Christmas is coming fast. My house is full of wrapping, unmailed Christmas cards, lists, baked goods and presents. My calendar is filled with appointments, promises and reminders. And I am grateful for all the business, festivities and good feeling that come my way at this time. It’s exhausting but exhilarating. I am grateful, as well, for the present mild climate so I can move around my community without sliding into obstacles and without freezing my fingers—except when paddling the outriggers which can be very cold. That’s what neoprene gloves, neoprene suit, and neoprene socks in neoprene boots are for. That outfit is a far cry from the shorts and tank top we wore in Hawaii in the middle of winter. Balmy temperatures in January are easy on the body. I understand the snow birds, I really do.

But there is nothing like cold, dark weather to make an afternoon with a mystery novel attractive. Winter, the time to read without the nudging of conscious that says we should be pulling weeds, or painting the outside of the house. It’s impossible to do that in the cold of winter. This is the time to cozy up to a source of warmth and read. Between the stack I’ve bought, the ones’ I’ve borrowed from the library and the ones waiting on my Kindle, I can easily spend the next month reading. Keep writing, fellow authors, I need more material. Happy Holidays to all.