Lipograms06

Here I sit, under the most picturesque tree on my property down by the creek, thinking how I love this house. I remember every one of the good times I enjoyed here with my Nonno during the time of my youth. I give him the title of Nonno due to his ethnic group. When my mother's mum died, he lived by himself. I could tell he felt lonely. My mother is the only one of his two children who produced offspring themselves. Due to this, we spent much time together. I would visit him whenever I could. We were very close. He lived here just on the outskirts of Rome. I lived in the city so I didn't get to see him to the extent of which I would've loved to.

I enjoyed such good times with my Nonno. I went to see him whenever I could. I love my Nonno so much. My mum understood this. She never hindered my desire to spend time with him. We used to go down to the creek behind the old shed. We would sit on the edge of the creek discussing the most recent news. We covered countless topics. One time we were reminiscing on things Nonno did when young. He told me of the time he put up this duck pond in the bushes on the side of the creek. In this pond he put two decoy ducks. To his delight some ducks from the neighbouring pond took up residence there, producing six cute fluffy little ducklings. I wondered if it would still be there. Nonno sensed my enquiring mind, suggesting we go see if the pond could be found.

I will never forget the look of surprise in my Nonno's eyes when we pulled down some bushes unveiling the old pond. We found it right where Nonno remembered it to be. Even the decoy ducks were still there! So we spent the rest of the morning fixing up the little pond, restoring it to its former glory. I spent countless hours on the edge of the creek hoping for some ducks to come. To get my mind off the ducks, Nonno invited me into his shed.

I would often hope to be invited into his shed for coffee. No one could ever be in Nonno's shed without his exclusive invite. His shed is his little refuge. This is where he brewed his own unique coffee. The strong liqueur scent of the coffee occurred due to the wine he put into his brew. Nonno brewed his coffee on top of the little primus sitting proudly on the bench when you entered through the door. The scent of the coffee is firmly fixed in my memories of this shed. I will never forget the clutter which seemed to go on forever. These bits of junk were the things my Nonno inherited from his Nonno. He cherished them very much.

He spent much time in his shed when his wife died. We both missed her so much. I wished to comfort him but didn't risk going into the shed. When he did invite me in, however, we would enjoy our time together very much. He showed me lots of nifty things in the shed. I would cherish every second I spent with my Nonno.

I loved my Nonno's dog, Trixie. I helped him to build the best kennel for her. I liked his chickens too. I would spend hours with them in the chicken run. I will never forget my good friend Henny-Penny, the biggest hen of the whole lot. She would follow me everywhere or spend hours sitting on my knee being stroked while we cheerfully 'clucked' together! I still feel the excitement of discovering fresh eggs in the chicken coop.

When I got older, I would invite my school friends to join me during the winter to spend time with my Nonno. He didn't mind one bit! They grew to love him too. This convinced me of him truly being the most wonderful person I will ever know.

I finished school then left home just weeks before turning 21. I found the most interesting job in the city with good income. This helped me to cover the rent with enough money left to buy things like food or clothes. I lived contentedly, still visiting my Nonno whenever I could.

Grief is the only thing I felt when my Nonno died. I still cry upon thinking of how he's gone. I will never forget him or how much he did for me. In his will he left to my mother his country house in Florence. I inherited the house he lived in, just on the outskirts of Rome. I enjoyed such fond memories of his house, the time I spent with my Nonno. I sit here smiling, crying, not sure which emotion is stronger. But whichever it is, it is so strong I could not live with the thoughts of someone else living in this house, the house where my most delightful memories were enjoyed. I must preserve it with the memories I keep.

I hoped to bring my children here to experience the delight of the country environment, the most picturesque region you could ever wish or hope for. Here they could see too their Nonno's love of this home, the love of his country. I took the plunge to sell my house plus quit my job to move into Nonno's home in the country. Not being from the country, I did not know how I could support myself. Since most of the properties out here were owned by self employed people who would run the property themselves, work never seemed to be offered.

Weeks went by, months went by. I then got to the point where if I didn't come into income soon I would be forced to sell my lovely home. I would never wish to sell this house in one million millenniums. I loved being in the country in my Nonno's home more then everything else in the world. I needed to use my resourcefulness. Why not use the property I love to bring in money? I decided to converse with my neighbour to look into the sort of profession which would be welcomed by the community.

Kevin owns the property next door. He uses it for crop growing. Jolene, Kevin's wife, does much work in the community, helping with things like fêtes or shows. She told me to get involved doing work for some of the big businesses in town. They were looking for someone to do their bookkeeping. Getting this job though would involve going to the city once per week to do university courses. I didn't mind. This would help me keep the property I cherish. So I took the job.

One of the lectures we were required to go to turned out to be given by Robert Pierce. I knew Robert from finishing school. We both studied economics during our finishing semester. His presence took me by surprise. I went up to him once the lecture concluded. We decided to meet up on the weekend for coffee. We spoke for hours. I found out Robert lived in the city giving lectures twice weekly. The rest of the time he spent helping out on one of the properties close to my home. He understood how tough it is to live in the country being single. He offered to help me out however he could. I welcomed his help without doubt! Without help it is so strenuous to preserve my property. But my love for this property, together with the house, is so strong, I could never endure seeing it neglected.

In order to get the much needed money to support my property, I decided to do something I knew very well. Knit jumpers. Mum's mother showed me how before she died. I used to knit jumpers for my Nonno since he didn't often go to town to buy clothing. With Robert's help we found wool being produced close by which we even spun ourselves. Robert drew up some designs which were very unique. I would knit when I got home from work until sometimes the very wee hours of the morning.

My neighbour Jolene informed me of the community fete coming up in four weeks' time. She suggested selling my products there. I got right to it, working extremely vigorously to produce more jumpers. I used one of my Nonno's old secret recipes to cook preserves from the fruit growing on my Nonno's trees. He is still well known for producing the sweetest fruit in the whole county.

With Robert's help we set up for the fete. We presented my lovely unique jumpers with the preserves on two big desks. I successfully sold every one of my products. Some people even put in orders for me to knit more jumpers or cook more preserves or even both!

Robert designed very bold flyers which we distributed to the shops in the neighbourhood. Before long, more people were putting in orders for my jumpers. Word soon filtered to the neighbouring towns. The orders were mounting up. Robert never let me down. He helped out whenever he could. The work seemed endless, but I took it in my stride.

Before long orders were coming from shops wishing to buy my products, so I needed more room. With Robert's input I looked elsewhere to set up my business. We went into town where we spotted just the right premises. There on the corner of two busy streets stood this empty shop. I felt unsure to begin with. It would be costly to set up but I knew I could borrow the needed money with the equity I owned. Robert helped me do my sums. We found it would not put too much pressure on me to buy the premises. So I left the office job I did enjoy working for, with my boss telling me if things did not work out I could return. This move now ensured I could devote my time to setting up my shop plus keep on knitting.

Robert inspired me to set up the shop in order to get the people's interest. So I took time off from knitting to get the shop orderly. I put the counter on the right side of the shop which left most of the room to exhibit my products. I coloured the room with lovely feminine pinks. The wooden counter top complemented the shelves which were white, highlighted by the gorgeous timber flooring.

With high hopes for this business we were now working on the jumper designs every night, week in week out without let-up. Before long I could not keep up with the orders, so I employed two very competent girls, who were very skilled knitters, to help out.

While we were so busy with the new business, we could not spend much time doing upkeep of my house. It soon would need to be refurbished inside, plus lots of work needed doing outside. If I could get enough money together, I could employ the builder to come to check out the things which needed to be done on the house. I hoped to get this done by the end of November.

We visited my mother Shirley often, so I suggested to Robert we visit his mother Poppy, for two lovely weeks. When her children moved out of home, Poppy decided to go live in Venice. Robert, however, seemed to develop chronic tiredness before our scheduled trip, which we put down to the long hours we were working. It only seemed sensible now to seize the opportunity during Robert's time off from lecturing to visit his mother sooner. The rest refreshed me, but Robert's tiredness persisted, prompting his mother to suggest visiting the best doctor she knew from her nursing. Poppy knew the right questions to put to the doctor, who decided to run tests on Robert.

We were not expecting the results for some time, so with the little energy Robert could muster, his mum took us out to see the sights of Venice which we recorded on video. Stopping off to lunch in the Bistro owned by his mum's friend, we ended this tremendous outing singing songs by the Three Tenors.

Upon returning home when coming into the house, Poppy noticed the red light on her phone. Her expression told us to expect the worst. When she hung up, she told us the news we did not wish to know. The doctor requested Robert come to see him urgently. It seemed like eternity sitting in the consulting room. When the nurse ushered us into the doctor's room, I could tell Robert's news would not be good.

My suspicions were confirmed when the doctor told him he needed surgery on his lungs to remove two tumours. We were referred to the top expert in Venice, Doctor Bertoli, who relieved our minds of the unknown future. He told us of ones he knew with this illness recovering very quickly if they rested following the surgery.

Robert's concern for my business worried him to the point where he suggested I return home to check on the shop. I told him I would ring the girls to see how they were coping but I would never even think of returning home without him. I could tell this helped him to focus on his surgery knowing I would be there by his side. My mother offered to help by going to live in my house so she could support the girls in the shop until we returned. This took the pressure off me, knowing mum would keep everything running smoothly.

When I telephoned the girls they were quite confident to keep up with the orders plus be of help to the customers who stopped by to browse in the shop. With my mind now settled I sorted out my other priorities in the right order so I could focus on helping Robert keep positive, for I knew with this test upon us, he needed my support like he supported me. My feelings for Robert were so strong, I loved him very much.

The surgery went very well. The weeks went by. Dr Bertoli visited often to see Robert's progress. Poppy's nursing skills would come to the fore nursing her son. Robert's surgery took its toll on him; he found everything tiresome, even getting out of bed. The weeks turned into months. I worried Nonno's house would be beyond fixing if work did not commence soon. Mum's experience with life helped when I needed it the most.

I worried needlessly every time I went home. The girls were running the business like their own. Mum kept up with chores in the house. I met with the builder who set December 1st to commence work. On my return to Robert, this news cheered him up immensely. Poppy spoiled him, loving every minute. How she doted on him so. In time Robert's strength returned.

On the next visit to Dr Bertoli's surgery, he informed Robert he could return home. The follow-up tests showed no more problems. Robert hugged the doctor then turned to hug me. The sense of relief overwhelmed me so much I burst out crying. Poppy quietly kissed us both. We left the doctor's surgery feeling on top of the world with this burden now lifted off our shoulders.

We returned home in time to see the builder commence work on Nonno's house. We did our bit to help restore it to its former glory. The girls were working well; they were keeping up with the orders, which did not put them under stress if unexpected orders were needed. This took the pressure off me to spend time weeding, pruning, putting in roses. This delighted Robert – they were his preferred flower. One evening he took me down by the creek where I used to spend so much time with my Nonno. He got down on his knees, surprising me by proposing, with the most stunningly designed ring I'd ever seen.

Both our mothers were delighted with our news. Our wedding would be held on my most beloved property where I spent much time with my Nonno. We intended to hold the reception down by the creek. How I wished my Nonno could be there.

Robert returned to work. The shop is running smoothly. This gives me more time to spend setting up my house for Robert to move in. We would spend our honeymoon in the tropics.

I sit here by the creek reflecting on the issues put before me recently. I know my Nonno would be proud of the person I've grown to be. Nonno's I influence on my life helped me to endure; my love stood the tests of time.

On the hottest evening in September, I decided to shoot some hoops in the drive, when five of the cutest retriever puppies suddenly climbed over the fence to see me. Being so excited I dropped everything to stroke them one by one, then my excitement fell. I knew my Mum would never let me keep them, so I quickly picked them up then sprinted off to the house.

Once in the house I sped off to my room, struggling not to drop the puppies. I chucked them into my wooden toy box then shoved the box under my bed to hide them from my Mum.

When I went to bed I checked on the puppies. They were extremely noisy. 'They must be hungry', I thought, so I tiptoed into the kitchen, to collect some leftover dinner, but I needed to get them milk to drink. So I found the biggest dish we owned to fill with milk. With the milk I tiptoed to my room to feed the puppies. I opened the door … to my horror … THE MESS!

My bed covers were ripped to shreds, my homework book in tiny mouse-sized pieces. I thought my Mum would be livid. My Mum opened the door with the most horrified look. She yelled on the top of her voice, 'YOU WRECKED YOUR ROOM!'. Sitting on the floor I looked extremely innocent, silence indeed. Suddenly, cries with the sound of woofs broke the silence. We sprinted off to my brother's room. There in bed, sitting up, my brother kept crying. He cried for the longest time ever. Then I noticed, surrounded by torn, chewed toys were the five puppies. I felt guilty.

'How could they be so mischievous with those cute looks?', I wondered. Then without thinking I sobbed, 'I'm in lots of trouble. I knew I shouldn't've brought them in, it's just they're sooooooooo cute.' Then I looked up to see my Mum scowling. She listened to the sobbing, then she got me to tell her everything. She frowned then spoke out the side of her mouth with the deepest sigh, 'I thought I could trust you.' 'But Mum, it is just the tiniest problem', I sighed, plodding off. 'Stop!' cried my brother from under the sheets, 'You might keep them here but out of my ROOM!' 'Yes, he is right, tomorrow you get up, then put up FOUND posters.' 'Fine', I sighed, going to bed.

The next morning I put up the posters, knocking on people's doors in the hope of finding the owner. 'Did you do it?', cried my Mum from the kitchen when I returned, in the voice I knew so well. It got more strict by the second, but then I quickly switched the subject. 'Lunch?' 'Don't know, chicken or fish fingers, both with chips I hope!', cried my brother. 'Yes, chicken with chips!' replied my Mum. 'Well, by the looks of it you did the job well.' 'UH! Oh, right, the posters!' I cried, confused. 'YEH! Look, they're everywhere!' shouted Merlin (my best friend) from the front window, holding one of the posters.

The months went by but no one phoned to tell us they lost the puppies so I phoned up the police but no puppies were found to be lost. 'Weird', I thought, 'I should phone the rescue centre.' So I did but still no puppies were found to be lost, so I sped up to Mum, crying. I knew if I told her the puppies were homeless she would figure it out (keeping the puppies). She would strictly tell me NO but they didn't even possess even the tiniest owner – I couldn't believe it. No home, no one to love but the worst, their size is tiny but only five weeks old is worse.

Trying to keep firm I told her of the puppies without the tiniest home.

I firmly told my brother before lunch, 'Hey, Mike, didn't you know the homeless puppies chewed your room?' 'How do you know they're homeless?', cried Mike. 'Don't you look closely?!' I yelled, holding up the top story of which its title is interesting but funny: DYING PUPPIES THEY'RE TO DYE FOR! (HOMELESS OF COURSE!). 'Sorry!', Mike shouted from the kitchen. 'IDIOT!', I shouted in return.

'Done?', growled Merlin. 'Done with…?' 'Your homework, dope!' he shouted. 'Yeh, right, I'm uh, um up to killing Mr Poopilotti in my story!' 'OK, see you there, remember Movies!', he yelled. 'Right', I replied.

To tell the truth I didn't truly feel like going there. I dislike every movie they suggest, so I didn't go, but fed the puppies, did my homework, took out the rubbish, poured myself some hot milk, then fell onto the couch quite sleepily. Then I got going with listening to some music. (I couldn't be bothered to look beyond the rubber on the end of my pencil.) My eyes were rolling everywhere in my mind.

One night before Yuletide I listened to my Mum shouting with glee but I couldn't listen well (Mike listening to Elvis Presley is too loud non-stop!). I wondered why Mum shouted so cheerfully.

In the morning I found out why. Mike opened his presents first. 'WOW! The sixteen Spooky joke books!' he cried. 'Now, Tim, your present is too expensive so I got you something else', sighed my Mum. 'WOW! Nine Spooky books, ten Cowboy movie posters. But Mum, why is there the biggest box for me?' I cried. 'Open it, go on, go find out!', cheered Mike. I plodded up to the brightly coloured box with holes in, looked over it, sure enough it looked like the twin of the jumper I wore right then only written on it in bold letters I spied TIM not NIKE. I opened it up. To my surprise, inside were five puppies. 'WOW! I never knew I could keep them!', I cried. 'Yippee! Cheers, Mum!'

The End