Today’s Painting
Above and below is the painting I did today. I was starved for paint, doing nothing creative except but my box-a-day all through the holiday.
Movie Review: Cranford
This is one of Masterpiece Theater’s best, and I heartily give it five stars. We had seen it in 2007, but re-watched it in three installments (concluding last night) in preparation for it’s sequel (Cranford Returns) to be aired this January (Sunday evenings January 10th and 17th.) You can read the synopsis (by clicking here) … Read more
Movie Review: Sweet Land (A Love Story)
I really liked this film and give it four stars. It is sweet, picturesque, pure, and slow moving. It begins with a flashback that makes it take a while to get into the story, but the story itself is compelling, and at the end, you appreciate the flashback as well. And it is wonderful to … Read more
Today’s Newspaper Article by Me: Resolutions Can Be Exciting Rather Than Demoralizing
I am a regular writer for the Danbury News Times Forum on Faith Series. Here is today’s column:
Goodbye VW (last decade); Hello SAAB (next decade)
A new decade seems like practically a whole new epoch. This is all symbolized for me right now by cars. For those of you that read of my harrowing experience a few weeks ago on a hill of black ice (click here to read it if you did not) this blog post is the other … Read more
Best of 2009
This website and daily blog have been going for a year! Thank you so much for your continued readership. It is fun journeying with you and I appreciate all your ongoing comments. Keep them coming! It seems appropriate to review some of the best posts from my blog of 2009, as we look forward to … Read more
Movie Review: The Young Victoria
We really enjoyed this new movie about the young Queen Victoria and give it five stars. It beautifully portrays her rise to the throne at 18, and her early challenges in that role, but mostly this is about her courtship and marriage to Prince Albert. This young queen has hutzpah along with a frolicking warmth … Read more
My 20th Wedding Anniversary
I had a wonderful day. It helped that we had no big expectations of it. We needed to take my 12 year old to a poetry workshop which was followed directly by an activity another mother was going to drive her to. This meant we needed to drop her off 45 minutes from our home … Read more
Tenth Page Done in My New Box-A-Day Art Journal
This page represents December 17, 2009 to December 28, 2009 See close-up entries below. Enjoy!
Movie Review: The Visitor
the question of what makes life meaningful, as well as a study in the universal language of music. I give it 4.5 stars. Walter is a tuned out widowed professor that is “pretending” to live his life. He is disconnected and numb, just going through the usual paces, marking time. He is required to go … Read more
New Poem by Me: Immaculate One
Immaculate One Self (innocent, perfect, pure) conscious (cognizant, alert, attentive, sentient) communion (trustingly at one) with God (inseparable omniscient ever-presence) contemplating… mediator way of salvation manifested in glory connecting transparent; comprehending conception (origin, existence) of being (life eternal) unconfined, unencumbered… Messiah (promised deliverer) hope, full-orbed complete fulfillment – encompassing perpetual peace – astonishing but true … Read more
Seasonal Scribbles
These three pages of jottings in my journal were done in church as the celebration of Jesus’ birth approached… May we all focus on the reason for the season!
Christmas Pears
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
Movie Review: Pay It Forward
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
New Poem by Me: Virginia’s 18th Birthday
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
Holiday Groceries
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
Book Review: School of Essential Ingredients
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