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Once again, I find myself needing to apologize for ignoring this blog.  I beg for forgiveness.  It’s been a while.  There’s no need for you to hear any of them, but I have lots of excuses.  Suffice it to say that both Donna and I have been writing a lot however, it’s been in the form of books rather than posts for this site.

Several years ago we moved away from writing poems and into fiction writing with our first novel, titled: THE CROW’S NEST (February 2018).  Although that book was credited to me, Donna was very involved in its content.  We followed that up with another novel titled: ADVENTURES OF GIZZY (July 2018), a children’s book of which we are very proud.

Since March of 2019 we’ve published seven new books, with number eight very near completion. All of them are now available on this site.  If you’d be interested in checking them out, simply click on OUR BOOKS and you can read a short preview of each book.

Most of these books have been in what we refer to as THE CROW’S LAKE SERIES.  The original book, mentioned above, came out in February of 2018.   After that book went to the printer, we felt that those characters had more to say which led us to the second book in the series, titled CROW’S LAKE, (3/2019).   

We followed that book up with several prequels, titled BEFORE the CROWS FLY (6/20), THE CROWS (9/2020), THE CROW’S FINALE (12/2020) and PAPPY’S GOLD (7/2021) which we just got back from the printer this past week. 

The seventh and probably the last book in that series, titled BROTHERS ADAMS is nearly complete, but it likely won’t be to the printer before October 2021.  In the meantime, we’re attempting to publish episodes of it on Kindle Vella, which is a brand spanking new format on Amazon. I would encourage you to check that out.  It’s so new that, although I posted my first episode two weeks ago, I haven’t yet seen it appear.  The site just days ago opened for the public.

During the last two years we’ve also put out two private detective novels titled CLOSED CASES (Stony Johnson, P.I.) books one (7/19) and two (4/20).  A third book in that series is in the works, but it’s likely to be a year or more before it’s ready for printing.  If all goes well, it’s likely that it will also appear on Kindle Vella before it goes to print.

Beginning with my next posting, we’ll be sharing excerpts from our CROW’S LAKE SERIES.

By: Donna Hale Chandler

The sign ahead reads “Right Lane Ends” which, to me, means Get Yourself Over to the Left Right Now This Minute – which is exactly what I do.  This always takes me to a stop and go – mostly stop – lane.  As I sit, comfortable in the knowledge that I am exactly where I am supposed to be, other cars whiz by on my right.  Wait you shouldn’t be there.  Didn’t you see the sign?

Of course, that driver saw the sign, just like I did.  To him, it did not mean, Get Yourself Over to the Left Right Now This Minute.  It meant, Drive as Fast as You Can and Get to the Front of This Line, Then Squeeze Your Car into a Space Left by Someone Who Probably is Daydreaming.   Perhaps the driver in the left is not daydreaming but actually being polite — No, that can’t possibly be it.  This was a silly suggestion.  This driver is daydreaming for sure.

As I continue to inch forward, with extra stopping due the ‘line jumpers’, I finally am at the front with a car to my right edging slowly closer and closer to my front bumper.  Now, the question, do I let this car in, or be a total jerk and pretend I don’t see him there.

Finally, I give in, more from fear of losing my front end, then from courtesy and let him in the front of the line —— but all you angry people behind me, I only let in ONE.  That is always my limit.  I will let in ONE.  So, if you are car number two trying to merge in front of me, forget about it!

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Grams use’ta say

Don’t worry about who doesn’t like you, cherish those who love you.
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THE HINTS BOOK ALMANAC
By: Donna Hale Chandler and Richard Lee King

USES FOR ALUMINUM FOIL, cont’d

16. Jewelry – Line a small bowl with aluminum foil.  Fill the bowl with hot water and mix in one tablespoon of bleach-free laundry detergent (not liquid). Put in the jewelry let it soak for a minute. Rinse well & air-dry.

17. Moving – Place a small piece of aluminum foil under each leg, (dull side of the foil down.)  The furniture should slide easily across the floor.

18 Flashlight batteries – When the springs that hold the batteries in place lose their tension, fold a small piece of aluminum foil until you have a pad that’s thick enough to take up the slack.  Place the pad between the battery and the spring.

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By: Donna Hale Chandler

My daughter was born three weeks before I turned 30 years old.  (which was a VERY long time ago) I always felt like I was an ‘older’ mom than her friend’s mothers so I made an extra effort to keep abreast of the times, the fads, and what was going on in the world around us.  When she was a young teen-ager, tanning booths became the big rage.  Since we lived in Michigan at the time with pretty short summers, getting that golden tan was pretty near impossible the natural way —— which of course was baking yourself on a blanket in your back yard slathered with baby oil.

The new improved painless tan came from tanning booths.  In mere minutes each day you could look like you just returned from a long vacation in the tropics.  AND just having a nice tan was not enough.  You also wanted to have NO tan lines.  How was this accomplished you may ask.  Yep, just the way you’re thinking.

Before putting my Tanning Plan into action, I sought the advice of my young daughter.  She’d been going to the tanning salon for several weeks and knew the ins and outs.  For a 40 something year old mother to be taking tips from a 13 year old didn’t seem at all strange to me at the time.  But when raising children, parents learn a new lesson most every day and how to tan in a tanning booth was quite the lesson for me.

After asking several general questions about how this all worked, how long to stay in, how often to go, etc., the important question came last.  “What do you wear while tanning at the salon?”

Thirteen-year-old answer, “Nothing.”

Uninformed Mom, “What?  Nothing?  Is there a lock on the door?  Nothing?  Are you sure?”

Teen-ager, “Of course, I’m sure.  You can get tan lines if you want and wear a bathing suit or even your undies but it’s best to wear nothing.  It’s only like 4 minutes at a time, Mom.  You can be naked for 4 minutes.  No one will see you.  The door is locked and the ‘lid’ is down on the booth.  You’re safe.”

Not wanting to be a stick-in-the-mud, I made my first appointment and took my nervous self to the salon.  Once inside the tanning room, I checked the door several times before I was convinced it was locked, realized that the timer had already been activated from outside that door somewhere and my minutes were quickly ticking away.  I didn’t want to waste a single second because it was hard for me to imagine that 4 minutes would result in a tan.  I had barely laid down and pulled the top toward me when time was up and it was time for me to dress and leave.

As I dressed I realized that the heels of my feet were a bit burned.  I’d need to remember to do something about that when I visited again.  First thing to do — ask that intelligent child of mine what she does about her heels.  Apparently, she thought I must have especially tender heels because she never had a heel burning problem.

The next time I went, I was still puzzled and knew I couldn’t lay there even if it was only 4 minutes with my heels raised from the surface.  As I undressed I realized that my bra would make the perfect cups for my heels.  Yep, I tanned with my heels in my bra cups and actually ended up laying my underpants under my butt as that was pretty tender too.

Sometimes I would be pretty confident that I was a modern woman.  Other times I’d giggle at that the thought of someone seeing me with my heels resting in bra cups and my rear end lying on a pair of panties.  But I had a tan with 0 tan lines (pale heels and butt, but who’s checking)  

Live and learn and laugh at the memories.

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Gram use’ta say

“Live your life is such a manner as to allow your friends to have lots of funny stories to tell long after you’re gone.”

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From The Hints Book Almanac
By Donna Hale Chandler and Richard Lee King

USES FOR ALUMINUM FOIL, cont’d

13. Oven – Keep messy drips off the bottom of your oven by laying a sheet or two of aluminum foil over the rack below.  CAUTION – lining the bottom of the oven could cause a fire.
14. Furniture, protection – Place a piece of aluminum foil on the seat cushions.  After one attempt at sitting down on the noisy surface, your pet will no longer consider this a comfortable place for a nap.
15. Scissor sharpening – Fold aluminum foil into several layers and start cutting.  Seven or eight passes should do the trick.

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About: Selecting a mate

“Beauty don’t keep ya warm
& it damn shore won’t feed ya.”

(Lessin yer a pimp.)

Time just simply had gotten away from me and suddenly I realized that it has been months since my last posting to this blog. I’ve been working very hard on a new book which is getting close to completion, but we’ve still got cover design work to complete, so it’s liable to be several more months before we’re ready to send it to the printer.

Add in frequent visits to various doctors, both Sweetie’s and mine,  the holidays, tax time and suddenly you begin to realize that the weeks have turned into months.

Anyway, I’m posting again, but it will probably be less frequently than when we first started this blog.  I don’t have as much to say these days as I did in days past.

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THE GOOD OLD DAYS
©By:  Richard L. King
From the book Memories & Time

Memories from the past, rarely dead and gone,
just keep comin back, in words of country songs.

lots of those memories, truly weren’t that great,
some things from those days, he didn’t really appreciate.

Yes, some of the more fond memories, he misses a lot,
but that old two hole crapper, ain’t a fond one he’s got.

Then the Sears catalog, served its most valued purpose,
though not the glossy pages, they were next to worthless.

We couldn’t afford to buy, the things we saw in its pages
cause other bills ate up most of our “Old Man’s” wages.

He don’t miss that old well, where they pumped their water
or the electric heater they used, to make the water hotter.

He don’t miss the galvanized tub, where they took their baths,
six of them, but only one tub, you can do the math.

He don’t miss cuttin wood, nor the splittin of it either,
don’t miss carryin it in, guess he never caught that fever.

He don’t miss killin chickens, to put food on the table,
or pickin their stinkin feathers, soon as he was able.

He don’t miss hand me downs, coats two sizes too big,
or that old home brew, but he’d sure like one more swig.

He don’t miss hayin season, pants with the knees all worn
and he don’t miss mendin the fence nor the shockin of corn.

He don’t miss sloppin the hogs, certainly not diggin taters,
don’t miss pickin pickles, or cannin all those tamaters.

His memories of the old days, are really very chancy,
much about those days, never really caught his fancy.

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Gramps use’ta say
R.L.King2012 #326

About: Education

 “It’s a proven fact,
you learn much faster
with your mouth shut.”