Sunday September 27th~

Listening to the rain is a peaceful experience 

that inspires quiet reflection and cozy comfort...

 Woke up to a little rain this morning; did not

 last long but it is sure needed.  Everything is dry.

  Like Florida it seems as if Branson is also in a drought,

 unlike the Northeast which was flooded yesterday 

after a huge storm.  Huge flooding hits New 

Jersey and New York during nor'easter.

Yesterdays highlight was going to the movies.  Here

 in Branson we do it quite often.  Happy that Arvid

 enjoys going as much as I do.  It was like watching

 Jack Reacher all over again, and we love Reacher.

When we go driving I love to read license plates. 

 Check and see what state they're coming from.  Keeps

 me occupied and smiling.  Funny vanity license plates

 range from clever self-deprecating jokes to quick 

wordplay that drivers can read at a red light.

Quiet morning.  Sniff taken care of and Charley also.

Sundays are quiet.  Soccer game for Arvid. 

 Norway vs Portugal and then a little outing 

for us.  To all a very good day as well.

We need quiet time to examine our lives

 openly and honestly - spending quiet time

 alone gives your mind an opportunity

 to renew itself and create order...

~Nadiya~

Saturday September 26th~

Lighten up, just enjoy life, smile more, laugh 

more, and don’t get so worked up about things...

 Yesterday was an absolutely fall day. 

The air was crisp and the birds are coming

 back.  Sniff and I saw a few yesterday. They 

“visited” for a little  and then took off.  

That’s the start. Can’t wait to see them come 

for foodies. I have been leaving foodies on the

 grass since I got here, but no birds as yet. The 

Canadian geese are already back.  They flew by

 last night under the cover of the full moon.

Charley has been scaring squirrel away. At one 

point we thought she would run him down and 

kill him.  Charley is fierce and definitely a hunter. 

 Yesterday we  saw our first pair of deers while

 we were sitting at Saltgrass Steak House.

Sniff was restless all morning. He saw the 

birds then they left then they were back he 

was confused, excited and unable to rest.

Arvid and I enjoyed our outing yesterday. 

 Sitting by the water, watching the colors of fall;

 everything was just right and in harmony. 

On our home and Arvid wanted to go and have

 a few more drinks, but I told him I would rather go 

home, and suggested he go with Roger.  That he did. 

Three hours with Roger and he was back happy.

Woke up way too early this morning, so 

did Sniff.  At least he went back to sleep after 

eating. Wish I were able to do the same 😭

Every Friday hordes of people pour into Branson for 

the weekend. Yesterday even more so because of Fall Fest.

 According to the news some people drive over six-8 hours

 just to come to this festival.  We witnessed the traffic first

 hand.  Yeah, we were stuck in it. Downtown was busy.

To all a very good day. Make every moment count.

Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and 

look around once in a while, you could miss it....

~Nadiya~

Friday September 25th-

It's officially fall festival season. You either 

love going to fall festivals, or you're wrong...

 Yesterday we stayed in all day long. Except 

for Arvid who went to wash the car.  He does not

 like to take it to he car wash so he hand washes it. 

 Same as he does at home in Florida. Says he does not

 trust the car wash places to not scratch the cars.

Since the weather was cooler we were 

able to keep the windows and the doors open

 for a long time.  Felt nice to have fresh air.

We also watched some soccer.  Norway playing 

against Denmark.  Arvid's country won 3-2.

Happy Friday.  May your Friday be light, your

 heart be happy and your weekend be wonderful.

  Arvid and I looking forward to our Friday outing. 

 Cooler temperatures means outdoor seating.

Let gratitude be the 

soundtrack of your Friday...

~Nadiya~

Thursday September 24th~

The best day of your life is the one on 

which you decide your life is your own...

 Arvid and I had time to spare and not much 

to do yesterday so we decided to take a drive into 

Springfield and have lunch there. If you know Arvid

 there is not better burger than Burger King. There

 are no BK’s in Branson so to Springfield we went

 to have a burger. I have to say it was very good. 

After that Arvid was happy.  Said, "best meal."

We also looked around the mall a little 

but there was nothing that caught my eye.  The 

other day Arvid went shopping for shorts while 

I did grocery shopping.  He was done in less

 than 20 mins and he had found 2 pairs

 of shorts.  Arvid is so so fast!

Still no squirrel yesterday. The peanuts are 

still on the deck. Have not seen or heard much 

from the birds as yet either, just a few random

 ones every so often.  Even so, I scatter food on

 the grass right now for them.  My guess is they

 are waiting for much cooler weather.  Maybe

 today they show up since it's a lot cooler.

Yesterday morning was the first time I fed 

Charley since we came back.  Have seen her around, 

but she is always busy chasing something.  Also since

 it's been so hot she has been indoors most of the time. 

 I saw her, called her and she came running to me.

Loving this cooler weather right now.  Of

 course Arvid said, "this is too cold for me.  I need

 to wear more clothes."  Yeah, Arvid is a Viking in his 

dreams only.  Sniff and I are happy and loving it.

There is only one happiness in 

this life, to love and be loved...

~Nadiya~

Wednesday September 23rd~

Autumn is the antidote to stifling summer...

Arvid and I finally made it to Andy's Frozen 

Custard, our to go place when in the mood

 for something sweet that is not ice-cream.  

Andy's as far as we are concerned is

 better than ice-cream.  The weather was perfect

 and we sat out while enjoying our treat and 

looking out at the Ferris Wheel and the going

 ons on The Branson Strip.  Pleasant outing.

Aside from that we had a few chores as always

 to take care of. Not so bad anymore since the weather

 is a bit “cooler”  Fall is such a pretty time. As we drive 

Branson we see all the trees in various stages of change. 

The variety of colors of the leaves is a beautiful sight. 

 I'm know that it is as beautiful everywhere also.

A beautiful place to experience fall in Branson

 has to be at Silver Dollar City

Squirrel did not show up yesterday.  Sniff 

waited all morning for him but no luck.  A new 

day begins and all things are possible.

Autumn is a second spring 

when every leaf is a flower...

~Nadiya~

Tuesday Sept 22nd~

And the sun took a step back.

 The leaves lulled themselves to sleep, 

and autumn was awakened...

 First day of fall,  and all at once, summer 

collapsed into fall.  No matter how old I am, I still get

 excited everytime I see the colors of autumn.

Fall no matter where you are is a beautiful

 time of the year.  Here in Branson there is 

so much going on and so much to see.  

Just driving around, and one just has all 

these beautiful colors of the changing leaves. 

Just stunning.  People come just to go to 

Silver Dollar City to experience fall.

Changes and cooler weather are in the air.

September feels like the last burst of 

summer. Though not yet crisp, the air hints

 at the cooler weather. Already loving it.

Autumn paints in colors 

that summer has never seen...

~Nadiya~

Monday September 21st~

It's the beginning of a new week.

  Together we can rise to any challenge...

 Another week begins with us here in 

Branson. We are enjoying our time here,

 and though very hot still do some of the

things that keep us coming back.

Here in Branson there is always something

 going on.  Arvid and I may not go to it all,

 nor like it all,but it sure attracts a lot of 

people. This Friday and Saturday there is 

 Fall Fest happening downtown Branson. 

 I'm sure it will be buzzing with life.

Our dryer stopped working so hopefully today we 

get the new one delivered and installed.  It's been

 a few days without one, though I did laundry, we 

just had to hang them so the sun can dry them.  

Arvid and I had a good outing.  Sniff is

enjoying basking in the sun and every 

so often he watches the squirrels.

Once again we went to The Landing for our

 outing. Guy Fieri's Kitchen + Bar servers amazing

 chicken wings. You know that's what we had.

To all a very good week.  The goal for today is to 

get the new washer and dryer installed. Sniff needs 

his laundry freshened up in the dryer everyday.

Each week offers you a new

 canvas—paint it with purpose...

~Nadiya~

Sunday September 20th~

Sundays are for sipping coffee, reading a

 great book, and enjoying the moment...

 Our day begins beautifully, a little on the 

cooler side, a gorgeous sunrise and today for 

the first time I saw and heard a few birdies on

 the outside.  Perfect start for this Sunday.

Yesterday Arvid and I took Russell and Roger out. 

Our usual place, Star Bar closed down so Roger found 

another spot not too far from all of us.  A pizza joint. 

 We got there it was super busy, but we always manage 

to find a place to sit.  This pizza joint has all sorts 

of drinks aside from a very large menu selection.

After a couple of hours Roger wanted us to go to

 another place so we went.  We ended up in Saints City

 Bar and Grill.  Stayed there for another couple of hours.

 The guys had lots of catching up to do, and as usual

 Roger had lots to tell.  We had a very good evening.

We have not yet decide on where we would like 

to go today, but as Arvid likes to say, "the day is still 

young."  Sniff is keeping an eye out for squirrel, 

who has been showing up at least once a day.

To all a very good day.  Once again I will say,

 what a wonderful time we had in Kansas City.

It's not where you are, it's who you're with...

~Nadiya~

Saturday September 19th~

Life and love go on, let the music play...

 To say the Eric Clapton's concert was so much 

better than expected is an understatement. It was 

just amazing. Eric Clapton at 81 years old 

showed the world he still has “it”

Another very pleasant surprise was Kansas City. 

 Arvid and I were surprised at how beautiful it is. 

At least the places we went.  It has so much

 going on, the vibe was contagious.

Our first stop in KC was lunch at P.F. 

Chang’s. What a beautiful area with so many 

shops and restaurants. Loved it. Wish we 

would had had more time to explore.

As always the food was delicious. P.F. Chang’s

 happens to be one of our favorite places to eat. The 

food never disappoints.  The KC Wheel, a 150-foot 

observation wheel, is the city's new ICON, offering 

guests unprecedented views of downtown KC.

After lunch we checked into the hotel and 

relax a couple of hours before heading out for

 some drinks before the concert.  Everywhere 

was packed to the brim.  And those that

 were not were closed for a private event. 

Every bar/restaurant we went to was full. We 

moved from bar to bar until we found one that 

though full we were able to stand by the bar.

It was a beautiful time. Eric Clapton sang my 

favorite song, Tears in Heaven and also Arvid's favorite,

 Before you Accuse Me.  It was just  a perfect evening.

If the opportunity arises to go back to 

Kansas City, we are definitely doing so.

Late post today. I'm realizing that being in pain

 makes everything more difficult. I hurt all the

 time, and have no idea why I hurt so much.

It's good to be home back with Sniff. 

Would you know my name / If I saw you in heaven? 

 Would it be the same / If I saw you in heaven?...

~Nadiya~