Fiorella, Fire, and Ashes

Fiorella kept the fire in the fireplace going all day yesterday, using up most of the wood inside the front door and on the front porch, which meant she had to go out in a drippy rain and raid the woodpile on the other side of the driveway to get new fuel for today's fire.  Yes, she knows she could just turn up the heat, but what would be the fun in  that?
      Of course, Fio also feeds her fires with household trash and the far-too-plentiful  advertisements and solicitations that appear in her mailbox six days a week (especially during the holiday season for some strange reason 😁).
      Then there's the daily newspaper. whose pages tear so nicely--Fio usually ties the strips into loose  knots and throws them into the fire when it's first getting started. FLASH!
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Fio, as you know, is crazy about fires. When she was a child in Ohio. the front room fireplace was rarely used, and if it was used, it was to burn trash, instead of the flaming logs that illustrated all her first-grade library books, so Fiorella was thrilled when, as an adult, she and husband moved into a house with a real live fireplace that burned real live wood.  In fact, she was so thrilled that she went overboard in designing the house they eventually built, providing it with two fireplaces--one wood, one gas. (As it turned out, the gas one was totally unnecessary.)
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In Fiorella's current woodland environment, a fireplace is a necessity unless you want to pay someone big-time to haul away your trimmed and fallen branches several times a year.
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Strangely, Husband preferred buying firewood from either the stands outside of H-E-B, newspaper ads, or the itinerant woodsmen who would sell it beside the road. Fio, on the other hand, has yet to pay a penny, and, in fact, may eventually make a profit out of some of her woodpile--remember that she has a full cord as a result of the County's atonement for chopping down some of her trees without consent.
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Whenever the fireplace gets overloaded with ashes, Fiorella shovels them into a bag and walks them out into the yard, leaving a jet-like trail behind her. Supposedly, ashes are good for the soil. Or is that the soul?
    

Holiday Let Down

The family Thanksgiving gathering was great in relation to the hosts, the attendees, and the dinner, but Fiorella had hoped to collar younger son to talk about the button project. She'd also hoped that the items she'd gathered and brought with her in a plastic laundry basket could be claimed or identified as to their worth. And she'd hoped that Brother would like his birthday present, a collection of country-western songs. Finally, she'd hoped that everyone would enjoy the chocolate fudge she'd made as a dessert treat.
     Your girl struck out on all counts. Son didn't have time to talk because he had to hurry off to his wife's family's Thanksgiving dinner, no one wanted to help Fio with the contents of the laundry basket until she emptied it on the floor in front of them, Brother seemed mystified by the gift Fio had put so much time and trouble to get for him, and not a single person even tasted her fudge.
     Obviously, Fiorella has been solitary with Doggie for so long that she's lost touch with humanity, but maybe it's better that way because, the truth is that Fio doesn't fit in, and despite all her best efforts, she never will--anywhere.

From Thanksgiving to Dump Trump Buttons

How did you get started making political buttons, Fiorella?
     It all began with a Thanksgiving many years ago. I was thrilled to the core when Mrs. Ruebright, my kindergarten teacher, asked me to come to her desk so she could try out the pilgrim's outfit on me--cute cap and all--that she'd just cut out of paper. What she didn't realize was that I was absorbing every aspect of her make-shift creations and even knew what the magic wand was--a staple gun, which, which, at my request, Santa gave me for Christmas.
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Fast forward to fourth grade in Waco. That's when I started illustrating not only the blackboards in my classroom but was sent around to do other classrooms. The apex was in the sixth grade when I was entrusted with drawing a pilgrim couple on the board for Thanksgiving. Looking back, I realize I made the woman as tall as the man's hat, but no one objected at the time. After all, who else in the class could do any better?
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But Fio, why didn't the teachers just go to an educational supply story and buy posters for their classrooms? 
     Because back then, it would have been illegal. All art in the classroom had to be student made, a law that Fiorella thinks should have stayed on the books. How can kids discover and develop their artistic talents if they don't have a chance to test them out?
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What about art in your adult life? As a teacher, I illustrated stories, especially Shakespeare's, with colored chalk on the blackboard, and all along the way, I've drawn, painted, or designed whatever else strikes my fancy. And right now I want to save this country and the world with an onslaught of DUMP TRUMP buttons. 







"T

Pre-Thanksgiving Preps

It's the day before Thanksgiving, which the family will celebrate at Fiorella's brother's house in Austin, and Fio has her car packed with all sorts of things that Husband left lying around that she has no idea what to do with, but hopes the offspring will. She's also packed a cute jacket for Granddaughter, her oil paints to turn the brown eyes blue on a painting of Brother she did years ago, and a birthday present for Brother, who turned xxx on Tuesday. Yes, Fio the gypsy is coming to town!
     Brother and his wife specialize in hospitality and always do holidays up brown. The atmosphere is congenial and the Thanksgiving feast is a dream come true. Last year was especially special because Daughter introduced us to her new beau, but since she has flu this year, neither of them will  be able to attend. We will miss them, of course, but, on the other hand, Fio's sure that  Granddaughter, who will turn four in February, will keep us properly entertained.
     If you're wondering, Fiorella does not decorate for Thanksgiving--she needs a breather between Halloween and Christmas, on which, as you know, she goes overboard. Besides, how much decor can one get out of a turkey leg?
     Sonia Dog will be home alone for most of the day, but don't worry. She's had to do guard duty before, and it doesn't bother her, mainly because she sleeps the whole time. Besides, Mommy will be bringing home some leftovers for her.
     EEK! In writing this blog, Fiorella, who rarely cooks, suddenly realized she should be preparing some sort of dish to add to the Thanksgiving dinner. Looking at her pantry, she realizes it will have to be either chocolate pudding or something she can pick up at H-E-B. Hmmm....
    
    

Really Getting Personal

Fiorella takes after her mother in that she is bright, musical, artistic, honest, conscientious, kind, has strong opinions, and likes children and animals. Fio differs from her mother in that she has always had confidence in her own art, had the opportunity to pursue her musical interests, and had the courage to stand up for herself.
     Some background: Mother was at the head of her class from grade school through college and ended up teaching high school English and journalism. Fio was top of her class too--and ended up teaching on the college level, but with several activities on the side--like portrait painting, singing and composing, writing poems and stories, and getting involved in politics, all of which Mother would have shrunk from, not because she didn't have the talent, but because she didn't believe in herself. Fio remembers when she gave her an art kit for her birthday and Mother gave it back a month later. She'd tried to paint a bowl of roses and the results weren't perfect.
     More background: Mother, shy of strangers and people who were "above" her, was most comfortable in her own home, a warm nest which she decorated beautifully. Fiorella doesn't always speak up, but is not cowed by anybody anytime anywhere. Personality-wise, she is more like her father, who never met a stranger he didn't like, which totally embarrassed her mother.
     All in all, Fiorella feels she inherited the best of each of her parents, and in her heart, she thanks them both 🧡

From Silly to Serious

Congratulate Wonder Girl--she not only knows how to write a check, but has retaught herself how to add and subtract without using a calculator.
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Fiorella really enjoys putting together her buttons and badges because she has to rely on her own brain and hands, not technology. The modern world is not her friend.
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Judging by the shows on Spanish-language TV, the most frequently-used palabras en  el espanol estan "mi hija" y "mi hijo," which is heart-warming

If, in times to come, Fio's granddaughter asks what Grammy did with her life, tell her that she lit many a fire and fought the good fight.
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Watch out for tomorrow. Fio is building up steam about gun control and will probably be blasting off a fiery letter-to-the-editor regarding the situation later this week. Your girl has lost patience with gun nuts babbling about their  Constitutional rights when the Second Amendment refers to a well-ordered militia, not any lame brain who wanders in off the street.

From EEK to OMG!

EEK! Fiorella is so embarrassed--she let an unfinished post slip through the cracks yesterday. It's bound to happen every now and then because Fio has no proof reader, but it's still embarrassing. Her mother's daughter, she prefers perfection.
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Your faithful correspondent has been burning the midnight oil lately finishing off the 300 requested VOTER REGISTER badges and the 100 self-assigned DUMP TRUMP buttons. Now to stir up more business--she's thinking about designing a button that will call attention to the plight of THE CHILDREN.
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Thank you, God, that Fio's donella came yesterday because Yours Truly has been so involved with button-making lately that the house is a total mess. Fiorella's mother, whose house was perfection, would not have approved.
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Fio has the television tuned to a Mexican sports channel as she writes this blog. Not that she likes sports, but she's noticed that the more she listens to Spanish-language TV, the more comfortable she is with the language. Of course, she's nowhere near at ease with la lingua as she was before husband died. but there's hope.
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OMG! Fio doesn't know what time it is1 Her wristwatch has stopped! So has her back-up watch! Is the whole world standing still?

A Re-edited Post

Sonia dog and Fio went outside yesterday about four o'clock and took a nostalgic walk in el parke, the semi-cleared acre in front of the house.  The setting lifted Fiorella's soul--the trees whose dead branches she'd harvested for firewood, the rocks she gathered in the woods and placed around the long-long driveway to protect against erosion, the times she and Husband would tend the area together.....
     But that will soon be the past, and Fiorella must prepare for tomorrow. She's been on a house-cleaning spree for ten months now, trying to get the house in good shape to sell well, but it's only halfway there. It's hard to figure out what to keep and what to toss because, after all, Fio doesn't know what her future holds.
     At the same time, she must make the most of her here and now, which means publishing her poems, stories, and books as well as deciding what to do with her drawings and paintings. And, of late, it also means going full speed ahead on her buttons and badges which have really picked up speed lately, and might eve turn out to be a money-making enterprise. After all, there are a lot of people out there who like DUMP TRUMP buttons and need to be recognized as voter registrars.

Sorry to burden you with a half-finished post earlier in the day. Fio had so much going on that she forgot it needed polishing.
     


  

Del Espanol al Chocolate

Friday--viernes. Si! Fio is trying to take up her Spanish studies again. 
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Being a widow means that one has to deal with the past, the present, and the future all at the same time. Thus Fiorella is clearing out her house, setting up a business, and looking for a new house to share with Son's family.
     Wait a minute, Fio--did you say you're setting up a business?
     Yes, after giving away a couple of hundred dollars worth of buttons and badges, I've decided to go commercial. Not enough to make a profit, but enough that I'm not draining my bank account. Would you like to put in an order?
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Did Fio tell you friend Evelyn gave her a lead on a house in her own area that will be going up for sale soon? Anyone else who knows of a four-bedroom house in Central Texas with a nice yard, please contact your faithful correspondent.
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Even as Fiorella searches out a new house, she sorrows over leaving her old one;
     The songs of the rocks
     The breeze in the trees
     How can  I ever
     Live without these....
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Guess who bought fifty dollars worth of chocolate at Lamme's Candy when she was in Austin? Guess who told herself she was buying it for her cousin in Ohio, but ate it all herself? Guess who bought a new batch and quickly wrapped it up and put it in a nice box, then hurried it down to FedExKinkos for mailing because she knew what would happen if it remained in the house for even a few minutes?

Dear Diary.....

Fio zoomed out of the house at 9:00 to meet friend Evelyn in Austin at 10:00. The ride was halcyon--good weather, everyone driving at a good speed, no hold-ups or slow-downs--until Fiorella accidentally bypassed McDonald's where she and Evelyn meet now, then had to back-track through all sorts of tricky traffic. She ended up a little late, but again, everything was halcyon--until Fiorella's credit card wouldn't register despite several tries. Finally, the girl behind the counter took over and, was finally able to coax the machine to accept Fio's payment, all $2.25 of it.
     Afterwards, Fio drove over to a Hobby Lobby and raided its stash of badges and buttons, then dropped by Lamme's Candy to pick up chocolate for her cousin in Ohio, then gassed up the car because she was running low, then got lost. WHERE THE HECK WAS NORTH LAMAR BOULEVARD? HOW HAD SHE LOST IT? WOULD SHE MISS HER MONTHLY MEET-UP WITH FRIEND KAYE AT CENTRAL MARKET FOR THE SECOND MONTH IN A ROW?
     Pero no, gracias a dio. After jumping a two curbs and ignoring some "do not enter" signs, Fiorella got herself on the right track. She was a little late, but Kaye, was too, so they forgave each other, then talked politics. Fio gave Kaye a DUMP TRUMP button, of course, and when a couple of other people evinced interest, she gave them buttons too.
   The ride back to Georgetown was a bit perilous because Fio, never one to waste time, took advantage of every red light and traffic slow-down to put together more Voter Register badges. Miraculously, but she made it home safely and, after feeding doggie, finally had time to read the morning newspaper.
     Whew! Wonder what tomorrow will bring?
    

Poetic Confessions

So much to do, so much to see
Fiorella is a busy bee--
Getting things done
And having fun
Are her joy in life, you see
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Met up with Judy yesterday
Today it's Evelyn I'll meet
And after a trip to the chocolate store
Kaye will be another treat
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Why are you playing with rhymes and beat
When your daily chores are incomplete?
Because a poem can flutter away
But dirt will stay for another day
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My mother loved poetry and would frequently quote it
But as far as I know, she never wrote it
She'd set her own boundaries, you see,
An option that never occurred to me
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I'll probably be up till three
And you can put the blame on me--
Chocolate and GERD do not agree
And I went on a Dove Bar spree
  

Times of the Day

MORNING
Fiorella has a great day planned for herself, and she'll started it by building a fire in the fireplace, always a good beginning. Her only trip out will be to the pharmacy so she has the rest of the day at home. There will be the humdrum must-dos like laundry and going through drawers to make sure everything has been cleaned out, but she also has a couple of must-do phone calls to make such as, consulting long-distance with elder son about ordering rounds for her DUMP TRUMP buttons and VOTER REGISTRAR badges on line. The rest of her time will be spent--wonder of wonders--on reworking Lolly's story.
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EARLY AFTERNOON
The consultation with Son did not go well because Fio is, as you know, not good at using technology. Son tried to be patient, then finally gave up and said he would place the order himself later in the day.  After she put the phone down, Fiorella took care of the bills that had come in recently--writing out checks is something she does know how to do.
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LATE AFTERNOON
Your faithful correspondent was so pleased with finally finding a note from an old friend which she'd thought she'd lost that she hopped into her car and drove down to Walgreens to--uh--get a prescription filled and maybe pick up a little Christmas chocolate on the side. Somehow, she made it out of the store with two Dove Bars and five Russell Stover treats, not only forgetting about the prescription but also losing her credit card. Oh well, tomorrow is another day
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EARLY EVENING
O joy, O rapture! At eventide, Fiorella gathered together a couple of different versions of the first chapter of Lolly's story and started splicing them together, and guess what? SHE'S IN LOVE WITH THE STORY ALL OVER AGAIN--cold-hearted Cotton, fiery Lolly, mistakes and misunderstandings a scheming rival, danger, mysteries, even a sub-romance!
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EVENING
All's well that ends well! Fiorella may not have been able to follow up on ordering those rounds, but she did cut out several more of the messages, build another fire in the fireplace all on her own, pay her bills, email an old friend, gorge herself on chocolate (the credit card showed up on the floor of the car), and work on Lolly's story,  Fio would give the day an A- only because she didn't get her precsription.
     See you tomorrow!

Buttons, Contact Sports, Afterwards

As usual, things didn't go exactly as planned--Fiorella put together 75 VOTER REGISTRAR badges, then ran out of blanks. Nothing to do but try to find suppliers on line, not Fio's favorite pastime. On the other hand, it was a pleasant day, she'd cleared out the last of Husband's stuff from his side of the master bathroom, she'd made plans with Bastrop Son to further their search for a house, and her lista amarilla is less crowded than usual. Fio is hoping that this pause in the day's meditation (once an English teacher, always an English teacher) isn't just the lull before the storm.
     By the way--those of you who studied Longfellow in school--didn't you think it was weird that a father only saw his children once a day, and then it was by by appointment?
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Although Fiorella grew up watching wrestling, boxing, football, baseball, and basketball on TV (because her father did) and attended her high school's and college's football games (when she had a date), she does not, in her wiser years, watch contact sports on TV or in person. In fact, she considers them to be barbaric, like the Roman games. Let us instead challenge each other to make the world a better place.
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It was an out-of-body experience when Fio cleaned out the last of Husband's personal things from the drawers under his bathroom counter. Most of the items were medical, but some of them were down-right weird--like the two bowls that look like halves of a coconut. Like the box of purple rubber gloves, (which Fio may yet save and make into some kind of art project).
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From Tragedy to Ecstacy

When Fiorella was a child, she gobbled down every book in the school library and then some but drew the line at biographies when she realized that the main character always died at the end.  Thus, when she started writing her own stories,  she chose the romance genre. Not that her  characters lead easy lives. No, she drags them through hell before giving them a happily-ever-after--which is a lot like real life except that real life goes on after the wedding and may not be as great as planned. Fio would tell her students that Cinderella's tale was a comedy in Shakespearian terms because it ended happily--with the wedding--but if, a week afterwards, Cinderella had discovered her prince was a cross-dresser who had a thing for high heels,  it would be called a tragedy--at. least by Cindy.
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Donald Trump, king of crude,
Specializes in being rude
To every dame and every dude
On Twitter, when  he's in the mood
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It's early yet, but Fiorella will whip up another fire later on today. She's something of a connoisseur, of course prefering to use wood from her own land--broken limbs that are twisted and gnarled, that still  have bark on them--rather than the anonymous trimmed and treated specimens sold in small, tight batches outside of grocery stores. 
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As Fio showed visitors around her house last night, she realized that she'd inadvertently created a stereotypical artist's studio--designs, drawings, and paintings on every wall, half-finished current projects everywhere. Mother, who was a perfect housekeeper, would not be happy.

Your girl is flying high--Fed-ExKinkos ran off thirty more pages of her DUMP TRUMP and VOTER REGISTRAR pages yesterday, and she bought every bag of blanks in stock at Michael's and Hobby Lobby. Assembling the buttons doesn't take long, and she should have 100 of them ready to roll by this evening. YAHOO!

Things Are Looking Up

Don't look now, but Fiorella has located Lolly's story on her old computer and downloaded the first chapter. She'll go over two or three chapters tomorrow (fingers crossed), then look at what else she has. The story was never finished because her editor said it was five years before its time, but Fio figures time has caught up with Lolly by now.
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Your girl followed through on the fire thing. Yep, she loaded sticks, branches, and a few short logs on the mountain of gently-used paper she'd created, then lit a match, and the draw from the back door she'd left open took over from there. She likes to think that Husband would have been proud of her.
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Brother's birthday is coming up and Fio woke up in the middle of the night with the idea of giving him some kind of music tape, or whatever it is that people use in place of radios these days. She'll have to consult her kids to bring herself up to date with the musical world.
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Speaking of music, Fio started singing as she walked down the driveway yesterday--a little opera, a little of fourth grade folk songs. Singing makes her happy, and her voice was fairly clear of the tremor, for once.
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Saving the best till last: FIO'S BUTTONS AND BADGES ARE A BIG HIT!  She's been asked to make almost 300 badges for the Georgetown voter registrars and as many DUMP TRUMP buttons as she can. It will take a while, but Fio is up to it. Now let's hope the local craft shops don't run out of blanks.

From Politics to Murder

Hooray for Fio! She's been riding high today, starting with a good night's sleep, moving into finishing off her VOTER REGISTRATION badges, then getting a call from Friend Suzy in England, then adding more trash to the fireplace in preparation for tomorrow, then pulling about two square yards of lena onto the front porch and inside la casa in preparation for more cold weather to come.
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Some of Fiorella's high school friends that she's become reacquainted with through FB have not only told her they liked both of her steamy romances, but encouraged her to write more Bosque Bend sagas. Fio's guessing they had a great time identifying various aspects of our home town, including the characters
     But Fio, you ask, I thought you wrote fiction.
     Yes, I do, but the best fiction is based on fact.
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Fio's lost su calendario denueve, which usually happens about twice a week, but this time, she can't find it under the couch or the dog, which makes her nervous. She has people to see and promises to keep, all of which are written down in that calendar. The good thing is that its location is a closed-door "cozy" mystery because the calendar has to be somewhere in the house.
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Answering a telephone was easier when Fiorella was growing up-- there was only one phone in the house, and it always sat on the bookcase in the hall. Yep, we stood up to talk--can you imagine that? 😁
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So, several students have been wounded and two have been killed in yet another school shooting. "Whew," everyone will say. Just two kid this time." But what if those kids were your kids?  

 FIORELLA SUPPORTS GUN CONTROL!

Back to the Cave Man Days

It feels odd--ten-months plus after Husband's death, and Fiorella has wrapped up everything but getting his automobile transferred into her name, which will soon get that done. Then she will have time not only to continue cleaning out the house in preparation for sale, but to wade through her hundreds of manuscripts, finish off her third Bosque Bend novel, and leap into the publishing world again.  
     Of course, publishing has changed mightily in the years she's been out of the scene--self-publishing and self-promotion are the name of the game now, and while Fiorella can get help from writer friends with self-publishing, she's no good at self-promotion--just wasn't brought up that way.
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Right now, though, Fiorella is wrapped up in laying in a fire in the fireplace like she did last years, but about two months earlier than last year. Will the unusually cold weather take a turn for the better before Christmas to make up for its premature downturn, or will this be a very cold winter? Your guess is as good as Fio's.
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Your girl has torn up a couple of sections of todays' newspaper to start a fire in the fireplace, after which she will add small twigs to keep the flame going, then add bigger twigs, then branches and cut limbs.
     Remember, Fiorella has a cord of hewn wood outside her front door, but she'll be saving her bounty till later, when she's back into fire-making again. Right now, all the split wood see to be glued together, y la lena esta uncovered, which means Fio will have to lug it inside the house dry out before she can use it.
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Onward, Fio--Always Onward!

Wish Fio well. If things go according to plan, she will be working on her office all next week. She'd taken care of a good half of it before Husband stated on his downward path, but that was more than a year ago, and this time she has to not only finish the room off, but decide what to do with her plenteous piles of manuscripts.
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Fiorella's a little nervous. She hasn't received any mail--even an ad--for two days running. Does the post office know something she doesn't?
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It's very cold in central Texas right now, relatively speaking. Somehow we went from summer's three-digit numbers to freezing temperatures without a trace of in-between. What happened to autumn?
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Sonia Dog always gets Fio's leftovers so, of course, she (Fio, not Sonia) wrote a little poem about it:
     A plate for me
     Means a wait for you
     To get what is left
     When I am through
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Fiorella has learned that she can't control the lives of others--or even her own life. What happens, happens, and all she can do is try to make the best of it.

Boomerang Girl

Fiorella spent most of the yesterday morning in a strange daze, either sleeping or weeping, Maybe it was the weather, which was hanging fire to a cold front. Maybe it was the recent visit she and Bastrop son had paid to housing developments he was interested in. Maybe it was that her house was a mess of half-finished projects, and friend "Tanya" was going to be coming over soon to check her blood-thinner score. Maybe all of the above, but whatever, half an hour before Tanya was due, the bad weather struck--sudden and hard--and Fio was revved into action. like it was the appocalypse. (which Blogger tells me I don't know how to spell).

Her brain flaming into action, Fiorella took another look at the realtors' offerings and decided she didn't like any of them because they favored HGTV flair over practicality and good taste. Then she ran around the house and collected all the leftovers of her Halloween decorations, labeled them accordingly, and dropped them in the big, black HALLOWEEN bag in the garage. Then she cleaned off some overloaded counters, took care of an investment form that had been lying on the dining room table for a couple of months, and prepared a list of what she would do after Tanya left.

YAY! FIORELLA WAS COOKING WITH GAS AGAIN, AND THE ANTICIPATION OF TANYA'S VISIT WAS WHAT HAD TURNED UP THE FLAME!

A little background her: Tanya was Fiorella's coumadin nurse back when there were such things, and she and Fio hit it off from the start, probably because they both like learning about other people. Then Austin Heartless exchanged its coumadin nurses for a self-proving system that the patient has to manage for himself, which Fiorella wasn't up to because everything inside her forbids her from deliberately hurting herself. Enter the heroine--Tanya comes over each month to work the monstrous machine and send the results in to Austin Heartless, and Fio loves her for it.

She also appreciates it that Tanya, who is a Registered Nurse now and very busy, is willing to spend a fair amount of time visiting with her.  They usually talk about politics--Marie now wears one of Fio's DUMP TRUMP buttons--but they also exchange information about their families, and--let's face it-- they also exchange juicy tidbits about Austin Heartless. Fiorella knows about scandals from way back wheen 😁😁

House-hunting Blues

Fio did not care for the new houses she and Bastrop son looked at yesterday. They seemed artificial, like they'd been furnished by HGTV. Maybe she and Son should be checking out gently-used older houses--places that look like homes rather than advertisements, places that Fiorella and her son's family could make suit their fancy, or, as HGTV would say--"put their own stamp on."
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While he was here at the house, Son took care of Fiorella's to-do list by advising her on an investment fund, taking down the Halloween decorations she couldn't reach, uncapping the Tide pumpkin she couldn't handle, and forcing a delinquent lens back into her best eyeglasses. Then, on the way home from the house search, they worked together filling the vase on Husband's grave marker with never-die carnations and foliage🧡🧡
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According to her calendar, today will be a slow one for Fiorella, which, as you well know, means that all hell will break loose. On the other hand, maybe the day will be ginger-peachy and she can catch up on her reading. (Insert hilarious laughter emoji)
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Getting back to house-hunting, Fio remembers that their rental landlord, a realtor, helped Fio and Husband find their first home, and that she and Husband found their second home themselves by searching the school district they were interested in, then hired a realtor friend to complete the deal.
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Although, truth to tell, Sonia Dog is inside most of the time, she has never lived anywhere than on a five-acre tract and will have a problem adjusting to neighbors who are only a couple of yards away. Whatever, Fiorella isn't going anywhere without her darling.

Turning Fio's Life Upside Down Again

Fiorella is looking forward to looking at new houses with Bastrop son today. At the same time, she's a little sad. She loves her home in the middle of the woods and had thought she would live in it for the rest of her life, but such was not to be. It's hard for one person to keep up a big house by herself, not to mention tending to the acreage. Besides, despite Sonia Dog's loving care, Fiorella is lonely.
     This year has been hard on her. She's had to be emptying a house in preparation to selling it and, at the same time, be maintaining it in order to get top dollar, not to mention keeping it livable while she's still in residence. Then there's the decision-making--what to keep and what to toss, whom to give what to, what's worthwhile to fix and what isn't.
     She'd like to say that she will miss her neighbors, but that isn't true. They've all been helpful in their own ways, but living on acreage means you rarely see the people next door--or even across the road. Besides, Fio, has always been a fish out of water in the area. No one else writes or paints or sings or posts campaign signs.
     What she will miss, though, is the woods, which she has never actually seen all of. She loves the rocks and the trees, the spring wildflowers, the feeling of freedom--of being alone with herself. She loves discovering things like the boulders lining the dry creek, enchanting patches of light hidden in the trees like pits of sunshine, the remains of old campsites, deer antlers, even stupid armadillo dens.
     Yes, moving out will be hard for Fio, but it is of her own volition.

Wading Through Deep Water

I plan, I work, I pray
But where is God today?
And what have I done, I'd like to know
That makes Him want to bring me low?
*
As you can tell, yesterday did not start out well, but somehow Fiorella slogged her way through it, despite worrying about her children, losing a lens in her best glasses, and still not having all the bats de-Scotch-taped and put away. One thing that helped was that she worked out all the newspaper anagrams without any trouble, which persuaded her that she still had a brain or two left in her head.
*
Driving into town also helped Fio's mood. She made herself a list and actually crossed most of errands, although when she stopped at Walgreen's she bought Dove chocolate  bars and Russell Stover Christmas candy instead of the AA batteries she needed.
*
Sonia Dog welcomed Fiorella home as if she'd just come in from a year-long trek across the Sahara, which always lightens Fio's mood. Nothing like having a i30 lb dog plop itself in your lap to make you feel loved.
*
Come eventime, Fiorella went through a stack of old paperback romances, grabbed a couple of her favorites and looked through them for the love scenes. Yep, Fio's gearing up to resume her writing career again. She'll probably start by finishing up her Lolly story, which you've read a bit of, but she wants to resurrect three finished but unpublished stories as well. We'll see.

Substitution

Fiorella is depressed and not feeling well this morning, so she'll entertain you with a couple ofpassages from one of Jeanell Bolton's romances:

            
 Rafe parked the truck and came around her side to lift her out. To anyone watching, he was a tall man courteously helping a height-challenged woman out of a big truck. They wouldn't know he skimmed his hands lightly--just enough that she knew they were there--along the outline of her hips. They wouldn't know he brushed her breasts against himself, tightening her nipples and sending her signals she was trying to ignore....
 *
 Backing out of her parking space, she  headed toward G&G Chicken across the river. Not that she felt that much like eating, but she didn't want to faint dead from hunger and have everyone in Bosque Bend think it was because she was heartsick about the break-up with Rafe.
  Her smile faced as she stopped at a red light.
  Oh crap. She was heartsick about it! She missed his coyboy drawl, his easy smile, those stupid sparking eyes. She missed talking with him and laughing with him. She missed his arm around her shoulders. And, yes, she missed  his hands going wherever they wanted to go.
  But it was all for the best, she reminded herself as the light changed. She was in Bosque Bend to direct the theater guild production, notto have a love affair with the chairman of the board.
  Correction--a sexual affair--no love involved!
*
 She was silent for a few minutes after confessing the part she'd played in covering up her late husband's death, then turned to stare out the side window again. Rafe respected her silence, but had the feeling she was building up to something.
  She removed his engagement ring from her finger and held it out to him. "And if you want this ring back, here it is."
  Like hell! She wasn't going to get rid of him this easily. He clenched his hand around hers and his sparkling eyes hardened into shards of steel. "Moira, what I want is for that ring to go right back on tour finger and stay there!.I love you and I'll stand by you, not matter what!"
*

Moving On

Fiorella is bursting with happiness--her yardman y su sobrino came over in late afternoon and planted all of those Asian jasmines Fio had bought and been nursing in her garage for three days until the weather changed. Come spring, she'll get another problem area covered with wood chips. Yeah, your Fio is on a roll!
*
Earlier in the day, Fio dropped by Hobby Lobby to pick up stencils for the VOTER REGISTRAR badge she has been commissioned to design, and the woman who checked her out said, "I like your button," which warmed Fiorella's heart and made her forget she couldn't find the garage door controller. (It did turn up later).
*
Even earlier in the day, Fio had a great time visiting with her doctor's assistant, who was checking up on her regarding the driveway attack on her six weeks ago. Yes, Fiorella is calling it a driveway attack because she thinks the rocks rolled under her foot on purpose. She has not been paying much attention lately to the guardians of her driveway, the ones she would frequently write about before Husband died and her world turned upside down, but maybe they willl forgive her because she's planning to go on a hunt in the backwoods to gather appropriate rocks for lining the edge of her jasmine plantings.
*
Somewhere in there, Fio learned that her Medicare renews automatically, which was a relief. She's sick and tired of stupid paperwork.
*
Best of all, Fio's calendar is clear for today, which means she'll be able to catch up on things like her laundry and the dining room table, which is loaded with papers again. .

Assorted Shorts

Fiorella ate a whole bag of chocolate cookies the other day and fully expected to be up all night with GERD, but instead, she slept like a baby. Hmm....
*
How can you expect Fio to remember the date when it changes every day?

*
Fio is tired of "doing the right thing" and ending up on the losing end. Maybe she should try being a bad girl for a change.
*
Fiorella is packing away her Halloween decorations with a heavy heart. Each holiday that passes puts her closer to her move-out date.
*
You realize, of course, that Fiorella would make a blog out of her own funeral.

Reflections on the Scene

Fio's feeling sad today. Maybe it's a let-down from the excitement yesterday--the get-together at Fish Daddy's with cousin Tom and his son, finally getting the maternal-side acrostic page ready to be mailed, coming up with a really good Voter Registrar badge. Maybe it's the times. It seems like whenever Fiorella turns around, Trump's contingents have come up with a new villainry. It's Nixon's dirty tricks ten times over.

Please note that Fio does not blame Republicans--TRUE Republicans--but the self-serving scum who have crawled out of the sewer and clothed themselves as GOP. Lincoln would be horrified. A president is supposed to unite a nation, but Trump has divided it. A president should seek peace at home and abroad, but Trump has deliberately caused chaos. A president should be putting the country first, but Trump has put himself first.

Why does anyone support him? Maybe because they stand to gain from his shenanigins. Maybe because they hate anyone different from them. Maybe because they've been hoodwinked by Trump's propaganda. Maybe because, like cows, they're just plain following the loudest sound they hear.

Whatever, Fiorella will continue to pursue truth, liberty, and justice--to fight the good fight--with the spirits of her Republican parents cheering her on.

Now Fiorella feels better. Thank you for letting her have her say.

HAPPY ENDING

Fiorella had it on her schedule that she was supposed to meet up with cousin Tom and his son for lunch today, but he didn't show, even though Fio waited an hour and a half in the parking lot, thinking she might have written down the time wrong. It was disheartening. Fiorella had not only dressed up cute in beige slacks and a yellow long-sleeve knit sweater over an orange T, but she'd also postponed attending to her shopping list, the same list that was postponed earlier in the week when she had no transportation.
*
Your girl's face is pretty much up to par now. The small hematoma above her left eye aches occasionally, and there's still a little bruising around the socket, but she can lift  one-gallon milk jugs (two at a time) and six-pound weights again.
*
Girding her loins in the late afternoon, Fio drove out to take care of the to-do list she'd made last week. She didn't stop at FedEx Kinkos because she'd forgotten to bring the acrostic with her, and when she checked in at Target, they didn't have any cute girls' clothes in size three that she could see, but she was able to pick up three more bags of blanks for her DUMP TRUMP buttons, then swing down to H-E-B for groceries and treats, then drive up to Walgreens to claim her prescriptions. For a grande finale, she watched a beautiful orange-yellow sunset against a turquoise sky all the way home.
*
Fio was also powered by bag of Pinwheels all the way home 😁
*
GUESS WHAT? Your Fiorella had the wrong day! She is supposed to meet up with Cousin Tom TODAY, not yesterday, which means she'll doll herself up in another cute outfit and take even more pics of her lovely home to inundate him with.

How's Life, Fio?

Facebook is almost dead right now--just the few old memes floating around, but Fiorella suspects it's the lull before the storm. We'll see.
*
     Presidential Getaway

     Fleeing to Florida--
     Boo-hoo-hoo
     Does Nancy Pelosi
     Frighten you?

     She's got the goods
     On you, you know,
     From emoluments
     To quid pro quo

     Fleeing to Florida--
     Hurry up and run
     'Cause Pelosi's got you
     Under the gun
*
It's amazing how getting both cars back energizes Fiorella. She's got wheels again. HELLO, WORLD!
*
In the meantime, she's been thinking up romance circumstances--like an older, handsome employer trying to fix his pretty, middle-aged maid's watch, which leads to other things as they stand in close contact. She got the idea because she put her watch on upside down when she changed the time, and now she can't get it off again.
*
GRRRRR! Can't Fio go through at least ONE DAY without messing up? Daughter and her beau drove her to Mazda to reclaim Baby Car, and Fio left her precious lista amarilla, which is about three tablets thick now, in their back seat. Bless Daughter for volunteering to drive la lista up from Austin in the morning, but, in the meantime, Fiorella is at loose ends.

Up and Down, Up and Down

Fio's day didn't start out that great, but she ended up on top of the world. First off, she finally finished off the acrostic she had promised to her mother's side of the family a couple of months ago, and today she will take it to Fed-Ex Kinkos to get fifteen card-stock copies of it run out to send to Ohio. 
     WAIT A MINUTE, FIO--did you say you will be taking the acrostic to Kinko's yourself? Does that mean you have one of your cars back?  
     That's where the top of the world comes in.  I harangued Caliber Collision on and off all day because they had told me the Mercedes would be ready today but I was hearing nothing, but finally, about four, I got word that the Queen Mary was about to set sail and would be delivered to me in the evening. Of course, I was ecstatic to have wheels again, but then I got a call from Mazda and learned that the pieces of Baby Car have been put back together and my darling would be coming home today On top of the world!
*
Daughter and her beau will be visiting tomorrow to help with the house, and Fio is very grateful.  Maybe they can also tell Fiorella why she can't transfer photos from FB onto her blog anymore.
*
Did you watch Nancy Pelosi on Colbert's show Thursday night? She was wonderful--so poised, so lady-like, so knowledgeable. Fio loves her 🧡🧡🧡
*
Don't laugh, but Fiorella is trying to teach herself how to cook again. She used to do a fair amount of cooking when she and Husband lived in the city and the children were at home, but Husband edged her out of the kitchen when they moved out to the country.
*
You won't believe this, but your girl, the same one who was complaining about the extreme heat for the past month, is now praying for warm weather so she can plant her Asian jasmines.

From Dawn to Dusk

Fiorella was terribly depressed most of the morning. It was (and still is) the electronics again. She thought she had mastered (with elder son's help) moving a photo from Facebook onto her blog, but apparently not, because she tried to do it several times and kept ending up losing the picture. And to add insult to injury, when she posted her Halloween poem on FB, it turned sideways.
*
Things brightened up during the afternoon,  when friend Marla called and told Fio that, thanks to her inquiry, a protocal was being put in place that would assure older people receiving their mail-in ballets. Also, SHE ASKED FIO TO DESIGN A VOTER REGISTRAR BUTTON FOR EVERYONE TO WEAR!
*
Later on, friend Fernando y su sobrino drove Fiorella over to a place where she could buy a few more flagstones and a load of dirt to fill in the flagstone pathway. Then they went to Home Depot, where Fio bought almost $275 worth of Asian jasmine. The new pathway was finished off (although Fiorella will probably rearrange it later in the week), but the jasmine was placed, but not planted. With below-freezing weather being predicted for the weekend, Fio hotfooted it outside the minute Fernando left and brought every single one of those plants up to the garage door before neighbors Michael and Kathy picked her up to attended the neighborhood Halloween party.
*
If your Fio ever had a doubt about moving, she doesn't now. Although she and Husband had attended the Halloween party religiously for the last sixteen years, there was, quite simply, NO ONE FOR HER TO TALK TO--no one to exchange the latest about their families, whatever project they were working on, current events, or even the unusually cold weather. How dull can you get?
*
As soon as friend Al delivered Fio to her front door, she hustled around to the garage, opened it, and two by two, carried all the jasmines inside to the warmth. No way her mother's daughter was going to let almost $300 in ground cover freeze overnight.