Submitted by Neal Murphy

“So, You’re Left-Handed” By Neal Murphy

March 15, 2024 - About 10% of the population is left-handed. Our daughter is left-handed even though both of her parents are right-handed. So, what happened? Is being born with the dominant hand being the left one blamed on genetics?

Lefties have had a tough time over the centuries overcoming their “handicap.” Beginning at the time of the Industrial Revolution, workers needed to operate complex machines that were almost certainly designed with right-handers in mind. This would make the leftie appear less capable and clumsier.

“A Tinker's Dam” by Neal Murphy

March 7, 2024 - I was watching the Dr. Phil show the other day when he made a statement that I had not heard in a long time. He told one of his guests that he didn’t “care a tinker’s damn about that”. That comment prompted me to delve into that old saying as to its real or intended meaning. The meaning in today’s society is “something that is insignificant or worthless”. However, the saying has more than that one meaning.

“The Christmas Song That Almost Wasn’t” by Neal Murphy

December 12, 2023 - Many secular Christmas songs have been written over the years, some successful, but most never made it to the big time. The second most popular song behind Bing Crosby’s "White Christmas" almost didn’t get recorded. Had it not been for Gene Autry’s wife, Ina, the little song may have languished for lack of attention and faded away into the trash can of history.

“Dr. Miles’ Nervine” by Neal Murphy

November 30, 2023 - I recall that my mother, Alice, would complain about her nerves. After a long day of work in her beauty shop she would often go to her medicine cabinet, pull out a blue bottle, and take a spoon full of liquid. She said that it calmed her nerves.

“Is It a Violin or a Fiddle?” by Neal Murphy

July 10, 2023 - So, what is the difference between this musical instrument of four strings called either a violin or a fiddle? They appear to be identical in physical appearance, and they sound the same regardless of whether being played by a male or female, professional musician, or an amateur. There is a musician’s joke that appears to give us a clue to the question.

Question: “What’s the difference between a fiddle and a violin?”
Answer: “You don’t spill beer on a violin.”

“Notes from History” by Neal Murphy

June 26, 2023 - As we all know San Augustine County is experiencing a rush of activity from oil companies who are drilling for gas from the Haynesville Shale formation. It appears that our county was the object of intense interest for the same back in the 1890s. The following is a quote found in the Houston Daily Post in the summer of 1890:

In the Oil Region:

“The Confederate Giant” by Neal Murphy

June 12, 2023 - One can only imagine what the Union soldiers must have thought at the sight of a giant wearing a confederate uniform running toward them in the heat of battle. Henry Clay Thruston was beyond a doubt the tallest man in the Confederate army.

Drunker Than Cooter Brown by Neal Murphy

May 31, 2023 - Like me, I am sure that you have heard the phrase descriptive of total inebriation, “Drunker than Cooter Brown”. The phrase is in common usage by both white and black southerners. The question is who is Cooter Brown and why was he such an infamous drunk? Well, the question is enough to drive a person to drink because very little can be found about Mr. Brown, although there are quite a few bars scattered around the country that call themselves “Cooter Browns”.

"The Mad Stone - Truth or Fiction?" by Neal Murphy

May 17, 2023 - One of the most intriguing artifacts held in the collection of the Sam Houston Memorial Museum is a “mad stone” donated to the Museum in 1978. The question is, “What is a mad stone, and how was it used?”

“The Texas UFO” by Neal Murphy

April 18, 2023 - Unidentified Flying Objects have been around for a long time now, the most notorious of these being the Roswell, New Mexico event. On July 7, 1947, a UFO crashed northwest of Roswell on a cattle ranch, scattering debris over a wide area. Several bodies of extraterrestrial beings were reportedly recovered and autopsied. The event was explained by the military as a weather balloon crash, there were no beings, and thus began the most notable cover up in American history.

Shelby County Today

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