Yet another great article. Taking care of the garden during winter is one of the things that make me glad to be Kenyan. But I still like how beautiful the trees look in fall, when they actually change color. It's the perfect sight. I'm currently in Michigan for studies but due to travel back home in 2 weeks, so I've experienced the beauty of fall.
I can relate to you when it comes to concentration when painting. It happens to me when I'm coding, since I haven't done any art work for quite some time now. I tend to stay offline until I get work done. It gets a bit crazy sometimes where I end up forgetting to actually do other tasks, like eating. And the strange thing is, I'll only feel hungry once the work is done, but I always drink lots of water while I work.
Good luck with the painting. Looking forward to seing and reading more of your work.