Take Good Care of the Garden and the Dogs: A True Story of Bad Breaks and Small Miracles

The Alaskan landscape—so vast, dramatic, and unbelievable—may be the reason the people in Haines, Alaska (population 2,400), so often discuss the meaning of life. Heather Lende thinks it helps make life mean more. Since her bestselling first book, If You Lived Here, I’d Know Your Name, a near-fatal bicycle accident has given Lende a few more reasons to consider matters both spiritual and temporal. Her idea of spirituality is rooted in community, and here she explores faith and forgiveness, loss and devotion—as well as raising totem poles, canning salmon, and other distinctly Alaskan adventures. Lende’s irrepressible spirit, her wry humor, and her commitment to living a life on the edge of the world resonate on every page. Like show more her own mother’s last wish—take good care of the garden and dogs—Lende’s writing, so honest and unadorned, deepens our understanding of what links all humanity. show less

When you don't want a book to end, you know it's one you can recommend to friends. Heather Lende's 2010 book, subtitled "Family, Friendships, and Faith in Small-Town Alaska," is a heart-warming memoir.

"Part Annie Dillard, Part Anne Lamott" is the back cover description to this entertaining and enthralling depiction of real people struggling with real world issues as they stay true to living life on the edge of survival, much less civilization, in a small town in Alaska. Part Northern Exposure, part Prairie Home Companion might be a better description of the narrative of Heather Lende's Take Good Care of the Garden and the Dogs. The author of If You Lived Here, I'd Know Your Name put Haines, Alaska, on the literary map, and this book show more makes it a place you'll want to revisit.

Heather Lende writes the obituaries for the local newspaper in her small Alaskan community and her Hospice work is a natural extension of her job. But it's her own brush with mortality that keeps her writing real and fresh.

She suffered a traumatic bike inury just as her first book launched. She also lost her mother soon after, whose last real message to her living survivors offers us the title to her new book. Lende's mother fought off an impending death for years and, without sharing any final words, left her wondering what her mother would have wanted to say. Take good care of the garden and the dogs becomes her tag line for coming to terms with life's bad breaks and unanticipated turns. Heather doesn't just inspire, she conspires. This gifted writer invites the reader to engage in creating connections and community through the process of grief and mourning. She divides the world into "those" people: those who have experienced suffering from the loss of a loved one and those who will.

Lende weaves her life lessons into everyday Alaskan adventures. The totem poles, Ttlingit friends, the almost annual Blessing of the Fleet, snowshoeing, new community health center and Episcopalian congregation make for a window into a part of America that is honest, unadorned and profound. show less

Heather Lende is the author of the best selling Memoir “If You Lived Here I’d Know Your Name” which was about her life in the small town of Haines, Alaska. Right before her first book release, she was riding her bicycle and got hit by a truck. Very scary, and she came close to dying. Interestingly, death is something she is familiar with because she is the town’s obituary writer. The essays in this memoir are about her long recovery, and how it has had an effect on her faith, and her observations of life in her home town.

I like her writing style, its like talking to a friend; swapping stories, acknowledging those little “ah ha” moments, and it touches something deep inside—the human experience—the passing of knowledge show more from one generation to the next. Reading her words can slow down the rush of our busy lives and connect us to something bigger. Very enjoyable, with one icky story about hunting I could have done without, other than that I liked this book. For TV’s Gold Rush fans, her friend John Schnabel and Porcupine Creek are mentioned. 4 stars for this kindle version. show less

Heather Lende, an obituary writer for her home town newspaper as well as a contributor to several national publications, had just published her first book, If you lived here, I'd know your name : news from small-town Alaska and was ready to combine a trip to her daughter’s college graduation with a national book tour. It all changed in an instant in early April when she was hit by a truck while riding her bike. Over the next months, she was in a hospital and later a nursing home in Seattle, far from her home in Haines, Alaska. Then came the long recuperation. The next April, her mother died. And there were other challenges for her. She recounts it down in her second book, Take good care of the garden and the dogs.

The book’s chapters show more are divided into various themes and each begins with either a quote form The book of common prayer (Lende is an Episcopalian), the hymnal, the Bible or other prayers. She talks about her family as well as neighbors and friends in Alaska. Probably the most moving chapter was her decision to talk with and forgive the young man who hit her bike that fateful day. There is also loss of friends with the added difficulty of writing an obituary. But her quiet faith is always there and shines through the words she sets down in the book.

This is not a book about Alaska. It is a book about a woman who triumphs over impossible odds and is stronger for it. You need not have read the author’s first book to enjoy this one. show less

With the ascent of Sarah Palin on the national scene, Alaska has enjoyed a resurgence of interest, so the timing is perfect for Heather Lende's Take Good Care of the Garden and the Dogs. Lende writes for a small local newspaper in Haines, Alaksa, and handles the obituaries. She shares the stories of some of her neighbors, including a feisty 57-year-old whom she visited as a hospice volunteer. The woman had everything organized for her death- her will, insurance, sister's phone number- she even paid all her bills and packed up her belongings so that no one else would have to do it.

Lende's mother had a different view of death. Her mom had lived for twenty years with chronic lymphatic leukemia, but she never spoke of her impending death, show more even when her husband asked if she had anything she wanted to say to him or her children. All she said was "take good care of the garden and the dogs."

The year before her mother died, Lende was riding her bike when she was struck by a pickup truck. She was severely injured, and had to go to a nursing home in Seattle to rehabilitate. Her time there was eye-opening, and many people will recognize her experiences.

I liked how her faith came into play, and each chapter opens with a short verse, many of them from the Book of Common Prayer. Lende shares her faith, and her writings about trying to live her faith I found similar to Anne Lamott's book, Grace, Eventually, which I loved.

We also see how life in Alaska is unique. Lende skins and guts goats, eats bear tenderloin, grows much of what they eat, and keeps hens for eggs. She describes an elaborate adoption ceremony with the local Tlinglit tribe, filled with food, gifts and songs that is fascinating, as is her story of how the entire town helped to raise a huge totem pole carved by a local person.

She said that her goal is to "give readers a window into a specific time and place and by being so local and personal, tap into emotions they may have too." She succeeds in writing this lovely book. show less

I won this at Goodreads, and I gotta say I loved this book!! Even if I had bought it I would have enjoyed it. You get a feeling of being transported to the books locations. I'm not a religious person, but I wasn't put off by the religious aspects of the book. It was more spiritual than preachy. I even googled the town she lives in to get a sense of it's location, and what the scenery is like. I was eager to keep reading, but was sad the book ended. Now I have her other book ordered from Amazon, and look forward to reading that one! Thank you Heather, for a wonderful reading experience!!

In her second book, Heather Lende takes us on an emotional journey. Being the obituary writer for her local newspaper in Alaska, she is well versed in the emotions of life and death. However, it became personal when she was in a near-fatal accident, literally run over by a truck. To add to her pain, she lost her mother to leukemia a year later.

Confined to bed, Heather reflected on life, death, and everything in-between. What came of it all is this beautifully miraculous book. Heather turns once again to her neighbors, friends and community. There she finds strength to focus on faith and spirituality and from that there is growth and eventually healing.