By Neal Murphy

“A New York Minute” By: Neal Murphy

May 5, 2023 - The Attorney General of Alabama, who was denied the Democratic nomination for Governor, was furious. He denounced the people around his opponent as “a bunch of sleazebags. You can see that in a New York minute”.

“If there was any hint of impropriety”, a Dallas police official, eschewing the subjective, was quoted as saying 1980, “They’d be on us in a New York minute”.

In a 1983 television movie, “A Killer in the Family”, someone says of the brutish father played by Robert Mitchum, “He’d kill you in a new York minute”.

“Things I Always Wanted But Never Got” By Neal Murphy

May 2, 2023 - I suppose that all of us can look back over our lives and find holes there. When we step back and look closely, our lives appear as missing teeth. These missing teeth represent the things that we always wanted but were never able to acquire.

In the early 1960s as the head of a young family I never made a lot of money. There were some things that I felt would make life a little easier for myself and the family if only I could afford them. Among them were:

“Wedlock Or Deadlock” By Neal Murphy

April 24, 2023 - It has been said that marriage was God’s most important ordained institution. Since the time of Adam and Eve when the two were joined together by God Himself in the Garden of Eden, marriage has been cussed and discussed, praised and pitied. Someone has said that the act of marriage dissolves a close friendship. Much has been pontificated on the subject of marriage and we will take a look at what people have said over the years.

“The Lake Worth Monster” by Neal Murphy

April 11, 2023 - It was the summer of 1969. Some remember it as the summer of the miracle Mets, Woodstock, and the astronaut’s first landing on the moon. But in Ft. Worth, for many it will forever be the summer of the Lake Worth Monster.

It seems that “monsters” come and go. But mysteries like the Loch Ness Monster and Big Foot (Sasquatch) have remained with us for many years.

"Chickens, Eggs, and Other Nonsense" by Neal Murphy

March 25, 2023 - The lowly chicken has provoked a number of interesting questions in the past, such as: Why did the chicken cross the road, and which came first – the chicken or the egg? These two questions have been pondered for many years, and every person must come to their own personal conclusion. I have decided that the real reason that the chicken crossed the road was because she wanted to get to the other side. Others have stated that she crossed the road to prove to armadillos that it COULD be done.

“The Trip From Hades” by Neal Murphy

March 13, 2023 - Several years ago we decided to motor up to Burlington, North Carolina, to visit our son, Doug, during the Christmas season. It is a long trip of fourteen or fifteen hours. Clara and I enjoyed several days of visiting with Doug and our grandchildren. For some reason, I decided to begin our return trip to East Texas on New Years Eve, late in the afternoon. Big mistake.

“Texas – A State of Mind” by Neal Murphy

March 3, 2023 - Most Texans are proud of their state. Texas has a lot to offer its residents, and bragging rights are included. I realize that we Texans have a reputation for being outwardly proud. In fact I read where a father instructed his son, “Son, don’t ask a man where’s he’s from. If he’s from Texas, he’ll tell you. If not, there ain’t no need to embarrass him.”

“The Magic of Licorice” by Neal Murphy

February 24, 2023 - I must admit that I love the taste of licorice. I always have. Now I know that most people don’t, and it is difficult to find any who can “take it or leave it”. You either love it or hate it. My wife is in the latter category. I have had to limit my intake of the sweet, black, chewy, delicacy since our marriage.

“They Have to Come Out” by Neal Murphy

February 16, 2023 - I had been to Dr. Harris several times with infected tonsils during 1965. We were living in Houston, Texas at the time when he finally looked me straight in the eye and said, “They have to come out, and soon.”

"The Perils of Piano Playing" by Neal Murphy

February 10, 2023 - My wife, Clara, has been playing the piano and organ for many years. She is quite good at it as she has been invited to play music for numerous weddings and funerals over the years. However, there is a side to playing the keyboard that is quite dangerous. One would think that sitting at a piano and playing would be about the safest thing a person could do. This is not the case with Clara, as you will soon detect.

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