Anecdotes, Antidotes, and Anodes

I Won ! I Won I ! Won !

Finally ! I won something from over at Mama Drama Way.

Here was the contest:  Someone's Been Drinking

Here was the announcement:  Your Guess is As Good As Mine

Even though I have been wrongly accused of cheating, Min's readers still voted me as the winner.
Question: How does one cheat if no rules are posted?

Besides, not only did I guess the closest number to how many bottles of Gatorade were consumed, I posed my answer in a catchy little tune.

This is what I won:

Yes, Reggie should arrive any day now to spend the rest of the Colorado frozen winter with Aunt Swampy. At the present, I have mortgaged theHansMan and am buying stock in Gatorade.

(It is at this point my daughters are screaming, "No !  No ! Please don't mail her those boots. She will wear them.")

Of course, I will wear them. I have the perfect outfit for the bling-bling, blink-blink boots.

Wonder if these guys in this Gatorade commercial could play basketball in a pair of red glitter boots?

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Just before loading up the 'ole witch on the 'ole broom, a box was delivered...

Inside that box was this box...

Inside that box were these...

Inside those, was this. Enough tissue paper and cardboard to bale.

So there, as promised, I posted the pictures of my winnings from Min's Contest.

And you didn't think I would do it.

Well, I did.

I posted the red bling-bling, blink-blink boots.

Yes, I did.

Min ! Thank you very much for the boots. I will wear them with pride. I will wear them especially when I'm with my daughters and anyone else who might be just a wee bit embarrassed to be seen with me.  I can't believe what you spent on postage to get those here.  Sincerely, Swampy !

OK. Ok. Here's one more picture...

CONTEST: Where in the World is Swampy ?

UPDATE
MESSAGE FROM THE EMERGENCY SWAMPCAST SYSTEM:  The Contest has officially closed. All the entries are on the comment page of this post. If you've not read them, click over for a hearty laugh or ten. My goodness, there are some talented people out there in CyberBlogLand. You can vote on the post BELOW until Sunday, January 13, 6:00 p.m., Swampwitch Time (Mountain Time) I have extended the voting hours because it's the weekend, and there aren't as many people reading then.

At this time, it looks like the voting results are:

Lis: 1

Melissa: 1

Min: 1

Hula Girl: 1

There are three days of voting, so everyone can cast three votes. The prize is a $50.00 gift card from Kemo-Sabe. Get to the polls and vote. The winner will be announced on Fun Monday.

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Yes, that's right ! A contest. It's been a long time since there's been one here. Even if you don't want to participate, hopefully, you'll enjoy the pics.

Tell me E.X.A.C.T.L.Y. where these photos were taken. Yes, of course, the state, the town, but also the shop/store/establishment where you will find theHansMan stalking, lurking, shopping shown in the last few photos. There are subtle hints along the way. 

Let's get started:

Nice hat, fellah.

A-ha ! So, you're the fellah under that sombrero. Now we understand what a rain/snow mix is. Mostly rain. Hence, the need for an umbrella-hat.

The rain didn't stop the skiers and snowboarders. Actually, it wasn't raining up there. And, it was a relief when the temps dropped and the skies dropped about eighteen inches on this place a few hours later. Those pics will follow in a later post.

Of course, everyone has probably already figured out what state and town we are in. Now for the nitty gritty part of the contest.

This is the shop that you must identify to win.

Come on inside for a closer look.

Meet Wendy. She'll steam your hat.

Kassi will adjust your brim.

Harvey and Ethel are just waiting to help you find what you're looking for. That's Harvey on the left and Ethel on the right.

Who says "Beauty is only skin deep?" Just look at Ethel. She's beautiful, I.N.S.I.D.E. and out. Harvey is pretty cute, herself.

There's boots...

...and there's Buckles...

Lots of rules...

...to break ...

Ok, the state is stated here...

Some patriotic boots and a sign that would fit nicely in our house...

Look ! A pair of boots with my initials: Kathy Swampwitch. And, just my style...

Can you see the rain/snow mix outside ?

Notice the bracelet...top-left. I tried it on. Notice, it's still in the display cabinet.

...theHansMans, Harvey and Wendy wish you luck with figuring out,
"Where in the World is Swampy ?"

Here's the deal, Lucille...the rules are as follows. (Rules ? Are you kidding? Me, the Queen of Rule-Bending is posting rules ? ) Well, just a few:

1) The commentor to correctly, most accurately (is that redundant ?), and most creatively identify what store theHansMan is shopping drinking in wins. The trick is, please do not use the exact name of the store in your entry, but give a subtle hint as to what it is.

2) Wins what ?  A gift from the shop itself. Yes, I will contact the gals pictured above and have them mail you a gift.

3) Remember: I have been known to choose more than one winner. Creativity plays a big part in the decision of the judge.

4) And speaking of the decision of the judge:  The decision of the judge is final. (Judge can be bribed, coerced, influenced, etc.)

5) One entry per comment, but you may enter as many times as you want. (Keep in mind: Jingles, Cinquain, Haiku, Limericks, Poetry of Any Kind, Captions for Photos, Etcetera ! )

6) Contest closes on Friday, January 11, 2008, 6:00 p.m., Swampwitch Time. Yup, that's right, almost two whole days to play.

7) Those pictured above, please don't give our secret away. Not just yet. And to those playing, please don't give the exact name of the store. See #1.

8) Have Fun...with a Hearty Heigh Ho Silver, I'm outta here.

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Message from the Emergency Swampcast System:
If you are just a lurker reader and don't comment, be sure to click on the itty-bitty word "comments" at the bottom of this post for some grins and giggles. Hopefully, there will be a comment or three. The remarks left here are always better than the post itself.

The Contest Continues & Voting Commences

As promised, the contest continues. See yesterday's post for details.

ENTRIES: Yes, you still have time to submit an entry. Just be sure to add it to the comments on YESTERDAY's post. It will be easier for those who vote to see them all in one place. Dealine for entries is Friday, January 11, 6:00 p.m. Swampwitch Time.  You can submit as many as you want. We're pretty lenient here.

VOTING: The readers will vote for the winner. Just cast your ballots Friday, Saturday, and Sunday on THIS post. Yes, you may vote for yourself, once a day. Gather up all your friends and have them pop over to vote for you. Just choose the comment that tickles your fancy and vote for it. The polls close Sunday January 13, 6:00 p.m. Swampwitch Time. (Mountain Time for those who insist on having definite rules.)

PRIZE: The winner will receive a FIFTY Dollar gift card from Kemo Sabe.
(Clink their link.)

ANNOUNCEMENT: The winner will be announced on Fun Monday.

Robin Wins

UPDATE: A Message from the Emergency Swampcast System !  This post was created BEFORE  Melissa in NZ submitted her wonderful poem. (see yesterday's comments)  SO, Melissa, you too, get to choose something from the following pictures !  Go for it !

Robin, my trashy friend, has won a very appropriate prize...something from my garage. This all stems from yesterday's post and her very meticulous listing and copious notetaking of what she spyed in the photos. Because it was just too difficult to choose the gift myself, I'll just let her do that. Robin, this is what you have to choose from:

Before any of you smart a$$es pop off about this could have been my Fun Monday post for yesterday's unfinished project, I'll just beat you to it. Yes, I know. The garage is a trash heap. But, it's not MY trash heap unfinished project. It's the AnodeMan's.

So, Robin. What do you want mailed to you?

For some giggles, read what was said about Robin on yesterday's comment page. For those of you concerned about the "dead animals," none were killed for the sport of it. And yes, that's a brown bear you see lurking in the background. If anyone knows how to Feng Shui it, let me know.

And The Winner Is...

After all votes were tabulated for the Happy Birthday Contest, we have a winner !

Before I post the final results, let me assure you I know that no one was trying to stuff the ballot box. The Typepad Comment Crew was working overtime and got just a little carried away with some of the comments yesterday. And although there were speculations that some of the contestants who were in the lead had shut down Typepad on Tuesday, I truly believe there was a power outage. Now, maybe, just maybe, those contestants were able cut down the power lines in order to remain in the lead. But let me assure you, that did not stop some of you from voting. I found many votes in my e-mail.

Thanks to everyone who joined in on this chaos, contestants and voters.

And now, here are they are... the final results:

John Carmichael: 2

Bethany: 7

Pamela: 8

Her Indoors: 9

Susan: 22

Wolfbaby: 25

So, Wolfbaby, better known to me as M3, please e-mail to me your address and I'll can get that Lamborghini, Lear Jet, Barnes & Noble Gift Card in the mail to you.

Congratulations to all the finalists. There will be another contest in the very near future, so get those creative juices flowing. No telling what the prize will be. I still have that glow-in-the-dark commode lid.

If you have not visited their blogs, just clink their links for some wonderful stories and photos.

And for fun, here is some Hand Art for you to enjoy...

Here is a link to a previous post about the artist.

Happy Birthday Contest

This post is a long-time-coming.  For my birthday, I hosted my own party and ran a little contest that included these questions:

1) How old will I be on June 24 ?

2) Where was I born?
    a)  hospital
    b)  city (town)
    c)  state

3)  What time was I born ?

It was suggested to be creative if you didn't know the answers. Here are the entries:

Devon:
1)  Old enough to have learned the meaning of life and young enough to apply that wisdom !
2)  Mercy Hospital, New York, NY
3)  7:46 p.m.

Arkansas Songbird:
1) 62
2) General Hospital, Atoka, Oklahoma
3) 12:55 a.m.

Tiger Lamb Girl:
1) don't know
2) don't know
3) no clue
But have a Happy Birthday?

Nessa:
1) 24 on the 24th
2) hospital - yes
3) Down Town
4) A state of confusion

John Carmichael:
1) Older than the breeze, younger than the trees !
2) "D" all of the above
3)  Happy Hour !!

Bethany:
1) Old enough to be the reigning Swampwitch
2) Among the reeds in the Great Swamp of, hmmm, I can't remember the name but Adrienne Barbeau was there with some big green guy.
3) The witching hour, of course.

Wolfbaby:
Swampy was born as the sun rose across the greenish glowing waters of Swampview. There was no time marked as in the Swampview, watches do not work and clocks do not tick. The very same reason Swampwitch has no age. She was born in the swamp stick house of lords to the Queen of Swampview herself. She was born in a timeless place in the timeless hour. When the moon rose on the first night of her life the Swampwitch powers of goodness and greatness were bestowed upon her by the great Swamp Queen, the Swampwitch's Mother herself. Swampview is, of course, located in the land of everywhere in everything? 

Susan:
As legend has it, your mother scoffed at the idea of giving birth to her precious child in a sterile hospital. Instead she was drawn into the bayous of Louisiana. When the time was right, she found herself nestled under the branches of a cypress tree with a great egret as her midwife. Unfortunately, the egret was a bit nearsighted and when you came whooshing out of your mother's womb at the stroke of midnight, she didn't notice. As always you were blessed with luck and you bounced high, merely laughing when you were caught in the gentle jaw of a passing gator.

Her Indoors:
1) As old as your tongue but older than your teeth
2) In a bed, well so they say, not sure if they have beds in Swampland
3) At the start of a new life

Dayna: ( I don't have a link for Dayna. Can someone help?)
1) Old enough to know better, but young enough to still be considered a kid {you are never too old to be a kid, even if one is 145 or whatnots..}
2) On another planet, but flew in for a good time.
3) Anytime between midnight and 11:59.59 {mili-sec}. But I am guessing, that it has to be when the clock strikes a certain time that you least thought was possible. Okies, so I don't know...maybe sometime during the night, or maybe early in the morning. I know that I was born when my mom was eating her dinner. {hahahahaha}

Blkhart:  (Doesn't have a blog, but I do know where he lives.)
1) This is the 16th anniversary of your 39th birthday.
2) University Hospital of Okeechobee Swamp
3) Fountain of Youth City
4) Midnight, of course

Jenny:
You were born in a land that time forgot, a city that is known for nothing more than birthing an amazing writer named Swampwitch. You are 44 years old and hot.  A toast to you, Huzzah.

Pamela:
1) Old enough to know better than to tell
2) I just know the state: naked
3) It was the best of times.

OK, here's the deal. The readers get to vote and contestants may will vote for themselves. I mean, if you don't vote for yourself, who will ? Voting ends Thursday at 6:00 p.m. Swampwitch Time. You may vote once a day, so that means you may vote 4 times. Be sure to vote on this post. The contestant receiving the most votes will receive one of the following: 

A)

B)

C) 

$25.00 !

Go out, solicit votes, and send them here.

Get Ready, Get Set, Vote !

If you read the comments on the Birthday Post, you know that Little Miss SwampSpawn gave all the correct answers to the questions.

Decision of the judge is final. Judge may be bribed.

In case you aren't interested at all in this hulla-ballou, here are a couple of photos taken from the Grand Mesa for you to enjoy...