Halloween costume pics and the Halloween Party

Everybody at work called me Pocohontas, but actually I am Red Feather, wife of Grey Wolf
I wonder if any of the employees at where I used to work would recognize me in this get up since I've lost weight.


Me and Mary (Elvira)Beverly (Vampira)

Ken (Split Personality)

Lynda (Witchy-Poo)Renee (Old Woman and Baby)Mary again and Louise (Witchy Woman)AND FOOD GALORE!!!!!

Halloween Parade (Old Photos)

SITS http://thesecretisinthesauce.blogspot.com/ is having a Halloween parade, so I am posting these old Halloween photos as a look back and I can't wait for you to see my photos from this coming up Halloween when I post them this weekend. We are having a party at work, hopefully I will get a lot of good photos.
Miss Piggy (me); me and Kermit the Frog (my friend, Catherine); Witchy-Poo (me in 1974); Bozo the Clown (me); Cleopatra, Queen of Denial (me).
Mimi Bobek (me) and Drew Carey (my ex); Rick and Bubba and Mimi (me); Office group photo (L to R), me, Vicki, Lisa, Deb, Pat, Amy, Carla, and Winnie

And here are a few of all of Shannon's garb for Halloween over the years.

Cravings cause Klutziness...

A town close to my home has a Pepsi distribution company and I have been meaning to go in and see if I could sample the new SF (Diet) Tropicana Orangeade. Since I can't have carbonated drinks and no sugar and I have been craving orange I thought this would be a good item to try, but I have not been able to find it in any of the local stores. I even asked Wal-Mart to order some for me, but they have not done so. Therefore, I thought I would go to the source since Tropicana is a Pepsi product.

When I went in the building, I entered into a small room (alcove) with a mirror on the wall, a chair, a telephone table with telephone and an elevator with no buttons. I am sure the mirror was a two-way, as it seemed to look just like ones that I have seen on TV shows and/or the movies. A sign above the phone said, "If you need assistance, pick up the phone." Soooo, I picked up the phone, it started ringing and a voice said, "May I help you?" I told her what I wanted and she said they did not have any SFTO. What??? They are a Pepsi distributor, so what is the deal with them not having one of their Pepsi products, shouldn't they have all the different Pepsi products available on the market? I have come to the conclusion that Alabama is SFTO deprived? I can't find any anywhere in my vacinity and I am unable to order it online, unless I want to pay $22.00/12 pack and I am not gonna do that since I consider that highway robbery.

Anyway, I hang up with the telephone lady and head out the door and that's when the klutziness kicked in. I somewhat blame it on the Pepsi company as there was not a sign that said, "Watch your step" or anything to allude to a potential risk of falling. There is a half-step drop off when you step out the door and I didn't see it and/or step properly. My ankle twisted and I came crashing down on my knees while trying to catch myself with my hand on the door handle. Hence, I pulled my shoulder, my neck, my back, twisted my ankle and skinned/bruised/banged up both knees and all told I didn't even get a sample of the SFTO. Such a BUST! I am going to be so sore tomorrow. It angers me that there wasn't a live person there to help me when I fell. If they had camera monitors, I bet someone edited the video of my spill very quickly. I should sue Pepsi for causing my fall and not having a sample of SFTO. Just kidding!

And since I'm already on a rant, let me say that I have reason to believe that Orville Reddenbacher has discontinued the cheddar flavored Mini-Smart popcorn cakes. Since I have become completely addicted to the evil carbohydrate-filled cakes of air-puffed fluff, he's now gonna discontinue the suckers and take away my one true vice left (well, maybe not my only one). This is a fairly new market item and I bought up every box I ever found, so I know he knew they were a hot selling item, at least in my neck of the woods they were. Why would OR do this to me? I don't get to eat much anyways. He keeps the chocolate and caramel ones for sale and nobody buys them. The shelves are always overstocked with those, but you can't ever find the cheddar ones. What is up with the food/beverage companies? What have they got against me? This is gonna cause me to start a vendetta. I am considering starting a campaign to boycott Pepsi and Orville Reddenbacher. If you have a gripe against either of these food/beverage companies or any other food/beverage company for that matter, comment and let me know and I will add your complaint to my list.

Paranoia has set in...

Who...My crazy husband.

What...Have you ever had anybody standing outside a window staring at you without you knowing it? That's exactly what my husband was doing; standing on the porch staring at me without me knowing it.

Where...My computer at home where I work three days a week is situated right in front of my living room window.

When...Today after lunch sometime. My back was turned towards the window and I was really busy working. He scared the life out of me. I swear one day he is going to just do me in with his antics. He walks in the house and says Boo all the time. He also says it in his sleep sometimes. Now that is hilarious when he does that.

Why...just because he can and because he thinks its the funniest thing ever when I get scared out of my mind.
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Now every time I start getting lost in my decision writing, I have to turn around sideways and look out the window to make sure he is not standing there. Can't you just hear the scary music from Halloween or Friday the Thirteenth in your mind right about now? He is creeping me out and all this week he wants to watch scary movies in honor of Halloween. I am going to be paranoid all the time now that someone is watching me through the front window. I am going to probably end up writing my decisions on the laptop snuggled up under my electric blanket in the middle of my big king sized bed. He can't sneak up on me there.

I don't like scary movies. I don't like scary Halloween costumes. I always made my daughter dress up as Disney movies characters. I always dress up as a clown or something creative, but not really scary. I am a real-live chicken.

Bumming around...

After making my wonderful hubby a birthday breakfast of French Toast and Sausages, I cleaned the bathroom. I have washed and dryed a set of sheets and read some of my current book.

We are watching the Georgia/LSU college football game, GA just made a 50 yard field goal to make the score GA 24/LSU 17. That's nice for Alabama, sorry, but for me, everything in college football boils down to how it affects Alabama. Alabama plays TN tonight at 6:45p.m. and I am somewhat nervous since TN always plays hard against us. Hopefully we will come out ahead.

I ate lunch too fast and had a bout of the foamies and am now feeling somewhat bloated. Not a good feeling, what a bummer...

P.S. It's not a well known fact, but I haven't really kept it a hush-hush secret either, so I guess I can spill the beans to all of my bloggy friends! My daughter is expecting and will deliver near the end of March. Her due date is March 24th and she is expecting a boy. His name is Shawn. I would have thought she would have had a girl, cause that's what I'm used to, but she had to get all contrary on me as usual. LOL Ya'll can call me GRANDY! I cannot believe that I am soon to be a grandmother. I hope that I don't make anyone sick talking about my grandson until all of you turn "blue" in the face.

My physical...The doctor said I am perfect, well almost!

My family physician was wowed by my weight loss. I had not been in to see him since 2006 and my weight at that last visit was 291. I weighed 174 on his scales today. I was a little bummed by that, but whatever.

He said my A1C was 3.5 (unheard of for me); BP 128/82; Cholesterol (HDL's and LDL's both) WNL; thyroid WNL (he could not palpate the goiter); lipids WNL; and triglycerides WNL!!! All blood work was great. He said I was not anemic. Nothing amiss except for my globulin (protein) levels which were at a depreciated level. I could have told him that due to my hair loss. He had them do another draw of blood today to check my B-12 levels. I am to start getting my B-12 shots through him. He changed me from Ambien to Lunesta. He said he was so proud of me. He agreed that if I get down to 165 and then have the tummy tuck (20 pound loss), that at 145 I would not to need to lose any more than that.

I am happy with his report, I was actually happy before the report, but you know what I mean.

My little old 85-year-old across the street neighbor

Ms. Dot:



I take her food and she toddles over to visit me when she sees me in the yard. We go to church together sometimes and we gossip about the other not-so-nice neighbors. She keeps me company and I keep her company. We laugh together and share a comraderie close to kinship. She is the bestest neighbor I have ever had. She makes me smile.

My sanity is questioned?

My husband asked me, "What, are you crazy?"

I said, "Nope, there are a lot of women who rinse/wash their dishes before putting them in the dishwasher!"

He said, "What's the sense in having a dishwasher then?"

I said (very nonchalantly), "Oh, that's where we hide the dishes when we have company coming over."

He laughed insanely. And he has the nerve to call me crazy.

He's the one with 100 screw drivers (just a like); 25 hammers; a dozen skill saws and five or so ladders, but there is only one of him. What the hay?

Interesting telephone convo...

Telephone rings...[BRNNNGGGG! BRNNNGGGG!]

I answer: Hello.

Speaker: Who dis? Tootie?

I reply: Sometimes. (I just can't help it people, since GBS surgery, exhaust is more prevalent. But how do you think she knew that over the telephone? LOL)

Speaker: Awkward laugh, I gots the wrong number.

I agree: Obviously!

Speaker: Hangs up/dial tone.

Maybe she won't call here no more.

Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh...

I am wearing regular size 14 blue jeans and a medium t-shirt top out of the front section of the local department store. I don't have to go back to the big mama's section to buy clothes anymore. I don't have to pay extra for extra material. I am so happy. I weigh 169. I have 19 more to go. If I can wear a size 14 now, when I have the tummy tuck I should be able to get in a size 10 maybe an 8. Wow, I kept a lot of Shannon's size 8's, maybe I will wear those one day soon. I am doing a happy dance. Who would have thought I would be this weight ever again, not me!, but I'm so glad I did the surgery.

Eddie, The Crow Killer!!!!!

We have a lot of loud mouth crows which flock to our yard and eat our pecans. Soooo, Eddie took their lives into his own hands and he is humming the funeral dirge around here tonight. Obviously we have a few less crows around the yard.

How do you like my new hairdo??????

Isn't this just so darn cute...

I guess if I had these two babies, I would have to name them Sylvester and Tweety, although they don't look anything like their cartoon namesakes. Just a delightful photo, don't you think?

I am a lazy bum...

I was going to do a post for the SITS blogathon, but as I couldn't get my links to work right, I just dropped it. I worked today and washed a couple loads of clothes and now I am too lazy to try and figure out what I'm doing wrong with the links. So I guess I won't win any prizes from SITS, but it is a good idea they had for today. Go check them out. YOu can used my link on the side of my blog, if it is working.

OK after closer inspection...

Eddie was inspecting the snake looking at the fangs and seeing how much venom the little viper had in him. He checked out the tail and he has now changed his mind on what kind of snake it is. He says that the two little buttons on the tail signifies that the snake is a ground rattler not a copperhead. I don't really care either way as the darn thing was a snake, a poisonous snake. I can't hardly bring myself to go outside and everytime I think about it I shiver uncontrollably. I know it is a bad thing to be that scared of something, but my knees get weak at the sight of a snake, a rat, a lizard, a roach, a spider, etc. I can't help it, it is just in my nature to be frightened of those things. I don't like creepy crawlies unless they are plastic and that can sometimes freak me out if I don't realize they are toys soon enough.

Do you have any stories about close calls with snakes, etc.

The "JOYS" of living in the country...NOT!!!

My dear husband was out cutting the grass and says come look and see what I found. I shouldn't have been fooled by his boyish charms and his sweet, singsong voice thinking about how much I love him and that he is an angel, because I believe he could just be the devil in disguise cause he was playing a horrible trick on me. He wanted me to come see the most horrid creature on the planet besides him. A SNAKE, yes that's what I said, A SNAKE, but NOOOOOOO, Not just any SNAKE, but a COPPERHEAD to be exact.

He scared me as I was carefully tip-toeing, easing myself out of the house, when he said, "OOOOPS I think the snake got out of the bucket and is up under your feet." Then he laughed a most maniacal, evil, twisted laugh at my expense when I seized up thinking I was having a heart attack at the thought of the SNAKE being anywhere within striking distance of me.

Then he wanted me to take pictures of the SNAKE so everybody would know that he actually caught a very venomous (poisonous) SNAKE. As I was getting ready to take the picture, the slimy, slick, forked-tongue, monster had to start moving around in the bucket, whereas I almost dropped my camera in on top of the *$%#&@*!#$ SNAKE trying to back up and get away.

After I came back in the house from the fright, then he killed the SNAKE, but not before I had to take the pictures, NOOOOO, he had to have it alive for the pics, only then after I had taken the pictures could he kill it. And you ask why he couldn't take the pictures, because he states he doesn't know how to use the gall-durn blasted contraption. I am going to teach him immediately how to handle my little digital shooter, before I have to contemplate actually shooting him (not with a camera, mind you).

Guess where my dear husband caught the thing, right next to the tomato plant bed that he makes ME pick tomatoes from, which is right next to the pea patch that he had me picking peas in yesterday. He tells me that this is a baby SNAKE, you know what that means, the momma SNAKE is not far away and there might be other baby SNAKES too!!!!

I am not a farm girl, I am not even a real country girl and I certainly am not the kind of girl that goes outside wanting to see SNAKES. So here are some pictures of the COPPERHEAD. If I have to look at the evil creature, then so do you!

New Pics

I hate my hair and I look so old.

Even though...

Even though it's not cold outside (yet, I can only hope we get some colder weather)...we are making Pepper Pot Soup, Yum! ***On a side note, it is true that I stay cold all the time now and somewhat like the warmer temperatures, but I still would like to see a change with the seasons.***

Even though I am still experiencing headaches at an alarming rate and didn't sleep good again last night...I feel pretty good this morning all things considered.

Even though it's a little overcast I think we are going to tinker around outside today, picking peas, etc.

Even though my across the street neighbor and his cronies are still antagonizing and harassing us, I will not kowtow to his threats and act of bullying and I will go outside, I might carry a gun with me, but I will go outside!

Even though it may take some tweaking, I am going to finish my Halloween costume this weekend.

Even though Alabama is not playing today (they have a bye this weekend)...ROLL TIIIIIIDE!!!!!

Even though I ate the "heck" out of Italian (PASTA) food Thursday and Friday, I have lost a pound...will wonders never cease! But I'm afraid it might catch up with me tomorrow, Uh-oh.

Even though the television is always on (for Eddie)...I hardly ever watch it.

Even though I have five books to read that I haven't even started...I'm not really in the mood to read. Me, not really in the mood to read, I must be sick.

Even though I had breakfast already...I find myself hungry again at 10:15a.m. and that's not good.

Even though it's a long weekend for us Federal Gov't. workers...I am wishing I had all week off.

Even though I would like to add more "Even thoughs" I can't think of any right now. So I will go for now even though I don't want to.

I have been awake...

since 12:20p.m. I went to bed around 9:00p.m. after taking my Ambien and fell right to sleep, but then woke up having to go to the bathroom and haven't been back to sleep since. I finished reading "The Host" by Stephenie Meyer and watched some television. I took the dogs out and nuked a frozen "brick" biscuit breakfast for Eddie. I had the standard fair of dry Cheerios and a Granny Smith apple. Since then, I have developed a MONDO headache and feel downright exhausted, but here I am drafting a blog post. It seems neither snow, nor sleet, nor gloom of night, or anything else for that matter, can keep me from my appointed post. LOL

My head seems as if it is in a fog and my vision is blurry. I do not feel good, not sick, just not good. I hate not being able to sleep. My physician says that insurance won't cover Ambien CR and so he prescribes the regular so it won't be so expensive, but I think I need something else, this is just not working. I already take 10 mg, I don't want to push a higher dosage than that, plus I go to sleep fine with the regular dosage, it just doesn't keep me asleep all night. It has been many, many years since I slept without the help of a sleep aid.

Next Thursday I go for blood work and the following week for a physical and I guess I will have to discuss all of this with the Doc at that time. I hate to have to take any meds now, since I was able to drop four major pills after surgery. Currently, I take one for GERD, the Ambien and lots of vitamins.

This has been a constant problem for me for quite awhile, I wish I could go cold turkey and stay awake with whatever DT's I might have for however long it takes 'til I crash, then I could be free from the evils of the demon, Ambien.

Good napping ya'll!

Real Ghost Stories

I shared these two ghost stories last October, but I am going to share them again, because I might win a prize from IM Insane Mama: A Big Old Spooky Mess#links if I link back to her page. So here goes...

Right after my paternal grandmother died and we got home from the funeral, I was sitting in a chair right under the wall phone when it rung. I picked it up and it was my grandmother's voice. She kept saying Deborah, Deborah, Deborah. I turned white as a sheet and my mother asked me what was wrong. I told her it was Grandmother and she laughed and took the phone away from me. When she listened it was a dead line, not a dial tone, but like the phone was dead. Mother said that was weird. Several years later I was telling this same story to two of my brothers. They did not believe me. I was adamant that it was my Grandmother on the phone. I heatedly said that I wished there was some way that she could show us a sign that it was actually her the day of her funeral on the phone. About that time the depression china that we inherited from her which was in a china cabinet in the kitchen started rattling and shaking making a large noise. My younger brother screamed like a girl and jumped clean over the couch and one of my older brothers said the hair stood straight out on the back of his neck.

This same grandmother had a house that we kept in the family for several years after she died. At one point one of my older brothers and his wife rented it. There were huge french doors off the main foyer/parlor into a room that my brother and his wife used as a living room. My grandmother had used it as her sewing room/storage and did not like any of us going in there messing with her things when she was living. She always had to have the french doors closed. After my brother and sister-in-law were living there for a while, my sister-in-law noticed that the french doors were always closed in the afternoons when she came home from work when she distinctly remembered opening them in the morning just before she left. At first she thought my brother was doing it. She asked him about it and he said that he had not shut them. Then they thought it must be a problem with the doors not being aligned properly and that they were shutting because of that, so my sister-in-law got some huge, heavy planter's pots with some kind of large plants to put on either side of the doors to hold them open. She liked the sunshine from the foyer/parlor to shine into the living room. I kid you not these pots were heavy and hard to move. Shortly thereafter, my brother and his wife left for a party one afternoon and they came back just after dark and when they came in the front door through the parlor, the first thing they noticed was that the french doors had been shut, but the potted plants were still in the same position that they had left them and no one else had been in the house. Isn't that eerie? I guess my grandmother wanted those doors to be kept shut. My brother and his wife soon moved out of the house saying that my grandmother was still there haunting the place.

What stories do you have to tell?

I cleaned out my refrigerator...

My goodness, I had no idea how many tortillas I had stock-piled in there, I'd say enough to feed a Mexican army.

Why in the world did I have two (I said two, mind ya) tubs of unopened out-of-date sugar free Cool Whip stashed way back in the back on the second shelf? What's up with that?

Lurking under the fruits and lettuce in the crisper was a pack of ham that had to be thrown away (being carefully lifted with one hand between my index finger and thumb and gingerly placed in the garbage sack, which was very quickly taken out of the house). I didn't know ham turned green (close in color to fish scales, yeccccch)!!!!!

Then there are the little space-saver tubs of leftovers that have been hiding in there way too long and the contents are now unidentifiable. I won't go into any further details, you get my drift.

Now tell me, just how many opened, half-used jars of pickle relish does one family need? The same goes with salsa and jelly? I need to be more frugal with food items now that the economy is the pits.

There are three packs of sugar free chocolate pudding left-over from right after my surgery last Nov. when I was in the soft food stage. I got really sick of pudding and apple sauce during that time. I took two of the unopened jars of applesauce to work and someone took them and I have heard of no reports of anyone getting sick and/or dying. So I guess I won't get my behiney sued.

The two jars of unopened baby food were just thrown away, even babies shouldn't have to eat that crap, no wonder they crap so much, you put crap in and you get crap back out.

Now I can open the refrigerator and see the back wall and find what I am looking for. I still have numerous bags of fat-free shredded and sliced cheeses, which I won't be able to use up within the next millennium, but at least that fake stuff won't go bad, heck you can't even nuke that stuff in the microwave, what is it really made out of? Same goes with the shaker bottle of Parmesan cheese, does that stuff ever go bad? It actually smells bad when you first buy it and open the bottle, so how do you know when it goes bad? I always throw it out when the date expires.

Speaking of refreshing your stock, don't even get me started on my spice cabinet. Emeril and Paula Deen would be horrified at how old some of my spices are. Some are what Eddie got from his dad's place after he died and may actually be older than me. LOL I don't use them of course, but I haven't thrown them out either, since they were his dad's. Why do we horde stuff like that? Eddie is worse than I am about being a pack rat, heaven help us.

The fruits and veggies get eaten up each week, so never a problem with the foods in the crisper (unless there is ham hidden underneath). I scoured the shelves, walls, drawers, and inside door and replaced all the keeper stuff.

So that leaves two tubs of butter, a carton of eggs, two gallons of milk, one carton of soy milk, a pitcher of decaffeinated Splenda tea, two boxes of pre-made pie crusts, a huge jar of peanut butter, numerous salad dressing bottles, and eight cans of (four-count) crescent rolls (Eddie loves his bread) to round out the rest of what is left in my fridge. 'Cause I know you were just dying to know.

I think we will now survive without getting salmonella or any other kind of food poisoning.

Next I will have to tackle the freezers. Beware! I'll tell you of my exploits. I will have to don a Parka (Perry/Byrd look-alike) to cross the frozen tundra of tater tots, TV dinners and Tilapia, not to mention all the frozen peas, squash, corn, etc. Please pray that I don't get frostbite.

I'm just cooling it today.

Dreams/Nightmares

Dreaming about helicopters fighting alien flying-fish in the skies over my head. Dreaming about the Rapture. Dreaming about my daughter and religion and Heaven. Souldn't have eaten that watermelon for supper last night. Dreams can be so scary, oh yeah, right, that would be a nightmare instead, not a dream. My dreams seem so real sometimes, but sometimes I dream in third person, for lack of a better term. I dream like I am watching a movie which I am the lead actress. Do you ever dream like that? I feel as if I could reach out and touch everyone in the dream, maybe I am just strange like that. Anyway, I have been befuddled this morning from all the activity in my brain overnight.

So I got on my elliptical and have walked four miles in 50 minutes before 8:30a.m. and that's after cooking breakfast, eating said breakfast, feeding the quail and chickens, and taking the dogs out. Whew!

Now what do I do for the rest of the day? Read, play on the computer, watch Alabama football, and dodge the angry stares of animosity emanating from some disgruntled and belligerent (in the wrong) neighborhood hoodlums (at least I am not dodging bullets, yet). Oh what a fun life I lead here in the backwoods southern Alabama countryside. Don't you wish you could live down here too?

Catch you on the flip side, cheezers! (I do love those pretzel flips, that's not what I meant though, but as soon as I typed it, those little buggers popped in my mind and now I am gonna have to go eat a couple, to get rid of the craving.) And after all that effort on the eliptical, it seems I may have to tackle another four miles this afternoon. Did you know that four miles = 485 calories burned (or so my machine sez!) I'll accept that!

Adios amigos! 'Til another day!

New additions to our menagerie...

A lady down the road wanted to get rid of some of her chickens and so we took two roosters and four hens. One Anacona rooster, one Rhode Island Red Rooster, three Rhode Island Red hens and a Bardrock hen.This is an Anacona Rooster. The lady had already named him Marshall and as I kind of like that name (it suits him), I will call him "Marshall" Dillon.
The other rooster (the Rhode Island Red) I am going to call him "Rocky" Balboa. The Rhode Island Red hens will be named "Rita" Hayworth, "Reese" Witherspoon, and "Renee" Zellweger and the Bardrock will be named "Amelia" Bedelia.
Here is a current photo of some of the quail. I haven't named any of them since all 57 of them have looked so much alike up until this past week. They have just now started showing their markings to define whether they are male and/or female. We are not going to keep very many of them, so I didn't want to name them and get too attached. I collectively call them "Bob" for Bob White Quail.