24 August

Small Dogs And Dignity. Gus Halts The Sheep.

by Jon Katz
Small Dogs And Dignity

Since we got Gus, I’ve asked myself what I can do as a photographer to capture the meaning and impact of the small dog. I take my photos seriously, as some of you know, and I am always looking for ways to use them to capture real life, and real people and animals.

To me, the issue with small dogs and photographs is one of dignity. People’s love for them is great, and their hearts are great, and they are, at heart, dogs like any other. But almost every picture I have ever seen of a small dog focuses on their cuteness, their adorability, their smallness. I have done this myself, I love to take cute photos of Gus, and so does Maria, and people love to see them.

So there is a stereotype about small dogs, they are so often emotionalized and infanticized, that that is the image of them that stick’s in people’s minds – small dogs wearing sweaters, booties, sitting in bows, picked up and carried, cuddling machines.

So what, I wondered, can I do to be more creative about taking photos about Gus, to capture his rather large spirit and personality. Gus, to me, is certainly cute, but he is also quite brave and determined, it is no small feat for  him to wander freely though a pasture filled with large animals, this is something the border collies are built to do and are bred to do, but for Gus, it is quite strange and new, and even dangerous.

So I actually think of him as a rather large dog, at least in terms of his presence. I rarely pick Gus up, our cuddling time is brief and warm and my idea of Red is for them to be nearby, but not that close. Red is the perfect dog for me, he is always nearby, but never in my face. He respects my space, and I respect his.

So I’m trying to focus my photography on the idea of Gus and his dignity (okay, sitting on the back of a donkey?). I would be foolish not to take cute photos of Gus, a lot more people want to see photos of him that read my books. But I am liking photos like this one that show a small dog with some dignity, and suggest the bigness of their hearts and egos.

Red was like a wolf sitting out there in the middle of the pasture, looking out over his kingdom, as comfortable as if he were sitting on a couch in the living room. I think he has his dignity in the photo. Just after I took it, the sheep headed for the bar, and Gus turned around and didn’t move an inch, even as they ran right up to him.

To my amazement, they stopped and Gus came forward and barked and licked Zelda on the nose, and took a nip at Liam, who was coming forward. The sheep, astonished froze.

I had my new lens on, and it is too narrow to capture the scene. I’ll get it next time.

I threw a withering glance at Fate, suggesting she pay attention to how Gus stopped the sheep, and she did seem startled.

I hope I can capture the dignity of the small dog. That would be creative.

24 August

The Mansion: “I So Want A Dog….I Guess It’s Too Late.”

by Jon Katz
“…I Guess It’s Too Late.”

I suppose there comes a point in many of our lives when we know we will never have another dog. It is not something I have thought a lot about it, although as I grow older, it is a factor in my thinking about what kind of dog to get. Jean brought this home to me this morning at the Mansion.

She is one of the sweetest people I know, and she loves Red dearly. She practically melts when she sees him, and she always bends over to him to touch him and kiss him on the forehead. He is very attached to her, this morning, we went to the Mansion early to drop off 100 copies of the Mansion short stories book, “Tales Of The Mansion.”

I knocked on Jeans’ room and she told me to come in, she was making her bed. I saw a dog bed on the floor next to the bed, with a stuffed dog lying in. Jean and Red talked to one another for a few moments – I usually try to be silent during those times – and then Jean stood up and said.

“I so want to have a dog.” She sounded so uncharacteristically sad. Then she paused, and said with resignation and considerable dignity, “I guess it’s just too late. I know it’s too late for me…”

I see that sometimes the reality of their lives is close, sometimes it fades, and is jarred to consciousness. Red can bring happiness, but also sadness sometimes. Because he always goes away. The Mansion is a happy and loving place, the residents are very grateful to be there, but of course there is a sense of loss that sometimes appears like a dark cloud, and then drifts away.

I did not have a response for that, her pain and sadness were palpable, and I wondered if that day would come for me, and how I would react to it. Jean and I talked about it for a few minutes, she said it was the end of a kind of life, a part of life when you could not have a dog.

In this therapy work, you learn or are taught to never try to cheer anybody up or tell them things will be fine, you can’t promise that and it isn’t your job. I just nodded and let her hold Red for a while.

I see more and more of the bravery of the Mansion residents, they have given up almost all of the things they love in the world to come to a safe place and relieve their families of increasingly intolerable burdens. But I can see in the longing way they look at Red their sorrow at finding themselves too late in life to have a dog, and their joy at seeing a dog like Red. You can write Jean c/o The Mansion 11 S. Union Avenue, Cambridge, N.Y., 12816.

I have a new and updated list of Mansion residents who wish to receive your letters and photos and messages. A reminder that I can’t and shouldn’t update people on when letters and gifts have been received, or how and when they are being used. Asking is a kind of pressure, and privacy is important there.

When we give to the residents, it is of course a selfless thing, we let go. Sometimes they can respond, sometimes they can’t.  I can tell you that your letters and messages are the most precious gifts these people ever  receive, and they are grateful. 

I cannot list birthdays, that’s private information I am not authorized to write about unless told, nor can I publish photos with the residents name. I only take photos when people agree to it, and I always ask permission. The list changes all the time.  And such a chore would be very burdensome.

The new list is as follows, you can write to them c/o The Mansion, 11 S. Union Avenue, Cambridge, N.Y., 12816. Winnie, Jean, Ellen, Mary, Gerry, Sylvie, Jane, Diane, Alice, Jean, Madeline, Joan, Allan, William, Brother Peter, Helen, Connie, Robert, Shirley, Alanna, Barbara, Peggie, Dorothy, Art, Guerda, Brenda, Bruce, John Z.

24 August

Best Selling Bob. “Tales Of The Mansion” Is Out!

by Jon Katz

‘Tales Of The Mansion”

Bob, our cover boy, won the award for best story in “Tales Of The Mansion,” I had the pleasure of bringing him one of the first copies of the book, he was excited to see it. Julie Smith, the activity director and I went through the Mansion handing out a copy to each of the residents.

A lot of them couldn’t quite believe they were in a book, it was one of the pleasant tasks in memory for me. Thank you so much for supporting this book, already in its second printing. I brought 100 copies to the Mansion, for the residents, their families, and the staff.

Connie Brooks of Battenkill Books has already pre-sold 130 copies, I brought the over to her today and I will go and sign them this afternoon. I’ve ordered a second printing so we can handle additional orders, which are coming in pretty steadily. You can order the book by calling Battenkill Books at 518 677 7136 or order  the books online.

The store takes major credit cards and Paypal and they will ship anywhere in the world.

The Mansion stories are poignant, surprising, sometimes sad, sometimes ironic and funny. People are their stories, and these stories need to live out in the world. These writers have often felt forgotten, their book will remind them and the world that they are very much alive.

I will sign all of the books purchased there. The book costs $10 plus shipping and all of the proceeds will go to the Mansion’s outing program. Julie Smith and I conducted the writing workshops and assembled the stories, Abrah Griggs put the stories together in book format.

This project was very personal for me, a real joy, and I am very happy to sign any books purchased. We are already in a second printing.

(Tomorrow, there will be a Hawaiian Luau lunch at the Mansion, thanks for the beautiful decorations. On September 11, we are organizing a “Pizza Party” lunch at the Mansion to celebrate Assisted Care Week. On Thursday the 18, we’re taking some of the residents on a lunch/boat ride around Lake George. The residents would love to go to Albany in December to see the Christmas Light display there. I’ve begun calling charter bus companies, (the bus must be handicapped accessible,) and the first estimate was $2,400. Gulp.  I’m sure I can do better, I will keep trying. We are also planning a poetry week in October, I’ve asked Jackie Thorne, a published poet and student in my writing class to take one class, I’ll take the other. We’ll have a reading at the Mansion at the end of the month. The Mansion is full-up for the first time in a month or so, I’ll get an updated list by the end of the week.)

If you wish to donate to the Mansion projects, you can send a contribution to me at my post office box, P.O. Box 205, Cambridge, N.Y., 12816, or through Paypal, ID [email protected].

24 August

Green Pasture. Blessed With Grass

by Jon Katz
Green Pasture

Our back pasture is green and tall, thanks to the frequent rains this summer. We are blessed with grass, no need for rotational grazing. Chloe left in the Spring, and we can see just how much she ate, this was all down to the ground at this time last year. I took this shot with my new experimental Daguerreotype lens, I like the softening effect, what they call the “otherworldly affect.” I am nothing if not otherworldly.

24 August

Torture And Mayhem: Red’s Big Heart

by Jon Katz
Red’s Great Heart

Red has a heart as big as the mood, he is full of generosity and love.  He pays little attention to Gus, and declines his many invitations to play. Gus worships Red, follows him around, licks him and crawls all over him. Red is a model of patience and acceptance, he simply waits for Gus to get bored and move onto something else.

Quite often, Gus and/or Fate will leap right over him as they tear around the yard or the house together. Red never moves, complains or gets rattled. And Gus is undeterrable.

We are so lucky to have Red, Gus and Fate play all day, but a different dog would make life hard for Gus, and for us. I am so grateful for Red, he has enriched my life in so many ways, and also enriched the lives of other people. Gus will never stop crawling all over him and demanding that he play, and Red will accept this new pest in his life with grace.

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