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What’s the worst that could happen?
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Take yourself back a year when someone cut you off in traffic, causing you to miss a turn and making it certain you’d be late for your VERY IMPORTANT meeting. In a not-so-genial state, you tried to find some Zen by asked the age-old question, “Now, really, what’s the worst that could happen? Consider…
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Is there a genius in the house?
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It’s one of my worst nightmares. My computer screen is black and it stays that way no matter what I press. So I do what most people do — I start clicking keys with wild abandon in hopes I can bring it back to life. The computer fights back. In self defence, it begins…
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Beth Parker meet Beth Parker
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It started with misdirected email. For a few exhilarating seconds, I believed that US authors and publishers were tracking me down. Then I realized that the emails were for a book publicist who almost had the same email address as me. So for over a year now, I occasionally need to re-direct a message…
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What’s my password?
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Technology has made my life (mostly) easier—thank you, IT gods, for that. But there are details that need to be worked out. Take passwords, for example. I’ve now filled three notebooks with secret codes and I sense I’m not alone in this. A thousand years from now, the early 21st century will be one…
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Tea tales
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Thank goodness for Downton Abbey. The art of drinking tea had been reduced to warm water in a Styrofoam cup or some concoction of berries with candy, soaked in hot water, and sold for $5 as “birthday cake blend”. But at Downton, the world learned the real deal about tea. We watched Duchess Grantham and Violet…
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On Painting Tulips
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This month I participated in my second art show, which means not only do I submit a new piece of art but also a new “artist statement.” I’m posting my statement this month. It pretty much sums up my current mindset on how to enjoy life as we go along instead of trying to…
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January Goals: Lost in Space
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During those first bright, new days of January, I love writing down goals for the coming year —not necessary doing them—but definitely writing them down. The very act represents so much potential. The sky’s the limit when it’s all recorded in a brand new notebook, especially when I add those little check-off boxes. So…
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Beth’s Big Art Show Debut
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As long as I can remember, I wanted to go to art school. The option was strictly forbidden for me, strange when I consider that my mother, an excellent oil painter, took lessons from Group of Seven artist, Arthur Lismer. But the concern, I believe, was connected to the fear that many first generation…
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Urban Gardens the Most Interesting: Magical Gardens of Leaside
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My early days in Leaside were filled with mystery each year during June when lawn signs popped up announcing a garden tour. Groups of people, usually wearing straw hats and carrying maps, were seen walking the streets, chatting and pointing out various plants and trees. I eventually realized that this wasn’t some kind of…