It’s been a cold weekend thus far. High of minus 20 C today. And for other reasons.

Winter snow, I’ve learned in the wine industry, is a good thing. When the temperature dips it is the snow that protects the trunks and roots of grape vines, and provides them a blanket while enduring plummeting temperatures and biting wind. Nestled underneath a modest snow pack temperatures remain relatively cozy. Grape vines, surely not indigenous to Canada, indeed survive because of the snow.

I’m sure my wife is similarly content. Despite our impressions – the fact that yesterday I had to shovel the alley just to get my car out of my garage – and the reality of looking out our window, the last two days of snow and the accumulated drifts that are now feet high mean her garden will actually have a better chance at coming back in the spring.

Sometimes what appear to be the worst conditions imaginable for vines actually contributes to the next season’s growth bearing its best fruit. Where there is only cold and snow and barrenness, we all find comfort and coziness hibernating under our own blankets, and perhaps we ourselves emerge in the spring even stronger and happier. Regardless, wallowing in winter’s grasp does not help the time pass faster, nor easier. Winter is a good excuse for a fire, for a latte and a newspaper. Winter is a time for satisfaction, introspection and renewal, and to think about those close to you.