"wish to display the legend using 'text' command so I don't have a separate line of legend for each month"
That is not the approach to use. Instead, construct a series of line() objects with x and y both nan, and with the appropriate color and symbol choice for the markers. Record the handle of each of those line objects into a single vector. Then legend() passing that vector of handles as the first parameter, and appropriate legend entries in the other parameter(s).
Because of the nan x and y data, the line objects will not appear on the display, but they will exist and legend() can display entries for them.
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