Day: August 30, 2016

I get a lot of messages asking me where Kelly is if I don’t put her photo up on my blog, it is always a curious thing to see what catches the eyes and hearts of people, what grabs their attention in world nearly drowning in information and imagery.

Regina told me she loved the photos of Kelly Nolan, the bartender and waitress most week nights at Foggy Notion, a/k/a the bog a  tavern, bar and biker hangout (and horseshoe gathering) in the middle of my town of Cambridge, N.Y. The blog is one of our favorite hangouts.

I started taking photos of Kelly months ago, he was drawn to her especially radiant smile, which never fails her, even when the crush of work is overwhelming. Maureen wrote me asking why the photos of Kelly are so popular.

“I look for them every week,” she wrote, “her smile makes me smile.”

First, I said, because Kelly is so at ease with herself, her strength and confidence shine in her photos. Secondly, Kelly has a beautiful smile, it reflects an inner spirit. Then, I think Kelly has the quality of grace. She has a dignity and refinement about her, a poise and finesse.

In the Christian faith, grace is central. In the Old Testament, grace speaks of deliverance, of gratitude and acceptance.

My own definition of grace is secular, I see it as a quality of acceptance, of courtesy under pressure,  of a willingness to take responsibility for oneself and to treat other people with courtesy and respect. The waitress and the bartender are often called upon to act in grace, although they are rarely singled out, their work is no considered newsworthy.

I guess it is newsworthy to me, Kelly sparked my interest in portrait photography, which led to my monochrome camera, which led to my portrait show, which is now an integral part of my creative life. I appreciate Kelly for her heart and soul, I am sure she is no saint, but she is possessed of grace.

The Gang Of Four, our new Romney wool sheep – Rosemary, Izzy, Gibby and Griselle, march down the hill like some bad guys riding into town in an old Western film. They look like they mean business, they don’t rattle, they don’t much hang out with the other sheep,  and they don’t care to be told what to do.

They will obey Red, but sluggishly and they always give off the feeling that they are about to rebel and run him over. They just look purposeful and tough, they have none of the timidity that marks the behavior of most sheep. I can picture Rosemary plotting a breakout one day and tearing off into town.

They are carrying a lot of wool around in the summer, one or two look as if they have not been shorn in a couple of years. They will be shorn at the October Open House here at the farm, Jim McRae will have his capable hands full. I love photographing, they are strong women, they dare me to take their picture.

Donkeys’ have long and sensitive ears, and in the summer, they are the continuous target of nasty flies, gnats, no see’ums and mosquitoes. They are often scarred with bites, even bloody, and they can never reach them or protect them or scratch them. Once in awhile, when we are in the pasture, Lulu or Fanny will rush over to us and press their ear against our legs this is a sign they want some attention, usually some scraping or rubbing or soothing with a wet cloth.

When their ears are being soothed, they half clothes their eyes and sigh with relief and appreciation. We scratch our donkeys ears often. I thought Lulu would melt right into Maria’s body today, she was so glad to have her ears rubbed.

Maria is loving her Bedlam Farm Tote Bags, I suspect she will teach her student in India how to make them as well as potholders. The bags are full of the images and symbols that have come to characterize her work. I can’t speak for her, but in a way, I see it as feminist art. The tote bags are $48 plus shipping and can be seen on her website.

The tote bags are made by an eco-friendly fair trade company in India.

(Our October Open House will be held on the Saturday and Sunday of Columbus Day Weekend, October 8 and 9. Our new sheep will be shorn there, Maria is offering an amazing array of classy but inexpensive art there, showing her work, the farrier will come and there will be sheepherding demos every couple of hours. Details on Maria’s site.

Talking about the trip to India in February, Maria and I came up with this idea; why not take along messages from the people who helped make the trip possible? Why not bring your own beautiful messages directly to India with Maria?

If you would like Maria to bring a message and share it with the victims of sex trafficking in Calcutta that she will be meeting and  teaching, you can sent it to our Post Office Box: P.O. Box 205, Cambridge, N.Y., 12816.

Maria will take the messages to Calcultta and share them with the women she will be seeing there. “We are going to do a lot of good with this money,” she told me this afternoon when she got the latest batch of letters coming into the P.O. Box. She has collected enough money to pay for the trip, any additional donations will go directly to helping the women there.

“It is a tremendous blessing to know about people of your caliber,” wrote Danielle and June of Saratota, Fla.  “We trust and hope your India trip will be an enormous blessing to the soul-damaged persons in the diabolical sex trade.”

They donated $500.

Maureen from Northampton, Mass. wrote that “I loved your post this morning about worthiness, and your gratitude. I think what you’re doing is very exciting and worthy of support. Please use this donation as needed. Also, your writing is beautiful, I love the image of your heart softening, your spine straightening and the smile spreading across your face..”

She sent $50.

“There was a time when I was embarrassed to only have a small amount of money to donate to any given cause,” wrote Ann from New Hampshire, “as it seemed so paltry. Since running (an animal) rescue group I have realized it is not true. Every little bit counts…I respect what you are about to do.”

Ann enclosed a $20 bill.

These messages have been pouring in from all over the country, and it seems proper that those of you who support this journey should be able to write directly to the women you will be helping. If you care to do that, Maria will see that they receive them. How nice for them to know that all these people from so far away care about them and want to support them.

And thanks again.

Maria has enough money for the passage to India now, if you wish to donate further, she will see that the money will be put to good use.

Maria will be writing about this on her blog over the next few months.

And if you wish to have your letters brought to these women directly,  you can also sent the messages to our post office box, P.O. Box 205, Cambridge, N.Y., 12816.

(You do not need to donate to send a message to India with Maria, it would be wonderful for these women to see them and know they are supported and cared for.)