Tuesday April 14th ~

I'm always in a rush to go home, 

and do absolutely nothing...

 Yesterday I took a trip to mom and dads. It 

was nice to just sit and chat. Dad of course was 

busy gardening. He has transformed the area. Arvid 

and I have seen an alligator in one of the many 

ponds in the area.  Mom is on high alert.

 Mom has planted her pepper trees and has

 already begun harvesting peppers.  These are

 super hot habaneros; before I left I had a bag 

full of food.  Did not have to make me lunch.

 Mom’s food was more that enough and I

 have leftovers for today. Arvid as always was 

very busy. As I was walking in the door, Arvid was 

rushing out with his briefcase in hand.  I don’t

 ask anymore. I just wait now until he tells me, 

which he does once his “rush hour” is done

After lunch the 3 of us watched a soccer game. 

 Arvid gave directions, instructions and his “expert” 

advice throughout the game.  That is when he was

 not hollering at how bad they were playing.  Yeah, 

just another typical, "normal" relaxing day at home.

As usual I went to feed Legacy.  Once again she 

was not there.  A few bystanders passed and most 

know of her.  One gentleman said to me, "I see many

 ladies feeding the kitty."  Made me happy because I 

know when we are not here in the summer she is fed. 

 Plus everytime I go to feed her, I clean up the bowls 

someone else gave her foodies in earlier in the day.

Wishing everyone a good day.  Let's remember 

that, we have to slow the rhythm of rush in our

 lives so that the best of who are can emerge.

You're only here for a short visit.

 Don't hurry, don't worry. And be sure 

to smell the flowers along the way...

~Nadiya~

New Week April 13th~

 Monday is here for us to create

 our fresh start once again...

Not exactly sure what the new week holds for us, 

but I do know that it is going to be interesting. Arvid 

and I always have something going on.  We sure 

know how to stay busy, especially Arvid.  He

 has perfected the "I am busy" persona.

Sniff on the other hand has perfected the stinky 

look.  Every morning no matter what, he stands

 on his mat with the same expression.  As 

if saying, "why is my food not here?"

Arvid already has a lot going on today. Me

 I would like to go and visit my parents. We did

 go there on Friday, but it was a very fast visit.

  It’s nice to just sit and relax a bit with them.

We had a good outing yesterday. We went to 

3 Fishermen, right on the water.  Not our original

 choice, but still a good one.  We enjoyed delicious 

foods and yummy drinks.  The weather was warm and

 the views were good.  It was relaxing to just sit and

 enjoy the view and coolness in the air by the water.

To all a very good day and a good week ahead. 

 I would really like it to be a little more relaxing.  

Sometimes rushing is not always productive. 

Always be a first version of yourself and 

not a second rate version of someone else...

~Nadiya~

Sunday April 12th~

There is a difference between

 moving fast and rushing...

 Typical of our life, yesterday Arvid made a 

phone call.  When he was done he said to me, “we

 have to leave in less than a half an hour.”  I was

 not even done with breakfast, but Arvid knows 

I am fast. Maybe too fast for my own good.

 I was ready to go in under 15 minutes. Arvid 

was not.  I’m used to taking off like a flash, but 

sometimes it is also good to know a little in advance.

Once again we went to Port Charlotte hoping to close

 on a trade we started a while back.  We got close, 

but will have to wait until the coming week.  I did 

see a car with a cool sign so all was good.

We got home. I had a 40 minute window to 

prepare lunch.  We eat at a certain time 🫣. While

 I was busy cooking, unpacking the grocery, getting 

Sniff his food; Arvid and Sniff sat in front of the 

TV watching soccer, and then he always wonders

 why I am tired by 5 o’clock.  I’m tired because 

most of the day I am on my feet working.

Last night we went once again to Bonita Springs 

for a blues/rock and roll concert.   It was okay, but the 

best part was that we met a lot of nice people.  Surprisingly 

most were from Chicago.  Arvid had on one of his Chicago 

Blues Festivals t-shirts.  That made for a good time.

Before the concert I went to feed Legacy, but she was 

not there.  Was a little too early.  Downtown Fort Myers

 is having a lot of young people flocking it.  Prom time

 and  all the girls are wearing beautiful  gowns.

It was an interesting evening just watching all 

the girls and boys in their very pretty clothes. 

 Downtown was extremely busy.  I liked it.

While downtown Arvid and I did a little bar hopping. 

 It was different and good to be out in the evening.  The 

crowd is much different.  The older crowd is out in the 

early day/afternoon, but come evening downtown belongs 

to the young ones.  Everyone was having a good time.

To all a very good day.  It's Sunday and

 I am  looking forward to our outing.

Everywhere, people are discovering that 

doing things more slowly often means doing

 them better and enjoying them more...

~Nadiya~

Saturday April 11th~

Life is a great big canvas, and you 

should throw all the paint on it you can...

 Yesterday we got an “emergency” call from

 mom and dad.  Nothing happened.   It was just

 the smoke detector beeping away.  Because it’s so 

high we preferred to go there and change the 

batteries ourselves. A good start of our day.

Can’t have my dad falling down.  While 

we were there we switched out all the batteries for 

them.  My dad bought a bunch of 9 Volt batteries 

so there were even leftovers. There is no one

 as generous as my dad. He tried to give them

 to us, but we told him no thank you. 

He will need it sooner or later.

I made lunch at home. We did some work 

and I caught up on some reading.  Arvid 

enjoyed a little bit of a soccer game.

In the late afternoon we decided we needed to

 get out a little. Of course we went downtown.  Of 

course I stopped by to feed Legacy.  She eventually 

showed up.  At first she pretended I was not there but 

then hunger took over, and she came to the foodies.

Our outing took us to Ford's Garage.  Perfect 

spot for people watching, good food and good

 drinks.  As always we had a good time.

Once back home it was a relaxing evening 

watching TV.  Wishing everyone a good day

 and a happy weekend.  Make it count.

In my next life I want to be a cat. To 

sleep 20 hours a day and wait to be fed...

~Nadiya~

Friday April 10th~

Ah yes… pollen season. That magical time

 of year when the trees express their love by 

aggressively yeeting yellow dust all over

 our cars, our faces, and our will to live...

 Florida days.  Just peachy.  Allergies in high 

gear right now, but it sure is nice and warm.

Yesterday Arvid and I checked out a new place 

for lunch.  Located at the foot of the Cape Coral bridge 

on the beautiful Caloosahatchee River, Slipaway Food 

Truck Park & Marina in Cape Coral offers 10 unique 

food trucks with boat access, waterfront dining, 

cocktails and live music.  It's a beautiful spot.

We enjoyed live music as we were dining.  The

 band was pretty good and the crowd seemed to all 

be having a good time.  It was a bit on the windy 

side, but it was a gorgeous day.  Warm and bright

 blue skies surrounded by palm trees and water.

The food truck all have good food.  Yesterday

 we went for Cuban food.  It was really good.  Arvid 

always has a Cuban sandwich, yesterday I went for 

ropa vieja.  I had enough food for three meals.

By the time we were leaving dark clouds were

 rolling in.  It did not rain, but it sure looked 

like it would be coming down pretty soon.

Back home there was a soccer game going on, 

and of course Arvid had to check up on his "workers."  

Those are the men working on the marina. He gives 

them directions from the bedroom and balcony.  It's

 more directions he says as to how he would do

 certain things.  Not as if they can hear him, but it 

makes Arvid happy.  He and Sniff go back and

 forth from bedroom window to balcony.

A little before five o'clock I went to feed Legacy 

before the rain came.  After a few minutes Legacy

 showed up.  Yesterday she had chicken tenders

 I boiled for her and some leftover salmon 

that I kept for her.  Just boiled in water.

We enjoyed a peaceful evening at home.  

Watching Tv and relaxing.  Just the 3 of us.

To all a good day.  Friday, who know what can 

happen.  Hopefully a downtown kinda day.

If my boss knew how unproductive I am 

on Fridays, he wouldn't want me here either...

~Nadiya~

Thursday April 9th~

You two are the reason I believe in forever...

 Today mom and dad celebrate 64 years

 of marriage.  They make it look so easy, but I do 

that that it has not always been easy.  Especially 

with five daughters and nine grandchildren.  

Mom and dad have always been there for us no 

matter what.  They sacrificed their entire "adult" life

 just to make sure their five daughters had a college

 education and were prepared for life on their own. 

 The values they have instilled in us will forever

 be a part of our legacy.  Like most parents with their

 children, we may not always agree with everything, 

but what is always present is love and respect.

Yesterday was fairly a quiet day.  Had another 

doctors appointment, Arvid continues to work on our 

taxes.  Just a typical day in April.  Sniff slept a lot.

Life in the Sunshine State is always interesting.

To all a very good day.  As always Sniff and I are 

awake early.  He's already eaten, and is now back 

in bed.  His heating bed.  Sniff is a happy boy.

The greatest gift you ever gave us was a happy 

childhood, built on your love for each other...

~Nadiya~

Wednesday April 8th~

Success is liking yourself, liking what

 you do, and liking how you do it...

 Yesterday we went over to mom and dad's to help

 them set up a few smaller details in their new car.  Arvid

 spent time first with my dad showing him all the necessary 

gadgets and how to customize/set up a few things.  

After he was done with my dad, it was mom's turn.

 He showed her the same.  When he wants to, Arvid

 is very patient.  When Arvid was done with his "lesson"

 it was my turn.  I was in charged of the phone setup, the 

navigation and how to navigate the media player.

We were caught in a lot of rain yesterday.  Seems like 

the rainy season has begun early.  No complaints because 

we sure need it.  Too bad that I had a soaking going to 

the grocery store.  Somehow the umbrella that's always in 

the car was not.  Another example of Arvid tidying up.

 I did no see Legacy yesterday.  I went, 

left her some foodies and cleaned up her area.  

So many ants.  People are being kind, but they

 leave food on the ground by her mats all the 

time.  By afternoon it's swarming with ants.

Back home it was more rain in the late 

afternoon early evening.  Made it a cozy evening 

for all of us.  Especially Sniff, he gets to pick 

who he sits with and when.  He's very loved.

To all a very good day.  With the rain the 

flowers are blooming even more prettily and

 our sunrises are always picture perfect.

If you're not watchful, the wonderful

 is made mundane. But on a good day the 

mundane can be made miraculous...

~Nadiya~

Simple Pleasures And Food..

Simple can be harder than complex: You 

have to work hard to get your thinking clean to 

make it simple. But it’s worth it in the end because 

once you get there, you can move mountains...

They say that the simple things are the most

 extraordinary things and that only the wise can see 

them.  I guess I am one of those wise ones for I enjoy

 the simple things in life more than anything else.

Some of my favorite times are walking on 

the beach.  When we lived in Fort Lauderdale, it

 was very easy to go for walk on the beach.  It gave me 

time to just be with myself and to just let my imagination 

take flight.  If only for an hour or so.  It revives the soul 

and prepares me to face whatever the day holds.

Arvid and I used to enjoy going to Monty's in 

South Beach.  Not a fancy place but the sunsets are 

impressive.We saw the cruise ships pass by as we enjoyed

 our favorite seafood.  Only restaurant where both 

Arvid and I actually order from the raw bar.

Food makes me happy.  When I eat I enjoy it. 

 Arvid eats because he has to.  For me it's just a 

delicious experience.  Time after time.  At Monty's 

it was just a truly delightful time.  We both love it 

there and it had become "our" spot.  I do miss it.

Many say that food is our common ground.  

A universal experience. I truly believe so for

 laughter is brightest where food is best.  Food brings

 everyone together and puts people in a happier better 

mood and state of mind.  Does it for me, always.

To all a very good day.  You know they say that

 you have to taste a culture to understand it.  I want

 to understand many cultures in this lifetime.  Good food

 is good mood, and I always want to be in a good mood.

A good day to all.  Every so often it makes me happy

 to take a little stroll down memory lane.  There is laughter,

 joy and tears.  I have enjoyed every (almost) chapter 

in my life.  A few I could do without, but over-all, 

 life has been good to me.  And it still is.

Legacy was waiting for me again.  Just

 chilling on her mat. It rained a bit in the evening.  

Her mat will be wet, so today I have to go and hang 

them in the sun to dry out.  Always something to do. 

Life is really simple, but we

 insist on making it complicated...

~Nadiya~