Saturday July 4th~

America was built on courage, 

imagination, and determination.  Dreams 

are the foundation of America...

 It was on July 4th, 1776 that the 13 colonies 

ratified the Declaration of Independence and proclaimed 

themselves free of British rule, meaning that  as of now

 the United States of America is 250 years old.  To all, 

a Happy July 4th.  Freedom lies in being bold.

Yesterday I had a very busy day.  Did a lot of 

cleaning, grocery shopping and a few things I needed 

to do for myself.  A few fun things, but by 5 o'clock

 I was exhausted.  Of course I went to feed Legacy. 

 Fortunately the thunderstorms came a bit earlier 

in the day so it did not affect my time with her.

Sniff spent quite a lot of time under the bed.  There

 was thunder and lightning most of the day.  Not so

much rain, which we need, but which also affects

 so many things that one has to do.  Conundrum.

Today is a busy day, but busy fun.  Having mom and 

dad over for lunch.  Maybe afterwards I will take a walk

 downtown and have me an adult drink.  That's the plan.

  To all a very good day and a happy and safe July 4th. 

Here's to the land of diverse cultures and traditions.

Wishing everyone a Happy July 4th.  Morning 

comes whether you set the alarm or not.

May we think of freedom, not as the right to do as we

 please, but as the opportunity to do what is right...

~Nadiya~

Friday July 3rd~

Only the pursuit of happiness 

is guaranteed. The rest is up to you...

 I woke up to a peaceful and quiet morning with

 Sniff, and it will be this way for the rest of the day.  

So happy. Today I take it easy and do whatever pleases 

me.  For me this is the perfect day.  Arvid is soon in

 Norway, and he is also going to have a great time. On 

the way way to the airport we saw close to ten  deers. 

 I have never seen any in Florida since living here some 

30 years now; have seen them online, but not with my

 own eyes.  We were both so excited to see them. 

After dropping Arvid off I stopped by 

downtown for a little.  Had a slice of pizza 

and then came home. Stopped by Legacy 

and also fed here. She was there yesterday.

I look forward so much to see what the

 month holds.  I want to do so many things, but

 only time will tell if I will be able to do so. 

If you want to live a happy life

 tie it to a goal, not people or things...

~Nadiya~

Thursday July 2nd~

Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom...

 I have been looking forward to this day for a long 

time, and I know so has Arvid. We are all happy.  We

 each get to do somethings we enjoy.  Always grateful.

July will be my month to reflect and to

 do a few things I enjoy.  Same for Arvid.  We will

 both have some alone time.  I really enjoy that.

Last night we watched the USA beat Bosnia

 and Herzegovina in the FIFA World Cup games.  

One step closer.  It was intense.  I always refuse 

to get caught up with anything on TV, but boy

 I could not stay away.  USA is my team. What 

a goal USA THE GOAL Malik Tillman

Arvid, Sniff and I enjoying the game last night 

with a beautiful sunset in the background.

Discovering who you are today is the 

first step to being who you will be tomorrow...

~Nadiya~

Wednesday July 1st~

Let last month's hardships 

drive this month's successes...

 July is upon us and we sure look forward to it.

 Both Arvid and I have reasons to be happy.  

Yesterday was another soccer filled game. Norway

 annihilated their completion. Little by little game by

 game Norway is getting closer to the top spot.  When the

 USA is not in the picture I cheer for Norway. After

 all, Arvid is from Norway.  My team is USA.

Yesterday I went to see my orthopedic surgeon. 

 The girl that checked me in and took my vitals is 

Norwegian.  She said most of her family emigrated from

 Norway to Minnesota. My physician assistant was from 

the Czech Republic but she told me that she and her 

boyfriend have been to Norway. She loves it. She also 

said she loved the food 😱 I said I thought it was 

bland, but she said they had their own private 

chef and he made excellent food. 

My knee is not doing good. It feels as if

 everyday it is getting worse. I do not walk

 much nor do much to aggravate it.

Yesterday as usual we had heavy rain, thunderstorms 

and lightning in the afternoon. I did go to feed Legacy 

but it was still thundering.  I waited for her, in the rain

 for a while. Thank goodness it was just a light rain at

 that time.  She did not show up, but I left her food.

  I washed all her bowls and cleaned up her area.

 After the storms came a beautiful sunset.

Sniff's blood work came back. All is good with my 

Sniff. I am so happy. He’s my baby and I love him more

 than words  can express. July is going to be a great 

month and I am super excited and happy for that! 

Wishing everyone a great day and a happy 

new month.  July please be good to us all. Looking 

forward to a very relaxing and stress free month.

Of all the judgments we pass in

 life, none is more important than the

 judgment we pass on ourselves...

~Nadiya~

Tuesday June 30th~

What dreadful hot weather we have! It 

keeps one in a continual state of inelegance...

 Yesterday was a blistering hot day.  Add to that

 the humidity and if you wanted to experience what

 hell feels like, well I did yesterday. Definitely not a good

 experience.  It was really hot.  At least when I went

 to feed Legacy she was in the shade, but still hot.

This being Florida summers we had our "usual" 

thunderstorm weather by early evening.  There was

 some lightning and thunder as well. The sky sure

 looked ominous. Nothing we are not used to.

When Arvid is watching TV nothing disturbs him.  

He's really focused no matter if there is thunder or lightning. 

He does interrupt his TV time when Sniff is there and he's

 scared.  Then Arvid take his time comforting Sniff.

Yesterday I took Sniff to the vet.  I need to make sure

 he is all right.  I don't know why I am so worried.  He looks

 good, doctor says he looks really healthy.  To be on the safe side 

I had them do blood work on him to check various concerns I

 have.  Yes, I always overreact when it comes to my kitties.

To all a very good day.  Once again 

the moon greeted me early in the morning.

Bad weather always looks

 worse through a window...

~Nadiya~

Monday June 29th~

Wishing you a day filled with 

small wins and big laughs...

 The new week finds us back home in 

Florida. It is very hot and humid right now.

Back home in Branson I would get up around 5am 

to feed the 🐦 Here it is quiet in the mornings.  Sniff

 and I got used to the chirping of the birds and to seeing 

all their activity.  That being said, Florida is home.

Arvid and I had a very pleasant outing at Fort

 Myers Beach. We went to Matanzas on the Bay. 

Probably Arvid’s favorite spot. We even took his brother 

there and he also liked it.  We had good food. Good drinks 

and enjoyed sitting out close to the water. Always good.

  We met a very nice couple from Kentucky,

 who also lives here in Fort Myers some 7 months

 of the year.  They told us about a few of their favorites

 places and we did the same.  If you happen to be in

 Fort Myers.  Check out Matanzas on the Bay

We did visit my parents. Had a toast with 

my dad for his birthday and of course got a lot 

of goodies from my mom. My dad is still not 

feeling 100%, but getting better everyday.

A few things going on this week which will make

 it an interesting and somewhat busy week. Wishing

 everyone a week filled with joy and happiness.

I woke up to a beautiful full moon known as 

the Strawberry Moon.  I was just fortunate.

Once again I saw Legacy yesterday.  So happy.

  Ten minutes after feeding her the thunderstorms came,

 but she ate and and that made me feel good.  She still 

seems to have her same schedule.  Around 8am in

 the mornings and around 5pm in the afternoons.

A new week is here, bringing new chances to 

grow and try again.  Let today be filled with purpose...

~Nadiya~

Sunday June 28th-

 Any man can be a father, but it

 takes someone special to be a dad...

Today is my dad’s birthday. Arvid and I were 

supposed to take him and my mom out to dinner. 

Unfortunately my dad is not feeling well so rain 

check.  We will be going for a little visit instead

 just to wish I’m happy birthday and to see them. 

Arvid, Sniff and I got home at 3am Saturday 

morning the flight from Missouri was delayed

 because the weather in Florida was not good. 

Summer in Florida. Thunderstorms, rain and 

lightning.  Means flights are always delayed.

Sniff did not want to leave Branson. Only 

because he did not want to get in his pet carrier.

 Of course he acted up a bit.  As always  Arvid

 always seems to know how to comfort him.

He actually had a temper tantrum.  Just 

"screaming" and giving us his best shot at bad

 behaviour and bad attitude.  I thought it was kinda cute, 

after all this is Sniff, and he is a cutie.  At the airport the 

TSA agents wanted to take him home with them.  I told 

them they could have Arvid, NEVER my Sniff.

It was a long day. We wanted to go downtown 

a bit, but neither of us were up for it.  We stayed 

in and just took it easy.  Watched some soccer and a

 movie.  Was good to just stay put and relax. Our last 

sunset before leaving Missouri for this summer.

After 3 hours of sleep I was awake.  Did a Publix 

run.  That’s our grocery store.  On my way back home

 I just thought I would go by Legacy's spot.  I was so 

happy she was there. Of course I had just bought food 

for her so I fed her. She has been cared for because I see 

water and food bowls around.  So happy to see her. 

The same thunderstorms in Florida that delayed our

 flight yesterday is a common occurrence during the 

summer months.  Yesterday's sky by late afternoon.  

Yes there was lightning flashing all over the sky. 

Sunday morning.  Feeling more rested and ready 

for the new day.  Sniff gets used to both places as 

soon as we get there.  He is such a good boy. To 

all a very good day. It's good to be home again. 

In the blink of an eye it could all 

be taken away.  Be grateful always...

~Nadiya~

Saturday June 27th~

There is no place like home. Home 

is where my habits have a habitat..

One guess as to where we are?  Yup! We are back 

home in Fort Myers.  There is no place like home.  We 

love going to other places, but  we love it more when we 

go home.  Back to looking at Legacy Marina taking shape, 

and yes, that is our building.  Nowhere like HOME!

I hope to see Legacy today.  Hope she and 

Newbie are doing okay.  I already got foodies 

and my bag of goodies prepared for them.

Sniff has already reacquainted himself with 

his familiar spots.  Sniff is a good boy.  He adapts

 to every place within minutes. Love my Sniff.

It will be a busy morning here, but a good one.

  To all a very good day.  Morning is here.

I’ve found that the first thirty minutes of 

my day have the biggest impact on how I 

feel for the rest of my waking hours...

~Nadiya~

Friday June 26th~

 To leave home is to grow, to return is to understand...

Last day for now that I will be feeding and seeing 

my wildlife friends.  Back home in Florida we don't 

have this much wildlife to look at, on the other

 hand we do see dolphins, and manatees.🐬

The time has come to go back home.  As always 

it's bittersweet.  I always worry about my wildlife 

friends when I am gone, but luckily there is lots of

 food for them everywhere.  At the same time we 

are all excited to be back home in Florida🌴

I hope to see Legacy tomorrow and feed her.  

Yes, it is good to be going home.  See you in the fall 

Branson.  Thank you for a good summer so far.

Definitely mixed feelings today nice to get to go 

home but I have memories here as well and they

 are special. But there is no place like home...

~Nadiya~

Friday June 26th~

Wake up early and tackle

 the day before it tackles you...

 As always Sniff and I are awake very early.  I feed

 the birds, I clean the deck, I feed and brush Sniff, and

 clean his litter pan.  Then I have my cafe.  All of this

 usually before 5:50 in the morning.  I love  mornings

 especially when I get to witness beautiful sunrises.

This summer here in Branson one of our most visited

  spots has been Big Cedar Lodge.  As mentioned before, 

it is enormous, and if you are lucky you will see all 

sorts of wildlife.  So far we have been fortunate.

Sniff has mastered the art of the stairs.  He is 

faster than speedy Gonzalez, of course that can 

very well be the reason he has slimmed down.

 Sniff, like us has had a great time in Branson.

Yesterday one of our friends texted me and told

 us that our hangout, mainly Arvid and the guys 

will be closing its doors on July 4th for good. 

I will sure miss all their delicious drinks.

The owners have a huge home in Florida, and

 several all around Branson.  Will miss Star Bar

 because it had great drinks, was right across from us 

and it was the hangout spot for arvid and the boys.  Even 

Arvid’s brother went to Star Bar. He enjoyed the band

 that played Country music very very much.  Now we

 need to find a new hangout for when we are back.

To all a very good day. As Rocky said: It ain’t

 about how hard you hit. It’s about how hard 

you can get hit and keep moving forward.

Grateful for small things, big 

things and everything in between...

~Nadiya~