Tag: Donna Hale Chandler

Family, Humorous

AM I THE ONLY ONE WHO . . . is grateful to live to see 2025

Donna Chandler

Looking back over my 75 years on this earth, I can remember getting my first clothes dryer – no more hanging clothes out on the line, in Michigan, in the winter.  My first microwave was incredible, although my mother told me not to stand too close to it when it was running.

I can also remember:

  1. Cars with no air conditioning – rolling down the window wreaked havoc on the hairstyle
  2. Cars with a standard gear shift – I learned to drive with a Volkswagen Bug.  Dad had to replace the clutch 3 times before finally putting a truck clutch in it.
  3. Cars with headlight dimmer on the floor – was actually pretty handy there
  4. Cars with no window washer fluid – we had to get out of the car and wash our own windows.  (With all the conveniences, I do miss the full-service gas station where your tank was filled, your windows washed, and your oil checked.)
  5. A person, even my children, could be gone for hours with no cell phone – now I literally cannot leave home without it.  It is close to my right hand until I go to bed at night.
  6. And computers!  Wow!  I use my computer for many hours each day. 
  7. I love e-mail but miss getting personal letters in the mail (hand-written thank you notes and birthday greeting cards are nearly a thing of the past.)
  8. No more getting out to play in traffic and struggling with crowds in the store.  Just go to Amazon and order whatever you want.  It usually is delivered to your door the very next day.
  9. Grocery shopping is a breeze these days.  At first, I discovered an app that allowed me to put in my grocery list, plus the name of the store I would be going to, and the list was organized by aisle. 
  10. Even better, now I order the grocery store items online and they are delivered and brought into my home at the time of my choosing.  What could be better than that?
  11. Yesterday, I found a new app that takes my grocery lists and tells me which local store has the better price on each item.
  12. Of course, we can’t forget Alexa.  Alexa reminds us when to take our medications, the date and time of our doctor’s appointments, and when to take the clothes out of the washer/dryer.  She will answer any question we ask and will play our choice of music.  She will turn the lights on or off.  The same with the ceiling fan.  It is amazing all the things she can do that make humans lazier and lazier.
  13. We now have 3 Alexa units and if I am in one room and my other half in a different room, I can ask Alexa to ‘Drop Into the office’ or wherever and we speak to each other without shouting and without getting out of our chair.
  14. The modern conveniences we have compared to 75 years ago are too numerous to list – from smart TVs to cars that park themselves.

I AM LOVING MY LIFE.  What do you love about this modern age and what do you miss?

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Family

AM I THE ONLY ONE . . . who realizes that happiness does not depend upon the number of gifts received?

Donna Chandler

Honestly, I don’t remember Christmas when I was 5 years old.  I’m sure the gifts were few and probably handmade.  I don’t remember being unhappy at Christmas time, so that is a good thing.

I do remember my children when they were young.  They chose one favorite item for Santa to bring.  (Think Pound Puppies and Cabbage Patch Dolls) and as parents, we gave them clothes, etc. And I don’t remember either child being unhappy.

At 75 years old, the children have families of their own.  What do I need for Christmas at this age?  I don’t need a single thing.  A phone call for each child is enough.  I am in good health.  I have a home that shelters me from the weather.  I have clothing to wear and food to eat. 

Leaning back in my recliner, looking at my surroundings, remembering days gone by, and resting my tired bones seems like a perfect Christmas to me.  I certainly won’t remember the 2024 Christmas as an unhappy one.  My life is good.

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Family

AM I THE ONLY ONE . . . with dreams that didn’t come true

Donna Chandler

On 12/4/24, my sweetheart and I were sitting on our patio talking and laughing about days gone by. We agreed that we’d made some questionable decisions and had plenty of funny stories to share. As we were preparing to go back inside our home, still snickering a bit, he suggested that I write about my dreams, plans, goals, and funny stories that were part of my very much younger life.

So here goes:

I was probably around 12 when I dreamed of being a background dancer, maybe even dance with the Rockettes. When my parents heard this, they asked if I wanted to be on American Bandstand.  Of course, this would not compare to the Rocketts so somewhere along the line, this dream was dropped.

When I was a senior in high school, I was assigned to do a paper on the Training of an FBI Agent.  After much research, I decided I wanted to be in the FBI.  At the time, females weren’t allowed to be agents.  But I felt that someday that would change in the future. So, I thought if I could get in as a secretary, or a receptionist, or any FBI job that would hire females. That way I would have my foot in the door waiting for the day to come when I would be able to apply to be an agent.

I applied, and behold, an agent called one of my teachers, my minister, and a neighbor, asking lots of questions about what kind of person I was. Next, I received a letter that Agent Somebody or Other would be in my hometown of Ashland, Kentucky, the week of ——- and would like to set up a time for an interview. I wasted no time. I immediately called the phone number and made the appointment.

It was at this point that my parents, who had always told me that I could be anything I wanted to be, put on the brakes and said they absolutely would not allow this.  No amount of arguing would change their minds.  So, my trust in my parents was shattered.  Evidently, I could do anything I wanted as long as they approved.  Huge disappointment for me.

A point for their side was the fact that the position I was applying for was in Washing DC and I would need to move there alone.  They weren’t going to let me go to a strange new place by myself, find a place to live, and work. This was 1967. Fortunately, the attitudes of parents have evolved.

Even though life led me down a different path than I dreamed of, At 75 years old I am happy, content with the decisions made, and right where I am supposed to be.

Please visit us @ : amazon.com/author/richard-lee-king/
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please visit our BOOKS page on this site for special pricing offers (including free shipping).

Humorous

AM I THE ONLY ONE . . . who has this feature on their car.

Donna Chandler

THE AMAZING TURN SIGNAL

In this modern day and time,
every car is equipped with this invention.
It lets those behind you
know of your intention.

Look to the left of the stirring column.
You’re sure to easily find it.
It may be small but it’s not hidden
Push it up and down, try it out for a bit.

It won’t hurt you I promise.
Down means left, up means right.
Drivers behind you will see the result
and be pleased with such a wonderful sight.

Avoid the cost of car repair
by using this easy-to-find lever.
Other drivers on the roads will be amazed
and know that you are ever so clever.

That’s the end of today’s lesson
Be safe on our highways and streets
Be considerate of other by using that signal
They’ll thank you for such a unique treat.

EDITOR’S NOTE: We are both writers. Please check us out… Kindle versions of our books are available at only 99 cents.

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Family

AM I THE ONLY ONE . . . . who still misses their granny?

Donna Chandler

MY GRANNY by:
Donna Hale Chandler

My granny, Rebecca Diamond, was a woman born years before her time.  She was a mixture of pioneer woman and refined lady.  She would deliver the mail on horseback over the hills of Kentucky during the week and on Sunday, put on her white gloves, black patent-leather shoes and matching purse and go to church.  Becky, as most people called my granny was born in 1896.  She married my grandfather, Oscar in 1912, at the ripe old age of 16.

I don’t remember much about my grandfather because when I was only 4 years old Granny divorced him, never to speak to him again.  In 1953, a woman filing for divorce in the hills of Kentucky was an unheard of happening.  Being a divorced female in those days carried the stigma of being a ‘loose woman’.  Granny evidently made the decision that getting rid of the womanizer she had married was worth a small black mark to her reputation.

Even though Granny seemed quite ‘refined’ to me, when we would talk quietly and share a cup of tea, she was still ‘country’ through and through.  I can see her now in my mind’s eye as she ‘saucered’ her tea if it was too hot to drink.  I would try to do the same thing but always seems to spill and make a mess.  Pouring just a little bit of tea into the saucer and drinking from that while still holding your teacup takes some practice.  I stayed with her a week each summer.  There was no running water and I thought it was great fun to get cold water from the well.  I didn’t even mind the trips to the outhouse when bathroom trips were necessary.  Granny had plenty of bags on lime in the toilet which took care of any unpleasant orders.  If nature’s call occurred in the middle of the night, there was a chamber pot under the bed that was pulled out and used, then emptied the next morning once the sun was up.  I wasn’t really enthused about making use of it, just as I was not very appreciative of the warm cow’s milk that my uncle would bring to her in quart mason jars after the cows were milked each morning.

As an adult, when I look back on those days, things must have been terribly difficult for Granny, as a woman alone, but I never remember hearing a complaint or a bad word come from her lips.  She always had a smile and a good word for those around her.  Her sons kept her coal house full so she would have coal for her cook-stove and for her fireplace in the winter.  I think she was quite happy in her world.  At least I hope that she was.

I recall my younger sister telling me of a shopping trip with our mother and Granny.  The outing was particularly to have Granny properly fitted for a bra – or brassier as they were called at that time.  The trip ‘to town’ was a special occasion for the three females and included lunch at a small diner on the edge of town.  My mother and sister both ordered hamburgers and French fries.  Granny told the waitress that she would have the same except she didn’t want the fries.  As a matter of fact, she didn’t want the hamburger either – just a bun would do her just fine.

I’m sure an entire book could be written about Granny and her amazing life as a woman on her own after surviving the Great Depression.  I know for sure that when she passed away in 1981 at the age of 85, she had seen much, influenced countless lives and is still missed by many friends and family who loved her.