Monday, Start of a New Week ~

 Our attitude toward life determines

 life's attitude towards us...

Last day of the month, and it is looking good. 

 Warming up nicely and expecting lots of sunshine the 

next few days.  This being Branson, I hope it does not do a

 switcheroo and before you know it we are back to freezing. 

 For now a very beautiful and warm week awaits us.

All is good with us.  I will say there are days when we

 just reminisce of Puerto Rico.  I miss the food, the drinks, 

the scenery, my sister.  I miss the kitties so much.

To all a happy day and make the most of this last day in February.

Happiness is an attitude of mind, 

born of the simple determination to be 

happy under all outward circumstances...

~Nadiya~

Sunday February 27th ~

 Home is the starting place of love, hope 

and dreams.” “The magic thing about home

 is that it feels good to leave, and it feels even

 better to come back.” Home is where 

love resides, memories are created...

Sunday was a little like Saturday, at least as far as 

soccer games go.  Arvid of course says it's so much better 

watching the games at home.  No matter what, no matter 

where, and no matter who, I will also agree, home is 

the best place to be.  Always good to see family, and 

friends, but it's always better when you're home.

 Yesterday it was challenging to fill the bird feeders. 

Everywhere is slick and icy.  Though I managed to

 fill them I also managed to slip and fall a couple of 🐦

 times. One of the neighbors saw we going out and 

said she would keep an eye on me just in case I fell.

 When I did fall she just happened to be looking the other

 way.  That was good. To get to the bottom of the yard,

 I usually sit and slide down the snow/ice.  I’m just happy

 I have not be poked with anything sharp on my butt 😀.

Arvid and I had a little outing yesterday evening.

  Back to “normal” again. We had a few deliciousness 

to sample.  We were happy as can be.  

Sniff is as relaxed as always. Just happy everyone

 is around and that he’s getting even more attention 😍

Happy day to all. The sun has started to melt the 

snow, this means I will be able to go walking 

again without fear of falling. Life is good 😀

Happiness is an attitude of mind,

 born of the simple determination to be

 happy under all outward circumstances...

Nadiya~

One Of Those Days, Saturday February 26th ~

 It has been said, 'time heals all wounds.' 

I do not agree. The wounds remain. In time, the mind, 

protecting its sanity, covers them with scar tissue

 and the pain lessens. But it is never gone...

Saturday and the day is looking very good already.  

My so called days of leisure are over 😂, and that's OK as well.

Arvid and I were talking, and one of the things we talked

 about was Puerto Rico.  The sunshine, the water, and of course 

all the good times we had there.  I talked about my PR kitties 

and the fact that I get little updates every so often on 5 of them, 

but never did I ever get an update on Rocco nor Senior 😢  

Senior, I understand.  He's hidden, but not knowing 

about Rocco, Rascal and Mama really breaks my heart.

  Mama and Rascal were seen, but no one has ever spotted 

Rocco.  I find it unusual, sad, and very distressing.

Sometimes losing a pet is more painful 
than losing a human because in the case of
 the pet, you were not pretending to love it.

Long after the mind forgets the details,

 the mind remembers the feelings...

~Nadiya~

Friday February 25th ~

 If you're always trying to be normal you 

will never know how amazing you can be...

I finally caught the squirrel in the act.  In more ways 

than one, but now I know for sure it's the two of them eating 

up all the bird food.  I knew it before, but now I saw them. 

 Arvid this time was a little more lenient towards them that

 I wanted to be.  He said, "they also have to eat."  True.

Another cold and icy day awaits us her, but hopefully by

 tomorrow we will be seeing a little warm up.  That is until

 the next winter front hits us, but for now, the warm weather 

will be really appreciated. We have been so used to living

 in warm climate that all we can focus on is how cold it is.

Arvid is happy to be back homme eating "good food"

 as he keeps saying.  I guess that he did not have much 

of that in Norway, especially since he does not cook 🍕.  

Eating out is OK, but for a prolonged period it's awful.

Arvid is still a little jet lagged, but every day catching 

up a little more.  He  tired a little easier/faster these days, 

but under everything that he's been through, only natural. 

 As he says, "soon he will be in ship shape again."

To all a happy start of the weekend. The sun is peeking out 

so that is always a good sign for better things coming.

You may not control all the events that happen to you,

 but you can decide not to be reduced by them...

~Nadiya~

 

February 24th ~

 When it comes to life the critical

 thing is whether you take things for 

granted or take them with gratitude...

Hail, rain, snow.  That’s what we have right now.

 Now I’m a little tired of this winter.  According to

 everyone, one of the worst winters in years. 

 So far, there has been a lot of freezing days accompanied

 by lots of snow, and it seems it’s far from over 🥶.  My birds 

still seem to be coming around, but probably the winter

 condition (snow, rain, ice) will freeze their food 🤐

 and they probably won’t be around for a little. 

Sniff’s running around Arvid.  Must have

 missed him also very much 😊  We both did.

Arvid brought back quite a few momentos from 

Norway, one of those was a collage of Brutus

 we gave to his mom many years ago.  Said it 

was one of the first things he packed away.  

Arvid also brought me back some jewelry belonging 

to his mother.  I was very touched.  It’s a pretty set,

 and I will definitely be using it.  It warmed my heart.

Whenever Arvid comes back from Norway you 

would think he’s coming back from some 🌍 obscure

 part of the world judging by the way he carries on

He comes back and right away starts looking into 

all sorts of venues with things for us to do.  One would

 seriously 🙈begin to think that suddenly he is once

 again alive after being “not alive” for a long time 

 Seeing him in high gear makes me smile, and in

 a way I’m grateful to Norway for waking him up to

 life as usual 😊. He is on a high kick of all the things

 we have to do.  Not complaining at all.  Loving it.

It’s good to have him back home with us. It’s where 

he belongs, and he has not stopped saying it and 

smiling at how happy he is to be home 😍.

 To all a very good day.  Hopefully spring is 
soon here.  Winter has gone on long enough.

Dark and grey day here, but still much better 

than what's going on in the rest of the world.  Let's

 just hope we are not looking at World War III.

Do not spoil what you have by desiring 

what you have not; remember that what 

you now have was once among the

 things you only hoped for...

~Nadiya~

Wednesday February 23rd ~

 Everybody knows that once you've
 passed it, you can't go back...

This month flew by so very fast, and I don't think I

 got to do everything I was wanted to do.  How is that 

even possible?  As they say, "time waits for no one."

Maybe the birds in their own way "rescued" me. 

 Giving me another purpose, just like my PR kitties did. 

 I will never be able to forget them, nor wonder how they are. 

 I love them and there is nothing that will ever change that.  

I spend many hours enjoying the birds.  I see them 

from all the windows and it gives me immense pleasure 

getting bird feeders and food for them.  Yesterday I got them 

a new feeder, the meshy one.  Hopefully this one will be 

squirrel resistant.  That's what it said when I bought it.

 The temperatures started dipping yesterday.  Once again it is freezing cold. 

To all a very good day.  Hopefully spring will be here soon, 

but this being Missouri not so sure when it will happen 😂.

He is a wise man who does not 

grieve for the things which he has not, 

but rejoices for those which he has...

~Nadiya~

Tuesday February 22nd ~

Too often we underestimate the power

 of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening

 ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest

 act of caring, all of which have the 

potential to turn a life around...

Sniff embodies wisdom.  Hardly talks unless it's absolutely

  necessary, and he always appears to be listening to you, 

even when his eyes are closed.  How can you top that?

We've been having beautiful weather these last few days, 

and now it seems as if tomorrow we may have snow ⛄

 and a few freezing days ahead.  This is Branson after all.  

The weather is TOTALLY UNPREDICTABLE 🥶 .

Today as Arvid likes to say, the longest month of his

 life will soon be over.  He's homeward bound, and could

 not be any happier.  Sniff and I can't wait to see him 😍.

I remind myself every morning: Nothing I 

say this day will teach me anything. So if I'm

 going to learn, I must do it by listening...

~Nadiya~

Monday February 21 ~

 Life is an adventure, we get out of it what 

we put into it.  Let purpose consume you...

No better way to start the week.  Sniff by my side 

and the aroma of freshly brewed cafe.  I can already

 feel it's going to be another good week for us.

It's also going to be a beautiful warm sunny day again.  

When you live in a warm climate, like Puerto Rico or

 Florida one hardly mentions the weather much.  At least I 

don't, and that's because its always warm and sunny.  

When you live in colder climates, like Branson for

 instance, then every warm day is worth mentioning.  Now 

I understand why people always talk about the weather. 

 I can't believe I am now one of "those" people 😂

What's happening in your part of the world? 

 Spring is in the air, flowers will soon start to bloom.

  It's a happy time for all.  Happy new week to all.

By the way, do not bother seeing the movie Marry Me,

 even if it's "free" not worth it.  My opinion, although my 

"date" was captivated by it 🤷🏻‍♀️.  Still pondering why.

Strive for progress, not perfection...

~Nadiya~

Sunday February 20th ~

Work is the greatest thing in the world. So we 

should always save some of it for tomorrow... 

Once again the rocks in front of our home have formed

 little icicles. I see it while I'm at my desk in Sniff's room.  

It tempts me always to go out, touch it and of course

 I usually end up taking quite a few pictures.

  Just seems like the thing to do.  The being our only

 winter here, I sure have to make the most of it.  Some days

 are just so beautiful, even when it's bone chilling.

Once again that specific bird feeder is empty.  I'm

 running out of where to position it.  I have tried several

 branches, on the same tree.  Time to switch trees. Once

 again, the birds are stocked up for another day 🐦

 Arvid said to me, "when I get back we will figure 

out who is eating the bird food."  I know it's the 

squirrels, and it has to be at nights, because during 

the day, and evening the feeder is still full.

Today I have a "date" with the neighbor to see

 Marry Me.  Not a fan of Jennifer Lopez, but the 

company is good and how bad can it be, and there

 will be popcorn, apple pie, and ice-cream🍨.

Today is a better day.  I slept better and it is already 

much warmer than it has been the last few days. I will 

try to practice what Buddha preached, which is

 "a disciplined mind brings happiness."  

Should you find a wise critic to point out your faults, 

follow him as you would a guide to hidden treasure. 

 To all a good day.  Make it an amazing one 🍓.

Your mind will answer most questions if 

you learn to relax and wait for the answer...

~Nadiya~

Saturday February 19th ~

 Storms don't last forever...

Arvid to me, “I can finally see the end of the tunnel.” 

 Of course he made me laugh. Just by the way he said it. 

 But yes. Soon it’s done 😊 We’ve missed him 🤷🏻‍♀️

I had a quiet day  just a little running around,

 but most of the day was spent quietly at home. 

 Even so, the day went by a little too fast.

I wake up way too early.  But the last few days

 even earlier than usual  maybe that’s one of

 the reasons I dozed off during Spider Man. 

 Hopefully today I will stay awake for the 

entire movie.  Today I plan on seeing Uncharted. 

 What really caught my attention was the beautiful

 blue waters 💙.  Reason enough to see the movie. 

 Then there is Mark Wahlberg.  Enough said.

Yesterday was a cold day, but sun made it feel

 much warmer than it was.  I filled up the bird

 feeders and that was tricky  I slipped on

 the ice going down the slope 🤫

As tired as I felt, I just can’t nap during the 

day I really tried I even watched lots of television,

 a sure thing to put me to sleep, but no luck.

Bad days are the worst. From the moment

😪 that first thing goes wrong, it seems like 

everything else just goes downhill with it.

Busy day today so have to get an early start. 

 Another busy day tomorrow.  Where did the

 days go by??? 😩 February soon done.

For some reason yesterday evening was rough.

  Just out of the blues my mind wandered to my 

kitties in PR.  I try to not look at the hundreds of

 videos of them in my phone, but I couldn't help it.  

To all a good day and a happy start of the weekend.  

For many it's a three day weekend.  Enjoy.

Sometimes, bad days are there to remind us 

that we have good ones to look forward to...

~Nadiya~

Friday February 18th ~

 They say a person needs just three things 

to be truly happy in this world: Someone to love,

 something to do, and something to hope for...

Yesterday we woke up to rain, but still fairly warm temperatures.
  By nightfall the temperature dropped a good 20 degrees.  
Welcome to life in Branson.  Right now it's freezing.

I was not sure the birds would come out, but when 

the rain stopped and it was just a little drizzle going on

 the birds were out in full swing.  I saw Fatboy serval times 

and so many more.  Sniff and I were as always entertained.

Talking to Arvid is always my humor for the day. 

 First thing in the morning and last thing in the afternoon

 (night for him)  Now it's all about getting home and getting

 home.  But listening to the way Arvid tells it, one can't

 help but laugh.  My mom thinks he's hilarious.

It rained and rained, but in between there were

 moments of just wetness and snow flurries.  During

 one of these in between moments was when I snuck out to

 the movies.  I finally made it to see Spider Man.  Was 

a long movie, sad to say I slept through a lot of it.

I made me some hot chocolate.  It was good, 

but it somehow tastes better when Arvid is here.  He

 makes it, and he sure makes a big performance out of

 it.  I missed that performance part of it, and him saying,

 "isn't it nice how we cook together."  Yeah.  he's funny.

Today, not sure what I will do.  That darn feeder is 

empty again.  First thing will be to fill it up.  It will not 

be warming up too much today, so no plans as of yet, 

but the day just began so will see how it goes.  

Happy day to all.  Stay nice and warm.

Happiness is being weird every now and then...

~Nadiya~