A Meme

[madshutterbug]

Nicked from dianavilliers
Comment on this post and I will give you 5 subjects/things I associate you with.

Then post this in your LJ and elaborate on the subjects given.

These are the subjects dianavilliers gave me:
1. Border Collies.
2. Portraiture.
3. Goats.
4. Old. Rural. North Central Baja Jorja.
5. Nursing.


1. Border Collies.
Our neighbor, Ms. Peggy, has kept Border Collies since before we moved out here, probably. We lived with a Rottweiler when we first moved, another herding/working breed. It may be simply that one dog, yet much as I loved Kuma he proved a bit rough on the goats. When Old Age and Death came to get him, we set about looking for an alternative. Several dogs came along in there, none quite working out, and we were dog-less when Ms. Peggy was looking for a new home for her bitch, Mudge. Whom I usually call Momma Mudge.

I always felt that while she did stay with us (mostly) Mudge simply considered living with us as an extension of her estate. Almost the first thing she did, well after being there a week, was run back to next door neighbor's place to see Michael, Ms. Peggy's BC Dog. Mudge proved unusual amongst canines. Michael was the only dog for her. Her tryst led to the whelping of six pups, three of whom found good homes elsewhere, and three of whom remain with us to this day. They've definitely proven much more goat-friendly (though the goats disagree with that statement), and also can deal with the bovine cattle we've got. So, we seem to have found the right breed of herding/working dog.

Things I did not know before I lived with Border Collies:
- They must be given something to do. If one does not give a Border Collie something to do, they will find something on their own. This trait does mean they are not the companion for just anyone; they need the interaction and energy-burning of an active relationship.
- I need help herding my socks onto my feet in the morning and off again in the evening.
- I expect that pretty much everything in a Border Collie universe is viewed from the viewpoint of herding it. Rubbish needs to be taken to the can? Herd it out the door. Leaves are dropping from the trees in autumn? Herd them into a pile.
- Except for cats. Cats do not herd worth a dog buscuit.
- Whether or not one can whistle loudly enough for the Border Collie to hear at a distance, Border Collies do demonstrate a profound response when they hear whistling.

2. Portraiture.
This is a subject I've been meditating on for ... a very long time. I fully believe there are photographic art related posts to come on this to provide more depth to my meditations. I'll not 'cop out' by saying, that's my answer and I'm sticking to it.

First of all, I've put up a brief note about this here, on Deviant Art.

I've been interested in portraiture for a long time. I hesitate to say 'forever' because I don't recall when the spark lit the fire though I do know it would be shortly before I started to seriously study photography. When I was 19 and in Grand Rapids Michigan at Aquinas College taking my only formal photography classes, Mr. Yousef Karsh came and presented on the subject of photographic portraiture. I purchased an autographed copy of one of his books. In retrospect I'm inclined to think at the time he was touring to promote that same book. No matter; even in the face of current thought to 'demote' Mr. Karsh from being a 'genius' of portraiture to merely opportunisitic, looking at his photographs one must admit that he demonstrated at least a mastery of the craft.

Modern photographic portraiture, to me, seems to be mostly in the realm of 'head shots', facial recognition photographs for people needing to promote themselves in their various professions. This is certainly a legitimate approach. I lean much more to the root of the word, portray.

Using Wictionary (because it's convenient, not necessarily definitive) there are two definitions of Portrait: # A painting or other picture of a person, especially the head and shoulders; and (figuratively) An accurate depiction of a mood. Portray receives three: To paint or draw the likeness of, and Hence, figuratively, to describe in words, and To adorn with pictures.

Actors portray the characters they play in theatre, either stage, cinematic, or
otherwise.

Thus, to portray someone, to provide an image of a person or persons which also provides an accurate depiction of a mood, means by extension to provide an accurate depiction of the Person. Not simply what they look like, something more, about who they are, what they do, their role in their universe.

To this end, then, I'll first refer the reader to a famous quote of Hokusai, the Japanese artist. I paraphrase his thoughts, hence that link to the quote itself: At the age of 33 I gained the insight that portraying a person improved my photography. Anything earlier than that I attribute to luck; perhaps by the age of 86 I shall understand this concept better.

3. Goats.
One morning I woke up, got ready, and went to practice Nursing in Hospital Sugical Theatre. When I left, I did not own goats. When I got home, I owned goats. Herself said they were free to a good home. There Ain't No Such Thing As A Free Goat, I replied. That was 20 years ago now.

Goats are very handy when one wishes to prune ones shrubbery and trees. Goats are not so very handy when one wishes to mow ones lawn, as goats are 'browsers' not 'grazers'. They are quite intelligent as domesticated breeds go, and this is just intelligent enough to frequently get themselves into trouble yet not out again. They are much easier to handle and control than cows simply because of the relative mass.

They stress a fence something fierce.

Goats are maligned when someone says they will eat anything. They are quite fussy about what they eat. They will taste-test everything. After all, how else will they know if they want to eat something?

Goats hate being wet. Hate.

4. Old. Rural. North Central Baja Jorja.
Originally coined to describe the telephoney connection we enjoy here at Teh Ranch, I've found that it does touch on a number of other aspects about where we live.

First of all, I must credit my friend, betnoir with providing the specific 'Baja Jorja' reference. The 'Old' and 'Rural' are my own. It may help to know that Betnoir lives in California, and most people who've studied much geography will recognise 'Baja California' as the name of the penninsula extending south from the US-Mexico border.

Likewise, most people when they hear the name of the State wherein we reside will think of the sub-tropical clime and atmosphere of Miami and Key West, or of Daytona Beach, even of Cape Canaveral and the Kennedy Space Center. Closer to the Florida-Georgia border, there is a marked change in the demographics even in the cities found in this part of the state, Jacksonville, Ocala, Gainesville, and the capitol, Tallahassee. With long-term residents, it can become difficult to discern differences in regional accents from residents of Georgia.

The Spanish spelling of the name, 'George' is Jorje, and the feminine derivative is Jorja. With the differences so blurred, not to mention the very old local history related to Spain, thus the concept of Baja Jorja.

5. Nursing.
This is my Profession. It is what I do. It is a disciplined methodology of thinking, gathering data for analysis and discerning problems, then developing a plan to intervene and correct/solve those problems to provide the greatest 'wellness' possible to an individual. Because deCarte's simple statement 'I think, therefore I am' is such a profound truth, and because Nursing is so intimately tied to that methodology of thinking, it is also Who I Am. Once any of us learn any of the various thought methodologies which comprise various professions, we are no longer able to stop thinking in that manner. The processes may become more sub-conscious, yet they do not stop until Death comes and claims us.

It is all intertwined; thus while I expected that my study and practice of Nursing could and would affect my Art (Photography), I proved somewhat surprised to learn that my study and practice of Art could and does affect my Nursing. The problem-solving analysis is based on and tested by scientific research; the implementation of that knowledge base is Performance Art.

Comments

[madshutterbug.livejournal.com]

For you then:

1. Poetry
2. Writing
3. Wikka
4. Nurse
5. Singing