Sometimes you just have to make the best of things.

No matter how well you plan and what good intentions you have, sometimes the world just gets in your way. When that happens, you can give up — or you can find a way to keep moving forward.

For at least two or three years, my husband, Mike, and I have known that we needed to have major repairs done to our front porch. Two of the four columns that supported the roof for the last 110 years or so had started to lean, and we feared that they eventually would shift further or even give way, allowing the center of the roof to come down.

We searched for a contractor to do the job. Demand for help and high prices on everything slowed us down. When we finally found a nearby and affordable company, we set up a plan for the work to be done in September. But then we caught COVID.

After that unavoidable delay, we got back on the contractor’s schedule and got all the really important structural work completed. Because we wanted to restore the original look of the porch rather than using all new materials, we have some finishing touches to complete. We need to install some plywood sheeting and reattach the old shake shingles that have always covered the exterior.

In an effort to get than done before winter, Mike and I took another “staycation” this past week. Our plan was to finish that porch so we could decorate it for the holidays.

Obviously, Mother Nature had other plans.

Although we were eager to get started Monday morning, knowing there was snow in the forecast for Wednesday, wet and cold weather settled in early — and it did not pass quickly.

We battled the urge to become frustrated, with our outdoor plans clearly foiled. We tried to find ways to make progress, but we were very limited on what we could accomplish. So, instead, we found other projects to pass the time. I painted a new door and an old door frame. Mike sealed joints in floors and pantry cabinets in an effort to keep out as much cold air as possible. We achieved things we hadn’t even set out to do.

So, now we just have to look forward to finishing that porch another day.