Monday May 4th~

 It’s not about when you wake up. 
It’s about who you wake up to be...

Most of yesterday was stormy, dark and dreary. 

I did go to feed Legacy in the morning; she was not

 there, but Cindy was there because Legacy had food,

 and she had eaten some of it.  I cleaned up and left 

fresh water and hurried back home. It was not really

raining, but it drizzled all the time. When I went 

again in the afternoon and she was there. 

As the new week begins I have a few doctors 

appointments to take care of.  I so tired of going 

to doctors, but I know I am better off than 

so many.  For that I am grateful always.

I had a very good time with mom and dad. 

 As always mom made a lot of food and I have

 enough to last me days. My dad is going to 

New York for my cousins funeral and flying 

right back home.  Wish I could have gone.

Sniff without knowing is getting ready for 

Branson.  I’ve already gotten him a self heating

 bed. He has already tried it out here at home 

so I know he will use it in Branson as well. 

Here he is loving his new heating bed.

The week will be quiet without Arvid. I for one 

know he’s very busy in Branson. He just keeps 

running around everywhere.  Glad he’s getting

 some of it out of his system before I get there.

Today is mine. Tomorrow is none of my business. 

If I peer anxiously into the fog of the future, I 

will strain my eyes so that I will not see 

clearly what is required of me now...

~Nadiya~

Sunday May 3rd~

Just watching my cat can make me happy...

 Every morning Sniff has this little routine.  He waits

 for foodies on his mat.  Depending on the time I will give 

it to him.  Then he goes for his water.  He really loves his

water, and for that we are happy.  Afterwards, he grooms 

himself and then meows loudly for me to brush him. 

 Everyday the same thing.  How I love my Sniff.

Yesterday I did a few things I enjoyed. Even

 bought myself a couple of things from the mall.

 After walking the mall for quite some time I 

decided to just have lunch at home, and to take a

 little outing downtown in the late afternoon.  

As always downtown never disappoints.

Once again Legacy was not there in the afternoon. 

 We had some tornado like weather.  The wind was 

so crazy everything was just blowing away.  This 

lasted less than an hour, but the skies remained

 very dark and stormy for the rest of the evening.

This morning the skies are still dark, but

 there is no wind as of now.  May take a walk to

 Legacy in an hour or so and hopefully she and 

Newbie will be there waiting for foodies.

Arvid calls me often when he's away.  He outlines

 his day (very cute) and what he plans to do.  After 

he had lunch he called and told me that as soon as 

he walked into the restaurant, the owner asked,

 "where is your wife?"  When he called before

 bedtime, I was watching TV with Sniff.  

Sniff usually gets very upset when we talk to

 someone on speaker phone.  Especially on 

Facetime when we talk to the girls or to Arvid's

 brother.  If he hears another voice he/Sniff will

 not stop meowing.  When we talk to each other 

Sniff is all relaxed and continues his nap.  When

 Arvid called last night, he talked to Sniff and 

like all our pets, Sniff just kept looking for him.

Yesterday a cousin of mine in New York died.  

She just turned 19 years old. CANCER seems to 

be "taking" too many of my relatives. Just 2 months 

ago another cousin, same family died of CANCER

 also in New York.  How does one family deal 

with so much heartbreak?  She was just a baby.

Today I go to mom and dad's for dinner. 

 Looking forward very much to that.  Wishing 

everyone a happy day and may you always

 find it in your heart to be kind to others.

Goodbyes hurt the most when 

the story was not finished...

~Nadiya~

Saturday May 2nd~

One of the most important secrets of a peaceful

 life is to live according to your own plans...

 Yesterday we all had a very early start of our day. 

 I woke up at 4am, Arvid at 5am.  Arvid had an early 

flight to Branson.  We got to the airport and I freaked out

 when I saw the hundreds of people in line waiting to be

 checked in.  I have to do this next week with Sniff and I 

sure did not like what I saw.  I now may need to be there 

at least 3 hours before the flight.  I really hate flying.

Even Sniff had trouble keeping his eyes open 😦

On my way back from the airport I just had to pull into

 a parking lot to check out the flower moon.  It was beautiful. 

 I did take a few pictures, not the best, but still I tried. My view 

of the moon was obstructed by fences and buildings.

Yesterday I had a quiet day mostly.  I did run around a bit, of 

course since I was up and about early in the morning I went and

 fed Legacy and I walked around the pool area in our building.  I 

had forgotten how beautiful and calming my morning walks by 

the pool were.  Because of my knee can't do them right now.

I am looking forward to quiet and peaceful day.  I 

will do a few things I enjoy.  Maybe treat myself to a nice 

lunch.  For the next few days I have no schedule. I am 

already very relaxed.  All is good here at home with

 Sniff and I.  Arvid is also good in Branson.

To all a very good day.  Saturday is looking good right now. 

Sometimes the most important thing in a whole 

day is the rest we take between two deep breaths...

~Nadiya~

New Month~ Welcome May

What a wonderful thought it is

 that some of the best days of our

 lives haven't happened yet...

 May begins on a happy and positive note.  Our

time to head back to Branson is here.  Arvid begins 

the trip today, and he could not be any happier.  As

 for Sniff and I, we go next week.  Still many doctors 

appointments for me. Looking forward to being 

back in Branson soon. Can see my wildlife again

 and meet up with our friends.  Happy times.

The death of F23 still hurts.  I don't understand how 

it is that I have become so attached to her.  Her death is 

still "suspicious" and every so often there are posts on 

Facebook about it.  Every time I see her mentioned my 

eyes fill up with tears.  I can't help it.  I really loved her.

I finally saw Legacy yesterday morning.  Once again

 I was on my way to a doctors appointment, but stopped

 by her spot first.  So happy to see she was just resting

 on her mat.  I figure she shows up when she's hungry.

The world's favorite season is the spring. All

 things seem possible in May.  May this new month 

be good to us all. The month of May is the gateway

 to summer.  Happy new month everyone.

Our day began began very early.  For all of us.

Don't sit down and wait for the opportunities 

to come. Get up and make them...

~Nadiya~

Thursday April 30th~

Close this chapter with a grateful 

heart and open the next with hope...

 April is over.  It has been a very good month.  

We had Arvid's brother visiting and also Rima. 

When you look closely at the positive, the not 

so positive does not make that big of a dent.

For now no more family visiting. Soon it will 

be our turn to visit.  Yesterday as always, I went 

to feed Legacy in the afternoon. Once again she

 was not there, there were empty food bowls.  

My guess is when she’s really hungry she

 will come back out.  As I was done cleaning up 

and leaving new food, I saw Newbie.  Was so happy.

 He looks good and as Arvid says, “a little Sniff.”

Arvid did some maintenance work at

 mom and dads. This time nothing big 

just a few minor things. Everyone happy.

The rest of the evening was spent quietly at 

home. A little spring cleaning in my closet and

 in the laundry room.  Was making sure I have

 enough bird food, squirrel food and food for 

Legacy and Newbie for the next 2 weeks.  

Sniff is never short of goodies. Sniff has lost 

a pound maybe 2 pounds. Should I be happy or 

should I be concerned? Will be keeping a

 close eye on his weight from now on.  

Other than that, the evening was quiet.

  We enjoyed some TV time and some cuddles

 with Sniff. Overall a very good day.

The final chapter of the month closes,

 yet the story is far from over...

~Nadiya~

Wednesday April 29th~

Another trip around the sun—let's make it count!...

 Today our family celebrates another birthday.

  Michelle, the mother of our three granddaughters, 

and Arvid's youngest daughter was born on this day some 

years ago.  Michelle, Max and J were all born in the same 

year.  I remember the day Max was born and the day J was 

born. I met Arvid when Michelle was just a little girl.

Yesterday was not a very busy day for us.  Arvid had 

a few things he needed to do before going to Branson, 

and I had a few things I needed to do as well.  Sniff

 was a bit worried because he saw me take his carrier

 out.  I usually leave it out for a few days so he gets 

used to it.  This makes it easier to "trick" him.

They say, "Getting a cat into a carrier is often

 described as a "Herculean task" or like trying to pack 

a "16-pound bag of angry snakes.  Exactly what it is 

like with Sniff.  It's a battle with bruises for me.

Yesterday Mala, my sister sent me a few pictures of 

Reshma and Sachin.  We were so young.  This was a long

 time ago when they lived in New York.  As with all my nieces 

and nephews, I have always made it a point to be a big part

 of their lives.  I still do.  I also want to be a big part also in

 our granddaughters' lives.  They are growing up too fast.

It's the start of another beautiful

 day here in the Sunshine State.

Every picture is a chapter in the book of life...

~Nadiya~

Tuesday April 28th~

 Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does...

Yesterday was another doctors appointment.  On the 

way I had to pass by Legacy, and decided to stop, just 

incase she was there.  I saw her last on Saturday morning. 

 Lucky me, she was there just waiting for her foodies.  

Yesterday I had a long wait to see the doctor. I had to 

ask if they had forgotten about me.  All I was told was 

that the doctor had two more patients ahead of you.

  When I did get in, the PA who assisted me was very

 jovial and we joked a bit.  He asked if I would like to 

get a breast examination by my doctor (female).  I said 

nope, since I have one coming up next week.  I said,

 "so you really have nothing to do here. He said not

 really.  Sadly unless I go, I cannot get refills of my 

cancer meds.  So crazy.  Sometimes you just can't 

fight the system.  I try.  So I killed time by

 taking random pictures. Not a bad time.

Arvid I went for a walk, I didn’t  go all the way.  

Lately, my knee is just not being “nice.”  I walked

 around the park. Took pictures. The sky was very

dark, yet a beautiful contrast with the red flowers and

 blue skies in the opposite direction.  Same walk.

  I saw went as always to feed legacy around 5.

  She was sitting under a parked truck on the other 

side of the fence.  I think she was too full because 

she did not even move much. I threw a few treats 

her way. She took her time but got up and ate a

 few then went right back to slacking off.

 It is good to know that she/Legacy will not go

 hungry when I’m gone during the summer.  To all a

 very good day.  Make the day your personal best.

I can't change the direction of the wind, but I can 

adjust my sails to always reach my destination...

~Nadiya~

Monday April 27th~

 Your "normal" day is someone's
 dream so be thankful every day...

As the new week begins there are many things

 we need to take care of, but first I need to get some 

doctors appointments out of the way.  As mentioned 

before, April is jam packed with appointments.

Arvid and I had a very good outing yesterday. 

 Our favorite spot is on Fort Myers Beach. Matanzas 

on the Bay.  Perfect spot to have a good meal.  Enjoy the 

view, and when lucky watch the dolphins entertain us.

The new week begins filled with hopes and expectations 

of things to come.  In life things don't always (sadly) go 

according to plans, but all we can do is one day at a time.

  I have learnt that many years ago.  Occasionally I also

forget, but then something happens to remind me of it.

To all a very good week.  Don't start your day with

 the broken pieces of yesterday.  Approach each day 

with a positive I can attitude.  Sometimes it works.

One day at a time is all we should be 

dealing with. We can't go back to yesterday and

 we can't control tomorrow so live for today...

~Nadiya~

Sunday April 26th~

Just another day finding joy in the little things...

 Early yesterday morning I had something 

to do. I had to pass by Legacy’s spot so of course 

I stopped by.  The night before I made her some boiled

 chicken breast and was hoping she would be there.  

When I got there and she wasn’t there, she did have 

some food put out by Cindy from our building. So I

 cleaned up her area and freshened up her water bowls.

  I don’t like to leave soft food because ants get to it way

 too fast.  As I was leaving she showed up.  Of course 

she had her chicken.  She has a good nose for chicken 

because Cindy gives her steamed chicken very often.

Yesterday was quiet.  Arvid has a ton of games he

 watched.  Together he and Sniff had a full day sitting

 in front of the TV.  Sniff dozed most of it, but every 

so often he would raise his head and acknowledge us.

Today we plan on taking it easy again.  

Looking forward to our Sunday outing.  Arvid said

 to me the other day, "it's not the same going out 

with others as it is just the two of us."   We both 

like it quiet and peaceful when we go out.

Good day to all.  Whatever you do today do it with 

the confidence of a 4 year old in a Batman T-Shirt.

Start each day with a positive thought, like:

 I can go back to bed in just 17 short hours...

~Nadiya~

Saturday April 25th~

Happy Saturday! Make this Saturday a 

day filled with purpose and positive energy...

 Since we were out very late on the 23rd, 

I was not able to go and feed Legacy.  I went 

there early yesterday morning and though she

 was not there, I met the lady that feeds her every

 morning.  We chatted for a long time and she

 lives in the same building as we do.  She also 

walks her dog everyday and feeds Legacy.  

I was so happy.  I told her how I was so worried

 when I would not be here, but she reassured me 

that she takes care of Legacy everyday as well.  

Such a relief.  I was stressing about not being here 

in the summer to feed her, but now I feel better

 because this lady lives here year round.  I did go 

check on Legacy in the afternoon, but she was

 not there.  There was a little leftover food.  

I cleaned up and left fresh everything.

Yesterday Arvid went alone to mom and dad's. 

 I had a few things to do at that time so he went, did

 some "maintenance" work and took over the coconut

 water, jelly and a few mangoes I got for them also from 

the Swap Shop in Fort Lauderdale.  Happy everyone. 

dad's planting flowers.  Gardening is his passion.

Neither Arvid nor I wanted to do anything other than 

stay home, relax and watch some TV.  Sniff had the same

 idea in mind also. As soon as I changed the sheets on the

 bed, he hopped on and watched his TV channel/show.

A very good day to all.  Saturday is a busy soccer day.

  No plans to do much, but the day is still young.

  Morning arrived here with a beautiful sunrise.

A new day: Be open enough to see 

opportunities. Be wise enough to be grateful. 

Be courageous enough to be happy...

~Nadiya~