There is something so soothing about the combination of rain and the smell of fresh pumpkin bread made from scratch baking in the oven.

Add in the aroma of freshly brewed coffee, some soft jazz background music and enough lighting that my eyes don’t fail me as I work on my cross stitch and I’m in rainy day heaven!

Soon the smell of pot roast and home made bread will replace everything else and both should be ready just in time for our family dinner we have planned tonight.

We had sixteen quail babies who hatched in the incubator a few days ago and just got moved to the brooder, so before I sat down to write this I went to check on them and found they are all cozy and warm, protected against the elements.

The house sparrows hung around for just a minute this morning, voicing their discontent at the rain before flying off to the neighbor’s trees which offer more shelter for them.

If I open the window I can hear them in the distance and have no doubt they’ll return to the viburnum once it dries out again.

The view out there is a combination of dreary and dreamy, which I love.

Of course the mood won’t last long because half the pack is inside, all clean and dry and curled up at my feet or beside me on the couch while the other half, who slept outside, are not happy with this arrangement.

They are out there doing their best to make me feel guilty in between thrashing in the mud puddles and chasing leaves blowing into their pens on the wind.

They stop once an hour or so to voice their discontent through a group “awroooooo!” but it’s not working.

Not today.

Okay, maybe a tiny bit. I have the slightest sliver of guilt, but the hubs is busy and having twelve inside is just too much for me alone. Plus, I just ran the carpet cleaner yesterday and I don’t feel like spending the rest of the day mopping up muddy paw prints.

I *might* save them a piece of the pumpkin bread if they behave and let me work on my old fashioned sampler in peace.

Well, if there’s any left once we’re done with it. I guess we’ll see…. 🙂