"Thats All She Wrote" by Neal Murphy

October 21, 2022 - If you are like me you have heard this phrase most of your life, but probably not thought much about it. On the surface it appears to have a finality about it as it can be translated “that’s all there is”, or “it’s finished”, or “it’s over”, or “there’s no more”.

“The Bug Letter” by Neal Murphy

October 7, 2022 - 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.

"Attack of the Gerbil" by Neal Murphy

September 21, 2022 - Around 1965 a new store opened in the Meyerland area of Houston, Texas near where we lived. It was a new kind of store, a forerunner of K-Mart or Wal-Mart. It was a “Sage” store, massive in size, and contained most anything any shopper would need. The only thing different was that you had to “join” the club in order to shop there. I recall the price was somewhere around $15.00 per year for the privilege to shop, and you had to show your ID card in order to enter.

“Dope On A Rope” by Neal Murphy

September 1, 2022 - I still have a scar on my left knee caused by a football injury, although I was not playing football at the time. How could that have happened, you may ask. Well, here’s how.

When my son, Doug, was around eight years old in the late 1960s, he enrolled in the F.U.N. football league in Houston, Texas. There were a number of different teams and Doug ended up on the Cougars team. The boys played their games in a very nice football stadium which resembled a smaller version of Rice University stadium.

“The Big Chief”

August 5, 2022 - It seems that the cost of going to elementary school in going up in a big way. I note that parents of these young students receive a list of necessary items the student will need from the school just to get started on day one of classes. One harried mother told me that the items cost her almost one hundred dollars from a major discount store for her third grade son.

Clara Murphy's Piano Recital

From left: Neal and Clara Murphy, former student Bethany Dorsey, Charlisa Texagle, Grace McReynolds, Bonnie Consford, Lake McDaniel, Makenna Tanner, and Rylie Todd.

“The Water Dipper” by Neal Murphy

June 17, 2022 - They have just about disappeared from the scene, but at one time every household had one or more of them. In the days before indoor plumbing, homes had water wells located near the back porch of the home. Drinking water was a bucket of clear, cool, well water freshly drawn by a bucket from the well.

Clara Murphy's Piano Student's Recital

June 6, 2022 - Clara Murphy will present her students in a piano recital on Thursday, June 16, 2022 at First Baptist Church, San Augustine at 7pm. These students will participate: Lake McDaniel, Makenna Tanner, Rylie Todd, Grace McReynolds, Bonnie Consford and Charlisa Teagle. Please come and encourage these students in their musical education.

"As Cool As A Cucumber" by Neal Murphy

June 3, 2022 - I am sure that you have heard the little phrase “as cool as a cucumber”. It is usually used to describe a person who is very calm and in control of their emotions. These individuals are further described as composed and self-possessed, as in “despite the mishap, Margaret was as cool as a cucumber.”

"Are Men Still Relevant?" by Neal Murphy

April 18, 2022 - It seems that the twenty-first century has produced a general feeling among the female of the species that men are no longer needed. I read articles and see programs on television produced by young, liberated feminists who espouse the idea that they have no need for a man in their lives. They are educated, own their own businesses, and only need a man for pro-creation. They can then rear their children alone – who needs a man around? Any time a program or commercial needs a dufus, guess who gets that part – the white guy.

Shelby County Today

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Submitted by Neal Murphy