Christmas Prep

Fiorella finished putting together the Christmas tree yesterday so next will come the lights, which are Husband's domain, then the ornaments, which she hopes Austin Son and his wife will help with again this year.  And maybe she can get Daughter to come over too.  Then, of course, there are all the swags and wreaths and displays that Fio sets up, plus the plastic snowflakes she and Husband hang from limbs of the little tree just outside the front door.  Yeah--Fio knows how to do Christmas up right, but it takes work.

Volunteers welcome.

One More Down, A Million to Go

The tree is down--dismembered, in fact. It took about four hours.  First, Fio had to retag every branch with a color-coded slip of paper because the old tags were fast becoming indecipherable.  Yes, dear reader, the tree is that old.  In fact, it is so old that it wasn't born with lights n it.

Next, Fio had to stack the limbs in boxes and, as it turned out, bags.  Next came the out-to-the-garage-storage-area stage, which Husband, bless him, helped with.  And now comes the sweeping up of the trail of tinsel along the pathway, which Fiorella has yet to tackle.

But the tree is yet another item off Fiorella's post-book list.

Christmas Deja Vu

Yesterday morning the weather forecasters predicted wind gusts, possibly light rain, which meant Fio's hairdo would either be extra-fluffy or she'd look like a drowned rat.
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Fio and Husband carted the trash bags out out to the container in the dark last night. Even in freezing weather, you gotta keep up with things if you don't want to end up as a star of a Hoarders episode.
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Fiorella turned on the Christmas tree lights to end the day.  It seemed appropriate--the ground was covered with patches of ice.  All we needed was a reprise of the rooftop sleigh bells.
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HAPPY FRIDAY MORNING--IT SNOWED LAST NIGHT!  Fio is rushing from window to window for the best view. Ooh--even in her heavy winter robe, she's c-o-l-d.  It's hot chocolate for breakfast! Thank you, Climate Change!

Pre-holiday Snippets

Fiorella has a tree.  Son finished constructing it for her after her hip gave out, and yesterday he and his fiancee decorated it with lights and ornaments.  Last night it was bright and twinkling.  Fiorella's heart is happy.
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When Fio was out shopping yesterday, the traffic was heavy, but polite and accommodating.  True holiday spirit.
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Fio has a problem--she can't get hold of the name and home address of the guy who speeds through her driveway every morning at 5:30 a.m. to deliver the newspaper so how can she give him his Christmas tip?  Set her alarm at 5:00 and lurk about on the front porch in her thick winter robe until his lights cut through the gloom, then hurl herself in front of his car with check and pen in hand?  Put up a trip wire that attaches to a mechanism that lowers an envelope containing a twenty-dollar bill in front of his windshield?   

Disentangled

When it comes to untangling, Fiorella is a genius. It's a skill she's exercised since youth on tangles of cords, delicate necklace chains, embroidery threads and, when she escaped from her backyard prison last week, a thick chain wound around, under, over, and through the fence and gate. All it takes is patience, persistence, and a good eye.

Last weekend, she was left her with a snarl of ten strings of lights when she finally got around to dismantling the Christmas tree. A lesser soul might have thrown them all away and bought new ones next year, but Fio is parsimonious as well as clever so she started disentangling. She won't bore you with her tried and true techniques, but, within two hours, each string was a unit unto itself.

Fio basked in her own glory for a few minutes and pumped her mental muscle in triumph.

Let's see Big Bang's Sheldon Cooper disentangle Christmas lights!