Mill Creek Beacon - Your Hometown News Source

The year before I was born, Isaac Asimov wrote a short story called “The Feeling of Power.” Less than a dozen pages, it’s one of those Asimov stories that he seemed capable... — Updated 10/1/2021

I know a writer who likes to capitalize certain words or phrases, as if they were proper nouns. It’s really none of my business, but I can’t help noticing. He’ll write, “My... — Updated 9/24/2021

I wrote a column a while back about having dinner with old friends. It was a jokey piece about accepting certain limitations of aging, and the headline was “Navigating the last... — Updated 9/17/2021

I was 20 in 1978, a year I would have recalled as pretty unremarkable until I actually looked it up. Stuff happens every year. It was the year of the Camp David accords between... — Updated 9/10/2021

I find myself constantly amazed, having reached the distinguished age of three score and three, by what I don’t know. I know diddly-squat about hockey, for example. I have no... — Updated 9/3/2021

I knew a man briefly, once, so long ago now that I have a vague idea of maybe his age, possibly his height. I can’t imagine his name or anything else, except that I knew him for... — Updated 8/27/2021

My wife and I traveled to Texas last week, which felt like going from the frying pan into the fire, or at least into a slightly different pan. We avoided the wildfire smoke but... — Updated 8/20/2021

Stray memories pop out of my consciousness like gophers, poking up their heads, searching for relevance or possibly six more weeks of winter, and then disappearing back into their... — Updated 8/13/2021

I regularly have long, in-depth conversations with a very bright 7-year-old, illuminating the world as seen through younger eyes. It’s a world filled with Pokémon and... — Updated 8/6/2021

I had the only summer birthday in my extended family, so when late July rolled around it was usually an excuse for a big party. Summer seemed to peak around the time I leveled up... — Updated 7/30/2021

I headed for the river last week, as the river never disappoints. A summer that’s passed without at least a quick trip south to the Columbia is a summer wasted, and it turns out... — Updated 7/23/2021

I’m going to refrain from replaying the old joke, and just state for the record that after 16 months of relentless scrolling, I suspect I’ve reached the end of the internet. Thi... — Updated 7/16/2021

I don't really have any cultural bona fides to offer, but I fully support local journalism and I always think it's a grand idea to pass along any literary wisdom that I stumble... — Updated 7/9/2021

I started to walk outside one day last weekend, just to retrieve something I'd left in the car the night before. As I reached for the doorknob, I hesitated. Going outside had... — Updated 7/6/2021

I was out sitting on my daughter’s porch in Texas a few weeks ago, an experience not unlike eating ice cream too fast. It feels really good until it doesn’t, as the joy of... — Updated 7/6/2021

We’ve been putting out little fires for a few weeks, my community of friends, manageable trauma for the post-pandemic era and not unexpected. Some are desperate to hand out... — Updated 7/6/2021

About 10% of us are different from the rest of humanity in a number of ways. Or, to be a little less obscure, there are a variety of conditions or states that occur in human beings... — Updated 7/6/2021

I keep thinking about lists, although not at all the modern kind, the click-bait listicles about the 14 ways to spice up your spice rack (number 8 will make you hot). No, I'm... — Updated 6/11/2021

Years ago, at one of the many lifetime achievement ceremonies for famous people of a certain age, Elaine May said something interesting about the honoree, her erstwhile comedy... — Updated 5/28/2021

Once every 17 years, much like the cicadas, my daughter takes a hard look at my hair and decides she can do better. This is my theory, anyway. Even before I headed south to Texas... — Updated 5/20/2021

I went for a walk on Sunday afternoon, temperature in the low 60s with a slight breeze, a wildly unwelcome environment for SARS-CoV-2 transmission. A mask stayed in my pocket,... — Updated 5/6/2021 Full story

I'm guessing that the name of Theodore Parker doesn't ring a bell. This is probably because he delivered an historical sermon in 1853 that history tends to ignore. Parker studied... — Updated 4/30/2021

As we began to shut down a year ago, some of us were talking about our upcoming dystopian hellscape. It was all in good fun, as these things are, and we were mostly chatting about... — Updated 4/9/2021

What have you learned? This is always the question, direct or implicit. It's the theme of every commencement address and more than a few conversations in the principal's office.... — Updated 4/2/2021 Full story

What have you learned? This is always the question, direct or implicit. It’s the theme of every commencement address and more than a few conversations in the principal’s... — Updated 4/1/2021