Submitted by Neal Murphy

“Cross Your Fingers” by Neal Murphy

November 2, 2021 - Have you ever felt the need for good luck, courage, or protection when attempting to do something? Perhaps you have “crossed your fingers” as a silent request for divine help or protection, or maybe you have asked other people to “keep your fingers crossed”. Some people, mostly children, also use the gesture to excuse their telling a white lie, or to invalidate a promise made. Crossing the first two fingers on your hand is a good luck sign recognized around the world.

“Cheetos and 42” By: Neal Murphy

September 17, 2021 - Both my parents and paternal grandparents were avid 42 players, and I was introduced to this domino game at an early age. I began my 42 career around age eight or nine - they waited until I learned to count and cipher.

My grandmother, Mary Murphy, was a very serious player, you know the type who hates to lose, counts all the dominoes, and will know who has what domino in their hand. I never advanced to her level of proficiency.

“It's Not in the Dictionary” by Neal Murphy

August 27, 2021 - The computer age has thrown me for a loop.  I made better grades in school with my courses that involved words and their meaning.  This has continued into my adulthood. I purchased a rather large Webster's dictionary many years ago. It is large, containing two volumes with thousands of words therein.  Anytime that I need to find the correct spelling of a word, I consult it.  I have used it for many years.

"Asking Directions" by Neal Murphy

July 6, 2021- According to countless frustrated spouses, men seem to suffer from an irrational resistance to stopping to ask directions when lost in strange territory. That this trait is shared by most, if not all men, and has proven so resistant to the attempted behavior modifications and downright nagging of so many women, suggests a genetic predisposition. I have discovered that the reason is that men just don’t feel they are lost.

The Drive-In Movie by Neal Murphy

April 23, 2021 - It is a real loss to our country that drive-in movies have died and gone to cinema heaven. They were killed off by the television set, a slow and agonizing death. But I have noticed in the news that a few new ones are sprouting up around the country. I wish them success and a long life. I suppose that I have a fondness for the outside movie due to the fact that my uncle, Ed Buckalew, owned the first (and only) drive-in movie in San Augustine, Texas, history.

An Alarming Situation by Neal Murphy

April 16, 2021 - The boarding house on Wettermark street near the campus of Stephen F. Austin State College was the setting for many a juvenile prank during the fall of 1955. I was a freshman student at the Nacogdoches college living in the large, two-story house with eight other male students at the time. More time was invested in playing pranks on each other than in studying the expensive courses required for a degree.

“Button It Up” by Neal Murphy

April 9, 2021 - The lowly button has been around for centuries. In modern clothing and fashion design, a button is a small fastener, now most commonly made of plastic. They are found on most all types of clothing from dresses, shirts, blue jeans, and even suits.

Buttons made of seashell have been found that date back to around 2000 BC. Some buttons, used more as an ornament than as a fastening device, have been found which dated back about 5,000 years.

“Where Have the Car Hood Ornaments Gone?” by Neal Murphy

April 1, 2021 - As a young lad back in the 1950's, one of my favorite things to do was to ogle all the new cars that appeared in the local dealerships every October. I would examine details of interest on all the new models. I particularly enjoyed the hood ornaments peculiar to every brand auto. The all had hood ornaments on them, and I knew just by looking at the ornament what make car it was. Fast forward to today: you do not see a hood ornament on any car. What happened to them?
 

“Red Necks and Good Ole Boys” by Neal Murphy

March 25, 2021 - East Texas is an area of the country in which “red necks” and “good ole boys” live, along with most of the deep southern states. I know some of them and I suspect that you do as well. Most people think that the “red necks” and the “good ole boys” are one in the same. They are mistaken as there are notable differences. I will list a few of the differences here.

“Locked In” by Neal Murphy

February 26, 2021 - My partner and I were on patrol that summer evening in 1973. We were checking on events in the northern part of Harris County and strangely, things were rather quiet. We turned East on FM525, which we routinely identified as “five and a quarter” when talking on the police radio. We were having some difficulty with our radio as it would go off and back on. My partner, the driver, decided that we were suffering from a loose connection at the base of the radio unit which was located in the trunk of the car.

Pages

Subscribe to RSS - Submitted by Neal Murphy