Tuesday September 30th~

Every 'last day' whispers a promise: 

Tomorrow, unleash your potential anew...

 Yesterday I spent most of the morning at the 

grocery store.  Not by choice, but I have to go 

to two different stores in order to get what I need. 

 Here in Branson Walmart carries everything

 you need, but a few of the "better" things I get from

 a store called Country Mart or Price Chopper.  

Usually I enjoy going to the store, what I don't 

enjoy too much is the unpacking and putting things 

away.  I separate everything in meal sized portions, so it

 takes me a bit longer to be done.  Definitely worth it.

I'm still happy about our trip to the Tiger 

Sanctuary.  I can't believe how lucky we are to be

 able to see these beautiful creatures.  Even

 happier that we were able to feed them.

As September comes to an end I am grateful to have

 spent time in Branson, but I am also counting down 

the days until we go back home.  Definitely going 

to miss my birds, Charley and a few new friends

 we made. and the ones we already have here.

Sniff will miss his little friends as well, but he 

adapts so fast that in no time he will find something 

else to keep him entertained.  He will have balcony

 time and that he will enjoy every morning with Arvid.

At the end of the day, remind 

yourself that you did the best you could

 today, and that is good enough...

~Nadiya~

Monday September 29th~

Monday is for people with a mission. 

May your day be filled with blessings like the

 sun that lights the sky. Good morning...

 The air is changing. The mornings are cooler

 and refreshing.  It feels good to open the doors

 and windows and let fresh air in the unit. Also 

it feels good to see Charley around again

 At the same time, as it gets colder our time in

Branson is coming to an end.  Arvid and I will head

 back to Florida as soon as it gets cold, but in the 

meantime we continue to enjoy our time here.

This week Arvid said to me that he is very busy. He 

said that I had to check with him, so that he can check

 his calendar to make sure we are on the same page as he

 likes to say.  No spontaneous planning this week😂

No matter how "busy" Arvid is, there is always 

time to watch the birds with Sniff.  He calls it their 

bonding time.  These two have a lot of bonding time.

As the new week begins, our time is winding down. 

at the same time, we continue to enjoy Branson and all 

it has to offer, but I also look forward to going home.

To all a very happy and productive week ahead.

Good morning! Begin the day
 with a heart full of gratefulness...

~Nadiya~

Sunday September 28th~

The difference between ordinary 

and extraordinary is that little extra...

 It was a beautiful day.  After hours of soccer 

Arvid and I went to a car show in honor of Veterans.  

All proceeds from this show benefit area veterans

 and their families.  A good cause for sure.

There were many many cars to look at.  Arvid of

 course went up to many, and of course was daydreaming 

of owning one.  He has owned a few before, and my

 recommendation to him is not get one again. 

 Whenever we had a classic car he never wanted to 

drive it, was always worried someone would ding it 

up so we ended up keeping it for a while then selling it. 

 It happened too often, so no more classic cars. For now

 he's okay with that until the urge comes again.

Arvid watched a few games.  We had lunch at 

home and afterwards we went to The Landing.  

It was too beautiful a day to not be outdoors.  

We went to another of our favorite places at the Landing. 

 For starters we almost did not find any parking. Everywhere 

was once again packed.  Not sure what is going on, butt he 

weekends are always crammed with people. We sat by the

 bar because all the tables were taken.  Not a bad choice

 after all.  The view was good was even better.

Also everything looks so much better in the glow of 

the evening  sunset. Arvid and I walked around.  Checked 

out a few of the newer places and enjoyed the sunset.

A cooler morning is here.  I went out to feed the 

squirrels and the birds.  Had to put on a jacket. 

 That time is coming.  It's starting to get cold.

To all a very good day.  Another day filled with 

soccer for Arvid.  Sniff has already been prowling 

around and now taking the first of many naps.

The only difference between a good 

day and a bad day is your attitude...

~Nadiya~

Saturday September 27th-~

Animals are such agreeable friends – they

 ask no questions; they pass no criticisms...

 I have been wanting to go to the National 

Tiger Sanctuary like forever and finally I got the 

tickets on Thursday and  yesterday off we 

went.  I love all animals. I love zoos.

  Anywhere there are animals is where I 

would always want to go.  They make 

me happy.  Just like when I visited Branson's 

Promised Land Zoo, I got us the feeding tour 

for this visit. What a very cool experience.

The day started out on the colder side and

 the morning was bathed in fog. In many 

ways it was very pretty.  Just another

 perfect day to be on a walking tour.

The National Tiger Sanctuary is 120 acres in 

size and it is located in Branson, Missouri, 

where it is home to a large variety of big cats, 

including tigers, lions leopards and lingers. Their 

mission is to provide a safe, stress fee, and a

forever home for big cats and other species.

The National Tiger Sanctuary

As mentioned, I chose to do the feeding tour.  Arvid 

said for him it didn't matter which one we did.  We 

were given a bucket with humongous chicken legs. 

It was pretty cool to see these huge creatures 

so close up and to feed them  We were always 

protected by a wire fence so we never actually

 touched them.  We fed them using a pole.

We chose a one hour walking tour compared
 to the longer tram tour.  I figured with the tram

 once would not be able to set out and take

 pictures of them.  That did not suit me.

We saw a very rare tiger known as a liger. 

 A liger is a hybrid resulting from the crossbreeding

 of a male lion and a female tiger.  It's the largest

 known extant feline.  Ligers exist only in captivity 

because their habitats do not overlap in the wild.

  The one in this Sanctuary is one of eight that

 exists today.  So said our tour guide.

Seeing these big cats in captivity broke my heart at

 first, but then I realized that they are all rescues.  Had

 they not been taken in by the Sanctuary, they would most 

likely be dead by now.  They are cared for and, have food 

everyday and loved by many.  Yeah, not as bad after all.

To all a very good day.  A cooler morning

 here, and we're loving the fresh air. 

The greatness of a nation and its moral progress

 can be judged by the way its animals are treated...

~Nadiya~

Yakov ~Friday September 26th~

Everybody laughs the same in every language 

because laughter is a universal connection...

 I decided that Arvid and I should go and see 

Yakov Smirnoff as our chosen comedy show. 

 I showed Arvid a few clips on Instagram and 

he said, "yep looks good. Let's do it," and

 that was exactly what we did yesterday

When I bought the tickets I somehow got four

 instead of two.  As soon as they were purchased I

 received a phone call from the ticket agency 

asking if I were really meant to buy four. 

 I said no, and the lady said to me, "don't worry, 

I will only charge you for two."  I have never 

received a call like this, goes to show how some

 people are more honest than others.  Later she said

 there was some sort of glitch in their system.

Yakov Smirnoff: In Russia we only had two TV 

channels. Channel One was propaganda. Channel

 Two consisted of a KGB officer telling you: 

Turn back at once to Channel One. 

The show was good.  Happy we got the opportunity

 to see it.  When you like something, you find time to 

do it.  Who knows, maybe we can do another "famous"

 Branson attraction before our time is up this summer.

Arvid and I had a good outing yesterday.

  Best part is that we can walk right over.

It's Friday and today Arvid hangs out with the boys.  

Not sure what I will do. but I will do something.

Have you ever noticed that anybody 

driving slower than you is an idiot, and 

anyone going faster than you is a maniac...

~Nadiya~

Thursday September 25th~

May every sunrise hold more promise

 and every sunset hold more peace...

 I can't decide between sunrise or sunsets.  They 

each have their beauty, and I for sure love seeing it.

  Yesterday ended with a beautiful sunset even with the

 rain; and today begins with another beautiful sunrise.

  How lucky I am to be able to see them both.  Looking 

forward to our Florida sunsets soon. Also beautiful.

There's always a sunrise and always a sunset

 and it's up to you to choose to be there for it.

When it comes to basking in the sunshine, no 

one does it better than Sniff.  He always knows 

where to find it.  I call him my Sunshine Boy.

Lately there has been many sightings of our North Fort Myers

 eagles.  They are getting ready for the new season and we could 

not be any happier.  Can't wait to go and visit them soon. 

 We all hope for a better season than last year,  both babies

 died because of the Bird Flu.  Also yesterday morning Charley 

came looking for me.  For food. It was raining, but how could 

I not go and feed her?  David is still not back home, and Charley

 was indoors for too many days, but was finally let out yesterday

 afternoon.  David had told me he was coming home today.

Yesterday without having made any plans we got pretty busy. 

And like I always say, busy is good.  A good day to all.

Life does not come with instructions on how 

to live, but it does come with trees, sunsets,

 smiles and laughter, so enjoy your day...

~Nadiya~

Wednesday September 24th~

The thunder rolls, and the lightning strikes, 

another love grows cold on a sleepless night...

 Yesterday it rained, thundered most of the day; not

 to mention the lighting.  Sniff was only seen randomly.  

When it stopped thundering he would peak out, but then

 the thunder shattered the quietness and off he would go. 

As I looked out the window who did I see running

 out of her home.  None other than Charley.  This tells 

me that David is soon back home.  Charley was indoors

 since Monday September 15th.  I missed her.  I ran 

out in the rain and I gave her some soft foodies.

The birds did not seem to mind the rain.  They kept coming 

and I kept putting food out.  Squirrel was also coming for 

peanuts a few times.  Most days when it's not raining I do try

 to get some better pictures.  I am going to miss them all.

Not much happening today.  Our lunch plans have 

been cancelled, so it will be a quiet day at home.

  On Sunday Arvid and I had a good outing.

 My favorite part was the Berry Sangria.

It was not a good day for Sniff.  It thundered most 

of it so we just saw him for short spurts.  Today does

 not promise to be any better.  More of the same.

Sniff and I are up.  Not even the birds are around as yet.  

The morning is quiet and the rain so far has not begun, 

but it's coming.  To all a good day.  The truth is we need

 the rain badly, but it cold also be nice if it didn't rain 

torrentials all at once.  But life does what life does.

Rainy days and soulful thoughts,

The rain reminds all things to grow...

~Nadiya~