Fostering a new renaissance through creativity, authenticity, spirituality, and art
Polly Castor 
I visited the show that I submitted two paintings for as I discussed (click here) in a former blog post. It was fun to see everything. My painting, shown in the first photo below, is situated in the two story show at the top of the stairs.
I completed a project that had been following me around for weeks and finally I deserved the time to paint! Boy, did that feel good. Painting renders me feeling more whole and resolves any loose ends or rough edges. I thirst for it like water in a desert; I really enjoyed this gulp of refreshment! … Read more
I’m in the middle of reading long winded but helpful how-to books, some deeply dense, thought provoking spiritual stuff, and a slow moving classically epic tome of a novel. I needed a light escape and this memoir provided a delightfully wholesome one. I only give it four stars because it isn’t important enough somehow to … Read more
Even dismal weather can be beautiful if you just look more closely, as these photos show. I’m enjoying the prospect of the coming winter, not just for how cozy it is inside with a book, or the effectiveness of getting more things done in fewer frolicking daylight hours. I’m also looking forward to seeing the … Read more
I didn’t see this movie when it came out back in 2003 because of the premise: women disrobing for a cause. But since then, I’ve heard repeatedly from many friends that they loved it. When looking for a video to watch Thanksgiving weekend, I remembered that, and we reluctantly gave it a shot. To my … Read more
Peripheral Gratitude The obvious stuff I’m grateful for too But these often unstated things need to be added to that list: Knives, forks and spoons The wrapper on the bread Hummus and peanut butter Anytime I’m not perfect but still not criticized My mouse’s scrolling button Pretty dishes Ice water A clean carpet, fresh sheets, … Read more
This is the pie we made to finish off our Thanksgiving dinner. My pottery teacher saw it in the newspaper and gave me a copy. We both made it and thought it delicious. It was nice to have something so different that was so good. It is easy to make, and would be a good … Read more
Thanksgiving 2009 I’m thankful for God, infinite, ever-present, all-powerful good who wanted me, made me and actually loves me. I’m thankful for my husband and children, my family and friends and that we are safe, and happy and healthy. I’m thankful for eyes to see with, ears to hear with, fingers to touch with a … Read more
This page represents November 11, 2009 to November 22, 2009 See close-up entries below. Enjoy!
Our homeschooling group held an art show yesterday. These events are always fun. I am touched and impressed by the variety and quality of the work. The photo above is my 12 year old daughter’s presentation, with the first 8 photos below showing close-ups of her work. After that you can see my 15 year … Read more
Last April, when my 15 year old son was at MIT for a robotics program I was kicking myself that I didn’t have my camera when I saw the incredible building that housed the Robotics Department. (See my blog post from then by clicking here.) I promised then to bring back my camera and photograph … Read more
I brought my two homeschooling kids (12 and 15) for a weekend of classes at MIT Splash which is a wonderful program we would highly recommend. It is held at MIT every year on the weekend before Thanksgiving and this is our seventh year coming, as their older sister started coming in sixth grade. It … Read more
I am a regular writer for the Danbury News Times Forum on Faith Series. Here is today’s column for the Thanksgiving season: An American woman, Mary Baker Eddy, founded Christian Science in 1879. Having seen the importance of gratitude in Christian life, she established as an integral part of her worldwide church, a special Thanksgiving … Read more
This Steven Spielberg film of Alice Walker’s Pulitzer Prize winning book is wonderful, and wins five stars from me. The excellent cast includes Danny Glover, Whoopi Goldberg (her debut), and Oprah Winfrey (who back then was not even listed on the front cover.) I had never read the book nor seen the movie before, so … Read more
The Aldrich Museum of Contemporary Art (click here for their website) is right next to my church, which you can see in a background of the first photo below. I enjoyed a wet tour of the sculpture last Sunday morning before church; then got to thinking some of you may want to see it as … Read more
Here are some photos from our wet November… there is still beauty here for the noticing… Enjoy…
This is a very cool place. My 12 year old homeschooling daughter has been taking a film class here this fall and I got to see her movie today shown at the culmination of her class. They used the program FinalCut Pro, wrote, directed, acted in, filmed and edited their own movies. Hers was about … Read more