By Sue Murphy It wasn’t an easy book to read. In fact, there are parts of me that wish I had never read it because it left me with a few painful images I would rather erase. Still, I continued reading because, amidst the horror, the author included short, powerful moments of hope. Good plan. How else could the hero have continued? The book was “The Giver.” Cold, … [Read more...]

The elves at our house are getting older. Years ago, my husband, Harold, and I would hang a six-foot Christmas wreath in the window above our front door. The maneuver required an extension ladder and a good bit of arm and leg extension even then. The same shaky gyrations were required to take the wreath down again, and while the wreath was beautiful to see, the hanging process … [Read more...]

It’s coming. Everyone will be sitting there at the Thanksgiving table trying to decide between having seconds of the candied yams or the green bean casserole (they’ll have both), when your dear grandma, the one who brought her famous ambrosia salad, will turn to you and say, “So Jimmy, what do you want for Christmas?” Now Jimmy, if you are in elementary school, feel free to … [Read more...]

There’s a huge, beautiful oak tree in my backyard. It sits right next to my deck and provides us with cooling shade and seasonal color. I love it, I do, but this is the time of year when the tree gets a little cranky. It’s tired. I get that. It’s been buffeted by winds, pelted with rain. Birds and squirrels have been climbing all over the branches with blatant disregard. The … [Read more...]

By Sue Murphy  I’m a catalog shopper. Since I don’t always buy something, I suppose I’m more of a window shopper, but I do make purchases from time to time, which has landed me on a wide range of mailing lists. On any given day, if I have my credit card ready, I can have an Eiffel Tower tea light holder, Mr. Rogers Dress Up Magnets and bird feeders shaped like squirrel heads … [Read more...]