Not My Best Post, but It Will Do....

 Fiorella had a horrible morning, but then she got a wonderful call from friend Paula in Vermont, then was swept off her feet by Son L, who, despite a wounded finger, drove her out to her bank to deposit a nice check she received from UNCLE SAM! Whoopee! Your girl didn't know the government ever gave away money....

Back at the ranch, Fio's over-the-chest-of-drawers TV failed so she applied to Son L to fix it--and the repair took more time and was a lot harder than you might have thought. In the end, Son had to get all sorts of .  Sometimes your girl longs for the simple television of her youth.

Ah, Texas! It's 7:00 pm, but still warm and bright outside. Your girl can't help but remember how she and Ellen and Elaine used to play outside on the Paule's backyard patio until the sun went down. It's a wonder that when Fio trotted off to college, she didn't major in drama--but her life has been drama enough!

What will your girl do tomorrow? Probably write a little more. As she's often seed, she wants to gather all of her poetry and short stories together and get them published, even if she has to do it herself!

Das Deutsch! How about something to eat as in "essen."

 

 

 

Pondering, Pondering, Pondering

 Hey, hey--Fiorella got some action today! Not only did she finish off her portrait of the (India) Indian girl, but also made preparations to plunge into a family painting that she'd outlined several years ago, but never finished. 

Not having transportation is irritating, to say the least. Fio, who is accustomed to taking care of herself, now has to depend on others to go anywhere. No more hopping into a car and driving into town for food or to meet up with friends--or even go to church!

Fiorella is hoping that Son L will have the time--and the patience--to teach her how to pull snapshots out of the new-fangled cameras so she can turn them into paintings. Yep, early in the game, your girl realized  it was easier to take a quick shot and work from that than require someone to sit stock-still for hours on end.

Of course, it may be that no one at all is interested in traditional paintings any more, when photographs are so easy...and cheaper. 

Deutsch. Das Auto (the auto/car). Note that Auto always takes a capital letter, but Das will use a capital letter if, as in English, it is the first word in a sentence.

 

 

NOT TOO GREAT OF A DAY, BUT YOUR GIRL HAS SURVIVED.....

 Fiorella has been spending a lot of time in her studio lately to rework a portrait of herself and her mother when your girl was a baby. Not sure it's going to come out as expected.

Fio doesn't know about where you live, but in Texas, it's so hot that she's only gone outside once today--to see how hot it is....😛 

Okay, your girl will admit she's been hooked by a new TV show--The Prentender--or at least, it's new to her. It's about a tall, handsome man who was discovered as a child to have some sort of weird way to change himself into whatever he wanted to be: a doctor, lawyer, Indian chief, and a lot more. The show is hypnotic (to Fio at least) and, of course, our hero always wins out. Fiorella wishes she had a hero like taking care of her, but then, The Pretender never sticks around and your girl suspects he'll have a bad--but heroic--ending.

 Has your girl ever told you about her easel, the one her Grandfather made for her when she was about four years old and which she still uses today? Gramp designed it that way so that the easel could grow as she did. No chains or nails, just hitches which were lifted as Fiorella grew older.

 Here's a good one for your Deutschland (GERMAN) studies: freundlich (friendly).

 The "eu" is pronounced "oi," and the"u" is pronounced "o,"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A MESS, BUT THERE'S ALWAYS TOMORROW, FIO HOPES.....

 Your girl is board, board, board! She read the newspaper this morning, finished off two  left-over paintings this afternoon, and, by one gasp, became well aware that she had run out of anything else to do or say except that the summer worms seem to be trying to make a comeback onto the sidewalks.

What's left for Fio to do when she can't go anywhere because she doesn't have transportation?  She would have been better off back in the horse and buggy days! 

Pastor Karl has said that he'll talk to Fiobella's lone opportunity for a church driver again, but there's a height issue: the driver has a big, big truck and your girl is five-foot two.

In the meantime, Fio has been finishing up her portraits of Mrs. Gustafson and the (India) Indian girl, which you're probably tired of hearing about. 

Nothing Fiorella can do but lurch into German. How about dog and cat? "Dog" is HUND, and Fio's pretty sure that the D of HUND is pronounced like an English T.  Katze is simply pronounced in two syllables and the "a" of Katze is like "o" of  English "lot."

Thank you for dropping by. Apologizing for having had a bad day.

 

Pastor, India Indian, Motherhood, Mrs. Gustafson, Deutsch----TALLY HO!

 Yahoo! Our long-time pastor dropped by today for about two hours, and your girl showed off her art studio, then joined the rest of the family in the den where we discussed church news, family news, and the world in general. Pastor's answer to Fio's question about whether there were any good churches of our denomination in this area received a resounding NO, and from her own experience, she agrees. Remember that place that Fiorella tried out in which the instruments were so weird and so loud that your girl refused communion?

Regarding her art, Fio has almost finished her painting of a lovely (India) Indian girl that she's been working on for a while. Back in the day, she painted quite a few of these, some of them commissioned, some of them for my own enjoyment. 💗

Looking back over some old papers, Fiorella found the notation that that motherhood has given your girl  a great deal of poise: nothing can happen to yours truly in public that something even worse hasn't happened at home.

Hey--remember when Fio told you she'd turned out a portrait of her beloved voice teacher? Well, as it turns out, Pastor knew Mrs. Gustafson and is still in touch with her family! Hmm...what next? 

GERMAN: Let's look at a vowel, your linguistically educated Fiorella suggests, and "have" is her choice because is easy: haben  (English "have", with the "a" of haben sounding like English "ma."

Getting a New Start!

   Guess what! H-E-B has cherries for sale! Your girl has somehow missed seeing them for years--maybe they were shipped down from the old tree that stood across the street when she lived in Ohio. You think?😁

What's on television these days? Well, about anything you want, but Fio sticks to the comedies and light mysteries that have a blue line under their windows. After all, she doesn't need bloody nightmares to keep her awake all night. 👺

For some strange reason, Fiorella thinks something good is going to happen to her soon, which would be good news to our girl, who forgot to pay off her credit card and got called on it----literally. 😝😝

 Did Fio ever tell you that she's thinking of taking whatever she's painting outside, setting up shop, and hopefully attract some customers? 

 WORD FOR THE DAY: GERMAN (Deutsch), which sounds like Doich in English--

                                          And Tag is day so you can say Guten Tag!

 

 

 

 

 

COMPLICATIONS

 

WILL SEE YOU TOMORROW--YESTERDAY, FIO FORGOT, AND TODAY HAS BEEN TOO COMPLICATED!

Fiorella has been forced onto this page, which irritates her because she had a good start on a new page for the afternoon and lost it when she tried to look back at what she had last written. BEWARE! 

Anyway, the latest news is that Fiorella has almost finished that portrait of an girl from India that she started years ago, but she was working so intensely that she lost track of what time it was....and thought it was still morning.

George, the cat who loves your girl, has escaped to Fiorella's bedroom to avoid the kitchen, where Son L and his wife are tearing apart some kind of crate they've brought into the house. (Don't tell them, but Fio is hiding too. Oops--there went the sound of a buzz saw....)

 Brother and Fio were talking the other day about the after-school specialty teachers that their mother had arranged for them when they lived in Waco--music and art, of course: Mrs. Sykes for the former and Mrs. Fischer for the latter. Anyone else out there remember them? Do individuals teach in their homes anymore?

German: "The man" is "Der Mann." and you should be able to pronounce it by now.

 

 

 

 

 

FIORELLA IS FADING FAST.....

Sorry about Fio's rambling that occupied most of the page if you turned to Fiorella earlier. She  started out by talking about her life as a child in Ohio, especially her church life (when TV had yet to be invented) so church was a major entertainment for one and all. 

Your girl loved church--especially for the stories, the little plays, and the singing. Paster Yount and the Sunday School teachers were nice too, and when her family moved to Texas because her father had been given a promotion, Fio encountered another nice minister, Pastor Barlag, who gave her family their first dog. 

Skipping ahead, when your girl trotted off to college, one of the first things she did was sign up with a Lutheran church. But it didn't work for her--especially when a group of teenage boys who attended the church school were arrested for lifting merchandise in their off hours and the pastor paraded them in front of the congregation and ask each one if something about HIS AUTHORITY had failed them.

Fio's third Lutheran pastor was a very nice man who welcomes all, helps all, and is still trying to help people, even though he's in retirement, but, unfortunately, Fiorella has fled the coop. She now lives on the other side of town and, as you remember, and doesn't drive. Thus your girl who was raised in the Lutheran church, can't participate.

 What about using TV, etc, you ask. It doesn't work for Fio--she wants to be in a room with other people singing, laughing, praying, and talking to each other. She tried a couple of other situations including a far-out Lutheran church that used weird instruments and was pretty-much so loud that it nearly blew Fiorella's ears out. You can bet your girl will never cross that threshold again!

Anyway, thanks for listening. (Danke schon! means Thank you!, but the "o" in "shon" is pronounced like the vowel in the English word "lane."

 

HELP, HELP, HELP, HELP, HELP!

 As she has often told you, math is not Fiorella's high point--and neither is keeping track of what day is what--but she eventually pulls her dates together and gives you the news.

1)  June is too hot for trekking the cul-de-sac during the day so your girl has started walking more toward evening. Unfortunately, the heat keeps catching up with her, and--let's face it--there's no way she's going to sashay out after midnight like in the old Patsy Cline song.

2)  Speaking of country-western songs, when are we going to see a comeback of old favorites like Tennessee Ford's "Sixteen Tuns," which always made Fio cry because she knew that her paternal grandfather had been killed in a Pennsylvania coal mine accident when her father was just three years old. (There was no insurance back then and his mother supported her three children with the help of her brothers and by taking in washing.)

3)  Right now, Fio is lying on her bed with her computer beside her and considering the talk she had with her assigned .... who tried to help her find a suitable home church. The first one on her list was that awful one your girl told you about awhile back--the one that instead of a choir, had a bevy of loud, loud, over-loud instruments that your girl had never seen or heard before--and doesn't want to again

4) OMG, is Fiorella totally out of touch with reality? How and when did that happen? And what should her next step be? Is there someone she can talk to about this

5) You've got eine day off for German, except that  ein means "one" and eine means "an."

THIS WAS WRITTEN FOR THE 18th!

 WHEW! Fiorella had a horrible time yesterday afternoon. She thought she'd lost her colorful little purse which contains the basics of her life, and in this case, also had a nice check in it so she called H-E-B, where she'd shopped for groceries earlier in the day, called her driver to be sure she hadn't left the purse in her car, went through her bedroom and salon, and prayed and prayed and prayed.  

By nighttime, she was silently hysterical, but suddenly Son L, appeared on the scene and directed her to the little curio room that she had put together a while back for her mother's (and grandmother's) collections, but never for groceries...or a colorful little purse.

WHOOPEE! Your girl turned from hysterical to ecstatic and was able to sleep a good night, although in day's early light, she still feels a little embarrassed because that curio room was in sight the whole time that she was lugging the groceries into the salon (where she has a mini-fridge.) 

But enough for Fio's foibles--how are you doing with das Deutsch?

 OOOPS--a day behind......

German 1-10

 OMG, your girl's venture into das Deutsch is bearing fruit! Fio actually used a  German word on FB this morning! Of course, she forgot what it was, but for one bright, shining moment, it was THERE....

This whole experiment has opened up more portholes than Fiorella thought it would, especially to Fiorella herself, whose mother knew a fair amount of the language but, during the war (WW2) used it rarely. Come to think of it, that war was an interesting situation because, as we now know, it was ein Anglo Saxon Bruder battling another.

Which reminds Fio: here is a list of some numbers you might want to learn:

     eins, zwei, drei, vier, funf, sechs, sieben, acht, neun, zehn

     one,  two,  three, four, five  six,  seven,  eight, nine,   ten   

     (No hurry, you're not going to be graded!)

Believe it or not, Fiorella's life is more than groceries, art, and foreign languages....or she wants it to be. She also wants to hook up with a friend or two, join some sort of singing group, be able to attend her own church, and get restarted on her writing career. 

And she wants a dog--a nice big, sweet dog too.....💗

BROTHERS/BRUDERS EVERYWHERE!

 Hello, hello, hello! Hope all is well with you so far. Fio will be hitting up H-E-B and the bank soon--one to buy and one to deposit, a nice combination.  Thank goodness they balance out wel1....

Gotta remember to add the cul-de-sac to her morning list instead of in the afternoon. Your girl nearly melted during her (pant, pant, pant), evening walk yesterday. 

Fiorella has finished off Mrs. Gustafson's portrait and started on a portrait of one of her long-ago friends from India whose name she can't even remember. That's a problem when you refuse a job from UT and go off on your own. But on the other hand, Fio had a whale of a good time, three kids, and, several years later, became a teacher at UT--and about about three other colleges. 

Your girl has been devoting a lot of time to her art lately and it's as much in order now as can be so maybe she should move on to something else. Her music is down the drain because she can't even get a ride to church,  and her writing is already full to the hilt, which brings us back to LANGUAGES such as GERMAN, which is the baby of what you and she are trying to learn from each other! 

If you're wondering, according to Fiorella's computer, the word GERMAN comes from "Old German" as "Brother," which fits well for what we are now trying to do, bring us us all together (but in words, not swords!)

REMEMBER: Ich is pronounced Ick (auf deutsch)

Please forgive me having to go back and correct myself from time to time, but at least you know I'm human.....or try to be (WINK)!

 

The Fifteenth of June......

 Ooops! Fio put her clothes in the wash last night, not thinking that she should have kept out some underpants for today Uh....don't tell anyone.

Having a rather bad day. Your girl filled out an on-line questionnaire regarding her reaction to the "trained help" she had from a rather mediocre young woman who's main interest seemed to be to make Fio cry. Needless to say, after a while, Fiorella gently fired the woman. (Your girl can cry on her own!)

Boredom, of course is Fio's major problem. She needs to read about interesting things, and while the local newspaper is great, it gives out quick. Hmm....maybe Fio can get in a fight with some diehard Trump fan on Facebook. (But haven't most of Trumps' diehards landed in jail already?) Hmm....it's about time that Fiorella starts to use the German that she's been tossing around....and maybe add a few extra word in context.  How about "Guten Morgen, Freund (Good Morning to my MALE) Freund." A female friend would  be a "Freundin."  

Ja, Das Deutsch language separates the males and females more than English does.

Guten Abend, mein Freund! (Good evening, my friend.)

 

 

 

MESSAGE TO AMERICA!

 This is a poem Fio wrote a while back and she thinks it still rings true

America, bow your head in shame

Ethnic cleansing is the name of the game--

    Clear out the black, the yellow, the brown

    Run gays and their kindred out of town

    Ridicule the halt, the blind, the lame 

    And do unto those who sorrow the same

     Jail the actors, the artists, the press

     Silence the women and make them a jest

     Reject the migrants or throw them in jail

     Allow graft and cronyism to prevail

In short, go after anyone who

Doesn't talk or think or look like you--

An automomaton of self-fed hate

Which no force on earth can ameliorate

Feel free to use this poem, but please affix my name to it

June 12 does not exist because Fio's computer (and everyone else's in the area) will not work because something's gone wrong with something or other....

 June 12 did not exist because Fio's computer (and everyone else's in the area) will not work because something's gone wrong with something or other.....

Ic habe ein Bruder.

 Your girl had a revelation while she was eating her Shredded Wheat breakfast this morning that she should have been a translator. After all, she loves learning languages, but doesn't want to travel. Ah, well--maybe in her next incarnation....

Or maybe she should have been an architect because the house she designed for her and her late husband to live in did pretty well when she marketed it. (That's the place in Georgetown that had two stories, resident deer, and a nice winding driveway.)

Did you know that "back in the day," Fio used to make most of her own clothes? A lot of women did--especially if they had girls to clothe. Hmm...wonder where Fiorella's sewing machine is now? Wonder if she could still remember how to use it!

 Looking over your girl's entries for the past couple of days, she must explain that the lights went out on her area of Texas for a frantic day or so and we couldn't communicate for several frantic hours, thus messing up the timing of Fiorella's existence. Whatever, she know has her German book in front of her now and will heave-ho on our mutual lesson on das Deutsch.

Ich habe ein Bruder..... I have a brother.  Notice that "I"and "brother," WHO REFER TO PEOPLE),  are capitalized, but the verb (HAVE) and the number (ONE), are not BECAUSE THEY ARE NOT PEOPLE.

Now, you und Ich have both learned something about how German/Deutsch is knit.

MMMMMM....if you find mistakes, please let me know. Remember, I'm learning too.

 

 

 

 

 

TELLING ALL: PAINTING, SON L, DAUGHTER, SON K , GERMAN FIXATION-----

 You will not believe this, but finally, FINALLY, after several years of painting, our girl has finally mastered the art of using her pallet and a cup of water at the same time without spilling anything. However, she tumbled every one of her thirty-eight magical brushes onto the floor this morning....

For those who want to know, Fio is still working on her painting of Mrs. Gus, as everyone called her. Son L's critical comments both hurt and helped--but that's what she asked him for. (He went to art school while your girl was mostly self-taught.)

Fiorella came across a lovely piece that Daughter wrote about her fraternal grandfather the other day and is planning to give it to her at our next get-together so her little baby boy will be able to see what a great person his great-grandfather was and what a great writer his mother is. 

Fio talked to Son K on the phone the other day and it had been so long that she had forgotten what a nice speaking voice he has. Why hasn't some advertising company picked him up?

In case you're wondering where Fiorella, who is learning Deutsch along with you, is getting her material, it's bonafide and she's bonafide. ACTIVE GERMAN is the book she's using (Lehmann, Rehder, Schulz-Behrend), and your girl is a PhD linguist who's sort of lost her way. PLEASE HELP HER FIND IT AGAIN!

 

 

 

Fio's Complaints, Cul-de-Sac, Mrs. Gus, German Fun

What Fiorella wants more than anything else is a friend--someone to talk to, to have fun with, to share in her joys and sorrows. SHE ALSO NEEDS SOMEONE WHO DRIVES, which is situation not even her pastor can handle, even though she'd pay.  (Anybody want to step up?) Gosh, when your girl was a child, there were such things as carpools, but everyone lived in about the same area back then, and now Fio is too far south for most people.

Fio sang "Lavenders Blue, Lavenders Green" when she reached the tip of the cul-de-sac again today, but no one joined her. Maybe she should add more songs to her repertoire---like "Go Tell Aunt Rhody," which your girl mentioned previously. Come on, people--we all have favorites from our fourth-grader days days!

Hurrah! Am making good progress on Fiorella's painting of her beloved voice teacher. Hoping to finish off a couple of other canvases that have been hanging over her not only for some months, but for years. Would also like to get some good photos with her new Lily,  but the darn thing has stopped working....

While we are waiting for Fio's new camera to fix itself, let's look at some things about the German language that are different from its offspring, English--but first Fiorella must tell you that just as English has developed into its own, ever-changing language, German has done the same thing. And, of course, they've both picked up interesting additions from every other language they come in contact with, no matter how bizarre.

Here are some combinations that you will recognize and can use:

Guten Morgan....Good Morning 

Guten Tag............Hello

Guten Abend........Good Morning/Evening/Night

Auf Wiedersehen...Good By 

Deutsch/ Sex Voices/ Troublesome Time/ Cul de Sac/ Credentials

 Fiorella has had another difficult day again so her language lesson is very simple: die Ferien--"the vacation," which is easy to say. 

It also lets Fio introduce German's three voices: der masculine, die feminine, das neuter. You can even make up songs with the trio!

Your girl is a little jumpy today. Her usual driver couldn't make the run so Fio's fragile plans to visit her bank, gather a week-load of groceries, and pick up ner necessary pills went down the toilet-- UNTIL, SON L SHOWED UP, DROVE OVER TO WALGREENS, and saved the day! (Her bank and groceries can wait till tomorrow!)

 As usual, Fiorella walked along the neighborhood cul-de-sac this morning and even repeated singing Lavender's Blue like her fourth grade teacher had taught her--and which she hopes can encourage other residents to do, but no one was out today....not even the worms, which are usually distributed dead as door nails, two or three per sidewalk slab.

Oh, by the way, the question has been asked if Fio ever took German/Deutsch in college, and the answer is yes, and she still has her marked-up book to prove it! Das ist alles!

 

 

Family Get-together, Art, Cul-de-Sac yet Again, Hardy Joe

 Again, Fiorella messed up her numbers and skipped a day, but please forgive her. Math was always her worst subject. 

Besides, your girl is feeling GREAT right now because SHE CALLED HER ELDER SON and THEY TALKED AND TALKED AND TALKED--but not about what had kept them apart for so long. (Let's let that remain under the carpet.)

One thing did bother me though--when Fio talked about setting up her art show in an outside show like she used to do, Son K pointed out that nowadays, people are more likely to prefer pictures made with the new "I can do anything" cameras. How sad.

Hmm...the gentle rain has stopped so it looks like Fiorella will be able to take her afternoon stroll along the cul-de-sac after all. Now, which of Mrs. Johnson's folk songs should she sing today? A repeat of "Lavenders Blue" or "Go Tell Aunt Roady the Old Grey Is Dead?"   she comes to the outward end of it today.

PS: What happened to Hardy Joe Brundadge, the fourth grade's cleverest clown? Oh, you say he went on to become a PASTOR?😀

MUSIC, ART, WARDROBE, GERMAN, REMEMBRANCE

 Your girl sang Lavenders Blue at the foot at the neighborhood cul-de-sac and will sing louder tomorrow, although she may use a different song. Mrs. Johnson, her forth grade teacher from long ago, made sure none of her students got out of her basement class with a without a background in American folk songs. 

No one was around when Fio sang today, but no one ever is at the end of the stretch--or along the way either--but in her deepest mind, she is dreaming that someone (or more) will join her. Hey--maybe she could put together a Christmas caroling group in the neighborhood....and the group would be able to sing at other festivities too!

Oh, how often have you heard Fiorella's daydreams swell into nothing?😕

Your girl's German class is still in full swing, but Das ist alles till tomorrow. You should be able to translate the accentuated words. After all, English and German are derived from the same language. For pronunciation, remember that the German "a" usually sounds like the "a" in a American's pronunciation of "lot." 

Wish you could have seen Fiorella today: a pinkish pair of shorty-shorts, a really cute black top with pink and white flower design on it that your girl  bought last year and which STILL FITS HER!

Fio has been going through as much as she can in her art salon, and she has all her best pictures on display, but when will her customer come knocking at her door? This is all so different than when she and Husband (God rest his soul) would find a nice place under the trees on the designated green, unpack samples of her work and sit back in their chairs. 💗

 

 

 

Blood, Poems, Art, Woman, Das Deutsch, Christmas?

 Yes, your girl is going crazy! She's lost the page that had the information on it for when she should return to get her blood rechecked, but (whoopee!) she remembers that her appointments are getting further and further apart--so she does have a bit of victory. Maybe if she'll just hold tight, she'll find that lost page too.

On the other hand, she's not so sure about the poem collection that she hopes to have ready by Christmas. After all, she's been rhyming ever since she was a kid and can't even FIND half of what she's written.

For some reason, Fio feels nervous this evening, probably because she's so boxed in and is thinking about how she can't even get a ride to her chosen church....and, as always--because she has no friends in the neighborhood .of ANY religion. It isn't like when she was a child and could walk out onto the street and look around, then have a kid or two (one Catholic, one Jewish) join her. 

It's weird that your girl has a fair half of her studio in order now, but can't keep it that way. On the other hand, what does it matter? What can she do to draw (pun) attention to her artwork? Open her front door to to let passers look in as they amble by? 

Apparently there aren't any outdoor artist shows like there used to be. Covid took care of that!  GRRRR!😠😠😠😠😠😠

Here's an easy one for your German: Frau, which means woman and sounds just like it looks. (Oh dear--hoping Fio isn't repeating her Deutsch! . Have faith--everything will come together in the end.)

 

A BIT SAD, A BIT SHOCKED, A BIT WORRIED, A BIT SWEET, A BIT WEEPY, and a Stuhl

Hey, hey, hey! Your girl was beating her brain trying to how to organize all her art stuff--which is hard enough--but then, while going through some old photos of the insides of her parent's home, she realized that a really good copy she had made of "Mary" holding the "Christ  Child" and given to them was nowhere to be seen. That's the sorrow of being an artist--you have to sell or donate all your "children" if you want them to stand a chance of staying alive in this world. Sigh....

But in the meantime, Fio went through her brushes again and is aghast  to tell you that she actually has not forty but FORTY brushes ready at her command....although the five of them she bought last week were ones she used when she couldn't find the other thirty-five.

Sorrow: your girl's blue shoes (Keds) have sprung a leak in their soul/sole and Fiorella needs new shoes, but she can't locate anyone who has the time to give her a hand with her foot 😜. Will accept any and all suggestions.

Awww, this is so sweet--the big white Persian cat has made himself a nest beside Fio on top of her left leg and under the bottom of her computer. It's nice to be appreciated....

 Thinking about her mother made Fiorella wonder about how "our" house looks now, but there's no way she'll arrange for a drive to Waco to find out. (She still remembers the address, but the neighborhood would be a stranger to her, or worse, maybe even torn down.)

Your next German word is chair, which is Shtool, which is spoken exactly like it's written, but means a little different.

NOT ENOUGH TIME OR SPACE!

 Pastor Karl Gronberg visited today and gave communion to your girl, her son, and daughter-in-law, and Fio cried the whole time through. He still hasn't found anyone who for sure can give Fiorella a ride to church on Sundays, but there are hopes....and prayers.

Did Fio tell you that her bedroom is just the way she wants it now (except for the closet which would require a complete do-over) so she's tackling her art studio now? Actually, the room is only partly devoted to her painting. She needs to go through her TWELVE file drawers and pull out everything she's ever written so she can decide what might be usable for publishing. 

And then there's the remainder of the room, the five overflowing eight-foot-high shelves and the paintings mounted on the wall, the two art tables in the middle of the room, the big basket and boxes along the sides of the room.

What your girl needs is more space, more room, more rooms! 

We'll see. We'll see....

The German word for today is Das--that--with the "a" being pronounced like the o in "slosh."

NOT MUCH TO SAY, BUT WE ALL GOT HOME SAFELY

 Fiorella is quite pleased with herself---she's put everything in order in her bedroom except the contents of her cork boards, her cosmetics, and her family pictures, which will just take  day or two. The clean-up of her studio/salon/study will have to wait for another day....or maybe another month.

Still no word from Pastor so apparently he hasn't been able to lasso anyone to take Fio to church tomorrow, which is sort of disappointing, but then, there's always next week--hopefully.

Your girl attended a family birthday party this evening which is why she's so late in blogging, and while the celebration was enjoyable, the drive home wasn't because we got caught in a rare Texas rainstorm that  blinded Fiorella's vision. Thank goodness Son L was the one driving--young eyes, young eyes....

Yes, Fio definitely needs some new shoes. Her faithful blue Keds have sprung a leak.

Hey, how about another German word to end your day--maybe Bruder? It means "brother" and is pronounced BrOOdEr.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It's a Rocky Start, but Fio Will Ride It for a While

 Okay, Fiorella will admit she's messed herself up trying to add a language into her usual information tidbits so she's going to start all over again (although using the same technique) and teach German to herself and anybody else who wants to learn, but this time it will be more thought out.

However, she's also going to continue her usual antics and observations, hoping that some day, week, or month, her two programs can join like twins separated at birth getting together again...but without claws drawn.  (Yes, that big white cat regal cat is still on the prowl.)

The day draws nearer to Sunday, but no one has volunteered to give your girl a ride to her church yet. Please pray for her. Wonder if the organist sitting at the organ will be the same person as when she was in the choir before years ago. Maybe Fio should stay for the nachmittag so she can find out who directs the musik and if she can sing in the choir?

DID YOU NOTICE THAT FIO USED A COUPLE OF GERMAN WORDS? 

(Don't worry--your girl will get better about this, and she isn't dropping her regular routine either..)

 

PREPARING FOR FIORELLA'S BIRTHDAY

 Fio can tell now definitely tell you that she has at least twenty-four paint brushes in her baggage and probably a few more that she's lost along the way because she was trying to clean up the salon for her birthday (July 15) and spent all day going through of her paintings, half-ways, wanna-be's, and almost-there's.

Yes, your girl has started painting again, more or less--which means when she damn well feels like it.  As far as she knows, there aren't any outside art-capades in town like there were when she lived in Austin when she did twenty years ago. In fact, Fio suspects all the parks have been eaten up by housing and and panhandlers. 

Please pray for Fio that she will score a ride back to her old church up north this Sunday. Her now-retired pastor has been trying to find  someone who lives near her, but Fiorella hasn't gotten any word yet. 

Why does your girl want to attend church, you wonder? Because she misses the solemnity of it, and also the singing and socialization of it that she has had ever since she was a child.

It's the leftovers of Covid that has messed us all up! Even now, some people, especially in the medical field, are still wearing masks to play it safe, and who can blame them?

Are you writing down the German words your girl has given you? Do you know what they all mean? Could you write them all down with out consulting your computer? Think about it.

Today, your new word is Schule, which is as easily pronounced: it's  like "Scool" in English.

                            (Sorry this blog was so out of tune and your girl hopes she's fully corrected it.)