecting each step we took in our project...

Once the digging was done, we went out to eat and enjoyed some nice conversation.  With full bellies, my volunteers and my workers went home for a quiet Saturday evening, and so did we. 

The next day, it was up to me to complete the project under the direction of my usual weekend Supervisors. 

Connor supervised the transportation of bricks that were thoughtfully donated by Amy from HEART Rescue... 

After Connor completed his supervisory obligations, he went on worm patrol and dirt bomb missions.  No worms were injured in the writing of this blog.  I cannot say the same for the dirt bombs...

Miranda artfully trimmed the landscaping tarp to fit into our rock garden so those pesky weeds would not rear their ugly green prolific heads.  I am not a big fan of weeding... is anyone?!

Guess what I got to carry...and carry...and carry...

Finally, the rock garden was completed.  I proceeded to reconstruct the edging at the base of the two trees that I planted a few years back, and added tarp to their bases to control the weeds where I had neglected to use tarp before.  Back, you pesky weeds, back!  (insert evil scientist laugh here) 
 
Now the hard work is done, and my paws were red.  Now you, my readers, have a job to do.  Keep your eye on Google Earth's satellite image of 548 Main Street in Jewell, IA.  If they update the satellite photos every three years or so, and my previous image was from April of 2008, sometime soon the satellite will produce this image...
 
 

Or this one...

Let me know if you notice it before I do!

Perhaps this image in Pooch Park, in this blog, and/or on Google Earth will inspire people to think of their favorite furry friends who have left their mark on this great earth of ours, and left their mark on our hearts.  If each person who views this image, chooses to adopt from a shelter rather than purchase a pet, the world will change for that rescued pet.  Don't we all want to change the world?
 

And remember, Pooch Park is not yet done...

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