Music for these days

Here are some songs for you.

It's for when you start to go bonkers from another gray day, another forecast for rain.

Picture yourself in an old house, looking through a big window dotted with trails of raindrops. There's a crunchy chair next to the window, a cup of coffee and a book on the table next to the chair just waiting for you. That's when you plop down and heave a big sigh. It will be just fine.

This mix is called "Rain in Winter." Imaginative, I know. This season is fleeting and the least we can do is appreciate it in all its soggy glory. The songs are mostly simple, raw and comforting. Some of these, I daresay, are plumb optimistic.