As we hunker down in the midst of a January cold snap, with COVID lockdown measures again wreaking havoc with our lives and businesses, and Omicron making many leery of even running an errand, let's all try to make lemonade from these lemons.

Two Niagara-on-the-Lake friends we wrote about this week showcased an admirable, positive attitude: All bundled up, Jean Stewart and Magdalena Titian didn't let Tuesday's -15C temperatures deter them from a sociable walk and talk and an outdoor cuppa coffee.

In keeping with such positive sentiments, let's warm up with a few other “good news” reflections.

No, NOTLers do not have a drinking problem (that we are aware of). We just had a lot of empties saved up from the past few months and at depots all over town last Saturday residents dropped off more than 20,000 empties for the 809 Newark Royal Canadian Air Cadet Squadron’s bottle drive. Well done.

Kudos to town council for (so far) budgeting $15,000 to add a rainbow crosswalk, somewhere, in NOTL, despite some opposition.

The NOTL Rotary Club was at it again, giving $4,000 to help ensure the Pumphouse's Healing Arts for Kids program can carry on this summer.

Congrats to our grape growers on an early and successful icewine harvest. A positive outcome of those freezing temps.

Kudos to St. Davids hockey star Tai York, who this week saw a major dream realized when he became a full-time member of the Ontario Hockey League's Barrie Colts. And he is scheduled to be home Thursday to play against the IceDogs, but with no fans, family or friends allowed in the stands.

And speaking of on-ice pursuits, a hearty thank you to Paulo Miele, Martin Mazza, Phil Leboudec and the many volunteers who have made the new Virgil outdoor skating rink a reality. Now, they need community volunteers to step up, again, to help supervise the rink. Insurance rules require it.

Live long and prosper: Kudos to NOTL actor Tara Rosling for scoring a major role in the latest “Star Trek” series.

Congrats to Alitura, which used to be the venerable Harvest Barn, for rebranding and refocusing its business model, despite the pandemic. It's an aggressive and gutsy choice and we wish them well.

The same goes for our two other major food purveyors, the Valumarts which are now the Independents. No matter the name, we've all relied on them for essentials, especially over the past two years.

And thank you to all those who are supporting NOTL businesses adversely affected by the pandemic, whether it's choosing first to shop local or ordering takeout from restaurants that aren't allowed to offer indoor dining. Please make sure you see our four-page Upper Canada Food Guide pullout, which features menus of many of the town's restaurants.

It's our small way of trying to help readers and restaurants connect. We encourage you to support them.

These are tough times for everyone, so let's stay positive and weather the (latest) storm.