My Sniff's Birthday~ April 23rd

I have what I have. And I am happy. I have 

lost what I’ve lost. And I am still happy...

 Sniff is nine years old today.  We have had him for

 eight of those nine years, and all I can say is thank you.

  Sniff entered our lives during a difficult time.  

Our Shadow had just died a most horrific death, and the

 death of our Brutus was still raw.  Sometimes life’s worst

 moments lead you directly to your happiest moments.

Not a day goes by that I don't appreciate Sniff in our lives.  

He is the most loving, cuddly kitty I know.  He still does not

 like being picked up, but as soon as we sit, he's right there

 next to us.  I love him so much that sometimes it scares me.

There is a saying that says, "I love my cat more than

 I love most people."  Have to say this is very true.  

Just watching my Sniff makes me happy.

Cats leave paw prints in your heart, forever and always.

I don’t need too many people to be happy, just a few real ones,

 who appreciate you for who you are, and definitely a Sniff/cat

 in our home and lives.  Looking forward to a long, long time

 with Sniff in our lives.  I would take forever if possible.

Also a very happy birthday to the man I share my 

life with, Arvid Hvidsten.  I won't change a thing.

I look forward to many more adventures together.

Today Sniff will be having an extra Sheba pate.

  I'm sure he will be trilled when he sees he's having an 

extra meal for the day.  Tomorrow we will watch his diet,

 but today he feasts.  After all, Sniff is my happy place.

A soulmate is not a perfect person, but

 someone whose flaws complement yours.

I love my cats more than I love most people. 

Probably more than is healthy 🐾

~Nadiya~

Monday April 22nd~

 Trouble knocked at the door, 

but hearing laughter, hurried away...

April is flying away right before my eyes.

The new week begins with me looking forward to 

celebrating 2 birthdays.  My two favorite boys both have 

birthdays on the same day.  Tomorrow is their day.

Today another doctors appointment.  I'm on the right path. 

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

Whenever you’re feeling sad, just remember that some 

of the best days of your life have yet to come...

~Nadiya~

Sunday April 21st~

Participate in life instead of just watching it pass you by...

 Some days it's just too beautiful a day to just sit at home 

and do nothing.  Yesterday was another of those days.  We had our

 walk downtown and ended up at the ice-cream store.  Best ice-cream. 

 I have had the pralines and cream from Häagen-Dazs  and other places, 

but this one takes the cake.  So good.  Always a special treat 🍦

Most Friday evenings we usually have our slice of pizza.

  Another treat we look forward to all week. It's so good.

It's been a while since I last posted

 some Florida humor.  Well here it comes.

Under Florida's "stand your ground" law, it is legal to shoot 

anybody for any reason as long as you are standing on the ground😂

In some other state, a person might say to himself, "I believe I 

shall pose as Superman by the side of the road!" But in Florida, that 

person is also going to say, "But first, I shall remove my pants!

Just a little more and our Sniff will be 9 years old.

The soon to be birthday boy is hungry.  Nothing gets 

between Sniff and his foodies.  Healthy boy.  Healthy appetite.

Wishing everyone a very good day.  Arvid and I had our 

little downtown outing yesterday.  As always a very good time. 

 A little walk a little nibble, some music.  Makes us happy

The good life is one inspired 

by love and guided by knowledge...

~Nadiya~

Saturday April 20th~

Taurus motto Don't talk, act! Don't say, 

show! Don't promise, prove!

 There is a saying about those born under the sign of Taurus. 

 Goes like this: Never ever start a fight, but when the time

 comes, always stand up for yourself, Always finish it.

Our Sniff was born under this sign, as is Arvid 💙

Both boys celebrate their birthdays on the same day.  

Could not be any better than that.  My two favorite guys🎉

born under the sign of Taurus.  Taurus knows how to have a 

good time, so they are fun and always-up-for-it company.

Birthday for these two same day next week.  Lucky me.

This was from our Reggae trip the other night.

Arvid and I continue to enjoy life in Fort Myers, and

 everyday we find more reasons to love where we live.

To all a very good day.   Always remember 

to enjoy your life – to be happy. 

It’s no use going back to yesterday, 

because I was a different person then...

~Nadiya~

Sunday April 14th~ (Late Post)

Some people have lives; some people have music.

   Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, 

flight to the imagination, and life to everything...

I was supposed to post this on Sunday April 14th.  

Got caught up with stuff and just noticed it.

  Here it goes, a little late but still accurate.

 The annual Tampa Bay Blues Festival returns to 

Vinoy Park on the waterfront for three days, and Arvid

 and I will be right there.  We won't be doing all 3 days 

because it's way too hot to be in the sun all day long.  

Years ago we would go for all three days.  We would

 come back home all crisp and sunburnt.  Especially Arvid. 

 He's just too white after all.  No matter how much protection 

we had against the sun, it was just too hot for so many days.

All of that being said, both Arvid and I are looking forward 

very much to the festival today.  It will be hot most of the day,

 but at night it sure gets cold.  We get a taste of it all, and best of 

all there is the music and the beautiful surroundings around us.

  It's a universal language that anyone can understand. 

It has the power to change lives. It's not a requirement to

 be able to play an instrument to appreciate it. Music 

is the ultimate gift, both to give and receive...

~Nadiya~

Friday April 19th~

Courage is being scared to death, but saddling up anyway...

 Our little Sniff is getting braver and braver.  Like the

 big boy he is, he's less and less afraid of his tunnel 😂  

For most acts this may be an easy peasy thing.  For 

Sniff it's a challenge to accept new things and 

to actually enjoy them.  As in play with it.

Yesterday Arvid and I did something out of the

 "norm" as in norm for us.  We went on a little sunset

 cruise to the beat of Reggae music vibrations 🎵.

These bracelets I have are older than I thought.  I have 

had them for over 35 years.  Last night many asked if I would

 sell it to them.  Of course I said no.  They have a special 

meaning, and no money in the world is worth that 😍 

The pirate ship we sailed in had people from all over 

the USA, Canada and Europe.  That's when I shouted out

 that Arvid was from Norway.  After that everyone wanted to

 talk to him especially after he also said that he saw Bob Marley

 live in 1978.  Another lady there from Cape Cod also saw 

Bob Marley live in 1977.  Right here in the USA.

There was dancing and there was just a good 

vibe with everyone having a great time.

Pirate girl even shot a cannon into the sunset.

I am so happy I came across this Reggae Cruise.  We see the

 pirate ship all the time in Fort Myers Beach, but I never 

knew they had a Reggae night.  Now we do 😜

The sunset was quite impressive.  From start to finish.

That's all for today.  It's been a busy day.  Time to 

relax and have quality time with Arvid and Sniff.

Nothing ever fatigues me, but doing what I do not like...

~Nadiya~

Thursday April 18th~

At every phase in our life, we make memories that we

 cherish all our lives.  Some memories are realities, and are

 better than anything that can ever happen to one again...

 There is this thing about Facebook that once 

posted it always come up as a reminder the following 

year and years to come.  A friend of mine posted this 

years ago and the other day it popped up again. 

 NYC EMS, one of the best times in my life. 

 I loved every minute of that job.  What made it 

even better were my partners.  One being Tracy Allen 

 pictured above, and who died many years ago, and the

 other being Jennifer G pictured below.  To this day we 

laugh about all the crazy stuff we saw and we did.

Last night as we were watching TV, Sniff was 

sleeping between my legs and without thinking I said,

 "you did it Brutus, you did it."  I corrected myself real fast, but

 I just could not help the tears that followed.  In that moment 

I missed our Brutus so so much,  and how I love our Sniff.  

Our Sniff is one more day closer to being nine years old. 

 Yesterday evening our condo hosted what they 

called a swing fling.  It was music from the 60’s, 

70’s and 80’s by the pool.  Many were dancing to the 

tunes under a sunset sky.  The evening was beautiful.

 Arvid and I made an appearance for about an hour  

There was finger food which of course we 

didn’t try.  Arvid and I rarely eat anything that

 hundreds of people flock over. Also, we rarely

 do anything sponsored by the condo.  Not only

 here but in any of the ones we lived before. 

Whenever the condos we lived in before had a

 gathering, Arvid and I would take that as the perfect

 time for a mini getaway.  I guess you can say we are

 not very social when it comes to certain things.

There was a time I would have considered

 myself very social, but little by little being with

 someone who isn’t rubs off on you 🤨. No complaints,

 when I am alone I am social. When with Arvid I

 am reserved.  I have no problem with that. 

It's a beautiful day in our neighborhood.  We hear

 men at work.  Hopefully Legacy Marina which is right 

next to us will one day be developed again,  Hurricane Ian 

destroyed it in September of 2022.  Time for something new.

I cherish my entire life. I've been blessed 

with a life full of good memories.  Take care of all 

your memories. For you cannot relive them.

~Nadiya~

Wednesday April 17th ~

 Never regret anything that made you smile...

More from these two from yesterday.  Neither seemed 

to care about the game on TV.  Arvid was busy in his world 

of google and Sniff was happy to be sleeping on freshly

 washed laundry.  Sniff loves his ratty looking blankies.

  No matter how many times I try to throw them

 away, I keep saving them.  I just can't do it.

Sniff got a new plaything from Chewy yesterday.  

It didn't take him long to check it out and hang out a bit in it.  

As with most cats, Sniff is very cautious with anything new.

He checked it out a little then got bored with it, 

but at least I know he's not scared of it.

In just under six days our Sniff will turn nine years old.

  Our Brutus only lived to be nine.  I pray every day that our 

Sniff is with us for always.  He's healthy and he's loved.

Happy very early birthday wishes to our Sniff.

I have been lucky and happy that I get to feed a

 few wildlife friends here in Fort Myers.  Always 

makes for even better more enjoyable walks.

Every time Arvid wears his hat Sniff sorts of freaks out. 

 According to Arvid, "he knows we are heading out."  Sniff

 then gets extra pets and comforting words from his dada.

A good day to all.  Below is a Fort Myers

 sunset taken by me on one of our walks.

The secret to being happy is to find peace where you 

are even if you’re not yet where you want to be...

~Nadiya~