By Neal Murphy

“The Steering Wheel Knob – Where Is It?” By Neal Murphy

August 20, 2021 - I purchased my first car in 1955 after my sister, Evelyn, loaned me the down payment. The car was a 1950 Chevrolet two-door with fender skirts, a sun visor, and an automatic transmission. I always referred to the transmission as “slush-matic drive” as it was rather sluggish on the takeoff. One final amenity was added to my chariot – a brodie knob on the steering wheel.

“Where Have Shoeshine Stands Gone?” By Neal Murphy

August 13, 2021 - When I was a kid growing up in the small town of San Augustine, Texas in the 1940s and 1950s, I recall our town having at least two shoeshine stands. They were located inside two barbershops in the downtown area. Mr. Stephenson owned a shoe repair shop where he worked with all kinds of leather goods including saddles and harnesses. He would also put a shine on shoes that he had repaired with new leather soles. Mr. Crawford had a shoe repair shop on the east side of the courthouse.

“Why Are Porch Ceilings Painted Blue?” By Neal Murphy

July 30, 2021 - In my younger days I occasionally hung wallpaper and painted in a few of the very old homes around East Texas. Two things I noted about these old homes: one, they always had large porches, some completely surrounding the home; and two, the porch ceilings were usually painted a light blue. As we know, porches have just about disappeared on the new homes built today, or else a front porch is like an afterthought. Why is that?

"The Bug Letter" By Neal Murphy

July 12, 2021 - Everyone has received one from a large company at one time or another. They are very easy to identify for they have certain characteristics regardless of the topic.

I recently complained to my cable TV company because the signal was constantly going out. In fact, cable service was down for three consecutive days. Based upon the monthly premium that I pay for this service, it should be mirror-clear 100% of the time.

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