Sunday October 6th~

We all face storms in life. Some are more

 difficult than others, but we all go through trials and 

tribulation. That's why we have the gift of faith...

 Believe it or not another Hurricane is heading

 towards Florida. Yeah, life in the Sunshine State is not 

so sunny right now.  Starting today all the way through 

late Wednesday we wait and we see who gets hit again. 

 The predictions as of now is Tampa area, but the 

rain and the flooding will happen in many areas. Miami, 

Broward, West Palm and of course the Fort Myers area. 

 Hurricane season sure is peaking right now and we

 still have almost 2 months to go.  Sniff is always alert 

these days. He senses weather changes before we even

 notice it. He will suddenly take off and do some hiding.

Yesterday we stayed in.  Mostly because Arvid

 had games all day long and when we were about 

to go walking the weather did a drastic change. 

Today is should start to rain and unfortunately 

this will continue on for a few days.  We do have 

plans to go out, but as of right now it all 

depends on what the weather will do.

People are seeing the impact of climate change 

around them in extraordinary patterns of floods and

 droughts, wildfires, heatwaves and powerful storms...

~Nadiya~

Saturday October 5th~

The Ozark region is known for an abundance of sparkling 

springs, waterfalls, lakes, caves, caverns, and sinks...

 I came across this on my Facebook news feed the other day.

  I knew Branson always had at least 10 million people 

passing through each summer, but I was still surprised 

when I saw that it was even a bit more in 2023. 

 Don't get me wrong, I really like Branson, but most of what 

the visitors come to see, Arvid and I have not really seen.  I think

 we have probably been to just two shows.  When it comes to 

their lakes and the beautiful countryside, it's gorgeous. I do

 not wish to live permanently there, but visiting that's different.

Fall is a great time of they year.  Well I won't

 know about that, because it still feels like summer. 

 That being said, I'd rather be warm than cold.  Also it

 seems we may be having a little cooler weather 

once this new tropical storm passes by.

Yesterday evening we had some rain, so we could not go 

walking downtown.  Saved my knee a bit.  Instead Arvid 

and I went to Iguana Mia. We had to drive, happy knees.

My Margarita was delicious and just that made me happy.  

A good day to all.  We expect some "bad" weather 

starting tomorrow and heading into the new week. 

 After that a cool down is predicted.  Always something

 good to look forward to.  Happy Saturday everyone.

We’re so busy watching out for what’s just ahead of

 us that we don’t take time to enjoy where we are...

~Nadiya~

💞Friday October 4th~

Pink reminds us that vulnerability

 is a strength, not a weakness...

Did someone say food?  Wait for us said the lil duckies.

Friday is here hopefully we will be doing something.  

Our favorite is to head downtown.  Go to one of our Friday 

hangouts have a couple of drinks and then have a slice of pizza. 

 Simple. but something we really enjoy and look forward to.

As for Sniff he continues to be his a slacker.  A beautiful

 one at that as well.  He's what makes me happy.

Arvid and I did a few chore around town before lunch. 

 As we passed Iguana Mia, my new place for Margaritas, 

I reminded him that he has an open invite from me to go

 there and have his favorite draft beers on tap.  He likes 

Modelo and Corona.  They have bot on tap.  Will see when 

I get to take him.  Me I'm ready anytime, any day.🍻

We had a good outing, a good lunch and in between

 a few more errands we managed to spend quite some

 time just "killing time" as he likes to say.

It's anyone's guess as to what happens next in these states.

A good day to all.  Arvid and I are just wondering 

what we should do today.  Hopefully we do not have rain

 since there is a "bad" weather prediction surrounding us.

Pink blooms in adversity,

 reminding us of our own resilience...

~Nadiya~

💞 Thursday October 3~

 Wearing pink doesn't make

 you weak; it makes you fierce...

Amongst the tragedy going on around us, Floridians find a way 

to get through it with some humor.  Nothing wrong with it.  Does 

not mean you do not care, or that you are disrespectful of other 

peoples tragedies.  Just means you find ways to cope. with it.

I find myself laughing even in mist of all that's going on.

  Laughing because I realize that if we don't find something to 

hold on to we might just lose it completely.  The sadness in the 

world is always there, but sometimes it's ok to be happy as well.

I love waking up to some humor.  If we can't 

laugh about ourselves, then we have issues.

Yesterday was another quiet day.  I did do some 

grocery shopping.  A lot because with this strike in place 

who know what happens next.  I made sure Sniff has

 enough food and littler to see him through the next 2

 months if not more, should things go sideways.

The Port Strike

I have had my third knee injection.  I am still waiting for

 that day when I can say all is good again.  In the meantime,

I am seeing a little improvement.  Happy for that.  After 

every injection I treat myself to a simple breakfast of 

cafe con leche and tostadas.  Makes me very happy.

To all a very good day.  It's Thursday, means today I do not cook.

Pink is the color of confidence; wear it proudly...

~Nadiya~

Wednesday October 2nd~💞

You will face different challenges throughout

 your lifetime but don't let them control you...

The week didn't start out too well.  At least not for Arvid.  

He had to do a repair under the sink.  Our disposal was leaking.  

Caused a mess big under the sink.  Of course I cleared the path

 for Arvid to do the job.  Teamwork at its best, and as Arvid

 reminded me, "I didn't even use any cuss words this time."

Sniff kept a close eye on Arvid as he worked.  He even

 gave the job his final inspection and all was good.

Yesterday was  stay at home day, but even so we 

got many things accomplished.  It was a good day.

Looking at all the damage caused by Helene, by people

 losing everything, I just want to cry and scream.  I want

 to do something to help.  I have been very fortunate in 

life and it breaks my heart to see this much despair.  

They say hope is the last thing to die in man.

In a world that often lacks compassion, 

pink stands as a reminder to be kind...

~Nadiya~

New Month~ Hello October 💞

October,  perfect pause between the 

opposing miseries of summer and winter...

With October comes the changing colors of the leaves.

  When we lived in Branson, Missouri I loved seeing the leaves 

change color. We're not in Branson, but I do miss it.

 In Florida, at least here where we live it's not that

 noticeable.  Summer, Fall, Winter all look mostly the same. 

With the new month comes cleanup and recovery for so many

 after Hurricane Helene.  Some places may never be again.  

That is they just disappeared from the face of the earth.

October is also known as Breast Cancer Awareness Month. 

 Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer in 👚

women, with one woman being diagnosed every 10 minutes. 

Friday 22nd October marks Breast Cancer Now's Wear It

 Pink day, a fundraising day to make life-saving breast

 cancer research and life-changing care happen.

I was diagnosed with breast cancer September 20222.

  It's been now a little over 2 years and I am doing good.  All I 

can say is that cancer shows no mercy.  I am one of the lucky ones.  

I am on a five year regime with regular check-ups.  Others are not

 that fortunate. For all the goodness in my life, I am grateful 💞

May October be kind to all of us.  In October our family

 celebrates three birthdays.  Our nephew Riley, our niece 

Lilly Vade and our youngest granddaughter Amelia turns 3.

Halloween is right around the corner.  You can tell 

because all the stores are decked out for Christmas...

~Nadiya~

Monday September 30th~

Let the sun set on the hardships of the

 day and start fresh in the new morning... 

Life in Fort Myers is good.  We have been very 

fortunate to have not had any significant damage from 

Hurricane Helene.  For us it's "business" as usual.  For others 

the recovery/cleanup has just begun, and not only Fort Myers

 but many other states.  North Carolina where our parents

 live was not prepared for this.  I mean who is?

Arvid and I had a very nice outing yesterday.  We 

enjoyed good food and good weather.  After that we 

drove around a bit to see if there was damage around us.  

Again we were happy to see that all was good in our area.

My parents live in North Carolina, they were lucky.

The Western North Carolina. Just Gone

As the new week rolls in, there is "talk" of a new

 storm brewing in the Caribbean Sea, the very same 

area where Helene developed.  Will it or will it not 

become another major storm?  Still to be determined, 

but after Hurricane Helene, it's high alert again.

It's a new day, a new week, and we can only hope that 

what's to come is better than what has been.  I cannot get 

over the sadness in my heart for all that's happening in our

 world right now.  So many people who have lost it all, many

 were still not back on their feet after the last Hurricane.

If you don't think every day is a good day, just

 try missing one. Life is short, and if we enjoy every 

moment of every day, then we will be happy no matter 

what happens or what changes along the way...

~Nadiya~

Sunday September 29th~

Sunsets are daily reminders

 that the world is full of beauty...

Yesterdays sunset, another glorious one and I 

was lucky we were right there again to capture it.

Yesterday Arvid and I checked out a music venue,

 close to us that we have never been to before.  It didn't 

matter that I had mentioned this place to him over a year 

ago.  He said he thought the music would not be "our kind"  

Then he got an invite to the place, googled it and just

 like that it became the right music for us 🎸

It was really good music, the best part was watching 

the interactions among the people.  This place caters 

more to locals so it was packed.  Everyone seemed

 to know each other, and those who didn't sure 

became "friends" before the evening was over.

It is a great venue for music.  There was a little of everything. 

 Reggae, Blues, Rock and Roll, Funk you name it the band 

played it.  Lively and seeing everyone having a great time

 and dancing the night away was just the best part of it.

Though I was right next to Arvid, I was approached 

by two men.  I had no clue they were trying to "pick" me up.  

Arvid told me they were, and we had a good laugh.  Yes, it was

 an interesting evening.  Looking forward to going back.

It's another very nice day here.  Even better because mom

 and dad have power again and we were able to get hold

 of them and talk to them.  If you didn't know, the Western part

 North Carolina was pretty much wiped out due

 to Helene.  Life is definitely unpredictably.

I know that in life there will be sickness, devastation, 

disappointments, heartache - it's a given. What's not a

 given is the way you choose to get through it all...

~Nadiya~

Saturday September 28th~

There is some good in this world, and it’s worth fighting for...

 On this day two years ago as Arvid and I were watching 

Hurricane Ian devastate Fort Myers (right before we lost power), 

my phone rang.  It was my doctor's office in Branson, Missouri. 

 The call was to inform me that my breast biopsy came back

 positive for cancer.  And just like that, I was diagnosed with 

breast cancer on the same day Ian hit Fort Myers. Now just two 

days ago Hurricane Helene devastated another part of Florida.

At first it did not really sink in to me.  I just replayed the 

message over and over in my mind.  I didn't tell it to Arvid right 

away, because we were watching Fort Myers Beach and surrounding 

areas just being wiped out by Hurricane Ian.  My first thought

when I heard the news was, "it will break my mom's heart."

Today I am doing good.  I have a five year "treatment" 

I am following and I do regular check ups very often

Yup, the doctors' offices are now my second home.  When 

breast cancer is detected early, in the localized stage, the 

5-year survival rate is 98%.  The odds are in my favor.

There is nothing special about me and this cancer diagnosis. 

 Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women in the 

United States, except for skin cancers. It accounts for about 

30% of all new female cancers each year.   About one in 

eight women will get breast cancer in their lifetime. 

Take the time to do a few simple things.  It could 

save your life.  I am grateful my cancer was detected

 at an early stage.  Many are not so fortunate.  The key

 here is to #getchecked.  Breast cancer sounds terrible, 

but it does not have to be.  If we all take the time 

to get checked, early detection can save lives.

Keep a Breast

Yesterday Arvid and I decided to go downtown and 

check out what Helene did.  It was business as usual 

everywhere.  We've been lucky, we were spared.  Our 

building had no damage.  No flooding either.  Grateful.

Yesterday I convinced Arvid to go to Capones. 

 He did not have regrets.  I have a feeling this will become 

a new hangout.  At least now we have 2 favorites rather 

than one.  Little by little I will work in more favorites. 

many "favorites" on my own.  With Arvid you

 have to introduce change VERY slowly.

It was a beautiful afternoon/evening.  It was also good

 to see that there was no damage from Hurricane Helene.  

People were having a good time.  Same as the pets.

The day ended with the most beautiful sunset,

 luckily we were right there to capture is😎

Our parent had the after effects of Hurricane Helene in 

North Carolina.  Seems it was pretty bad.  They lost power

 early yesterday, and we, their five daughters have not been able

 to get hold of them.  They have been hit by severe weather.  

Hail, tornadoes, flooding, trees everywhere (google)

Nirvana has called police department, fire department you

 name it we tried, but all power lines were and are still down so we

  have not gotten far.  Roads are in bad conditions (google search). 

 Most likely they are fine, but until we hear their voices we

 are very worried.  I won't use the word panicked as yet.

It's been a really bad day yesterday.  Before the day was over 

Wally Popeye was out for a walk with his mom and dad, Danielle

 and Andrew.  Suddenly he was being mauled/attacked by a Pit Bull 

whose owner just let him run free.  Bottom line Wally was taken 

to emergency vet, Danielle who tried to get the Pit Bull off Wally

 was bitten also, taken to the emergency room.  Not a good day.

Wishing everyone a very good day. I hope

 today is much better than yesterday was 🙏

No matter what sort of difficulties, how painful experience is,

 if we lose our hope, that's our real disaster. The very least 

you can do in your life is figure out what you hope for. And 

the most you can do is live inside that hope. Not admire

 it from a distance but live right in it, under its roof...

~Nadiya~