Tuesday February 24th~

Take care of all your memories. 

For you cannot relive them...

 Last night as Arvid and I lay in bed he said 

to me that the night before while I was asleep he 

was awake thinking of Brutus when suddenly

 he felt a whiff of cold air across his face.  

He said he looked at the time on the clock and it was 

11:11pm.  That was Brutus' time.  Every night he came 

to bed with us at 11:11pm.  After he told me that I just 

cried for a long time while Arvid held me.  We both 

miss Brutus.  At the same time Sniff was laying

 between us purring loudly.  Sniff is my saviour.

It's back to some cold days here. Lots of 

posts all over social media about falling iguanas 

again.  Poor iguanas, they don't seem to catch 

a break. Yes, I know they do not belong here.

 Green iguanas are highly invasive in Florida, 

causing significant damage by digging large burrows 

that erode sidewalks, seawalls, and canal banks. They 

destroy residential landscaping, defecate in pools and 

on docks, and can transmit Salmonella. Additionally, they

 harm native ecosystems by eating endangered plants and 

threatening native wildlife like the Miami Blue butterfly.

Today is the wake for my cousin in New York.  

Once again I really wish I was there.  Arvid of

 course is smiling and he's saying, "so happy 

you did not have to leave us all alone."

A very good day to all.  The heat is back on

 and will remain so for the next few days.  By the 

weekend we should be back to warm weather.

Has it ever struck you that life is all memory, 

except for the one present moment that goes 

by you so quick you hardly catch it going...

~Nadiya~

Monday February 23rd~

Waiting for a flight is just

 part of the travel experience...

 The new week was supposed to see me

 going to New York for my cousins funeral. 

That is100% not happening anymore.

Due to bad weather all flights are cancelled

 today, tomorrow.  Yesterday all flights were also

 cancelled. None of my other relatives flying out from 

different airports in Florida will be making it either. 

 Nor anyone flying into New York.  ALL flights 

so far are cancelled due to the blizzard expected.

I am very sad and so disappointed I am not 

going to make the funeral.   I know this will be one 

of the saddest times coming up. All families are 

close, but this family has gone through hell.

When they finally thought that things were

 getting better, she died. She freaking died of

 the damm flu! As mentioned in an earlier post; 

Where is the so called justice in any of this?

I hope your week is a better one.  Life is

 short  don’t forget to say a thank you and to 

count your blessing; as I have said many

 times, the things you/we take for granted 

someone else is really praying for.

Wishing everyone a good week. There are times one

 has to really look for the good in life. This is one of 

those times. One of the very best left this world and my

 question is WHY??  Why is life so unfair at times? Earth

 has one gentle soul less, And Heaven one angel more.

While they may not be present physically, 

they remain in our hearts and memories... 

~Nadiya~

Sunday February 22nd~

Travel is glamorous only in retrospect...

 I woke up to a travellers nightmare.  My flight to 

NYC for my cousins funeral was "rebooked" as it said. 

 Only problem is that it was rebooked days after the funeral

 is over, and of course there is no one who can help.  The so

 called "virtual assistant" only responds to certain questions 

and mine is not one.  Calling customer service says,

 "your hold is approximately three hours"  To say

 that I am beyond stress is putting it mildly.

Yesterday we had lunch/BBQ at mom and dad's. 

 Since we were heading to a concert afterwards

 my dad and Arvid had a few cold ones.

Arvid and I enjoyed an afternoon/evening of

 music with Albert Castiglia.  It was very good.

I am still on hold waiting to hear from someone.

Hope your day is better than mine right now. 

I have now been on hold close to 4 hours.

 Sniff is my stress reliever in this mess.

When all’s said and done, all roads 

lead to the same end. So it’s not so much 

which road you take, as how you take it...

~Nadiya~

Saturday February 21st~

Life is not a matter of holding good

 cards, but of playing a poor hand well...

 When Arvid works he works hard.  When he relaxes 

he also does it in style. Ever since Branson he has taken

 it onto himself to play solitaire when he needs to think 

and clear his mind.  He claims that it truly relaxes him. 

Yeah, e showed me how to play the game as well 

and he also played a few games with Gabsy.

I spoke to my aunt yesterday.  She cried and cried. 

 I cried.  She is my dads eldest sister.  Last year her 

husband died. Now it’s her daughter and the prognosis

 for one of her granddaughters is definitely not good.

  She said to me,”Nad I’m not strong anymore.” 

Just those words broke my world.

To top it all we saw a manatee from the bedroom

 window. All excited Arvid calls me to see it.  What I 

saw was a manatee that looked like it was dying.  Due to 

the cold 25 manatees died on Fort Myers Manatee Park 

this past week.  So seeing this manatee outside our

 bedroom window not moving got me all scared. 

I called (FWC) Florida Wildlife Conservation.  

Arvid took off to talk to the dock master see if he 

could speed up help coming to the manatee.  No help

 came, the manatee left but it was not looking good. 

Coupled with my cousin dying this really upset

 the rest of my day.  It was death all around. 

Arvid and I had a little outing yesterday.  I wanted

 to get out and see people. Musicwalk was going on, 

but we did not stay out that late. We went to our favorite

 Friday hangout and on the way back home stopped to

 feed Legacy.  Though late she was there waiting.

The day is looking good.  Going to mom and dad's 

for a BBQ and depending on how we feel we may also 

go and listen to some music.  One of my/our favorite

 musicians is in town.  To all a very good day.

Life is a rollercoaster of, joys, losses, 

and constant change, requiring resilience to

 navigate its inevitable highs and lows...

~Nadiya~

Friday February 20th ~

No one but you knows exactly what it's like

 to walk in your shoes and experience your loss...

 Yesterday we received devastating news. Another

 family member died. My cousin battled the worst cancer

 for years. For years it was touch and go with her. Chemo 

almost killed her several times. Well the side effects, 

yet she persevered. About six months ago she beat

 the cancer and was on her way to remission.  

She was doing really. Last week she got the flu.  

Led to pneumonia which led to her being on a ventilator.

 Yesterday she died a this woman fought and beat cancer

 so many times, but the flu killed her. Where is the justice 

in this?  Just a little sentence, "Nad our life is a living

 hell. We lost our sister."  What do you say?

Life goes on.  Here at home Arvid stays busy

 watching the men working on rebuilding the boat 

dock that was destroyed by Hurricane Ian. 

Arvid is happy because there is a lot going on in

 the rebuilding of our marina.  We are looking

 forward to seeing the finished dock soon.

Suddenly a weekend getaway is not looking

 so good. I feel like there is something I should do to 

make this better, but what can you say to a family 

whose life has been a nightmare for years?

Our morning began once again with the fog which 

has now already started to clear up. Wishing everyone a 

good day and may your weekend be a happy one.

It's so curious; One can resist tears and

 'behave' very well in the hardest hours of grief. 

But then someone makes you a friendly sign behind

 a window, or one notices that a flower that was in bud 

only yesterday has suddenly blossomed, or a letter

 slips from a drawer... and everything collapses...

~Nadiya~

Thursday February 19th~

Sunsets are proof that no matter what 

happens, every day can end beautifully...

 My goal for the week was to "work" on Arvid

 and convince him that we needed a little weekend 

getaway.  I know where I want to go. It has to 

driving distance from us, and I think I have 

accomplished what I set out to do.  Hopefully

 nothing happens to change Arvid's mind. 

 I want to go where the sunsets take your

 breath away.  To be truthful, most sunsets do 

that for me, but some go the extra mile.

Today Arvid and I need to do a little shopping at the mall.

Nothing outrageous, but we need some new home socks.

 Our current ones are just about worn out.  A trip to the mall 

is always interesting because sometimes when you least

 expect to find something, it is exactly when you do.

Not cooking today. If all goes according to plans 

we will be having Cuban food. We both have something 

we like at the Cuban restaurants.  Me more than Arvid, but 

on the other hand no matter where we go, he sticks to the

 same thing. For him one item he likes is good enough.

To all a very good day.  Another warm day, 

but the darm meteorologist keep insisting that

 the cold is about to return.  Wait and see.

In a world full of chaos, my cat is my serenity...

~Nadiya~

Wednesday February 18th~

I think me being your sister is

 enough of a gift. You're welcome...

 It's a beautiful day for our family.  Today is 

Rima's birthday. She's my baby sister and one of the

 most positive persons I know.  She makes us laugh

 all the time.  Arvid said to me, "it would be okay if

 she visited when Vidar was here because she's so

 easy going."  Unfortunately that will not happen.

Our eagles are thriving.  Last year they had a 

horrible season with both of their babies dying due to 

the bird flu.  Though only one egg survived, it is still 

better than none.  Take for instance Big Bear Eagles. 

 They lost both their unhatched eggs to a raven attack.

Another very beautiful day yesterday.  As I fed 

Legacy I strolled around a bit while Arvid watched 

the game.  Everyone seemed to be thinking the same 

thing, "what a beautiful day to be outdoors."

Sniff and I are up early as always.  

Yes he was waiting for food by his mat.

A new day begins.  Wishing it to be a good one for

 all of us. Remember there is always something 

good in each day.  We just have to look for it; 

sometimes a little harder than other times.

When the sun came up… I couldn’t tell 

where heaven stopped and the Earth began...

~Nadiya~

Tuesday February17th~

They said I changed a lot.  I said a lot changed me...

 Yesterday was a day to just catch up 

on house cleaning grocery shopping and a 

few other many miscellaneous chores. 

 Nothing out of the ordinary. 

Arvid decided to go with me to the grocery 

store.  He dropped me off and went to do an 

errand. As always he’s done in less than ten

minutes.  I had not even started my shopping. 

Made lunch and Arvid watched a soccer

 game in between a lot of phone calls. As always,

 around 4:30 in the afternoon I went to feed lil'

Legacy, she knows what time I will be there.

 Arvid met me there and we then went for a walk. 

 My knee is not doing great, but the warm weather 

made it a little better.  I fed the birds and a squirrel.

  Lately the squirrels have not been around. 

Yesterday Sniff slept most of the day.  He 

had fresh linens on all his beds so he was as 

happy as can be. He loves his nap time.

Spring is not far away, yet at the same time for 

those in the cold weather it seems like it’s taking 

forever.  I really hope for everyone’s sake it warms

 up soon.  We are still having warm weather, but if 

the weathermen are correct that may change again.

Life is a succession of lessons which 

must be lived to be understood...

~Nadiya~

Monday February 16th~

When you have to make a choice and 

don’t make it, that in itself is a choice...

 As the new week begins we are looking

 at much warmer days with lots of sunshine 

and clear blue skies. That being said, yesterday 

was a bit on the stormy side with heavy winds 

and tornado like weather in some areas.

On the way to mom and dads yesterday every

 single street downtown was blocked.  What would

 normally take me a half hour took an hour to get

 to them. Police presence was everywhere. I later

 found out that they were dealing with an active 

death investigation. I tried to go feed Legacy 

but I was blocked from even walking to her.

When I was finally able to go to Legacy, I 

organized all her food in a box because the heavy 

wind had scattered everything all over the place.  

That box is full of food because many people

 also leave food for her.  She was not there

 but I left her clean water and dry food.

Yesterday Arvid and I once again went to FMB, 

Fort Myers Beach for lunch  we tried out a new place

  finally managed to convinced Arvid it’s okay to try 

new places 👏We went to Lani Kai Lani Kai FMB 

 Aerial view below by Thomas Tom Kat Fabey

It has an amazing view of white sandy beach it has 

been completely done over since hurricane Ian; the beach 

that is as most of the building.  But the beach is beautiful;

 it is situated on Estero Island which is part of a larger seven

mile stretch of white sand beach.  I really liked it there.

The beach was packed and filled with people

 having a good time and just enjoying life.

Yesterday we also went to the movies again 

and finished seeing what we started on Saturday, 

since we had to leave due to a suspected fire; 

which turned out to be false alarm anyway.

Many things in the work for the upcoming week.

 Arvid’s schedule as always is quite packed. Work, 

soccer you name it he has something going on.

To all a very good and productive new week.

Time is not refundable; use it with intention...

~Nadiya~