By Sue Murphy Experts say you should dress for the life you want to live. If that is so, I should be wearing a Tinkerbell T-shirt and Mickey ears. Sadly, I know it’s not in my best interest right now to pull up stakes and become a resident of the Magic Kingdom (notice me being a grownup), so I am faced with the runner-up alternative: dressing for the life that I have. When … [Read more...]

By Sue Murphy I don’t know about you, but I could really use a hug.   I came to hugging late in life. I hail from staunch New England parentage where the prevailing atmosphere was “keep your distance” with a hefty side of “it’s none of your business.” But I’ve lived in Alabama for 40 some odd years now, and hugging has become an integral part of my social norms. Of … [Read more...]

By Sue MurphyWinter officially began Dec. 21, but we were in the throes of our Christmas merriment and no one seemed to mind too much. In December, cold and ice are just part of the Currier and Ives holiday experience, not to mention that they bring with them the distant possibility of having snow, without which riding in a one-horse open sleigh is just mudding. But … [Read more...]

By Sue Murphy The vaccine is coming! The vaccine is coming! I have my sleeve rolled up already … except, of course, on days when it is too cold and being thus exposed would be detrimental to my overall health. To me, it seems patently unfair that we still have to think about the “overall.” Trying to protect ourselves from a viral pandemic is enough for anyone, but your blood … [Read more...]

By Sue Murphy Hygge. Wikipedia says it’s a “Danish and Norwegian word for a mood of coziness and comfortable conviviality with feelings of wellness and contentment.” Immediately, “hygge” went to the tippy top of my Christmas list. As I already put in my request for world peace, I decided any hygge I might experience would be a DIY project. According to the article, I needed … [Read more...]