What to wear for Halloween

Now that I can finally fit into a store bought costume for the first time in 25 years, I have decided not to go that route but to make myself into a bag lady. There happens to be a Good Will shop in the same center as our Moose Lodge so I went in Monday night just to look around (never know if a treasure will pop up) and I saw a men's flannel jacket which reminded me of something a bag lady would wear, so I picked it up and decided to wander around the store and see what else I could find. I found an old hat, wig (I will wash it 10 times at least), apron, big ugly shirt and leather looking shopping bag with handles to carry whatever " bag lady valuables" I can come up with.

I already have a skirt which is two sizes two big and I will use a rope belt to hold it up. I have boots and bulky socks to fold over. I got a doll's dress which I will put on one of my stuffed mooses to carry around like a baby. I will put a bandaid on my glasses, wear a ton of red rouge and blue eye liner.

So I am asking everyone what else you might suggest to make me more authentic. I also need help deciding what to put in the bag which I will carry around like my life depends on it.Your suggestions will be appreciated. Our Halloween party is October 27th and I will have someone take a picture to post.

the way I used to be

When Joan was teaching my blog things, we posted a picture of the way I looked at Valentines day this past February. Here is the way I looked before I had the stomach bypass surgery. This was taken in December 2005 and I had the surgery in February 2006. As you can see, I really did need to have it because I was pretty darn big. I have lost 144 lbs. I still have about 40 to go mostly stomach and I really should exercise but so far I just keep thinking about it.

Here I am with Joan

So this is lesson day. Don't know what I will learn but we are going to try. So here goes nothing. Stay tuned for either strange or good things. Right now I am not sure.

The first thing Joan is going to try to teach me is how to do a link to something! I am going to create a link to Joan's blog (maybe). Here is the link.

The next thing I am going to learn is how to download pictures into the blog. Since I am using Joan's computer, Lord knows what picture will appear - SURPRISE!!

This is me at the Moose Valentine's party. One of these days I may show you a before my stomach bypass surgery picture.











Now we are playing with award insert so here goes nothing.... ok so I learned how to insert an award in my sidebar and since Joan doesn't have "you make me laugh" I now have "you make me smile".

So I have overloaded my brain with three new things. I will go home and try them one of these days. In the meantime, I am going to use the next few hours to visit with my only 2nd oldest cousin.

I know what mom and Fay are doing today

Yesterday I paid respects to my mom's childhood friend, Fay, who passed away on Monday. In my blog, I mentioned that I could see mom and Auntie Fay on a cloud somewhere catching up on the past 26 years since mom passed away.

Today my sister and I realized exactly where the two of them are. They probably have cushy front row seats to the first Heaven performance by Luciano Pavarotti. Both were huge opera fans and I can guarantee they would never miss this opportunity to hear Pavarotti sing in Heaven.

I also know what my dad and Uncle Sammy are doing while their wives are at the opera. Just as they did in life, they are fishing in some icy lake, probably soaked and muddy up to their waists, having a great old time just as they did every chance they got.

Goodbye to a close family friend

The obituary reads Fay Shuster passed away Monday. She was 87 years old and until my mom passed away 26 years ago, they were best friends from childhood. My siblings and I actually owed our lives to her because it was at a party in 1938 at Fay and her late husband Sam's house where my parents met. Dad was the date (casual) of Margie, a friend of mom and Fay. I never knew who mom's date was but apparently she and dad must have hit it off, because they married in April of 1940 and the rest as they say is history. Fay, Sam and my parents were as close as Lucy, Ricky, Fred and Ethel.

Fay and Sam and their three children were always a part of our family. They lived within 3 blocks of our house and either they were at our house or we were at theirs. Sam passed away in 1966 after a very long illness and even though Fay was only in her mid forties, I don't think she ever got over losing him. She was one of the kindest, gentle people I have ever known. A true treasure to everyone who knew her.

I never remember a time when Fay and mom weren't friends. I don't think they ever had an argument where they didn't speak for a time. Every day until I moved to California, I remember my mom either talking with Fay on the phone or gossiping in our living room. Fortunately for me, one of Fay's daughters also moved to California 10 years later, so I still had the chance to spent time with her when she came from Montreal to visit Ellie and her grandchildren. Before mom passed away, I would drive her and my aunt down to see Fay. After mom passed away, my aunt and I would go down.

I am certain that mom has been waiting in Heaven 26 years for Fay and now they are together again. I can easily envision the two of them sitting on a cloud somewhere just gossiping and catching up.

Goodbye Auntie Fay. Thanks for being part of our lives. We will always miss you.