View of El Parque

This is a view from Fiorella's garage out to the driveway, the one she and her friends lined with rocks. Fio is grateful for the privilege of living in such a beautiful environment, tries to take good care of it, and strives to be worthy of it.

WWWWW

When Fio gets to heaven, she's going to reunite with all the people she's lost touch with through the years and catch up with their lives, starting with Jannie Orchid (Janet Orcutt), her first childhood friend.
*
When did "thoughts and prayers" come to mean that not a damn thing is going to be done about gun control?
*
Why are the Arab countries at war with each other THIS time?
*
Welcome to autumn. The sky is clouding over, the leaves are rattling down the driveway, and Fiorella can breathe again.
*
WayMo, an arm of Google, is going to put a self-driving rental car on the road next year, just in time for Fio's next high achool reunion. Hmmm...

Favorite Time of Year

Autumn is here. It was below sixty degrees yesterday evening, and Fio didn't get a single mosquito bite when she hiked up to the mailbox.. She does have a cold though, but she can deal with that.
*
Fio is, at last, back to work on her book. Strangely enough, the heartbreak of last week has strengthened her resolve and sharpened her pen. She will write deep, she will write strong. She will send her messages out to the world.
*
Sonia Dog has had a couple of re-occurrences of her leg problem, but she is now bouncing up the stairs with ease again. Of course, while she was down, Mommy and Daddy had to switch on and off sleeping on the couch with her so she wouldn't yelp all night.
*
Fio and Husband got some important gardening work done just before the temperatures dropped, and twenty-six boxwoods now guard the edge of their front yard.  Next spring, Fio plans to plant nandenas and a third ligustrum. Anything to cover the AC units.
*
Husband is talking about chopping up some dead tree limbs for firewood. The time is at hand.

Tidbits a la Mode

Happy birthday to Sonia dog!  She is five wonderful years old today, and Fio loves her more than ever.
*
Fiorella's prediction of two more Trump biggies before the election has come half-true, but Fio's timing was off.  Instead of it coming before the third debate, it came at the end of it, and el hombre malo provided it by calling Clinton a "nasty woman" like a second-grader saying all girls have cooties. Now let's see if there's another reveal between now and November 7.
*
When Fio opened her front door and picked up the newspaper this morning, she noticed there were a few dead leaves on it and the porch.  Aaah--fall is here at last.

Outside Work

The weather was great--cool and still--so Fio and Husband put on their garden gloves and went outside to work on the yard again.  Specifically, they loaded two big garbage bags with last year's leaves, then dumped them further up the property on a barren area that needs a layer of decay in order to grow grass.  They had also planned to dig into an old mulch pile, but the tractor ran out of gas.

And so did Fio.  The weather had heated up, and the sun was too bright.

The yard work will have to wait till tomorrow.

Catching up with Fiorella

It was a hard summer, but now autumn, Fiorella's favorite season, is on stage.  Sonia Dog doesn't mind evening strolls, green acorns pave the driveway, and the door between the bedroom and the bathroom stays closed without wrapping a sock around the lock.
*
Fio's laptop is back in business.  Husband did something magical with the router and a toggle switch and the machine sprang back into action--for now.
*
When Minnesota Son&Wife arrive in Georgetown this afternoon, the whole tribe will be here to greet them--Austin Son&Wife, Daughter, and of course, Fio&Husband.  Wish us happy!

Bits and Pieces

It's autumn.  The bushes are blooming, the trees are losing their leaves, Fio's suncreen is thickening overnight in its tube, and the door between the bedroom and the bathroom is staying closed again.
*
For years, Fiorella thought the Boston Pops were all fathers--and she was shocked when she finally noticed women in their midst.
*
Fiorella inserts gold hoops in her earlobes every day because one of her Indian friends--Hemalatha Tirumurti?--told her that wearing earrings meant one was human.  And "human" is what Fio strives to pass for.

.

Love the Weather

Two weeks ago, Fiorella was lowering the window blinds every day to keep the sun out.  Now she's raising them every day to invite the sun in.  And each morning when she goes walking with Sonia Dog, she eyes the landscaping in the north planting bed and plots fresh schemes to tame it.  And she's checked with Husband about chainsawing the dead trees for firewood.  And she's planning to remove the wire cages around the wax myrtle bushes.

Yeah, after a long summer isolated inside the air-conditioned house, Fio is ready to tackle the great outdoors again.  

Written on Friday

Our windows and glass doors are all steamed up.  Yeah, it's cooler outside than in.  Autumn is coming on fast.

The rain drummed hard on our metal roof last night so our driveway was running water when Husband went out to get the paper.  Later, when Fio took Sonia Dog for her walk, the precipitation had diminished to a gentle, British variety, but now it's cats and dogs again.

So much for the predictions of a ten-year drought.  Fio thought by now, like the Anasazi when their time came, she'd be packing up her bags and moving to a wetter clime.  Instead, because of the illogical weather patterns of global warming, she can stay put--at least for now.

Change of Season

All of a sudden, autumn is here. Darkness comes sooner and leaves later. The air is cool. The mosquitoes have gone south for the winter.

This is Fio's type of weather. She gets to turn down the air conditioner and open up the door. She can wear slacks and long-sleeved shirts. She can breathe.

Welcome, Autumn. You've been a long time a-comin'.

Upbeat

Fio woke up feeling good. Autumn is here. The leaves are rattling down the driveway, cold is permeating the house, and somehow the indoor light seems more welcoming than before. To top it off, hope is in the air for the family--medically, professionally, financially, and personally.

Wish us well.

Autumn Chainsaws

Summer is over, at last. Temperatures are dropping, shadows are reaching across the road, and the voice of the chainsaw is heard in the land. Time to harvest summer's dead hardwoods to provide next winter's firewood. Time to cut cedar to protect against next summer's wildfires.

When Fiorella and Husband first moved onto their five and one-third wooded acres seven years ago, Fio wanted every tree to remain in place, but the drought has changed her mind.

Husband is sharpening the chainsaws.

Contentment

Acorns splatter the ground, we've hauled out the blanket for the bed, the shadows are long across the driveway, and all the wood rings are full.

Surely this is the very best time of year.

Snippet Olio

Leftovers: Maybe someone told Lady Gaga she needed to put some meat on her bones, but how the heck did she keep the flies away?
*
It's autumn--plaid dresses, dappled light, dreams of not being prepared for a test . . . .
*
The speaker at last night's RWA meeting was a woman Fio recognized from years ago, when they were both involved in civic theater. They embraced, as women do, and had a nice chat about old times. Like herself, Fio noted, Lana was no spring chicken. Hmm, maybe that high school reunion Fio's been regretting signing up for isn't going to be so bad after all.