Yours Faithfully, Amanda

January 24, 2016 Dear Jane, Pray, dear friend, I fear you must forgive me my giddiness at the moment. I have been reading through a couple of your letters (from a marvelous book called, Jane Austen's Letters  by Deirdre Le Faye) in order to find an appropriate quote for the title of my letter today and I must tell you that I have found the most perfect one yet. Two-hundred and three years ago, precisely to the day (Sunday 24 January 1813), you wrote a letter to your dear sister, Cassandra and started with these sentiments: "This is exactly the weather we could wish for, if you are but well enough to enjoy it. I shall be glad to hear that you are not confined to a house by an increase of Cold." I feel as though I have travelled back through time! Luckily, I am quite well enough to enjoy the cold and it is a good thing because the cold has certainly arrived.  Allow me to explain.  New York City (as well as Washington D.C., Baltimore, the Carolinas, etc.) experien...

January 19, 2016 Dear Jane, As you may have noticed, this letter looks rather different from those of the past. In truth, I was becoming quite bored with the color scheme of the last few years and decided that a nice blue would certainly liven up the first letter of this, the Year of Lord, two-thousand and sixteen. How exciting. It is almost as though I revived a tired, old bonnet with new lace and fresh ribbons. After all, we must do what we can to stay fashionable in these ever changing times. Firstly, I must bid you a much belated, "Happy New Year!" I am appalled that it has taken me so long to wish you (and my gentle readers) glad tidings and a new year filled with happiness and good fortune. The idea of a new year is much like that of a blank page. As the authors of our own stories, we have the ability to write a new tale filled with hope, imagination and adventure...we just have to be fearless and creative enough to begin it! Now, that being said, my new year ha...