Following special days in the calendar and finding activities to match the temperature can make for a happy, peaceful rhythm  for a whole wonderful year. One way or another, we focus on coping with the climate. These tips salvaged from our Xmas letter might be helpful to you too:

LesFebparkingValentine’s Day One of our few outings this past, cold winter was to meet Son half way between Pittsburgh and Ottawa because the trip is so long and hazardous. We parked side by side in our Priuses and transferred packages. Then we ate Chinese food together in a restaurant in Mattydale, near the Syracuse, NY airport .

 

 Mother’s Day Copy of Marg's new chairAnother winter activity for Hubby was to finish making furniture for our house, which he began doing 59 years ago when we got married. By the time Mother’s Day arrived in mid-May, Mom was sitting in her brand new chair and the frosty  mornings and cold nights we’d spent reminiscing and sipping hot drinks in front of the wood-burning stove in the foyer were far-off memories.

christmasboatThe Solstice When the weather finally broke and the ice thawed, we put  our modest sailboat into her berth at the  marina on Lake Deschenes (three minutes from home). By the night of the Summer Solstice, we were going out in the calm hours around sundown, to soak up its last warming rays.

Copy of P's gardenSummer What a joy it was to go and visit Daughter in her beautiful home, with its patio and garden, in July! You would hardly know this oasis is in the studio district on the edge of Leslieville right in the heart of downtown Toronto.Then came August, when all the grandchildren visited our home to celebrate birthdays.

fjordAutumn  In Labour Day week we went on a vacation to the Saguenay Fjord at Tadoussac on the Saint Lawrence River. We went on a cruise and basked in Quebec’s local cuisine and hospitality. The scenery was out of this world and we encountered lots of sea lions and whales up close.

We wish you good ways of coping with the climate and taking advantage of whatever delights are within your reach in 2015. We used to wish people all sorts of wonderful values but this year we’re just promising all those we really care about, and that includes you, that we’ll keep our fingers crossed.

Thank you for dropping by. This blog for all lovers of life and language aims to be useful and entertain. Topics vary from how to build a canoe to how my mom moved from “fog to bog” as a war bride after world war one. Writing advice is passed on by word and example. Find out more about A Book of Kells: Growing Up in an Ego Void, Kathleen’s Cariole Ride and Eating at Church  by clicking here.

Happy Reading from Cozy Book Basics!