After a series of heavily overcast days capped off with a copious, persistent rainfall, we're more than glad to welcome the sun back, to warm up our house, the outside atmosphere, and to lift our spirits.

We can now, with confidence, anticipate resuming our daily wooded ravine walks, although to be sure, without snow and frozen ground due to the unusual continuation of what can only be described as relatively balmy weather, the ravine trails will be muddy and slippery.

This morning, I chose an easy-to-prepare baked dessert: date squares. Which require only that the dates be cooked briefly until soft in water, then vanilla and butter added to make the filling. And the oatmeal-cinnamon-butter-walnut bottom and topping is prepared with ease, the whole baked until crisply-brown in our little countertop convection oven. Once I put the chicken soup on to cook, and finished with the bread dough for tomorrow night's pizza I was done for the time being.

And that's when my husband took over the baking island in the kitchen, loading it up with what he required to bake a rye-pumpernickel bread, in his new breadmaker, for breakfast delectation.

All is well with Button and Riley, comfortable and dozing after their breakfast and stroll-about, content with the sun brightening up the house and falling gently through the windows upon them.