This took forever…it was hard to choose which were favorites and why. Some aren’t great technically, but the memory that goes with the image is priceless, some are (to me) technically perfect…or as close as I have been able to get. 😉
I went month to month on this…so even if I didn’t take the image that month, I’m choosing it based on the month I shared it. And one, I’m sharing even though I didn’t post it here at all (which surprises me, because it is easily one of my best photos ever!)
And so, let’s get to it, because this is going to get long… 😉
January
I love the blown out, over exposed look of this one…plus, Astrid is the perfect photo bomber here.
Graceful, floaty Fat Girl. 😉
Even though I call her that, she is an amazing mover…when she wants to be.
February
OMG. You can see the sneeze…I love this shot…and I love that I was no where near her when I captured it. lol
This…oh, my heart…one of my greatest images ever. Taken by chance. He’d walked up to me, sat down by my leg and was telling me a story, and I just looked down with the camera and snapped this.
My perfect little man…oh, how I miss him. 😥
March
Who doesn’t love a pig in a top hat??
This hat went on to grace the heads of quite a few horses…but only this pig. May have to change that this summer!
First time someone had been on Astrid’s back since she got here…only took a couple years. 😉
And Astrid? Pfft, didn’t care.
She just wanted to know where the food was.
Notice Ruby doing the photo bombing this time…
My snowflake on coats shots…this is something that sounds like it should be simple to capture. It’s not, really. These were the best of the ones I took in 2016…
April
We added piglets to the farm!!
Hubby had the pig shelter done a week or so before the bacon bits came home, which meant it became a cat house…turns out those cats were not happy to find someone else had moved in. 😉
Oh this…what can I say about this one??
She’s an amazing woman who I am so happy to have as a friend…we met through our daughters love of horses, and I was so happy to share our horses with her family.
Astrid was just loving her… 🙂
That wonderful woman’s son and our Ruby…this is the one I’m stunned I hadn’t shared here. Easily one of my best shots ever. So beautiful, so perfect.
Ruby was entranced by him…as it turns out, she loves little boys.
The connection between the 2 of them here is exquisite.
My sweetheart and her strawbale pillow…

Silly girl, was sure she could roll in the water…this is the moment she learned she can’t breath underwater. 😛
Oh Astrid!
And then, there were tears, for loss of a baby sitter horse.
A special boy who so many kids loved…
Where my Girlie-O takes her lessons, they do this, a memorial in the stall, so that people have a chance to say good bye.
My Girlie loved Jack and this was a hard loss for her.
We didn’t know December would bring us another loss that would hurt even more…
May
Not great, technically, but oh how I love this image!! I’ve tried for so long to capture her in that cat-like stretch. I got lucky on this one, and haven’t seen her do it since.
Another one of my Felix…he was such a gorgeous model, and more than happy to work in front of the camera.
My Girl turned 11…and worked her birthday hat like crazy. ❤
Gotta love a pig and a pug having lunch together!
June
*sigh*
The whole “Iron Paint” photo series is beautiful…except for the fact that she was colicking. And, from that day on, things with her have been changed…she’s more of a Mama Suck horse, and she’s more delicate when it comes to feeds. This day was a turning point, and made me realize, my “Iron Paint” wasn’t really made of iron, she was just really good at showing that she was.
Astrid is gorgeous here, and well, Sable wanted to wash her.
Cats or horses? Who can say?
One of our hennys the day we brought them home.
They came from a battery barn, where they were being swapped out for younger layers. Here, they got a chance to be happy hennys.
And they still are…even in the crazy cold of winter.
After I’d done a blog post showing how ungraceful Ruby was getting up (really, it’s not pretty watching a horse heave themselves up!) she gave me this…yes, our Ruby is definitely graceful and beautiful.
July
I was gifted with a scythe, and I learned fast that, while honing the blade, one should not take their attention away from the razor-sharp steel in their hand.
No stitches were needed (not that they’d have stayed in, where the cut was) and I was lucky to come away with a scar and some minor nerve damage.
Lesson learned.
I love this shot so much…
This fellow belongs to our friend, and hoof trimmer, Michele.
Huck is a sweet little fellow, but was so unsure of Hubby being in his space. With patience and some coaxing, Huck did warm up enough to check Hubby out, and nibble his work boot. 😉
Surprise, another Felix shot. ❤
My first attempt at a black background shot…
With this gorgeous model…a delightfully willful Haflinger mare named Showby…I had very little editing work to do.
This girl is as close to SOOC perfect as possible.
Another one of those melt-your-heart perfect moments.
I would have totally missed it if the StableMistress hadn’t said “there’s your shot”…luckily, I was able to catch it just in time.
August
Simple perfection…
Not much more to say. 🙂
Aaaah!! The simple joy of Nigella Piggie playing in the hose water.
My first time capturing the Auroras…
Something I plan to try again, every chance I get. 🙂
September
Another day where she gave me gorgeous images, but something wasn’t quite right with her…the next few months became a blur of vet visits and work with her to try to get her back on track.
I think we’re there now…thank goodness.
The caption says it all…
I just love this one…that stinky gross crown changed out to a new one…I still have the gross one. Covered in mud, blood and shit, but it’s mine.
This one, at Hubby’s urging, I sent to the local news station as a “weather pic” and it made it to tv.
I was pretty darn proud of that…this was the first of many sunrise shots I was able to capture…I love that soft morning light and the peacefulness of the early morning.
October
Oh the colours!
This was really pushing the capabilities of my D90.
But, I’m a firm believer that gear is only half of what makes a great image…skill of the person holding it counts for a lot, and this past year, I worked hard to push that camera to its limits.
I still have a way to go, before I feel I *have* to upgrade…
Black background piggie portrait?
Sure! Why not?
A sun setting shot, showing how my Girl’s winter coat was starting…
When I posted this on my personal FB page, I included the lyrics:
“Lean on me, when you’re not strong
And I’ll be your friend
I’ll help you carry on
For it won’t be long
‘Til I’m gonna need
Somebody to lean on”
It just fit.
I didn’t take it last year, but I did post it…
This remains one of my favorite pictures of these 2 together.
That mare loves her like no other. ❤
Ruby’s pretty little hitchhiker. 🙂
November

…He puts on a grey suit
Over his airborne tattoo
And he ties it on one time a year
And remembers the fallen
As he orders a tall-one
And swallows it down with his tears…
Big & Rich – 8th Of November
The first of my Remembrance Day images…

…Say a prayer for peace
For our Daughters and our Sons
Set our Spirits free
Let us lay down our guns
Sweet mother Mary we’re so tired
But we can’t come home
‘Til the last shot’s fired…
Trace Adkins – Til The Last Shot’s Fired
My favorite Remembrance Day image…
My only problem with the images is the songs…and it’s not even the songs themselves. It’s that they are by American artists.
I spent hours and hours and hours trying to find songs by Canadian artists that had the same level of clear patriotism. It broke my heart that I couldn’t find anything that spoke it so clearly as the American written songs did.
It’s not that we Canadians don’t love, honour, respect and support our soldiers…I think it’s that we’re softer, more gentle about our patriotism. At times I think that’s a good thing, but damn, I want to see a Canadian artist write and record a chest thumping, proud to be a Canadian soldier tune…
I’m looking at you, Dean Brody, Gord Bamford, George Canyon…
Could one of you do that for me in 2017?
Please?
So my next years Remembrance Day images could be set to a blatantly patriotic Canadian song?
Thank you. ❤
This shot of Sable is from sunrise on Gotcha Day.
Astrid wasn’t one of our Original 3. She came in January, but we love her as if she’s always been here.
Her and Sable have a special friendship.
Our Blonde Girl was the first to welcome Astrid after she got off the trailer. No squealing, no posturing, just “Hey, wanna be friends?”
And they have been ever since. ❤
December
Finally, December’s pictures…
The rare Cat Tree. LOL!
It’s because I can’t go anywhere on the Farm without a feline entourage. I love it. 🙂
Oh, our Ghost…finally he learned that Daphne wasn’t trying to kill him, that she just wanted to play.
And play he does!
She’s a jerk and zooms around him, he leaps and tags her every chance he gets. It’s so cute!
She has a thing for cats, our Astrid does.
And this one, she’s always licking him. Maybe he tastes good to her? 😉
My shot celebrating the Longest Night…
The supercharged power of a Palomino.
Amazing.
This boy was our other loss in 2016.
This one hit us hard.
I think it hit a lot of people at the Stable hard…Deimos was loved by a lot of folks, and not just the young ones. ❤
My Girlie loved him so much…she learned a lot with him, including how to canter.
I loved him as a photography model…he was gorgeous, he knew it, and oh, he knew how to pose!!
Such a character, with a boisterous whinny that could be heard everywhere. The barn is so quiet without him. 😥
And finally, last, but not least, as 2016 ends, and we move into 2017, a sunset shot…
May your 2017 bring you peace, love, health and happiness.
I hope y’all stick with us for another year, as we grow and learn, and work our way through Farm life.
I have loved sharing our life with all of you, and can’t wait for what 2017 brings.
❤