RREALITY

 The blog that was published today was the one that Fiorella wrote yesterday. To top it off, her newspaper didn't show up. Obviously, the kings of the modern world--the computer magnates--are playing around with her again.

Hold your hands over your ears because Fio is going to be practicing her new choir's Christmas songs this afternoon. She's sung most of them before--YEARS before--and isn't sure she still has the touch. Well, it's actually the lungs she's worried about.

Meanwhile, one of the house cats is expressing her love for your girl by purring loudly and trying to lick her nose (Fio looked it up). It's nice to have an approving audience because, as you can tell,  Fiorella is down in the dumps. She's almost out of food and has missed an appointment at her doctor's office so there's nothing to do but watch Soap Dish for the umpteenth time. After all, Maggy survived so maybe Fio can too.

Oops--the cat adjusted the remote to another show while Fiorella was looking at the new kindergarten picture of her granddaughter that Son L was displaying. Jealousy?

Sigh...all in all, there's nothing for your girl to do but (1) call the doctor's office and try to get another appointment, (2) practice the Christmas music like it's the end of the world, and (3) hitch up her belt and dine on apples and chocolate bars until someone visits HEB again. (PS: Son L took Fio out for a hamburger later.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

College Days and Beyond

Question: Did Fio skip a day or did she accidentally wipe one out? Ah, well--at least you now have proof your girl is a real person....

 Looking back, Fiorella realizes that she used her college days as a playground. Her studies went first, of course, but then she added on music, music, music and art, art, art, which were NOT what Mom and Dad had in mind when they paid her tuition. Their plan for her future was that she would become a high school teacher, like her mother, but Fio married when she was twenty and continued on her merry way. 

Later on, of course, your girl's major occupation did turn out to be teaching, but at colleges rather than a high school. She enjoyed it very much, and actually, her music and art background helped her relate better to her students (and vice versa.) Yeah, sometimes your girl even sang to them, and her illustrations on the blackboards were always a success. Hmm--any former students out there and have you identified me yet?

It's never too early to plan for Halloween, and Fio went to town on her decorations last year. Now, if she can just remember where she stored them.....

And now to move on to Christmas, or at least Christmas songs--the ones she's practicing with the Methodist choir, to be exact. However, as it turns out, your girl will have to use earplugs during one particular song, "Once Upon a Tree," which she's never even heard before caused her to melt into tears when she tried to sing it.

 Dang--Fiorella should look for more interesting material than her own life!

PS: WHAT THE HELL HAS HAPPENED TO FACEBOOK?

 

 

 

 

 

It's All About Me, Me, Me!

 This evening, your girl will be off to the Methodist choir practice in which she made an idiot of herself last week by claiming she sang alto when she's never sung anything but a thundrus soprano her whole life. Apparently, the director has forgiven her, but she still may not fit in. Wouldn't it be wonderful if Fio found a nice nearby Lutheran church that wasn't too choosy and liked to sing?

Reporting in--YES! The American Statesman is still coming to Fiorella's house and landing in her upper yard, which makes Fio very happy. She also likes the way its news reporting seems to have become more oriented toward Austin than New York.

Did your girl mention that friend Ashley (a new friend, not the Ashley that Fio taught with when she was teaching at Temple College) has been urging her to get back into landscape and portrait painting business again? And that the new Ashley even knows where the local hot spots are that Fiorella could display her art and maybe set up a business?

POST choir practice: Whew, everything went much better with the choir group this evening than on her first visit, but your girl's singing voice was still way too throaty. On the other hand, she was much better at reading the music than last weeks--the angel wings of her old UT voice teacher, Edra Gustafson, must have been hovering over her. 

Fiorella has finally figured out how a blog like this one, which she finished off at 10:45 pm on the 28th is published as being on the 29th--because somewhere in the machinery, 10:00 is the cut off for "day."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thinking Things Out

 NUMBER ONE: The newspaper DID eventually show up yesterday. 

NUMBER TWO: It also showed up today--Fiorella is elated!

But why, you ask, is your girl so het up about getting a newspaper ever day? Because she believes in journalism. Remember, her mother had taught it in high school way-back-when--and passed all her reverence on to her daughter.

Changing the subject, Fio wants a social life--a real one, not just weekly visits to her heart doctors. Her first step, of course, is to obtain reliable transportation, which she's working on, but what's next? How can she find friends and get into the swing of things when she knows she's got a driver ticking off the seconds as he waits for Fiorella in his car? And then there's the fact that your girl's in a city that's changed a lot since she left it twenty-some years ago. (What the heck happened to Scarborough's department store?) For that matter, what happened to all her old friends? Surely, some of them are still alive.

Fio also wants her longevity to be worthwhile, not a drag on her offspring.

Sometimes I have a lot to say/Sometimes I don't but speak up anyway😊

 

Problems, Of Course

 Just when your girl was starting to relax regarding her newspaper.....it didn't turn up on Sunday. SUNDAY! THE DAY YOU'D THINK MOST LIKELY IT WOULD SHOW UP IF NOT ANY OTHER!  O M G--if Fio had only kept track of how many newspapers she'd paid for and not received, she'd be able to buy the joint. 

But Fiorella doesn't have time to dwell on the iniquities of the American Statesman because...blow the trumpets...she's going to church this morning. Yes, the Lutheran one nearest her house that only has about thirty-five parishioners. (She's saving the Methodist church, which must be at least two-hundred strong, for choir practice.)

In her spare time (which is ALL the time), Fio is going to try to build a shelf to put her cosmetics in....and another one for her stray papers. Wood would be ideal, but she's more likely to wind up with cardboard boxes.

This is NOT your girl's good day! That (Missouri Synod) Lutheran church she visited was NOT like the Missouri Synod of her youth, but more like the traveling "revivalists" that, when she was a kid in Waco, would park at a bare intersection and set up their tents. What a disappointment--today's minister couldn't stop talking and the musicians drowned out the congregation. Guess Fio will have to stick with the Methodists for a while.

In the meantime, she is crying and consoling herself with chocolate.

 

Bits and Pieces....

 Fiorella thanks everyone who has been (and is) helping her to get her speaking and singing voices back into shape. Today, it was her daughter-in-law's mother, a singer herself, who urged Fio on.💗

Your girl also thanks her daughter-in-law for allowing her big white male Persian to visit Fio's bedroom every morning and cuddle against her like a dog. Love is where you find it 💗

Hip hooray! Your girl has finally gotten hold of the pastor of the nearest Lutheran church and will attend his service tomorrow. Apparently he has a small congregation, but that's better than an overlarge one. 

Looking ahead, Fiorella is keeping her eyes open for ideas about this years's Christmas card. Contact her if you have a brainstorm....

Congratulate Fio! She went ALL day without watching SOAP-DISH--which she always misnames as SOAP-BOX because she was born in Akron.

 

 

 

 

 

Bringing You Up To Date

FIO CAN'T TELL YOU HOW VERY, VERY HAPPY SHE IS TO HAVE THE AUSTIN AMERICAN STATESMAN DELIVERED TO HER DOOR  (more likely, to her yard) EVERY MORNING AGAIN! THANK YOU!

Guess what? Your girl is toying around with the idea of praying with the local Lutherans, who've dwindled down to only about 35 regular attenders, and singing with the Methodists, whose choir is about forty strong. Now--if she could just get rid of that dang cold (allergy?) that's added a decided gargle to her  voice. Apparently everyone else in Austin has the same problem because when Fio tried to make an appointment with an eye/ear/nose/and throat specialist, the best she could get was October 4.

The good news is that Fio spent half an hour at the piano this morning and her voice sounds like she still has at least a smidgen of a soprano high note in her, but, due to the above-mentioned gargle, she'll have to work on it.

Switching the topic from Fiorella to her family, we need big, real trash bags because we're running low on your girl's collection of HEB grocery store bags. Anyone else have that problem or are we the only ones?

Yes, while she types, your girl is also watching Soapdish for about the hundredth time. As someone who was in the limelight from kindergarten on, Fio is always drawn to the stage--any stage.  Hmmm--wonder if she could still get a role in a local production?😁

 

 

 

Just Wondering....

 Ring the bells! Happy times are here again--or at least in the offing. As you will remember, Fio was looking for a nice Lutheran church with an active choir she could join. Unfortunately, there was no such thing in the area she lives in, but...Son L kept his ears open and found Fiorella girl a nice METHODIST church with not only an active choir, but an arts and crafts room. 

Regarding the choir, your girl hasn't sung in years sooo--with the idea that she wouldn't attract any attention if she called herself an alto--she tried to follow the line of the real alto sitting next to her, but couldn't help reaching for the soprano line every now and then...and her neighbor told on her in a nice way which meant Fiorella had to explain herself to the director, who was very understanding...and didn't toss her out.

And.....all of that is why Fio will be humming and singing wherever she goes this week. The only way she can get back into her more natural soprano stance is to breath deep and honk that breath up through her chest, nose, and eyeballs. (It has already cleared her nostrils.)

Hmmm....wonder how the Methodists will react when they learn your girl is an artist too.   

And a writer.....

Not a Good Time

 Dang, Fio's beginning to think that her computer is cutting her off when she pushes the button to post anything--ie, she thought she had posted the "Early Christmas" blog yesterday evening.

 There is no joy in Mudville tonight. Your girl's plan to join a church so she can find herself a friend has bit the dust. Apparently churches have very low attendances these days--and Fiorella would guess that those who do attend take care to sit far apart from each other. 

More bad news: Fio will be in the doctor's office again tomorrow. Her warfaran level has gone way up, although she's eaten, drunk, or done nothing different as far as she knows.

Actually, lying on her bed all day without anything to do, your girl feels like she's caged, but how can she escape?

 

 

 

 

Early Christmas

 And what have you been doing today that you're running so late in the evening, Fiorella? Well, for one thing, she wasted almost an hour in Austin Heart South waiting to be called into her nurse's office, then discovered that the new woman at the take-in desk had misplaced your girl's papers. Ah, well--Fio has to go back tomorrow anyway.

Okay, babe, it isn't even October and you have a Christmas quandary: should you try out the Lutheran church and stay true to your mother's heritage way back to who knows when--or scoot on over to the Methodists, who have already started preparing for the holiday with clever decorations and special choir music? 

Actually, your girl is wary of both sides of the coin because the traumas she's gone through may have changed her singing voice so much that she couldn't make the cut. As for her Christmas compositions, Lutheran or Methodist, they'll have to wait till next year.

On to happier times--what does Fio want for Christmas? How about getting her mattress lifted so she can rescue everything from trash to silver plates that have eased themselves under her bed during the year? She'd also like her clothes closet adjusted to her height--or lack of it.

But Fiorella is getting far, far ahead of herself. After all, we still have Halloween to go.😁 

Complain and Congratulate

People are born 

To live, then die

Even as you

Even as I

 What with all the clatter and chatter on TV about Elizabeth's far too many funerals, it was hard for Fiorella to keep her mind on preparing her breakfast. Not that your girl's opposed to monarchies--a country has to have some kind of organizational set-up or another country--one that is organized--will take over....but can't we have a middle ground? 

Congratulate Fio--she was able to get her knee-crippled self off the floor this evening without help. Maybe there's hope for her yet....

Don't hold your breath, but there's a possibility that--to treat your girl's hang-dog doldrums--Son L will be able to arrange transportation for her to take a class at University of Texas. (He suggested art and Fio countered with German, Russian, or Spanish. 

The whole situation is that Fiorella, a high energy type of girl, is bored, bored, bored!

 

People are born 

To live and to die

Even as as you

Even as I

HOPING, HOPING, HOPING.....

 Actually, the proceeding post was yesterday's post, and here is today's....

FIORELLA HAS FOUND A NEW CHURCH....maybe. She'll still pay homage to her home church in far North Austin, but on Sundays, she'll attend the new church. Your girl will give you a report next week.

But how do you judge a church, Fio? Well, first of all, I want it to be as much as possible like the  North Austin church I attended most of my adult life. Second, I want to hear a lot of singing going on. Third, I hope for an uplifting sermon of hope, love, and acceptance. Fourth, I don't want to be badgered for money right off the bat--if I join your church, I'll be generous, but discriminating.

Of course, Fiorella will feel odd sitting on the bench, not in the choir loft, but then, one reason she decided to join a second church is to get her vocal chords working again. She also wants to make new friend---- although wouldn't it be wonderful if Fio ran into some of her old pals who'd also migrated from North Austin?

Hey--and what about Fiorella's composing! Well, maybe, just maybe, she'd be able to squeeze out another Christmas song....or two.

Down, Girl! You could also be black-balled--churches of any kind can become snooty. Besides, remember how excited you were about the Senior Activity Center, only to discover the whole set-up was a hoax?

Unfinished Blog...

 What now in the trials and tribulations of Fiorella? Well. by means of her computer, your ever-hopeful girl has located two Lutheran churches semi-nearby and even spoken to one of the pastors by phone--probably when he was locking up for the day. Now, if Fio can just get Son L to drive her over to the churches for a couple of Sundays so she can make her choice....

Also, of course, unless she chooses a church which picks up and delivers, Son will have to drive her back and forth every Sunday. Wouldn't it be easier to rent her a horse?

But nooooo!. You remember how Fiorella confessed to you what a loser of an equestrian she was back in her college days--and you can bet that driving a car everywhere she wanted to go since then hasn't improved her horsemanship.

It looks like, all in all, the best thing she does is sprawl out on her bed every day and write a blog about her misadventures.

Difficulties

 Fiorella awoke in the middle of the night, pondered her situation, and decided to become more assertive, then started making a list of the things she needed to have or wanted to do, like get a camera to take pictures she could turn into paintings, like somehow making a trip to a jewelry store to replace her missing gold necklace. She also emailed a message to Daughter that she needed new underwear, pulled the lovely blue coverlet off her bed and replaced it with a plain white sheet because the former had some kind of tiny twinkles in it that tantalized your girl's carpal tunnel.

In the meantime, as usual, Soapdish was on the television--Fio is enamored by the show and plays it at least three times a day as her background music. Not that your girl has ever been in a movie or won an Oscar, but in her heyday, as she's told you, she was in quite a number of local theater productions. 

What set your girl off this time?  Strangely enough, it was that she was so utterly crushed by the negligence of the local Senior Activity Center. After crying for two days, although she didn't have any tears left, her knife has been honed sharp and when it comes, she's ready for battle!

Ah, if only Fiorella had a Guy or Girl Friday who tended to all her wants. But her kids are human....and so is Fio.

 

 

 

 

WHINING, WHINING, WHINING!

 Despite Fiorella's final words yesterday, she's still down in the dumps. Not only has her golden opportunity fallen to the floor, but she's realized that the whole Senior Activity Center thing is a sham. Yep, your girl is totally on her own.

So, what does she do now? Fold up her easel and walk door to door, hoping to rev up some business snapping photos of people's children and turning them into charming paintings? Fat chance--paintings aren't as popular as they were when Fio was in her heyday and every other vacant lot hosted a sale of one kind or another.

Well, how about music? Unfortunately, Fiorella's best chance of getting in back on that scene is through a church, but her own church is way across town and--remember--she has no reliable transportation. Also, she 't can't play the piano any more because of the stupid carpal tunnel, her singing voice isn't what it used to be, and she would need a class or two to reawaken her dormant compositional skills.

How about those language skill Fio played with in high school and college--Latin, German, Russian, French, Telugu--and the Spanish she was trying to teach  herself via Television a while back? Don't they come in useful. No, they don't, because, as any linguist knows, "if you don't use them, you loose them," and your girl has had ample opportunity to do just that.

Good news: the people at physical therapy studio Fiorella frequents twice a week because of her stupid knee tested and measured Fiorella today, and, half-way through their program, they said she's coming along well. Or, it just might be that the are saying nice things so they can keep her as a client as long as possible....

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From COMIC STRIPS to DISAPPOINTMENT to ANGER to SOLUTION!

 The newspaper came again today, but the most important pages were missing--the comic strips. How will Fiorella know what happened in "Luann" today?

Daughter should be coming soon to drive your girl over to the art group she wants to check out. Hoping it will work out--Fio is so tight that she didn't didn't get to sleep till 3:30 this morning, and that was with the assistance of one of Granddaughter's orange pills, so, of course, now she's can't stop yawning and is keeping herself awake by sipping at a cup of Coke. Meanwhile, the big white Persian cat that rules the household has huddled up beside your girl as if to comfort her, but it may be that her majesty just wants to remind Fio that she hasn't had her quota of chin tickles today.

Umm...that Coke hit the spot! Fiorella may make it through the day yet!

GRRRRR: Rarely has your girl been so disappointed, but the Austin Senior Activity Center did her in. Lured by a colorful printed folder featuring all sorts of activities, Fio dressed in her cutest clothes and hitched a ride from Daughter to what she thought would be a cozy (or maybe not) get together with some local artists, but such was not to be. Nobody else showed up and there weren't many people anywhere else in the building either. What a waste of the taxpayers' money!

Ad what should the City to fix the situation?  HIRE FIORELLA AND GIVE HER NICE BUDGET! She's always been good at at organizing things and getting people's attention!

EXCUSES, EXCUSES!

 Please forgive Fiorella for being so in-and-out about her blogs lately. Sometimes it's a family emergency, sometimes it's that your girl is fighting with the computer powers that be, but today, it was that she just plain forgot--until she saw her computer waving at her from under a stack of newspapers.

Speaking of newspapers, Fio is hoping she has won her battle against the American Statesman, but if so, it is really a win for the newspaper too because promising a delivery and not following through is neither a way to keep old customers or attract new ones.

If your girl seems a little shaky, it's because tomorrow is the day she's going to visit that local art group she's interested in. She'll fill you in tomorrow, of course, but today, your girl will be spending the rest of the evening cleaning up her room, as if the members of the art group have an evil eye they can use to check Fiorella out long distance. 

And that's all Fio has to say...today

Unfinished Blog

 You won't believe it, but the American Statesman delivered again! Does this mean Fio's complaints have been heard and are being attended to?😁

Meanwhile, your girl is organizing herself to, in a couple of weeks, get cheep transportation within the city. Yes, whining and complaining does have an effect In the meantime, of course, she'll be taking advantage of Daughter's promise to drive her to the Wednesday Painters so Mom see if the group is  for her. It would be great to make new friends, talk art, and maybe even set up other  activities, like music or theater.

Fiorella is embarrassed to admit that she STILL hasn't pulled out the pages of Lolly's romance to finish off, but love always wins out, and Lolly's day with come.  (In the meantime, your girl is trying to find a nice little coverlet for her own bed.)

Fio's analyst made her usual one hour visit this afternoon and your girl regaled her with stories of her kindergarten experiences and move to Texas. Maybe next time, she'll disclose more about her grade school adventures. One thing Fiorella will tell you, though: from first grade on, there was always a boy she daydreamed about, whether he reciprocated or not.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TRY IT, YOU'LL LIKE IT!

 Whoever wrote Soapdish was a genius. Your girl has never identified with a movie more. Not that she was ever a movie star or had an affair, but, ahem, she did have a fair number of leading roles in preschool, grade school, junior high, and high school productions. Thus the travails of Celeste Talbert (Sally Field) in the 1991 comedy now playing on TV really hit the button. In fact, Fiorella has been watching it again and a again and laughing her head off.

EEk! Guess who bought a nice slice of salmon from HEB, expecting it to last her for about a week, but now the family refrigerator has gotten cranky and the salmon has to go into deep freeze until it's repaired. In the meantime, Fio is living on her own mini fridge

It's time to take all her notes, drawings, pictures, and photos down from the north wall of her bedroom, but now your girl doesn't know what she'll do with them. Throw them away, you say? NEVER!

Fiorella would like to go to church occasionally, but she doesn't even know where the nearest Lutheran church is located. Her old pastor is kind enough to drop by from time to time, but Fio misses the music and the companionship. (When she first settled in the area she lives in now, Fio located a nearby church of her persuasion, but after several unanswered phone calls, she learned it had closed down.)

 Did Fio tell you she got a newspaper today?

 

 

Cathing Up

Fiorella forgot to push the post button yesterday, so you'll be getting two "10s" today. Remember, Fio is a writer, not a computer expert.

Aside from computers, your girl's biggest problem, of course, is transportation. If only someone would come out with a car that she could hop into, turn on a switch, tell a speaker where she wants it to go, then sit back and watch the scenery pass by. (Takers, anyone?)

Fio is having problems with her left hand again, the one that was operated on for carpal tunnel but never quite recovered. Obviously, the situation makes for problems when she plays the piano, but it's also troublesome when she uses the computer and makes her bed. Anyone out there know a sure cure?

Fiorella is trying to clear her north bedroom wall panels--or at least one of them--of all notes she's push- pinned into it since she moved in. Please wish her well, or, if you live nearby, come over and help her. 😁

Guess what--your girl had a rainbow colored migraine this afternoon, the first one she's had in years. Now, will it be good luck or bad? Hmm--has she mentioned that the family oven has gone kaput?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Movin' Along....Maybe

 You will not believe it, but Fiorella had a second newspaper in a row delivered to her front lawn today. Austin American Statesman--however you're doing it, keep up the good work and all will be forgiven!

Fio is American through and through, with most of her ancestors coming from places she isn't sure how to spell, but she is torn to pieces by Queen Elizabeth's death. Somehow your girl's brain had assumed that the British queen was immortal, sort of like the Statue of Liberty. After all, while our presidents came and went, Elizabeth remained incarnate. Will the world fall apart without her?

The time grows nearer when your girl will try to dip her brush into the art world of the Senior Activity Center, which makes her both excited and nervous. What if they don't like her style, or the group is so tightly knit that it gives her the cold shoulder? After all, Fio is seeking friends as well as activity.

 Hey--wouldn't it be great if someone in the art class offered her a ride from her house and back?😁

The big white cat which Daughter-in-Law calls George and your girl calls Sweetheart has been following Fio around all day, which is quite flattering but a bit irritating. Right now, he/she is trying to grab Fio's earrings

Looking at a really nice painting she did of a childhood playmate and herself, your girl has decided to sort through her photos for a similar subject, maybe of her children.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

All Things Considered---

 Oh, for the days when Fiorella could leap into her Miata and drive anywhere she wanted to at any time she wanted to, but now that she doesn't drive at all and if she wants/needs to get somewhere, she has to make travel arrangements with (1) her kids, (2) her former maid, (3) or Cheriot, all of which usually require several days notice. Thus, your girl spends most of her time curled up on her bed with a big, fluffy house cat by her side and watches old TV shows such as SoapDish, Unfinished Sky, and Are You Being Served? 

What to do? What to do? Fio is trying to figure out how to use the local transportation system to her advantage, but she can't find the explanatory pages!

Whaddayaknow!--Fiorella wandered out into the yard this morning and found a NEWSPAPER, A REAL LIVE NEWSPAPER! Is her luck turning?

Your  girl's stomach has been churning ever since she returned home from her physical therapy session and she wondered if it was from the session or her sorrow at the passing of Queen Elizabeth--then realized the culprit was the half-a-package of sugar cookies she'd downed just before setting off. 😋

 It warms Fio's heart when she hears Son L reading a children's book--with every character having a different voice--to his five-year-old and her visiting friend.

AAAACK--just realized this blog didn't post yesterday!

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NEVER THE LESS -----

 The ever-curious Fiorella has figured out why her doctor's office was not prepared for her yesterday--because, thinking that the blood suckers wouldn't be available on Labor Day, she appeared on the scene on the sixth instead of the fifth. But all is well. Your girl is still alive, has another blood draw scheduled for the coming week, and has already consulted her computer for negative symptoms, of which she has none.

Now to tackle the Activity Center and check out the Wednesday Painters. Maybe Daughter or her husband would have time to drive Fio over there at the proper time, hint, hint, hint....

Your girl has a brilliant idea that she's offering to everybody FREE, no strings attached: LOCAL TELEVISION! Yes, sets that would just pick up the local news, stories, and shows, not splatter you with everything around the world and then some.

By the way, Fio's only had four half-hour physical  therapy sessions, and her fake knee is really coming along! A few more, and she'd be ready for the Olympics....

Every now and then, Fiorella's ego pushes her into trying to find out how many people are following her little stories, but now she isn't getting any response at all from her computer count, which might be because of the computer or because your girl has worn her audience out....sigh.

Nothing to Do But Give It a Try

 WHEW! Fiorella is having quite a day: she received a letter from the City regarding her letter asking about its transportation program, had her blood checked out at the doctor's office (still too high, but at least she doesn't have to inoculate herself ), enjoyed a very good lunch with Son L at Dan's Hamburgers😋, showed improvement in her physical therapy endeavor, and when she got back home, was greeted by a large white cat determined to lick her nose off.

Now that Fio knows that Austin does have a rather good-sounding transport program, she'll have to figure out how to use it. Sigh, if only she were still driving.....

By the way, your girl has re-fallen in love with a hilariously funny film from a while back--well, quite a while back--1991. It's Soap Dish, starring Sally Field and Whoopee Goldberg. Retry it, you'll like it!

Be still, my heart--the crape myrtles are blooming like crazy right now--big and beautiful wherever you look. Hey, maybe Fio could find her palate and paint a picture of them for EVERYONE to enjoy--but no, she paints people, not nature....although she might want to give the crape myrtles a try.

But, panic, panic--what if the the post-sixty art group in Austin has been together for so long that they won't accept your girl? Or, even worse, what if Fiorella, who is still looking for her palate, has lost her  touch?

 

 

Left Out

 Your girl didn't really have anything to do today but wander between her smallish bedroom and largish studio this afternoon so she decided to get them both looking their best. The bedroom was relatively easy because Fio's tops are all in her small clothes closet and the rest of her bedroom is so small that she can't fit anything in it but her bed, a large wardrobe chest, and (sideways) two smaller chests (underwear, etc.)  Ah, for the good old days when she had a bedroom twice this size, a large closet, and a husband/dog to share both of them with with.

Space wasn't the only thing she used to have--she also had friends back then because she kept up with old ones in Austin and new ones in Georgetown, but now, because she lives in a new neighborhood much younger  than she is, your girl is lonely. (God bless her loyal friend who lives in Vermont.💗

As you know, with Daughter driving, Fio visited the local Senior Activity Center last week and was thinking of joining the Wednesday afternoon's painting group, but when she called back (once yesterday, twice today) to find out if the city or center could provide transportation, no one answered the phone. Hmm...maybe one has to appear in person to be noticed.

Whatever, Fiorella is not accustomed to this kind of treatment, and bundled all together, it hurts her soul. 

 

 

Riding Out The Storm

 Fiorella survived last night despite herself and is now trying to hold said self together. Luckily, Son L will be available to drive her to the rest of her physical therapy classes, and maybe--just maybe--if Son is too busy, your girl could snag a Cheriot driver or maybe even an Austin Senior Activity Center driver--if the city has them.

Fiorella and her daughter visited the local Senior Center yesterday, but your girl admits still being leery of it--what kind of people hang out there? Would there be anyone on the premises that she relates to? 

Of course, Fiorella's biggest interest in the Center would be in the art room, specifically, the area labeled "Wednesday Painters." She had a great time with another city-sponsored art group years years ago (and has the nude sketches to prove it) but she'll have to wait till Wednesday to find out what direction the current group is taking. And then, of course, we arrive back at Fio's same old problem--reliable transportation. 

Thinking the Center over, Fio is thinking that they might have higher attendance if they offered such projects as theater, music, and ballroom dancing.

Last comment of the day: your girl knew her computer had to be somewhere in her rooms, but couldn't find it, so, laying her pride side, she asked Son L for help, and, of course, he located it almost immediately. Where, you ask? Don't laugh, but the dang thing had dropped between the foot and the frame of her bed!

 

 

 

Untitled

This is a blank spot, a meaningless message, because your girl is very down today. Is there anyone in her universe who would care if she did not show up today?

Feelings

 WARNING! The Austin American Statesman has taken Fiorella's money but NOT given her the goods despite several attempts at complaints--and it will probably do the same to you.

Fio is not happy. Not only is she angry about her newspaper(s) and her doctor trying to get her to stick a nasty shot in herself, but also about not being able to proceed with the painting of her father-in-law that she's been working on lately. Anyone out there have some spare some acrilic "brown" or "yellow" in your garage?

DANG! Just when Fiorella's physical therapy seems to be showing results, she has to call into the shop and tell them she can't keep her appointment because she doesn't have a ride because Cheriot wasn't able to find a driver for her and Son L's car is in the shop. GRRRRR....

At last, a scrap of hope: Fio decided to work on that portrait of her late father-in-law that she's been biting her teeth over, and-- DRUM ROLL, PLEASE--not only did she find the needed brown and yellow tubes of acrylic on her back shelves, but in one concentrated hour, SHE FINISHED THE WHOLE PAINTING!

Congratulations, you say, then ask your girl what she'll paint next, but here's the rub: there aren't any neighborhood parks and the like for artists to advertise their talents in any more. It's all mass production these days.