Rescue

Fiorella woke up early this morning, like 4:30 a.m. early, but, not being one who wants to waste time, she worked on some of her projects, made breakfast, took care of the dog, and, when the time came, read the newspaper. Then she closed her eyes for a restful nap.

And had a nightmare.

She was all alone in a place she didn't recognize, and all of a sudden, although the leash was still in her hand, her dog was gone. Everything was confusing, like she was in a foreign country, and she knew worse was to come. But just when things really got thretaening, she woke up. A second later, her daughter called to check up on her, as daughters do when they feel responsible for their mothers' welfare.

Fio is convinced that Daughter's timely phone call saved her from whatever horror awaited her in her dream.

Thank you, God.

Planning and Preparing

Fiorella is packing for her trip to Ohio. She has a list and is checking it twice, but knows she'll forget something vital. But one thing she won't forget is La Senora Isadora de la Computadora. You'll be receiving daily updates.
*
Minnesota son helped her buy a NEW CELL PHONE for the trip and sent it to her overnight, and of course, as she's already mentioned, Daughter will be accompanying her on the trip. To top it off, Bastrop son will be checking on his father daily while Fio is gone. So proud of all three of them.
*
This will be Fiorella's last trip to Ohio so she'll be taking a lot of pictures. She's especially interested in getting a picture of her daughter sitting on the same glacial rock that Fio has  photo of herself sitting on when she was about seven.

Fiorella, Blow by Blow

Fiorella had a great morning yesterday. She drove from her driveway in the boondocks of Georgetown to busy North Austin without encountering a single red light until she hit Koenig Lane, which was only a brief pause. Then, when she was pulling into Starbucks to meet up with friend Evelyn, another car obliginging backed out of a primo parking spot which Fio quickly claimed.

Inside the store, Fio and Evelyn had an even better time than usual, and a guy who knew Evelyn stopped at their table to talk about the basketball program he runs for disadvantaged kids. Fio was uolifted and her eyes went damp. After the Singapore surrender, she needed to hear from someone who was doing his best to make the world a better place.

Next, Fiorella met with her brother and friend Paula at Dan's Hamburgers, and it was a merry threesome. Turns out that Brother and his wife are thinking of attending the family reunion in Ohio that Fio and Daughter have already committed to.

Fio's ride back to Georgetown was uneventful, thank goodness, because Fio hadn't gotten much sleep the night before and was about to conk out, which is exactly what she did when she got home.

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

The Closet Door

Sunday didn't start out well. The newspaper was missing the comic strip pages, and a call to the Austin American Statesman elicited the information that Fiorella that she lived in a non-redelivery area. Then came Daughter's visit. After dinner, which Daughter generously provoided, everything seemed to go well, but then it didn't, and Fio became very upset. She'd tried so hard to do the right thing, to make everyone happy, and it had blown up in her face. After Daughter left, she sat on the couch and thought everything through, then brooded over similar instances in her past.

But after a while, she went upstairs to finish off the  closet in her office, pulling out item after item that she'd stowed away in the closet when she and husband first moved in fifteen years ago. Her heart grew heavy again as she discovered canvases, craft paper, sketches for paintings never realized, family pictures, a shoe box stuffed with heredity research, and her doll.

Her doll. Victoria.

A golden-haired beauty who had been advertised on the back of a comic book, she was wrapped for storage in the crocheted snowsuit top and and the velvert lined coat Fio's mother had made for Nannette, Fiorella's previous doll. Fiorella remembered how she herself had spent hours designing and sewing a beautiful dress for Nannette to wear for her fourth grade classroom doll contest, which, of course, a Madame Alexander doll won.

All of a sudden Fiorella's childhood dreams swept over her and she grabbed Victoria, cradled her to her bosom and cried and cried and cried.

Narnia is cruel.

Family Relationships

Have you noticed that Trump is never photographed with his youngest? That there are no father-son outings, no tramps around the links together, no companionable visits to the local fast-food hutch? It's like Melania is the only parent. Hmmmm....
*
When Fiorella had children, she expected them all to be little copies of her--with maybe a smidgen  of their father thrown in. But they weren't. Insead they were themselves, and radically different from each other at that.
*
Did Fiorella tell you that on International Women's Day, Daughter posted a beautiful tribute to her on line and gave out Fio's address to the world?  Your faithful correspondent cried, of course, and she's still glowing.

Birthday Girls

 Because Fio's birthday was last week and Daughter's birthday is next week, they combined their celebrations and met at Central Market in Austin. That way, Fio didn't have to drive too far from Georgetown and Son and his family didn't have to drive too far from their home near Bastrop. The party lasted about two hours, so it's safe to say that a good time was had by all, but Fio was especially thrilled that, when she got to hold Baby, Barbara made a grab for Fio's nose, sucked on Fio's finger, and pulled an earring out of Fio's earlobe.

A special treat was that Daughter stayed at the table for a while after Son and family left, and she and Fio had a searching talk. Fio is still glowing with pride about the thoughtful, straight-seeing, compassionate young woman that Daughter has become.

Baby Girl

Fiorella's daughter was God's own miracle, born just nineteen months after her brother. There was a miscarriage scare, but being a redhead, Daughter held on and was born by c-section, two weeks premature at nine pounds, nine ounces. Fio sang "May she be like Ruth and like Esther, May she be deserving of fame" as she was being born, and Daughter has lived up to Fio's blessing. She is strong, kind, resourceful, and beautiful, deserving of not only fame, but all good things.

Family Solidarity

Is it Wednesday already?  Fiorella spent most of Tuesday in the hospital with Husband, who was kept overnight for observation.  The whole family is rallying around, and Daughter will be taking over today, while Fiorella attends two important meetings in Austin. Meanwhile, Sonia Dog guards the hearth.

A Woman Worth Knowing

I know a woman, a good woman, a woman who is a natural leader. Who has been through fire and come out steel. Who is talented and sensitive and kind.  Who is beautiful inside and out. Who has just moved up to a very demanding job, a job requiring the best from her at all times. A woman who is up to the challenge.  

And I am proud to call this woman "Daughter."

Party House

Preparing for Daughter's late birthday party, Fiorella rushed around the house like a mad woman,  trying to make her house look as much as possible like her mother's house.  She failed, of course.  No one could match her mother for housekeeping.  The vacuum cleaner was Mother's weapon of choice, and Better Homes and Garden was her guide while Fio couldn't remember how to work her vacuum and hasn't read a magazine in years

But Daughter seemed happy about her party as it was so all is well in Casa Fiorella.

Count-down

Congratulate Fio.  She's finished her decorating--almost.  The tree is glowing.  All the swags, drapes, and wreaths are up--even the wreath that had to be wired in place because several passes with a Command hook didn't hold. The birds, fruit, vegetables, and butterflies will go up tomorrow, and then the dining room table will be cleaned off.  After a final trip to the post office and HEB, Fiorella will be prepared for Christmas.

What about Christmas dinner, you ask?  Well, Husband and Daughter will take care of the turkey andixin's.  All Fio will have to do is set the table. And be decorative . . . as is her nature.

Dreams of Eternity

Daughter had a dream in which Fio's mother appeared and told her to tell Fiorella she loved her.  She also had a dream in which Fio's father appeared, and he was happy.  Fiorella doesn't know much about the reality of dreams, but it warmed her to hear Daughter's reports.  She always knew her mother loved her, and her father always was a happy kind of person so she hopes they are eternal.

It gives her hope for her own ultimate future, and everyone else's.

Thankfulness

Daughter and Austin Son&Wife, complete with food and fireworks, came over to spend the evening of Fourth of July with us.  It was a classic family scene--Norman Rockwell to the core.  Fio went maudlin.  This is the sort of family get-together she has always dreamed of, but has only recently begun to happen.

God is good.

Antiques

Sorry, my darling daughter, but Fiorella is not about to wrap the Limoges up in tissue paper and store it away in the attic rather than set the table with it for holidays. Sure, some of the gilt wears away with each use.  Sure, some of the pieces will get chipped or broken--some of them already have--but so what?  It's only china.

Fio has a double set of Haviland, inherited from her mother and Husband's grandmother. It's a pretty, springtime pattern of pink roses, more intense in Husband's grandmother's pieces than in the earlier version from Fio's family. Doesn't quite work for Christmas, but ideal for Easter, when Daughter and her husband joined us for a holiday dinner.

While appreciating Daughter's appreciation of antiques, Fiorella has less reverent attitude: if the china/chest of drawers/chair/whatever serves no purpose, it's useless. You will never see Fiorella on Antiques Road Show checking out the value of the breakfront desk that Husband inherited because Fio uses one drawer for correspondence, one for important papers, one for bank records, and one for current bills.  However, on  the glassed-in shelves on top, she'll admit she's arranged photos and well . . .

antique keepsakes.
 



   

Mother-Daughter Relations

It's hard to be a good mom to your daughter because the mother you needed might not be the mother your daughter needs.

Fiorella had a very good mother, but she was a different person than Fio and the fit wasn't as good as it could have been so Fio resolved to be an even better mother to her daughter.  What she didn't realize, when that time came,  was that she was trying to mother her daughter as she thought she should have been mothered, but her daughter was a different person than she was. 

And if Daughter has children, she'll probably have to deal with one like Fiorella.  God help her.

Daughters

Across the restaurant table, daughter and I,
Like chessboard queens, red and black, we sit,
Each guarding her own square, eye to eye,
Alike, the same, completely opposite.
So sat I with my mother, seas apart,
Skimming waves, but never diving deep,
Both navigating by a measured chart,
With each shore military, harbors steep.
I love you, dearest heart, daughter mine,
Love you as my mother, yes, loved me--
As you will love your daughter child in time
And sit across a table, just as we,
And never breach the chessboard or the sea
Or know the other’s singularity.

Christmas Wedding

Fiorella attended Daughter's wedding last night. Yes, the marriage actually took place two weeks ago in Colorado, but the celebration/reception was last night at the Lady Bird Wildflower Center, and it was wonderful. New Son-in-law had planned everything down to the nth degree--and planned well.

The most dramatic moment was when Daughter, escorted by her father, appeared out of the dark, walking slowly down a long hall to join her waiting husband. It was the traditional giving away of the bride, and however old-fashioned, it was the highlight of the evening.

But more was to come. There were friends to greet, people from various aspects of Fio's life, whose presence warmed her heart. There were relatives, ours and Son-in-law's. There were friends of the bride and groom. Fiorella loves a group hug.

And, to top off the evening, there was karaoke. Not that Fiorella sang--the selection of songs didn't include Christmas carols--but Daughter and Younger Son did. And they were GOOD! Fio's heart, which had already swelled to monstrous proportions, overflowed with pride and joy. In fact, she heard that after she and Husband left, Older Son, who is also musically talented, sang too.

Her Christmas stocking is full.

A Good Time Was Had by All

Fio attended Daughter's wedding shower yesterday morning. Friend Paula, who hosted it, provided breakfast tacos, mimosas, cupcakes, and her lovely home. Daughter's friends provided the fun. Twenty-some young, vivacious women dressed in colorful gypsy styles and knee-high boots, they tossed their shiny tresses and laughed and enjoyed. Fio adored them all.

But most of all, she adored Daughter, who handled her celebrity with ease and grace. But then, Daughter always has been a princess.

Felicitations and Congratulations

Daughter is married. It was a different wedding than Fiorella's was. Daughter and Son-in-Law weren't married in a church, or her home town, or even her home state, but in a Colorado ski lodge belonging to a friend of theirs. None of his family or hers were present.

The circumstances were not as Fiorella had imagined for Daughter, but the important thing is that she and her new husband love each other and want to spend the rest of their lives together.

Now for the party.

HAPPY BD, DAUGHTER

Fiorella slept soundly last night. She and Husband took Daughter and her boyfriend out to dinner in pre-celebration of Daughter's birthday today, and all was well. The food was good, the service excellent, and the company made Fio's heart joyful.

God bless Daughter and grant her success in all her endeavors.