Monday September 30th~

Let the sun set on the hardships of the

 day and start fresh in the new morning... 

Life in Fort Myers is good.  We have been very 

fortunate to have not had any significant damage from 

Hurricane Helene.  For us it's "business" as usual.  For others 

the recovery/cleanup has just begun, and not only Fort Myers

 but many other states.  North Carolina where our parents

 live was not prepared for this.  I mean who is?

Arvid and I had a very nice outing yesterday.  We 

enjoyed good food and good weather.  After that we 

drove around a bit to see if there was damage around us.  

Again we were happy to see that all was good in our area.

My parents live in North Carolina, they were lucky.

The Western North Carolina. Just Gone

As the new week rolls in, there is "talk" of a new

 storm brewing in the Caribbean Sea, the very same 

area where Helene developed.  Will it or will it not 

become another major storm?  Still to be determined, 

but after Hurricane Helene, it's high alert again.

It's a new day, a new week, and we can only hope that 

what's to come is better than what has been.  I cannot get 

over the sadness in my heart for all that's happening in our

 world right now.  So many people who have lost it all, many

 were still not back on their feet after the last Hurricane.

If you don't think every day is a good day, just

 try missing one. Life is short, and if we enjoy every 

moment of every day, then we will be happy no matter 

what happens or what changes along the way...

~Nadiya~

Sunday September 29th~

Sunsets are daily reminders

 that the world is full of beauty...

Yesterdays sunset, another glorious one and I 

was lucky we were right there again to capture it.

Yesterday Arvid and I checked out a music venue,

 close to us that we have never been to before.  It didn't 

matter that I had mentioned this place to him over a year 

ago.  He said he thought the music would not be "our kind"  

Then he got an invite to the place, googled it and just

 like that it became the right music for us 🎸

It was really good music, the best part was watching 

the interactions among the people.  This place caters 

more to locals so it was packed.  Everyone seemed

 to know each other, and those who didn't sure 

became "friends" before the evening was over.

It is a great venue for music.  There was a little of everything. 

 Reggae, Blues, Rock and Roll, Funk you name it the band 

played it.  Lively and seeing everyone having a great time

 and dancing the night away was just the best part of it.

Though I was right next to Arvid, I was approached 

by two men.  I had no clue they were trying to "pick" me up.  

Arvid told me they were, and we had a good laugh.  Yes, it was

 an interesting evening.  Looking forward to going back.

It's another very nice day here.  Even better because mom

 and dad have power again and we were able to get hold

 of them and talk to them.  If you didn't know, the Western part

 North Carolina was pretty much wiped out due

 to Helene.  Life is definitely unpredictably.

I know that in life there will be sickness, devastation, 

disappointments, heartache - it's a given. What's not a

 given is the way you choose to get through it all...

~Nadiya~

Saturday September 28th~

There is some good in this world, and it’s worth fighting for...

 On this day two years ago as Arvid and I were watching 

Hurricane Ian devastate Fort Myers (right before we lost power), 

my phone rang.  It was my doctor's office in Branson, Missouri. 

 The call was to inform me that my breast biopsy came back

 positive for cancer.  And just like that, I was diagnosed with 

breast cancer on the same day Ian hit Fort Myers. Now just two 

days ago Hurricane Helene devastated another part of Florida.

At first it did not really sink in to me.  I just replayed the 

message over and over in my mind.  I didn't tell it to Arvid right 

away, because we were watching Fort Myers Beach and surrounding 

areas just being wiped out by Hurricane Ian.  My first thought

when I heard the news was, "it will break my mom's heart."

Today I am doing good.  I have a five year "treatment" 

I am following and I do regular check ups very often

Yup, the doctors' offices are now my second home.  When 

breast cancer is detected early, in the localized stage, the 

5-year survival rate is 98%.  The odds are in my favor.

There is nothing special about me and this cancer diagnosis. 

 Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women in the 

United States, except for skin cancers. It accounts for about 

30% of all new female cancers each year.   About one in 

eight women will get breast cancer in their lifetime. 

Take the time to do a few simple things.  It could 

save your life.  I am grateful my cancer was detected

 at an early stage.  Many are not so fortunate.  The key

 here is to #getchecked.  Breast cancer sounds terrible, 

but it does not have to be.  If we all take the time 

to get checked, early detection can save lives.

Keep a Breast

Yesterday Arvid and I decided to go downtown and 

check out what Helene did.  It was business as usual 

everywhere.  We've been lucky, we were spared.  Our 

building had no damage.  No flooding either.  Grateful.

Yesterday I convinced Arvid to go to Capones. 

 He did not have regrets.  I have a feeling this will become 

a new hangout.  At least now we have 2 favorites rather 

than one.  Little by little I will work in more favorites. 

many "favorites" on my own.  With Arvid you

 have to introduce change VERY slowly.

It was a beautiful afternoon/evening.  It was also good

 to see that there was no damage from Hurricane Helene.  

People were having a good time.  Same as the pets.

The day ended with the most beautiful sunset,

 luckily we were right there to capture is😎

Our parent had the after effects of Hurricane Helene in 

North Carolina.  Seems it was pretty bad.  They lost power

 early yesterday, and we, their five daughters have not been able

 to get hold of them.  They have been hit by severe weather.  

Hail, tornadoes, flooding, trees everywhere (google)

Nirvana has called police department, fire department you

 name it we tried, but all power lines were and are still down so we

  have not gotten far.  Roads are in bad conditions (google search). 

 Most likely they are fine, but until we hear their voices we

 are very worried.  I won't use the word panicked as yet.

It's been a really bad day yesterday.  Before the day was over 

Wally Popeye was out for a walk with his mom and dad, Danielle

 and Andrew.  Suddenly he was being mauled/attacked by a Pit Bull 

whose owner just let him run free.  Bottom line Wally was taken 

to emergency vet, Danielle who tried to get the Pit Bull off Wally

 was bitten also, taken to the emergency room.  Not a good day.

Wishing everyone a very good day. I hope

 today is much better than yesterday was 🙏

No matter what sort of difficulties, how painful experience is,

 if we lose our hope, that's our real disaster. The very least 

you can do in your life is figure out what you hope for. And 

the most you can do is live inside that hope. Not admire

 it from a distance but live right in it, under its roof...

~Nadiya~

Friday September 27th~

 Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize 
how close they were to success when they gave up...

Between these two I am well informed at all times.  

When Arvid goes to check and see what the weather is doing, 

Sniff is right behind him.  That is when he, Sniff is not trying 

to hide.  It's taken a toll on Sniff so I had to ice him a little.

Of course Arvid and I were bored yesterday, so we 

decided to drive around and see what the "damage" was.  One of 

the places we drove to was by the house.  Had to make sure there 

was no flooding, and there was none.  Of course Arvid said, 

"call your mom and dad and tell them the house looks good."

The drive to the house.  Blue skies with some dark ones.

The so terrible thing about all this flooding is that the same

 places are once again being flooded.  Some are still not totally

 recovered after Ian, others like Steve B (the restaurant below) 

just was reopened.  Now who knows what happens next.

Joe's Crab Shack next to us is closed as are most places downtown

 and elsewhere.  The parking lot is flooded and the road leading to

 Joe's.  This was early in the day yesterday.  Today there is even

more flooding everywhere.  You need a canoe to move around.

We finally had some rain during the night, but now it is

 all calm again.  Helene is the strongest hurricane to make 

landfall in the United States this year, and it will continue 

to produce life-threatening conditions as moves inland 

over the Southeast with intense wind and flooding rain.

Hurricane Helene was a dangerous Category 4 storm 

when it made landfall over Florida's Big Bend area late 

Thursday night but weakened rapidly as it raced inland 

early Friday and was downgraded to a tropical storm in 

mere hours, with strong winds and heavy rain.

Once again Florida is in recovery mode.  One can 

start to wonder how much this state can handle.  Obviously 

quite a lot.  Good morning and a good day to all.  Please stay 

safe and for those affected, we care.  The world cares

 and hopefully help will be there fast. 

When we are no longer able to change a situation, 

we are challenged to change ourselves...

~Nadiya~

Another Update~ Helene

 Be informed.  Be prepared.  Be smart.  Be safe...

And here ladies and gentle men is Arvid.  Keeping Sniff

 and I up to date as to what is going on.  He also adds a little twist 

to the story.  Just to make sure we don't roll our eyes too often.

He makes sure Sniff and I are paying attention.  He said

 to me, "I wish you had a better understanding of the map." 

 Huge eyeroll😶 The nerve of the man, but he's right.

We watch and we wait.  Waiting is the hardest 

thing for me.  I need to work on being more patient

 sometimes.  In all aspects of life.  Not easy for me.

Hurricane Helene Sept 2024

Your failure to be informed

 does not make me a wacko...

~Nadiya~

Thursday September 26th~

 If you want to see the sunshine,

 you have to weather the storm....

So we finally gave in and brought the outdoor furniture in. 

Always best to be prepared.  After all Hurricane Ian did one

 of those fast turn arounds, and next thing you know we here

 in Fort Myers will no longer let the same happen.  Publix

 by the way is sold out on water.  At least our Publix is😬

In being prepared for the rain that is to come, Arvid

 and I decided to go out for lunch yesterday rather than

 today.  Today should be a really wet day.  Yesterday

 was good.  When we went out it was dark clouds, 

but as we got back home it had cleared up a bit.

Floridians have a great (maybe strange to some)

 sense of humor.  Just look at how they are gearing

 up for this storm.  You can either be "cool" or you 

can stress all day.  Just because fun is made of the

 storm, does not mean it's not taken seriously.

Yesterday we went to another favorite of ours. 

 Ichiban.  When Arvid was not home I chose to not go.  

Instead I checked out places we had not been to.  I sure

 miss August.  It was one of the best times I've had.

Florida has 67 counties.  Of those 61 have declared a 

state of emergency because of now Hurricane Helene.  If this

 holds Helene is expected to make landfall late today (in Florida) 

as a Category 4 storm.  Some places (Big Bend) are expected to 

have close to 20 feet surge.  Ian had a surge of 12 to 18 feet above

 ground level.. If this holds..  Helene will devastate even more🙏

Here in Southwest Florida just about everything

 is closed. That's the same for most of Florida actually. 

 Not funny, but humor usually takes away the edge.

Fate whispers to the warrior, ‘You can not withstand 

the storm.’ The warrior whispers back, ‘I am the storm"...

~Nadiya~

Wednesday September 25th~

If you can't fly then run, if you can't run then

 walk, if you can't walk then crawl, but whatever 

you do you have to keep moving forward...

I never cried when I had to have an emergency total

 hysterectomy, even after hearing that I almost died. The 

one thing I always wanted a a little girl was to have kids.  

It didn't happen for me.  I lived. I never cried when I 

was diagnosed with thyroid cancer nor breast cancer. 

 Yesterday I had my second injection in my knee. 

 For the first time I was unable to hold back the tears

because the pain is a lot, and I was/am frustrated 

that after the first injection I still had no relief.  

This called for a little stopover at my now favorite 

Cuban breakfast place.  To make matters easier, 

it's on the way to home.  I always have the 

same thing.  Tostadas and cafe con leche.

I'm better today and optimistic again that 

hopefully after my four injections I will feel relief.  

I have to hold on to something. I still continue

 do everything, but slower and with pain.

Sniff needs to be taken care of, laundry has to be 

done, meals have to be cooked, so yeah slower and

 trying to ignore that it hurts.  By afternoon I do get 

to sit and ice my knee.  I don't think it helps.  

I'm not one to be pessimistic, but it's been a 

long time now, and I would really like to see a

 little improvement. Is that too much to ask for?

We continue to wait as see what becomes of Helene.

  Do we need to pack and go or will it fizz away from us.  

in the next day or so we will have a better idea as to what 

we will do. Aside from worrying about all the devastation

 it can cause, I am very concerned for M15 and F23.

To all a good day.  We continue to wait and see how 

this pans out;  as of right now it seems we are going to miss 

the brunt of it.  Hope that stays true.  The same was said 

when Ian started to "churn"  Hoping for the best, 

preparing for the worst.  Clear skies so far.

Strength does not come from physical capacity. 

It comes from an indomitable will...

~Nadiya~

Tuesday September 24th~

Red sky in morning, sailors give

 warning. Red sky at night, sailors delight...

On Sunday Arvid and I went to Doc Ford's on (FMB)

Fort Myers Beach for our outing.  It was a very warm 

day, but even so we were able to have a table with

 shade next to the water.  Always helps also with some

 breeze.  It was another beautiful Florida outing.

The food is always good.  I always get the 

same thing, the roasted chicken with a Cuban 

Chimichurri sauce.  It's delicious.  Arvid sticks to

 the Danish baby back ribs.  Both of us happy.

My favorite is their Mojitos.  Yesterday I had the

 passion fruit mojito.  Reminded me of being in 

Puerto Rico.  It's always delicious and a treat.

All of this aside, we are now on the will it or will it not 

come this way.  Referring to future Hurricane Helene.

Arvid and I are not one to panic, but depending on 

what happens the next two days we already have plans

 set in motion.  Worse case scenario we pack up, take 

Sniff, and we head to Fort Lauderdale for a couple 

of nights.  Hopefully this will not be the case.

A good day to all.  I'm already in preparation mode.  My most 

important goal right now is to make sure everything that Sniff 

needs, in case of an evacuation is already in the car.  No last minute 

panic here, but before that we wait and see how the next two days 

shape up.  Living in Florida always keeps you on your toes.

Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass,

 it's about learning to dance in the rain...

~Nadiya~

New Week~ Monday September 23rd

Everything is hard before it is easy...

And just like that a new week begins. Where 

did September go?  For sure Sniff got in a 

lot of sleep, but then this is nothing new.

I have been having a really hard time with my knee.  

It just does not stop hurting.  I'm always positive, but there 

are days when it hurts so much I just want to roll up in a ball 

and scream.  I keep telling myself, "it will get better."

Also it seems that there is a new hurricane "disturbance" 

circulating in the Gulf this week.  Helene is her name.  

Hurricane season is not yet over, but so far it has been a 

pretty calm one, let's hope the same continues.  After all, 

Hurricane Ian didn't strike until September 28th, 2022.

In the meantime, Florida living is good.  When I lived 

in California, there were earthquakes.  When we lived in 

Missouri we had tornadoes.  Point is no matter where you live, 

there will be some kind of natural "disaster" to deal with.  

Arvid and I had a very good outing yesterday, 

more about the place tomorrow.  We have a busy 

morning ahead of us so that's all for now.

Wishing everyone a a productive week and let's 

remember that a new week brings opportunities to 

achieve our goals and make a positive difference

 in our lives.  A good day and good week to all.

Spend eighty percent of your time focusing 

on the opportunities of tomorrow rather 

than the problems of yesterday...

~Nadiya~