BUILD-UP TO CHRISTMAS!

 Fiorella helped with trimming the Christmas tree this evening, which warmed her heart since she recognized most of the ornaments as being from her own collection and her mother's. Now, just hoping that Son and his wife will maintain and pass on the bags of ornaments like Mom and then your girl did--and that they will be as meaningful to family through the years as they have been for us.

Also hoping some of the ornaments will be shared with Daughter A's and her young family's Christmas.

Your girl has pulled out the Christmas songs she composed way-back-when and will try to engage someone or other to use them caroling. We'll see....or rather, hear. 💖

Tomorrow morning, Fio will take advantage of Cheriot, a free local "taxi" for older people, but because she herself has the money to pay the tab, Fiorella writes out a check when she gets back home, tucks it in a an envelope, skips up the cul-de-sac, and tucks the "overload"into the mailbox. (Every little bit helps the next person.)

Speaking of Christmas, Fiorella is wondering if we're going to have any snow this year. Also if there will be any caroling. Needless to say, your girl used to participate in it and would love to do it again.

 

 

 

 

BE JOYFUL! CHRIST IS BORN!

 Hello, hello! Your girl is falling behind with her Christmas preparations, although most of them will be cash. That's how it goes when you are the oldest in the family. Not that Fio is doesn't have other things to deal with too.

By the way, where did Fio's roll of Kleenex go? And those stacks of toilet paper that were in the washing closet? Surely, Santa isn't going to deliver gifts that are second hand.

Ring-a-ding! Fiorella has contributed her own displays to the front of the foyer: four of her own Christmas cards, complete with your girl's poems. 

And here is one of them:

                        Christmas Fire

The firewood salvaged from our fallen trees

We've dried and heaped upon the fireplace grate

To counteract the deep midwinter freeze

Which lowering temperatures now prognosticate.

Steel strikes flink, the tinder pile is lit,

A quick flame flashes, then is gently fed

Until the fire is burning bright and brisk,

Its finger reaching high, its embers red.

Crackling and raging and roaring with each bite,

The hungry fire consumes the waiting wood,

But after we have gone to bed at night

The flames burn out--untended, unrenewed.

       Yet warmth awakens us upon the morn--

        A Merry Christmas to all! Christ is born!

This, That, Art, Weather, etc.

 Merry Christmas-- Son L's little dogs have started leaving "piles" on the floors and in the bathrooms. Thank goodness that they are too small to leap up onto your girl's bed!

Congratulate Fiorella--her window display is now finished, and it looks great, especially when Fio turns on the lights in the evening  against the dark sky.

Also congratulate your girl for being able to balance on a small wood stool to to go up on her tippy-toes in order to pull up the white shade so the whole design could be seen. And about the design? It's composed of seven paper cut-outs of green Christmas trees--four on the first row, two above them, and four on top of themgold on top. It's stunning at night, even if Fio does say that herself. (And you know she will.)

By the way, the "gold" is four tops of yellow "candles"in a row and one in the middle, then two above it, plus four gold-colored leftovers that end up almost to the top of the window. It's one of the best things your girl has ever done...and probably the cheapest. 

Changing the subject, the wind is swaying the bushes outside so Fiorella better grab her cane and hit the road for her daily walk around the cul-de-sac before the weather gets too cold.

MOVIN' ALONG

 Fio is a-movin' along....she hopes. Not only has she been doing well on her outside Christmas decoration, but she lassoed a driver for her every-two-weeks visit to her medical bloodsuckers. WHEW!

About the inside decoration, they're almost done

Of course, your girl is going to have to get help when she gets to the top of the decoration, but maybe the teenager next door will lend a hand if Son L is not available. Otherwise, Fiorella is restless. She wants to be on the move, to be DOING SOMETHING! TO BE TALKING TO SOMEONE! Maybe, by a miracle, TO ATTRACT SOME FRIENDS!

In fact, Fio is going to hit up her "visiting friend" the next time she drops by and try to get her to teach Fio (1) how to deal with taxis, and (2) how to find friends. (Will report the results later.)

Am also thinking of pulling down some of the orange library-like epistles that your girl has carried with her from home to home. Hmmmmmmmmm................

 

 

 

Same Old, Same Old.......

 Sorry--Fiorella was sick yesterday, a rare thing to happen to her. She's up and about now, though, and working on her outside Christmas display which isn't really "outside," but pasted on an inside window facing the street. Fio will describe it more later on, when she has it finished.

Interesting: when you girl was barely awake this morning, she was contacted by Cheriot, a free ride program  free for older people which she often uses, and told that they couldn't supply her with a driver today. But when Fio was full awake, she realized that she hadn't booked a ride for the day. 

Wonder who's out there somewhere still waiting for his/her ride....and if that means that ride your girl had booked would for next week was floating somewhere out there in the distant universe.

Your girl got an active, a very active letter from a woman she used to teach college with years ago, and   her friend and family have been all over the place. Fio wished her well, but she is jealous. That could have been her if her husband hadn't died on her! 

What Fiorella would like to do is go somewhere that she could make friends and TALK to people!!!

 

 

Christmas Ups and Downs

 Your girl has decided to decorate her window with snowmen this year. Maybe she'll decorate the hallway too, and she's debating whether to add in a few other things, like paper carolers. (Will keep you posted.)

It's settled: Fiorella does not like the new cat, and as far as she can tell, the current cat--the one that  likes Fio--doesn't like the newcomer ether. 

Besides, the intruder has a habit of leaping up onto the dining table while your girl is trying to lay out her breakfast.

As Fio has told you, she's been wearing her mother's heavy mink coat when she takes her usual walk around the neighborhood cul-de-sac. It brings back good memories  of Waco winters and IT'S WARM. 

At the end of the day, your girl went through all sorts of treasures to put together a fake Christmas  tree for her window, then ran outside several times to see if it could be seen from  the inside of the house. It's not the best tree she's done, but she still has almost a month to go. If anyone out there is reading this page, PRAY FOR FIORELLA!

THE SEASON

 Hello, hello, hello--

Your girl has spent a full day fooling around with her Christmas plans....except when she was taking care of her overwhelming pile of adds, mailing out her bills, and making a whirlwind visit to her grocery store to pick up her usual sliced turkey. Fio, feasts on turkey all week long at all years long too!

Fiorella has to make a decoration for her studio room too. How about snowflakes in many colors--this is Texas, remember!!

Of course, Fio would really like to have singing too--for her and everyone else. Hmmm.....maybe, just maybe. In the meantime, your girl will not only brighten things up as much as she can, but also be as merry as she can. 

Blessings upon you and yours....