Five Happinesses

Fio is happy to report that those boxwoods she and Husband planted a year and a half ago are thriving despite the extraordinarily cold winter. So are the ligustrums and the nandenas, but the bayberries seem to be going into decline again. Com'on guys--you can do better than that!
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She's also happy to tell you that her wonderful yard man is back in business again. He came by a week late in his cousin's truck (his is in the shop) and cut more firewood (mas lenya) for Fio and Husband, who were running out.
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Fio's third happiness is that she's actually had a reply to her letter to the editor about the march she wants to put together in conservative-as-all-get-out Georgetown. That makes at least three of us who will be carrying signs on March 24.
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Number four is that Fiorella is finally getting a handle on putting together the taxes for the accountant. Pray for Fio on that one though.
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Last but not least, Fio has started her 5000th revision of Phillipa's story and it's actually moving along. Good, because she's eager to start on her next story.

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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Husband is talking about chopping up some dead tree limbs for firewood. The time is at hand.

Rural Witchery

Fiorella has a witch's garden out front. Every shrub, plant, and flower in it is poisonous, although she did chop out her oleanders today to make room for ligustrums. No evil plans afoot, no murderous beverages brewing--it's just that Fio lives in deer territory, and pansies, caladiums, oleanders, ligustrums, boxwoods, and the like are the only greeneries that Bambi thinks twice about before sucking them down like a vacuum cleaner.

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!