Tuesday September 23rd~

The dawn of Kansas landscapes

 brings a sense of hope and renewal...

Yesterday Arvid and I went to Independence, 

Kansas to put up the signs on our lots.

Kansas is known for being the "Breadbasket 

of America" due to its leading role in wheat and

 cattle production, its iconic sunflower fields, the 

"Wizard of Oz" museum, and the Cosmosphere 

space museum. The state's landscape is best  

characterized by vast plains and prairies.

I have not seen the landscape at sunset, 

but I did get a few pictures from the internet.  

Sunset no matter where is always special.

We did our thing.  Checked out the downtown

 and had a nice lunch.  As I mentioned before,

 we have not been to Kansas before. Another 

state of our checklist, still a few more to go😀

Honestly Kansas is not a place I would want to 

go back to.   Downtown Independence has its own charm, 

but it does not take long to see it all.  We took care of what

 needed to be done and in the process Arvid and I reminisced 

about Brutus; all because of a sign we saw on the road. 

We both missed him in that moment. I heard it

 in Arvid’s voice and I felt it in my heart.

Tomorrow we were supposed to have lunch with 

friends.  Unfortunately they will not be able to make it.

  Life happens and when it does, one has to take care of what’s

 most important first.  Too bad because we were looking 

forward to seeing them and catching up with them.

I don't want to get to the end of my life

 and find that I lived just the length of it. I 

want to have lived the width of it as well...

~Nadiya~

Friday November 8th ~

Take the attitude of a student, never 

be too big to ask questions, never know

 too much to learn something new...

Busy morning yesterday  Both Arvid and I had 

doctors appointments.  Arvid his yearly which he

 always says is a waste of time because he's 

so healthy.  Truth is, he is very healthy.

  The doctors are always impressed with him. The 

Doctor told him he's in better shape than an 18 year 

old. I had a follow up on a mammogram.  All good 

there as well.  My next follow up is in six months.

Tropical Storm Rafael will not come our way, but it  sure

 brought us some wet gloomy looking weather.  Much

 better than hitting us with the force of a Hurricane.  

The day is looking much better today.  I went

 out for an early morning walk, and of course I 

captured the changing colors of the morning.  

The days are getting darker way too early.  By five

 o'clock it feels as it it's already 11 pm.  Not liking this 

so much, but with each day it will get brighter. What has 

not changed are those beautiful Fort Myers sunsets.

I am happy I was able to do a little morning walk

 today.   Though it was just a short one, I feel good. 

 Little by little I will get back to even better days.

Friday and it's looking like the start of a beautiful day. 

 Yesterday we worked at the house making it all ready

 for mom and dad.  Today we have a few other things to 

take care of.  Arvid said to me, "I am going to 

be busy."  I thought to myself, "what's new😂?" 

To all a good day and smile because the weekend is soon here.

Life is like a sewer … what you get out 

of it depends on what you put into it...

~Nadiya~

Tuesday May 28th~

Do anything, but let it produce joy...

 Around 11 in the morning yesterday Arvid asked me,

 "so what shall we do today?"  I said we should probably 

go and check out the new place that just opened up:

 Bay Street Yard.  Of course he said "good plan."  

The day was going to be very hot so we planned on 

going a bit later than our usual afternoon walks.

The drinks are delicious and they make everything 

you can want for.  There was live music the last 3 days and 

according to their website there will be live music most days.

  We had a good time and this is just one of the many new

 "things" coming downtown Fort Myers.  We're happy.

There is also food provided by three food trucks. 

 Check out their website.  Pretty cool place.

Bay Street Yard Fort Myers

A good day to all.  It will be another scorcher for us.

The true secret of happiness lies in taking a

 genuine interest in all the details of daily life...

~Nadiya~

Friday April 19th~

Courage is being scared to death, but saddling up anyway...

 Our little Sniff is getting braver and braver.  Like the

 big boy he is, he's less and less afraid of his tunnel 😂  

For most acts this may be an easy peasy thing.  For 

Sniff it's a challenge to accept new things and 

to actually enjoy them.  As in play with it.

Yesterday Arvid and I did something out of the

 "norm" as in norm for us.  We went on a little sunset

 cruise to the beat of Reggae music vibrations 🎵.

These bracelets I have are older than I thought.  I have 

had them for over 35 years.  Last night many asked if I would

 sell it to them.  Of course I said no.  They have a special 

meaning, and no money in the world is worth that 😍 

The pirate ship we sailed in had people from all over 

the USA, Canada and Europe.  That's when I shouted out

 that Arvid was from Norway.  After that everyone wanted to

 talk to him especially after he also said that he saw Bob Marley

 live in 1978.  Another lady there from Cape Cod also saw 

Bob Marley live in 1977.  Right here in the USA.

There was dancing and there was just a good 

vibe with everyone having a great time.

Pirate girl even shot a cannon into the sunset.

I am so happy I came across this Reggae Cruise.  We see the

 pirate ship all the time in Fort Myers Beach, but I never 

knew they had a Reggae night.  Now we do 😜

The sunset was quite impressive.  From start to finish.

That's all for today.  It's been a busy day.  Time to 

relax and have quality time with Arvid and Sniff.

Nothing ever fatigues me, but doing what I do not like...

~Nadiya~

Tuesday March 26th~

Life is too short to spend it at war with yourself...

 Whenever we head downtown, which is quite often, we 

have to pass by a few of my favorite places.  One being 

Luminary Hotel and its surrounding areas.  Always makes

 for a very pleasant time.  Yesterday was no exception.

Walking back home is also always a pleasant time. 

 If we're lucky we get to cat the sunset.  Other times we see

 the stars and the moon.  Either way it's a good time.

Here at home Sniff and I are always awake early.  Sniff makes

 sure he gets his brushing and playtime.  In fact, he demands it.

Yesterday I fed many birds and squirrels.  Made 

me very happy.  Wishing everyone a good day.

Remember, you're the one who

 can fill the world with sunshine...

~Nadiya~

Thursday February 2nd~

Laughter is brightest in the place where food is good...

 There is so much we would like to show and do with my sisters,  

but with a limited time schedule we try to do as much as possible 

and still find time to share laughter and catch up with our lives. 

 Family time can be hectic, but boy it sure is lots of fun.

Being raised in a Latin environment makes Cuban food a must.  

Basically Latins have the best tasting food.  Period.  Nothing really

 compares to Puerto Rican food, Cuban comes in on the top as well. 

 Ever since Arvid and I went to this Cuban restaurant, we both 

thought my family would love it.  We were not wrong.

With just a few days, we are trying our very best to "hit" a few spots

 with Rima before she has to leave.  She is after all my fun sister and like 

me wants to do everything possible in her stay.  I'm definitely game.

Yesterday was mani-pedi day for mom and Rima.  She's

 so busy with her backing business, she hardly has time to do 

much for herself anymore.  I'm so happy she has a few days "off" 

from baking.  Even so, she will make her tres leches for us.  Her

 suitcase was filled with goodies for us also.  I love her carrot cake.

After that we had Cuban food.  Everyone was very happy 

with their meal.  Then Rima and I walked around downtown for 

a bit and decided to do the happy hour thing.  She was treating,

 even better.  We then called Arvid who joined us.  He was 

very happy to be treated to happy hour as well.

After that we took her to the rooftop at Luminary Hotel.

I wanted to see the sunset.  It did not disappoint.  A few more drinks

 here and we were in very relaxed.  Arvid did not want to leave.

As he said to me, "Rima is relaxing to be with and she's a very 

happy person."  No truer words than those.  I love her very much.

Good morning everyone.  Hopefully next time we are at

 this rooftop, it will be with Victoria and Michael.  In Norway her

 little fur baby is going under anesthesia tomorrow for a tooth 

removal.  Please be kind and send them both good vibes.

Remember you can't reach what's in front of 

you until you let go of what's behind you...

~Nadiya~

Friday September 16th ~

 Happiness is not a matter of intensity but of 
balance and order and rhythm and harmony...

I feel the weekend already.  Even though we don't have

 "regular" jobs, both Arvid and I are busy.  It keeps us 

going and makes for harmonious times all around.

Sniff woke up tired.  More than usual.  He's not feeling

 the weekend vibes as yet 😂 Maybe because it's been a little 

cooler these last few nights?  Who knows.  Neither Arvid nor 

Sniff are fans of cold temperatures, and it's not that cold.

Arvid has had a game here and there, so at least for a coupe 

of hours each day he's glued to soccer.  Sniff of course uses 

the time to snuggle up closer to him.  Everyone's happy.

Yesterday afternoon the deer family visited again.  They also enjoy

 all the foodies I keep putting out for the wildlife.  I know the deers 

like corn so there is always corn waiting for them. I also buy a blend

 of nuts and raisins.  They are happy as well and we are entertained.

Good morning all.  Friday.  Start of the weekend.  Lots of 

possibilities for everyone 😂 have a safe and good one all.

It's Friday.  Any plan of being a productive member 

of society is officially thrown out of the window...

~Nadiya~

Wednesday August 10th ~

How people die remains in the memory of those who live on...

Yesterday via zoom I watched the viewing services for 

my aunt in New York.  Today you don't have to be there to 

"be there" makes you at least feel a little better.  I saw my 

dad, the eldest brother in the family make his speech.  

My dad is a good speaker and it was touching.

A sad fact is that with life comes death. It

 will happen to all of us. But that doesn’t make 

dealing with or understanding it any easier.

As the new day begins, we have many things we're 

working on.  A few places we would like to go to and a 

few "bigger" chores that need taking care of here at home.

  Never a dull moment.  Who said when you "retire" you 

actually slow down.  We sure have not seen that yet.

Yesterday we were at Almost Home.  I was happy to

 meet the littlest member there.  He finally came home

 from the hospital, almost a month after being born.  I also 

saw a few of our tenants, got some hugs and left smiling.

The wildlife has been fed and taken care of.  Sniff has

 been brushed and fed, now he is just watching the birds

 and trying to stay out of Arvid's papers.  Overall a very 

good morning here.  Wishing you all the same.

Happy Birthday Victoria.  Enjoy your day an your 

vacation in Ibiza.  Never forget how special you are 💗

Two things define you: your patience when you have

 nothing and your attitude when you have everything...

~Nadiya~

Wednesday June 15th ~

 Life is a long lesson in humility...

Today is Kimsy's birthday.  I miss her so very much 

and I love her more than she knows.  She lives in Boston, but 

during the pandemic times when we lived in Puerto Rico we

 were very fortunate that Kimsy was also living there for a 

while.  According to Arvid, Kimsy is one of the calmest

 people he knows.  Arvid also loves her very much.

Good morning everyone.  Another very warm day in store for us. 

Sniff is already set up for the day.  These birds just

 don't want to leave him alone, and he sure is loving it.

The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams...

~Nadiya~