I just deleted an entire blog post but I left the photos. If you haven’t noticed lately, the writing part isn’t working for me. So to give you some context with these photos, I will leave only the following sentences. I hope my photographs make you smile.
We can’t all be famous artists (of whatever art form it is). But we are all interesting. We all have things that matter to us. Neil Gaiman reminds us of this, “But the one thing that you have that nobody else has is you. Your voice, your mind, your story, your vision. So write and draw and build and play and dance and live as only you can.” I love that.
It’s no surprise that some of my favourite subjects in life and photography, especially early on, have been dogs and horses. They have been a part of my life since I could walk and remain a significant part of my life to this day. Those who know me well, are aware that my love for animals runs deep. It pains me to see any creature abused, mistreated, or neglected. As with most of us, I too have various other interests in life and many that bear a deep significance, but today will be the dogs day.
These are all from my archives and bring back such beautiful memories. At the top, the two Aussies are Austin (the red merle) and Pearl (the blue merle). The Springer Spaniel above and below is Maggie. The black and tan Shepherd / Husky cross was a neighbour’s dog. All of them were preoccupied with hunting and having a great time.
Something else that matters. I know that, despite all the photos buried on phones and computers, there are all kinds of grandparents, parents, siblings, and friends who would love to get a photo or two from you this year. Every photo you get printed, is a memory preserved for generations. There’s still time before Christmas.
“Now go, and make interesting mistakes. Make interesting, amazing, glorious, fantastic mistakes. Break rules. Leave the world more interesting for you being here. Make good art.”
author Neil Gaiman
If you enjoyed this why not share it with a friend or post about it on social media. Thank you for reading and sharing your time with me. — Diane
Despite you having deleted an entire post’s worth of words, you still wrote more than I ever would on a good day! LOL
Your dog photos are delightful. I love (LOVE) how you selected this batch of images and put them together. The stylistic consistency (is that a thing? it is now…) really pulls them all together. Might I suggest separating the non-snowy photo from the snowy ones, and presenting it just before or after the snowy collage? That would be the cherry on top…
This year I made calendars for my family. Vistaprint had a 50% off deal for their calendars earlier in the month and I availed myself of it. Kept things simple: 1 photo per month, no captions, no adornments. I hope they go over well.
especially love the top, left with their heads buried in the snow. it makes me wonder what’s going through their minds.
Diane, What a beautiful post. Loved your doggies romping in the snow – splendid photos. Appreciated the wonderful quotes of Neil Gaiman’s. Have jotted them into my commonplace journal. Thanks so much!
What adorable photographs of Heidi and her friends! The snow photos are priceless. I wish we would get snow. . . that stays.