Thursday October 23rd~

It's your road, and yours alone. Others may 
walk it with you, but no one can walk it for you...

Arvid and I are once again out and about. Today 

we will be going to North Carolina to mom and 

dad's.  The next couple of days are going to be 

pretty busy.  Hopefully my knee will "behave." 

 Looking forward to seeing mom and dad.

Going to NC will be bittersweet, because I know it

 will be the last time we go to mom and dad's home.  The

 home where we all found our little piece of heaven.

Looking forward to our time here in North Carolina, 

specifically Granite Falls.  Lots of work ahead

 of us, but also lots of memories being made.

A busy few days awaits us.  Just hoping

 all goes well and according to plans.

There's always a bittersweet kind of thing, but I

 feel like everything had to work out the way it is.

 Everything that had to happen, happened...

~Nadiya~

Wednesday October 22nd~

Integrity is doing the right thing 

even when no one is watching...

 Another busy day here.  Yesterday we went  back to 

the house to do some final cleaning and to make it

 move-in ready.  Very excited for what's to come.

So far it has been a hectic week and it's far from over,

 but at least after today I do not have more doctors 

appointments in October.  November they begin

 again, but for now I breathe a bit easier 👏

I did find time for a mani-pedi, and as always 

the hardest decision is always what color to choose.  

Too many choices sometimes not always so great.

To all a very good day.  I've been so busy there 

has hardly been much time to think of my mornings 

in Branson, but every so often I find myself picturing

 Charley roaming around the property, and the birdies.

Repeat after me: What everyone 

else is doing is none of my business...

~Nadiya~

Tuesday October 21st~

It's not enough to be busy; so are the ants. 

The question is, what are we busy about...

 In between doctors appointments I have a 

haircut scheduled and hopefully make time for a 

mani-pedi.  It’s a busy week, therefore I am making 

use of every hour of the day.  More so than usual.

Sniff senses that something is going on.  Too

 much commotion and coming and going from us

 these last few days.  He’s not in “panic” mode, but 

it’s coming 😭Pretty soon he will stop eating.

There is always lots of cleaning to do. Linens 

and more linens.  Never ends, but Sniff is happy. 

 In the middle of everything, Arvid does enjoy

 some time on the balcony.  The marina that was 

destroyed by hurricane Ian is being rebuilt. 

 Something to see so he’s stays “busy”

Morning is already here.  My day is about to 

begin with another doctor's appointment.  After that

 it's back to the house for us.  Some more cleaning. 

 Good morning and a very good day to all.

 

Life teaches us to make good use of time,

 while time teaches us the value of life...

~Nadiya~

Monday October 20th~

Two things define you: your patience 

when you have nothing and our attitude 

when you have everything...

 A week today since leaving Branson.  We

 have been so busy that I have hardly had much

 time to think about it, but every once in a while 

I think of the birds, Charley and, squirrels.

  On Friday we thought of Roger and Arvid 

asked me to take a video and send to him so he 

could see  downtown Fort Myers during Music Walk.  

Hopefully Roger will be visiting in November, 

we're sure he would like the downtown area.

It's been busy since we got back and this 

week is not looking any less busy.  More doctors

 appointments on the way.  Today I have two.

As the week begins I am grateful for the 

blessings in my life.  A lot of changes coming,

 and we look forward to seeing how it unfolds.  Sniff 

as always calm as a cucumber.  That sunset from 

Islamorada was not taken by me, but I love it.

Yesterday Arvid and I enjoyed a very nice

 outing.  For us it is just a five minute walk. 

To all a very good week ahead.  We all know 

that not everyday is good, but we also know

 that there is something good in everyday.

Our attitude toward life determines 

life's attitude towards us...

~Nadiya~

Sunday October 19th~

It's the little things that count, so count the little things...

 Yesterday Arvid and I decided to go back downtown. 

 We had such a good time the evening before, and the weather

 being so very nice, it was impossible to not get out.

We walked around a bit, even with a bad knee

 I do it.  Lots of Tylenol helps.  It was good to see 

what has been taking place while we were gone.

Of course we ended up at Hideaway. The location is just 

right to see everything that goes on, and not to forget that

 they carry Landshark (beer) draft.  A favorite of Arvid's. 

Sniff and I are awake early as usual.  He ate and 

then went to his heating bed.  Arvid is sound asleep.

  He's not a morning person.  We are, but then he 

is more of a night person whereas I am not. 

Half the joy of life is in 

little things taken on the run...

~Nadiya~

Saturday October 18th~

If opportunity doesn't knock, build a door...

 Yesterday was Music Walk.  Downtown 

Fort Myers was alive with the sound of music.

It sure feels good to be back home.  We have 

missed it.  Not to disappoint, Jesus was there as

 usual.  He cracks me up. A miracle that "Jesus" has

 not been knocked down/beat up by bystanders.

Our first stop of course was Hideaway Bar and Grill. 

 It sure felt good to be back.  We also saw many familiar 

faces.  Temperature wise it was a perfect evening.

The music was very good.  A lot of good artists were 

there last night.  There was a blues band that came

 all the way from Portugal.  Very good music.

It was a very interesting evening as far as people 

watching goes.  So much to see, but my favorite for the 

night was the lady dressed as the flag of the USA.

No matter where you go, ones used to seeing people

 with their pets/doggies, but this was the first time I saw 

someone bring a towel so that their doggie did not have 

to sit on the pavement; and it was a cool evening so the

 pavement was not hot.  Totally pampered cutie doggie.

Downtown was packed, bursting with life.  We loved it. 

 Also two new restaurants opened up while we were gone.  

Looking forward to trying out their food one of these days.

The night would not have been complete without a 

slice of our favorite pizza.  Downtown House of Pizza 

(DHOP), it sure was good.  We sure missed it.

Soccer was on a break for a couple of weeks,

 but back in full force as of today.  Arvid definitely 

is happy about this. A good day to all.

Happiness is not something ready made. 

It comes from your own actions...

~Nadiya~

Friday October 17th~

The happiness of your life depends

 upon the quality of your thoughts...

 Back to the drill here at home in 

Florida. Doctors appointments all week

 long and continues into next week. 

Yesterday started with an Xray of my

 knee followed d by a visit to my Orthopedic

 surgeon. As the doctor said, “not good.” 

 Instead of getting better my knee has

 gotten worse.  I have been in terrible pain

 the last 2 months.  More than ever. 

 Seems like I lost all the cushioning between

 the knee joints (not a usual thing) and now when 

I walk it’s bone grinding against bone.  It really hurts. 

 I started out at 7am from home and was not done 

until 12 noon.  Patience is not a virtue of mine.

That being said I got home and Arvid and I still

 walked downtown.  We went to Ichiban for lunch.

  Yes, it hurt but I have to do a little something.  

Our girl was happy to see us. Gave 

us big hugs and we caught up with what

 happened during the summer.  Her summer

 and our summer. Was a very nice time.

As always the meal was delicious. Arvid

 just can’t resist having his Kirin Ichiban beer. 

For me water with lemon. It was hot but not a 

sweltering heat and the humidity was low.

The fate of my knee is undecided as of 

right now. I need another MRI next week 

to figure out the extent of the damage. 

Otherwise all is good. Today I go to 

the Latin store to pick up some products

 I need for cooking, hopefully guavas, 

red snapper, Arvid's favorite, plantain 

chips, and some other goodies.  

Sniff is doing great here at home. It’s as if

 he was never gone. Back to his spots without

 hesitation.  Friday, back in Branson it was

the boys night out, but tonight Arvid

 and I will be heading downtown.

To all a very good day and may 

the weekend ahead be a great one.

Do and act on what you believe

 to be right, and you'll wake up the next 

morning feeling good about yourself...

~Nadiya~

Thursday October 16th~

 Life doesn't get easier or more forgiving, 
we get stronger and more resilient...

Yesterday we went to the house.  Of course we 

also had to freshen it up and make it ready to be lived in. 

When you're gone for months there is lots of "touch up" 

cleaning than needs to be done.  We spent a few hours 

at the house, but left satisfied with the outcome.

The drive to the house is always very pleasant.

Arvid and I must be very weird because as soon as

 we are back in Florida, specifically in our condo, we 

are cold.  It's not as if we keep the temperature very 

low.  During the day the AC is set at 76F (24.4C) and 

at nights it's set at 74F (23.3C), even so we are cold.

In Branson we were warm even though we had 

the same temperature settings.  There we didn't use

 a blanket at nights, here in Florida we do.  

In Branson Arvid went around in short sleeves,

 here in long sleeves.  I always wore tank tops at

 home in Branson, but in Florida I find myself 

wearing a light sweaters at home.  I'm cold.

Sniff of course is back to being on his 

heating bed, but in all fairness Sniff loves 

warm linens/bed no matter where he is.

When we got home, I did an early morning trip to 

our Publix (grocery store) while Arvid slept.  It's less

 than a five minute walk from us.  Even their parking 

lot is lined with Palm Trees.  I love it.  It's Florida.

We have a busy day today.  Each of us having 

a few things to take care of.  Wishing everyone a 

good day.  Is it strange that I am missing Branson? 

 The birds, squirrels and of course Charley?

The past is a lesson, not a life sentence...

~Nadiya~

October 15th~ Back Home in Florida

Florida, some call it a vacation… I call it home...

 We are once again back home in Florida.  Happy 

as can be. I like Branson, but home is Florida.

I have missed our downtown, and I have missed our palm trees.

Sniff is back to being on his favorite spots.  

In Branson he also has many.  I know he will be

 missing the birds and squirrels.  So will I.  I also will

 miss Charley the grey kitty, and Oliver, but they 

both have good homes so that makes it good.

A good day to all.  Lots of cleaning to do,

 even though we leave everything clean, it needs

 a little freshening up.  Yesterday was exhausting for 

both of us.  Arvid and I always want to do just about

 everything in one day, more like in a few hours😭

Palm trees, ocean breeze, salty air, sun-kissed

 hair, endless summer—that's Florida...

~Nadiya~