My Sweet Millie

This. This was the picture I saw on Petfinder that made me fall in love with 2 senior labweiler sisters. And this look of bliss on Millie's face--pure JOY. It makes my heart smile every time I see it.

Almost 2 years ago, I loaded up Maggie & Millie from Mari's and brought them home.

 
2 weeks ago, I said goodbye to the River House. Today, I said goodbye to my sweet Millie.

Millie took a bit of time to warm up to me. She wasn't all waggy & cheerful like Maggie. She was grumpy & grouchy & I surmised it was because she was in a great deal of physical pain. So every night, I settled in with the girls and we watched Ellen and I gave them a massage and Reikied them. Slowly Millie warmed up and began to trust me. I won't leave you. I'm in this for the long haul. You are home, I assured her.

Checking out the labyrinth.

When I first got her, Millie had thick front legs; I surmised that it was lymph fluid. It was one of the ways I could tell the difference between her and Maggie in the beginning because they looked so much alike. Slowly the swelling went down with each massage and her legs were normal .

Happy girls.

 Since they were so old, I couldn't train them as I would a puppy. I couldn't teach them, but I could learn from them. I learned that Millie liked to nuzzle things. Her favourite spot was on the crook of her nose. She would position her head under my fingers for some scratching, and she would nuzzle up to other things as well . . .

Like Maggie's paws.

Or a computer bag.

Her favourite spot inside the house was in front of the living room window where she could watch turkeys, deer, & other wild life in the field. She also watched the train, & cars & planes. I discovered this early on when she was barking & I followed her line of sight and saw the faintest white line going across the sky. She certainly had her eyesight!

Her favourite spot outside was on the back porch

Meal Time with Millie

 MEAL TIME

Millie preferred her food mixed with water & fish oil and she liked it soupy. She would slurp the soupy part & eat a bit, then save the rest for later when it was mushy. She also was adept at pulling her bowl with her teeth to her.

After a couple mishaps of soupy dogfood spilling everywhere, I made sure to prop up her food bowl so she wouldn't spill it:

The box also doubled as a head rest.

Breakfast in bed.

 Sometimes she would act like a regular dog . . . 

She managed to get my cup off the coffee table & finished whatever was in there!

 She did this once; getting into the trash. Instead of being mad, I thought, "Good for you, Mil. Trying to act like a youngster."

She LOVED her Mercola dental bones. So yummy. She used to eat hers lickity-split & then vie for Maggie's.

Topsail Beach Labyrinth

I spent Memorial Day weekend at my new-favourite-beach, Topsail Beach. I was there to learn manual lymphatic drainage. I have not been this excited about a massage technique since I first learned percussor. Really, really AWESOME!  PLUS the class was in a house that was right on the beach. How cool is that?!  The last day I was there, I drew a full labyrinth on the beach:

OM.

And then we walked:

And by "we," I mean Brenda & Roy.

And the other Brenda. :-)

In the center.

Heading back out.

Gorgeous day!

B-Dog & T-Bob & a Bit of RoRo

Over Memorial Day weekend, I was in Topsail Beach for an AWESOME seminar on manual lymphatic drainage (a massage technique). So Bingo went to stay at my friend Rita's with her friends Dana & Roy. I have to make sure that the last thing I do is roll out the suit case, because as soon as Bingo sees that, she's racing me to the car. She knows she's going to see her friends! 

This is after I picked up Bingo from Rita's:

Sacked out. 

 Tabby is none too pleased when I go away. Chiro-sis comes over to check on him & she & Rowan sit out on the porch with him. He's v. vocal when I get back. Here he is nestled in near my knitting bag:

On our first morning walk after I got back, I saw this down at the lake:

Yeah, yeah. I know. Get down on the ground at eye-level!

I was afraid that Bingo or Tabby were going to go after him (her? As we know, my track record on gender identification is spotty at best). Anyway, I picked it up to shift it away from B & T. It made a funny noise and then proceeded to water my shoe. Eeeewwww!  I put it back down. Bingo apparently not tuned in to the turtle cologne on my shoe.

Hullo.

 In the meantime, Tabby jumped from one end to the other of the tree:

Sorry, no pic. I was too busy being in awe.

 Aaaand here's Tabby, oblivious:

As was Bloodhound Bingo.

 Later that day, a walk in the labyrinth:

And then a vizzie with RoRo, who makes a bee line for the leash to walk "Mango."

Down to the lake.

Across the bridge.

A bit blurry. I'm just trying to keep up!

 Down the pier:

Aaaand this is where Bingo hops off the pier into the grassy part.

Look at this!

Poised on the log.

 Heading back up to the house:

Bingo waiting for me to catch up.

She loves running with Rowan!

 I can't remember what she's licking out of the bowl:

*slurp*

I watched a private little moment between Bingo & Tabby. Bingo was lying on her bed and Tabby went over, purring. Then he started to lick Bingo's ear. Behaviour suspiciously similar to when he gets all purry with me before he tries to sink his teeth into a phalange. I had a half-thought for a nano-second of, "Isn't that cute. He's grooming her," before I realized what he was up to. Just as I was heading over to intervene, Tabby took a little nibble of Bingo's ear. Well. Any fears I had for Bingo were assuaged. She let out a growly bark & a warning snap that put Tabby in his place! I don't think I need to worry about Bingo. She can take care of herself! 

In the Labyrinth

This goes against the Brit-part of me, but I do like iced tea!  Here's how I'm making it:

In the labyrinth. 

Chiro-sis took this on Friday. I call this my "Going to Traffic Court" look:

I got pulled over for a burnt out head light. And then! Discovered my registration had expired. Gah! Didn't get a notice and didn't notice the '12 tags on my plates. "That's no excuse, ma'am." *sigh* I went immediately online & renewed, but still had to put in an appearance in court. The judge asked me if I had anything to say & then swore me in. I told him it was the best pull-over I've ever had. And I was grateful to know my tags were dead. I'm sure he was looking at me and thinking, "TGIF." Heh. But really, the officer was SO nice. When she told me I had to appear in court on May 31st, I got my planner out. "Hang on," I said. Like I need to check my schedule to fit her in.

LOVE my labyrinth!