Happy Monday Girlfriends! MUSICA . . . We’ve been busy-busy, as usual. How’s everything with you? Joe and I are just getting “ready to GO” cross the country and meet everyone . . . doing little things around the house so I can feel proud that when we come home, nothing will upset us. Like dirty curtains or something. Hate that.
Joe repainted the downstairs bathroom, which needed it. We took all the pictures off the wall, cleaned them, washed and shined the glass, and put them back. And then I washed this little dresser scarf we have on a white painted table in there, oooooh, needed it bad.
Spring is for Dust Bunnies.
I love old-fashioned starch you mix with water . . . crisp and white is the name of the game. Starched things stay looking fresh a LOT longer than unstarched things. By about a year I would say.
So pretty. So happy here in . . .
I did the little curtain in the bathroom too. Ancient though it is. But starched, you can’t tell. If this curtain could talk!
When I first moved to the Island I brought lace tablecloths from California and made bedroom curtains from them. This curtain watched me write my first book! It saw Joe and I fall in love! It’s the last survivor of them all and I am babying it.
Section-by-section, I remove dishes from the shelves, put them in the dishwasher, wash the shelves and put them back. The last time I did this was last fall . . . We’ll be gone two months and if I didn’t do it now, by the time we get home, this would probably reach out and slap me the moment I walked in the door. It’s all sparkly now, and I’m a proud mommy.
As for spring, we’ve had a week of anything but, including rain storms, huge winds, and giant clumps of snow.
Can you see it out there? It’s all melted now, but we’ve even had fires and made chicken stock. Gathering in the last bits of winter.
Y U M
With just a soupçon suggestion of spring . . . because my kitchen is my favorite place.
We stopped by the nursery before the rain started . . . very cheery . . . the juxtaposition between the indoors and the out!
Between snow drops and rain yesterday, I ran out and took pictures because oh yes, it is coming. Yellow is the rightest color for spring. ♥
Unless it’s pink. The buds for the magnolia and cherries are fat and swollen and ready to pop on the first sunny day. And we’ll still be here to make one of these bouquets. ♥
Oh yes, and hang some laundry on the line. Fluff the quilts. We are happy!
I do think we will miss this . . . the Beauty Bush will have to bloom without us here to see it.
And likely we will be too late for this when we get home in July. Definitely the peonies will be long gone. But if it gets nice before we go, I will be planting the garden the best I can so it will be pretty when we get back. Home. My favorite place. Home, without a book to write, just a house to clean, a stove to cook things on, and a garden to dig in? Oh, you know, I am so looking forward to that.
And these guys. I will miss them. Hardest thing of all to say goodbye to. Because I’m afraid they will think I’m abandoning them. But I’m NOT.
B E L O V E D
HOWEVER, there is a lovely exchange . . . I get to go see everyone, and put faces to the lovely comments I’ve received from my Girlfriends while creating books . . . As I’ve mentioned, there can be a real loneliness to book writing . . . but you make it much more bearable! So, as usual, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. If you are going to one of the signings, be sure to wear your Fairy Tale Girl Badge so we can know each other . . . You can get it Here . . .
And Lookit how cute you are.♥ I can’t wait. . . The funnest book signings in the world are what I get to go to. Joe loves them too. And we didn’t get to go for The Fairy Tale Girl . . . we stayed home so I could finish Martha’s Vineyard Isle of Dreams. This photo was taken back in 2013 when we went for A Fine Romance . . . so this next book signing adventure is actually a double whammy.
This was from the tea party in Wilamette (near Chicago) in 2013, and we’re going back for another one! Who wouldn’t! These people are so happy because they have just been given the best tea in the world, cakes and everything! I’m telling you, I have the best Girlfriends! ♥
So often, it’s a family affair, mom’s and daughters and sisters come together . . . LOVE it.
You all know Chris Wells from Texas who leaves such nice comments on the Blog? There she is (on the left) in Ohio with her whole family! I have no words for how honored I felt that they came to see me.♥
And some of my California Girlfriends . . . came from Palo Alto to San Luis Obispo. Honored again! ♥
So yes, I’m doing this . . . lots of it. Not that it’s helping in any visual way, but I’m feeling pretty perky on the inside with lots of energy, despite the ravages of time fully developed on the outside. Whatever.
Mas MUSICA
And I got this sent off to the printer . . . It’s the 30th Anniversary Edition of Heart of the Home with lots of new pages and art and recipes. SO exciting. The endpapers in the first book were blank, so I got to decorate them for this book, and lots of other things . . . and of course this one will have a nice bright red ribbon. I can’t help it. I have always loved books with ribbons.
And I did a cute ad for Yankee Magazine . . . for the May-June issue. AND, I got an entertainment lawyer to work out the details on the option for the three books for either a movie or a TV series! Remember that? It is still sort of happening! I don’t think it WILL happen, because it’s just too crazy, but it still could! It hasn’t fallen through yet, and until it does, I intend to enjoy the heck out of it! The first thing the lawyer asked me was who I wanted to play me. That’s how I knew I would like him. Those are the fun questions!
And I invited my Island girlfriends to a TGIT (uesday) Birthday Party next week ~ because it’s my birthday and I get to give THEM presents, which they deserve for having such a terrible MIA girlfriend like me for so long. I promise to be better (as soon as I get home!). 🙂 Oh well.
And look, somedays I even find this on Amazon. Not always, but sometimes, and it definitely cheers me up! And this is because of you too, don’t think I don’t know it. We are all word of mouth Girlfriends, this I know. And I love that we are selling the book for less than they are! And ours our signed. Ha! And we have them, but they don’t! Oh the power. Proud mommy. And then, yesterday… this happened:
Oh yeah . . . the books came to the Island. And today, the books arrive in California and the mailing BEGINS!!!
And this is the first thing you will see when you open your book . . .
Here they are on my table . . . I’m signing them for my brothers and sisters and best friends, and Tuesday Girls, and Diana, and Publisher’s Weekly and Little, Brown and everyone I have known for the last half century.
My kitchen is now complete. It’s a strange feeling to see the book actually here. But a good one. And the other thing I’m doing is signing SIX of them for giveaways to YOU, right NOW. So this is your moment to leave a comment. ♥ If you already bought a signed book from us, that’s okay, this one will be personalized to you, with your own name, and you can give the other one to your best friend. It’s a win-win!
And Joe had a good idea . . . he said that I should save my worn-out paintbrushes, the ones I used to paint Martha’s Vineyard, Isle of Dreams with and give them away with these books, along with one of my paint-blotters-turned-bookmark. So each book in this Giveaway will have a paintbrush and a signed bookmark . . . So sign yourself up for the drawing by leaving a comment below . . . I already warned Vanna about the extra workload of drawing SIX names this time, poor girl. She’ll need a vacation in Cannes after this one! Love you Girls, Happy Spring! Still working on fabric and Willard! . . . talk soon!
Can’t wait to read your books!
Oh, I’d love a chance for a book and paint brush.
So looking forward to the new book. My sister and I enjoyed A Fine Romance together as she entered a long illness. It kept up her spirits immeasurably. Now, she is in the final stages and will soon leave us. I hope we have time to at least enjoy a bit of it together. Thank you, Susan, for writing a book that gave her joy at a very joyless time.
Dear Susan,
Can’t wait to receive my copy of the book. Even my husband keeps asking me if it has been sent yet. After a busy work week, he knows that my favorite thing to do is curl up with a great book on Saturday morning and read it cover to cover. Good luck with the book tour and safe travels to you!
What a great idea, Joe! That would be a wonderful addition to my Susan Branch collection! Thank you, Susan!
Susan,
What a great give away! I can’t wait to read Isle of Dreams and meet you in New Hope, PA on May 3rd! I am saving A Fine Romance until after I complete Isle of Dreams. I am a bit of a Anglophile as my daughter lives with her family in Scotland and it is just so beautiful. I miss her terribly but I am struck by the views, the oldness and the lovely people each time we go to visit. The picture in A Fine Romance, look very familiar to me. 🙂
You were smart to have a child who went to live in such a wonderful place so you can go visit!!!
Safe travels for you and Joe, I can’t wait to read your new book!
So excited to meet you in Ohio for your book tour! I will be coming with my girlfriends, Lisa, Sue, and Cyndi! It will be a dream come true <3 And, what a wonderful giveaway…you simply are the best!
I’ve shared your books with colleagues at work. We are loving them! I hope to be able to meet you on your tour stop at An Unlikely Story!
How exciting to know you will be coming back again soon to our little bookstore in Hudson, Ohio! We wish you safe travels as you celebrate this next great accomplishment, knowing the love and appreciation coming to you from all of us along the way!
The anticipation makes me giddy!!! Can’t wait to DIVE in… xoxo XO!
I am going to do my very best to hold off on reading your newer books until we are on vacation in the Isle of Dreams…MV…be still my heart….I hope the Chamber of Commerce gives you some kind of award for increasing tourism there!
Either that or they will lay me on the shore and let the fire goddess Pele take me away.
Our books are here, our books are here!!!!! Yay!!! Have a safe and wonderful book signing journey across the US. It is going to be a great trip and I am looking forward to your posts about all of the GirlFriends you are meeting and exciting tidbits that happen. I “packed” a small bag for the GF section in the back of the van. Tell Joe, He is the driver extraordinaire and all of us GF love him for being so patient will all of us stuffed in the back singing and laughing!!
Remember singing, “The ants go marching one by one, hooray, hoorah,……The ants go marching two by two, hooray, hoorah…..” on all of those Loooonng trips?
100 Bottles of Beer on the Wall! (Joe would kill me if I started one of these!)
Or how ’bout “There’s a log, there’s a log, there’s a log at the bottom of the sea….” That song can go on forever! 🙂
Happy Birthday Susan! I’m still mourning the end of Downty so I’m really looking forward to the new book. Happy trails to you as you travel to meet all the girlfriends!
Oh, I would be so thrilled to win something. You are such a wonderful inspiration and I have so much fun clicking here on Mondays. You always make me get out my paints and continue the story of our own. Have a beautiful, safe trip. Counting the days till I have your book in my hand!
You are a pleasure to read each time! Have fun on your book tour!
Susan,
I so love reading your books! The stories, the artwork, all of it. It is my escape into my own little world of pure joy, relaxation, laughter, and just lighthearted goodness. Thank you for sharing your life with us!
Have a great day !
Hello Susan,
I see there a thousand some comments, however, if you have time, will you tell me where you obtain he starch that is mixed with water? I have an old box of Argo Starch, that I use only for special linens. I am not able to find any more! Yikes! And, yes, please enter me in your paint brush, book mark give away! Thank you.
Ethel
I always love your posts, and your books! I can’t pass up a chance to win a signed copy of your latest art 🙂 Thank you for sharing your beautiful life 🙂
I Can’t wait to get my book and relax awhile; too much work here on ranch with new baby calves.
Treese/Colorado Cowgirl.
So excited for you and for Joe! To have the books finished and to be looking forward to seeing so many of your readers! I am anxiously awaiting my own copy of Isle of Dreams.
Thank you for the lovely give away! I have a special shelf on my bookcase that has all of your books! By far, my daughters baby book is my most favorite. 🙂
Thanks for what you do!! I have shared your books with my co-workers. They think you are darling too!! 🙂
Hugs!
I absolutely adore your books. Have a safe and happy trip!
Your blog provides much needed pleasure and comfort to my life and I thank you. I take care of my 94 year old Dad and perusing your blog has eased the stresses of many long nights. Please enter me in your generous giveaway.
first off, happiest birthday ever to a dear friend! yes, that is how i think of you. i am looking forward to receiving your latest book and also wanting your revised heart of the home cookbook.
Dear Susan,
It’s always like a visit with a great friend when you blog for us! I saw your little Island on the weather channel this morning and know that while you are Spring cleaning you’re viewing Winter again! Us too here on the Cape across the water!
It must be a cleaning bug going around, as yesterday I turned our living room upside down! Today I tackle the dining room and so it continues! I’m going to let the Universe know that one of those special paintbrushes and bookmarks will be mine. (Such a good idea Joe had!) Can’t wait to see you next at the Brewster Ladies Library (unless I see you before)! Happy and Safe travels girlfriend! xoxoxoxo
Sing out loud to the tune of Happy Birthday…
Happy Birthday dear Sue;
An adventure awaits you;
Check the oil in the va – an ;
Hit the road now, YA-HOO!
Pack your sharpies and books;
Snacks and teacups, sketchbooks.
Check that camera, bring some post-its;
Extra batteries and checkbooks!
Pictures of both the cats;
Socks and sneakers and hats;
Bring your musica and your cellphone;
Flashlight, maps and that’s that?
Trusty Joe’s at the wheel
Steering your automobile
Toward all of the destinations;
Fuel him with a good meal!
See America your way;
Girlfriends beckon to play;
Get your signing hand all ready;
All will want you to stay!
Across America you’ll roam;
Reading from your new tome;
Bringing talent and creativity
From the Heart of the Home.
See you in Madison on the CT shoreline!
Love, Carol from CT … tra la
LOOK at you Carol! 🙂 That was great! Thank you!!
I am so excited for your new book- it’s been fun for the last few years watching along as the trilogy has been written and then published. Thank you!
The best of luck on the tour ! I can’t wait for Isle of Dreams to land in my mailbox – it will be soon. I enjoy all your posts and all your wonderful books – I’ve collected them over the years. You taught me how to make a dish or a gift more special with the just right touches. Thank you and may the journey unfold for you and Joe in the most wonderful of ways!
Love everything about your blog, your books, inspiration from all of these. I am going through my second bout with cancer and your comments and quotes have hit the spot, so to speak, when I’m feeling a little down. Can’t wait to get your newest book. I read the last one in less than two days. Blessings and love on your trip. We need more girls like you in our world.
Oh, I’m sooooooo excited about this giveaway. Would love to have the SB goodies that go with the book. I would frame that doodle page and brush to remind me that my artist dreams can come true, too. Dig deep, Vanna, because I’m #1377 on this list. I’ve enjoyed all of your books, and am looking forward to your newest. Thank you for sharing your blessings and joys with us, your kindred spirits.
Susan, you are a treasure! I just love opening my email and finding your blog there for me to read. God speed on your trip and all of your book-signings. I’m looking forward to receiving your book. You and Joe take good care …
New hardcover books are not currently in my budget, but I’ve managed to get used copies of most of your books. I know that doesn’t help your sales numbers, but I’ve become a loyal “second hand” fan of yours! Your words and pictures just make me smile. I think that’s exactly what art should do! Even though the former owners of my used books were kind enough to leave all the words in, I would LOVE to win a brand new copy of your new book. Keeping my fingers crossed.
My huge Maine coon just did a high arching forward flip off of the couch when I awakened him from his 20th nap of the day with my squeals of delight upon reading your post. You are such a generous girlfriend! What a great idea about your brushes and blotting papers! I can’t decide whether to get my book now from your site or to go the book signing in June…I may not be able to wait! Good luck and lots of fun with your spring cleaning…you have inspired me…the missing ingredient was Jimmy Durante…go figure! Enjoy your well-deserved and hard-earned time with your Tuesday Girls. I know they’ve missed you, but all true friends understand and support us no matter what, it’s that secret “weapon” that keeps us going in times of stress, whether it’s from good or bad sources.
Now relax and cuddle with your kitties during this weekend’s last winter blast!
Oh, Susan, I have read A FineRomance (I loved it so much!) and Fairy Tale Girl (brought me back to my days of growing up in So. Cal. in the 60’s – we are about the same age). Now I am so looking forward to reading Isle of Dreams. I know it will be wonderful…… and fingers and toes are crossed to help me win it!
Hello! I look forward to your book, “Martha’s Vineyard, Isle of Dreams” is comming for sale in Norway. I love your books! Thank you 🙂
Wishing you safe travels and a very happy birthday! My mom will be 91 on the same day so I always think of you . Thank you for the joy you have brought me . When I am having a low day , I just check your blog and read and re- read your postings. You give us hope and joy. Blessings !
Good morning Susan, always, always look forward to your blog. Makes me feel like spring with 2 inches of snow here delivered yesterday. Such good teamwork with you and Joe on your latest giveaway. I would adore your book, a paintbrush and
the bookmark. Happy spring, happy traveling and have a safe journey. Take care, Cindy
We just spent the weekend on the Vineyard (my niece was one of the stars of the ice show!) and I thought of you often. My husband suggested that we try to find you and meet you, because he knows what a huge fan I am. I thought it seemed a little too much…. hopefully you’ll be near enough to us for a book signing this trip 🙂 Hope you are keeping warm and that the ferrys are running when you are ready to head out- we almost couldn’t leave, which would have been just fine with me!
Can’t wait for my book to arrive! And I’m coming to see you in Asheville, NC. Four hour drive for me and my other Susan Branch fan and friend, Bette. But we will be there. Wouldn’t miss an opportunity to see you!
Looking forward to the new book! Happy travels !!
Dear Susan and girlfriends,
Isn’t it wonderful to read the stories here in the comments section? I am touched by so many of them…stories of illness turning to wellness, sadness turning to gladness… I believe we are blessed! Sue, what a gift you are! Thanks for your rays of sunshine on cloudy days and glimpses of a wonderful life, put in order with some starch and a hot iron. (Love that last curtain!)
Happy, happy birthday and safe travels. Hope to see you in Pasadena!
Love, Marsha
I am so looking forward to meeting you at the Learned Owl bookstore in Hudson, Ohio, Susan! Your blog is such fun to read and brightens my day. Thank you for bringing sunshine into our lives!
Don’t know if you sent books across the ocean, but if you are I am in! And otherwise I’ll buy it, no problem. Looking very much forward to reading the rest of your story.
Groetjes, Petra from Holland
So excited the new book is sent out. Hope you have a safe journey. I know you will have lot’s of fun.
I can’t wait to receive my copy of Isle of Dreams, and would dearly love to have one of your paintbrushes and another copy, too, as my daughter and I share them. Safe trip, thanks for inspiring me to get out my iron also.
Susan,
you have inspired me! I, too, have been adding pops of color via fresh, potted flowers all over the house. Spring will be here soon! Despite the 6 inches of snow we JUST received yesterday…………and the wind chill factor of 6 degrees this morning in lovely Dudley, MA. I am jealous that you are planning your next trip. But I will live vicariously through you, via this blog. 🙂 I will be the mouse in your pocket.
Oh Susan I do hope that I get to meet you on your book tour! I have been anxiously awaiting this book the second I finished the last one. Love, love love you, Christina
Oh, I just love reading your blog posts. Thanks for allowing us to peak into your day – not to mention your lovely home. I wish you were coming close for the book signings, but don’t believe you are. That won’t stop me from reading the book. I hope you have a lovely day! 🙂
Oh, the happy busyness of spring cleaning. I do think it is refreshing Coming Home after a trip to a tidy house. It’s like crisp sheets after a summer’s day of hiking. I hope your travels go well!
I love your charming, smile-inducing work, Susan. As someone who also Arts and Writes, you’ve been a brightly colored and adventurous inspiration! I would be overjoyed if I could join your Girlfriends group…
Thank you for a beautiful blog for reading and greeting, a stack of lovely tomes to delight in (congrats on the newest!), and for this giveaway! 😉
Happy Birthday and safe travels!!!
Stay safe along your travels and have so….much fun!
Congratulations on all the milestones, Susan! Your upcoming birthday,
the completion of your latest book,the updated cookbook, the trip you have all planned…what
could be more fun?
I was introduced to you many years ago when my sister in law gave me a copy of
Heart of the Home. She got it at a home demonstration. Your books and calendars
are all cherished gifts in our family. And, being able to share in your life via this
blog is really the icing on the cake.no pun intended. I’m sure you will love almost
every minute of your trip. Thanks for including us in your very creative life!
MaryEllen
i am so excited for my signed book to arrive….but i would love to have one of your paintbrushes and bookmarks. thank you for your beautiful writing, painting…love your books and cookbooks.
Born, raised and lived my life near the water in southern New England. One of my favorite places is always Martha’s Vineyard. It is our favorite summer destination. I’m so looking forward to seeing it through your experiences. Also, shocked to realize my “Heart of the Home” is 30 years old. No wonder it looks so well loved. Looking forward to having a new one but will definitely keep the old one. Thank you for brightening our days.
Hope your signing trip is a wonderful vacation for you both. Sad that the book signing in the Chicago area is already sold out! But I’m so looking forward to reading the new book. It will be just a like a visit from you. I first “met you” when my GF gave me a copy of Vineyard Seasons……..Safe and happy travels!
Dearest Susan,
I feel so refreshed just seeing your garden when we are broiling here near the hundred-degree Fahrenheit mark! Yep, the flowers are here, but they need a lot of watering to keep up their perkiness… Waiting for the rains to arrive. Wish you a very comfortable and exciting cross-country journey. Looking forward to the Isle of Dreams!!!
Dear Susan, Hello from snowy Upstate NY. My earlier comment hasn’t shown up, I wonder where it went? I too am cleaning house. Have just made a new cover for my window seat cushion with matching tablecloth and pillows for the room. Beautiful old linens are a passion of mine and I have my Grandmother’s which I brought with me from England. Eagerly awaiting the arrival of Isle of Dreams and the fabric you are going to bring to us. Wishing you many happy returns, not just for your birthday but for all that you give to us, your girlfriends. We love you. Blessings and a safe and fun trip.
PS I share your birth year, and a very good year it was too xx
Happy Spring! It’s gorgeous here in Charleston, SC but I do so love your neck of the woods too! Wish you would do a book signing in South Carolina! Have a wonderful trip! And thanks for always putting sunshine in my day!
It always makes me happy to read your books. I am looking forward to reading this one.
Dear Sweetest Sue, you have truly overloaded us with the best goodies a girlfriend could ask for, new book, new updated Heart of Home, new Willard, fabrics on the way and a paintbrush too boot!! My heart is beating a hundred miles a minute. Thank you does not even due you justice my dear but truly I do TY from the bottom of my heart. Just a couple more things, I LOVE your beautiful “starched” linens, just gorgeous. And all your pretty sparkley dishes, so nice to come home to. Was just wondering, are you and Joe taking the van or going by train? Will you get a chance to visit with your Dad (Blog Daddy) along the way? I am already packed whichever way ‘we’ go! LOL. I vote for a TV series and I think Zoey is a great choice! We need to come up with a ‘Joe’ actor too. I also think it should be on Sunday night at 9 p.m. on PBS!! You have nothing on Downton!! Wishing you many (early) Birthday wishes incase you don’t post again before the 12th. I love your rings on the candle too, how did you come up with that idea? Much love and happy trails on your book touring. ♥♥♥ your girlfriend Sharon P.S. Love your picture Chris!!
With my girlfriends we have this thing that when the birthday person makes a wish, we all put our rings on the candles and then we make wishes right along with her. When she blows out the candle, all of our wishes go together to wherever wishes go to come true. Oh yes, can’t wait to see Blog Daddy! And my mom, and lots of assorted relatives and friends on this trip! Thank you Sharon!
So sorry, I was just re-reading what I wrote and I think I said it backwards, I meant Downton has nothing on you!! Hope you knew what I meant, lol. I love your ring wishes, thanks for explaining it. xoxo
I did Sharon xoxo
I would love and enjoy so much a copy of ” Isle of Dreams”.
Like many have said before me, we are living through you our dream of life on MV
in that beautiful home and property. To hear through the written word, how your life has unfolded, is very personal. Just you and the reader.
My birthday is this month and couldn’t think of anything better to receive.
Happy birthday to us! Your 69th, my 70th!!! Started celebrating yesterday with beloved GFs, and continuing on through next week!
Happy Birthday Ann!
Congrats on your book’s arrival, looking forward to reading it.
I can’t wait to read the new book! Have a safe trip. I’ve told all my friends to pick the book up.
How excited I was to read this blog post, about your newest book. Safe travels to you and Joe!
Don’t know how you can leave your beautiful home (not to mention Kitties!) in the spring, but guess you do what you gotta do. Please enter me in the drawing. I’ve never won anything, but who know? This might be my lucky day!
Your excitement is so contagious – you even put a happy spin on Spring cleaning. Yeah for the new book. We have all been waiting and waiting. Safe travels for you two. Maybe one day we shall meet if you ever come South for book signings. Thanks for all you do for us. Your postings are a ray of sunshine in my life. JC
I can’t wait to read this latest addition to your works, and take me away (only in my mind) on a grand adventure!
Sooooo excited to see you in Austin, Texas in June!! I planned my summer vacation around your visit so I wouldn’t miss you! 🙂
xoxoxo
Lisa Hay
Every time I see your blog waiting for me in my inbox I break out in a big smile and a warm and cozy feeling envelopes me. The book is coming soon and I am fiiled with thoughts of you traveling the country, meeting all those like minded wonderful women out there. In my mind I see us all joining hands, a joyous sisterhood full of warmth and love. Hooray!
Dear Susan, Good morning to you on this sunny day! You have inspired me to get going on my spring cleaning if it wasn’t snowy outside but the good news is the melting has started. I felt badly that the pansies that I planted last week with my granddaughter had to be covered over before the snow started…….hopefully they will be all right. Just wanted to take a moment to say all the best to you and Joe as you start your book tour at the end of the month. Love road trips……always an adventure! I also want to send special wishes to you on your birthday and am sure that your girlfriend party will be one of the best birthdays ever! Please know that you are appreciated so much by all your girlfriends and we are so fortunate to know you and thank you for sharing your life with us! And last thought is that I am thrilled to have gotten tickets to your luncheon at Unlikely Story and am taking my daughter-in-law with me. We can’t wait to finally meet you. Have a safe trip and enjoy every moment……you deserve it! Thank you for being you!!
It is always a fun day when I can read what the world of Susan Branch is like. Thank you!
love all your books, can’t wait to get the new one. Love when i get a new post from you, they make me happy.
Your blog just brightened my day. Makes me feel 100% better about all the spring cleaning. Getting pine pollen out of my screened in porch is YUCK job. But…now done and ready to sit and enjoy the view. I have collected all your books over the years and looking forward to your new one. Safe travels on your adventure.
So looking forward to this new book. I have every one of yours and have given them as fabulous gifts to friends and family. I hope I get to see you on your travels. I got to meet you once at the New York Gift Fair years ago when I carried your line in my shop. I am retired now but follow you everywhere you go. You’re the best Susan!
When your first two cookbooks were new, they became my “go to” gifts for any of my lady friends. I still make the lemon-sour cream pasta bake that’s side-by-side with the shrimp-pasta-tomato dish and sometimes I catch myself mixing the two recipes together in a “ditzy-grandma” kind of way!
Would loooove to win! I am also a fan of your kitties!
I love watercolor and I’m trying it out myself (I still have a long way to go) but I would love to have one of your test sheets. I hope you have a good trip. Unfortunately, you will not be close to me but I’m looking forward to getting the book. As always, I love your blog and the pictures you provide. Happy Birthday (mine is the 26th) and big hugs!
Heart of the the home was one of my first illustrated cookbooks so many years ago and just loved all the treats inside. I’m amazed at your repretoire of work and loveliness. Have a safe and happy trip!
Can’t WAIT for this to come out and be in my hands!! I love everything you do and it was so nice to get the details of exactly how you ended up in Martha’s Vineyard. I dream of ending up there one day like you once day. Here’s to praying it comes true. You also inspired me to kind of write my own book (not really for anyone else’s eyes but mine and maybe my family’s one day but you never know) It was so fun to relive so many moments of my past and I have you to thank for inspiring me to that fun!!
Hello Susan!
I found your book, A Fine Romance, on a shelf in a bookstore two years ago. I knew nothing about it or you then, but fell in love with you, your trip, and your book!
I love it that you love home and garden and homemaking and Beatrix and watercolor . I love those things and your book on the bookstore shelf caught me immediately. You made me want to take your trip with your book in hand! (A dream…..wanted to win the Downton sweepstakes so i could go on to do that!)
I have asked at the bookstore for more of your books and they have said they are out of print, (but now I am wondering if Fairy Tale Girl is? Was i misled there?) so I am happy a new one is coming and that your first is being revived!!
I would love to win the drawing for the new book!
But i know you will do it fairly, so if I don’t win, I will look for it in the bookstore!
Wishing further blessings and adventures for you Susan!
Keep writing and painting forever!
In print is my Autumn from the Heart of the Home, A Fine Romance, The Fairy Tale Girl, and Martha’s Vineyard, Isle of Dreams, and soon to come, a revised and expanded reprint of my first book, Heart of the Home. Thank you Patricia!
Hi Susan,
Such an adventure for Joe and you! Always love it when you include kitty photos, outside weather shots, and the shelves in your kitchen….do your cats ever knock anything off the window sills?
Safe travels,
Susan G.
I keep A Fine Romance out permanently on my antique secretary desk. Would ❤️❤️❤️ to add another book to it. Happy Spring from Winona, MN! 💐
Best wishes on your tour! Only discovered your website recently – thank you for adding such beauty to my day! Looking forward to sharing your world through your books, too!
Happy birthday and happy trails to both of you, Susan and Joe.
Oh, time is passing quickly! Before you know it you’ll visit us at Vroman’s in Pasadena, CA. Every time I think about it, I get butterflies. At this rate, my butterflies will be worn out by then! So a very heart felt thank you for all the excitement!
I already pre-ordered Martha’s Vineyard: Isle of Dreams and am really looking forward to doing so for Heart of the Home too. Hope your trip is wonderful too! You really ought to consider doing it in an RV (which you could decorate on the inside and outside) and bring the kitties along. We did a trip last year all the way from Los Osos, CA to PA and back and had a wonderful 6 week time. You can eat your own food and sleep in your own bed every night. There are wonderful parks along the way as well. Happy Birthday too!
I am so looking forward to meeting you when you are at the book signing in St. Charles, MO. I don’t know what I would do without you!
How will we know if we see you on the road? Will you still be in the FINE ROMANCE van? Or Fairy Tale Girl? Or Isle of Dreams? The countdown begins!! I am BEYOND excited to finally meet you next month! I have been collecting everything SB since you first started…(that’s how “young” we both are!). I am thrilled to be bringing my sister with me next month to the Wilmette, IL leg of your tour. She has been a wonderful caregiver/advocate for me as I learn my way around/through my recent cancer diagnosis. It’s taken me a couple months to even say the word out loud, but now I’m ready to stand up and figure it all out and fight it. I’m bringing her with me (ok, she’s the driver) to meet you at the ladie’s brunch, as her treat for being such a wonderful sister. I can’t wait! In the meantime, I hope you know how much each blog entry has meant – every time I open one up, it takes me to a happy, cheery place – and takes my mind off my (hopefully temporary) troubles. Thank you for being there, for ALL of us. You’re the best penpal/girlfriend EVER. Sending you love and lots of blessings as you get ready to hit the road. Give your kitties some extra love from me today. Love you!
I not only love reading your inspiring blog, I love reading all the commits from the girlfriends who are ALL kindred spirits. So lovely to know that at any time I could meet one and have a lovely chat about the sweet land of SB dreams.
Your have inspired me to launder my own lace curtains. They are in the wash as I type. Their hems were very sad indeed as we are blessed with 2 doxies and 1 very beautiful kitty girl who all love to push them back to have a look at the great outdoors. I don’t blame them because it is soo very enticing with Spring bursting out all over. Azaleas, Iris, Dogwood all abloom. We are in the midst of ‘dogwood winter’ with its cool days and very chilly nights and will soon have ‘blackberry winter’ and then the hot days of summer… I do love Spring… and your shared life with us through your art. Happy Spring!
I can’t wait to receive your new book! My only sadness is that my Mother, who was looking forward to “Isle of Dreams”, passed away on Good Friday. We enjoyed poring over your lovely books together. I hope you & Joe have a safe & wonderful trip.
Oh, Susan–such happy news, all the way around (except the lingering Winter part–where is our Spring?). I have been so anticipating the new book and cannot wait to have it in my hands. And FABRIC! I’m thrilled at this reveal since I’ve loved being creative with your fabrics in the past and they are so hard to find now. Yayyy!
If I don’t have a chance to do this later, I wanted to wish you and Joe travel mercies as you depart for the book tour. Looking forward to finally meeting you here in NJ in June. It will be the highlight of Summer ’16 for me. xoxo Maria
P.S. Vanna, you’d be my best friend on the planet if your pretty fingers picked me. I’d be happy even with a book mark. 😉
Cannot wait to read your “Isle of Dreams” book. It has been too many years since I visited Maine, but I still remember it as a magical place. I thoroughly enjoyed “A Fine Romance” and keep it with me to read again… and again! So looking forward to the revised “Heart of the Home” as well. Thank you for sharing and spreading your light!! Best birthday blessings and happy journey!
So great how you interact so fully with your fans. I am looking forward to getting my hands on the new book. Just seeing the shape of Martha’s Vineyard in the map you show in the book makes me happy as I love this beautiful and magical island. Amazing how you are able to capture it’s spirit in all of your books and blogs.
Lovin’the movie of tv series idea. Who knows, it could happen! Your story is a great one!
Enjoy your trip. A cross country road trip sounds amazing and you will have even more stories and pictures to entertain us with.
I am so excited to get my book! I have told so many of my girlfriends about you and your books, so if I win, I can give the book I ordered to my girlfriend, Claire, whose birthday is coming up in May! She is soooo glad that I told her about you!
Hi Susan, thank you for the chance to win one of your lovely books…… Love your writings and artwork!!! Always look forward to your fun posts!!!! Hope you and Joe have a wonderful trip and make many sweet memories!!!! Smiles, Deborah. 🙂
Just can’t wait, for the new book, for your road trip across the country, and for your trip to Scotland. Over the years, you have been like the big sister I lost to cancer in 1991. She was born in 1946 and was 18 years older than me. She loved to cook and to read. Thank you for sharing your journey. Safe travels darling Susan.
So what was your answer, Susan? Who would play you?? I would want Sandra Bullock to play me in a movie about my life…
Your blog brings me such joy and fun! I save it to read when I have a ew quiet moments to take it all in! So looking forward to your book signing in Utah. It will be such a treat for me. Thank you again for all you do! Happy travels and happy spring!