Fiorella Has the End-of-the-Year Blues

 Fio is feeling ever more sorrowful on the last day of the month as she goes around the empty house humming "Fast away, the old year passes" in a most dolorous tone. Not that she can really sing anymore, of course, which also makes her even sadder. 

In the late afternoon yesterday, she heard jangles and the sound of children playing outside so she took a chair out, sat it on the porch, and watched the kids as they lined up for the ice-cream man and then ran their bikes and scooters around until the evening darkened and they were called home, leaving your girl alone again. Nothing to do but pick up her chair and go back inside the house.

 Fiorella tries so hard to be a good person, no matter what, but it's hard to to keep a-smilin' when all she wants to do is cry. Sometimes it  teems like the whole world is against her, telling her that everything she does or has done is wrong and accusing her of things she never even thought of doing.

She'd feel better if she could just hop in the car and drive to places like the bank, her doctors' offices, church, wherever, on her own, but while Fio could scoot around small-town Georgetown with no problem, she doesn't know her way around Austin anymore. Son L has been kindly acting as chauffeur, but he has his own life to live.

Sorry to end the year on such a low note, but maybe next year will be better.

Love, Fiorella 💗

 

 

 

Post Christmas Doldrums

 It seems to Fio that she's done so much work on her new lodgings--bedroom and studio--that she should be able to relax and enjoy herself, but NOOOOOO! Her closet is still a childish mess and the studio seems to get more crowded every day.

It's always so exciting to decorate for Christmas and a real hassle to take it everything down--and this year, to add to it, Fiorella can't find a box big enough to store all of her collected decorations.

Now that your girl's home care nurse has released her, she's without a friend to talk to. Covid has kept her from making new friends in her neighborhood and, since she isn't driving, she can't "Get around much anymore." DANG! Nothing to do but sneak out at night and paint pictures on the sides of her neighbors' houses. Anyone want to put on a black mask and join her?

Speaking of painting up other people's houses, Fio once had a student who wrote an essay about how he and his pals would paint all sorts of designs on freight cars. As an artist, your girl thought it was interesting, and as a teacher, she felt honored that he trusted her enough to confide what was a crime at the time--and still may be, for all Fio knows.

What has Yours Truly been doing lately to combat the post-Christmas blues, you ask? How about gathering oak leaves from the sidewalk and yard, then making a falling tree design down the front window of her studio. Try it--you'll like it. 😊

 

From Let Down to Possible Venture

 December 19--what a let down. Fio's decorations are looking jaded, the Christmas tree is old hat, and she herself is feeling out of sorts--especially because her home health nurse's tenure is over, which means your girl has no one to talk with face-to-face/mask any more, thanks to Covid.😢😢😢

What can Fiorella do now so she won't go stark raving crazy(er)? Well, looking at her page-long list, it looks like she could be finishing  off the parlor, but that can't happen until Son L hangs two pictures above the piano and takes her to the lumberyard to get four finished shelves to display the afore-mentioned figurines and other pretties from both sides of the family. HINT, HINT!

One of Fio's super list hopes for the new year is that someone will write out directions for the major operations she has to learn to do on the computer in order to join the modern world. (She was doing pretty good for a while there, but last year took a toll on her admittedly meager technological skills.

EEK, it looks like your girl missed an appointment with the tall, dark, and handsome doctor who is healing her left knee--the one that got injured when she tried to break a branch over it to augment her firewood last winter. Fiorella thinks the knee is doing well, but she'd really want a pro to check it out. (Did, uh, she mention that the doctor is also quite charming?)

Your girl studied the fallen oak leaves as she walked to the neighborhood's communal mailbox and, on her way back, decided to compose some kind of design with them on the two front windows that she commands. Will let you know what happens.

 

 

 

Sliding Down from Christmastime

 How thrilling! Fiorella's Christmas poem has really hit the big time--especially with women of a certain age. Fio even had a call from a childhood friend who lives in Virginia to rave about it. Your girl hopes that when her oriental carpets come out of storage, they will be raved about by her family.

Speaking of storage, she also hopes to find all her decorations and pretties in good shape. Some of them are really old, like from Fio's and Husband's grandparents. And yes, we were both taught to respect old people and old things.

Sitting on the floor, Fio went through about two hours of pictures, art, and writing that she'd secreted in the bottom shelf next to the piano last week. Her method is simple. First she separates everything into husband's leftovers or her own, tossing repeats as she encounters them. Next, she goes through each stack and decides what is worthwhile to save for the kids. Then she closes shop and it's up to them.

What will today bring Fiorella--so far, just indigestion. Maybe a half-bag of walnuts were not her best decision for a late-night supper.

End of day: well, what today brought to Fio was a mess revolving around one of her prescriptions resulting an evening run to Walgreens that wasn't any fun. Wish your girl better for tomorrow.

 

 

RECOVERIES!

 Fiorella is trilled to announce to you that her Christmas sonnet has been commended by at least seventy readers so far, and that's just from one source. A couple of her other friends, mostly from her RWA group have also spread the word, as have friends and (she hopes) relatives. Hmm...maybe it's time to put her sonnets together in a book--if your girl can find them all. She's been sonnetting ever since high school. 

What does one do in the break between Christmas and New Years? Your girl looks her bedroom and studio over to see how what she can improve on or add too, vows to finish off her current project (the parlor), and makes plans for future projects. Yep, you can't keep an ol' celebrator down.

The sad thing about Christmas Past is that now Fiorella has to take down her decorations--the tons of holly and mistletoe she cut out of paper this year, the sprinkling  of old cards taped on the wall for remembrance and refrence, the jingle bells and felt stockings from years past. 

There isn't much that Fio can do with January's staggering old man and naked baby so she'll have to concentrate on completing the romance she's been working on lo, these many years, and then there are those other books she wrote that never made it to a publisher. Maybe now that most of her belongings are out of storage, she can bite her teeth into them both.

WOW! Your girl suddenly realized she'll never be bored this year because she'll have languages to recover and a piano to relearn!

 

 

Leftovers

The day after Christmas, and what do I do

But write another poem to you

To wish you well in the coming year 

And also to those whom you hold dear 

Fiorella got so carried away by rhyming that it was hard for her to stop so, fortunately, Granddaughter pulled her out of her room to play with Christmas toys and four-year old fantasies--starring yours truly as the baby. Along the way, your also got swabbed with a kiddie make up, which is apparently all the rage now.

Apparently Fio ate something that she shouldn't have--or maybe too much of everything she shouldn't have--at the Christmas celebration at Son L's in-laws--because her stomach has been complaining ever since she got up this morning.

Nostalgia reins supreme. Fio has been prowling through some old photos today and came across a collection of pics from a Christmas about ten years ago, when she and Husband were still on the ranch and your girl decorated everything that wouldn't fight back. Sigh--those were the days.  Maybe next year she'll be able to gussy up the new house to her specifications, but right now she hasn't even gotten herself settled in yet. Sigh....

Oops, excuse me. I just now glanced down the front of my nightgown and discovered that my gown is on inside out.

 

 

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!

 While Son L and his wife and child were off helping his mother-in-law with her yearly Christmas party yesterday, Fiorella guarded the fort at home, and not only did she fill out all her incoming bills, but spent about an hour on and off in the parlor, checking out the electric piano with one of the carols she'd composed several years ago when she was all about music. Yes, you heard Fio--she used to compose,  but that was before she moved out into the boondocks and, along the way, lost her singing voice.

On a whim, Fio tried not just to play one of her songs on the piano, but also to sing along--and it sounds like her voice is coming back. Not strongly, of course, but enough to stay on pitch. Hmm...wonder if, with daily practice, she could retrain the cords in her throat. (PS: she'll have to retrain her hands for the piano too.)

 It's Christmas morning, but there's not a sound in the house so your girl has been lying in bed penning poetry--cute little lines like "What can I do, what can I say?/I can't make the rhyming go away! 

Suddenly, Granddaughter burst into Fio's room because her parents were still asleep, waved an unwrapped present at me, grabbed Grammy's hand, and insisted she come to the den with her to see what Santa had left, but didn't open anything until her parents awoke from their well deserved rest.

It's almost noon and Granddaughter, the star of the show, is ecstatic over all her gifts--and Fiorella is impressed by the way she joyfully picked up all the wrapping paper and stuffed it in a bag. Good home training!

 

December 24

 'Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the house/ Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse/ The stockings were hung by the chimney with care/In case that St. Nicholas soon would be there/And Ma in her kerchief and Dad in in his cap/Had just settled down for a long winter's nap. 

Sound familiar? Fio was surprised (but pleased) that she remembered those first four lines of Clement Clarke Moore's beloved holiday poem, but wonders how many other people will. The times, they are a-changin', and even Fiorella chose a more personal view with her holiday poem this year.

By the way, the front room parlor is shaping up well. It's amazing how much can be fit into a relatively small room if one plans carefully. Fiorella is thrilled that the electronic piano still works and that she's been able to gather all the music books, sheets, and compositions together in one place. Hoping that the collection will be a joy to Granddaughter when she's older.

The collections of about three generations of decorations from times past are also on display--a good number of ceramic Santa Clauses plus lovely angels.

There's nothing else your girl has to say but Moore's Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night! 💗

AAAAAAAK--I didn't realize this hadn't been posted!

Almost Too Late

 It's the twenty-third, and Fiorella has "gone about as fer as she can go" regarding the parlor today--you'll remember that she's been working like a dog to make it a music/art/display room for the whole family plus visitors. Hoping she can finish it off tomorrow, but it may take a couple of days more.

No snow on the ground, of course, but it felt like an early Christmas when Fio was out at the curb and the man across the street came over and gave her a holiday greeting again.

Did Your girl tell you that she was going through a box of things from Christmases past and found some holiday songs she'd composed? None of them made it to whatever passes for the Hit Parade nowadays, but they warmed her heart--and made her wonder if she could write a couple more songs for Christmas next year. Hmm...

If you heard somebody hammering a nail in the wall above Fiorella's bed, she herself was the perpetrator. Yep, instead of whining around until Son L had time to affix the picture of his grandmother's first-place win in that long-ago spelling bee your girl keeps talking about, she hunted down a yard stick and used it to determine where she should drive in the a nail so that the new picture would be vertically even with a picture above it, AND IT WORKED! 

 The house is quiet now--everyone in the house seems to have gotten themselves tucked in for the night so if you'll excuse her, Fio will close up shop, say her prayers, and go to bed.💗💗💗

 

 

 

Closer and Closer to Christmas

 The nearer it gets to  Christmas, the weepier Fiorella gets as she remembers times past--sometimes with  joy, sometimes with  sorrow. 

Whoopee! Your girl has just discovered there is another slat that fits into the upper shelf of the secretary she is now working on. That means one more place to put her mother's pretties, a couple of which even won prizes at the Waco fair.

Fio has had a hard time going to sleep lately so she's been watching TV to calm herself. Her current choice of television lullaby is Three Men and a Baby, which she never saw in a theater--turned down low, of course.

Fiorella packed everything in her old house and brought it with her when she moved, just in case it might be needed. Guess what--it wasn't. 😢

Your girl's ear misses the sound of Christmas music. Isn't there a caroling group around her somewhere? She can't lead one like she used to, but she could applaud....and maybe tear up a little, remembering times past. 😊

Fio has dragged Mom's collections of family heirlooms out of the dust of travel, and her tears well up as she looks at each and every one and remembers how precious they were to her mother, which means they are even more precious to her.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What Next?

 The noose grows tighter and tighter as Fiorella gets closer and closer to Christmas--what has she done, what has she not done, and does she have any chance of having her own personal Christmas be merry this year? Sure, she's sent out all her cards, washed all her clothes, and done what she could to have a storybook Christmas, but with the ghost of last year's Christmas and its aftermath hovering over her, she is not taking any bets.

What with the holidays, your girl's artistic side and writing skills are adding on muscle. It's taking a lot longer to set up her studio and settle down to finish off Lolly's story than she thought it would, but all she can do is keep on plowing. After all, she has more of a chance to reach her goals if she keeps moving ahead than if she doesn't.

What about those music skills that Fiorella once claimed to possess? Well, your girl has a piano now, but she's so busy pulling the parlor together that she hasn't had time to play--and she knows it will take a good while for her to get up to speed again. Admittedly, she was ever anything but mediocre on the keyboard, but her compositions were pretty good.

And then there is her linguistic side--remember when your girl was watching Spanish TV dramas to pick up the lingo? Well, with everything that's happened, it's all slipped away, of course, but maybe Fio can start it up again when she's totally settled. She'd like to review her other languages too--not she's ever been truly fluent in anything but English, but it's fun to dabble.

Every now and then, Fiorella wonders if anyone at all reads her blog. Then she reminds herself that if she did know how many or how few followers she has, it would make her so self-conscious or depressed that she couldn't write.

 

 

Flying High

 

                   Flying High

   I cannot write a merry poem this year

Too much has happened lately in my life--

Uprooted from a home that I held dear

And now a widow, who was once a wife 

   Change is not my forte, and options few--

A clock cannot run backwards, nor can I,

Thus I must gird myself and start anew

To see how high my aging kite can fly

   Too late, they say--your day is almost done.

Pull down your kite and rest yourself a while-- 

Go take a break from shining in the sun--

Enjoy yourself before your final mile,  

   And as they lecture,  I slip quietly by

   And launch my kite into the waiting sky

 

 

 

Christmas Build Up

 Sorry to be running so late, but it's that season--helter skelter everywhere, but in a very nice way. We went over to brother's home not only to wish him and his wife a Merry Christmas, but also to see their wonderful decorations that far outdo anything Fiorella has ever pulled together.

Your girl was thrilled at a very personal Christmas present--getting in touch with friend Maqua from years ago via computer. What a great time we used to have with our ladies' chorus at Christmastime and, yes,  some of the songs were Fio's compositions. 

The only problem with Christmas, as Fiorella sees it, is that the prep time leading up to it is too short and the enjoyment part of it is also too short. How about gobbling up Thanksgiving into the scene? Elves in November might seem a little weird at first, but we could all get used to it.

Good grief! Your girl just realized that the reason the house is so silent is because while she's been busy typing away, everyone else has gone to bed and is fast asleep. Well, the day has been overwhelming--not just the visit to Granddaughter's aunt and uncle's Christmas fairyland, but the decorating of our own tree so maybe Fio should turn in herself. So...Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night.

 

 

 

 

From Brow-wiping to Santa Claus

 WHEW,  says Fiorella, as she wipes her brow. Your girl has been working on her Christmas cards for quite a while now--first the composition, then getting the cards printed (Kinkos), then writing a nice message on the inside, then sticking stamps on about fifty envelopes, then turning to her computer to get the addresses of several old friends whose addresses she couldn't find. WHEW, says Fiorella again.

Fio also says "So THAT'S how it's done," because she taught herself how to look up addresses on the compute today. Hmm...that could have uses other than just  cards.

Fiorella herself has not received more than two Christmas cards so far, which she attributes to her having moved from her Georgetown home back to Austin, but at a difference location.  

The autographed portrait of President and Lady Bird Johnson will get a new place of honor in Daughter's house. Fio's father-in-law was the lead reporter for Johnson's radio station way back when, and your girl was actually introduced to him once.  Ah, if this hand could speak!

Would it help you feel more Christmasy if Yours Truly told you that she's wearing green slacks and a red t-shirt today? Ho, ho, ho! 😁

 

 

Chritmas Coments

 Firella is running late because she's been sort of sick the past two days--more today than yesterday. No idea how she got sick--maybe from the neighborhood kids, maybe when she was at the FedEx store, maybe from a passing stranger--who knows. The important thing is that she's feeling a lot better now and can proceed with writing nice notes inside her cards and mailing them off to places known and unknown   (And if she doesn't have your address, she'll post a copy of her yearly magnificence here in the blog--art, poetry, greetings, and all.)

Now that your girl has fallen behind in decorating, she'll have to scuttle a bit, but never fear. Except when she had scarlet fever as a child, she's never missed a Christmas.

The happiest moment in her day today was when friend Paula called from frosty Vermont. Talking over times old and new is a great way to warm up winter.

Fiorella is hoping to have the front parlor in tip-top shape by Christmas. Hopefully, Son L will have the paintings hung by then.  We will also have to make a trip to the lumber yard to pick up some extra boards to rightfully exhibit all of Mom's collection of pretties, some of them quite valuable. Fio should add that she's also put some of Husband's best photos on the wall--if you've got it, show it!

Wondering if Son L will take us all on a ride around town to look at the lights as the holiday lights up.

 

 

 

 

 

December 16, ON TIME!

Has Fio tried to skip a day again? Probably so, because it's been a very busy day. Yes, you guessed it--Son L drove her to FedEx and, after what seemed like an interminable wait (although it was only about forty-five minutes), her 100 Christmas cards were born. There were a few scratches, but one can't expect perfection on a rush job.

Now to write a nice semi-personal note inside each card, sign them, seal them, pick up a hundred stamps at the already-swamped post office, toss the cards in the communal mail box, and pray that all goes well. Whew--your girl is exhausted already.

Keep it a secret, but Fiorella is mulling over the idea of walking up and down her street, knocking on doors and giving out her Christmas cards. With the pandemic still at full-speed ahead, it may be the only way she'll have to get acquainted with her neighbors--also to impress them. After all, not every block on the street has not only an artist, but a full-fledged poet on the premises. 

Sorry, but your girl has to leave now. It's past nine (p.m.) and she needs to get a good night's sleep if she's going to be addressing a mountain of envelopes tomorrow.

GOOD NIGHT, SLEEP TIGHT, DON'T LET THE BEDBUGS BITE!

Scattered Information

 

Remember smoking? Wonder what stylish fad we're killing ourselves with now....

What can Fio do with used pill bottles? They're so cute and must be useful for something....

It wasn't till Husband's parents got her teeth fixed that your girl started smiling--and has never stopped....

Why was it that not till about ten years ago that Fiorella found out how good salmon was? Answer: Her parents never served fish for dinner because her father, who grew up near a polluted Pennsylvania river, would never eat fish of any kind.

Note to a blossoming artist: Draw what you see, not what you think you see.

That Christmas card that Fiorella has been working on for about a week? She critiqued it, then changed a few things, but it should be ready to go to the printer tomorrow...maybe....

Fiorella has had a full day--TOO full a day, which is why she's running short.

I know it's a bad habit, but I can't stop THINKING 😄!

 

About that recent poem I penned

In anger, resentment, rage, or spite--

It didn't know you'd take offense

Since you were wrong and I was right!😁

 

(FIO DID NOT AIM THE ABOVE POEM AT ANYONE, but she thought the impudence was hilarious)

 

Oops, Another Misfire: Just Enjoy!

 Fiorella is going full speed ahead for Christmas. All of Mom's treasures, plus a few more picked up by yours truly, will be on display, and, if the sheet music can be found, there will be some singing too. One thing she especially likes about her family is that they all sing out loud and clear....and on pitch. 

Also on display (she hopes) will be the parlor which, as you will remember, Fio has been working on for a good while. Rearranging the furniture gave the place more room, and discovering that there were already pegs to hold up extra shelves has been a godsend. The only real problem is a lovely pair of heavy lamps, but your girl has an idea of where she could show themselves off in another room in the house.

Strangely enough, Fiorella, who wants to attend a service this weekend, is having a hard time finding an appropriate Lutheran church near her. The one she selected because it was small and nearby doesn't answer its phone. Ah, well, maybe the driver she will be hiring can help her.

 

Prep Time

 Oops--Fiorella skipped yesterday, for which she begs your forgiveness. Looking back, she remembers that there was a lot going on--visits from both of her traveling nurses, decorating the house, working all afternoon on her Christmas card, etc., etc. In other words--holiday mayhem in full force.

Of course, there's still more to do today--like a trip to the nearest FedEx to get a that card that your girl labored like a dog over yesterday to be prepared for bring sent out to friends far and near. Then there are the appropriately-sized envelopes to buy, stamp, and drop in the nearest mail box, and, in the meantime, Fiorella wants to strike up a relationship with the nearest Lutheran church, which she intends to visit this Sunday.

Yes, there's a lot for her to do, but everything looks good so far. Translation: your girl whipped right down the newspaper Jumble as if she'd been given the answers on the sly, which was a far cry from yesterday!

Oh! Did your girl also mention that she's still working on the small parlor at the front of the house, and IT IS LOOKING GOOD?! The major furniture--a piano, two tall bookshelves, a secretary, and a couple of Mom's chairs--are all sitting pretty now, ready to welcome the knick-knacks and paintings that Fiorella is going to start putting into place today. Wish her well: she doesn't want to have to bury a single one of them.

Son L and his wife took care of setting up the Christmas tree, but Fio will add in her own decorations as soon as she gets them out of storage. One thing she can guarantee--that tree will be loaded.

Party and Pre Christmas

 Happy birthday to Son L, who is, for once, able to sleep late--although we have all looked in on him and wished him well. The hoopla can wait till later. 💗

All the local family was here for Son L's birthday party--his sister, wife, daughter, and yours truly. We  all enjoyed the get-together, but now your girl has to deal with Christmas itself. She'll feel even better if she could just find all her decorations, the ones she carefully wrapped and put in storage last year before she moved.

By the way, Fiorela has finally been able to sketch out the bones of her Christmas card, which gets harder each year because she's already used all the obvious greetings, scenes, topics, etc., but she can't make herself stop. CORRECTION: she doesn't want to stop!

Hey, hey! One of Son L's birthday gifts was wrapped in gold-toned paper and Fiorella managed to rescue the mangled remains of it--the paper that is--which she hopes she can use for her Christmas card dummy. (Er, "dummy" in the sense of a model for other cards or whatever.)

The tree is now dressed with shining ornaments and draped with ropes of silver and gold, as well as a star on top, just as it should be. God bless us all, both big  and small--and that's all I have to say today💗

 

   

   

 

Now You Know All

 Remember Dolly Parton's song about the coat of many colors that her mother made for her? Well, Fio's mother beat her to it way back in WWII when she made a dress out of Daddy's tennis flannels and embroidered it with knitting yarn so that your girl could have a beautiful dress for the Christmas Eve church service.

Speaking of Christmas, your girl is trying a new approach to her Christmas cards--putting zig-zagging gold strings across them and using different colors to highlight the kite pattern. It may  well flop, but she'll still have time to concoct a new scheme.

Welcome to a new day. Fiorella's newspaper is missing in action again. GRRRRR!

Hey, hey, hey--you should see what Fio has done to two of her doors, the one for her crowded closet and the one to her room. She grabbed her stack of green paper and cut out several mistletoe designs, then searched for her hole cutter and cut several mistletoe berries out of red paper. It took most of the day so your girl probably won't be making any more mistletoe decorations this year. Besides, now she has to tackle the miracle of getting her own Christmas cards ready. As she's already said, she knows what she wants to do, but will need someone who can spare the time to drive her from store to store looking for multi-color foils. 

Christmas is a jolly season--lots of singing and laughter. Fio can still manage the laughter, but an essential tremor has just about muted her singing-wise.😢

 

 

From Dawn to a Couple of Hours Past Dusk

This is the day! Your girl will have a carpenter coming in and to see what he can do not only about getting some light in the closet, but also changing a child's clothes closet into an adult's. It won't be cheap, she knows, but the result should be worth it. Now, if Fio, who doesn't have an alarm clock, can just wake up by 7:00 on her own....

Of course, with Fiorella having awakened just past dawn, you know the carpenter didn't come till about two hours later, but there wasn't any problem because Fio still had a couple of others things that needed looking into--like a huge pile of pillowcases, sheets, and mattress covers found rolled up with the sheets. Needless to say, later in the day, after the carpenter came, they all got sorted into piles later in the day--save, donation, trash.

Your girl is feeling sort of blue again. Where are the carolers?

Fio has started designing her traditional, wonderful Christmas cards, of course, but it may be hard to find two of her major ingredients--gold foil and a coat of many colors. More on this later.

One of your girl's new year's resolutions will be to get more acquainted with her neighbors, whether they want to or not not. Walking a couple of blocks to the communal mailbox every now and then isn't going doing the trick.

 

 

 

Bits and Pieces Again

 Poor hungry George Cat...he thinks because Fio walks on two legs, she will feed him, but Son L is the only one who know what George's preferences are.

Your girl went to yet another doctor today and was told she's in good shape, then was referenced to a line-up of other doctors she should see. Sigh.... maybe that means he wants every one of his pals to profit off her too....

Watch out--Fiorella's Christmas card is shaping up to match the poem she wrote about about herself as a high-flying kite. And no, you can't see it before the unveiling!

Hip hooray, hip hooray! Tomorrow is the day that the carpenter comes over and checks out her clothes closet to see if it can be made more usable for an adult.

Barney, Fio's favorite nephew, died this morning, and she is in sorrow. May the good God bless his two sons and comfort his loyal wife.💗

  

 

 

JINGLE BELLS, JNGLE BELLS!

 Fiorella has had a topsy-turvy day, but somehow she still got a fair amount of work done. Apparently, she'll not have to worry about a tree because Son L and his wife have the same kind of fake tree that Fio and Husband had, which your girl applauds. Not only do they cost less in the long run than a real tree, but don't wilt or require water. Your girl used their tree--made in Japan--for at least twenty years, maybe more, before it started looking its age. 😕

Your girl is hoping that is a caroling group that will wander out our way. Back in her heyday, Fio often led choral singers not only around the neighborhood, but to homes for the aged, but now, can hardly croak out a "Merry Christmas." Nevertheless,  the joy is still with her💗

Son L took Fiorella out to H-E-B this afternoon and she really got into the shopping scene. Like huge ATLANTIC SALMON shopping! Yes, your girl is swinging off of hamburger onto fresh Atlantic salmon again. Yum😄!

EEK--FIO JUST RECEIVED HER FIRST CARD, SO SHE'S RUNNING BEHIND!

Merry Christmas to the newborn baby, to the new home, to the nephew in the hospital and his offspring, to doctors and nurses everywhere, to all that is wonderful in the world 💗

 

 

 

THANK YOU, PAULA

Fiorella is on the run right now, and not just because she's got a Christmas card to design and presents to buy, but because she had a good, solid talk with friend Paula. Apparently, your girl is a people person, and like a flower needs water, she needs friends to wind her up, which isn't a good survival trait in a pandemic that seems to have no end.

Son L has a new job, which we'll all have to get used to, and which means Fio will probably have to find some other way to get to her doctor appointments and prescription pick ups. Then, of course, there are the trips to Fed Ex she'll be making to get acquainted with the people who will be running off her Christmas cards. And last, but not least, she'd like to visit the local Lutheran church over the holidays. 

Actually, in truth,  she'd like to have transportation available whenever she needs it, sigh. Anyone out there want to gift her with a chauffeur?

Back to reality, your girl is still arranging the last shipment that came in from storage and still has to check the garage for Christmas tree lights and decorations. Son L, of course, will have to be the one who searches out the attic. 

Hooray,  hooray! Fio's electric piano, which stopped playing normal piano sounds about ten years ago, has healed itself! Yes, and all the other sounds--bells, etc., are also working. Hmm...maybe it just needed a rest in a dark corner for a while.

 

 

Christmas Is Coming to Town!

 Is there anyone else out there who writes important notes--like an upcoming birthday or the exact time you are supposed to take a pill--on the palm of his/her hand like your girl does?

Fiorella thanks the Good Lord that she had a mother who wasn't afraid to shinny up a step ladder taller than she was to hammer a nail into the wall for whatever was necessary--in this case for one of your girl's paintings. Yes, Fio's still working on the studio. 

Christmas is coming and Son L is out front draping strings of lights over the shrubbery and still-blooming roses, but maybe things will change in the next couple of weeks. Just so we don't get the same weather as last year--the snowstorm that left Fiorella house-bound, cold, hungry, and on the edge of freezing to death. 

A lot has changed for your girl since last year--she's sharing a newish house with Son L and his family, set up an art studio for herself, really gotten to know her granddaughter, made contacts with some of her old friends, and is doing her best to move forward.

Excitement is in the air! We'll be rescuing the piano from storage today. Pray that it will still work....

Happy Birthday to Mom and Other Comments

THIS IS A TEST! Fiorella, who believes in "waste not, want not," can't get rid of a blank page that has set up camp in her blog thus she's decided to see if it can be used to produce another blog, so bear with her....

Why, oh why, is Fio still coughing, sneezing, and honking? Is she allergic to everything on earth or is it a dastardly scheme by Kleenex to boost its sales?

 

I'm small, not tall/ But all in all

I have a loud voice

Little or big/ A fiddle or twig--     

Take your choice

 

 Today is Fiorella's mother's birthday, and your girl misses her still. She was the one who taught Fio tolerance and compassion, to enjoy the sweep and magnificence of poetry, to value and constantly search out education, to breath in the beauty of music, to value foreign languages and their speakers, to follow her heart and paint with with rainbow colors, to be kind to all, even those who have no kindness in them. May God bless this beautiful, loving woman and keep her under His wing, forever and ever, amen. 💗

 

 

 

 

 

 

A WILD RIDE!

 Yes, Fiorella is driving herself crazy regarding  her Christmas card this year, mostly because (1) she doesn't know where the nearest Fed Ex (Kinko's) is, and (2), because she probably won't have transportation to get there even if she did know. You got the picture--Fio drove all over little old Georgetown without a problem, but Austin is high traffic, and it's changed MUCHO from when she and Husband migrated from it way-back-when. The only solutions your girl can come up with is calling a cab or using Uber--which might be more interesting because she's never used Uber before.

But what about her medical appointments? Fio doubts that either of the above would be willing to not only pick her up, but wait who-knows-how-long for her appointment to be over. Looks like your girl is back against a wall.

In the meantime, Fiorella soldiers on regarding her self-appointed household duties. She can't do much more with the parlor until the piano is in place, but then she should be able to decide exactly where to put the two full-length mirrors (maybe in the closet) and how to showcase her mother's display pieces.

Out of the blue, Your girl has started having foot problems--at night of all things--so Son L drove her to Walmart and consulted Dr. Scholl. We'll see if his prescription works, but if it doesn't, Fiorella will have to resort to a real live podiatrist. Actually, Fio had the same problem about ten years ago and ended up with  $pecialty inserts in her shoes. Hoping that she'll not have have to go to that extreme this time around.

Fiorella hopes she's not overloading you: she's on a roll and has been writing ahead for the last couple of days but she's not sure she's pushing the right buttons regarding the publication dates. If so, just hang on--wherever you are with Fio, it's  a wild ride!

 

 

Christmas Blues and Other Hues

 Your girl was terribly depressed all morning. The day was dark and dreary, and all she could think about were happier days past--until suddenly it dawned on her that it was DECEMBER, and CHRISTMAS was coming on. So, as anyone who had Mrs. Rubright as a kindergarten teacher would do, she went through her supplies in the art shelves, pulled out several red and green pieces of paper, grabbed her ever-handy scissors, and began making a chain to decorate the back wall to the front door. No one called a halt to her endeavors so she added a bottom chain and put red ribbons around the necks of the wooden duck and metal goose. Now, what else can she decorate?

Just three days more till Fiorella can claim her piano! She's ecstatic at the thought, but concerned about the reality....

Wonder if anyone reads Fio's blog or if she's just writing to herself. But maybe it's good that she doesn't know "who, what, and where" because then she'd get more self-conscious than ever and not give you the bottom line.

Your girl can't help but think about Christmases in the past as a child, a wife, and a mother--the hustle- bustle of downtown shopping, the music in the air, the gloriously lit tree, the anticipation.  (On the other hand, with Covid and all its cousins, she's guessing there won't be much downtown shopping this year.)

OMG--as Fiorella was lying on her back in bed and writing with the computer on her stomach, THE SUN CAME OUT! Surely, it's a good omen!

 

 

 

Bits and Pieces and More So

ATTENTION! Anyone who gets Fio on the phone and calls out "ATTENTION"in a vibrant voice will be hung up on immediately.

Are Fiorella's pierced ear lobes gaining weigh? She's been having a bit of trouble getting her earrings into place lately....

NOTE TO SELF: Christmas is in the air so start working on your Christmas cards, Fio--NOW!

Hmm...wondering if Robinson Crusoe, when he was finally rescued, had the same problem communicating like your girl had after she went through a series of shattering experiences and was alone for so long.

 Just learned that chocolate is full of dopamine so it's no wonder Fiorella runs for her stash of goodies whenever she's been cut down. Unfortunately, she's also figured out that someone whose dopamine is already over-active shouldn't encourage it with even more of the same. GRRRRRR....

 

 

'Tis the Season to be Jolly

 Happy December! Fiorella will now swing into full gear--decorations, cards, gifts, etc., on top of everything else she is doing, like rescuing her remaining belongings from Pflugerville, which is still high on her list. Son L says we will be bringing the piano to its new home on Saturday, and Fio is thrilled, but on tenterhooks--what if it's been damaged? 

Everyone in the house has a cold right now. At least we assume it's just a cold--sniffling, tiredness, etc. Nobody has a fever, though. Hope that means something.

It's been a hard day so far, and your girl has been clutching to her bosom the wooden frame that holds the gold medal that is hanging from a blue ribbon, the one that her mother was awarded for winning the Summit County Elementary School spelling contest in1937. Wonder if, in the far future, one of Fio's descendants will clutch some of Fiorella's awards to her bosom for strength....

Hooray! Fio's other traveling nurse visited, this afternoon, the one who's trying to get your girl back on track with the rest of the world, and the good news is that Fiorella has been progressing from appointment to appointment and will soon be considered up to date. Apparently, nearly freezing to death clogs your brain for a while afterwards, but therapy can redeem you. 

Happy December to all, and to all a good month!💗