Wednesday January 19th ~

 Faith is taking the first step even when

 you don't see the whole staircase...

Every morning without fail, Sniff comes into the

 bedroom a little before 6:00AM crying and crying.  

I’m usually awake, but still in bed. Its as if it’s my cue 

to get up.  I wait a minute or so and without fail, 

Arvid would “yell” go to sleep. Stop crying.”  

This is him, Arvid talking to Sniff 😂. Maybe

 Sniff understands because he will be quiet for a few

 seconds, but picks up right back with the crying.  

He’s used to me getting up early.  He wants his

 brushing and he wants it by 6:00AM.  I am an early

 riser so for me it’s not a problem to get up early. 

Mornings with Sniff are the best ways to

 start my day.  Arvid would sleep in for another

 almost 2 hours so all is good.  Sniff is happy and 

would also sleep in again after being brushed.

Yesterdays walk did not go so good. I slipped on the

 icy road and on the third slip I actually fell.  Most of

 the fall was absorbed by my knees, and the palm of my

 hand causing me to most likely also hurt my shoulder.  This 

is what happens if you don’t listen to me said Arvid 🤭

I guess that though there is no snow on the road, 

there is still a thin layer of ice 🤷🏻‍♀️ will be more careful

 next time.  Can’t have my hand, shoulder and 

my knees all injured at the same time 🙈, 

Both Arvid and I are not ones to listen to the other 

complain about how much this or that hurts.  You just

 have to deal with it and move on.  That's one of Arvid's 

famous phrases, "deal with it and let's move on 🤭."  It

 applies to all situations in life as far as he's concerned.

A few little things here that needs taking care of, 

so Arvid and Sniff are busy.  I do help of course, 

but someone has to take the pictures also 🤷🏻‍♀️🙈

Wishing everyone a good day.  Enjoy your life

 and life everyday to the fullest, for we never know

 what tomorrow holds.  I hear the words, but I can't

 say it always works.  Time is what really heals.

If we fail to adapt, we fail to move forward...

~Nadiya~

Tuesday January 18th ~

 Don't let it break you, no matter
 how hard it gets, life goes on...

Yesterday was your typical cold day in Branson. 

Today temperatures will be warmer.  We are looking 

forward to that.  Everyday Arvid says we are going home to 

warmer climate 😂  He definitely does not like the cold.

Yesterday I made a snowman ☃️ with the 

leftover snow from Saturday. Looked pretty 

cool and scared if I may say so 😂 myself.

Arvid stays busy doing what Arvid likes best.

 One of his favorite things to do is calculations. Keeps him 

busy  🤷🏻‍♀️ then his mind is focused on other things.

Sniff does his usual. Sleeps quite a lot and then 

suddenly runs around like as if the devil himself was

 chasing him 😈 It's funny to see, and it's everyday.

Warmer today so hopefully we will get 

out a little.  So boring to be in all the time 😷 

Hope everyone is having a good week so far.

No matter what happens, and how bad it seems today,

life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow...

~Nadiya~

Monday January 17th

Anyone who has lost something they thought 

was theirs forever finally comes to realize

 that nothing really belongs to them... 

Everyone talks about all the things they would do for 

someone they loved if they were given a second chance.  

I know 3 people who just don't talk about it, and they are

 doing it everyday.  Without anyone knowing.  They are Arvid's

 daughter Victoria, her boyfriend Michael, and Arvid's brother.

They do it, they show it, and they never tell anyone about it.  It's 

not something they have posted on any social media platforms.

 I know about it because I am part of the family and like them I

 care, and because of that they shared that experience with me.

The two people with two of the kindest hearts are

 Michael and Victoria.  Arvid's daughter and her boyfriend. 

 Just the other day they visited their grandmother, and

 yes, Michael is as much the grandson as any of the 

other grandchildren.  Michael has a heart of gold.

Arvid's brother is also one very good man.

They visit Molly, Arvid's mom in the hospital.  

Molly never lets go of their hand, and both Victoria and

 Michael took turns holding her hand.  Molly does not 

want them to leave.  Both Victoria and Michael

 stay the nights with her, holding her hand. 

I do not know many who would do this.  Maybe 

for their parent, but for their grandparent?  They did it out

 of love, and it broke their hearts to leave Molly more than 

anything else.  I have no words, all I have is admiration

 for these two.  Michael and Victoria.  They are special.

Molly's life is fading, but the time she has with Victoria 

and Michael is not only making these days "better"

 for her,  but it's making memories that both Victoria and

 Michael will always have, of a time when through 

the grief there was laughter, tears and stories.

How many of us can attest to this?  It's not

 a sacrifice if it's love that's motivating you

A persons actions will tell you

 everything you need to know...

~Nadiya~

Sunday January 16th ~

 There are times when explanations, no matter

 how reasonable, just don’t seem to help...

Yesterday it snowed most of the day.  I was 

pretty excited, and was in and out quite often, to

 Arvid's dismay of course.  He can’t seem to understand 

why I need to go out in the cold 🤷🏻‍♀️.  I told him, it just 

looks so pretty.  He still thought I was crazy.

The above is Arvid "shoveling" snow right now.

For me it’s a treat to see the snow and to experience it,

 because I know we won’t be seeing it again.  We are

 more the warmer climate type.  I may like it

 right now, but I prefer the palm trees 🌴 

Sniff is not sure of what this is all about, but he

 takes it in stride. Running from one part of the place to

 another. He loves to watch out from the windows.

Sunday. Not much planned. Never left home 

yesterday, and not sure if we will be going out today.

  I think we should.  There is a lot going on, and he

 needs to get out a little, but Arvid says that the 

salt on the road is not good for the car 🥶

Arvid is unique and I love him for that even 

when there are times when even I lose my patience 

with him, but Arvid is a good person.  A good man and 

for that I love him.  It’s not easy for him right now 😢

I have been with Arvid for 22 years.  I have seen him

 sad once before.  Brutus’ death devastated him.  He 

won’t talk much about it.  Today I see him sad, and

 it’s because of his mom.  She’s not doing good 😔.

I said to him, “talk to me” all he said was there’s

 not much to talk about right now, but just 

knowing I am by his side is a big help 🖤

 I wish there was more I could do 🖤

Arvid will soon be on his way to Norway.  He needs
 to be there right now.  I know he worries about me, but 

like I said to him, "now all you need to focus on is getting

 there, and being there for everyone."  His mom, daughters, 

and brother need him right now more than I do. If I 

could, I would be there with everyone as well.

Sunday.  How is your day shaping up?  Hopefully 

better than ours right now.  Our home is sad.

Every man has his secret sorrows which

 the world knows not; and often times we 

call a man cold when he is only sad...

~Nadiya~

January 15th ~

 It's better to be in the arena, getting

 stomped by a bull, than to be up in the

 stands or out in the parking lot...

A few drinks at home, just the three of us with the hopes 

that sleep would come easier.  Sometime you just need

 that little extra push to get through the night.

Saturday morning.  It's wet and we are having a light 

snow sprinkle.  I know it won't be much snow, but 

while it lasts I will be enjoying watching it fall.  

Good morning all and may your day be a good one.

  Remember negativity gets you nowhere.  A little

 positivity in your daily life can go a long way.

You shouldn't focus on why you can't do something, 

which is what most people do. You should focus on 

why perhaps you can, and be one of the exceptions...

~Nadiya~

January 14th ~

 It's the circle of life.  And it moves us all. 

Through despair and hope Through faith and 

love' Til we find our place On the path unwinding...

As one life fades another is flourishing.  That's the 

case our family is going through right now.  It's the circle 

of life.  So "easy" to talk about, but unless you are living it, 

you have absolutely no idea of what it involves.

Arvid's mom is 93.  Yes, she has lived a long life, and 

the truth is she has always been so very strong.  One always

 "assumed" she will be there forever.  Life is not so.  

She's not doing well, and no matter how much 

one would like to say that she's had a good life and

 has lived longer than many, well let's just say

 that when reality hits, it's not so easy.

In the above picture she's with Amelia, her great

 granddaughter.  Our granddaughter, who also happens 

to be the youngest member in the family.  The oldest 

and the youngest, and little Amelia is all smiles.

There is a family separated right now by distance

 and COVID.  The world has gotten so much more difficult 

since COVID is in the picture, but at the end of the day,

 COVID or no COVID family comes before everything.

Life is a circle. The end of one

 journey is the beginning of the next...

~Nadiya~

Thursday January 13th ~

 I would rather die of passion than of boredom...

Nothing spectacular to tell.  Sniff continues to seek 

warmth by the vents, even though it has been warmer

 these last few days.  Also, I have not taken down everything 

Christmas as yet.  I think I will keep my Christmas night light

 up permanently.  I happen to like it and that's what matters.

Actually something different did happen.  Arvid "built"

 me a bird feeder.  It didn't take much to convince

 him that it would make me happy, I'm happy.

My sister Rima, Nina and my parents all have feeders

 for the birds and when I told them of all the birds coming by

 our place, of course I was encouraged to buy a bird feeder. 

 My parents also leave food for the hummingbirds together

 with the other birds.  Rima loves her birds so they

 have feeders everywhere as well.

I'm super happy with ours, I just hope the condo 

association does not say we have to remove it,

 since Arvid screwed it into one of the trees.

Yesterday was pretty amazing weather wise.  Expecting

 more of the same today.  Some days it's hard to imagine it's

 winter, then others, oh boy, you can sure freeze to death.

You become what you believe....

~Nadiya~

January 12th ~

 Some days I wish I can go back in life.  Not to

 change anything, but to feel a few things twice. 

 And if I could change something, why not?...

Yesterday I interviewed two potential pet sitters. 

Sniff as usual met them by the door. Sniff is just too

 friendly.  IF he had a “fault” that would be it 🙈.

Both were very nice, but when he met the second girl

 he hissed at her.  Not violently, just a little stay away from

 me hiss she said she had the smell of another cat on her. 

Sniff never hisses. The first time he hissed was at our

 granddaughter Aleah 😢.  It was not a pleasant scene. To this 

day neither Arvid nor I ever figured out what went wrong.

Little Aleah was so scared. We have no clue as to why 

Sniff was this way toward her.  She never did anything to him. 

 All she wanted to do was pet him.  It was strange. He just kept

 hissing and hissing like I have never seen before.

Much warmer day today.  The birds are everywhere.

  We saw "our deer" yesterday and we even saw the orange

 tabby again.  I will name his Rusty.  he just sits on the

 log for hours.  He comes out when the sun is out.

The birds are out in full swing.  Arvid will be 

making me a bird feeder for them.  I'm so happy.

Everyday is different, and some days are better than others,

 but no matter how challenging the day, I get up and live it...

~Nadiya~

Tuesday January 11th ~ Cold Morning in Branson

 I alone cannot change the world, 

but I can cast a stone across the 

water to create many ripples...

Early morning in Branson.  Very cold and frost everywhere.

Where are my palm trees?  My sunshine?  Maybe this is a hint
 as to where we should be?  Stranger things have happened.

What's so very strange is that when I think of home the

 image that comes to me is Puerto Rico.  I know it's the last

 place we have lived, and all that went on there makes it a place

 I will always think of as home.  It is where I grew up after all.

That being said, at the end of the day, Florida is where

 I call home, and it's where one day we will return to.

The above are the pelicans always to be found on the pier at

 Lauderdale by the Sea.  Somedays I am not sure where home is.

Good morning all.  Hopefully you are having a warmer

 day than we are.  Sniff is smart to know that if he stays by

 the vent of the floor the heat will warm him up.

You may be disappointed if you fail,

 but you are doomed if you don't try...

~Nadiya~

New Week. January 10th~

 Never let the fear of striking out 
keep you from playing the game...

Yesterday was much warmer than the days we

 have been having, yet for me it felt as if it as was 

 the coldest of days.  No matter what I did, I could 

not seem to get warm.  I can honestly say, I

 do not have the proper clothes for winter.

All of this being said, I have been looking to buy

 a winter jacket as in a proper one, but since it’s only 

online shopping I am doing, I can’t seem to find any.  

Maybe I should stop reading the reviews.  Wool 

irritates my skin. That I know for a fact.

Arvid and I went around for a little drive at sunset.  

Along the Branson strip.  As always we had to stop

 at my favorite site.  The Branson Ferris Wheel.

  It’s always a pretty sight. Especially at sunset.

New week here. My goal is to secure a Pet sitter

 for Sniff.  Not an easy task because when it comes

 to someone watching him I am extremely

 particular.  He is after all my little boy 💙

Wishing everyone a week filled with positivity

 and all things good. I am missing my PR kitties so

 very much.  My sister and Kimsy.  More so this past

 week for some reason.  Can't stop thinking of them.

 This week will be better. I tell myself that everyday. 

 Words are good, but life is more than words.

When you reach the end of your rope,

 tie a knot in it and hang on...

~Nadiya~

January 9th ~

 In order to find stability in the world 
we must first find it in ourselves...

Unfortunately the snow has just about disappeared.  Just a

 little white dusting was all that was left early yesterday 😭. It is also

much warmer, so the icicles on the rocks is also just about melted.

 Not much happening right now.  Waiting for warmer

 weather to come this way.  I know it will be months, but every

 so often we have a "warm" spell.  Makes it seems as if winter

 is on it's way out.  That is until the next freeze hits 😂

Sniff is happy here in Branson, so is Arvid and I,

 except when it's really cold.  Then Arvid gets a little antsy. 

 The key is he has to be busy, and there is no one like Arvid

 to "make" work and stay busy.  Right now he loves to

 inform me of all things related to climate change.  This

 is keeping him very busy.  Guess for now that's good.

Let's see what his latest is today.  With Arvid everyday

 holds something new/different. You can say that this is good

 (?)  Keeps you on your toes and most of the times keeps

 you guessing what it will be from one day to another.

Good morning everyone.  Me I just want to stay put in 

one place 😂 without having to pack up and leave again.

Stability is everything.  Being it emotional or physical.

You need a solid ground to build anything on...

~Nadiya~