Tag Archives: Pierre

I met this kid at a party…

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Last week, I met this kid at my cousin’s birthday party. I say “kid” because he was 24 years old. That’s 10 years younger than me, turns out. That’s scary. When did 24 years old become younger than me? We chatted for a while about cameras and photography in general. Come to find out, I really like talking about that stuff which concludes that I actually like being a photographer. Go figure.

I told him about Chase Jarvis’ new book “The Best Camera“, a book I haven’t read (actually, I think it’s just a photo book) in which the author uses his iPhone camera to capture some amazing photos. The title of the book is an old photography teacher mantra stating that the best camera is the one you have with you. Further meaning: You don’t need a fancy camera to be a good photographer.

Whenever the youngin’s ask me what camera they should buy, I always tell them what Chase says about the best camera; although I should note, as it’s become a Chase Jarvis phrase, it’s not new. You can be an awesome photographer with your camera phone. I then have to justify why I have a fancy, expensive camera and explain that it’s basically about fronting, looking like a pro, and making myself feel better when I’m on a shoot. It’s about vanity. Oh well, and I couldn’t rightly shoot actor headshots on a camera phone and then charge what I charge. That said, I recommended the kid get one of the Canon Rebels. I love those little guys and they’re actually pretty amazing cameras; you know, if you want to step up from the camera phone.

That said, this kid told me how he’s working on a project in which he takes one photo a day and then at the end of the week, uploads the lot to Flickr. I thought,by jove, what a novel idea. Alright, so all us photographers dabble with that idea from time to time. Some of us do it, some of us don’t. Some of us start and never get anywhere. I actually tried to do the picture a day thing and only made it through a few weeks.

It’s an exercise in seeing more in your environment and dumbing down your gear, living with limits. It’s about stepping away from the main picture and using a camera without a lot of bells and whistles. I do indeed like this idea and realized that I had a lot of fun when I did it the last time. Problem was, I didn’t do anything with the photos and felt it was gratuitous to upload one photo a day of random crap. However, a weekly posting on the week’s shots might be a bit more palatable and easier for me to handle.

I managed to get three this week. The last image is a random one I took while writing this post. It’s not bad for a start. Also note, the two photos of my yard cat, Pierre.

The Cat in My Yard

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Pierre grubbing on kitty chow.

Several days ago, I heard meowing coming from my backyard. My first thought was that one of the cats had gotten out and was crying for it’s mama (me). I went and looked, but no, it was a beefy grey cat. Yay! I’ve been wanting a yard cat for a while now. Why, you might wonder? Yard cats serve one main purpose (besides being awesome) they chase mice, rats, and voles away. Funny, we have all of those things.

Living in the forest, as we do, our yard is the perfect breeding ground for pests of all kinds. Over the last year, we’ve had issues with mice in the walls and attic. Matilda was good enough to kill one that set foot inside. We’d called an exterminator over the Summer; they set traps for a month, caught one, and were gone. Ever since then, we still hear the faint scratching of tiny claws in the walls. We recently found mouse poop in the TV room – which subsequently caused me to go on a cleaning frenzy. It wasn’t until one DIED somewhere in the walls (causing a horrific smell which overcomes the North side of the house) that we’ve gotten serious. AJB has stepped into his manly role as man of the house, setting traps, and disposing of (so far) one jumbo sized sewer rat. I love him so hard for that. However, I want nothing to do with it. I don’t even want to see the traps. The whole things grosses me out. I hate killing them, even though I know it has to be done. You really can’t trap and release them into the wild. Turns out, it’s illegal. So die they must, as sad as that is. I’ve come to accept that the health of my family and I is more important than “live and let live”.

Which leads me into the yard cat; the most eco-friendly way to deter rats in our immediate surroundings. In particular, our beefy little fellow, who I have named Pierre. I mean, seriously, you have to see the muscles on this cat; very impressive. Pierre started coming by a few days ago. Meowing and grubbing on any food I’d give him. He’s very sweet and let’s me pet him profusely. He also has a pair of fairly large testicles to further validate his machismo. He’s tough, but he’s also an adorable pussycat.

So now I’ve got this buff male cat prowling around my yard. It didn’t really occur to me that the indoor cats would be affected very much. Sure, they might get annoyed, but they’d quickly realize he’s out there and they’re in here. After all, we have critters coming up to the house all the time. Turns out, I should have worried a bit more. Pierre has set off Eva in a way I’ve never seen – except in those “when animals attack” shows. Whenever he’s around she hisses, spits, and yowls this unholy siren which escalates to violence aimed at whatever (or whomever) is nearest. She’s attacked both Matilda and Oatmeal and even blitzed the window screen. I mean, she’s really upset.

Eva, new to our home, has had a hard time acclimating to her new surroundings. She feels abandoned by her previous owner, scared of the world, is attempting to gain dominance, and has a tendency to lash out; even though she’s also very pleasant. This is a whole new world for her and she’s doing what cats do; reacting the only way she knows how. Except, we can’t tolerate violence. We’re working with her to keep her calm, show her we love her, but also make her aware that her actions are not acceptable. It’s going to take a long time. Cats don’t like change. In fact, they fight it.

Eva’s bad mood causes the other cats, who are happy to ignore Pierre, to become tense. We end up spending a good deal of time reassuring everyone that everything is fine. As for Pierre, he wants in the house. He sits at the back door meowing this pathetic little orphan meow, hoping I’ll open the door. I admit, I’m tempted because it’s Winter. I know, however, that he just can’t come in. I made him a bed and shelter; although I believe he’s sleeping under my car. I’m putting food and water out for him. I hope he’ll figure out that my old Nightmare Before Christmas throw is warm and comfy; the plastic bin will provide a better shelter. If he sticks around, I might invest in cat igloo.

I like that he comes by. He’s very agreeable, isn’t at all bothered by the indoor cats, and rather mellow. He’s taken to me and I’ve taken to him. He’s come to me for help and I’m going to give it to him. It’s what I do. JCS suggests that Pierre is more like The Tramp from “Lady and The Tramp”. On Tuesdays he’s Pierre at my house. On Wednesdays he’s Tony at the neighbor’s house. On Thursday, he’s Mittens down the street. Who knows? He came here for a reason and I won’t turn him away. There is a way to get all the cats to live harmoniously. I just have to find it. Meanwhile, more research and lots of and lots of belly rubs.

Merry Christmas.