At LAST!

Our bluebonnets are starting to bloom. I guess that $17 we spent on seeds two years ago was worth it. (By the way, while snapping the picture, I also got my first mystery bug bite of the season.)

All the News That's Fit to Print

Fiorella is determined to post a picture of a nascent bluebonnet patch with the heading "A watched bluebonnet never blooms, or at least it seams that way," a clever little observation she made when she first started trotting off to Verizon to get her newish phone set up. Actually, now, five days and three trip to Verizon later, there are four bluebonnets starting to bloom around the driveway, but Fio doesn't want to lose such a good  line so if you're reading her FB posts too, please don't give her away.
*
La casa has been taking a couple of hits lately.  Some of the electricity is out and the alarm system went wacko.
*
The local newspaper covered Fio's four-person march quite nicely, and Fiorella's planning to photocopy the page and preserve it for posterity. But first she'll probably wag it in the faces of everyone she knows.
*

From NCIS to Jane Perrine

SCREAM! Husband has been watching NCIS all day, and Fio is at the point that she'd gladly wipe out Gibbs herself just to get the TV turned off. What is about about men and TV power figures?
*
Your Fiorella is planning to return to the Verizon store tomorrow for the third day running. It's a matter of getting her "new" cell phone set up. The problem this time is that she apparently needs to update something or other in order to transfer a picture to FB. You can bet the guys will be drawing straws when they see her coming--short straw has to take care of the stupid old lady.
*
Easter is a-comin' and Fio has prepared mini-baskets of chocolate eggs for four neighbors who have been especially helpful to her. She's also given Stephanie and Lisa, her two favorite bankers, little bags of chocolate Easter coins. Now she's preparing for the family celebration, which will feature Baby WALKING!
*
The bluebonnets are gorgeous this year--not ours, but the ones in the neghbors' yards and along the road.
*
In case you're wondering how to say "Happy Easter" en el espanol, it's felices pascuas. Thank Jane Myers Perrine for that infromation. It's nice to have a friend who taught high school Spanish and is willing to share.

Fiorella Rides Again

Fiorella may have had a discouraging time--make that a devastating time--on Tuesday, what with her entire book getting deleted, but on Wednesday, her Austin day, she, friend Paula, Brother, and his wife had a great time laughing and exchanging stories at Dan's Hamburgers. On the way home, Fio bought Easter candy, which is always uplifting, and stopped in at Click Computer Repair, hoping against hope, and Click came through. Travis not only resurrected Phillipa, but taught Fio about something called a recycling bin. Then, high as a kite, Fiorella stopped at Target and was able to buy five boxes of shredded wheat, which hadn't been on the shelves the day before when Husband and a friendly store employee had searched for it. And when she got home, Fio added a cartful of rocks to the driveay murita and took some nice bluebonnet pictures, which she can't show you until Minnesota Son, who's visiting next week, teaches her how to post pics on her blog without messing up.

 So today's a new beginning, and Fio has a light day planned. Primarily, she will work on Phillipa's story, then call the church to find out when she and Austin son should be getting their art in. On the side will be laying down rocks, sorting family photos, paying bills, practicing piano, and, of course, studying Spanish.

By the way, Fio needs more opportunities to practice her Spanish. Does anyone out there know of an instructional DVD or a small local class?

September--or, as we Spanish-language students call it, Septiembre--is the month of planting and possibility,  Fio and Husband are going to be looking for bluebonnet seeds, bayberry bushes, nandinas, and boxwoods this weekend. See ya at the nursery!

Problems, Springtime, Gall

Maybe Fiorella could catch up on everything if new problems didn't keep arising, like the house alarm system informing her last night that the guest room window was not secure. Fio checked, of course, and found nothing amiss, but now she'll have to figure out what's wrong with the alarm system.
*
The grass is bright green, patches of bluebonnets are showing along the highway, and the perfume of mountain laurels is in the air.  Definitely, it's spring.
*
What Fio lacks in brains, she makes up for in guts--or is it gall?

Changes

Looks like it will be a good spring.  Fiorella spotted several promising patches of bluebonnets on the side of I-35 as she drove home from Austin yesterday.
*
Can't help but notice that Harry and Perry are hard at work changing their images.  The Playboy Prince is metamorphosing into a tough, caring, responsible leader of a group of handicapped veterans engaged in an antarctic venture, and Governor Pointy-boots, now wearing Clark Kent glasses and costumed as a high-level executive, is looking like a top contender for the GOP presidential nomination.
*
Speaking of changes, Fiorella was finally able to complete one of those new-fangled crossword puzzles in the Statesman the other day.  The secret is to first review the whole puzzle and fill in the obvious words, then look for the cutesy theme for the day and take it from there.