Friday July 11th~

 To know how much there is to know 

is the beginning of learning to live...

This has become one of my favorite quotes of all time: 
"Don’t let yesterday take up too much of today"  I strive 
to live by it.  Not always easy to do, but I do the best 
I can with what I have, and in all honesty I have 
a  very good life. Always grateful for that.

Our granddaughters and their parents, Michelle and Emil 

should have been here in Florida.  But life had other plans.  

On a good note, they are in Gran Canaria, Spain for the next 

12 days.  I know it will be a lot of fun for them, but I really

 wished it would have been here in Florida with us. 

A very good day to all.  Not sure what we plan to do

 today, but Arvid as usual has a busy morning.  Sniff and

 I plan to take it easy and see how the day unfolds.

The thing women have yet to learn is

 nobody gives you power. You just take it...

~Nadiya~

Thursday July 10th~

The best preparation for tomorrow

 is doing your best today...

 Yesterday was a good day.  Hot but bearable.

  Arvid and I had our Thursday outing on a Wednesday.  

Today Arvid is going to be busy.  At least he hopes so.

I am restless.  My knee is still not great.  It hurts all the 

time and though I try to ignore it, sometimes I just can't. 

 Arvid has no idea that it hurts so badly because I still do 

everything.  I still moved furniture, carried furniture.  

We're soon going back to Branson.  I do not really 

want to but it is what it is.  I do enjoy seeing the birds 

and the squirrels, but home is Florida.  I really enjoy 

where we live.  Especially downtown Fort Myers.

Yesterday I went to the movies on my own. 

 Arvid is not into this kind of stuff.  Truth is I enjoyed

 it very much and it was good to be out on my own.  I really

 miss alone time.  Hopefully next time we go to Norway

 Arvid will stay back like he did before, and this way we both

 have some alone time.  I really enjoyed my day yesterday

I'm awake way too early.  Have already had my cafe, 

and now I am wondering what to do.  Sniff also got out of

 his bed, but he the went back to sleep on his heating bed.

Good day to all.  It's going to be a long day for me.

Just the knowledge that a good book is waiting one

 at the end of a long day makes that day happier...

~Nadiya~

Interesting... July 9th~

I have a theory about the human mind. 
A brain is a lot like a computer. It will

 only take so many facts, and then it 

will go on overload and blow up...

Came across this and it made me laugh

 because it's true.most of it anyway. Hope 

you will also get a kick out of it.

Not information you would consider of

 the essence, but sometimes there is much 

pleasure to be gained from useless knowledge. 

 Unless you're Arvid, who claims that he does 

not need any of this "useless" information 

I provide to him.  Do I listen to him?  Nope!  

Sometimes useless has a way of making one

 cope with life and it's daily stresses. Have a

 fun day and remember useless information 

is not the same as gossip!  It's not gossip.

I'm not dumb. I just have a command 

of thoroughly useless information 😂  To all 

a very good day, make it a good one.

If the facts don't fit the theory,

 change the facts...

~Nadiya~

Tuesday July 8th~

Winning isn't everything, but wanting to win is...

 I have this "weird" fascination with the Tesla

 Cybertrucks.  I see them everywhere, mostly in silver. 

 We always wonder what it is that people see in this fairly

 ugly looking 100K vehicle.  The other day on one

 of our outings I saw a blue one.  First time ever. 

 Not any prettier, but merited a picture.

Surrounded by palm trees maybe it looks a tad bit better.

Yesterday I went to the dentist for a cleaning.  All went well.

  After the hygienist was done she said to wait for the doctor 

to come and take a look.  She left me on the dental chair.  After

 15 minutes when no one came, no one spoke to me I decided 

that I had given them enough of my time.  I got up and left. 

 I only wait so long.  My time is just as important.

A good day to all.  The days may be very wet,

 but the temperature is not as bad as it could be.

  The sunsets just keep getting better and better.

Impatience is the weakness of the strong.

A human being is all hope and impatience...

~Nadiya~

Monday July 7th~

 Success is getting what you want; 

happiness is wanting what you get...

Well Sniff seems to be enjoying his water from our 

Stanley Cup Champions mug.  When he is done it's 

then my turn to use it for my cafe.  Both of us 

very happy with our Florida Panthers.

As the new week begins I am happy to say that we have 

accomplished most of the things we needed to do.  I have

 already sold all the furniture from the house on Marketplace.  

Listed it on Thursday sold it by Thursday night. Happy. 

Yesterday was a good day.  We Facetimed with 

Michelle and family close to an hour and a half.

  Our youngest granddaughter, Amelia kept us

 entertained all the time. She's such a happy girl.

 It is always so good "seeing" them, and this 

morning I became friends on Snapchat with or oldest 

granddaughter, Aleah.  I am so happy.  We have already

 chatted a bit and my heart is happy as can be 😍

Arvid and I had a good outing yesterday.  Was a little 

too hot to sit outdoors, but was still good.  A few things 

to take care of this week, but otherwise it's looking to be 

a more relaxing week than the last.  Sometimes "relaxed" 

for us means restlessness, and that we sure don't want.

Good morning a good week ahead to all.

You can’t be that kid standing at the

 top of the waterslide, overthinking it.

 You have to go down the chute...

~Nadiya~

Sunday July 5th~

Sunday is a gentle day; it eases us into the new week...

 After a lot of "relaxing" Arvid and I "needed" to get

 out a bit. A little trio downtown is always something 

we enjoy.  Plus we have not been there in about two

 months.  We've been in Branson instead.  It was the

perfect evening and not too hot either to be outdoors.

We went to Izzy's.  This is my sister Rima's favorite spot. 

 Of course Arvid told me to take a picture and send it to her.  

Personally I don't do that, but Arvid always want me to

 send snaps.  Not my thing, but sometimes I give in. 

We enjoyed a few of our favorite drinks, something 

to nibble on and people watching.  Never disappoints.

There were also some very nice cars, but this one 

was the one that got most of my attention.  Especially 

after Diogo Jota crashed in one.  Still so sad.

Dark clouds, thunder and rain on the way.  Another

 beautiful summer day here in the sunshine state.

A good day to all.  Summertime in Florida.  

Here comes the rain again, but we needed it.

A Sunday well spent brings a week of content...

~Nadiya~

Saturday July 5th~

 Experience is a hard teacher because she 
gives the test first, the lesson afterward...

I don't know much about soccer, but I did "know" 

of Diogo Jota, one of Liverpool's star players.  

I usually watch the games with Arvid.  

He is a Liverpool fan and was a Diogo Jota fan as

 well.  So when I heard the news of his death a couple 

of days ago, I hit me hard.  Then I read more about 

him, his wife of less than 3 weeks and their 3 little 

kids, it was as if someone I knew had just died. 

 My heart mourns for this loss.  Diogo Jota

 and his brother both died in a car crash in Spain. 

 Parents just lost their only children.  Three kids

 their father and a woman the man she loves.

Diogo Jota 1996-2025

It rained so much yesterday, but the worst is the 

lightning.  I decided that we would skip the downtown

 outing and just stay home and watch a movie and a

 few fireworks from home.  Arvid was good with that.  

Sniff too.  Of course after we decided to stay in,

 there was no more rain.  It became the perfect

 evening, but we were already cozy with Sniff so 

no downtown last night.  Still was a good time.

I, like many have known grief first hand. The

 reality of it, is that you will grieve forever. You will 

not 'get over' the loss of a loved one; you will learn 

to live with it and with time it becomes bearable.

For some reason I feel this loss of Diogo Jota.

A little running around today, but most of the day

 is looking pretty open.  So far no rain as yet.  A good 

day to all. And may you always live in interesting times.

Do not let what you cannot do

 interfere with what you can do...

~Nadiya~

Friday July 4th~

Freedom is nothing but a chance to be better...

 Yesterday we were busy. Seems like we’re always

 rushing to do something. Arvid always makes appointments 

really early in the mornings without considering that we 

just got home and need to do a few things.  But by being 

early we also finished early with the running around.

Sniff is not eating well. He ate something on the 

evening we arrived but nothing so far. Obviously I

 am stressed. He sure knows how to pull my strings.

He did remember all his favorite sleeping

 spots. He did sleep well, but not food. Arvid and 

I went to lunch at one of Arvid’s favorite places. 

He chose to go to Pinchers. I still have my selection

 and hopefully if it’s not raining or sweltering hot we 

will go there on Sunday.  Arvid likes the peel and 

eat shrimp and I like the whole fried snapper.

July 4th today. Rain in the forecast, but who

 knows how the evening will go.  Arvid asked for 

some greasy food today so I’ll be making steaks with 

Bearnaise sauce, roasted potatoes and corn on the cob. 

 Nothing fancy, but should hit the spot.  Supposedly

 great foods prepare his stomach for alcohol 😳

Looking forward to tonight and hopefully we will 

be able to go downtown if it does not rain.  And how do 

you plan on spending your July 4th weekend?

Branson Landing had it's yearly fireworks yesterday,

 July 3rd.  An absolute amazing show they put on.  Did not

 see it this year, but hopefully we will see some downtown

 Fort Myers and on the river by our condo building.

It is raining right now.  So far because of lightning 

many of the July 4th fireworks have been cancelled. 

 Safety first.  If the rain holds up our outing is sure not 

looking good, but still early to say what will happen.

To all a very safe and happy July 4th. 

Food, fireworks, and fun…what’s not to like?

We're blessed with the opportunity to stand for

 something, for liberty and fairness. And these are things 

worth fighting for, worth devoting our lives to...

~Nadiya~

July 3rd~ Home Sweet Home

Home is any four walls 

that enclose the right person...

 We're home and I could  not be any 
happier.  Heat or no heat, Florida is home,

 and right now the temperature is good.  

Already did a Publix run.  Happy🌴

Home where beautiful sunsets

 and sunrises greet us everyday.

I like Branson.  We have a comfy place, 

but happy to be back in our bed and big shower.  

I'm happy to be home.  Even for a short time.

Where we love is home - home that 

our feet may leave, but not our hearts...

~Nadiya~

Wednesday July 2nd ~

The key is not to prioritize what’s on your

 schedule, but to schedule your priorities...

Florida is calling and we are listening. Today we go 

back home to Florida for a couple of weeks.  We were 

supposed to be going back to see Michelle and family, sadly

 that will not happen.  I am so disappointed as is Arvid. 

I am looking forward to going home.  Not so 

much the plane ride, but on the flight coming here,

Sniff was much calmer because of a calming

 spray I used.  Hopefully it will work again.

 

Mom is doing good.  She was discharged yesterday.  

We would have liked her to stay in a bit longer, but the 

doctor is confident that she was ready to go home🙏

Our furry friend showed up to greet us good morning

 and to enjoy some foodies, and wish us a good trip..  First 

time Daisy and Fatboy showed up together.  I love them.

The human capacity for burden 

is like bamboo, far more flexible than 

you’d ever believe at first glance...

~Nadiya~

July 1st ~ New Month

Champions keep playing until they get it right...

 July begins with our mom doing great after surgery. 

Her doctor and her medical team call her the miracle lady.

  They keep saying how they have rarely seen someone her 

age heal so fast.  I call the hospital everyday as well 

since leaving NC, and they tell me the same thing.  

Last night I was told that our mom had a "step-down"  

What this means is that she is no longer in the ICU 

ward because she's doing great.  According to her doctor 

if all goes well she will be discharged today.  We were 

hoping she would be in a tad bit longer.  Just to 

get stronger, seems as if she's already there.

I cannot stop saying how relieved and happy we are

 at her progress.  Our dad also gives us daily update.

  My dad who never wanted to text is not a great 

texter.  We love him so much.  He is the best.

The month already started great as far as our mom's

 progress.  Unfortunately though Michelle and family 

will not be able to come visit us. Arvid and I are so 

disappointed, but things happen.  Time will tell.

As the new month begins I can't wait to see how 

it unfolds.  Can't wait for our mom to be back to her 

"normal" self, but most of all it begins with thankfulness 

and gratitude that our mom is doing so very good.  Arvid is

 still shocked at how fast she is going to be discharged.

A good day to all and may July be good to us all.

Strong women don’t have ‘attitudes’, we have standards...

~Nadiya~