Tuesday July 22nd~

Just one small positive thought in the 

morning can change your whole day...

 Sniff does not miss a beat and nothing interferes 

with his sleep time.  Not even a plane ride.  We left 

Florida yesterday and he was napping peacefully, 

that is until I grabbed him and put him in his carrier.  

We got to Branson and after a little investigating,

 stalking the wild life it was back to bed for him.  

Even though Sniff is a "good" traveller it still freaks 

him out.  He misses out on sleep so yesterday after a lot

 of re-discovering he finally decided to sleep.  He just could 

not decide on which of his beds to do so, but when he did 

he was completely conked out until this morning.

Getting to Branson is easy since we "discovered"

 Allegiant Air.  The only one with a direct flight to Springfield.  

No more stopping in Atlanta.  With a cat that is especially

 difficult.  Allegiant Air is a savior.  Yesterday's flight 

was just under 2 hours, and a smooth ride all the way.

Today just a lot of unpacking and cleaning.  Even though

 we leave the place spotless, I still do a thorough cleaning 

when we return.  Mostly because Sniff I have already washed 

a set of his linens and will do some more today.  To all a

 good day.  Another beautiful sunrise greeted us today.

Every sunrise is a blessing.

  Use it wisely before sunset...

~Nadiya~

Monday July 21st~ Back To Branson

But I have promises to keep, and miles to go 

before I sleep, and miles to go before I sleep...

 Today we return to Branson for the remaining of 

the summer.  Personally I would much rather be in Florida,

 but we have a place and we have to use it.  Also we have

 a few things going on in the next couple of months,

 and for that we also need to be back in Branson. 

Everything is cleaned and packed away.  Getting tired

 of this coming and going.  My thing is if Arvid wants to

 spend the summers in Branson, I think he should. 

Truth is that's why he got a place in Norway.  

That was where he was going to spend his summers.

 Last time we were in Norway for the summer it was 

wet and cold most of the time.  Of course this 

year it has had some better weather so far.

I am looking forward to seeing the birds and wildlife. 

 Also I did buy a bird feeder so can't wait to set it up and 

have birds on the deck all the time.  Make the 3 of us

 happy and definitely Sniff is always busy "stalking."

To all a very good day.  Soon we 

will be back home again in Branson.

You’ve got to get up every morning with determination 

if you’re going to go to bed with satisfaction...

~Nadiya~

Sunday July 20th~

A peaceful Sunday is a reminder to take

 things slow, reflect, and recharge...

 What a heatwave. Yesterday Arvid and I decided 

to walk to a nearby restaurant.  Big. Big mistake.

 The heat was scorching. With the heat index it

 was close to 110F. That's 43C.  No better today.

  As I say, the mornings usually begin mildly.

It was not good at all. though we didn’t have 

a long walk, it just felt like forever. There was no

 wind just heat.  I forgot how hot summers in Florida

 are, but it seems everywhere is hot right now.

We enjoyed lunch with a view. We sat indoors. 

No one in their right mind is sitting out right now.

It was such a relief to get back home into our 

cool air conditioned home.  Don’t think I want to 

step out ever again.  Those UV rays are not good

 for the skin, and as we get older we get wiser.

We’re soon going back to Branson, and from 

what we see,  it is not any cooler there if anything 

it may even be hotter.  The heat wears you out.

Back home we watched some TV and I was 

never so happy to just be at home.  Had some good

 snuggle time with Sniff, and as you all know he’s

 my happy place.  He makes me smile and relax.

Today we stay in. Clean up and get everything 

set to go to Branson and to more heat😂  To all

 a good day.  No matter where you are, the grass

 is not always greener on the other side.

Sunday vibes: slow down, savor every

 moment, and soak in the peace...

~Nadiya~

Saturday July 19~

Whether it's the best of times or the worst 

of times, it's the only time we've got...

Yesterday was a quiet day at home. I had a few

 things to take care of, but after that we stayed in.  We

 had lunch at home, and after a lot of back and forth

 we decided not to go downtown for Music Walk. 

You see it is just too hot to even walk outdoors.

  I was not in the mood to do it and Arvid did not seem 

to mind either. There was also rain back and forth during

 those hours.  Wouldn’t have made for a good outing. 

 At that time Arvid said, “it’s so perfect where we

 are in Branson.  We can just walk over to two

 different restaurants in under 3 minutes.”

  I think Arvid misses his Friday outings in

 Branson with Roger.  I know Roger does because

 he told Arvid so. Roger is an interesting guy.

 Sniff is very cautious around me these last few

 days. He thinks I will be grabbing him and put him 

in the carrier. He sees me and runs like the devil.  

Arvid and I have been watching tons of TV lately.

 A sign that we are bored.  At least I don’t watch 

as much TV as Arvid. I just can’t.  After a couple

 of hours I’m even bored with that.  I have a very

 short attention span.  Not always a good thing.

 On a good note, my mom is doing really good.

  Healing fast so fast that we are very worried because 

she wants to do everything already. She cleans. She cooks 

and yesterday she was going to vacuum. We all told 

her to slow down and not rush into things so fast. 

My dad is a big helper he cooks and cleans also,

 but my mom is extreme when it comes to cleaning. Their 

place is always spotless. That’s because she never stops 

cleaning.  Wears us all out just by watching her.  She can 

never just sit still, but we all know that’s how she is.  

I don’t know if I’m looking forward to going to

 Branson or not, but at least I will have the birds 

and squirrels to feed. They will keep us occupied

 and entertained.  It's so hot here right now, hopefully 

it will be better in Branson.  June was hot as hell.

Our granddaughters are having the time of their 

lives in Gran Canaria. They have already been there for

 over a week and each day they do something fun.

  We love "seeing" them.  Makes us happy.

To all a very good day.  Just a few more days 

here in Florida.  Not sure what the day hold, 

but hopefully we do do something today.

On a beautiful day like this it would be best to 

stay in bed so you wouldn't get up and spoil it...

~Nadiya~

Friday July 18th~

 Life becomes more meaningful when 
you realize the simple fact that you’ll
 never get the same moment twice...

Yesterday I did a few errands in preparation to going 

back to Branson.  I made a trip to Whole Foods Market. 

 It is there that I always find my favorite summer fruit, Longan. 

 These are super sweet and the season is only between July 

and August.  I always miss it because we are never in 

Florida at that time.  So happy we are right now.

I also went to Trader Joe's for Arvid's bread. 

 Suddenly he does not want to eat the bread we have

 in Branson, which he used to like.  I bought everything

 they had on the shelf.  All eight loaves of bread.  

Eventually we will be going to St. Louis for a 

concert and there we have a Trader Joe's

 Arvid and I went for a final inspection to the

 house. Everything looked really good and as we 

were leaving  he said to me, “ I sure don’t feel 

like this is our house.  It feels more like your

 mom and dad’s.”  It feels so cold without them

I agreed because for the two months they 

stayed there they made it feel warm and cozy.

 They made it feel like home.  I hope one day they

 will be back and make it home again.

After finishing up with the house we went to the 

Boat House. We both looked at each other and said,

 "we should have been here with Michelle and family."  

Nothing fancy. Casual and relaxing. I had the chicken

 wings and fries.  Arvid had the Cuban sandwich.

 I also had a passion fruit mojito. So delicious!

We sort of finished up very fast because the

 skies were dark and it looked like rain. Heavy rain. 

We got home just in the nick of time;  just before the 

torrential rain, lightning and thunderstorm came. 

 The thunder and lighting were horrendous.

  Poor Sniff every time he came out; the thunder

 scared him back into hiding.  It’s Friday. Today is 

Music-walk and though we would really love 

to go, it all depends on the weather.  It goes

 without say, it is also super hot right now.

The trick is to enjoy life. Don’t wish away

 days waiting for better ones ahead...

~Nadiya~

Thursday July 17th~

I'm having fun.  I'm being myself.  I'm doing what I love...

 I had most of the day to myself yesterday.  Boy 

was I happy.  So much to catch up with.  So little 

time but of course I tried, and I think I made 

the most of the hours I had to myself😂

I started my day with a mani-pedi.  Just time of me

 without having to rush back home.  Without having 

to worry about what to make for lunch today.

I did not have a car, so my outing took me downtown

Fort Myers.  Since I love the downtown area it was a 

perfect time.  I saw some squirrels.  Fed them and some 

birds and made a few pit stops on the way.  All of this before 

Arvid came back home.  It was rushed, but so exciting.

My day began relaxed and peaceful.  I loved it and 

it brought back the good time I had last summer 

when I had almost an entire month to myself.

Sniff and I enjoyed a very relaxing time.

Today is a new day and we have things to do. 

 Once again life is hectic.  I'm glad I had a day

 to myself, but now it's back to "normal."

To all a very good day.  Soon our time in Florida 

will be done for the summer.  Not sure how I feel

 about that.  I like Branson, but home is Florida🌴

Enjoy the journey. Enjoy every moment and 

quit worrying about winning and losing...

~Nadiya~

Wednesday July 16th~

Veterinarians don’t just treat animals, 

they treat the people who love them...

 Yesterday was Sniff's yearly checkup.  Every 

year the vet would tell me how he needs to lose some 

weight.  Well was hoping to get some good news because 

now that we have a place in Branson, there are steps. 

 Sniff runs up those steps several times a day.

Imagine my surprise when the vet told me that 

Sniff had lost a pound.  In less than two months in Branson 

by scooting up and down the stairs our lil' boy is getting

 in shape.  Too bad the same did not apply to me 😂

This whole experience was less than 30 minutes, but by 

the way Sniff acted when he got back home, one would think

 he was gone for the entire day if not longer.  Sniff hates the

 carrier, but once at the vet, he never made a sound.  He's 

such a good boy.  Everyone at the vet's office loves him.

Looking forward to having a very quiet, relaxing and

 interesting day.  The day has begun beautifully and I hope

 the rest of the day is the same.  To all a very good day.  I'm

 enjoying our days in Florida.  Soon it's back to Branson.

In your heart, I see the future, filled with hope

 and dreams.  Granddaughters: A beautiful reflection 

of yesterday, a joyful promise of tomorrow...

~Nadiya~

A Simple Smile... Tuesday July 15th~

Let us always meet each other with a smile, 
for the smile is the beginning of love...

Nothing easier than smiling, at least that is what
 I believe.   Ever since I was a little girl what I remember
is always everyone telling me that I am always
smiling.  I wake up smiling and go to sleep
 with a smile just about everyday.

Yes there are things that make me sad, there
 are things I would love to change and there are 
many things I would rather never happened, but as

 life goes we just have to move on and make each
 day better and strive to be better people ourselves. 

 Life is not an easy teacher, but the lessons we

 learn stays with us forever.  Be it good or bad.

I remember once hearing someone 

say that a woman whose smile is open and whose expression is glad has a kind of 

beauty no matter what shewears. 

We all know we have special attributes, 
something that sets us apart from the crowd.  I have never been shy to sing my praises.  Who is?  Better yet, why should you? 

I will tell you that if you are a confident person

 never be afraid to give merit where merit is due.

  I am no exception and I have done it.  So can you.

 For instance I have been hired for many a jobs just

 because I have never sold myself short and throughout the interviews there was always a friendly smile in place. 

 I remember when I first got to NYC.  My first job

 interview was at the Law Library for the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York.  

I had no experience for this part-time job,

 but I got it anyway.  All I said was I am a fast

 learner. Never fake and always real.  

A smile comes to me automatically.  I sometimes 

look back at pictures from the time I was a little girl.  

Many things are different, but the one thing always

 consistent was the smile/positivity about life.

 Sometimes a smile also confuses people because

 not many known what to do in that such a situation.  

Supposedly one should not be smiling in times of grief,

 but whose rule is that? A smile costs nothing but it

 worth everything.  Smiling is fun and contagious.  

Always remember, we shall never know all the 

good that a simple smile can do. So why not try it and find out. 

 Even in my darkest times in life, I always found a reason 

to smile.  I believe it is what kept me sane.

A very good day to all. A warm smile is

 the universal language of kindness, and 

Be the reason someone smiles today.

I love those who can smile in trouble, who 

can gather strength from distress, and grow brave

 by reflection. 'Tis the business of little minds to shrink, 

but they whose heart is firm, and whose conscience

 approves their conduct, will pursue

 their principles unto death...

~Nadiya~

Monday July 14th~

 If they don’t give you a seat 

at the table, bring a folding chair...

Yesterday was a quiet day.  Very relaxing.  FIFA

 World Cup final kept Arvid busy for a few hours.

  I used that time to go and do something on my own. 

 Went to the movies again, but the line was too long 

so will have to wait a bit more to see Superman.

Lunch was simple but good.  I took him to

 Downtown house of pizza.  Always good. 

Never disappoints. Always and there is 

 something happening.  Something to see.

Sniff as always is a slacker, but he's my 

slacker, and he is always my happy place.

The successful man will profit from his

 mistakes and try again in a different way...

~Nadiya~