Happy Ending After All

Postscript:
Fio's wonderful neighbor, Mike, spotted her overturned wagon across the fenceline, and when he couldn't find her body, he took the wagon home, pumped up the tires, oiled whatever it is that wagons need oiled, shined it till it glittered, then left it in front of Fio's front porch, loaded with rocks, like a birthday present. May God bless him and his wife because Fiorella will never be able to return their many kindnesses in a million years.

 Moral of the story: Mother Nature can be a bitch, but good neighbors are God's precious gift.

Christmas Day

Minnesota Son and wife arrived about six yesterday, Fiorella finished her decorating by about seven, and the rest of the evening was spent cleaning up and planning for today.

The kitchen crew will have its hands full--ham and turkey and salmon, green beans and broccoli and mushrooms, potatoes and dressing, salad, pies and pudding.  Husband, Daughter, and Daughters-in-Law will take care of most of the cooking, with Fio boiling the potatoes and baking the salmon--she already made the pudding last night (smart girl).  

God bless our table and our family. And God bless you and yours.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Travel Snippets

Husband bought a GPS system for the trip to Dallas, mainly, Fio thinks, to see if he could anger the smooth-voiced announcer by disobeying her instructions. It was an interesting experience for Fio, who, as a child, would read the map for her father. This time she was reading the GPS screen for Husband. Once a navigator, always a navigator. Bless Father.
*****
Fiorella and Husband enjoyed looking at the beautiful springtime scenery as they drove, and they couldn't help but discuss how it used to be. When Fio was a child, her family threw all its traveling trash out the car window. So did everyone else, and the roadsides looked like dumps. Then came Lady Bird Johnson and her "beautify America" campaign. Bless Lady Bird.
*****
On the way home, Husband made a detour for Fio to buy flowers, then drove her to the cemetery, then stepped off a distance she could talk to her mother privately. Bless Husband.