Thursday November 30th~

The most beautiful things are not associated

 with money; they are memories and moments...

 I keep sorting and deleting pictures from my old folders.  

I have more than I ever imagined, at the same time I find it very 

difficult to do much deleting.  This week I have been "working" 

on pictures involving mostly Brutus.  As you may imagine,

 hardly any are deleted.  But seeing them brings back every 

moment so vividly.  How we miss that little dude.

There is a song that played on the radio station and

 it brought back so many memories.  Happy ones and some

 heart breaking ones.  Life, never what you expect.

Era mi vida él, mi primavera él y mi mañana

Mi cielo siempre azul, mi corazón, mi beso y mi 

palabra.  Y un día se marchó y todo terminó

 Y me dejó esperando en la ventana

It is still cold today , but the warm up will begin by early afternoon. 

 It's NOTHING compared to what our families in other parts of

 the USA and in Norway are experiencing, but when you live

 in  Florida anything below 70 degrees (21C) is COLD.

Christmas is everywhere.  My favorite season has arrived.

There are moments in life when you are truly happy and ecstatic. 

Everything in the world seems to go right. The best moments 

lie not just in big things that happen, but oftentimes in the simple

 things that never receives our acknowledgment or appreciation....

~Nadiya~

Coffee Makes My Day Better ~

 A bad day with coffee is better than a good day without it...

 

Winter has arrived to Southwest Florida.  Sniff is on his heating

 bed and Arvid is bundled up to the hilt, and yes in our apartment

 the heat may soon be turned on if Arvid gets his way.

I did not drink coffee until I turned 30.  And now I just

 can't imagine starting my day without a good cup of coffee.  

Coffee makes everything better and makes me happy.

Sadly coffee is something my stomach does not tolerate 

right now.  I know it's not the end of the world, but I loved 

waking up in the mornings and having my coffee with

 Sniff while Arvid was still asleep.  Now I have a small

 cup of black tea.  Still good, but not the same.  

Mornings are my favorite time of the day.  When 

I am the only one awake.  I sit, relax, think and enjoy some 

alone time with my cafe.  No matter what time it is a good 

cup of coffee is always a bright spot in my day.  Hopefully 

I will get back to enjoying my cafe in the mornings.

Good morning everyone.  Good vibes.  Good coffee.

It's the simple things in life that gives us the most pleasure.

Adventure in life is good; consistency

 in coffee even better.  Good morning...

~Nadiya~

Tuesday November 28th~

Always give without remembering

 and always receive without forgetting...

 A beautiful day awaits us, at least that's how I will look at it.

  Can be gloomy, raining, but at the end of the day I woke up and 

I have much to be grateful for.  As I say often, I do not have

 everything I want, I I do have everything I need.

Arvid and I are still unpacking the last of the boxes we brought

 from Branson.  So far we have donated many boxes filled with clothes,

 kitchen stuff, linens and randomness items.  After working all day it's always

 a pleasure to go out for a walk.  Downtown is looking really beautiful.

 Goodwill is happy, and so are we.  I have donated many 

purses/handbags I have had throughout the years, took me a while

 to finally give them up.  Some were hardly used.  I figure someone 

else will love them and make better use of them than I was.

Arvid always says to me, "why don't you put your handbags

 up for sale?  You can make some good money."  The way

 I see it is I paid quite a bit for them; I won't get that back,

 but if I donate it someone else can then also enjoy it without 

having to pay premium for it."  Makes me feel good.

The temperatures are dropping for us in Florid it's

 going to be very cold.  At the same time the sun is shining

 brightly and Sniff never misses a chance to bask in it.

It’s easier to take than to give. It’s nobler 

to give than to take. The thrill of taking lasts a day. 

The thrill of giving lasts a lifetime...

~Nadiya~

New Week ~ Monday November 27th

If you don't like the road you're walking, start paving another one...

So far this is a quiet week as far as doctors appointments go.

  November is soon over and we have already been back two months

 now in Florida.  Loving it.  Loving it.  I hope we never move again. 

 Sniff loves his spots in the sun, on the other hand in Branson he 

also loved all his spots. He's just a very happy boy.

The fog is still lingering around.  Makes for an interesting morning.

Our week begins with hopes that F23 lays another egg.  What 

can I say I am also hooked on these two bald eagles just like

so many all over the world and of course the nation 🦅

Life is the only game which has no pause, no resume and no restart...

~Nadiya~ 

Sunday November 26th~

 May we live in interesting times...

The last few days the sky has been interesting 

to say the least.  Luckily I was able to capture some

 and some was captured by the local news.

Branson 2017, our start at Almost Home Lodge and at the time 

76 Inn.  Arvid had the reins at 76 Inn and I at Almost Home.  To this day 

Almost Home is like my baby and I always be there when needed.

Yesterday we did not make it downtown.  I was awake at 3am

 so by 6pm I was exhausted and had no desire to go downtown.  A 

slice of pizza did not even entice me.  Arvid was also okay with that.  

I guess he watched too many soccer games and was worn out 😂

Once again the fog is rolling in.  Morning fog will bring afternoon sunshine.

My body may be tired, but my soul is energized...

~Nadiya~

Saturday November 25thth~

Life comes with ups and downs, with smiles and tears, 

with success and failures. All these are part of life and is

 what makes life beautiful and truly worth living...

Lately Sniff has gotten back into chasing the laser dot.

 In general he’s really a lazy boy.  He only likes playtime when

 he’s on the bed on laying on the rug; but now I have him spinning in 

circles to catch the laser.  Not for long but several times in the day. 

Won’t last long but for now happy he’s loving it.  As always

 he gets a lot of attention from both of us.  Happy boy💙

Being back home in Florida sure feels good. I still miss my

 wildlife so very much.  I’m try not to think of them too much, 

but one can’t always control where your thoughts take you😔. 

 But back to being in Florida is good. I have had snow

 crabs every week. We have had delicious peel and eat shrimp 

so very often.  In Branson seafood was not available,

 and I sure missed it.  Making up for it now.

 Also I have here in Florida all my favorite fruit.  Right now

 I am hooked on persimmons and guavas.  I find them in 

our Publix grocery store and our Latin supermarket.  

I love mangoes, but unfortunately they have 

not been that good lately. I actually found better

 mangoes in Branson.  Can you believe that?

Yesterday was a gloomy day.  Our plans to go downtown were

 squashed by rain.  Too bad because we were planning on going

 to listen to music at a rooftop bar.  Another time it will be. Worse part

 of not going was we could not have our slice of pizza.  That was 

more distressing than missing out on the rooftop music 🎶

Arvid's soccer was on a break but it’s back on today.

 The man is all smiles.  Arvid like me enjoys the simple

 things in life 🤷🏻‍♀️Today will be all about soccer.

No plans as of yet for today, seems like more rain is in the

 forecast, but if on the off chance it does not rain, we may take a

 little trip downtown.  Just have to see how the day/weather behaves. 

 We actually need the rain. It has not rained much here in Fort Myers, 

so we may soon be under a drought watch if it doesn’t.  Below was the

 view from our condo in Fajardo, Puerto Rico.  Loved our life there.

On a cheery note, early this morning SWFL's most famous 

Eagles M15 and F23 became soon to be parents.  F23 laid her

 first egg, and if all goes according to predictions within 3-4 days

 there may be another egg, and little eaglets will hatch close to

 the New Year.  It's a happy time in SWFL🥚 .  Bald Eagles,

 they represent honesty, truth, majesty, strength,

 courage, wisdom, power and freedom. 

F23 lays her first egg

Hope everyone is enjoying their weekend and 

basking in the after glow of Thanksgiving. 

An eagle never loses sleep over a turkey's sentiments. 

An eagle earns its honor from the storms it endures...

~Nadiya~

Black Friday~ November 24th

Be thankful for everything that happens

 in your life; it’s all an experience...

It's Christmas time in the city.  When the air is filled with 

cheer.  And the storefronts look this pretty only once a year.

Thanksgiving came and Thanksgiving went.  We sure enjoyed

 our  Thanksgiving dinner.  Some more pictures of my loves. 

 My Sniff whom I adore.  My Brutus wo will forever be my

 baby and who took a part of me when he died.  Shadow,

 just four months with us.  He was just a baby.

We give thanks yesterday, yet come today we shop as if

 there is no tomorrow.  Welcome to America!  Brace yourselves

 Black Friday is here.  Be careful to not get run over by over

 zealous shoppers.  To each their own.  Yes the deals are

 great, but so is online shopping if you have to.

The term “Black Friday” is several generations old,

 but it wasn't always associated with the holiday 

retail frenzy that we know today.  Beware!

This catchy slogan gets us every year:  Don't miss out:

the clock is ticking, and we have limited goods!

In November, people are good to each other. They carry pies to 

each other's homes and talk by crackling woodstoves, sipping mellow

 cider. They travel very far on a special November day just to share a 

meal with one another and to give thanks for their many blessings.

Gratitude, help us to see what is there instead of what isn't...

~Nadiya~

Thursday November 23rd ~

Never let the things you want make you forget the things you have...

Yesterday's sunset.  It does not get any better than this.

Being that today is Thanksgiving day, we eat in and I

 make a little feast for us.  One meal for Arvid and one for me. 

 For Arvid I will be making a plain salad, steak with a Béarnaise

 sauce and scalloped potatoes.  Mine is also very simple.  I make

 chicken curry, an avocado and corn salad and Basmati rice.

That being said yesterday was my no-cook day.  We tried a little 

Cuban restaurant not too far from us.  I will say what my dad says: 

"the reviews were written by Americans who have no idea what Cuban

 food tastes like."  Not the worse but could have been better.  Arvid said his 

sandwich looked better than it tasted.  My Ropa Vieja was not bad at all.

Wishing everyone that celebrates Thanksgiving a very 

Happy Thanksgiving Day.  Eat up, be merry and always grateful.

If the only prayer you ever say in your 

entire life is thank you, it will be enough...

 ~Nadiya~

Wednesday November 22nd ~

Well, if it can be thought, it can be done, a problem can be overcome...

 When it comes to moving, no one does it better than Arvid and I.  

We've got this moving "thing" down to a science.  Not sure it's

 something to  brag about, but we move so much that it's not funny

 at all.  Our next move?  I'm not sure for now, but somehow I 

know it’s in the cards 🙈No doubt about it in my mind

Yesterday was a very stressful day for me. At least the

 first half of it.  I’m trying to get my insurance to approve 

another upcoming surgery for me.  It has not been easy.  

Still have no answers and no date for surgery. 

My visit to the ENT was not so good. Seems like I have

 a very bad sinus infection that requires surgery.  Ever since 

April, I thought I had bad allergies.  Seems I was wrong.

 It has gotten so bad that the doctor told me that he would have to 

get close to my brain and my eyes to do some "cleanup.  Worse

 case I could go blind I guess, (I'm dramatic) but at least I will

 breathe better. Always something good in the big picture.  Am

 I scared?  Not at all just fed up and tired of doctors and all

 these visits/appointments.  But soon it will be done with 🙏.

A good day to all and to those travelling for Thanksgiving, be safe.

Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can...

~Nadiya~

Tuesday November 21st~

With the right mindset, we can't lose—we either practice

 what we've learned or we learn what we need to practice...

 Yesterday's appointments were very early.  Arvid was still 

asleep when I left, and the fog was thick yet beautiful.

The day cleared up beautifully as it progressed.  

By afternoon when we went walking it was perfect. 

 As always the sunsets never disappoints. 

On the way back home we found a soccer match in progress. 

 Arvid did not hesitate to join.  His 40 years of playing soccer 

when younger kicked in.  All I can say is that he's still got it.

Here at home Sniff continues to be as cute as can be.

To all a good day.  The day has begun with blue skies and sunshine.

We can choose to be hopeful, try and possibly fail

 or not be hopeful, give up and definitely fail...

~Nadiya~

New Week ~

You may have to fight a battle more than once to win it...

 Thanksgiving week is here.  I am not a fan of turkey 

so turkey will not be made at our place.  Arvid eats turkey

 and I did make him some two weeks ago, so he had an early

 Thanksgiving.  He was happy.  Arvid is always happy.

Yesterday we checked out another restaurant in

 Fort Myers Beach.  Parrot Key Caribbean Grill.  During

 Hurricane Ian the structure of the restaurant survived, but 

the damage was catastrophic.  Water from the storm surge was 

12 feet high through Parrot Key.  Today it's better than ever.

Hurricane Ian had its goat it, but Parrot Key Grill is now back in business.

We have had a very good weekend.  I enjoyed a little of 

everything, but my favorite was being able to actually taste

 the pizza.  I believe my sense of taste is finally returning.

As the new week begins, I am refreshed and ready to face 

the new challenges it holds.  This week is not so bad.  Just two

 doctors appointments.  A breeze compared to last week.

Sniff and Arvid have been spending lots of time together.  They

 both enjoy their balcony time.  Arvid calls it "boys bonding time."

Wishing everyone a great Thanksgiving week. 

 Be merry and be happy.  Give yourself something 

to look forward to.  Florida living at its best.  Sunshine 

and palm trees everywhere.  May this week sweep away 

all your tiredness and fill your life with new energy.

This is your Monday morning reminder that you 

can handle whatever this week throws at you...

~Nadiya~