Millie and I Take to a Snowy Trail...

 

Day 329 (or Day 1,644 if one should count the day last Feb. 15 when, with cold sodden feet, we turned around before having reached the summit of our hilltop, as my son insists I should do.)

Millie was silly and cut all kinds of capers in the snow.

As though she had never seen snow before.

Surely there's something hiding underneath.

It was definitely a monochrome kind of day.  There seemed to be only two colors ~ black and white~ if those really are colors at all.

The farther we walked the harder the snow fell.  The Cannon I had brought along was getting wetter with each step.

Even the water had no color today.

The snow was not as deep near the pond.  Wasn't it somewhere back in Junior High that we learned about bodies of water and their effects on climate?

The snow was flying when we walked the meadow trails.  I was wearing two pairs of wool socks, and it was here that the outer pair decided to eat up the inner pair.  I limped on.  I wondered if Millie's feet were getting cold.

Of course, the old cow puncher was putting out hay for the cattle.  To see them following after the tractor always makes me think of "The Pied Piper."  I wonder if kids today even know that old tale.

The cattle had trampled the snow here on this part of the trail, having taken refuge from the snow in the woods.

Dot paused just long enough for a picture before going on to the hay.

The Shanty looked snug in its blanket of snow, so we didn't go in today.  Millie loves going in and hanging out with me when I potter about there.  

And, of course, there's the "Most Photographed Tree" again, all dressed up for a winter's shoot.  She (I call it a she, but I think it is a boy tree for it has never produced fruit.) wears all colors well in all the seasons, but I think I like her best in white.  The snow was fairly flying by now, so it was not the most becoming of her pictures.  

A Shepherd's Hut...

 

Riding shotgun, as we often say when one of us goes along to "get the gates," is a job that often falls on my shoulders.  It is during these times that I get most of the pictures that end up being selected for winners in our annual Photo of the Year contest.  This one will be hard to beat. 

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The first week of my Winter Hibernation has ended.  I have seen no one except one old Cow Puncher, which I might add is one of my greatest joys.   The mail carrier has been here a couple of times, but even he was gone before I had the pleasure of speaking to him.  I am not lonely.  

 Every day I have focused on being more creative and artistic in everything I do - the way I  dress and style my hair, the way I set the table and arrange the dishes in the cupboards, and even in the way I hang out the clothes to dry.    

This week, I finished reading the Thomas Hardy classic, Far From the Madding Crowd.  It was rather slow reading for me because I often had to go back and reread complete sentences or paragraphs in order to grasp the whole meaning, but I really loved this book. Mr. Hardy surely has a way with words!  I took notes, as usual, and jotted down passages that I liked, then copied them in one of the little notebooks.  I even made a couple of rough sketches.

The sky was clear - remarkably clear - and the twinkling of all the stars seemed to be but throbs of one body, timed by a common pulse.  The north Star was directly in the wind's eye, and since evening the Bear had swung round it outwardly to the east, till he was now at a right angle with the meridian.  - Thomas Hardy

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 But, silly me!  Why should I try to draw and paint a picture of what Mr. Hardy's words can paint thousands of times better?  Or, that I might see oh-so-beautifully on a wonderful clear evening by simply tipping my head and looking upward into the heavens. 

I almost threw the drawings into the trash, but then there was the shepherd's hut - such a solitary and lonely looking little abode that seemed to be setting right at heaven's door.- and I couldn't do it.   I can imagine Gabriel there playing his flute.  Take a peak here at this YouTube video.  This melts my heart!

I have managed to sew some every day, both by machine and by hand which I enjoy so much.  Millie and I have walked the big bad hill every day, and the hubby hasn't yet had to hang out the laundry.  If you happen to be flying overhead and see someone dressed in bright plaids walking beside her ever so faithful and beautiful Millie, it might be me. 

I have a new book to read.  How sweet it is to have friends looking out for me, keeping me inspired and supplied with reading materials.  I know I am going to enjoy this one.  These books make me appreciate Millie even more than I already did.  The wolves are her cousins, you know!

Thanks for stopping by.  Take care!

Mary

P.S. Don't forget to follow the link above to watch the clip of Far From the Madding Crowd.  You aren't alive if you don't love this one.