Fostering a new renaissance through creativity, authenticity, spirituality, and art
After breaking records for snow accumulation in January, it’s snowing again now that it’s February too. Everything’s cancelled once more. (The photo above is where our sidewalk meets our driveway; it’s hard to see around to get out on the road!) There are piles of snow higher than our van, and the sidewalk umbrellas have … Read more
Today was our homeschooling group’s annual Creative Arts Fair. As always, there was a wonderful variety of work. My daughter exhibited intricate bead-work – shown above and the first two photos below – along with her felted bag and a stained glass collage of an original poem. Anyway… welcome to this wonderful event, captured (only … Read more
The work on the left above, titled 34th, by Hans Fischer (see here) won First Place in our local Guild’s show. The show is open through February 25, 2011 (see here). It blew everyone else in the show out of the park in my opinion; it is a major home run, a bargain at $7200 … Read more
This is unbelievably good, with a sophisticated hint of blue cheese… And very wholesome too: totally different from the usual tuna casserole recipes, laden with packaged chemical additives. You’ll want this regularly! Baked Tuna Casserole 1 package whole wheat pasta (16 oz) 3 tablespoons butter 1 medium onion, diced 2 tablespoons all purpose flour 1/4 … Read more
I just finished an audio book not good enough to review here. As kids, we had a phase: “Close, but no banana.” I don’t remember the genesis of that idiom, but it was definitely true about this book. A friend of mine joked with me after seeing Charlie’s Angels that I could see moral lessons … Read more
It’s been too long since I’ve painted. I’ve been busy. But another dump of fresh snow cancelled church last night and I leaped at the chance to paint. Above is a detail of the painting I painted; below you can see the full version. Below that, I also show a shot out my window … Read more
This page represents January 15, 2011 through January 26, 2011. See close-ups of recent entries below. Enjoy!
You gotta love living in the northeast, where we get to hunker down and hibernate for a few months. It makes us appreciate the other seasons so much more! And the privilege of extra reading time under cozy polar fleece blankets is another fringe benefit of the area. So here we are, going nowhere, yet … Read more
This warm, nourishing soup was perfect for lunch today, a day that was all of two degrees when we woke up! And this is not only delicious but very quick and easy to make. It took me all of a half hour from the first chop to the table, and it generates just the … Read more
As I’ve said (click here) what you value governs what you are grateful for and therefore what you get more of. But what you value also determines what you do and don’t do. I value local and organic food, so that’s what I buy. I value education, so I’m always learning, etc. One of the … Read more
We’ve had a lot of snow so far this January. Public school kids here have missed at least 8 days of school this month, not counting late openings and early dismissals. One snow alone dumped two feet. You can see it up to the table tops in one photo below. That lump above is our … Read more
I enjoyed this touching Christian film and give it four stars. It has the feel of a good Christian revival: a temperamental white South African farmer’s life is turned around when he is led to accept Jesus and acquires a Bible. He sees proof of God listening to his prayers, and his Zulu workers do … Read more
Want a dense, flavorful muffin with enough staying power to get you through the morning? Try these from Jillian Michaels… Pumpkin Cranberry Muffin Recipe Preheat oven to 425˚F. Butter, spray or muffin papers to line the muffin tin 1 (15 oz) can of pumpkin puree 1/2 cup maple syrup 1/2 cup olive oil 1/2 … Read more
I’m so glad blog reader Clare recommended this book to me multiple times! Thank you! I really enjoyed this touching novel and give it five stars. It is a story told of Seattle’s International district, bouncing between the 1940‘s and the 1980‘s, from the perspective of a Chinese boy both at the age of twelve … Read more
Following the Tucson shootings, our Ridgefield Clergy Association, of which I have been an active member for thirteen years, unanimously supported the idea of publicly taking a civility pledge. We extended this at yesterday’s town Martin Luther King celebration where we invited individuals of the public to stand and join us in this pledge, as … Read more
As promised (click here) I wanted to feature an example of vital picture books. Usually I’d promote individual picture books that were remarkable in themselves, which is not particularly the case here. This post is about a remarkable man and his ideas. Picture books about him best communicate his important message into the budding thought … Read more
This page represents January 3, 2011 through January 14, 2011. See close-ups of recent entries below. Enjoy!