Polly Castor’s Blog an online journal of art, photography, spirituality, ideas, books, movies, food, poetry, and hope

More Bovine Bliss

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 12:02:24 -0500

When a previous post featured bovine bliss (see here) I didn’t imagine it as the first of a series. But these New Pond Farm cows are too happy not to record! Whether these two calves were grooming or lovemaking, they were certainly affectionately enjoying one another with exploratory taste buds! It was interesting to photograph this intimacy... Enjoy!

Today’s Ocean Sunset Painting

Tue, 9 Mar 2010 20:58:35 -0500

Today I worked on layering “graded washes” of watercolor to create a luminous effect. This single painting took several hours of meditative build up this morning, to get the colors to glow and spark off of each other like this. One must work light enough not to disturb the previous layer while heavy enough for the color to edgelessly intensify. This not only takes time and patience but a lot of paint as well. See the painting as the whole square below, or maybe you prefer it cropped either horizontally or vertically... Enjoy!

Movie Review: Runaway Bride

Mon, 8 Mar 2010 22:52:47 -0500

My oldest daughter is home from college for spring break. We both enjoy a good “chick flick” or romantic comedy; I see more movies when she’s around! Last night, when some people were watching the Oscars, we were watching a ten year old flick on video we hadn’t yet seen. We enjoyed Runaway Bride... a thoroughly decent film which I’ll give 4 stars (especially after rating the last movie like this too high – see here).

We liked this film, which is about really knowing yourself before you make a commitment, and stars an unbeatable combination of Julia Roberts teamed with Richard Gere. All the supporting characters in this are priceless as well. Rated PG, this movie lacks sex scenes, portraying successful intimacy on a whole other level, based instead on mutual understanding. That was very refreshing indeed.

Next time you’re looking for a clean, straight forward, sweet movie in this genre, give this one a try. We are glad we did!

Winter Photos of New Pond Farm

Sun, 7 Mar 2010 19:25:32 -0500

With temperatures in the fifties yesterday and today, we are thinking spring with good reason! As the weather here improves quickly, I wanted to slip in these photos I took of snow at New Pond Farm just last week, while at least the calendar still says it’s winter! All seasons are beautiful, and some of you may appreciate winter pictures more in hindsight...
Anyway, enjoy, and rejoice with me that the sap is running!

Book Review: The Elegance of the Hedgehog

Sat, 6 Mar 2010 09:23:37 -0500

This is a wonderful book; it is the best novel I’ve read in quite a while. I give it five stars.

I enjoyed it on audio because it is told in two perfect voices, but I’m resolved to read it again in print because there are so many great bits that demand pondering and a plethora of fabulously turned phrases that deserve basking in. The vocabulary here is the broadest I’ve seen in any recent novel; this is written by a very literate (while down to earth) person! I could have highlighted fifteen words I’ve never heard or uttered, but in context, I understood them all. If I had read it in text, this post would have been monstrously long as I’d have thought it necessary to share copious fabulous bits with you. This way, alas, you will be required to read the book and find them for yourself...

This is mostly an intellectual romp into philosophy, music, literature, sociology and art, thinly veiled as a compelling, metaphoric story. You care about the characters because you come to respect and cherish their thoughts. And these thoughts range over a huge fascinating spectrum, which is always changing, in such a way that it never lags, but propels you forward to the next succulent bit.

This is a story set in Paris about two unlikely autodidacts who notice life’s beauty and contemplate its meaning. It helps, maybe, being a life-long learner yourself (which I definitely am) to appreciate their trajectory, but even if not, I suspect this gem of a book might inspire one to want to be, as it portrays the love of learning, and the sharing of that, as one important thing that makes life worthwhile. (I’d say love is the other!)

Anyway, you can read more about the plot in the book jacket below, but I don’t think that description captures how unique and precious this book is. It is for thinkers and feelers everywhere who are willing to consider ideas larger than themselves. In other words, I think you might like it!

New Poem by me: Life Goes On

Fri, 5 Mar 2010 15:18:43 -0500

Life Goes On

Death means never more:
so definitive and final.

In argumentation
I’ve learned
to avoid saying
always and never
because it invites
finding a loophole.
Usually is more effective
in such a prevaricating world.

Can opposites mutually prevail?
Mohair and diamonds both occur
but not simultaneously in the same place.
We know that where there is light
there is proportionally no darkness.

It seems like
ceasing obliterates existence,
but I believe in life more than death
because decaying leaves
are a part of life sustaining the tree
whereas blooming and growing
are not constituents of death
but absolute anathemas.
Existing actually trumps ceasing.

When you are already going
does stopping have more power?

So instead, with no equivocation, accept
Life as meaning always more:
somehow good unfolds in perpetuity.

And who’s to say we will not meet again
as visible water is transformed to invisible vapor
both needed and nurturing,
while energy is conserved
in a multidimensional system
beyond our imagining, where
Life remains in constant contact
whatever state we’re in.

Death can never mean never
when always is always alive.

Polly Castor
03/04/10