NOW YOU KNOW ALL!

 No more hanging back, Fiorella! Move FORWARD, FORWARD, FORWARD! Today you were able to play the piano again, and tomorrow you can conquer the world! 

Of course, the first thing on your girl's list is to get hold of a  more advanced pianist who can help her along the way--not that Fio is planning a musical career, but she wants to regain the skills she used to have for her own satisfaction. Unfortunately, she can't sing any more (throat surgery), but she can still compose music, which ties right in with her poetry and stories. 

The next thing is to change the way she faces the world. No more hiding in the back room, my girl! Instead, she has to talk to people, gather a passel of friends around herself--which will probably be a lot harder than locating a pianist. But never mind--Fiorellas attracted true believers before and she can do it again.

Because your girl gave up driving when she moved out of her house, her most difficult hurdle will probably be transportation. Fiorella isn't eager to start driving again, especially in what is now an unfamiliar city, and she doubts if there's anyone who wants to devote his/her time to carting her around full time. But who knows? 

Later on, Fio has to unpack her memories of past successes to bolster up her courage. After all, if she could be a newspaper correspondent, garner a PhD, Phi Beta Kappa, and Summa cum Laude, become a college teacher, president of the city's PTA, get two romances published, write and perform in various local musicals (plus a mini-opera that she composed), design a lovely house for her family, and sell her own art on the open market, she can surely manage a come-back or two.

 

MOVIN' FOREWARD AGAIN!

 Fiorella is trying to take care of herself physically right now--like being sure she's got all of her meds in line, like giving her carpal tunnel the best treatment possible, like getting her knee fixed, like making good use of the slinky new clothes daughter had her buy.

Actually, Fio's day has turned out to be a lot brighter than she thought it would. Her piano playing, which she suspected caused her stupid left-hand carpal tunnel, was judged INNOCENT--or at least that's what the doctor's assistant said when your girl visited his office today and complained that her hand was in worse shape than before the surgery. 

His assistant also suggested that Fiorella do a lot of hand exercising INCLUDING PLAYING THE PIANO AGAIN! WAHOO!

Now for her slinky new clothes--more of them, that is. Your girl can hardly wait to hit the stores again, although, chinchy as she is, she first has to give a good look at what she already has in stock.

But Fio--what's the use of having new clothes if you don't have places to wear them? Or escorts to admire them? Hmm....your girl will have to work that one out. Any suggestions?

,

Catching Up with Fio and Her Brainstorm

 Yo-ho-ho and a bottle of rum--Fio slept all night and she feels SOOOOOO good today! Yep, one little pill tuned out the waning pain of the surgery, and she's counting on a clean sweep by the end of the week when she goes back to her hand doctor again. Pray for her.👏

Next, of course, comes the knee surgery. Then your girl will be perfect, right? 😜

Shredded Wheat for breakfast, two Milky Ways for lunch--better cook up some steak for supper.😋

Fiorella walked up to the street under the pretense of putting a letter in the community mailbox this morning, but actually to show off one of her new outfits, and, dang it, no one was outside to see how cute she looked. Nevertheless, looking at the spring dandelions and buttercups in everyone's yards were worth the trip. Yes, Fio knows they're weeds and will need to be mowed down, but in their prime, they're soooo beautiful.💗

CRAP! Your girl can remember her family's first address when she was a child (429 Stetler), but not her  last address before moving to Gtown. Five will get you ten, though, that it will pop up tomorrow morning bright and clear.

O M G ! ! ! Once a romance writer, always a romance writer--the fickle bird of inspiration has just hit Fiorella full force and spun out the beginnings of a story which is now swirling through her tortured brain. How about having an older woman--a widow--be the heroine this time around? 😀😀😀

 

 

 

ADVENTURE!

 This would be scary if it weren't so funny. Fiorella got all upset about this strange call she received from a nurse about preparing for her knee surgery the next day because, as far as your girl new, there was NO surgery scheduled. In fact, she had been told the opposite (a week?) earlier, when she went to the knee doctor's digs for a once-over---that the surgery would have to be postponed because it was too close to her hand surgery. Fio had even made a joke about the situation, saying she didn't know a hand could out-bid a knee😁

Actually, Fiorella was a little disappointed to have to postpone, but knew the knee surgery would come a little later, and that she'd have her hands full 😁 with the hand surgery anyway. 

Then came the phone call.

At first, your girl was totally nonplussed, then started remembering the circumstances and that a nurse had been delegated to call Fio when the time was ripe, which obviously didn't happen as far as she remembers. 

Whatever, Fiorella will show up in good faith the next time around. She needs that new knee.

 

One Thing and Another

 Trying to find her remote, Fiorella looked all over her area of the house...with no results. Then she asked Son L to join the search, but despite pulling  up her sheets, and looking under the bed, he couldn't find it either.  Then his wife suggested Fio look in her purse. Now, your girl had already checked said purse earlier in the day, but what the heck--she was DESPERATE so she opened up her purse again, and you can guess the rest of the story--that nasty little critter had hidden itself in the low-down bottom of Fio's purse, probably waiting its time to emerge and make a grand entrance!

In the meantime, Fiorella had pinned up the four crosses of wheat (that Pastor had given her when he visited) on the wall behind her bed and below her mother's spelling contest medal. Your girl likes having good memories around her.

Oh, oh--Fio is in trouble with her credit card people, whose bill she never received. Now that she knows how much she owes, she's sent off a check, but is still at a loss as to understand how their bill got lost. Hmm... Postmaster deJoy strikes again?

DANG! Your girl had put together a smart outfit out of one of her slick new tops and a pair of her ages-old shorts with the idea of prancing up the street to the mailbox so everyone could see how cute she looked. Then it started to rain--so if you live in Fio's neighborhood, you'll have to wait till tomorrow to admire her cuteness and good taste. 

When, when, when, are the telephone solicitors going to figure out that Fiorella is not in the least interested in their wares?  Every day, she picks up the phone numerous times, says "Hello," and hangs up on them when she hears the boiler room chatter in the background.

 

A Good Day, A New Friend, A Medical Step Forward

Your girl has had a pretty good day so far. Son L drove her to HEB and she did her shopping--although, of course, she knew that the minute she set foot back at the house, she'd remember several items she'd planned to fill her cupboard with earlier. That's just the way the ol' ball bounces.

Fio pretty much has her HEB memorized now, but she had a new experience toady: running into the same sweet-looking older woman weat every turn. We each nodded, smiled, and excused ourselves, and then continued on our way, only to run into each other again which, of course, in the ways we were brought up, meant that we became more and more familiar with each other and eventually introduced ourselves. Our names didn't ring bells in either of us, even when Fiorella invoked the name of her late father-in-law, who was Austin's favored news broadcaster back in the day, so your girl decided that this sweet lady in pale blue was just a gift from God, which we all need to encounter every now and then.

Back to earth, if you're interested, Fiorella bought a banana, an apple, a box of Coca Cola--which is great for clearing that her throat, a long loaf of uncut bread, cookies, three candy bars, a gallon of milk and a bag of walnut halves. (She still has a cache of red meat left her last visit to the store.)

Oh, Fio almost forgot to tell you the fabulous news--at least to her. Although she's not entirely across the lump, she doesn't wake up in in the middle of the night gritting her teeth in carpal tunnel pain anymore. THANK YOU, GOD and THANK YOU, MODERN MEDICINE!

Now to replace that bum left knee of hers, and Fiorella will be all healed up...for now, at least.

Doubling Down....

 Fio has been the queen of the Kleenex box for about two months now, and it's getting old--honk, honk. What the heck is she allergic to?

Congratulate your girl: she's finally mastered the "Published on" button that regulates when her words of wit and wisdom appear in print. (Any semi-bright three-year-old probably mastered this function at birth.)

Whew! Fiorella had a long day yesterday--first dressing up in new clothes for a party that Baby Girl's friends were staging in Daughter's honor, then spending the rest of the afternoon recovering from it all. Yep, she fell S-O-U-N-D asleep

Come nighttime, Fio not only realized that she (1) was going to have a very hard time hanging up all her new clothes in her exceedingly small closet, and (2) that she was behind in her pills because she hadn't swallowed ANY of them during the day. The only thing to do was to gulp down each pill about ten minutes apart and pray.

To close off Fiorella's day, Pastor Gronberg appeared at the front door to thank for her contribution to the Ukraine fund. She only wishes she could have given more.💕

 

 

CONFESSION TIME

 Ah, those things you think you'll never forget--like composing music, which Fio just discovered she's forgotten. She at least remembered C-D-E-F-G-A-B-C, the major scale, but now she has to retrain herself so she can use said scale for more than reading notes. Your girl is guessing that what she needs to know is explained in the voluminous pages of John Thompson's tome, so you can guess what Fio's going to have her head in for the next couple of days.  Why, you ask? You have probably already guessed--Fiorella has some of her old compositions on her mind--as well as self-imposed program to regain everything--EVERYTHING--she lost to her latter-day trauma.

Does that mean Fio will fight back to regain her linguistic skills too? YES, it's doubtful if she'll ever dabble in Telegu or Hindi again, but she thinks she could do a passing good job with German and Russian. She'd also like to try her hand with Spanish again, although she never got very far with the television as a teacher.

Next comes art, which is around your girl all the time just as it is around everyone. Fio has never stopped drawing and sketching, and she's always registering scenes and poses in her head, but it's going to be a while before she tackles canvases.

Ah, finally--the writing. Fio has so many stories in her mind and on paper to put into print once her studio is finished off---but when will that be? And will they be of any use? After all, your girl has lost most of her old contacts, which is how literature gets on the marketplace.

Music, linguistics, art, and literature--enjoy, because that's all she's got. 😁

 

From Dress Up to Chocolate Fever

 So much going on today that Fiorella's running late. Most important was that Daughter came by, picked your girl up and drove her to a shopping center, where they went through the clothes  racks and decided which ones Fio should buy. Just imagine--NEW CLOTHES--and with a charming companion. Then Daughter walked Fiorella over to the hairstylists and got her hair cut, combed, and brushed, with great results. But all, in all, the best part of the experience was spending time with Daughter.💗💗💗

Back at the house, Fio worked on her rooms again, which is still hard to do because of the dregs of her  stupid carpal tunnel, but she keeps reminding herself that the CP is on its last legs (she hopes). Her final appointment is on the 29th, but she's read that sometimes a person has to come back for a third surgery. EEK!

It was interesting to be out in a shopping center overflowing with people again. Of course, everyone in our family was vaccinated and masked, but the energy of the crowd floated through the air like syrup. At least, that was the way it seem to your girl, who hadn't been out among people for a  l-o-n-g time.

About those clothes Fiorella bought--it's not that she isn't fully dressed already, but that she needed NEW things. Besides, as she goes out in public more and more, maybe she'll encounter an old flame or find a new one. Who knows?

Fio has searched the house over and not discovered even a speck of chocolate. Time to bribe Son L to drop by HEB so she can fill up her stores. Who can live with a world without chocolate?

 

KNEES, KNEES EVERYWHERE!

 Fiorella has plans, but first, she has to get herself into shape--like rid herself of the carpal tunnel and replace her left knee. She'll probably have to learn how to drive again too so that she can handle her own visits to doctors. friends, and whomever. 

EEEK--has your girl gotten behind? Sorry about that, but she was off with her favorite driver--and his wife, she quickly adds--to get herself prepared for the long-awaited knee surgery scheduled in June. It's been like planning for an inauguration! 

When she finally got home, Fio spent the rest of the afternoon filling out an unbelievably long and detailed form about her health from almost since she left her mother's womb. ARRRRRGGH!

Interestingly enough, when she got back to the house, her granddaughter was waiting for her with a colorful plastic doctor's kit in hand--which, of course, your girl went along with. Hmm...maybe we can get B interested in medicine as a career choice. After all, doctors have a lot of prestige, make a lot of money, and are frequently portrayed as heroes in movies--as opposed to linguists who just have a good time fooling around after languages. (And then there are the ones who let music, art, and literature seduce them even further away.)😉

Back to her own surgery, the one that Fio signed up for has been moved even further into the future. She had no idea there were so many bummed up knees hobbling around in Austin. 

Maybe and Maybe Not

 Sometimes Fiorella wonders about her neighborhood. Either it's the most unfriendly group of people she ever didn't meet or they don't like older women who wear pink straw hats when they pick up the family mail. Yep, your girl has only been able to make one semi-friend and give a wave a couple of times to the two ladies who live next door. Ah, well---maybe it's left-over Covid scares.

The question now is whether or not Fio will be able to play the piano again, but it's still too early to tell. So far, her finger tips can't make the grade.  Random thought: is it possible for someone to get carpal tunnel yet a third time around?

Your girl does not wish ANYONE ill, but she'd really like to see Putin get struck at least by a lightning bolt or two of....and maybe his generals and war machines too.

 Can't help but wonder if mankind learned how to kill each other by imitating the dinosaurs. 

Meanwhile, your girl wonders what's next for herself as someone who is emerging from a downcast low, low, low to a confident high, high, high---so maybe her best time is yet to come. Hey--is that a silver-haired Lochinvar she sees lurking behind her window?💗

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Building up to the Big Announcement

Fiorella's left hand and left knee have been the troublemakers lately--probably because, being right-handed, Fio sleeps on her left side.  

As soon as your girl is satisfied that her left hand is okay, she'll start work on the bedroom again....and her knee, of course. But right now, she'll have to call her favorite doctor's office for a new appointment because she had to cancel tomorrow for lack of wheels. 

Oops--Fio slammed the door on one of her fingers and her nose bled a little. Hmm...didn't know there was a connection.

Your girl needs to stop watching so much TV and start working on her future: writing, composing, languages, painting and decorating. She also needs to visit her storage unit to check up on  her carpets, clothes, bed sheets, comforters, etc., all and any of which she might want to use in her bedroom or studio.

HERE AND NOW--FIORELLA UNWRAPPED A GOOD FOUR YARDS OF HOSPITAL CRAPE  FROM AROUND HER LEFT HAND, REVEALING A FIVE INCH WIDE WAD OF COTTON PROTECTING ......a round, three-inch-wide band aid on her wrist that she's not supposed to remove until tomorrow.

Nevertheless, all looks well😊.

 

Follow Ups Here and There...

 Aside from the family get-together, the nicest part of Easter was that Fiorella, who's been uncomfortable in the midst of company ever since last year's snowstorm, was able to respond to everyone on the scene-- even though she couldn't comb her hair and her left arm was wrapped up like a volley ball. Yes, your girl's kite is flying higher and higher!

Aha! Fio finally located the edge of the razor-sharp ribbon that had been irritating the side of her swaddled left hand and was able to relocate it. Not that the ribbon will be around much longer anyway--the boxing-glove-like wrapping comes off tomorrow. Next on your girl's list is a new knee joint, but that's a month or so down the road--and probably will be a lot more irritating because she'll have to use a crutch for a while.

Easter was great, but now Fiorella is feeling a little sicky. Too much chocolate? 

Tomorrow is Fio's big day--when she will remove the massive glove wound around her left hand, a major event in her journey toward being able to play the piano again. There are a couple more hurdles she'll have to leap, of course, but the surgery was the major one. She should add that the carpal tunnel did more than put a damper on her musical ambitions. Fire in the fingers affects one's whole life.😞

Oops--Fiorella's Chariot driver for tomorrow cancelled because of your girl's cold. Fio doesn't blame her. Coughing from a cold probably sounds just like coughing from Covid....and vice versa, come to think of it.

 

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EASTER TIDBITS

 Fiorella is so bored--but that's how it is when (1) your left hand is bound by a six-foot round ball of tape and cotton and you have been instructed to keep it that way for at least three days, and (2), you are afraid you might get the wrappings wet by accident and have to return to the doctor for another operation, and (3), you can't even kneel down and scoop up a nice fake egg or two from the box your Easter stuff was packed in a  because your bound-up hand is in no shape to do so.

How sad--in years past, Fio has hippity-hopped around her neighborhood wearing an Easter Bunny hat and giving out painted eggs to her neighbors, but never mind--your girl doesn't have her land legs yet and there's always next year--she hopes. 

One thing Fiorella wants to make sure of next year, when she has both of her hands available for action, is that Granddaughter learn how to dip eggs--and maybe even draw on them. It's nice to have a cute rabbit somewhere on the scene. One year--Fio kids you not--when her children were at just the right age, a tame rabbit hopped around front lawn shrubbery for a day or two. Probably someone's stray pet, but so appropriate.

Easter is the time of hope and new life, the forerunner of spring to come, and your girl prays that the grueling procedure she signed up for will result in full use of her left hand again. The piano is waiting, and so are her pens and paints. It would also mean that the tips of her fingers won't be so puffy that they can't feel each other.

Did Fio ever tell you that when she was in the first grade and her teacher taught the class to sing "Easter Parade" for the holiday, your girl was assigned the lead speaking role?

 

 

Reporting in Again

 More fun...NOT! Friend Raquel drove Fio to the surgery and helped her with her baggage, then waited till the operation was completed and drove your girl back to the house again.  The whole thing was mechanized to the extreme, but warmed by all the cheery nurses on the scene.

Of course, Fiorella emerged groggy and still is--but there is always tomorrow. Along the way, Son played the hero by interpreting the gobbledy-gook information page she had been sent home with and taking the establishment to task about Fio's allergies. Everything was made worse by your girl's bum knee, which has taken a turn for the worst. Translation: it's hard for her to stand up without help.

Oh, Lordy, so this is what it's going to be like when she gets her knee replaced in June.

Somewhere along the line, Fiorella fell into a heavy sleep which lasted most of the afternoon and was broken by an explosion of the usual irritating telephone telephone calls. Son disconnected them and, since he had telephone in hand, called the doctor's office because of your girl's continuing pain, where he was told that it would take a couple of weeks for her to heal and she'd continue experiencing the very pains that had driven her to an operation until everything healed. More fun....

Then there was the back and forth on Fio's medicine box, every pill of which she had dutifully reported earlier on, the substitute pill he had to run to Walgreens to pick up for her, and Fiorella's ravenous hunger in the late afternoon when she woke up after fasting since seven in the morning.

If none of this makes sense, it's because Fiorella's still groggy  and can't be sure of anything except pain, hunger, and disappointment.

The Fourthteenth for the Fifteenth

 It was actually April fourteenth when Fiorella wrote her April 15  blog because she's wasn't sure that she'd be able to use her fingers for a while after her left hand has been operated on in the morning. Wish her well!

One thing that definitely went right for her is that the little pink pill she begged off of Son L this morning had dried up her nose drip. WOW! You can bet your girl decided she going to put a box of those gems on her grocery list the next time around.

How did Fio prepare for the operation, you ask? Well, of course there was the wardrobe--i.e., jeans and a shirt, of course, since it was her hand, not her body that would be worked on. Then your girl had to check off everything on the list supplied by the doctor's nurse--things like which of her morning pills to take and which to leave till the next day. (Hint: the two allowable pills ended up wrapped up in green paper and hanging in from the wall in a place Fio kne she will see them: the bathroom.)

Your girl was first in line for the operation so it was imperative that she arrive on time, which means she had to learn how to set the alarm on her clock so she didn't end up rushing to the front door in her nightgown and begging her driver to "Wait a few minutes" while she scrambled around like a madwoman.

Hope all this makes sense, and please wish Fio well. Carpal tunnel isn't any fun.

Onward, Always Onward

 Your girl's left hand has been in pain with carpal tunnel for a couple of weeks now, a situation Fio wouldn't wish on a dog, but Friday is when the she will finally get it operated on. 

Fiorella may not be able to use either hand after the surgery for a while and thus not be able to supply your daily tell-all, but please wish her well. Son L won't be available to transport Fio to the hospital, so she's lined up her former maid, the same one who stayed nights with her while Son and his wife were on their cruise. It's good to have reliable friends.

Now your girl has to pull herself into shape for the big moment, which means getting rid of the dregs of her cough beforehand, then cleaning up her bedroom (which is at this moment a total mess and littered with Kleenexes) for when she comes back from the hospital. 

Then, of course, Fio has to prepare for what's next on her "moving forward" list--replacing her left knee-cap. 

There may be a few more surprises along the way, but as of now, the knee-cap will be her last major surgery. Fiorella's mother, who could organize anything, would be proud of her. ALWAYS MOVE FORWARD!

Does any of this remind you of Fiorella's Christmas declaration? It should 😁.

 

 

Complaints!

 Between her carpal-tunnel hands and her stupid head cold, your girl is having a hard time of it right now, but she consoles herself with the thought that this too shall pass. By the way, if you are wondering how she can still stay in...uh...touch with her left hand being so impaired, it's because, blessedly, she, as confessed earlier, favors her right hand when she types.

What Fiorella can't understand is why this horrible cold has descended upon her like a plague. She hasn't gone outside lately and certainly hasn't been around many people except at HEB, and then she had a mask on. Maybe it because her system was already weakened by the carpal tunnel....

Don't know how it is with you, but when Fio is in pain, bolts of fire dominate the scene and she has a hard time thinking things out. 

Hmm...maybe it's a good thing Fiorella is going through this purgatory and is writing it all down because later, if she needs to,  she can use it in a story.  

Speaking of stories, WHEN WILL YOUR GIRL EVER BE GIVEN THE OPPORTUNITY TO WRITE AGAIN?

Back in the Saddle Again....

Hi, there! Sorry about the unexpected vacation, but Fiorella was not only in pain from the carpal tunnel, but sick like a dog from something or other that had her sneezing and snorting every other minute. Thankfully, she finally recovered enough this afternoon to make a Cheriot ride to the local heart center for a catch-up. (The young male nurse said she was doing well.)

The highlight of your girl's day was friend Paula's call from Vermont and her description of their visit to New York. All Fio had to talk about was about the unexpected "flu" that had engulfed her.

Fiorella knows the carpal tunnel surgery will hurt, but it would hurt more for her not to have it. She can't spend the rest of her life waking up each morning with her left hand on fire. It's not just when she tries to play the piano, but when she's eating or putting up the laundry, or trying to make her bed, etc.

Total change of subject: let's talk about Easter now. Does anyone out there still dye eggs? Fio being Fio, she also painted eggs. Hmm...wondering where her old Easter paraphernalia are? She hopes they're still in storage and not out in some kind of land fill.

HONK, HONK! What did we ever do without Kleenexes? Your girl has already taken two very full wastebaskets into the back yard trash can.

See you tomorrow!

 

Taking a Rest

I had a bad day today and am taking a day off. No real problem except the carpal tunnel, and that's enough!

Nighttime Reveries

 What a nice dream she'd had, thought Fiorella when she awoke in the middle of the night. For some reason, her brain had rendered up a vague memory of Janine Loftis, whom your girl had gone to elementary school with in Waco, and her friend was presenting her with an armful of flowers for some reason, which made it all the better because because Fio was burning with pain. 

"I must record all this," your girl thought, looking around in the dark for her computer. But where was the beast? And how the hell could shef ind with a bad knee holding her away from anything she could use to boost herself out of bed?  Had she marooned. herself on the edge of her bed only to be stopped by the lack of anything to pull herself up with? Would she have to wait in until morning, when she could summon help?  What if she needed to use the bathroom?

Luckily, after a while, Fio was able rescue herself from the bed and pull herself upright, but not without agony--it's amazing how much one bum knee combined with one bum hand can cripple a person. But what the heck--your girl will be having that hand taken care of for once and for all on the fifteenth, although she's guessing the recovery period won't be any fun. 

After that, of course, will come the knee replacement on June 2.  

OMG, why did your girl ever think it would be a good idea to try to break a tree limb with her knee  for firewood?

CHALLENGE!

 It's amazing what havoc one thumb and an accompanying finger can clause. Fio's left wrist tingles with fire every day, and every night, she goes to bed knowing that most of her "rest" will be occupied by twice as much of that fire. Why does she have to wait yet another week before surgery? Is this some kind of test?

The situation is especially irritating because your girl had just reached the settling-in stage of getting her bed repaired and her clothes closet renovated, But there's no way she's going to hire anyone for anything while she's in so much pain that she can hardly think. 

Having her hands threatened is, of course, the ultimate horror to someone who plays the piano, is an artist, writes like crazy, and reads, reads, reads, but thank goodness, Fio has a computer and--because she taught herself how to type at an early age but never learned how to do so correctly--has no trouble typing away solo with the middle finger of her right hand.😁

The important thing for your girl to remember is that this situation, no matter how grueling, is part of her decision to MOVE AHEAD. Sure, she'll have to get surgery on her hand...and perhaps a few other surgeries...but they are all cogs in her grand plan for personal recovery. Remember her kite poem--Fiorella plans to fly high!

Now, if you will excuse her, she will snap open a baby Coke.😁

Hesitant Update

 Did Fiorella leave out telling you about the surgery that she'll be having for carpal tunnel on her left hand? Needless to say, the piano seems to be the culprit, but your girl refuses to give it up. Actually, looking at her records--and her right wrist--she saw that she'd had surgery for it a while back too. Lord knows what shape Fio would be in if it weren't for modern medicine!

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Now all she has to worry about is getting transportation, but if Son L isn't available, she'll call on friend Raquel. It's nice to have a back-up. __________________________________________________________________________________

Fio spent a lot of time redoing her bedroom today. Those old sheets and those mattress covers have to go, but when and where will she get some new ones? Oh well, at least she scored an appointment to get her left hand repaired next week--but if she's lucky, maybe the hand will cure itself in the meantime. After all,  it's doing better now, thanks to the med and her own massages and squeezes.

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Your girl just realized that while the natural light in her studio is fabulous, its night light, an overhead, is not. A new overhead might be in Fio's future--after her bed gets repaired, of course. Then there there is the clothes closet that needs to be tended too....

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Did Fiorella tell you she was able to play a little on the piano today? Her left thumb and and its finger were mushy and numb at the same time, but maybe tomorrow will be better. It was a bit disheartening to realize that it only took a week or so for her to lose her tough.

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Always Moving Forward

 Your girl has entered into yet another stage, which means, of course, that her last stage is out the window, which means that she's a mess again, but that's the way it goes. Translation: she's tossed most of her age-old sheets, pillow cases, etc., but has yet to buy new ones. After all, she's on the brink of getting her bed fixed....and maybe even doing away with that wainscotting that bars her side tables from facing front.

Fio's also on the brink about her hand surgery. Strangely, Tylenol, as prescribed by her hand doctor, has helped lot, but even though Fiorella can (sort of) play the piano again, her left hand is not up to par and sudden jolts go through it every now and then. 

In the meantime, your girl has three more doctor appointments this month--so far. Her favorite will be with her neurologist, an old pal from times past who has a great sense of humor. The second one is her mild-mannered heart doctor, whom she is growing to like more and more each visit. The third one is a newbie who will be preparing her for knee surgery in June. Yep, doctoring is a lot more complicated than it used to be.

 Needless to say, all of this--the demolition and repairing, the visits to doctors--is aimed at a purpose. Not only does Fio want her home to be comfortable and attractive, but she wants to be in good enough shape to enjoy it....for a  l-o-n-g  time. And if she doesn't, she'll start all over again.😊

Good Thing Fio's Cocolate Stash is Loaded!

 Aside from a nice phone call from friend Paula, it's been a bad day for Fiorella. As you know, your girl has been battling carpal tunnel and today was the day she'd get her ailing hand fixed--or that's what she thought--but the appointment turned out to be just another "talkie" meeting . Also, the date of the surgery has yet to be established. Fio, of curse, burst into tears, and is still weeping. DON'T THEY UNDERSTAND THAT RED-HOT FINGERS ARE  QUITE PAINFUL AND THE LONGER THEY DRAW OUT THE WAIT TIME, THE MORE PAIN SHE IS IN?!😠

Of course, the secondaries are that she can't play the piano, she has a hard time going to sleeping, she awakes in the middle of the night with her fingers stuck to each other, throbbing with pain. GRRRRRRRR! 😡

Your girl thought almost all her "have to" medical appointments would be finished off by now, but apparently, there are more coming down the road as doctors specialize more and more. Hey, what happened to the ol' family GP? 😒

Then there's Fio's left knee, which is apparently also taken multiple directions. Thus, instead of her beloved Dr. Michel covering the waterfront, a "Doctor Peck" will step in to the scene--to do what, your girl doesn't know. Hit it with a mallet?😠

The worst of it is that your girl can't wave her own flag--it would seem silly to thrust a Doctorate in Linguistics in with a swarm of MDs, but she's pretty sure she could out-Ling the whole lot of them any day of the week.😠

Why, oh why, did Fiorella get carpal tunnel and how can she make it go away? 😢

 

 

 

 

Under Fire

 Yesterday went good, but this morning your girl suddenly realized that although she'd gone home with a  carpal tunnel protector around her left shoulder that would supposedly guard her against pain, she didn't know how long she should keep it on--all the time, only when she was writing, when? And what about washing her hands? And wasn't there something about reporting in when a week had passed? And what about reporting in to the heart surgeon who had sent Fio to the carpel tunnel expert?

 The number of Chariot rides that Fiorella is taking to her doctors the next couple of weeks has not diminished, but their importance of each visit has--taking care of a bummed-up wrist doesn't count as much as getting a new pacemaker. Still, your girl likes to have EVERYTHING in tip-top condition.

Oops--the carpal tunnel protector didn't work. In fact, it awoke her in the middle of the night like a house afire. The next morning, she read through all she could find in her computer about carpal tunnel and has decided to pay another trip to the doctor, but this time, she'll be more informed.

Next week will be when Fio will get her broken bed fixed and (maybe) her closet remodeled--and perhaps even get the wainscotting in the room removed so she can move her bedside chests into a better position. 

Fio's thumb and first and second finger are burning so she can't write any more.

 

 

 

 

Hand on Fire

Evening--Fiorella is an odd duck--she wants happiness, and not just for her self. She wants EVERYONE to be happy, but how can she make this happen? She does everything she can to foster happiness in her own realm, but it not only hasn't it worked out for the people around her, but it also hasn't worked out for for her. Yet, your girl can't help but keep trying.

Music, art, languages, literature--Fiorella's four endowments (sometimes curses)...and she can't help but leap into them again. Sure, she can't play the piano now because of the carpal tunnel, but that too will pass, and soon she may be not only playing the piano, but composing again, Then there's the art, which your girl never totally lost sight of, but now she'll be able to haul out her paints and big canvases. Her third blessing, languages, has already been stirred up by her Spanish-language calendar, but she'd also like to re-dab into at least Russian, maybe German. Finally, there's the writing, which your girl has pretty much kept extant with her blog, but which now she'd like to to expand to pulling out her unpublished shorts and romances and having a go at getting them published.

Fio celebrated the day by clearing off the top of her bureau, then putting together a plastic bouquet under the each side of the television screen. Of course, that forced a small collection of trivia residing in back of the screen have to be moved somewhere else, but your girl will find a place for them. 

Middle of the night--Fiorella's left hand feels like it's on afire. She can hardly wait to to get to her doctor's appointment in the morning. 

Maching Onward!

 You know things are getting better for Fiorella if her major concerns are a bout of carpal tunnel and a big box of family pictures in her studio, both of which should be taken care of in about a week. Wow--all this free time for your girl to play around in. Part of it will be spent anxiously overseeing her bed being put back together again....and maybe getting her closet renovated, although Fio doesn't like to do too much at once.

NEWS FLASH! Your girl is thinking of working over her bathroom too.

But all this is fancy. Right now, Fiorella is still shuffling clothes around so that they're in their assigned places. Afterwords, she'll try to track down copies of the antique knobs that are missing on some of her nicer bedroom pieces.

Fio is somewhat handicapped with her left hand, but she can still read. In fact, she's been skimming through some of her old favorites, the ones she modeled her own books on, and decided that they aren't that great after all. Yep, your girl will take a new turn--more realism. Translation: the heroes will be less brawny and the heroines will be more lifelike. In fact, she might even sneak herself into a couple of her stories, and there's nobody more lifelike that Fiorella.😁

But in the meantime, your girl has to grit her teeth and continue to haul herself out of the traumas of her last four years. Viva la Fio!

 

 

 

Giggle, Giggle--Fun with Parentheses

Today is sabado, as we who are doing their best to learn el espanol say, and Fiorella is trying to wind up her week because Son L and his lady will be home this evening, full of wonderful stories about their cruise--and maybe about some adventures too--while all your girl has to tell them is that she'll need a ride to yet another new doctor on Monday, a carpal tunnel specialist. (If Son can't help her, she'll probably have to check around and see if taxi cabs still exist.)

Of all things, the house washing machine won't work, which Fiorella realized after she had already dumped about two weeks of clothes into it. (Why, why, why?)

Fio gets a bit of a thrill every time she can take down a to-do note from her wall. Today, she's done away with an old dermatology note as well as reminder to ask Raquel to stay with her while Son L and his wife are on their cruise. (While she was writing, Son called from his in-laws' home to report that he and his  family would be coming back to the house in an hour or so.)

Another thing that your girl has to look after and consolidate are all the versions of Lolly's story she has scattered around. (Lolly is the heroine of Fio's third romance book based on Bosque Bend.)

Checking out the lists she has hanging from the top of the desk in the hall, Fiorella pulled down the instructions for renewing her domains and tossed them in the trash can. (Which probably assures that they're the only ones in existence!)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

            

 

 

 

 

 

 

Summer Is A-Comin' In, etc.....

 The ice cream truck, slowly moving down the side of the street, could be heard all up and down the cul-de-sac, and every kid on the neighborhood ran after it, their hands grasping crippled tens and a few twenties --and Fiorella was clutching a couple of dollars. A an ice-cream cook sounded a lot better to her than eating the last of yesterday's boiled beef. Besides, your girl was tired of being cooped up all day.

Ice cream wagons are pretty much the same as when she was a child, but, at least in her old neighborhood, the vehicles, usually a wagon with a canvas over the top, were operated by old men or high school boys, one of which she dated for a while. Whenever he drove down Fio's street in Waco, her mother invited him up onto the front porch to get out of the heat and sun for a while.

The modern wagons are sleek, air-conditioned, and, at least in Fiorella's neighborhood, driven by sweet-voiced young women, probably on summer break, who are admirably patient not only with the children who swarm them, but with Fio, who always waits till the kids get what they want before she puts in her own order.

Son L and his wife will be coming home from their cruise either tonight or tomorrow and Fiorella hopes they have enjoyed themselves. In the meantime. your girl has been washing her mountain of clothes, visiting doctor after doctor, and hanging up on at least a million telephone solicitors. She also reread an old romance by one of her favorite authors and realized, sadly, that it didn't stand the test of time.

Regarding Fio's long hair, her offspring don't like it, but your girl is going to keep it that way as long as she can. As you will remember, the length of her hair has been under a lifetime siege that started with her mother saying it looked "foreign."