Winter in Texas

 Wow! Snow in central Texas! Well, probably more like a freeze-over and some floating snowflakes, but it's a good start--and maybe we'll actually have some real snowman weather further on down the line. Not that Fiorella has the clothes for that kind of weather anymore, but she could still look at the melting snow through her big, long bedroom window and remember when she was a child and would roll those cold, sticky balls together into snowball families. 

Of course, our current freeze means that Fiorella and everything else in town is home-bound for the time being--even your girl's long awaited medical appointment, which was canceled by an early morning phone call. Never-the-less, the little girl from across the street was somehow able to scamper across to our house to see if Granddaughter could play today. 

So what is Fio going to do today? Probably brood over the time way back when she ran for office and was dirty-dogged by the woman who had been your girl's vice-president in her previous position. Liz used all the dirty tricks in the book, from dumping Fio's garbage into her neighbors' trash cans up and down the block to suddenly joining your girl's church with a great deal of fanfare to telling outright lies.

Hey--Son L just told Fio that the freeze is being predicted to last for a couple more days! If only your girl still had ice skates and  remembered how to use them.

In the midst of your girl's wallowing in times past, she has tell you that she might actually have a future hanging over her head. A friend is talking about getting her into an art group. We'll see.....

P.S. Have you ever tried to cook your lunch while three squeeking little girls were running back and forth in the kitchen and your son was trying to help all of us at once?

 

This Blog Is an Acknowledged Mess

 Your girl is a little concerned about her vision and wants to see a opthamologist. Her lefty has always been difficult, but seems to be getting more and more cantankerous lately

Fio is drawing out her wonderful salmon steak as long as she can--and no, she won't let you share! (However, should you ever invite her to dinner, salmon would be a good choice--plain except for salt, please.)

Fiorella's day was exceedingly mild except when Friend Ashley dropped in and got your girl into thinking about picking up her brushes and paints again. However in these days, Fio bets people will prefer brightly printed calendars.

Why was Fio talking about salmon, you ask? Answer--Because your girl never--even in her wildest dreams thought that she would eat one of the creatures--or any fish--because of that previously explained and well-deserved fobia in the family. 

Now to settle down and find transportation to an office that Fiorella has never seen before and may turn her down.......

 

 

 

From Nostalgia to Overload

 HAPPY DAYS ARE HERE AGAIN! Yep, Fiorella has access to her beloved salmon once more, and she gulped down two good-size pads of it for lunch today.  (The household cat, who is trying to lick up every last last-minute drop of salmon grease from your girl's fingertips is also happy. ) 😁

This is interesting and a little nostalgic--FIo's granddaughter's room is next door to Fiorella's, which means that your Fiorella can hear everything that Granddaughter and her little friends are saying as they set up their play stories...just like Fio and her little friends used to do when they were kids.😢

Of course, Fiorella didn't have a giant white Persian cat purring at her knee back then like she does now, so who knows what the next episode in her life will be like?  Who knows what the next episode in ANYBODY'S life will be like? (Although  Fio's betting on an updraft for herself!)

Are there any females out there who vaguely remember when they didn't know there was a male sex--after all, all of their baby-dolls looked female.  Another queston--how long does it take for most little boys to identify themselves as males? Just wondering........

Later in the day, Granddaughter came into Fio's room because there was no one else available to play doll withs. A-hem! Let it be known from now on that Fiorella is a good sport, but doesn't appreciate plastic women with extraordinary large breasts, tasseled hair, and unbendable legs joining the chase.

 

Fio's Day: Minor Irritation by Minor Irritation

EARLY MORNING, Fiorella had caught up with her whirly-gig life and was happy to include you in on the her latest adventures. She was sorting Christmas cards today--hoping, of course, that she'd also get in touch with old friends...and make some new ones in the process.

NOONTIME, Fio's plans began to sagging a little so she decided to look at the luscious salmon she'd bought at H-E-B yesterday. She would have to share it, of course, but there seemed to be enough for your girl to keep a good hunk of her own bounty, especially since no one else seemed to interested in it. 

So, as lunchtime approached, she stopped by to check on her lunchtime plans---and discovered that luscious salmon she'd bought in H-E-B yesterday had been cut up, packeted, and put in the freezer.

To make the best of a bad situation, Fiorella, who'd retrieved two of the packets and put them on the kitchen counter to thaw for her lunch had been made to return them back to the fridge. Apparently, those present were concerned that Fio didn't know what she was doing----even though she'd explained that she had cooked and eaten salmon regularly when she'd had her own home. Got all that?

The case will probably have to wait until D-law returns to the house, but Fiorella will stand her ground.  She bought the fish itself, and, while she'll probably need help working at the unfamiliar counter--SHE WON'T GIVE UP HER SALMON!!

(Strangely, this fish has sentimental attachments too--Fio's late husband, who loved fish both in a pond and for dinner, was the one who introduced your girl to both of its forms.)

Delinquint

FIORELLA IS TAKING A DAY OFF TODAY.  ENJOY!

Wipe Ups......

 After a full day, Fio finally remembered why she kept thinking there was something else she was supposed to be doing--writing her blog!!!

The big deal today was that your girl's traveling nurse dropped by and checked Fio out on her pills. Nurse Carolyn has been on Fio's radar ever since your girl came back to Austin, and she knows every one of those pills by name. She's also a very nice person and knows how to laugh, which is very important to Fiorella.

Did your girl tell you that she now shares her double bed with a big, cuddly, black-and-white panda bear? She hasn't named him for certain, but he's definitely male, even though she refers to him as "Sonia Dog" every now and then. And if you're wondering, Fiorella bought her sweet, stuffed doggy at Walmart right after Christmas because she was feeling lonely and, even as a child, didn't like sleeping alone......

Did Fio tell you that she had made a really nice design on her front display window out of fallen oak leaves? But that when she Scotch-taped the most beautiful oak leaf of all to the front door as a "welcome" sign, it disappeared?

Son L has opened up an opportunity for Fiorella to be in a church choir again, but Fio is hesitant. Not only would she have to hitch a ride for rehearsals, but also, she's still having problems with her voice--honk, honk.

Continued tomorrow.....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

THE TRUTH OF IT ALL

 The truth of it is that the second after Fiorella graduated from the University of Texas as a PhD, she was offered a job in the Linguistics Department--and she refused it. Why? Because she was tired of learning and wanted to perform--not in the classroom, but it in real life. Besides--what had she been missing while she was burning all those midnight candles? 

The second truth is that there aren't many good jobs out there for bona-fide academics who have turned their backs on academia. So, after the house was bought and the kids were born, guess who re-entered the teaching ranks with her teeth gritted and her head bowed in humility. And guess who found out that her lofty instructors had been right--she was a born teacher--just like them....

Not that she could erase the years--Fio didn't even try to breach UT's golden gates, but slipped instead under the gates of smaller, more distant colleges, although she admits she couldn't help working upper-grade thinking into a couple of her assignments--which sometimes got her in trouble with uninformed overlords. But all in all, she prospered and was happy.

But now your girl is retired and has few people to talk with and no one to share her learning with--which would drive her crazy except for her slowly forming plans for the future. 

Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus, and one way or another, Fiorella will survive and prosper.

 

UP AND AT' THEM!

 THIS IS REALLY FIORELLA'S BLOG FOR JANUARY 24 THAT SHE WROTE IN THE LATE EVENING, THEN COULDN'T FIGURE OUT HOW TO MOVE TO THE NEXT MORNING.  (Now you know for sure that Fiorella is a real person.)

Maybe Fiorella likes music and languages because they are vibrant activities....and likes art and linguistics because they are absorbed into silence.....

Every now and then when your girl is preparing for bed, she glances over at the painting on her bedside table and smiles at the two little girls who are holding hands as if forever. They were best friends and Fio never gave a thought to the idea that they might be separated, but then one day, Janny's family moved away and Fiorella was alone.... until she made a new best friend. Yet even now, she still remembers Janny Orcutt, and wonders where she is now.

Good news! Your girl found her lost glasses for the second time around--although it's not as important now because, as you remember, she's trying to score an appointment to get new glasses.

We have a new oven now, but Fio still doesn't have access to it for some reason or other, which puts her in a difficult situation because, assuming the slab of salmon she'd picked up at HEB would carry her along for a week meat-wise, she'd already tossed the remainder of the turkey left in her little fridge. Hello, hamburger drive-in.....

Fiorella had a great time getting reacquainted with friend Maria this afternoon at the community mailbox, then accepted a ride back to her house in Maria's car--where they sat for at least half an hour more exchanging retired teacher stories with each other.

.

Dirty, Dirty, Dirty.....Painful Memories

 Fiorella isn't feeling well today. Maybe it's the weather, maybe it's something she ate, maybe it's the horrible dream she had last night about the time she ran for public office--which she will never do again even if her election was assured doubly over....

Politics are dirty--nothing is off the table, even in local politics, and Fio's opponent (let's call her XXX) was as dirty as they come. Nothing was out of bounds for her. Although she wasn't a church-goer,  XXX made a big production of joining Fiorella's church half-way through the campaign. She also hired a teenager to pretend to want to help Fio put up campaign signs, then toss them in the dump when your girl's back was turned. A couple more of XXX's little tricks were (1) to move some of Fio's garbage into neighbors' cans up the street so it looked like your girl wasn't paying her due,  (2) telling parents whose children had special needs that your girl was against programs for their children when one of Fiorella's  own children had needed special help at one time and (3) persuading Fio's neighbor across the street to vote for XXX because one of her church mates who was supposedly dying made her promise to do so.

As you can tell, Fiorella still feels the sting. Never will she understand why people have to bite other people, but maybe that's the way of the world and Fio is their daily treat. 

FROM TEARS TO MORE TEARS

 MORNING: Yes, Fiorella has tears running down her cheek like raindrops, but they're tears of joy--Daughter couldn't get over to see Fiorella so she sent the next best thing--a pack of TWELVE YELLOW TABLETS! (Only the offspring of a writer would understand....💗 )

MID-DAY:  This has been a surprisingly nice day so far, but it's also been rather boring--so your girl decided to look for her lost eye glasses.  Nothing to do but grab the giant flashlight she'd bought from Walmart a couple of months ago for such events, sink down onto her knees, and snake herself between her bedstead and the surrounding inner wall, after which--just when she was about to throw in the towel (literally)--she finally spotted the outline of her delinquent spectacles. A few more inches of bone-breaking stretching and the  glasses were in her hand--but then Fiorella had to ooch her one way back out of the narrow passage and stand herself up by grasping at the bedposts.

6:00: The first thing that Fio is going to do when she wakes up tomorrow is try to get herself an appointment with an optometrist--not because her current glasses hid themselves in the dust under her bed when she was trying to find them, but because they are more than five years old and never did fit her quite right. Also because time has marched on, and there may have been some wonderful advances in the trade that would benefit her. 

6:45: RATS! That big flashlight that Fiorella paid about ninety dollars for in Walmart--the one she'd used to find her eye glasses--has been pronounced DEAD ON THE SPOT! Son L said it was either a water leak or acid, but your girl kept the flashlight in the house and certainly never tried to wash it or expose it to acid or her tears. GRRRRRRRR! 

Wonder what tomorrow will be like....

Difficult Times.....HELP!

This has been a difficult day for your girl. First, there was no further action in settling the problem with her\ rogue pills (atorvastatin and flecainide) and there won't be any of either availiable till at least Thursday.  Also, Fio has realized she's lost her glasses--they're probably around the house somewhere, but she hasn't spotted them yet. Cringe.

On the other hand, one of the little neighborhood girls admired the open-wings oak-leaf design that Fiorella Scotch Taped together for the display window at the front of the house. (A fan?)

Later in the day, Son L, wife, and their daughter took off for some kind get-acquainted jaunt that the school had arranged for them, and they were gone for quite a while--or did it just seem that way because everything gets darker so much earlier this time of year? Whatever, Fiorella was very much alone and didn't like it. Thank goodness that Fio's brother Bill called to chat, but our telephone connection was bonging the whole time, rattling not only Fio's nerves, but her hearing. 

Which reminds me--Fiorella wants a new cell phone--her old one is shot--and she also needs someone to teach her how to use it. Son L has a big load already, so how about his wife helping? Or Fio's own daughter (the one with the new baby? Or maybe even a sympathetic friend?  COME ON, FOLKS--YOUR GIRL NEEDS TO JOIN THE MODERN WORLD!

PS: If you're looking for that belated Christmas card that Fio promised, please give her little more time. She's not used to working by mail.😊😊😊

 

 

 

 

 

STORYTIME NOW AND FOREVER

Fiorella was watching a TV short about how various women had met their husbands, which, of course, made her brain dive back into the time when she first met her husband. 

It was a blind date that was set up by your girl's roommate, who seemed to know every male within twenty miles. But while Roomie was being whisked off to neck in dark corners, Fio was being courted in plain sight by a flashy fraternity boy who drove a fast car and introduced her to vodka and The Hobbit.  

He also proposed marriage to her as their relationship deepened--and she accepted.

Fiorella's parents were shocked. They had expected their daughter would follow her mother's path, that she would finish college and get a good job--like teaching in high school--before settling down to motherhood. Husband's family reacted the same way, informing your girl's parents that they had "other plans" for their son. But love won over, and Fiorella was married in the middle of summer, had a short honeymoon, then enrolled for fall classes.

Somehow, Fio and husband managed to do well in college, and both had good jobs afterword.  Interestingly enough, your girl got the same kind of employment that her mother had had--teaching--but her classes were in colleges. Yep, Fiorella is Ph.D, summa cum laude, etcetera, etcetera....

Life is hard--your girl won't tell you that it's easy to manage a husband, classes, and various last-minute dogs at the same time, but somehow Fio and Husband--often assisted by Husband's parents, moved ever upward until they had their own  home kids, and dogs.

Then, four years ago, despite the kids and the dog, and even the Miata and Mercedes, Husband died, and and Fiorella wept.

That wasn't how this story was supposed to end.

 

 

CHRISTMAS CARD REPLAY

 January 2Oth--Hi, there! Welcome to everyone, but double welcome to those of you who have sent Fio a nice Christmas card to her despite the fact that your girl, for the first time she can remember, didn't even decorate her  fireplace with the manger scene.

Yep, Fiorella was going down, down, down into sorrow this year until she suddenly realized that if she wanted other people to be happy, she had to start the ball rolling for herself. Your girl started by pulling her work table together (which is harder than it sounds), and as her hands played around with interesting scraps of paper that teased her artistic fancy, her mind started reconnecting with memories of people she used to know, especially the ones who were of kind enough to have sent her a card. 

So, she decided to give herself--and anyone else--a second chance to anyone else who wants to replay Christmas. Yep, Fio will be sending you a copy of one of her earlier cards with the hope that you will write a little message back and we can be friends. However, for those among you who have a good eye and get a kick out of putting together your own clever cards, Fiorella will run your card five days in a row to show you off.

This is not a contest. There are no prizes except the joy of Christmas and making Fiorella and the whole world happy.

This and That

 Apologies for being late today--Fio spent most of the morning sleeping because of a continuing upset stomach, and later in the day, she and Son L went out on the back porch and had a long talk about their pasts and futures and dreams, then went inside and watched an outrageously hilarious Flash Gordon movie. 

Hey, hey, hey--the new oven has been installed and Fio will soon be cooking up her salmon again. Yes, it's her favorite at-home noontime treat--and she discovered it all by herself. Mom never served it  because Dad, who had grown up two blocks away from a contaminated Pennsylvania river, refused to eat any kind of fish.

Okay, we have the Christmas decorations down and (mostly) boxed so when and where will we store them? Hop to it! Your girl has some ideas for post-New Year decorations she wants to try out! 😀

Did Fiorella tell you that she had run across one of the best movies she has ever seen, "O Brother, Where Art Thou," when she was flipping through the TV choices the other night? Try it, you'll like it--the story's just as meaningful today as it was when the show first came out.

If you visit Fio at home, be sure to ask her about her inside bedroom wall because (TRUMPET SOUND!) she is very proud that she's been able to cut down the number of notes, pages, and pictures she had taped/pinned/tacked to the wall by half and one of her cork boards too.😁

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

From Vocalizing to Preaching!

 Suddenly, as Fiorella was working on a vocal exercise to reclaim her on-and-off singing voice, she realized that she'd lost her ability to whistle--so now, the house is going to ring with two kinds of musical sounds, the shrill and the shriller. 😁

About Fio's wardrobe closet as mentioned earlier--it needs some help, but first, she needs a bigger closet. You can't stuff all of an...uh....mature woman's wardrobe into a closet that was designed for a child.

Hip, hip, hooray--the stove that the family bought yesterday was delivered today and will be installed tomorrow, which means Fiorella will have a salmon feast of her own making in a day or two....she hopes.

All in all, though, your girl is despondent--weepy--and she doesn't know why. Maybe because she awakened lost memories when she told Son L about the magic wooded castle in Akron tended by Patty Casteele, a playmate from up the street. Maybe because when your girl went back to Akron years later, the wood had been mowed down and no one remembered a magic girl named Patty.😞

Fio wonders if there is anyone who still remembers her from the places in which she has had her abodes. Did she made any mark on you? Spread any love, laughter, beauty, or kindness? If she has, please take up your own cudgel, wave your hand, kick back your heels, and try to make the world a better place. And if you didn't do anything of the above, try it...you'll like it.😊

Trying to Stitch Everything Together

 It's Monday, and Fiorella has not only put some good work in, but also accompanied the rest of the  family to one of Granddaughter's favorite paradises, Conn's, which has installed a huge plastic sliding board in their side-yard that seems to lure kiddos--and their parents--from miles around.

WHOOPEE! It looks like those prickly roses in the front of the house are heading for the trash pile. Fiorella herself has a soft spot for roses, but not for the ones that--because they were planted too close to the sidewalk--reach out to scratch her arms and legs as she walks by.

 ANOTHER WHOOPEE! We're finally talking about making adjustments in the kitchen, which means that your girl will be soon be gulping down her favorite ocean treat--salmon--again. Interestingly enough (or not), Fio didn't grow up eating the bounty of the sea. Dad's family lived on the side of a poisoned river in Pennsylvania, and Mom's family lived in the city and rarely saw a fish.  rarely included fish.

How embarrassing--those new clothes that Fiorella bought? When she tried them on at home, they were a couple of sizes two big for her--but that's better than being too small. Obviously, your girl should have brought a tape measure with her. (Hmmm...aren't there some juices or something that Fio can dunk her overlarge clothes in to make them shrink?)

On the other hand, Fio could pull all her old sewing stuff out from the closet in her study and make some adjustments😀.....

 

Hang On--Fiorella's Still Around, Even Though a Certain White Persian Cat Is Trying to Monopolize her Computer

 All our Christmas decorations are finally down and your girl is trying to think of what kind of design she can Scotch-tape on the front window of her salon for the remainder of January. If she lived in the same kind of house in Minnesota (hello, there, K&J!) she'd have fat-bellied snowmen taped to all her display windows, but while January in Central Texas provides a fare amount of blustering wind, there's not a lick of snow. 

By the way, do you remember that big black-and-white panda bear that Fiorella told you she bought ($50 on sale) at Walmart a couple of days after Christmas? Well, it's already proved its worth. Your girl's bedroom window is double long, which means she can can get quite cold at night--but not if a big stuffed  beast almost as tall as she is and as soft as a thousand feathers (or whatever it is things are stuffed with these days) on the outward side of the bed.😊

Fiorella must admit that, after so many years of good marriage and four of loss, it's nice to have a cuddly panda bear beside her as she goes to bed at night, especially since she's always been afraid of the dark.  Why, you ask? Probably because of of the bombs that everyone worried about when she was a child and  because Mom had to hustle Brother and your girl across the lawn to Mrs. Faye's house a couple of times when the lights went out night. (As far as Fio knows, the bombs never reached Ohio, but it's interesting to psychoanalyze oneself, isn't it?)

Hmmm....after picking up a some slacks and a nice shirt on her latest trip to Walmart, Fio feels ready for the big time so could someone please direct her to a nice women's store in Austin? Fiorella might even pick up some new shoes too. After all, Keds don't last forever.😁

Your girl is still working on replies to her Christmas cards, so if you sent her one, please hang on a little while longer because Fio's going to make you a very nice reply. 😀

Meanwhile, love, love, love from Fiorella..... or whatever name you know her by 💗💗💗

 

 

 

Not Much to Say

 EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK! 

Did Fio somehow pass by Saturday yesterday or did she accidentally wipe out all her maunderings?  Never mind--whatever happened, your girl is at the helm of the computer again and she thanks you for your patience and good will. 

Fiorella would like to say she'll snuggle down in her one-horse open sleigh and come visit you, but, unfortunately, she can't crack the whip or even turn on the ignition anymore because of her inheritance of her Mother's crazy left eye. Meanwhile, if you can't drive or call, but you want to know what your girl  is up to, check her out when she's working under her full name--Fiorella Plum--and enjoy. 

Should Fiorella get back into the Romance game again? Two of her paperbacks are published so it might be time for the third one--which she never finished. Getting caught in a four-day blizzard sort of nulled  brain. 

The big, white-haired Persian has been sleeping at Fio's feet all day. What does that mean?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Silent Night, Late Christmas, Feline Highjinks, Necklaces, On Edge

WAHOO! While cleaning up her bedroom, Fiorella had a brilliant idea for what to do after the turkey hits the trash can in November--scour the neighborhood and get together our own group of Christmas carolers!Your girl will have to start talking about her project in October--maybe earlier--to warm the air, ut she thinks it could be done. After all, if about three hundred Halloween outfits outfits could tramp around our neighborhood on Halloween night, surely we can put together a nice little "Silent Night, Holy Night" or two on our own.

Yep, your girl is feeling good today--she went through all her immediate papers this morning and re-found every one of the late Christmas cards that she's planning to send out in January.  Meanwhile, please forgive Fio and send good thoughts her way.

Does anyone out there have a large, white Persian cat like we ours, and has yours also developed the talent of sneaking down to the front door and streaking outside into the rose bushes whenever anyone opens said door? And are the older kids in your neighborhood so accustomed to the cat's behavior that they automatically form a rescue team to sweep the frantic feline back into its own front door?

By the way, Fiorella is wearing TWO necklaces today--a cute (but cheap) purple beauty and an Indian- looking brownish one. Yep, your girl has taken to wearing necklaces more frequently lately, and some of them are actually real gems--pun😁. (Could this have a relationship of some sort to her not wearing her wedding ring any more?)

Speaking of (1) jewelry and (2) the cat right after writing about the latter makes Fiorella a little nervous so please excuse her while she goes over to her bureau and checks out whatever else that dang cat has figured out how to get into!

 

 

 

 

EXPLAINING IT ALL........

 Did Fio ever tell you that she was appointed captain of the first all-girl safety patrol in her elementary school? Yep, but dang--the other girls got to stay at their assigned corners and talk to all their pals who walked by while Fio had to tread the perimeter of the school yard alone (puff, puff).

Actually, Fiorella doesn't think the safety patrol lasted more than a couple of years. After all, the war was long over and everyone and their dog were quickly becoming two-car families--everyone but Fio's family that was, supposedly because of Mom's bad eyes, but Fio has always suspected it was also because of her strong sense of male/female propriety. 😟

But never mind--your girl could always hitch a ride with friend Ellen's mother if her classes and Ellen's were being let out at the same time, and it they weren't, Fiorella knew not only her way home but where the candy store was along the way.😁

When she reached the upper grades, Fio was determined to learn how to drive, of course, and, bless them, her parents finally saw the way of the world and let her sign up for the high school driving class taught during the summer by a cranky old football coach who was in awe of your girl's ignorance  about cars.😃

Fiorella didn't do any driving at all when she went to University of Texas, of course--the boys she dated took care of that 😁--but getting married two years later gave her access to Husband's car. Then, somewhere down the line, an extra car popped up for Fio, and, even further down the line, she and Husband indulged their offspring until, as time passed, said offspring bought their own cars.....which explains why your girl now sits in the back seat again..................

💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗

 

Moving On, On, On, On, On!

 Fio is not feeling well today

So pick up your toys and go out to play

Because as the day progresses, 

Your girl will say

Whatever she will, in her own way

 

           👱👱👱👱👱👱👱👱👱👱

          💋💋💋💋💋💋💋💋💋💋         

          💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙

          💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚

          💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗

EGAD! Fiorella did not mean to go incognito for hours today, but she's finally gotten some ideas coming on for her leftover Christmas cards--ideas she worked on all afternoon--until the fading sky sank behind the fence. Breathtaking......

Changing the subject, can anyone, ANYONE, FIO SAYS, out there in the world of reality who can her up with a good movie or two to lull her to sleep at night? She's been watching Soap Dish for several months, but it's "gone about as far as it can go--" if you don't mind your girl mixing her mediums.

Hey, hey, hey--thank friend Paula for pulling Fio out of her dark, dark moodiness and inspiring her new project, which your girl has got high hopes for....and which may eventually involve ALL OF YOU ALONG WITH HER!

 

 

 

Saying a Little and a Lot

 Going through some old notes that she had packed away, Fiorella came across some real gems:

We went to Older Son's band concert one night, and he kept an eagle eye on us the whole time, even noticed when Fiorella left for a moment to talk to a friend. OMG! Is this the same kid who walked by his mother without a sign of recognition when she stepped inside the school cafeteria two months ago?

My eleven-year-old outsmarted me! I slyly bought him a pair of jeans one size too large so he wouldn't grow out of them in just a month--instead, he shot two sizes up and the jeans were hanging around his navel.

Some kids bring happy memories home from camp. My kid tried to bring home a horse...and almost succeeded.

Warning: Fiorella is now trying to compose a list of people she knows or used to know, which means that if she can find your address, you're a target!

 

A New Beginning Again?

 Fio's giant teddy bear, the one she bought in Walmart at Christmas so she wouldn't be alone at night, is gaining momentum. Fiorella even heard herself refer to the bear as her-- (like your girl's precious Sonia) and has been known to pet her new doggie, talk to her, and rearrange the pillows for her new baby's comfort. 

GOOD NEWS! Son L was finally able to break through the nurse brigade that had kept your girl away from the atorvastatin pills that her heart doctor had told her to take daily. This stupid situation dates back to that crazy phone call Fio received about a month ago from a foaming-at-the-mouth nurse who didn't even recognize the name of your girl's very prominent heart surgeon when Fio threw it at her for defense.  

Hmm, regarding the above, could Fio use a nurse as a villain in a story? No, that wouldn't be fair because most of the nurses your girl has dealt with have been very nice and quite knowledgeable about their callings.  Instead, Fio will have to think of the situation as a fluke--like a teaching situation she was in a couple of times in which the overlord/lady was downright vicious.

Fiorella's analytic friend will be coming tomorrow so your girl better clean up her act. All the leftover paper goes into the bottom drawer of the Christmas cabinet and Fio will try to sweep the rug and take out the trash. This has not been a productive holiday for Fiorella, but, God willing, the next holiday will....or maybe even the next tomorrow......

In the meantime, let us dwell on sweeter things, LIKE TAKING DOWN CHRISTMAS LIGHTS--hint, hint, hint! It's not that your girl dislikes overlong holidays, but that she wants the old pretties packed away so she can put up new pretties. 😁

 

 

 

 

ON AND ON AND ON.....

Oops! On opening her envelope from England, Fio assumed that the hilarious first paragraph about the  difficulties of buying a new house during Christmastide had been written by her friend (who is quite adept about turning a joke herself) but then your girl recognized the uproariously hand of her friend's husband, a cleric with more than one talent, and she laughed with good will.  MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!

If you walk by Fiorella's room and notice a large-sized animal lounging on her bed, don't call the police.  After Christmas, she hitched a ride down to Walmart and bought herself a leftover stuffed animal to cuddle with at night. Actually, she'd hoped to score a Mastiff-sized dog like her long-gone Sonia, but Walmart was out of fake doggies so she ended up with a smiling polar bear instead.

Another "oops"--it looks like Fiorella's once-a-week nurses are differing in which pills she should be taking and when. (Am writing this so you can present it as evidence if something goes wrong 😕.)

With Thanksgiving, Christmas, and the New Year already under our belts this year, it's only a matter of time till Valentine's Day rolls around, and you know what happens then--at least in Fio's world--your girl  hauls out her art supplies and drives not only herself, but everyone in the household--and maybe the world--crazy as she works out a theme card. Be on the lookout!

Fiorella is quite pleased that the neighborhood kids recognize who she is now and will even talk to her. Now if she can just get the adults to do the same....

Your girl MUST FIND another movie to lull herself to sleep at night. She's watched Soap Dish at least fifty times, but it's the only show she's found that makes her laugh and laugh and laugh.

Has Fio told you that she wants to buy a couple of dresses? There are probably some in a box somewhere that hasn't been opened from the move yet, but she'd like to get some now. A girl can only live in jeans so long before feeling like she should be out in the garage greasing tires (or whatever one does to tires).

 

TELLING ALL, HOPE I DON'T GET SUED

 It's a lovely evening edging into night, and the neighborhood kids are out running back forth, playing on their bikes and scooters, or just running around in the safety of the cul-de-sac, and Fiorella has tears rolling down her cheeks. Yes, she too grew up in a neighborhood like this--a safe neighborhood, where everyone knew everyone else's kids and kept a bit of an eye on them, especially in the twilight.

She remembers the Hicks family next door, and Flemming Crimm on the other side of them, and across the street and up aways,  David Rollins, my brother's best friend--for as long as his family lived there. Sometimes Dale Scarborough, from across the street entered into the game too, although he was a little older and his family held off from the rest of us for some reason.

What, she wonders, will these children--her grandchild and her grandchild's sweet little friends--be like when they grow up? Will they be able to keep in touch with each other? Will they want to keep up with one another or will some of them want to take take twisting roads contrary to the sweetness of their childhood?

 Pssst! Don't tell anyone, but Fiorella bought herself a big, soft, smiling, leftover Christmas cuddly-bear when she was in Walmart today. She got tired of sleeping single in a double bed, as the song goes.

P.S. The other girls in my neighborhood were Elaine Hicks, Ellen Paule, and sometimes, Beverly Scarborough, whose mother insisted her daughter's name be spelled Bevely.

Pill, Glasses, Commfort, Christmas Fairwell, ENGLAND!

 Maybe it's leftover sorrow for Hariadene, but your girl had a horrible day today. First of all, she noticed that a pill that she is NOT supposed to take was listed on her nurse's most recent instruction sheet. Then, she couldn't find her collection of half-sized tablets to prove to the nurse what she was talking about. Ah, well--everything turned out OK, but you can bet that your girl is going to be looking at those pill bottles more carefully from now on.

Fiorella has hit a stone wall as far as new eye glasses go--which is really a doubled number because she's now wearing glasses two times back from when she bought her last ones. For the best part, the lenses are OK because all Fio does is watch TV and write, none of which are activities demanding much eyesight.

Don't tell anyone, but your girl, who's sort of lonely, is mulling over the idea of buying a big stuffed doggy to give her comfort at night. The large Persian cat that wonders around the house would probably like snuggling down with it too, which would make us a threesome

Fio is patiently waiting for Son L to give the sign to take down our Christmas regalia, and, of course, she wants to be on site when her own special decorations bite the dust because there's always next year!

OHHHHHHHHHH, a letter from my friend in England, and she has the same wicked sense of humor that Fiorella has! What's she doing now? BUYING A HOUSE? This is going to be good! With her permission, your girl might even copy down some of the best episodes. (Warning: buying a house in England is very different from buying a house in Texas!)

 

From Wristwatch to Remnants to Hariadene to Carpatho-Rusyn Genes to Silence to Blackness

Your girl has put herself into an idiotic situation again. You won't believe it, but she slipped her wristwatch on backwards and now she can't get it turned around. Maybe Son L can help her out when he gets home from work, but--she fears--not without rolling his eyes and delivering a stern lecture. 

In the meantime, Fiorella has been flitting around her bedroom and salon, trying to pull post-Christmas together, which is hard to do when the tree and decorations are still up. Son and wife can leave the tree in place as long as the want to, but Fio is chewing at the bit to pack away her electric Santa Claus as well as her somewhat fragile paper and cardboard concoctions. (It's her parents in her. The tree itself always went into the dump after New Year.)

Fio was rather envious when she looked up one of her old high school pals who is no longer with us and saw all the important things she had done and achieved in her life. But your girl and Hariadene had taken different paths: her friend signed up for civil service college while your Fio is still rambling about and-- according to your girl's calculations, she herself, with her Carpatho-Rusyn genes, has at least twenty more years to go. 

 This is an odd day. It's like a vacuum swept the whole block away--no children playing in or out. Maybe they are all making a post-visit day to their relatives? 

Strangely. before she even picked up her computer, Fiorella dressed in black from head to toe today. Hmm...a left over from the visit to Husband's grave yesterday?

 

GREAT DAY!

First your girl had to get it into her head that Monday is the Second day of the week, and Tuesday is the Third day, but after that, she flew high. Yes!  Her kindly blood-sucker nurse not only told Fio that her blood had tested almost perfect this time around, but also called Walgreens herself so that Feo's need would be available tomorrow afternoon! 

Back at the house, she started looking through a magazine that featured a story about a man who had killed several older women and stole their jewelry without anyone knowing what was going on--NOT exactly what your girl considered to be prime bedtime reading.

Yours truly is hoping that Son L will soon give the signal for Fiorella to fold away her Christmas decorations--the candelabra, the pretty designs, the fat Santa Claus wagging his lone bulb, etc.--because your girl has other items she wants to show off. (That's an artist for you!)

Next on Fio's role will be to finding a good ophthalmologist, finishing off her bad knee, buying some girly clothes and a pair of brown shoes, reaching out to people she used to know, reading and writing, painting and designing, finding a way to get wherever she needs to go ON HER OWN!

But a quick visit to Fuddruckers wouldn't hurt.....😁

 

 

 

 

Rainy Weather Brings People Together

 January, the second....

Fio forgot to tell you that her mother's mink jacket is back in the correct house again and that when your girl stroked the precious fur yesterday evening, she started crying because she loved her mother so much and misses her so much. As your girl has asked before and will surely ask again, why do good people have to die?

Yours truly, the queen of Kleenex, has been crying on and off ever since coming home from a visit to her late husband's grave today. Son L and Daughter had arranged the three-person get-together, but we didn't stay for long because it was cold and Daughter had brought Baby with her.

After Mother and Child left, Son L and Fio shot down the highway to a restaurant that she's always liked but hasn't visited for a couple of years--it's called FDD (Fuddruckers.) If you live anywhere near it, try it--you'll like it! 

Oh, Lordy! Your girl is having trouble keeping her pills separate again. It's the holidays, like Christmas and New Years, that do her in. She gets so involved in all the extra stuff that she neglects her pill box, so pray for her tomorrow, the day when she s supposed to report in to her nurse.

 When, oh when, will Fio take down her Christmas decorations, and how will she protect them for next year? The decorated candelabra facing the street, the smaller ones inside doors, the flat bells made of red cardboard, the fake holly and berries, the plastic doves, the modernistic eight-inch cardboard trees in the bathroom, the electronic Santa who moves back and forth and waves his hand at everyone who comes in the door,  and her use of gold and silver paper everywhere, and her contributions to the family Christmas tree?

 

 

 

HAPPY NEW YEAR--TODAY, TOMORROW, and FOREVER!

 So........Fiorella has been lurched into the New Year! Wish her well, as she wishes you!

Hmm...what will happen to her in 2203? Already, she's had a horrible dream about her mother's mink, which hadn't make it home from daughter-in-law's mother's house last week but supposedly will when Fio visits today. Also, she's still recovering from the scare yesterday when Son L discovered that a suspicious- looking man and woman had wrung the front door bell the evening before. Son thought it had been a break-in attempt--that someone else had gotten hold of our house key earlier in the day--but, as it later turned out when the police canvased the neighborhood, the bell ringers were just some neighbors' invitees trying to find a relative's house in the dark. (Whew--Fio was off the hook. At first, Son had intimated that one of her friends had been involved through your girl's carelessness.)

What to do next today? Reclaim Mother's mink, as has been said, and then, after she gets back to her house, your girl will reclaim her salon/study/studio, and stare it down, down, unless a couple of thunderbolts of genius strike her. (Now you know the technique!!!)

Hey, has Fio ever told you about George, the big, white, silky-haired, Persian who sleeps with her every night he can? Actually, her feline lover is the bane of the rest of the household because he also sneaks outside the house whenever he can. But to Fiorella, he's a constant treasure because when he's in her room, he cuddles up to her, licks her nose, and emits a sweet purr, all of which your girl  interprets as "I 💗you."

 Whenever the Christmas decorations come down, your girl is ready to help pack them away. Don't get her wrong--she LOVES Christmas and all its decorations, but wants to be on the scene when her own creations (or heirlooms) are going under the knife.