Each day when I open my front door and step outside I’m entering a new world I haven’t seen before.

One might think I certainly must know what’s outside my own home. After all, I see it every day.

But what I’ve observed is that every single day is different, especially if we walk outside early in the morning.

I view it as opening a daily gift of pleasing sights and sounds.

The sky is like a woman with an extensive wardrobe who never wears the same thing twice. The early morning sky never looks the same from day to day.

Sometimes the sky looks like a master painter experimented with hues of pink and mauve.

If I manage to get outside early enough I’ll sometimes see a sky that looks like someone set it on fire. We all know how spectacular each sunset is. No matter how many times we see sunset we have to ooh and aw over the beauty. Oftentimes a sunrise is just as spectacular.

Sometimes as the sun peeks out from behind the clouds it looks like they are outlined in silver.

When I lace up my sneakers and open my front door each morning it’s with happy anticipation for the visual gifts the new day will offer.

There must be something about this time of year that is bringing more wildlife to my early morning walks.

A family of sandhill cranes lets me almost get close enough to touch while dozens of ibises and two different kinds of ducks enhance the pleasure of my walk.

One of my very favorite birds is the big blue herons that pose so majestically as they hunt for breakfast.

While I never tire of seeing the wide variety of birds I find on my walk, hearing them is even better.

I pay such close attention to all of nature as I do my morning walk that I can spot the pretty wildflowers making their debut that day.

I call my early morning walk my gratitude walk. It makes me so thankful to the Creator for all creatures big and small. Most of all, the glorious new world I see each day makes me thankful for every new day of life.

The peace and joy I feel during my morning walk usually carries over through my day.

Yesterday my husband and I spent part of the afternoon at Lowe’s buying paint. Then came the good part - going into the garden center. I love looking at all the beautiful flowers and it’s rare that I can leave without buying a touch of color for my garden.

One doesn’t have to spend much to buy something beautiful. My find for the day was an Oriental lily plant with a profusion of mauve blooms.

While it’s exotic looking, it’s said to be easy to grow. I will be surprised if that’s the case for me.

Too many times after I plant a so-called perennial flower it stops blooming then all the flowers disappear. I have no idea what I do wrong. I never had this problem in Pennsylvania, but I don’t seem to have the knack for Florida flowers.

A master gardener at the ask-a-question table told me my trouble was I’m trying to use Pennsylvania gardening techniques in blazing hot Florida.

I keep talking with neighbors who seem to have a knack for gardening, but so far they haven’t shared their secrets.

At any rate, I know I’ll get my $10 worth of enjoyment at least during this growing season.

The good mood from my walk and garden center gave us the incentive to go on a sheet buying errand.

That used to be simple. We only had to decide white or colored. Now, we’re reading tags about the merits of 100 percent cotton versus a polyester blend and the claims of temperature controlled sheets.

I know. We turned a simple purchase into a complex decision.

But it was honestly fun to do as a couple.

I sound like someone that doesn’t get out much, don’t I?

Many of my friends tell me their favorite way to end the day is to sit on their lanai with a glass of wine or their favorite mixed drink.

My favorite way to end the day is a bit like enjoying my morning nature walk.

I love sitting on our lanai, feeling the soft breeze on my face and enjoying all the birds that come to our backyard feeder.

We hit the jackpot yesterday with the return of the red-bellied woodpeckers, the colorful cardinals and blue jays and a few moorhens that showed up. A boat tailed crackle and little blue heron joined in the sesame seed feast.

Even the squirrels were well-behaved. I think they stopped dive bombing the little bird because they heard my husband threatening to build a baffle around the bird feeder to stop them from monopolizing the feeder.

An absolute perfect end to the day was listening to the sweet serenade of the birds.

To us, the star of the concert was the little magpie. Because a magpie can mimic the sound of the other birds, One little magpie can sound like six different birds were joining the concert.

Once again, from morning till night, nature provided joy along with a sense of well-being.

Contact Pattie Mihalik at newsgirl@comcast.net.