By Sherry Hopkins

Community Columnist

Who said that house guests and fish start to stink after three days? I wrote last week about Murphy, the guy who will go wrong if he can go wrong. Well, he has not yet left my house. Despite measures to make him uncomfortable he does not seem to care.

The suggestions you wrote in to me were interesting and I am sorry that I cannot repeat most of them here. This is a family paper. At least you felt my pain.

So there is another old saying “if you can’t beat ‘em join ‘em.”  With that thought we have decided to let Murphy hang around. He is sleeping on the sofa in the den far away from most of the appliances I hold dear in my house. The big TV and equipment is in that room but I have similar stuff in other rooms so he can make himself comfortable.

We were able to get the oven repaired and the heat pump, too. But that only lasted 24 hours before Murphy got his britches in a tangle and decided to make the heat go out again. We have not had heat now in four days.  Actually we have only had heat for one day since Thanksgiving.

It’s supposed to get chilly tonight so I think I will hide one of the blankets I put out for him in hopes he will get cold and move on. But the heat being out wasn’t the only malfunction he caused last week.

Some unplumbers were putting in a new water meter on our road and our water was off the better part of the day. But they breached the water line and when the water finally came back on it was Mississippi red clay mud. Mud spewed from every faucet, and toilet and my tubs were covered with the ugly mess. All of the screen filters had to be removed from all faucets and cleaned out and water ran for what seemed like hours to get it all clear.

I understand from an actual plumber friend that I should now drain my hot water heater. Ugh!

Old Murphy sure knows how to push a body plumb near the point of cuckoo. Some days I’m not sure if I’m comin’ or goin’.  But today all is quiet and it is now December and it is a cold clear beautiful day. The autumn leaves have been more beautiful than usual at the Point this year. Now they are falling hard and fast in the northwest winds.

Last Sunday evening the wind was so ferocious as we drove home from church it looked like a scene from The Wizard of Oz. I love the wind. I love the way everything outside is in a constant state of movement by an invisible force. I love the way the house creaks as the wind catches in cracks and breaks. I love to watch the leaves being blown into the neighbors yard from mine.

Tomorrow when the wind reverses itself my leaves will be back in my yard.

My Mother was terrified of any wind and I guess that was from growing up in the flat Delta land that was prone to tornadoes. Her fear transferred to me when I was younger but I have come to love all of the wonders of nature except the sticky wet leaves and porches of November. That I could do without.

So we are now a family of three and we will see who wins this tug of was between me and Murphy.

It will be a close call and he has the winning hand now. If my heat can be repaired without us going bankrupt he better watch out. Besides I have to get him out soon to make room for Santa.

Now that’s a house guest I can live with.

Stay tuned.