Ah, what a life.

Every day is a new day. Not just another day. But a new and precious day. Another opportunity to embrace and savor and enjoy life. It was an odd weather day. Cloudy. But the temperature in the 60s. Ten or 15 degrees above normal for this time of year. So I looked at the day as a blessing. Went 30 miles on my bicycle. I'm still waiting for the first frost of the season. Incredible. Here we are a week from November. And the forecast is for a frost maybe Friday morning, on the 29th of October. Makes me wonder if this will be the latest frost ever. I remember Halloween. In 1991. We got 26 inches of snow. And didn't see the bare ground again until April. I brought in the potted plants and potted trees today. A 10-foot ficus tree. Barely squeezed it through the back door. And put it in the high-ceilinged living room. Also brought in a 7-foot Norfolk pine. It's in a bedroom used by my two cats. And then there's a tropical looking leafy plant. Don't know what it's called. It'll spend the winter in my spacious bedroom. The greenery gives the indoors a fresh outdoor look. I did all the tree/plant moving by myself. Thought about calling in my handyman friend to help. But then I thought it'd be a challenge to do it all alone. And lo and behold, I did. No problem. I've also been insulating the windows. In preparation for the inevitable Minnesota winter. Tomorrow we are supposed to have wind gusts of 40 to 60 miles an hour. Followed by cooler air moving in from Canada. But not cool enough to freeze until Friday. I don't mind winter. I know how to handle it. Enjoy it. But by Christmas time I'll be with my Italian girlfriend in Sardinia, an island in the Mediterranean Sea about 100 miles off the Italian boot. I'll stay until March. Ah, what a life. One day at a time. With every day being special. --Jim Broede