Every New Year’s Eve I try to do a recap post.
This year, I’m revisiting Ashley Sisk’s Memories Dreams and Reflections prompts.
Yeah, the post is from 2015, but the prompts are the same.
And they’re a fun way to see what 2018 was like here on the Farm…
So, let’s get to it, because this is gonna get long.
😂😂😂
Me
If you’ve been here for any length of time, you know, I’m behind the camera 99.9% of the time, so there’s not too many shots with me in them…but this one I took for an Instagram challenge, where I had to show myself in the midst of a farm chore…
Ruby’s dainty hoof…
What better than a foot/hoof selfie with Ruby?
I Love You
How could I not love these 3?
Kid and her Sable ❤
And this…I ❤ this image…and these 2.
Still Laughing
MCFHubby and Astrid
It started out as a normal ride…and ain’t little Miss Astrid just the prettiest damn thing ever?
But then, things went a wee bit wrong…
See, that lead rope got tangled in the bail, Hubby pulled and the end snapped poor little Miss on the bum…
And then, as she tried to go forward, Hubby squeezed with his legs trying to hold on, while pulling her head around…and Astrid said “Listen, I had enough. Get. Off. Me.”
😂😂😂
Okay, so it wasn’t funny ’til we knew they were both okay, but we’re still laughing about it, because mixed messages with equines all too often means eating dirt.
Oh and Hubby ate dirt…
Winter Wonderland
January 28th, 2018
First day I picked up my camera in months, and finally started to become myself again.
Beautiful Girl ❤
Astrid having a nap in the snow of our winter wonderland.
Birthday
So May 21st was supposed to be a Certain Girl’s 13th birthday.
I had planned out a shoot a year prior for it, and well, even though she wasn’t with us anymore, we went ahead with it anyways…
We let her herdmates enjoy the carrot cake in her honor…
He mighta smooshed it into her muzzle a wee bit…being it’s a cake smash and all… 😉
Ruby’s turn…
And then Hubby set the cake down, so all 3 could enjoy it at once…
“CAAAAAAKKKKEEE!”
Friends
2018 was a year of getting to do some great photography work with friends…
Shaila of Pugtail Photography
The Cream 1/2 of Cookie’n’Cream Photography
We shot train robberies together…
Gentle giant Clyde, meeting one of his adoring fans…
And we shot images for a calendar…
Oooooh, scary ghost!
😂😂😂
Looking forward to seeing what 2019 brings, collaboration wise!
I Was Inspired
Inspiration was hard-fought in 2018.
But I managed a few inspirational (to me) images…
This was my “Until We Meet Again” image…
It took a bottle of whiskey and a whole lot of tears to create.
Afterwards, my heart was so much lighter.
I just really needed a way to express my grief and say goodbye.
This was it.
❤
And then for Hallowe’en (and ultimately the anniversary of her death) Hubby helped me create this image.
Cookie’s skull, in sunlight, under our tree.
❤
Spring Fever
Chicks!
The perfect photographic depiction of spring fever…18 little balls of feathers that lived in my bathroom for a few weeks, ’til they could go out to the coop.
Travel or Vacation
Having started an Instagram account for Ruby, The Painted Unicorn, we found a toy to represent her as we traveled here and there…because The Painted Unicorn Ruby has to stay home and guard the beer and food, while DecoyRuby goes out and is social. 😉
Summer Days
Gone fishin’
Friend Will’s giant fish. 😉
The Palomino Princess at sunrise…
Getting her teeth done…
Bird watching
A Day in My Life
Sunrise photoshoots…
Staff meetings…
Dogs with sticks…
Finding stray nests…
16 eggs!!
Feeding baconators…
nom nom nom
This good stuff, Food Lady!
Bobbing for apples…
Getting sick babies well again…
Drugged for x-rays…
And photos taken as the sun sinks down…
All Smiles
I just can’t help but smile at this one…
She’s sleeping, snoring, licking and running all while flat out.
❤
Autumn Harvest
look at all the tomatoes on there!
Helper chicken
Garden tomatoes…
Our garden did it’s best since moving here.
So many tomatoes, beans, beets, carrots…
As well as other yummy things.
It was a prosperous growing season for sure!
Home
This just says “home” to me…
There’s no words to explain why. It just does.
Celebrate
Yule pictures!
😉
Let’s Do It Again
Let’s nap in the grass…
Doze in the rising sun light…
Enjoy the splendor of an early sunrise…
I Miss You
Always and forever…
❤
Until we meet again…
❤
I will miss you until the end of time.
“Oh! Hey Mama…whatcha doin'”
~Cookie
There is never a day where I’m not thinking of you.
Beautiful
This…
And this…
And this…
Dress Up
Aside from Yule pictures with the lights, I don’t think I did any dress up kinda shoots with my animals this year.
So, for this one you get Dukey…an elder mini gentleman who lives at West Wind Stables.
See?
How adorable is he?
Macro
I got nothin’ macro from this year.
Not sure I even used that lens for anything other than a few portraits.
This one is an older shot, trying to convince Cookie to wear a Canada Day headband.
It didn’t work.
😉
But those whiskers…and that muzzle.
❤
“So scary smelling. Can’t let this any closer to me. Sorry Mama.” ~Cookie
Holidays
The holidays can be rough, y’know?
Especially when you’re a famous unicorn.
That’s why you have your very own masseuse…or in this case, a cat-sseuse…to massage out all those tight, achy muscles while your herdmate tried to push in and get a little sumthin’ sumthin’ for herself.
😂😂😂
And then, once everything’s loose, it’s time to go to work…them pretty holiday photos ain’t gonna make themselves happen.
😉
My Favorite
My Remembrance Day shots…
For the simplicity, the beauty and because I let myself just follow my camera.
Don’t Ever Change
Don’t ever change, my RubyGirl.
You keep your headstrong, boss bitch attitude.
It’s one of the main reasons I love you and why I love working with you…and it makes for grand photos!
Just Because…So There!
Hopes and Dreams
As always, we have big Dreams here at Midnight Calico Farm.
This past year we got a little closer to stocking the pantry shelves to acceptable levels, as I got back into canning.
While our pigs didn’t grow as well as we’d hoped (they arrived way too late for them to get as big as we like them), I did find a fantastic deal on Muscovy ducks, both for the freezer and for eggs and meat next year.
I hope y’all will stick with us, as we grow and learn from our mistakes.
And I promise, I’ll try harder to put up posts more often.
Life has slowly returned to center.
It’s been a long road.
I’m ready for 2019.
Happy New Year!
