Mill Creek Beacon - Your Hometown News Source

“Don’t let people pull you into their storm. Pull them into your peace.” – Maya Angelou This past Sunday morning, our 11-year-old dog, Lulu, took on the strong winds and... — Updated 12/29/2021

The other night, at a small but very lively holiday party that began with stories of pandemic life and gratitude for some of the simplest of things, most of the guests became embroi... — Updated 12/17/2021

There is a song, a somewhat fatalistic song, that I used to listen to quite a bit in my early 20s: “It’s the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine).” We do that in... — Updated 11/19/2021

In 1992, nearly 30,000 rubber duckies fell off of a boat leaving China. Yes, 28,800 bath toys were lost at sea, and for years to follow, rubber duckies washed up on beaches far,... — Updated 11/5/2021

X – such a dramatic letter, mysterious, unique. Fewer than 2% of words in the English language use the x, and in Spanish, only words taken from indigenous languages or from Englis... — Updated 10/22/2021

Walking along the beach the other day, a bit of bright yellow entered my field of vision. It caught my attention because on a Pacific Northwest beach in the fall, the colors tend... — Updated 10/8/2021

“Labor is prior to, and independent of, capital. Capital is only the fruit of labor, and could never have existed if labor had not first existed.” – Abraham Lincoln We just... — Updated 9/10/2021

"After silence, that which comes closest to expressing the inexplicable is music." – Aldous Huxley Music is a celebration in times of joy. Music is a refuge in times of pain. To... — Updated 8/27/2021

“Rage,” from the Latin meaning “frenzy” or “madness,” is a noun referring to explosive anger or furious intensity, and a verb meaning “to act or prevail... — Updated 8/13/2021

“I could care less” is one of those commonplace and misquoted phrases. Many other colloquialisms may be more egregious, such as the painful overuse of “literally” to... — Updated 7/30/2021

We live in a pretty remarkable place. Having grown up and lived in many other states and countries, I cannot imagine living anywhere else in America. Washington is beautiful ... — Updated 7/16/2021

We have all heard of blood diamonds, but how about green gold? Gangs and organized crime groups are stealing this green gold across South Africa and Mexico, and from New Zealand to... — Updated 7/6/2021

A few months ago, I met up with a former student who had been spending most of the pandemic driving across the States, seeing the country, and making money driving for Instacart sin... — Updated 7/6/2021

One of my all-time favorite jokes is about Rene Descartes and his famous words, "I think, therefore I am." Descartes arrives at a party and is welcomed by the host, who is very... — Updated 7/6/2021

Home is where the heart is. There's no place like home. Home, Sweet Home. For all our lives, we organize everything around home, whatever form it takes. We leave home to go to the p... — Updated 7/6/2021

A friend recently noticed my Gnome Chomsky in the backyard...a fabulous little garden creature in the likeness of Noam Chomsky, standing above the spring flowers. It reminded me... — Updated 7/6/2021

resurrection n. res·ur·rec·tion | \ ˌre-zə-ˈrek-shən \ 1 a: the rising of Christ from the dead b: the rising again to life of all the human dead before the final judgment c:... — Updated 7/6/2021

“Kind words are worth much but cost little.” – George Herbert Studies show that nearly 90% of consumers seek out and are influenced by online reviews of businesses—as the... — Updated 7/6/2021

"At the root of the varied manifestations of dancing lies the common impulse to resort to movement to externalize states which we cannot externalize by rational means. This is... — Updated 7/6/2021

"It was books that taught me that the things that tormented me most were the very things that connected me with all the people who were alive, who had ever been alive." – James... — Updated 7/6/2021

You're simply the best Better than all the rest Better than anyone Anyone I ever met Tina Turner has been having a bit of a best-ever year. In addition to one of her songs... — Updated 7/6/2021

by·stand·er | \ ˈbī-ˌstan-dər \ bystander : one who is present but not taking part in a situation or event : a chance spectator I was thinking the other day about a call I... — Updated 7/6/2021

Who likes a roller coaster as much as I do? Strapped in tightly by a three-point restraint to a plastic seat, looking about anxiously from several stories high, anticipating (and... — Updated 7/6/2021

"A very merry Christmas And a happy New Year Let's hope it's a good one Without any fear And so this is Christmas And what have we done? Another year over And a new one just... — Updated 7/6/2021

Humans love a good hero. Admiration for others is in the place in our brain where fear and pain live – we have a visceral need to see the traits we admire in others because it mak... — Updated 7/6/2021