Beth Caldwell – The View From Here

I don’t imagine a lot of 16-year-olds read my column. If my own daughters were still in that age group, I know for sure this writing space would be the last place they would cast their eyes because they’d be sure to find their haphazard and often dramatic ways cloaked […]

I love the month of June. In fact, aside from my birthday month of October, I think June takes the cake. I say that now while my lawn is still two days from another cut. Usually by the time I’m done mowing it, and because I have a big yard […]

I am experiencing the letdown that comes with the end of a really great holiday. I liken my quick descent back to reality to the loud gurgle and sucking swirl of water that I always stare at after finishing a sinkload of dirty dishes. “Uh-huh, there goes my ‘Cloud 9’ […]

I wake up at 6 a.m. every morning, pour a cup of coffee, sit in my favourite chair, write in my diary, and read a daily reflection from “The Book of Awakening” by Mark Nepo. Until now, I’ve lived a very safe existence—one that’s calculated and organized so that I […]

I was born with a great imagination, and as I was flying over the North Atlantic one week ago on my way to Britain, I thought my mind’s eye had a pretty good idea what this trip would be like. Suffice to say, I had no clue. This experience has […]

Let me begin by recanting my sad story about my home septic woes from last week. It wasn’t a miserable Monday after all. It turned out that all I had to do was replace a dirty filter. Thanks to “Good Man Joe,” I am free to flush!! Meanwhile, so here […]

Leave it to me to make a mountain out of a molehill. I may be free of guilt trips and voyages to “regret-ville,” but I certainly haven’t conquered my anxiety when it comes to stepping outside my comfort zone and away from my neck of the woods. I had best […]

I woke up in the wee hours of Monday morning to the clicking sound of my dog’s toenails in failed stealth when he tried sneaking into my bedroom to catch a floor nap before dawn. “Cash” knows better, but who am I kidding. This is the same dog that kisses […]

It’s been nearly 45 minutes since I sat down to write this column and I am doing everything BUT writing it. I’m following all the traditions that I usually do each Monday to set me up for the task—hot coffee at the ready, good music, comfortable clothes, and all the […]

“My lucky life.” That was Andy Rooney’s story title just over a month ago when, at the age of 92, he spoke in his final television essay on “60 Minutes.” And when he died late last week, this “Rooney wanna-be” was very sad, indeed. I guess I expected Andy Rooney […]