John Calhoun here, and I’ll admit that I like the crisp, cool weather and the colors of fall. However, by that I mean early fall. Just a couple weeks ago, the tree in this photo looked magnificent. Today, the colorful leaves are gone, and it looks more like a skeleton.

We’ve had our first snowfall of the season, and it’s getting dark earlier. This can be depressing, but it doesn’t have to be.

Weather in the Midwest is a mixed bag. We can have cold, snowy winters along with hot and humid summers. Some years we have wonderful spring and fall weather. Other years — not so much.

The change of seasons is somewhat like the glass that’s either half empty, or half full. You can complain about the weather, or you can make the best of it. The choice is yours.