Thursday, February 3, 2022

A Good Fire and a Birthday...

 


The winter storm has come and gone.   With the cold, there came a mixture of freezing rain, sleet and snow which now lays in a solid layer on the ground.  Trekking over the hill required some careful planting of the feet, for sure, but the Mill and I made it fine.  That was our 350th day since last February's snowstorm that kept us off the trail.  Millie made sure there would be no repeat of that this year. :~)   She keeps me honest.  (Dan did roughen up the trail a bit by driving ahead in his side-by-side.)




I pulled my gloves off to get a couple of shots of these shaggy beasts.  These were enroute to the pond for water.  








We were happy to get back inside to a warm fire.  I am always reminded of Ten Bears in one of my favorite movies, "Dances with Wolves."

"He only smiled and talked of simple pleasures.  He reminded me that at his age a good fire is better than anything."  



Tomorrow is Millie's birthday!  Actually, it is the anniversary of the day we brought her home from the animal shelter.  It's hard to imagine that she is already six years old.  I don't want her to ever grow old.  I have so loved and enjoyed this young, intelligent, energetic and oh-so-agile walking partner of mine.   

When these Australian shepherd mix pups showed up in our local paper as the Pet of the Week, we just knew we had found the pup we had been looking for.  When, that same day, we went to the shelter to see Millie, it was love at first sight.  I did not ask to see her brother, but I think he had already been adopted.  






I have about a zillion pictures of my sweet girl, so it was hard to pick a few favorites.  



Our very first trip to the pond...




Many trips later...



Millie's first snow...



Happy Birthday, Millie!  (Will you ever share the story of why you and your sweet brother were

tossed out on a county road on that cold Christmas Eve.  Did the two of you chew up the

family's Christmas tree and all the presents?)


She did love to chew on things, and once even chewed the wiring under our truck so it had to be taken in for repairs.  She won't talk to me about things like that, but we do have some good long talks about girl stuff.  




19 comments:

TheCrankyCrow said...

Awwww....Happiest Birthday/"Gotcha Day" Miss Millie!! 😻 What a wonderful home you landed in. Beautiful photos of you as well....and I am glad you are keeping your mum honest. 😉 And no worries about dredging up those old memories of what happened that Christmas so many years ago.... You made it to where you belong. But I would like to know if you got a ride in Santa's sleigh that night. ~Robin~ (OOOOO...that icy first photo makes me shiver. I'll take the many feet of snow in Nod over ice any day.)

Granny Marigold said...

I loved reading about how Millie came into your lives. I don't remember you ever posting about it before. It's hard to imagine what happened to make someone abandon the puppies. I think Millie is the perfect dog for you. Happy Birthday, Millie.

Granny Marigold said...

I meant to comment on how cold those cattle look!!! Thankfully they have good fur coats.

Rose said...

Happy Birthday, Millie! Looks like you couldn't have ended in a better home. I unhappy you found each other.

It did not stop.snowing and blowing this entire day and was still snowing just s but ago.

Elderberry-Rob said...

Happy birthday to Millie, our pets are such important members of our family I completely get that her birthday is the day you rescued her. May you have many more years of friendship :)

Hootin Anni said...

Millie? You are a doll!!! And I know how much you love your walks with your "mom"!! Happy birthday (gotcha day).

nookworm said...

Happy Birthday to Millie! What a wonderful member of your family she is, and is also so loved and understood. What a lucky dog! I think your photos of her are so sweet and the shaggy beast photo is a winner too! With treacherous footing, remember the mantra, "Do not fall." We, too have icy tree dressings and slick ground coverings.

happyone said...

Happy Birthday to Millie!! Such a great friend. :)
We are having that awful mix of rain, freezing rain, and snow today. What a mess.

acorn hollow said...

It is snowing very hard here at the moment we could get up to a foot. i will go out mid-storm and clean the walkways as the snow is so heavy. I bet Millie feels like she got the best home ever! Great walks every day
cathy

Magpie's Mumblings said...

A very happy Birth Day to Millie! I really do miss having a dog but it's too difficult in an apartment. We could have a small dog I suppose but my heart is with the big ones. Border Collies and Goldens are favourites, but if I REALLY had my d'ruthers I'd have a Saint Bernard.

Quilting Babcia said...

Oh Millie, you were such an adventurous pup, but you won the doggie lottery the day you were adopted! Enjoy your birthday and many more with your human mom and dad!

Sandra said...

Happy Birthday to Millie. I am sure that her greatest gift is the forever home you have given her. Enjoy sitting by the fire after one of your walks; seems like a very good thing for you!

Prims By The Water said...

So sweet of you to adopt Millie and Happy Birthday to her! I cannot understand folks who abandon animals. so heart wrenching. So glad you were able to keep up your walking too. A warm fire at the end of it sure must have been wonderful. Janice

Hill Top Post said...

You are very observant, Sandra. I wondered if anyone would notice the cow. However, this cow is not the mother to the grey calf we are raising on a bottle. Most of the cattle are black but there are a few off-colored ones.

kat said...

Ohhh happy birthday Millie, Australian Shepherds are lovely dogs aren't they? A friend of my daughter's had one and she was such a loving and intelligent soul, though very demanding as well, which usually comes with intelligence in dogs (and perhaps people too!). Your snow and ice is beautiful, but take care not to slip, your daily walks are such a pleasure and tonic aren't they? And your reading of Thomas Hardy and that little image of the hut under the stars, so beautiful, I'm glad you didn't throw it away. I do envy you the space and darkness that must surround you and allow you to look up into the night sky and experience the pleasure which he is describing. The urban UK is so light polluted it is impossible to see the stars for what they are, though beloved daughter and I do go down to the beach in August, lie on a blanket and allow our eyes to adjust enough to watch the Perseids as they scatter through the sky. Can't quite distinguish the Milky Way though, not in all its sparkling glory.
Happy walking

Olde Dame Holly said...

Happy Birthday, Millie. What a lovely post. And how precious that she doesn't speak of the reasons for the naughty actions, but will hold forth with girl talk! A girl has to keep SOME things private!

Gretchen Joanna said...

And you still have Millie's "papers"! Sweet.

Your word-and-photo description of your walk, and the fire to greet you on your return, was as close as it gets to vicariously invigorating.

Brenda Kay Ledford said...

Happy Birthday to Millie. What a sweet dog. Your fire looks so inviting in the heater. Stay warm.

Debra said...

Happy belated birthday sweet Millie...