Sorry, Pup, but I wouldn't call it "dingy." It's a winter's tale, and colors aren't vibrant in the winter. Here's a version with the sticks gone. I removed them with single clicks, so the changes aren't perfect. If I were going to print this I'd take more trouble to get it right. In any case, I'd call it a quite good picture. It's not quite a "bravo!" but it's not bad either.
Welcome Dennis. Keep shooting. Don't let the croppers get to you, and don't let the pushed color saturation people get to you.