Sonnet Songs

It's later in the evening, Sonia Dog is grabbing at Fio's arm for attention, and, having been hauling heavy loads of books around all day, your girl is throwing in the towel and going to entertain you (she hopes) with a couple of her sonnets.

QUIET AS THE GRAVE

Quiet as the grave that holds me fast

When death has dumbed the drumbeat of my blood,

Beneath the soundless soil, still at last,

I'll sink in silence toward the muffling mud.

But until then, I'll clatter through your halls

And shout hello to friends and wail goodbye;

I'll laugh aloud  within your stately walls 

And shriek my anger to the sombre sky.

The dead are not notorious for their noise

And I will lie a long time quietly,

So until then, I'll use my loudest voice

And make the whimpering world resound to me

      So when at last I'm muted by the all absorbing ground,

      My unaccustomed silence then will deafen you with sound

LOVE ENDURES

How long lasts love? Past tomorrow's dawn?

Past hurt and anger, betrayal, desertion, death?

This weakness of the heart--will it be strong

Enough to last the years, yet be weak yet?

Love ripens in the lusty son of youth

And is consumed, but blossoms ever-sweet

To be the springtime baby's first-spooned fruit,

The sustenance of summer, winter's treat.

The music of the song survives the singer

And echoes of itself divinity

Thus Love and Beauty, Truth, and Courage linger

Long past their actors in eternity,

     How long lasts love? My love is yours

     As long as Love endures; yes, love endures

Movin' Along

 Hello!  Fio plowed into her tons of unfinished romances--not to finish them off, but to haul them out of the boxes they've been in for almost a year. Next comes the read-throughs, which will take forever. Also, your girl will have to get together with some of her old RWA (Romance Writers of America) friends to find out what's selling right now.

Surprise--Fiorella, who has gotten tired of watching television movies, has started following the network news again. Hoping this means her brain is tuning back toward"normal" again. The pandemic, the snowstorm, and the moving have not been kind to her.

Speaking of TV, Son L, his wife, and brother-in-law were laughing hysterically at a show in the den while Fio was closing down for the day so she put on her robe and took a seat. All she could make of the hilarity was that it was a Korean game show. Fiorella will try to catch the show at the beginning next time so she can enjoy it too. 

Our neighbors next door are reworking their front yard while we haven't even finished moving in yet. We  don't have the man-power they have, but our day will come. After all, Fiorella has designed the landscaping in four houses so far and she packed garden tools when she moved. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Grumpy Fiorella

 Fiorella is going to spend her evening at Daughter's house, celebrating her birthday--Daughter's birthday, that is, not Fio's.

Congratulate your girl--she leaned how to operate a new-fangled washing machine and drier, then spent a day and a half dousing and drying the sheets, pillows, blanket, and everything else appropriate. Sonia Dog was a bit of a problem, but a few pieces of fat convinced her to get off the newly washed bedding and go outside. Now, how does Fio KEEP everything nice? 

Fiorella's gotten tired of all the murder mysteries on TV. The smart-ass heroes and heroins are getting old too. Wouldn't it be nice to have a main character who was cool without being a jerk?

Thinking your girl's next self-assignment might be to work on her file cabinets which she stuffed full of a lot more than writing and letters when packing up for the move. Whatever, it would be a relief from all those family photos.

The dang clock that hangs over the television in Fio's bedroom has stopped working for the second time, which is rather irritating. Fiorella does have a couple of wrist watches, but she likes to have a wall clock too.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Planning What to Do Next

 Fiorella is sitting on the edge of her bed and taking a breather, after searching under one of the chests beside the bed with a twisted hanger to find her new glasses. They weren't there, of course, but she did find two battered pairs of old glasses--and, just as your girl was about to throw in the towel, she noticed a shine under the bed beside the chest. HALLELUJAH! Her new glasses were safe, and Fio had two extras to boot!

Forty-five minutes of searching the house and Fio finally found the changer in the bed under Sonia. Not sure if she likes the warmth or the voices. Well, whatever, it made Fiorella pull all the sheets and blankets off the bed and throw them into the wash. (Remember, your girl has never been much of a housekeeper.)

Right now, Fio is alone in the house with Doggie, which means she doesn't have Son L around to help her with technological stuff, but it also means she can try out any of her screwball ideas without hearing a sigh of "what's she up to now" flout behind her. Fiorella can't help it that she's inquisitive.

Don't tell anyone, but Fiorella is considering adding more decoration to the ones above and on the sides of her outside window. Will keep you posted.

 

Working, Working, Working

 God bless the patient and dedicated ladies of Fiorella's past generations who labeled family photographs and put them in albums, and shame on Fio because she didn't do either and now has to go through piles of photos and try to make sense of everything and everyone..

Just found a picture of Son L on the hospital scales right after he was born--all eleven pounds, seven ounces of him. He was a C-section, almost two weeks, and the staff whisked him away from your girl the second they knife him out of her. God bless modern medicine💗

Also found several back-and-forth letters from a distant aunt whom your girl had never met. She was living in a resthome and sent me a picture that she had colored with every letter she sent to me.  I frequently used her pictures for decoration during holidays so she would not be forgotten, and I missed those letters when she passed on.

 Regarding her shoulder, Fiorella has decided to be her own doctor and fight the pain with more pain. Thus, if her shoulder hurts, she sweeps her arm back, which makes it hurt more, and when it stops hurting, Fio stops moving her arm, and all is well. Try it!

Fio is making a list of the things she needs to do or have done in the house. One thing she's especially anxious to learn to do is reach her friend in England by elephone.

Movin' On!

 A-A-A-N-D, what is Fio doing today? She's pulled everything out of the third drawer of the chest of drawers, spread it across the studio floor, and divided the mess into family notebooks, art, and photos--of which there are many. This job will take a while, but it's interesting. Your girl is finding a lot of long-lost essays and sketches.

E-E-E-K! Another important call that didn't give Fiorella time to find a pen or pencil 😖 !

Fio was driving herself crazy trying to gather and place all her family snapshots, then suddenly realized that they needed to be to be in a big drawer--or box--by themselves.... once she's taken care of everything else. 

Things are looking up: Fiorella will start therapy on Tuesday to treat that shoulder that's so painful.  

Sleep well!

 

 

 

Movin' Along

 So, we're back to buying our food by phone again, and we have Delta to thank for it--Delta and the people who refused to get inoculated. Fiorella never knew how much she enjoyed walking around a grocery store and looking at all the foods until it was too dangerous for her to do so....again 😠

In the meantime, Fio is moving forward on her studio. She's gotten all her frames lined up and has emptied the first drawer of the cedar chest to start sorting out photos and whatever else is there. At the same time, she's looking around to final resting places for all her paintings--and hoping there aren't more of them in storage. 😁

All of a sudden, the TV is offering a fair number of shows that attract your girl--and another one featuring an older woman who decided to become a detective. Actually, Fio is pretty sure the woman who plays the detective also played the lead in of another one of her favorites a while back--Hyacinth Bucket--oh, excuse me: Bookay 😁 

Hey, hey, hey! That dreary task of having to go through the top chest of drawers in the studio turned out to be a whiz. So much so, in fact, that Fiorella opened up the second drawer--which doesn't look as easy. It will have to wait till tomorrow.😙

So far, most of what your girl has been plowing through is books, pictures, and paintings, but she's diving into the books now, and there are many of them. Why else do you think she had four bookshelves built in addition to the two already in the room? 😞

 

 

From Technology to Humanity

 An annoying voice kept telling Fiorella that she needed a new battery and the sound turned out to be coming from her TV changer. Who knew it too needed to be fed?

Speaking of TV, your girl has found a new show she likes. The heroine is an older woman who got retired out of her job and decided to become a private detective, with a teenage boy and her husband as her aides. Now, THAT'S what Fiorella wants to do when she grows up!

Sonia is one smart dog. She lies across the top of the covers, claiming Mommy's place, then won't move until yours truly puts a treat at the bottom of the bed, luring doggie thereto, which gives Fio a chance to lunge for the top spot. (And yes, Sonia sleeps with Mommy.) 

What a wonderful experience! Son L drove Fiorella down to Fran's, her favorite hamburger joint so they could pick up supper for the family. The drive-through line was long, as usual, but the girl behind the counter seemed even more cheerful than usual. 

Then, when Son was fumbling around for his credit card when she said,"Don't worry about it. You've been paid forward." 

Son found his card, but, of course, had to know what was happening.  "It's been going on since this morning," the girl explained. 

Which, of course, meant the we joined the train. And Fio has felt exceedingly happy ever since (despite spilling the milk bottle when we got back to the house.)

 

 

 

 

Round-a-bout

 Congratulate Fio! That weird looking steak that she decided to give a chance to turned out to be wonderful--and she'd still got about half a pound more of it.  

We're all sort of down about having to go back to masks again, but it's better than ending up in the hospital...or the morgue. Will this plague never end?

Fiorella is still stashing away all her frames--three boxes of them--and then there are the unfinished paintings that have to be sorted.

Your girl found a photo that someone had taken of her and Husband hawking her talents at an art show on what used to be Town Lake long ago and there it was--a painting that she's been wondering about through the years. It was of a young black girl in a pink dress that that the family had commissioned Fio to do from an old photo. And, once the painting had been complete, another branch of the family asked for a painting. (Wd've loved to get more commissions like that.)

Daughter and boyfriend picked up the black leather couch from storage today, the one that ruled your girl's home for as long as Fio did, and she was glad. It's wonderful to see good things being used rather than discarded. That's why Fiorella still sleeps in the decades old bed that came down from Husband's family and is trying to use the chests she and Husband from bought as end tables,

From Fingernails to Gymnastics

Guess what? Fiorella has fingernails again--real ones--and also, she found her little pink birthday book. Now if she can find her scales, the rest of her furniture, and that woven bookcase that would be ideal for stacking up all her art materials on.

Son I drove your girl to Costco to get her new glasses adjusted because she was having to tilt the lenses down to see well. It turned out that there was no trouble with the lenses--it was the frames, which had to be re-widened to fit the area between Fio's eyes, which is apparently wider than other people's.

You wouldn't believe the stacks of art supplies that Fiorella has accumulated through the years. She never guessed that so much wood, glass, and cardboard could be gathered together at the same place and at the same time. Wow!

Tomorrow will be another day, and your girl will be off to a gymnastics class, which is supposed to cure that pain in her right shoulder. We'll see.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Coming Along

 Aha! Fio is speeding up! Shes already cooked a beef roast to cover herself for the week and retaped the two nudes who had escaped from behind the door last night, but there's more to come. She was also waved at when she went out side and even asked if she was going for a walk, which indicates that she's been noticed!

Her other news isn't that great. Remember how thrilled Fiorella was to be getting new glasses? Well, she's been have a problem with them ever since--her vision gets blurry if she doesn't keep her left eye shut and move her right lens half-way down her nose. She contacted the ophthamalogist's office and was given instructions as to what to do, starting with Costco and moving up the ladder.

Son L estimates there are still at least two loads left in storage, and Fio will be both happy to have all her goodies on its way home, even though it means she'll be in a frenzy as to where to put it all. 

Fiorello's foerign languages seem to be coming back in bits and pieces, but she still sounds awful on the telephone--in any language.

What a way to end an afternoon. Son and his wife were not around, and George, their HEAVY white cat slipped through the back door as Fio opened it for Sonia to come inside. Panic! George is too big for anyone to lift, and he wasn't in the least interested in the bowl of milk with which your girl tried to tempt him. So what else could Fio do but stand by and watch George nibble at some kind of weed and hope he'd get a queasy stomach from it and have to drag himself up to the door on his own. 

Which he did, but without a queasy stomach.

 

Yawn

 Fio feels down today. The doctor had no particular cure for her shoulder problem beyond what she had already been doing. Also, when Son and she picked up the four Japanese paintings, Fiorella realized she should have used the same frame as Son did because their two paintings will be hanging next to each other in the hall.

Fio also feels down because she's lost her little bright pink birthday book. Oh, well--it will surface in a century or two....

Your girl's only real was that, toward eventide, she slapped those two nudes up on the back of her bedroom door. The top is off balance, but it will do.

 Ho hum--as you can tell, your girl is bored, bored, bored. She'll try to be more interesting tomorrow.

 

 

From Pre-school to Farmyards

 Today's the day--the day Granddaughter goes off to pre-school. Wish us well--literally.

Your girl has reached the point when she has to make careful decisions about what she'll stick/pin/paste, nail to her studio wall. Everything is important to her, but not all of it can have a prime location.

It was Fiorella's turn to call across the ocean for a monthly visit with friend Suzy, but, just like the previous month, Fio couldn't get through, no matter how many times she tried. Suzy even had your girl repeating the phone number again, but no go. (Son L has volunteered to try to fix the situation, but Fio thinks it may be transcontinental problem. )

Hold your breath--tomorrow is when Fiorella has an appointment to get her right shoulder fixed and also pick up those Japanese prints from Hobby Lobby. Hope all goes well with both.

Your girl is watching a British show called All Creatures Great and Small now. It's a big change from Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries, but Fio needs the break.

From Dark to Light

 This is one of those dark days when Fiorella wakes up with her brain rerunning every dumb, stupid, even mean thing she's done in her life....and there have been a plenty of all of them. She asks you to forgive her, but can't forgive herself. So, nothing else to do at this point but get up, get dressed, put a smile on her face, and try to do better from now on.

Fio's newspaper was delivered today. Maybe it's a good omen. 

The day brightens as Son L takes Fio over to Costco to claim her new glasses. In fact, your girl is so happy that, when she gets home, she starts going through her chest of drawers and rearranging everything for better use. In addition, she found her socks and shawls, which she thought she'd lost somewhere along the way.

Totally off the subject, Fiorella would like to see more shows like Doc Martin and To the Manor Born on TV, ones with good story lines and limited blood and guts.

As you know, your girl has plastered her studio with art--some of her offspring's, mostly of her own, but she wasn't sure where to put two of her favorite nudes. One was a woman in a swan-like pose and another was a man and woman resting in post-climax. Fio searched every inch of her studio, but couldn't find an appropriate place so she leaned the sketches against the back of her bedroom door to think things over--then suddenly realized that she'd accidentally found the right place, that the paintings could be taped to the back of her bedroom door, but no one could see them unless your girl chose to display them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Moving On

 Congratulate Fiorella! She finally got her closet cleaned up and out, although she's going to have to find places to stow things like her underwear and jackets. But your girl will prevail, even if she has to hang leftovers from her ceiling light. Actually, her next project will be to go through her chest of drawers and figure out how to economize on space--which usually means disposing of grade-school mementos which are ragged around the edges. But one thing Fio does NOT throw out is any old-time photo. There's always someone in the family who can identify it. 

Tomorrow will be a good day--Son L and your girl will be picking up her new glasses from Costco and those re-framed Japanese pictures from Hobby Lobby. Fiorella admits she does not usually shop at the latter because of the owners' politics, but it's the only framer she's ever used. 

If you're wondering, her appointment to take care of that problem with whatever it is with her right shoulder won't be till Tuesday.

By the way, The Austin American Statesman is STILL playing tricks on Fio's home delivery. That's what--the fourth time?

 

 

 

 

DETERMINATION!

 Again, that  second "sixteenth" was supposed to have been published on the "fifteenth," and Fio is just now writing today's "sixteenth." Don't ask me about how technology works!

Today, on the SIXTEENTH, which is the day after Fio's birthday, sweet Daughter sent her a box of  chocolate cookies, which she is sharing, and a pair of charming turquoise earrings, which she is not sharing.  In fact, Fiorella's decided they are a symbol of her new life. Her mourning time is over and, from now on, she lives for herself. Please don't ask her what that means, but she'll know when when she needs to.

Your girl is beginning to meet a few ladies on the block when she goes walking every morning, although  she could only walk partway today because she got caught in the hot mid-morning son. She's all excited because the new people down the street are bilingual so maybe Fio will be able to start working on her Spanish again.

Then there are all those other languages she dabbled around in, and the paintings and stories and books-way finished. And don't forget the music--although the piano is still in storage. REMEMBER WHO YOU ARE, FIORELLA! 

A big part of Fio's restoration  will be getting into contact with her old friends, which will be hard to do because your girl doesn't drive any more, but she WILL FIND A WAY..

 

 

 

 

Telling All

Thanks to Son L, who found a way to get a large painting up on the side of two matching bookcases and still leave room for more. Yes, that studio is still moving on. Your girl has all the frames, big and little, together now and will probably squeeze them into the sewing closet.

Believe it or not, your girl's fingernail have grown out again. Living in the wild woods, she'd forgotten what they looked like, but now she's a glamor girl. Well, not really--she hasn't painted them, but then, she rarely did that anyway.

In case you're wondering, yes, Fiorella is still chocolate free--except for the remains of her birthday cake, but we all know that doesn't count.😉

If you know of any good TV shows of the TV Remote kind, please pass them on to Fio, and remember that her favorites so far are Doc Martin and To the Manor Born.   

Fiorella's bunged up shoulder will be going to the doctor next next week. Think good thoughts.

 

 

From Politics to Glasses

 Fiorella has the broadest smile on her face ever, ever, ever. What wonderfully wicked genius concocted the plan for the Texas House Democrats to hop on a couple of airplanes and fly out of state, thus blocking voting on the--uhmm--voting bill. It sounds like something your girl might have devised way back when, but right now, your girl is dedicated to getting her new house in shape, which has all too many twists and turns of its own. 

 Son L and his wife are both working on site today so Fiorella and Sonia Dog are on their own. Am guessing that, with so many people being vaccinated, this is a portent of things to come.

Hurray, hurray! Your girl made major strides with her studio today--she  now has almost everything off the floor. Her next stage is to start putting like with like, and, along the way, she hopes to lasso Son into hanging a few more paintings on the bare, naked walls. 

What will Fiorella do once she's set up her studio, you ask. Well, Fio's design allows for a sewing area (with a closet), five bookcases,  four sets of file cabinets, a chest, a table, a mini-fridge, and two chairs--and she intends to make use of all of them.

Last, but not least, Fiorella found her glasses...again.

 

 

 

 

 

From Staples to Glasses

 Got any staples or double-sided tape lying around?  HEB doesn't carry them and Fio uses the double-sided staples not only to fasten pages together, but also it to fasten art to the wall...or door...or bookcase...or wherever else your girl wants to make her mark.

Fiorella lost her glasses about nine this morning, then found them again this afternoon, but lost them again half an hour ago, then found them again, but with one frame missing. Never a dull day around here! 

Unfortunately, Fio had to cancel her appointment to get her shoulder bone--or whatever it is--looked at because Son needed to be present when the new, giant-sized sofa was delivered. 

Sometimes people ask Fiorella if she ever gets nostalgic for those five wooded acres in Georgetown, and the answer is "yes." To sell her house and land was a hard decision, but your girl she knew she could not take care of everything by herself, and she wanted to be closer to her granddaughter. 'Nuff said.

It's 7:32 and Fio's lost her glasses again.

 

 

 

Colorado, Medical Care, Miss Fisher, Chocolate

It's happened again--Fio sent a payment off to Colorado, and it never arrived. Nothing to do but go through her checkbook, cancel the check in question, and send a replacement--but this time, it will be labeled "PRIORITY."

Fiorella has had a hard time with that tendon or whatever it is in her back right shoulder for about two weeks now so she finally contacted her "nurse navigator," expecting to get signed up for at least a week-long wait, but NO--she was registered for TOMORROW! Maybe modern medicine isn't so heartless after all.

In this technologically controlled world, your girl has worked out a way to skip over TV episodes she doesn't want to watch in favor of the ones she does, like when she didn't want to watch the death-by-slow-hanging in Miss Fisher so she let the show roll, but turned off the sound, then turned it up again when a less squeamish episode took over.

Pray for Fiorella--she's trying to beat her chocolate addiction cold turkey and this is day one.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Telling All

 What a day, what a day! Son, his wife, and daughter gave Fiorella a wonderful birthday party today with Daughter and her beau joining in, but the star of the show, of course, was Granddaughter, who not only provided the entertainment, but was the happiest one there.

Speaking of family, Fio is still going through all the pictures her ancestors had taken, but she wishes more of them had scribbled down their names. 

Actually, your girl's birthday isn't until Thursday, but Sunday was the only day everyone could get together. No problem--Fio never objects when chocolate is involved.

What about your studio, you ask. What stage are you in now? "I've taken care of most of my paintings and drawings, but am still plowing through old papers," I answer. "Wish me well."

 No one else in the world has a studio door like Fiorella's--from the top down, she taped her junior-high ad for that pirate play, a painting that Son L made when he was in pre-school, an advertisement for herself  under her pen name, and her legal name.

From Politics to Birthday Party

 Is it really true that Texas governor, Greg Abbott, is planning to run for president next time around? But wouldn't that interfere with his pledge of allegiance to Trump? Hey, we could have a real shoot-em-up- cowboy down here on the range!

Fiorella, under threat by Son L, has called the "navigation nurse" and left a message asking what sort of doctor would be able to take care of that troublesome pain in the side of your girl's back, the one that pops up when she's trying to lift boxes or reach up to lock tall doors. Will keep you posted.

Speaking of heavy boxes, Fio is doing an amazingly good job on her studio, if she dares say so herself. She only had a vague idea of what she was going to do when she asked Son L to move four bookshelves and an old chest into the room, then dumped paintings, books, papers, and family keepsakes on the floor, but the more that Fiorella stared at the room, the more it arranged itself. Thus, your girl has put paintings galore up and down the walls, photos are being gathered together under one of the book cases, and family albums have found their own niche. It will take a while more to sort out her own large library, but it's on the horizon. Fio will not let any ancestor be forgotten.

Just got home from a long trip to Costco, a long time shopping, and a long trip home again--and Fiorella dislikes the store as much as she always has. It's too big, too loud, and too fat. However, it does give good prices on eyeglasses, which is what Fio went there for.

Tomorrow is your girl's birthday party. Please pray that she will have several more to go.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

B O R I N G !

 What can I say

About today...

Because  it's been the same

As yesterday...

Yep, the most exiting thing your girl has done today is to--for the first time--walk up the street alone to the communal mailbox and push two letters through the slot, both to pay a bill. 

Okay, Fio will admit that she had fun scotch-taping an ancient ad for a junior high play (in which she had the lead) to the door of her studio. And if you're wondering what Fiorella's role was, it was a pirate queen, Sophronia, and the best part of the part was that she got to snap a whip around.

That problem with your girl's right shoulder hasn't gone away so tomorrow she'll be making an appointment with whatever branch of the medical world treats shoulder pain. Any suggestions?

Sorry this post was so dull. Will try to set a house on fire tomorrow.

 

 

Not Much to Say

 Wow! What a day! Fiorella took her regular walk around the neighborhood, then came inside and worked on her bedroom and her studio, then headed off to Austin (with Son L at the wheel) to have her first eye exam in three years. The wait was tedious, but the result was worth it--except for the vision problem which happened when she was in her twenties, Fio is in great shape. Hoping Son L will get the same results when he goes in for his exam.

What's next on your girl's agenda? Probably getting her bedroom in shape enough that she can hire a handyman crew to rearrange her closet while she is working on her studio, which has gotten stalled because Son L, Fio's official hanger-upper of big paintings, is busy with his own work right now.

One thing Fiorella should have been mentioned is that she gave her ophthalmologist a copy of one of her romances a couple of years back so maybe that's why your girl received such an over-the-top welcome.

 If you're in the least interested, that hematoma has gone down a little, but is still recognizable.

 

 

 

 

If Only

Fiorella, who has one pair of glasses held together by scotch tape and another scratched by from falling down between her bed and a chest, is very excited that she'll be visiting with her ophthamologist tomorrow--except for the part when her eyes get dilated, which, as you will remember, leaves her with rainbow vision for a couple of days afterword. The good thing is that Son L will accompany her this time around, which means she won't have to drive.

 Fio wishes that Raquel, her long-time maid, would have been with her during the move. She would have been a big help in loading and unloading your girl's boxes and putting together the  studio.

A side story: Fio got her first pair of glasses when she was in the sixth grade, but she wore them only when needed.

Side story number two: she lost her first pair of glasses on a tennis court when she was a teenager.

Side story number three: as you can guess, Fiorella has lost so many pairs of glasses through the years that when she marches toward the pearly gates, she'll probably be followed by a long line  of upright glasses clattering behind her.

 

 

 

From Fiorella to Joan

 Fiorella rides again! Not only did she walk around the local block twice, but she also fought her way through the mightily tangled  Austin American Statesman phone brigade and got her old phone number changed to her current one.

Next on your girl's list was to have Son L drive her over to the hospital to get herself checked out psychologically. Apparently, Fiorella made a good impression on the doctor because she was even okayed for driving. (Don't worry--she's going to wait a while for that one.)

More good news--Fio found her old college German book so maybe she'll be able to practice with cousin Tom after all. Then there were her forays into Russian...and French...and...Spanish...and anything else she could grab onto, none of which stayed with her.😞

Getting tired of all the old, stupid movies on Prime Video.  When is my Doc Martin coming back on?

AACK! Fiorella forgot friend Joan's birthday--not that she'll ever age, of course 💗💗💗

 

 

 

 

From Writing to Reading

 While she was going through her tons and tons of papers, your girl came across a whole first chapter  of a morbid story she has no recollection of writing, but the style was hers, and she dimly remembers that she went through a spooky phase way back when she and Husband were first dating. Needless to say, the pages went straight into the waste basket.

Fiorella's forehead is hurting from that hematoma the stepladder gave her and her shoulder blade is hurting from carrying loads of books from one set of shelves to another. Fio will be happy when all Fio has to do in her studio is write stories, paint, and draw.

Eureka! Your girl suddenly realized that the long chest at the bottom of the bed in her former master bedroom was exactly what she needed to store her clothes in at her new home. 

Fio has yet another medical appointment tomorrow. She's happy the system is so thorough, but it's also a little overwhelming. The good thing is that, so far, she's supposedly in good shape--which is a miracle given the amount of chocolate she downs every day.

Hmm...my newspaper was not delivered on Saturday or Sunday, but one showed up on Monday. And yes, I'll call the newspaper about the situation.

 

 

 

Taking Time Off

 As usual, Fio has been at work on her studio. The floors, where she'd dumped everything, is finally seeing light again and she's pretty well mapped out what's going where in the bookshelves. Son L bought her some two-tided tape that will help with the more stubborn pictures, but it went fast so we're off to Target again.

The Austin American Statesman newspaper hasn't appeared on your girl's lawn for two days now, and there's no way to get hold of the office over the weekend. Fiorella is getting tired of this running battle. GRRRRRRR!

The Fourth of July, and all Fio can think about is when Ellen's family invited all the kids in the neighborhood into their backyard to celebrate. Everyone was having a great time, but we knew the best was yet to come--the fireworks! We were all oohing and aahing at the beautiful colors until--you guessed it--one of the rockets landed on our host's roof. Mr. Paule, needless to s was up a ladder in a New York minute and the other Dads in the neighborhood did what they could. Luckily, there was very little damage....but the Ellen;s family didn't any more neighborhood parties in their back yard again. 

Fiorella's forehead hasn't completely recovered from that whacking it got from the stepladder so she's closing off early today to rest a while--unless something really, really interesting happens💗

 

 

 

 

Short Stop

Congratulate your Fiorella--she is clamping down on her daily chocolate intake so hard that she can hear Hershey shrieking in agony. Yep, there goes its profit margin....

Despite the whapping your girl got from the stepladder when she was trying to organize too many stacks of paper at once, Fio is fast at work in her studio again. Already she has determined that the photos need their own special BIG drawer and that her half-finished novels will need another one such.

Son L is carting your girl all back and forth to various medical appointments these days, and, all the time, Fiorella is remembering when you made an appointment with the local GP, he would loo you over and announce you were just fine--or you weren't, in which case he wrote you out a prescription and sent you on your way. 

And that's about it for today....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TTHIS SONNET MEANS MORE TO ME NOW THAN WHEN I WROTE IT

                       TO MY CHILDREN

When I am old, so very old I stink

Of unwashed underarms and brain cell death

So old I shake, my spine and stature shrink

I whistle quake and rattle with each breath

When I am old, so very old I drool

And age spots big as elephants appear

When I forget my name and act the fool

Talking too loud because I cannot hear,

Even when I'm angry, trapped in rage,

Become a miser, call each dime misspent,

When I am cruel and stupid in my age,

When I reject you, scotch your good intent

Remember, once I loved you of my will,

And in my heart of hearts, I love you still💗

From Health to Prime Video

 The first of July and Fiorella isn't all settled in yet. The medical check-ups are her major stumbling blocks --it's two down and four to go. Oh well, it's better than when the kitchen sink clogged up.

Hmm...someone's been fiddling with the arrangements of the pillows in Fio's bedroom. Will keep you informed.

Whew! Son L drove Fiorella to her bank to arrange for more check books to be mailed to her, then to Hobby Lobby so she could arrange for the separation and reframing of what she had been calling Chinese art, but turned out to be Japanese art. 

What about your studio, you ask? Well, it's moving along, but Fiorella doesn't know what to do about her nudes, of which she has a fair number due to that weekly class she told you about. In her old houses, she hung what she considered to be her best poses in the upstairs master bathroom, but her current home is not constructed for for privacy. Translation: your girl shares her bathroom with her four-year-old granddaughter.

Totally changing the subject, Fio is not happy with current choices on Prime Video. Not a one of them can  even begin to match Doc Martin or To the Manor Born.