I ran into Kelly Nolan the other day at the Cambridge Veterinary Service, it was the first time since I have known her that she did not show one of her radiant smiles. She was coming out of a surgical and examining room, and her eyes were filled with sadness. She had just lost three puppies in a grueling five hour labor for her new rescue dog, who she did not know was pregnant until just a couple of weeks ago.
The vet had to operate to save the two remaining puppies and the mother. They had been there for hours. It was a difficult and expensive day for the dog, and for Kelly.
She was left with a $1,300 vet bill and it lifted my heart in the dark days of the weekend to suggest that some of us people and animal lovers help her reduce that bill, now on her credit card.
I’m not pushing it, or launching a crowdsourcing campaign, just suggesting that anyone on the blog who wants to help knock the bill down can sent a contribution to P.O. Box 2502 State Route 22, Cambridge, N.Y., 12816. You make make a check out to Kelly Nolan or to me, Jon Katz. Either way, it will all go straight to Kelly later next week.
Several people have asked if they can contribute next week (of course) or through Paypal. Yes to that also, you can send a contribution through me, my Paypal ID is [email protected]. You can sent it through Paypal’s “Friend And Family” feature in any amount you wish. Please mention that it’s for Kelly.
There is no pressure to do this and a lot of you have been generous to other recent fund-raising efforts here. I understand the realities of the world. I don’t want it to be a big Internet or Facebook deal, something more intimate, something from our community. We need to help each other.
Do not feel any shame or guilt if this doesn’t work for you now, and thanks to those of you who want to do it. Kelly is the real deal, and $1,300 is a lot of drinks to pour, orders to take and tables to clear.
For me, feeling matter begins with doing a small good, especially right now. I want to connect with people, not divide them. That doesn’t mean you have to feel the same way, or do it in the same way, but if you do thanks. I smile every time I think of handing Kelly some money, and that is not a small thing this week.
It’s something of a cliche, and it tends to glide over the heads of many people and political leaders, but I believe love is the most powerful force on earth, it refuses to die or fade, and is central to well-being and future of every human being, whether they see it or not.
In the love of a grandmother, we see the power of love, and this gives all of us hope and comfort, even when the world around us seems to spin in a whirlpool of hate and argument. Love heals. Power, greed and rage does not.
It has been said that only as grandmothers do mothers come into the fullness of grace. I hope this is true of grandfathers as well, I will have the chance to find out soon.
I’ve decided to do a portrait show – I’m calling it ” People In My Life” or “People Of Cambridge.” I think it will show at the Round House Cafe. Maria is now the co-curator (along with Lisa Carrino) of the cafe’s art gallery, and so she will be my curator, if she agrees. And if she thinks the photos are good enough.
It’s cool to be sleeping with the curator of your show, but she is tough as nails, and I will get no breaks.
That means she will get to tell me what to do.
So what’s different from every other day?
I want the show to be a portrait show, portraits of the people who are in my life and in my town, portraits of people not often seen or taken. I have my Zeiss portrait lens now, a piece of glass worthy of my project, and my Canon 35 mm is also a fine portrait lens.
I’m looking for a lot of things in these portraits – character, feeling, I hope to capture something of the spirit of people. I want the portraits to be of people I know, people who are in my life, and in some way, the life of my community. I want the people in my portraits to be people of heart. People who know how to love.
It’s an ambitious thing for me, I get more serious about portraits all the time. I have the the tools. I have good cameras, good lenses, and a lightstand when I need one, all from B&H Photo in New York City.
I stared this project with photos of Kelly Nolan, the bartender and waitress at the bog, she has one of the world’s most radiant smiles. I am branching out, looking for people who are not famous, but ordinary in a very special way. So far, none of them are ordinary at all.
I shot one of these portraits today – Margaret Waterson and her granddaughter Eva Smith, who is visiting with her this week. They came over so Ava could see the donkeys and pony, and both agreed to stand up in front of the red barn. I chose to shoot them in black-and-white with my used Zeiss 85 mm. They both readily agreed.
Margaret does not believe she and Ava resemble one another, but I believe they do. I think their eyes are very similar, and they both have great character in their faces, in different ways. And I think the character in both is what makes them resemble one another, it is not literal to me.
Margaret is my oldest friend in the country (along with her husband Bill) and she has influenced my life greatly. She ran the Battenkill Book Store before Connie Brooks took it over and it was she who first suggested I write about dogs. Margaret is a Quaker and a fierce individual. She is a feminist, and she has done many good things for many people.
She has great character, Maria and I admire her and Bill greatly. I remember meeting Bill at a Quaker Men’s Group years ago, long before I moved here, he struck me as a rare and extraordinarily decent man. I was correct. I am fortunate to have him as a friend.
Margaret is a no-nonsense truth teller, and I love the depth of character in her face. She has what I call a Mt. Rushmore face. I thought Ava shows similar character, but the think I like about the photograph is that people will make their own decisions and see for themselves. You naturally look for resemblance, and that makes the photo interesting.
Portraits are an important part of my work and creativity now. There is little more sacred than capturing the spirit of a person. I only take photos of people I like, and more and more, I am learning how to make them comfortable and be themselves. With Margaret, that is no problem.
In the photographs of Kelly Nolan, I find a kind of admirable American hero, a person who works hard, uncomplainingly and graciously, loves her family, her friend and her dog, and who accepts life as occurs to her.
As I take these photos, I will continue to share them with you so that you can attend the show and see it develop, even if you can’t see it in the flesh. I hope you will share this with and me and also share the feelings this photos evoke in you.
The love of a grandmother is a special thing, at least to me, it saved and shaped my life. My grandmother showed me what it was to love a human being unconditionally and without reservation, and she had many reasons in her hard life to turn from love.
In these troubling days, the power of love takes on more and more meaning. We yearn for it, need it, aspire to it. It is perhaps the only way we can be brought together. The portrait speaks to the power of love, and that makes it special to me. I think the curator likes it, so maybe it will get into the show.
Maria and I drove to the Vermont Fiber Mill in Brandon, Vt. today to drop off eight bags of wool we collected from Jim McRae, our shearer. They will be ready in the Fall, Maria will sell them as yarn and roving. We got a lot this year, we sheared later than usual because of the Spring Open House.
I love bringing Red to see the alpacas, this very serious and efficient dog seems to go blind out there, he won’t look at the alpacas, notice them, bark or stare at them, or acknowledge them in any way. He just keeps looking at me: “what alpacas, pal?”
The alpacas, on the other hand, were fascinated by him, they came up to the fence and started. This is a bi-annual happening, Red has never deigned to much as glance at them, none of the laser-like stares he gives the sheep. He did have plenty of interest in cuddling with Deb, the mill’s owner an operator. He is no fool.
Fate and the sheep have reached an understanding. She can hang around them all she wants, they won’t butt her or bother her. In return, she won’t try to tell them what to do. It seems to be working out beautifully. Fate loves to work around the sheep, like most border collies, she lives for it. She loves to sit with them and look important, like the TV dogs.
The sheep used to run her off, butt her or charge her, but they have accepted her now. They don’t bother her, she doesn’t bother them.
People who live with horses and donkeys often take their noses. Equine noses are sensitive – they decide what to eat with them. They are soft and warm, rubbery yet very much alive. They show affection with their noses, talk with them, learn with them and sense with them. When I enter the pasture, three sets of equine noses greet me, inspect me, scan to see what is in my pocket. I call it the Cookie Toll, it is not simple to get past them until their noses are rewarded.
Their noses are trusting and gentle, they see and feel with them. Every morning, Chloe kisses me in the nose. I give her a cookie or carrot. It is our way of talking, of saying hello, of seeing the mood of the other.
