NO, NO, NO!

Things are not going well for Fiorella. She got stung by a scorpion, several pages of Lolly's story disappeared when Sonia Dog sat on the open computer, and the kitchen ceiling is dripping--just like two years ago. To make it worse, Fio can't find a plumber.
     She's called three plumbers and they either don't work on weekends or she's not in their service area--and the whole time she's talking, the drip is splashing into the cauldron she put out on the floor under it--and which she'll probably have to empty several times during the night. 
     Why, why, why are all these things happening to Fiorella? She's working so hard on the house that she hardly ever has time for Lolly, and now she has to tangle with plumbing--and pay through the no$e for it!

     

From Pumpkin to Painting

One lonely pumpkin
Hanging from a vine
Will it be yours
Or will it be mine?
Or maybe we could share it--
That would be just fine
*
Fiorella is not only pleased but THRILLED to tell you that the two new downspout hoses were buried underground yesterday, which takes one very important get-ready-to-sell projects off her to-do list. Next comes the backyard pathway, which will be more complicated, take longer, and cost more.
*
Hmm....Fio's doing to have to call Medtronic again. Apparently, they don't give a damn about their product not working.
*
Everything seems to be turning against Trump now. Hoping, hoping, hoping.....
*
From now on out, Fiorella wants to lead a simple life in which all she does is write and paint... and save the world, of course.

Five Happy Notes

There's hope yet for the world. As Fiorella was driving down the road, she spotted her first nursing calf of the season, and her heart warmed 🧡

When it was Fio's turn at the bank drive-through, the voice behind the glass welcomed her with "Hi, Fiorella! How are you doing?" even though your girl had on a mask and could hardly be seen through the car window 🧡

On the way home, Fiorella noted that the American Fireworks (made in China) consession had been opened up, but with a new addition--orange traffic cones indicating how far apart customers should stand 🧡

Fio's heart sank when, returning home, she saw a huge truck parked in front of her property. Would her Home Depot order of rebars and cement not be deliverable because of her winding driveway? But, no problem. The driver told her he'd already dropped her load off in her garage with his forklift. (And Son told her he'd carried the bags around to the back yard.)🧡🧡

After searching high and low,  Fiorella finally found the brick-laying spatula she'd been looking for all day. Thank you, God! 🧡

   

Friday...What a Week!

The deer have Sonia Dog's number. No matter how ferociously she barks, they ignore her. After all, she's inside the house and they're outside.
*
Interesting--their kids don't read as much as Husband and Fio did, but they sure have watched a lot more TV....
*
Son not only wrapped pretties that Daughter is claiming,  but he sorted out all the papers on Fiorella's dining room table. All Fiorella can say is FREE, FREE AT LAST!
*
Your girl finally got through to somebody at MedTronic who actually listened to her problem with their machine. Another person is supposed to call her within a few days to clear things up. Hoping, hoping, hoping....
*
Fiorella now has all the materials needed for the backyard pathway, but only after she went through the mess that seems to accompany everything these days. She paid on line, of course--and the delivery cost extra, of course, but at least the person she talked to understood that a yard of cement is NOT the same as a bag.

Is It Thursday Already?

Fio was drowsing on the couch when the phone rang....and rang....and rang---despite that fact that she was shouting "Hello!" as loud as she could into the remote.
*
Your girl just discovered that Sonia Dog is hording giant MilkBones between the couch cushions.
*
Interesting the way Trump is backing himself deeper and deeper into Florida. Remember how he designated Mar-a-Lago as his summer White House? Well, now, Jacksonville, Florida, is the designated site of the Republican presidential convention. By the way, geographically, Jacksonville is at the top of the weenie, and Mar-a-Lago is at the bottom.
*
Three cheers for Bastrop son helping Fio clear out Husband's office, the storage room, and the arts-and-crafts room, and today, she hopes he'll have time to work on the dining room.  Minnesota son and his wife will be coming down next month to help with the cars and garage, and Daughter has volunteered to research the value of the china and silver.
*
And what are you doing while your kids are providing slave labor, Fiorella? Actually, I'm clearing ahead of them and doing pick-up behind them, whether they know it or not. And, now that so much else has been finished, I'll concentrate on a second run-through of my office.

Hello, Wednesday!

Fiorella's list is overflowing today. Not only is she working like a dog on the house, but she's determined to call Baylor-Scott-White to set up an appointment to see if they can handle her pacemaker and coumadin check ups better than Austin Heartless does--or, rather, does not.
     She'll also throw herself into emptying the top two shelves of her arts-and-crafts room and cleaning up the counter. Of course, there will be some heavy things left on the counter that Son will have to take care of, but all in all, the room is finished now. The storage room and upstairs hall are finished too, thanks to Fio and Son's joint efforts, but Fiorella's office is still a jungle.
     Then there's downstairs to deal with.....😐
*
Now to get back to your girl's other project--the backyard pathway. Fio needs to get-to-crackin' and have dirt, cement, sand, and flag stones delivered to her doorstep this week. Hoping the laying of the bricks will start this weekend.😀
*
What will Fiorella's new home look like? Will she have enough room to pursue all her interests? What about Sonia--will she have enough room to enjoy herself? What will the neighbors be like? How much will the dang house cost?😒
*
One of the biggest advantages of living with Son and his family during the reign of the coronavirus is that Fiorella will have computer service every minute of the day 😋
*
🤣Fiorella wonders what kind of humiliating prank Trump's opposition will pull on him next time.

And Now, It's Tuesday

Bastrop Son discovered the hard way that it was a HORNET, not a yellowjacket, that had attacked Fiorella. He also discovered that there are two tribes of the beasties and that they've set up camp on Fio's front porch. Fortunately, your girl had a can of bug spray in her arsenal and Son was eager for revenge. Will check later to see if the spray took.
*
Happy, happy, happy! Son cleaned out the rest of Husband's office, and it's amazing how big the room looks now. Next comes the storage room and and arts-and-crafts center. Of course, that still leaves Fiorella's office, but we'll all have to wait a while for it to get emptied. Fio's done a lot of work on it, but, as you can imagine, there's still twice as much to come.
*
In the meantime, Fiorella is going to be searching for a new medical clinic in the days to come. Austin Heartless has really worked a number on her and probably doesn't even know it. She spent more than an hour on the phone today trying to unravel the mess, then gave up. They've turned all their heart patients over to mindless automatons.
*
Now that the house is being cleared out, and there's nothing left but the walls, and Fio's been studying her paintings anew.  She's quite good, you know🙋🙋🙋🙋🙋

Hey, how'd you like Trump's rally? Fio was impressed--it took brains to work out that very public humiliation. Yes, brains over brawn any day of the week 😀😀😀
    Wonder what's going to happen at his next rally....

Monday Starts Off Well

With the aid of her children and friends, Fiorella will survive. Bastrop son is staying with her for a week to take over the heavy labor, to identify items like old photo slides, and to keep her from throwing away electronic wonders that she would otherwise have disposed of to Goodwill, and, most important, to give her some company. Later in the summer, Minnesota son and his wife will be visiting and take up where Bastrop son left off.
*
Speaking of leaving off, Son showed Fio how to find where she had left off writing without having to go through the previous 200 pages. He also taught her how to delete pages.
     Lolly, the roadblocks are coming down. To celebrate, here's a sample of your story:

     Waverly lowered her voice to a whisper. "That girl in the tight pink shirt--she was in my Brit Lit class this summer and had every male in my class buzzing around her. I don't think a single one of them heard I word I said all semester."
      Cotton cleared his throat. "She--uh-has that effect."
     Didn't Waverly understand what Lolly did to guys? Ignoring her would be like ignoring a house on fire. He couldn't help but glance over at her, pink shirt and all. In fact, he'd spotted her leaning over the railing of the bridged entrance to the compound the second they came around the bend in the trail.









    

One Thing After Another

6
Fiorella was so upset Friday night that she couldn't sleep so she took a hot bath, which usually relaxes her, but didn't this time.  Then she tried to watch dumb TV shows (which seem to be the mainstay of Saturday TV), then went upstairs to bed, and finally fell asleep at about 2:00.  Four hours later, Sonia dog wanted out, the phone rang, and the alarm went off, and Doggie went bananas. Fio missed the call but she'd heard enough of the message to know it was her yardman.
      As soon as the hubbub subsided, Fio  called Fernando back and made arrangements for him to come to the house to mow the dry creek.
      All went well. He and his helpers not only cleared the creek, but also mowed along the road. More important, Fiorella showed him what had been done on the pathway, the construction of which he will be taking over soon.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            *
Somewhere in there, Fiorella went outside to pick up the newspaper, only to discover it was soaking wet, which was interesting because, ironically, it is usually double-wrapped in a plastic bag.
*
Later in the afternoon, Fiorella went outside to check out her forest and--surprise--the rain started up again. Not only did her carefully coiffed hair wilt like celery past its prime but she learned from su vecino (Spanish for "her neighbor") sto (Russian for "that") the County was supposed to have removed the wire fencing enclosing the rocks across the dry creek a couple of months ago.
     Now, if you'll excuse her, Fio has to go claim her morning newspaper and begin a new day-- which she hopes will be a little less dramatic than today.
*
As you've noticed, this post has slipped to the side of the page. Sorry, but your girl doesn't know how to make it behave itself.

UNHAPPY!

Modern medicine is a technological mess. A couple of months ago, Fiorella was told that her pacemaker monitor should be returned to the company because she hadn't used it recently so they wanted to replace it with another monitor. However, Fio never received the empty box that she was supposed to mail the device back in and thus, never got a new one.  So, Fio being Fio, she called the company and learned that sometimes slip-ups occur when patients change doctors. Well, your girl had changed doctors, but only because her previous doctor had been banished to the boondocks (and, yes, Fiorella knows why, sadly) and replaced by a sparkling new doctor.  So, guess who will be calling Austin Heartless on Monday to try to untangle the mess. GRRRRR!
*
Fio is whirling around like a dervish right now, trying to get the house ready to sell. It's hard to clear out a big house, especially since Fiorella and Husband were inveterate collectors. Especially when one has construction going on in the back yard. Especially when you're doing it mostly by yourself.
*
Younger Son is driving in on Sunday to help Fiorella with the house, which she appreciates, but she also hopes he can also unravel the secrets of Microsoft on her Mac, which is driving her C-R-A-Z-Y !
*
Austin Heartless, the house, the computer--it's like Fio is thwarted at every turn. Nothing to do but build a rip-roarin' fire in the fireplace and sulk.😒

Wonderful, Wonderful, SPLAT!

6-19
Fiorella had a wonderful surprise yesterday evening---her wonderful neighbor Michael appeared at her front door armed with his wonderful toolbox and a wonderful set of rainspout connections and invited your girl to join him in the backyard. Nothing could be more wonderful!
     Cutting off the bottom of the old on-the-surface spout and replacing it with a connection that would allow the water to flow underground was not an easy task--and Michael did it for both of the rainspouts. It took at least two hours, maybe three, and it was so dark by the time he finished that Fio had to go inside, but by then his lovely wife, Kathy, had joined the party.
     The first thing Fiorella did this morning was go out and look at the rainspouts again, then take a photo for Facebook. It's not only that she's pleased--and relieved---to have the connections installed, but that she is basting in the glow of having such wonderful neighbors. May their tribe increase.
*
Another wonderful thing was a surprise phone call from Daughter, which ended up being a heart-to-heart tell-all, the kind of relationship Fiorella has always wanted to have with her 🧡
*
This isn't so wonderful--that What Have You Done After High School masterpiece that Fiorella slaved over for her alum newsletter is not going to see the light of day for a long time--probably never--because Fio had already been published in the newsletter two years before. Looks like your girl will have to find a new outlet. Hmmmm....
*

Revenge of the Yellowjacket

Fiorella, the beloved of all flying insects, woke up yesterday morning with what felt like an inch-long hematoma in the middle of her forehead. In her younger days, she might have painted it over and told everyone it was a bindi--the red spot indicating all good things that India Indians will put on their foreheads--but now that Fio is older and wiser, she decided to check herself out in the bathroom mirror.

Hmm...the mirror confirmed the worst. She racked her mind for any mishap she'd had the day before, but couldn't come up with anything except...except that, well--she'd been buzzed by something that looked like a yellow jacket, and she'd swatted at it a couple of times.

Then she noticed that bulge seemed to have a center like she'd been stung. Then she noticed there was another, smaller, bulge next to her left eyebrow, like she'd been bitten twice. Then she noticed that hour-by-hour, as the bump lost its bulge, blood was trailing down under her skin on the side of her nose to the trough under her eyes, just like it had when she hematoma-ed after the Rolling Stones ambushed her last year.

But what the heck, there was no pain, the bulge kept getting smaller, the blood was dissipating, and when she found a dying yellow jacket under her couch-side table, she stepped on it.

Fiorella's World

So, now Fio is in trouble with the Gtown tax-collector assessor because she doesn't have a certification that her car is driveable. Darn--she paid $75 to the tax guy, and her neighbor looked the car over, so what's the problem?
*
Fiorella doesn't understand--her gas tank is running on empty, and she just filled it a couple of months ago!
*
Yes, Fio eats too much frozen chocolate, but it's the fault of her back molars. They love the feel of the crunch.
*
Going into sky-high gear
Now that Lolly's end is near
Sarah's story will bring you more
Who's the guy who lives next door?
*
Sometimes Fio's right
Sometimes Fio's wrong
But she always tries to do her best
To help the world along

How Did It Get to Be the Middle of the Month Already?

Fiorella was pleased to notice that the salespeople in most of the stores she visited this morning had on masks and, sometimes, gloves, and that the few customers roaming around were observing distancing. Maybe there's hope for us yet.
*
If you know of a reliable company that could mass produce Fio's DUMP TRUMP buttons, please let her know. The buttons are round, two inches across, and in red and white.
*
Your girl took a packet of family drawings and painting from times past to Fed-ex Kinko's this morning and had them photocopied to send out to relatives--who may or may not appreciate them. It's Fiorella's way of living forever, the same reason she writes this blog.
*
Mosquitoes, BEWARE! Your beloved Fio now has a can of bug spray, and she knows how to use it.
*
Sonia Dog can tell time. Yes, she is very aware of when her mealtimes are and will whine, nudge, and (in desperation) yap when Mommy has let too much time past. She's also aware of when it's time to shut down for the night and Mommy should be going upstairs. ARF! ARF, ARF, ARF!

Busy Bee

6-15

Let Fiorella make herself clear! She's skipped steps her whole life and sees no reason why she should have to follow directions now! (Translation: she's mad at the Mac again because it erased everything when she hit a key twice instead of thrice.)
*
Your girl is accustomed to doing three things at once, but add in a fourth and the roof blows ups.
*
You know those BIG cowhide bones? Well, Sonia was never interested in them until Mommy started coating them with butter. Yes, Doggie has a sweet tooth.
*
Fio's really moving on Lolly's story now, and guess what? She's also scribbling down notes to give a happy ending to Sarah, the best friend of the heroine of Fio's first Bosque Bend book. There may be
more Bosque Bend stories coming down the line too, but Fiorella's not promising anything that far ahead.
*
Your girl is really excited about how the landscaping is shaping up. On Sunday, Fernando came by with his family to move a couple of bags of dirt for your girl, plant the remaining jasmines, and check out the overgrown dry creek area, which he'll take care of later in the week. Whoopie!

From Art to Literature

Fio keeps pulling masterpiece after masterpiece off her arts-and-crafts shelves and posting them on FB, but, as in real life, hardly anyone cares. Photography has taken over the pages nowadays.
*
Fiorella was born an artist, and, luckily, from that first picture of the vacuum cleaner that she drew when she was two-years-old, her mother recognized her talent and supplied her with paper--a hard thing to do during wartime.
*
Your girl has been hard at work emptying the arts-and-crafts room lately. Yesterday, she bounced a big box full of handicraft stuff down the stairs and set Doggies to barking up a storm. 
     By the way, did you know that used to not only sew, but crochet, weave, and embroider? Hope she has the time to take of some of these again.
*
Lolly's story, of course, is "forever on her mind," and it's coming along, although a whole day was lost untangling a plot line that had wound up in the wrong chapter. Oh, did you say you'd like to hear a little from Fiorella's latest heroine? Well--here she is!
*   
Lolly's day brightened as she looked down the path and spotted Cotton coming around the bend. But who was that woman with him? She slipped on her prescription sun glasses. God, no--it was the history witch! And Cotton was holding her hand as if they were a couple!
    Dammit! What did Ms. La-De-Dah have that she didn't?"
     

From Doggies to Contemplation

Fiorella was outside illegally watering her plants when two primo German Shepherds bounced onto the scene. Sonia barked at them a couple of times and they barked back--obviously some sort of canine code because then they allowed Doggie to  prance around with them for a couple of minutes, then lost interest when they sniffed her rear and discovered she'd been spayed. Fio called Sonia back from the young dandies, who seemed to be heading down to Neighbor Mike's three-dog household and called Mike, who said he knew where the young scamps belonged and would return them to their owners.
   Ah--country living!
*
What with the German Shepherds, the telephone check-up with her heart doctor, temporarily losing her phone, and the septic tank man finally showing up, Fio's day has been busier than usual. Hoping this means that the rest of it will allow her to work on Lolly's story. Now she understands why...Colette, was it?... stayed in bed all day when she wrote.
*
What about the heart check-up, you ask? Well, it was over the phone, so who knows what is going on with Fio's heart for sure, but the rip-snapping new doctor is going to be sending her the address of a place where she can get her blood checked. Wish her well.
*
 Remember that Fiorella said she was watering plants out front by hand? Guess what--it turned out that she hadn't turned off the spicket when she hustled Sonia Dog inside to escape the Shepherds, so now your girl will have swampland through to next week.
 *
Fiorella's beginning to wonder if she'll be able to adjust to a world without the coronavirus. After all, with the kids taking care of her groceries and all of her appointments turning into telephone calls, she's had a lot more time to work on the house and write, write, write 🙂.
*

From Stupidity to Miss Fisher

Fiorella is quite capable of doing stupid things so when the list of septic tank companies she remembered receiving from a helpful woman in a Georgetown City Office went missing, she assumed it was her fault, that she'd stuck the page somewhere "safe" where she'd never find it until the day she moved out. Finally, after an morning-long search, she gave up and opened her email to get the phone number of the nice lady again and--whadda ya know--there had never been a paper page. The list of septic tank companies was in plain sight on the woman's answering email.
     As Fio said, she is quite capable of doing stupid things.
*
Your girl spent most of the afternoon marking up Lolly's saga, then packed and moved a couple of boxes into the garage. She'll work on the story again later. There are some plot-line kinks she has to work out.
*
The time has come, the walrus said, for Fiorella to mail her post-high school report to the class newsletter. Wonder if it will actually get printed?  Fio, as you can imagine, has led a far different life than her compadres have.
*
It's 6:45 so Fiorella has to quit playing around with FB and work out that plot line. Her heroine's get-together dinner with Cotton's sister, Marisa, has to be moved into an earlier chapter so Fio can build up a background about Marisa's secret boyfriend....and something else she'll tell you about later. 
*
Brother and his wife have told Fio how to get Miss Fischer on her TV, but your girl isn't holding her breath. Technology foils her at very turn.

Getting a Lot Done, at Last!

Sometimes Sonia makes puppy-dog whimpers and yips when she falls on the couch beside Mommy,  who reassures her the same way she always did her children. "Everything is okay, honey. Mommy's here, and she loves you.🧡
*
This is scary! FIORELLA FINISHED EVERYTHING ON HER LIST YESTERDAY. Is it a miracle  or a bad omen? 😕
*
Sadness. Fio found the remains of Red, her resident cardinal, when she was outside watering the iron plants. He'd either dive-bombed the dining room window one too many times or been caught by the local wild life. Whatever, Fiorella misses him and will make sure he gets a proper burial--whatever that is for a bird. 😔
*
I've been tall and I've been small
And I've been thick and thin
But all in all, I'm having a ball
So let the show begin! 😀
*
Sorting through through all the projects she has pulled out of the arts-and-crafts cupboards, your girl is right proud of what she has done and she can hardly wait to get to the new house and add more to her list.😋

From Industry to Music

Good grief, has almost one-third of June already gone by and your girl not yet saved the world from itself? Give her some credit, though. She posts about THE CHILDREN on FB every day and stays up to date on what is happening virus-wise and politically. She also started posting pictures of her art work from way back when she was in the game, is hard at work on taking care of the house and clearing it out at the same time, works on the yard, and, in the evening, writes Lolly's story, her only recreation. Yes, sexy romances make her giggle.
*
Fiorella ended up putting in a little extra labor yesterday, and it was no fun. She had to drag a vinyl waste basket full of water to the front of the house and pour it on the iron plants that the sprinkler system doesn't reach--and she'll have to do it again today. GRRRRR..
*
The joy of sorting through dusty drawers and piles of items from time past is that they bring back memories. Fio had forgotten that she had been in so many musical theater shows, that she'd practically been the resident artist for her kids' pre-schools and elementaries, that she'd written musical compositions, that she used to sew her own clothes, that she'd crocheted and embroidered and made things of clay.
     No wonder people hated her.
*
June ninth--longtime friend Ellen's birthday. Fiorella called her, of course, and they were on the phone for a good while, remembering their childhood, discussing the current political scene, and laughing their heads off. 🧡🧡 🧡
*
One thing Fio's been wondering about--can everyone who has tinnitus hear music like she does? Can everyone control the choice of songs like she does?







    

Hour by Hour

After an hour of tending to the usual wake-up and breakfast chores, Fiorella repaired one of her shoes by gluing down a flap inside it that had come loose and was irritating her left big toe.
 *
Used Elmer's Glue
To fix my shoe,
Then put it out to dry--
None can see
The fix but me
O, what a smart girl am I!
*
Fio spent another hour checking out of old blouses/shirts that had been in the fabric pile to see which ones she might wear and which ones to leave in the fabrics box, then read the newspaper and posted, posted, posted. Some of it was on her blog, but most of it was on FB, where she is not only trying to save the world, but also to show off some of her art work. Yep, Fio is still angry that her work is not being recognized, probably because she didn't hook up with the "right" people.
      A few more hours were spent examining the outside plants (they need water) taking care of the bills, keeping up with Facebook, and mopping the floor--with a real live mop this time. Maybe tomorrow, your girl will even try to get the vacuum cleaner working.
*
 And now, mid-afternoon, please excuse Fiorella so she can wrap herself into her current fantasyland, LOLLY'S STORY.🧡

     

From Printers to Politics

Happy days are here again, thanks to Fiorella's nagging, Son's computer skills, and the helpfulness of her neighbors. Translation: THE PRINTER IS WORKING!
     In fact, your girl has already printed put a couple of copies of her totally obnoxious "What did you do after high school" essay to send to her graduating class's monthly newsletter. Now (gulp) to try to print out what she has of Lolly's story.
*
It took a couple of hours before Fiorella finally got her pile of fabrics downstairs and packed away in a 18"x18" box, but none of it was easy. She walked four armloads down before she realized she could easily throw the rest of it over the railing and save herself some labor. Unfortunately, there was no clever way to avoid folding the yardage, piece after piece, so it would fit in the box. On the other hand, Fio marveled at the beautiful fabrics she'd tucked away and hopes she'll be able to use them in the future--maybe even teach her granddaughter to sew doll clothes, or is that terribly out of date?
*
 Looking through the fabrics, Fiorella found some old artwork from when her kids were in elementary school and she drew the cover designs for their school newsletter. Wonder if she'll come across anything else.
*
Fio is very disturbed by what is happening in the United States right now. She doesn't like people to be hurt, even killed, because of their race, color, or political affiliations. Actually, she doesn't want people killed for any reason.
*

The Good and the Bad

Fiorella doesn't like the way politics have taken over her life, but she can't sit silent when bad people do bad things.
*
Thank you to neighbor Kathy, a good person, who was kind enough to come over and run out Lolly's  pages. Thanks also to neighbor Carol, who calls Fio on the phone weekly to make sure she is still alive.
 *
 On the negative side, Fiorella is appalled by the million-dollar fencing that Trump has paranoidically erected around the White House, and she is horrified by him turning to Putin as his lead advisor. Between the virus and Trump, will the US even survive? French Revolution, any one?
*
Fio never realized there was so much hate rolling around the nation. Why can't people accept the fact that we don't all look alike or think alike and be done with it? And what is it with these professional hate groups?
*
 Fio blesses the brave, who stand up to tyranny, even with their lives.

From Gadding About to Heavy Breathing

Your Fio has been under the weather for a few days and not gotten much sleep, so today her system finally gave in and she collapsed on the sofa, then slept all morning. When she woke up, she was overflowing with energy so she put on her mask and gloves and drove into town to get an old photo copied at Kinko's, mail her ballot and bills at the post office, and donate some books to The Caring Place.
    The guys behind the counter at Kinko's were wearing masks, and not only were the post office employees masked, but social-distancing marks were taped on the floor. Unfortunately, The Caring Place's drive-through donation station was closed. Hope the outside staff didn't have an outbreak of the virus.
*
How can anyone support a president who would command prison guards to clear out an Episcopalian churchyard full of people--including clergy--with rubber bullets and tear gas, and so he can have a picture taken of himself holding a bible upside down?
*
The hand sanitizer that daughter ordered for Fiorella was delivered behind a tree two thirds of the way up the driveway and wouldn't have been found till tomorrow if neighbor Kathy hadn't spotted it when she came over to help Fio install the new printer cartridge.
*
How about concluding today's blog with a hot passage from What the Heart Wants:
     He rocked his forehead against hers, smushing their their noses together. She moaned and rubbed the undersides of her arms against his shoulders as the tip of his tongue outlined her mouth, then sought entry to explore the inner rims of her lips and the sensitive flesh above her teeth. 
     He couldn't get enough of her.

Hair and There

Isn't it interesting the way that whenever a new hairstyle comes out--bangs or no bangs, long or short, front part or side part, up or down--everyone flocks to it like geese? Fio has never seen so many women sporting long, luscious hair before, and....so suddenly. Fake hair, anyone? It's been done in centuries past....
*
Your girl was born baby-blonde, but as she got older, her hair darkened to honey, then to brown. Pigtails were stylish for girls back then, so it wasn't till about the third grade that Fio's hair hung loose. Then, maybe in the fourth grade, a friend of Mother's cut Fio's hair into some kind of bob, and Fio burst into tears. For a couple of years after that, she was allowed to grow her hair long--until junior high, when her mother persuaded her to get her hair cut "to fit in." Later, when Fio was in high school, Mom bribed her to keep her hair short by promising that she could patronize an exclusive salon every month.
     After she was married, Fio let it grow long until she turned forty, when she decided it was time for her to  grow up and got it cut. Her hair has been shortish ever since, with a three-times-a-year visit to her stylist, but the virus has killed that luxury and your girl's hair is now shoulder length and getting longer by the moment.
     But Fiorella, why was it so important to your mother that you wear your hair short?
     For the same reason that Mom didn't want me to get her ears pierced or wear dangly earrings-because then people would think I was foreign.
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Oh joy! Oh wonder! Oh, miracle of miracles! THE PRINTER CARTRIDGES HAVE ARRIVED! Now Fio will be able to run off her pages and do revisions. Lolly, your time has come.😁😁😁
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Did your girl tell you that she's finished the story of her post-high-school adventures for her graduating class's newsletter? Well--almost finished it. Now she has to go over the pages a million more times to be sure everything is perfect. 
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Fiorella's ballot arrived yesterday and she's mailing it today.😁😁😁😁😁
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Thursday at Fio's

Fiorella is counting the minutes go by like an expectant mother as she awaits the arrival of two items vital to whatever is left of her ever-dwindling sanity: printer cartridges and information on how to install a PC bookmark in her Mac.
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The Mac was acting up again so Fio gave it the stink-eye and invoked the spirit of her mother, who, being the daughter of a mechanical genius, knew how to handle situations like this,  A N D  I T  W O R K E D !
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Fio and friend Paula were on the phone for an hour today talking about old times teaching at UT and how our lives have evolved since then. We're both readers, writers, and do-gooders who've  dedicated ourselves to making the world a better place. We also follow the same cartoons in the newspaper.😀
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Fiorella thought it would be easy to find a company that would run off her DUMP TRUMP buttons at low cost, but the guy at first one she called was so difficult to understand that he scared her off. Hoping someone out there can give her some recommendations.
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 Fiorella could get a lot more done if she had a lot less to do.

From High School to Politics

Hooray for your Fio! She's finally finished an epic account of her life and will be sending it off to her high school graduating class newsletter. Of course, she mainly talked about the ups. The downs are nobody's business.
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Thank goodness Fiorella took Physics in high school because, being aware of the co-efficient of drag, she always carries the heaviest part of a load--like tree limbs--in her arms and let the rest trail behind.
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Fio started doing something important. Then something that was more important popped up. Then something even more important popped up  and....you get the picture.
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It's irritating when you put your heroine in a really complicated situation, then realize your plan for her escape won't work. Back to the drawing board, Fiorella.
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Across the miles and far away
Putin slaps his knee with joy
Proud of how his baby boy
His country has betrayed

Hot off the Press!

Fio took a stroll down to the road to where the county had raised the bridge over her dry creek and discovered that not only had the seeds they planted grown into a waist-high jungle of brown weeds, but that there was a pile of dead cedars secreted in the nearby woods--along with an old cardboard container from a take-out dinner.
     Why did these things wait to happen until Fiorella was the only adult in the house? There's no way she can handle them all on her own.
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Hooray! Fio decided to give the 2019 taxes another try and actually found a large pack of accumulated papers that she'd forgotten existed in a semi-heavy envelope addressed to her accountant. There was just one catch--Fio didn't know how many stamps she should put on the envelope, and the bathroom scale refused to help her. Obviously, she needed to post her problem on Facebook--and the third suggestion, a trip to a UPS store, was the winner. Thanks, Ann Bell!
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How did Fio develop the skills to write books, you ask? It came naturally. Not only had she been in plays since she was five, but, as she grew older, she read everything she could get her hands on. With a combination like that, there was no way she COULDN'T have been a writer.
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At last your Fiorella understands what a weephole is--a non-cemented connection between two bricks on the lowest row of the construction that allows moisture to escape. Wow! Next thing you know, your girl will be laying the bricks herself.
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Hey, hey, hey! Elder son has now ordered the appropriate printer cartridges for Fio, which means that she'll be able to finish up Lolly's story and also print out that three-page long report on her life after high school that she's going to send to the editor of her class's newsletter.

From Pungency to Poetry

Fiorella has read that losing one's hearing and sense of smell are indications that you have the virus, which means that, judging by your girl's awareness of her dog's...er...emissions, Fio is very, very healthy.
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Fiorella lied on Facebook when she said that the fire in her fireplace last month would be the last for the season. She spent about an hour yesterday building another pile of twigs, branches, and other debris, and the light up will be this evening. Whoosh!
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Fiorella is now engaged in writing a summary of her post-high school life for her classes' newsletter--not because she was asked to, but because everyone else is doing it and she wanted to get in on the action. To tell the truth, even she was surprised at herself. Yep, your girl has gotten around.
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Fiorella has spent a couple of hours working on Lolly's story today, which sort of drives her crazy because she still can't run the pages off. It's hard to make corrections and revisions while a story is still in the computer--at least for yours truly. Hoping Elder Son will soon come through with those specialty printer cartridges. .
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I don't drink or smoke or chew
But eating chocolate? Yes, I do 😀