By Sue Murphy Strong women: May we know them, may we be them, may we raise them.” I’m reading “Take Good Care of the Garden and the Dogs,” by Heather Lende. She begins by chronicling her recovery from literally being run over by a truck. She endured months of surgeries and rehab, with only a 50/50 chance of being able to walk again. But she did walk, returning home to Haines, … [Read more...]

By Sue Murphy I saw a welcome mat the other day that said, “Text when you get here. No need to ring the bell and get the dog involved.” I hear ya, buddy, I hear ya.  My dog, Dave, is hypervigilant, always poised to alert me to danger, real or imagined. I keep the TV on in the morning until the school bus goes by. Dave sees the school bus as some kind of assault vehicle … [Read more...]

By Sue Murphy There have been times when I have been wrong. I know, it’s a shocker, but it’s true. I haven’t always been quick to change my erroneous ways, either, but I’m working on it.  The biggest hurdle for aspiring writers is coming to terms with the necessity of editing. They’ve worked hard on their essays or stories or poems. They have taken an emotional risk and … [Read more...]

School finally is in session (a cheer goes up from summer-weary parents everywhere), but now that students and staff are back in the building, it’s becoming obvious that some of the equipment is in serious need of repair. The band uniforms are threadbare, the computers are outdated, and the playground slide is one bolt away from liability status. It’s time to start … [Read more...]

 By Sue Murphy The book “Skunk and Badger,” by Amy Timberlake, was written for children, I’m guessing, but so many of the best books are. I fell in love with it immediately. Badger is a pragmatist. He has his world set up just the way he wants it and spends his days doing “important rock work.” I came across the book when I was doing some ‘important rock work” … [Read more...]