Fostering a new renaissance through creativity, authenticity, spirituality, and art
Polly Castor 
The indulgence of these pears at Christmastime is a family tradition for us. They are amazingly succulent, tantalizingly sweet and lusciously perfect. You can see we lit into this and ate one before I realized I should photograph it for this blog. They come from Harry and David (see here) and are called Royal Riviera … Read more
The assignment to the seventh grade social studies class is to have an idea that will change the world and then to put it into action. Trevor in that class has the idea for “Pay It Forward.” He will help three people out in a big way and then instead of paying him back, they’ll … Read more
Virginia’s 18th Birthday My oldest turned 18 quietly and without fanfare. She danced in her day at an end-of-the-term waltz party and celebrated with college friends by inviting them to a tea party in her dorm room. (She also served Boursin on snowflake Ritz crackers.) She had a Facebook message and text message from me … Read more
This is not where we usually shop. We come here twice a year, once to get our Christmas tree and again in the spring to get annual bedding plants. They were weird about me taking photographs; the security guard told me I couldn’t unless I asked at the courtesy desk; the courtesy desk said it … Read more
I really enjoyed this book. I give it five stars even though it is neither important nor profound – just nice – because sometimes well written “nice” is just what you want. There is a separate chapter on each person in the cooking class which reveals their backstory as well as the growth and progress … Read more
This page represents December 5, 2009 to December 16, 2009 See close-up entries below. Enjoy!
This tastes better than that picture looks! Sometimes you need some comfort food that is easy to make and that makes wonderful leftovers zapped in the microwave for busy days. This dish fits the bill on both accounts. The base recipe here is my mother’s delicious homemade macaroni and cheese recipe. I have that … Read more
I loved this movie. I give not only the film an enthusiastic five stars but give them to Nelson Mandela as well. This is definitely a feel good movie with a large message. And I am the farthest thing from a rugby fan. This is the story of the South African rugby team the year … Read more
My family had left at the crack of dawn for the FIRST Lego League State robotics Tournament. I stayed behind because I had a lot of work to do. It feels odd whenever I have the house to myself because it is so rare. I felt like I wanted to play hooky from church because … Read more
I like a lot of things abut New York City, but the variety and quality of food to choose from is definitely one of them. Most of these photos were taken on a stroll through Dean and Deluca (click here for their website) where this time we only bought Parmesan cheese straws and a drink … Read more
We enjoyed this show at the Whitney Museum on Madison and 75th Street in NYC. (Click here for their website) And you’ve got to love that lighted ceiling there, which is an art installation in itself! What I didn’t know before was that Georgia O’Keefe stepped out into fame with a first show of completely … Read more
My daughter and I enjoyed a great show today of Kandinsky’s work at the Guggenheim Museum. The museum is awesome in itself, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright in a gradually sloping spiral with a skylight at the top. One can not only see the artwork up close but from all the way across the museum … Read more
Last February, as some readers of this blog may remember, my 12 year old daughter asked for and got a food dehydrator for her birthday. Since then it has been living on our kitchen counter, and has just finished duty until next June when we can crank into drying strawberries again. Strawberries and apples are … Read more
I saw art by these two artists at a show at the Wilton Library in Connecticut, where they will be exhibited (and for sale) until December 29, 2009. Laura Wilk is an awesomely detailed representational watercolorist (click here for her website) and Marisa Taddei does exceptionally expressive non-representational monoprints (I couldn’t find a website for … Read more
Wow. This is quite a book. I find myself wanting to discuss it with someone, so I think it would be a good book club selection. Contrasting words like collaboration or resistance, vindictive or innocent, sweet and sharp, beautiful and ugly all come to mind regarding this extraordinary novel. Written by the author of Chocolat, … Read more
It was a fairyland here yesterday morning. If I had been more on the ball, I would have gotten out of the house early and taken some stunning photographs. As it was, I was diverted from that, for a wonderful reason. While it was snowing the day and evening before, my youngest daughter and her … Read more
It is surprising how green our tree trunks are here. Enjoy…