Originally Posted by alwayslearning

I have lived in Florida for over 20 years. It is not my first choice, but those places really do not exist anymore. For instance, I spent summers in southern Chautauqua county New York state) on a small lake with modest cottages on small lots. That has all changed since they built a ski area nearby.
I think you make do with what you have. We pay close attention to where we are and truly enjoy the change of seasons here. All you have to do is watch nature and the changes from season to season are quite evident. Being in
Central Florida now, we have both palms and hardwoods. The hardwoods do change color, just later and last longer. We have some lovely maples that are bright red in January and February. We are on the eastern flyway for bird migration so twice a year we have tons of warblers feeding in our bottle brush tree out front. We see robins in January and February, usually without a hint of color unless they stay longer because of weather. Stop, look and listen. It is a beautiful world. This past season there were hawks that nested in Washington Square in New York City.