The Art of Living Well Year-Round An abundant sourcebook of ideas, inspirational quotes, recipes, and activities,  Simple Pleasures  shows you how to appreciate the simple things that make up your daily life. Secrets to happiness.  Happiness in today’s frantic world is to learn how to enjoy less than we can afford. Rediscover the pleasures our grandparents knew when life was quieter and slower. When children without TVs knew how to amuse themselves. When pleasures were made not bought and enjoyed all the more because of it. From the recipe for a homemade herbal bath to quick and easy recommendations for an instant room makeover, the suggestions collected in this book offer a new appreciation for the everyday activities that nurture and comfort you. Self-care made easy.  Organized seasonally and full of touching stories, practical tips, and dozens of satisfying crafts,  Simple Pleasures  is both a guide to and a celebration of the art of living well. Inside, find self-care tips and learn how to: Make your own perfume and body lotion - Create old fashioned sachets - Bake the world’s best cookies If you enjoyed other books in the Simple Pleasures series by Susannah Seton such as  365 Simple Pleasures ,  Simple Pleasures of the Home , and  Simple Pleasures for the Holidays  or books like  The More or Less Definitive Guide to Self-Care ,  The Self Care Prescription , or  The Spirit Almanac , you’ll love  365 Simple Pleasures . Susannah Seton is the author of Simple Pleasures of the Home , Simple Pleasures of the Garden , Simple Pleasures for the Holidays , and coauthor of Simple Pleasures: Soothing Suggestions and Small Comforts for Living Well YearRound . She lives in Berkeley, California, with her husband and daughter.   Simple Pleasures Soothing Suggestions & Small Comforts for Living Well Year Round By Susannah Seton, Robert Taylor, David Greer Red Wheel/Weiser, LLC Copyright © 1996 Robert Taylor, Susannah Seton, and David Greer All rights reserved. ISBN: 978-1-57324-763-4 Contents A Potpourri of PleasuresSpringHomeGarden and the Great OutdoorsBody and SoulFamily and FriendsSummerHomeGarden and the Great OutdoorsBody and SoulFamily and FriendsFallHomeGarden and the Great OutdoorsBody and SoulFamily and FriendsWinterHomeGarden and the Great OutdoorsBody and SoulFamily and FriendsIndex CHAPTER 1 Spring Lilacs in dooryardsHolding quiet conversations with an early moon. —Amy Lowell Home "April prepares her green traffic light and the world thinks Go." —Christopher Morley A Job Well Done I'm a window cleaner and I get very attached to the windows I work on. I know theirindividual personalities, their mineral deposits, bad seals, and BB holes. I remove everyspeck of bee gunk, snail trail, fly crud, and bird doo that desecrates "my" windows, as wellas the damage inflicted by that natural enemy, the painter. I bring garden clippers andprune bushes and plants that dare to interfere with my windows. As I drive my route, I getgreat enjoyment from seeing my glass glistening in the sunlight. "We will have to give up taking things for granted, even the apparently simple things." —J.D. Bernal THINGS TO DO Healthier Cleaning Pleasures When the weather starts getting warmer and the days longer, you know it's time for a goodspring cleaning. There's great satisfaction in a major cleaning project, but the result shouldbe a clean-smelling house or apartment, not one over-whelmed with chemicals or artificialscents of some mythical forest glade. How many plastic containers of chemical spraycleaners do you need under the sink, anyway? They aren't good for you or theenvironment. Fortunately, nontoxic cleaning substitutes are within easy reach. Baking soda is a mild cleanser for kitchen and bath fixtures; just sprinkle it straight fromthe box onto a damp cloth or sponge. A couple of tablespoons dissolved in a quart ofwater can be used to wash the interiors of refrigerators and freezers, neutralizing odors.Add a tablespoon to coffee pots and vacuum bottles, then fill them with water to freshenthem, too. Still on supermarket shelves, venerable Bon Ami cleanser (with the drawing ofthe chick that "hasn't scratched yet") is a little more effective than baking soda, anddoesn't contain chlorine, phosphates, perfumes, or harsh abrasives. Borax or baking soda with lemon juice will handle soap film in the bathtub and shower.Adding a couple of teaspoons of vinegar to a quart of water produces a handy glasscleaner, and there's even a less pungent solution for the dishwasher—equal parts of boraxand washing soda (sodium carbonate, often labeled as "detergent booster"). Discoloredcopper pots? Try a cleanser from early in the twentieth century: a tablespoon of salt mixedwith a half-cup of vinegar. There are also all-natural air fresheners made from the concentrated oils and essences oforange peels that can neutralize odors, not just cover them up. Orange-based freshenersare available in hardware and larg