By Sue Murphy Darius Rucker’s new song says, “When was the last time you did something for the first time?” He probably meant something like motocross or bungee jumping, but it motivated me to try (drumroll, please) yoga. Not goat yoga. Apparently, some people find it relaxing or fulfilling or whatever to practice yoga with a hooved animal cavorting nearby, but that sounded … [Read more...]

By Sue Murphy During a rare quiet moment, I heard a knocking sound. It wasn’t solid or rhythmic, just insistent. I checked the icemaker, the usual culprit for these things, but it was whirring along nicely. In a moment of panic, I checked for a roof leak from the morning rain, but no. So, I stood stock still, and each time I heard the sound, I moved in that direction, until I … [Read more...]

By Sue MurphyI was picking up Easter goodies for my grandchildren and came across basket-sized boxes of teeny tiny fairies and action figures. The problem was, the teeny tiny question mark on each box indicated that you couldn’t be sure of which figure you would get.This kind of uncertainty isn’t good for a 4-year-old. It isn’t good for their grandma, either. “Here you … [Read more...]

By Sue Murphy I'm not afraid to go in my attic. Sure, spiders and misguided insects occasionally have to be rerouted, but my attic wouldn’t be considered a good setting for “Psycho 6: Grandma Rises.” The room is pretty tidy, if I do say so myself. Still, there are things lurking in the shadows that I’d rather not deal with. Nothing tawdry or embarrassing (I’m not that … [Read more...]

By Sue Murphy I love turndown service. Back when Harold took me along on sales conventions, we would stay at a fancy schmancy hotel, and while we were at dinner, the housekeeping fairies would tiptoe in (or so I imagined), turn back the covers, put a mint on each pillow and hang fresh towels in the bathroom.   When we came back after a long hard night of customer … [Read more...]