Just another day...

Brrrr...
It is another chilly morning in the Ozarks of SWMO. This is the second day in a row of sub 50 (10c) temperatures at wake-up. Although the sun is shining, it is a little cool to be sitting out here with my morning coffee. It's not cold enough for coffee by the fireplace yet, so I am still outside with sweats on and a blanket covering me as I drink my coffee from an insulated travel mug. 
No worries. In just 10 days I will be drinking coffee somewhere in the Romantic Zone of Puerto Vallarta!

I need to re-figure my winter enclosure for the deck. I'd like to keep the sunlight coming in, stop the wind from blowing through, and keep it warm enough to keep my plants alive through the winter. I didn't like the translucent plastic I used before and may end up recovering the same panels with a clear marine vinyl for this season.

I spend so much time out here that it feels a little weird sitting inside at night, but it is especially strange in the morning. Coffee on the deck is just how I almost always begin the day.
Coffee by the fireplace is okay, but I think I'd rather be outside, on the deck with a small space heater. There is a different energy about being outside. I don't know, maybe the clear vinyl enclosure will change that. I don't really remember it well from two years ago. (I didn't do anything last year.)

Just in case I haven't already mentioned this -- I am ready for spring!

Fall gardening work continues. I pretty much ignored two large areas this past year and I am now spending quite a bit of time and work to get them ready for next spring/summer. It's a bit of a pain in the butt, but I am sure it will be worth it for the birds, bees, and butterflies next spring.
And for now, it keeps me busy for a few hours each day.
Admittedly, I have a pretty good life.

While I most definitely enjoy late spring and summer the most of all seasons, fall and winter are easily endured from our home in SWMO. Overall, winters are generally mild and even the short bouts of extreme cold and occasionally heavy snowfall are easily managed for a retired couple that doesn't actually have to go out in it. I suppose we could migrate like some birds or animals do, but we are generally content. 
There are always trade-offs.
Shorter, warmer winters usually mean longer, hotter summers.
We may not always get to choose where we live, but we can choose whether or not we are happy for the moment. 

So...
even in my sweats I choose to be happy this morning. I'm ready to grab my work gloves and garden tools and get busy doing what I do. I'll be back here on the deck this afternoon with a good cigar and some extra anejo tequila. 
Life is good and retirement does not suck.

John