People often ask me what inspired me to move all the way across country, from California where I grew up, to New England ~ to an Island, off the coast of Massachusetts, so very far away from home, where they had this thing called winter. MUSICA? Well, the short answer is the break-up of my marriage in California and the strong urge to escape the pain of it. But the deeper answer is . . .
Not just autumn, but all of it . . . everything New England seemed to offer (from all the books I’d read), deep traditions, romance and inspiration that comes with nature, the authenticity of the old houses that had seen so much~ it all seemed to represent a solid foundation where I hoped I could build a solid new life.
And no, 35 years later, I’m still not used to it. I don’t think I ever will be.
I still see the change of seasons as a miracle. Four-times-a-year for extra celebration, totally organic, not man-made, God provided, and real as real could be. So I thought I’d give you my “Best of Autumn,” just in cases you aren’t yet in the mood 🎃 ~ hopefully when this post is done, you will be, because what I want to do is help you . . .
Is that color possible in nature? No. Not possible. Probably the camera had a piece of red cellophane over it!!! Wrong. But that’s actually what I used to think when I was a child and would see photos of New England in the fall. It just couldn’t be real.
Now that I know better, you would think I would get used to it, but apparently that’s never going to happen. Looks like magic to me.
I’ve walked down a dirt road through the woods to the water almost every day of the last 35 years. The first five I did alone, then I met Joe, and we’ve done it together ever since, in all seasons. I told you, I love tradition. The over-and-over leaves an ownership imprint, and someday far into the future, Joe and I will haunt this place for eternity. When I wear this loosely woven sweater, I can tuck in stems of the wild things I find growing along the side of the road. 🍂Then of course Joe feels the need to hide in the bushes all the rest of the way home!
Is this not romantic? Sooo romantic, little cottage by the sea, we walk by it every day. Simple and surrounded by color . . . in the foreground is bittersweet, it grows wild and free, it makes a celebration where there might not normally be one. You see? Not my idea. It’s nature! We gather it to decorate our front door. 🍁
In the fall you can feel the icy breath of winter in the wind that blows leaves through the air. Black crows fly low across the road, cawing the whole way. Someday I will catch one with my camera!
My traditions hold inside the house too. My little rusty birds, garlands, wreaths, leaves, owls, birds, festoons, out of the boxes they come!
Then of course, there’s the dance of the tea towels . . .
I can tell you about the fall breezes, but here you can see it . . . and we can smell it too ~ and not only the fragrance of the sea ~ but as it flits around the Island it gathers perfume from everything 
that grows wild: goldenrod, clematis, wild apples and pine, blueberries, sandy beach plums, asters and bayberry. 🌻 As I wrote in Martha’s Vineyard Isle of Dreams, “the salty breeze slips in and out of seashells, climbs tree trunks, dives into squirrel holes, slides along old porch rails, stumbles through the bittersweet, skips along picket fences, scoots beneath falling leaves, whistles past ancient graveyards, flits over and under dragonfly wings, and steals all the wishes off the dandelion puffs, flinging them in every direction, wishes for all.” It’s the pure romance of the seasons. 🍂
And my little bo-bo waits for me to come in.
Our very best tradition. Cat-loving people that we are. True blessings are all around us.💞
I brought in the last Just Joey rose of the season ~ in the little blue bottle Joe found while digging the hole to plant our Dogwood tree. And you can see our best tradition peeking out from the corner of the screen door.
The garden isn’t finished yet. I plant things that bloom late so we keep ourselves stocked in garden flowers for as long as possible, till the first freeze.
To some, marigolds are common, but they are the BEST when it comes to fall color right from the garden. Long-lasting flowers that know their job and do it well.
Lighting candles, part of the tradition of the season, for the shorter days and colder nights, wind beating our shutters against the house. And P.S.: LAST NIGHT!!! PBS was golden! The new season of The Durrells started (you would love it), and after was Poldark, and advertised was the new season of Victoria starting in January! So much to look forward to! Right now, while I’m writing you, I’m listening to the BBC production called Byron (as in Lord). I just spoke into my remote, and there it was!
Lounge lizard.
More wind, crunch leaves, sweet smelling sheets . . .
This is a sandy driveway where the leaves have been driven over so many times they are imprinted. I thought it would make gorgeous fabric.
And we’ve been cooking too . . . this recipe cooks at 250 degrees for 7 hours! Makes the house smell heavenly. It’s Spicy Short Ribs, I made it for you last Christmas in another post . . . just click HERE and scroll to the bottom for the recipe. It’s so good!
And here’s the Marmalade tea bread! (Recipe is HERE, just scroll to bottom of this old post.)
All for my favorite thing, setting the table, with my purple Windsor Ware . . . and, here’s a little tip: flowered dishes look best with striped, plaid or plain-colored napkins.
Some things are a must at this time of year . . . homemade pie crust is one of them. I have to say, if you haven’t had a real homemade pie crust in a while, you don’t know what you are missing. Fill it with pumpkin . . . homemade is best! There is nothing like cooking and nurturing to make you feel 100% better about the world.
Am I right, or am I right?
I love this photo. It was on a door of a tea room we visited years back and I just love it ~ it screams halloween! 🕷 Or maybe I scream halloween. But definitely, someone is screaming! 😱
And this foggy day showed all the dripping little webs that normally you don’t even know are there. In our woods they’re on the ground, between every leaf and twig. . . sparkling in the mist and dew. 🕸
And now, about pumpkins . . .
We found these pumpkins at a craft show. They are easy to make, but you have to grow them and mark them while they are young ~ it’s so easy, you can put your family name on them, read HERE for a How To. . . it’s pure magic for children! 🎃 There are so many interesting pumpkins available these days. Below, the warty ones are called Knuckleheads . . . there are Cinderella and Lakota too, beautiful and fun to grow, remember for next spring! Put it on your calendar so you don’t forget!
I’m a star pumpkin girl myself, but Joe always does a few faces . . .
Don’t forget to put cinnamon and nutmeg on the inside of the top of your pumpkins for wonderful smells when lit.
And of course him. Casper. Our ghost. SUCH a tradition. This house would not be a house without our ghost. How many years have we had him now? Maybe twenty!
We have a street coming toward the house, with a stop sign out front, and for twenty years Casper has been in our upstairs window saying HELLO to everyone who goes by. I’ve never seen another one like him, but I think it might be possible to make one (not by me, but I think Joe could do it, or maybe you can! Or perhaps you have a Joe of your own who might like a project that will last forever) …. would you like some photos of his innards? I can do that!
You can get an idea of his frame by seeing the light through the cloth ~ its like a wire dress form. The cloth is cotton, starched to the nth degree, and lightly covered in the finest glitter. There are two tiny lightbulbs attached inside to the frame, top and bottom, and one inside the pumpkin all on one cord that we plug into the wall.
Here he is from the front, holding a pumpkin . . . which is also framed in wire ~ its fabric is felt.
There are two round frames, one on the bottom (which you can see in the photo above) which is what Casper sits on, the other is visible in that first picture ~ from the back ~ up toward the top of the head. And all the vertical wires are hooked to them.
The little arms are separate, and here’s how they are hooked to the main frame.
There are two lightbulbs fitted into the two round frames.
There’s a tear in the ghost fabric to hook the frames together, to hook the pumpkin to the ghost, and for the light for the pumpkin to go through. The pumpkin hides the tear.
And voila!
You can see him up top center window.
There have been a lot of Autumns at this house. Tradition, authenticity, romance, endurance, security, dreams, and somehow, despite everything, a symbol for the continuity of life, the manifestation of my childhood faith in forever. Cue the Musica . . . 🎵 I would love to see how it looked inside on the day this photo was taken, what they were doing in the kitchen, go to the barn and see the horses … go for a ride in the carriage down to Main Street . . .
Gathered from the woods, from the farmstand and from Michael’s Crafts.
We are ready! Bring. It. On. We get a jillion kids at halloween. We have a responsibility to give back some of the magic we’ve been given.
Our other house decoration is our big BOO in the window!
Lovely wonderful bittersweet. Another miracle from nature.
Last year we were in England for the fall . . . I’m standing in the 13th century churchyard looking at the moon across from where our dear friend Rachel lives. Whoooo . . .
Here we are at Carrie’s darling house in Oxford! Lots of you know her from Twitter . . . go say Hi! Aren’t blue and orange perfect together?
And here we were, apple tasting with our friend Siobhan in the glorious English Countryside . . .
Perfectly wonderfully charming . . . an apple on every fence post . . .
Last October 19 we were busy setting the table and decorating the dining room in a house in Bath where we were staying (with Ray’s friends and family) to help celebrate Rachel’s birthday! Yes, balloons and hats and bunting, streamers and candles!
While we were doing that, she was waiting in the kitchen ~ no peeking! Drinking wine and overseeing the cooking of the birthday dinner. 
Here’s Ray’s cake, with all of our rings on board, ready for her to make a wish and blow out the candles. It was a wonderful time and a luv-lee memory. And now, here we are, one year later! We can surprise her again, Girlfriends 🎉 . . . click HERE and say HAPPY BIRTHDAY 🎁 … or, HERE . . . or, if you live in the UK, go HERE, and get a sample of the amazing Sugar Moon Brownies she makes, packs and sends in the mail! Her birthday is on Thursday and I’m not going to say a THING . . . 🤐 shhhhhhh.💞
In the meantime, I go to my studio every day . . . making new things, painting for the 2019 calendar with my little three haired brush . . .
And this week, I’ve been choosing thread colors for my new
Coming soon . . . Have I told you? Yes, we found someone wonderful in the USA to make them for us . . . coming to our web store soon.
This is the newest . . . just finished and needs ironing, but I think it’s going to be darling! This is cross-stitch, but some of the kits will be printed too . . . Nothing like needlework to take your mind off the cares of the day and leave it to wander and dream in an aimless, do-something kind of way. Hand sewing and old movies go together like ice cream and cake. I speak from lots of happy experience. I tell you more very soon.
Jack’s been helping us plan our next trip to the UK! Maybe not helping, perhaps blocking.
Also, for you who’ve been asking ~ two of our “Sold Out” cups came back in! The manufacturer let us know they had some “leftover” decals ~ and asked if we wanted them to make a few more . . . we said we’d take them all . . .
So, there were two . . . the 16 oz. Martha’s Vineyard . . .
And the 11 oz. Autumn cup ….
We didn’t get many, but I hope this will fix it so that everyone who wanted one, gets one!
One more of my favorite fall traditions: I just bought the most delicious new flannel jammies. I love thick cottony flannel for our wintery nights . . . the best ones I’ve found are at Garnet Hill . . . . when I find something good, I need to tell my Girlfriends! 💋
So off I go to write a new WILLARD . . . in case you don’t know, WILLARD is my Newsletter, you can sign up and every so often it will just appear in your mailbox . . . lots of interesting things to tell you about . . . it should be going out sometime next week. Until then my dear, darling Girlfriends, remember to choose love.
What a lovely post, thank you for allowing me to vicariously enjoy a bit of the Autumn season. I’m thrilled you have more of the “Autumn” cups. I’ve just ordered mine, yay!
On a busy day creating a Fly Fishing Quotes and Inspiration little book for my brother in Montana, I came to the computer for a reference and there was your blog awaiting me. I never put off reading your lovely words for they make the rest of the day so joyful! Keep writing lovely lady for I enjoy your inspiration through your words, beautiful pictures and poetry. Our autumns here in Northern California are not exactly like what you are experiencing but I enjoy what is offered to me. Until another message from you… —Marsha
Hi Susan… your link to the marmalade tea bread isn’t working. Can you fix or repost?
By the way, I was in England in September and my dear friend recorded the first 2 episodes of the new season of Victoria for me to watch…. such a treat, can’t wait for the rest in January!! If you love the Durrells, you must read “My Family and Other Animals” by Gerald Durrell. We had to read that at school and loved it (of course, that was in London, not the States).
As always you brighten my day. Fall is my very favorite season and I can never get enough. Now I live in Maryland but for a good many years I lived in Maine and there is NOTHING like a New England fall. Thank you for sharing. Here in Maryland we are a wee bit behind you but fall is lovely here as well. Enjoy !!!!!
Smiles,
Liz
Susan, I have to agree with you on blue and orange. My son and his wife used those colors for their wedding. Some thought it different but we just told them it was like a sunset and sunrise.
I do wish my Joe could make me a Ghost for it is darling. I may make a BOO for the picture window. Love, love the counted cross stitch, one of my prayers are answered. Loved this post. Will send birthday wishes Wednesday to the girlfriend. Take care of you and yours.
What a delightful thing to come home to !. I never tire of reading your lovely posts and dreaming of a New England fall. I grew up there but have been gone since 1974. You make it all real again and I thank you. Hilary
Wow! I’m in the first little wave of blog readers!
I used to be SUCH a summer girl, but have really begun to love the fall and winter more. Today has been a lovely gray day with leaves fluttering and falling in the wind and the sputter of rain outside……windows open!
Got the print I ordered for my DIL and now have cups in my cart.
Happy Autumn, Susan!
I love you, too! Whenever I receive your recent post in my inbox, it gives me a little frisson of excitement, like receiving a letter from a dear friend. I always savor it and wait to open it until I have plenty of time to settle in and enjoy reading it, taking in all the lovely photos and paintings. It is such a treat. Thank you!
Susan, Thank you for all the Fall inspiration! Have to force the feeling here in Florida. But when you inspire us, we can get into the season before it is Christmas! Thank you so much for sharing.
Oh my gosh! I can’t wait for the needle point kits!!! Yeah!!!!!
A whole year ago…how did that happen?! And now we’re back in that magical season once more. We had an orange sun today…it was the result of Storm Ophelia blowing winds of 80mph and bringing us the remnants of terrible forest fires in Spain & Portugal and Saharan sands too. It looked and felt so strange…a grey and orange pall over everything. But my heart is back in Bath, remembering that wonderful first meal in the pub beside the house, looking around at all my beloveds and feeling blissful! Can’t wait for next year and more wonderful memories to make! Xxx ps – it’s Thursday this year…!! 😉 xo
Oh you are so tricky, I thought sure you wouldn’t see this until the weekend! And here you are! Too on top of things! I was wondering what you are doing for your birthday this year ~ thought you might be off in some other glorious place? Happy Birthday dear Rachel ~ wish we were there!
Happy Birthday Rachel, wishing you all the best for a wonderful day and for a wonderful year. Happy Birthday!! Autumn hugs…… 🙂
Thank you so much Pat, I really appreciate it xo
Dearest Rachel, Happy Birthday !! It is also my grandson’s 26th birthday on Thursday….good people, same B’day.. Hope yours is filled with sweetness…hugs from Barbara in Indiana , girlfriend… USA.
Glad you didn’t blow away Rachel! I’ve just washed all that sand off my windows ~ what a job!
Sending warmest wishes for a Very Happy Birthday on Thursday.
~~~Deb xoxo
Dear Deb
Glad you didn’t blow away in the hurricane winds.
I saw a picture of your Bara Brith on twitter, but I’m not a member, it looked delicious. I’d love you to post your recipe if you wouldn’t mind sharing it. Thanks Sue
I love this post so much. We seem to finally be getting a little fall in Virginia. For a while, I thought we were going from summer to winter.
Happy fall to you ad Joe:)
I have much the same fall here.
I love the 4 seasons..although our Québec winter is harsher than yours..things may change..
Love your Halloween ghost:)
I enjoy ledges to put things too..when we built our home..I drew in plate rails and nooks everywhere I could..to put treasures..and our oeil de boeuf:)Bull’s Eye window ..in our guest room that has a quote of yours and your stencil going around the room.♥
I love how you have inspired me..through my adult life;)
My calendar is on the way..
We have just returned from Provence and it has filled the pretty compartment of our minds for a while..~
I have so much marmelade..must do the bread..just finished Ketchup and French baking fare.
Bonjour vous deux!
Monique and Jacques
Merci Monique!
I would love to be able to walk to the beach everyday, following that path. You are so lucky to live in such a wonderland! Marmalade Bread sounds delish – I am off to find the recipe! thx! Happy Autumn!
How wonderful to come to the end of a trying day and be able to sit and eat chocolate chips out of the peanut butter jar and read your latest blog post. Happy sigh! Thank you for sharing beauty and inspiration with us. Please try to get your hands on a copy of “Set in Silver” by C.N. and A.M. Williamson. Published in 1909, it is a travel book about England with the best ROMANCE! I know you will love it. 🙂
Chocolate chips out of the peanut butter jar! I love it!
Mary Ann, as soon as I read your post I went to Amazon and eBay to look for a copy of “Set in Silver”. I just bought a beautiful 1909 copy on eBay for less than $6 !! It has a beautiful blue binding and is described as being in very good condition – and has an inscription dated 1909. Thank you for your excellent tips – I will look forward to reading it while eating chocolate chips from the peanut butter jar. 🙂
I enjoyed your post about fall. Right now I am living in Ajijic Mexico.. delightful weather and flowers. But I wanted to share this link to a quilt from the 2016 international quilt show. Scroll down to see Peter Rabbit.
queeniepatch.blogspot.com/2016/01/tokyo-international-great-quilt_26.html
Dear Susan- I was looking through my Autumn book last night planning warm and delicious meals from the beautiful pages. Thank you for bringing some colorful cheer to this beautiful season. Love your thoughts and sentiments! Enjoying the fabulous colors on our Wasatch mountains before the snow flies and we see the white magic of winter… take care!
Hi,Susan! Your post could not have come at a better time,as I needed to sit for awhile. I am in the Bay Area of CA and because of the air quality from the fires in Wine Country felt I needed to vacuum and mop the house from top to bottom. No complaints,however, as we have our home and loved ones around. What is it about Autumn that makes one so nostalgic? I’ve never quite put my finger on it but you always capture those special moments with your photos and art work. I will visit family later this week in the upper midwest (where I grew up) and will drink in some Fall color. Thank you again for your loving blog.xo Annette
Autumn is my most favorite time of year! Colors, smells, tastes, all are wonderful! Add a delicious cup of hot apple cider and flannel pjs and it doesn’t get any better. Thank you for declaring this season. Off to make some cranberry walnut bread!
Yum!
🍁🍂Autumn hasn’t quite found us in Southern California yet so thanks for giving us a peak at what it should look like. I turn the air conditioner down, light those autumn candles, enjoy the pumpkins and decorations I have around the house,, and channel Martha’s Vineyard and you, Susan. Thank you! 🍁🍂
I thought I would give a bit of autumn hygge to those who might not be getting it yet!
Dear Susan,
I have been ironing all day and just finished putting it all away, poured myself a cold cup of apple cider, grabbed my iPad and ta-daaaaaa…….there was your blog!!! Your words, art work and words uplift me so. I agree so much with Nan….I just love you!! Have you ever thought of making audio books of FAIRY TALE GIRL, MARTHA’S VINEYARD ISLE OF DREAMS and A FINE ROMANCE? Gosh, that would be wonderful! Maybe you have already and I missed them? This blog is wonderful! I really LOVE the old picture of your house… it is wonderful that you have it!! Oh the stories that your house could tell!! I am so glad that you chose Martha’s Vineyard to move to 35 years ago…it really was calling you!! Have a nice cozy evening and give Jack a couple of chin rubs from me! xoxo. p.s. The happiest of birthdays to Rachael!!!
Consider Jack rubbed! I have thought about doing an audio of the books . . . someday, we’ll see!
Susan, when I subscribed to Audible your books were among the first I looked for in their listings. I own all three, but it would be wonderful to be able to listen to them while I do my chores!!
They would be fun to do! I’ll try!
Thanks Kathiellen! So sweet of you xo
Can’t wait until the cross stitch patterns come out!
Any tips for keeping an old house warm in the winter without spending a fortune? We just moved into a very old house in VA and are brainstorming ideas for keeping out the cold. I thought of your sweet old house and wondered what you do.
We do everything! Do people use storm windows in Virginia? Basically you have to block all cracks where air might come in, mostly windows and doors. Lots of ways to do that, Google it for tons of ideas. On the coldest days, we might close the doors to our tiny “wood room” where we watch TV, and turn on a little electric heater (looks like a tiny radiator on wheels) ~ big help. Happy new house Meg! Wear sweaters and get a hat!
Wall tapestries were hung in castles and mansions to line crafty halls and rooms prior to central heating. My first house was poorly insulated and during the coldest months I hung heavy blankets over doors and thick woolen curtains over windows. Susan, didn’t you make curtains out of old quilts for Holly Oak?
Drafty not crafty! LOL!
Try putting some silicone caulk along the edge of your floors where they meet the walls. Our contractor recommended crystal clear GE Max Extra siliconized acrylic. We had an energy audit done a few years ago on our 200 year old house and a lot of cold air was coming in there from both outside and the cellar. You can also use this caulk around window frames and doors. Also, we found the biggest bang for our buck was insulating our cellar walls with foam, if you can afford to do that one day. An energy audit would tell you where your particular house needs the most attention. (If you’re technical, you might even be able to buy a thermal imaging device of your own. Our contractor said that the price has come way down, to like under $200, and the new ones work with an app for your phone.) Keeping a house tight is no joke here in northern Vermont!
Happy autumn Susan. Thank you for the luv-lee pictures. It is 100 degrees here in San Diego today, so not much like fall at all. I do miss the autumn colors we had back in North Carolina. This is my first fall here and I am not sure about this. Keep sending luv-lee pictures to get me through.
LOL, “I’m not sure about this!” Ha ha ha, I understand… there are good things though, you can swim on Christmas Day!
Hello Charlotte, we used to go to the mountains to see Fall and we always ended up in Julian for their Dutch apple pie which was to die for. I don’t know if Julian is still, shortly after we left there was a big fire in the area and a lot of Julian was burned but if it is still around, go there for your “Autumn fix” that always got me through for awhile, then we had to go back and have more pie…. LOL!!!! 🙂
We moved from Southern California to the midwest 17 years ago. Not for the romantic reasons that you did, but for work…however my husband Richard always tells people it was for the weather….and you know what…it is, for the very reasons that you have written about today….we LOVE it here..our entire family all five sons and grandchildren live out West….and of course I miss them like crazy…But…here we are. I walk to Lake Michigan and I can pretend if I want that it is the Pacific ocean…it certainly is big enough, but at this time of year I wouldn’t trade it for anything….My pumpkins are out, my tables are decorated with Nature’s gifts and it is just beginning…
Thank you Susan for your gift of painting, not only with a brush but with your beautiful words and phrases…
xoxox
I know JUST how you feel! 🍂
Hi Susan! Beautiful post! We’re having glorious fall weather here today after being so very hot for so long. Your post was right on time! Just wondering about what kind of sandwich that you showed. The bread looks so 😋!
Yay for Autumn!
Love and hugs, Janelle
Grilled cheese!
You posted the way you make grilled cheese a year ago or three. 🤔 I’ve made it that way ever since. So good! Perhaps Janelle would enjoy seeing the link to that. nt
Maybe she would . . . just go HERE! Thank you Nancy!
Susan, I so enjoy your posts, and can’t wait until the next one is in my mailbox. Thank you for your scrumptious recipes, decorating and travel adventures. I too am an Anglophile and love everything British! I so hope you will be writing about your Scotland adventures like A Fine Romance……you do an amazing job! I enjoy going back to it all the time when I need my Brit fix! ❤️🇬🇧 I’ll look forward to the next Willard!
All the best, Susie
I think I will Susie! Thank you!
Oh Susan,
I just love your blog! So much fun and so many ideas. We made the big move to Asheville 11 years ago (how is that possible). Love having four seasons. Autumn is my favorite! The leaf change is just beginning here. Everyday more leaves on the ground and the changing colors. Just luscious! Be happy!
Asheville, beautiful!
Thank you for a glimpse into your New England Autumn. Here in Oregon, our October has been glorious, except for a few days of much needed rain to put wild fires out. We had lived with hazy, smoky days, and an orange sun for many days and now the fires are out, thank heavens, and our Autumn has returned in its’ glory.
Rain is coming, so we’re counting our blessings and taking advantage of the warm day today. My Dad was from Boston and he loved the Fall colors there the best. He went west after college and rarely returned. I would love to visit someday to experience the explosion of colors!
amen to that!! 🙂
Another great tour – this time of autumn. You know, you have spoiled me for other blogs I read…..where is the musica? No tune playing in the background as I read… such a shame. Looking forward to the cross stitch design to add to my collection of tea inspired stitches. Thank you. Another thank you for the best ever pen pal I met through your blog. We live on opposite coasts but share so many interests and life happenings. If I could choose musica for what you inspire, it would be Louis Armstrong’s What a Wonderful World. Happy Autumn to you and yours.
Love that Musica! Happy penpaling Pat!
Oh Susan, you’ve mentioned a few of my favorite things. Autumn is my favorite season. I wish I could have 6 months of it, 3 of spring, 2 of summer and one of winter. I know, quite unreasonable! When I moved to Arizona I knew when October came I’d made a big mistake. I had to move back to the Midwest. I need and crave the rhythm of seasons. I also need marigolds in my gardens. Yes, for their glorious colors but also for their ability in keeping certain pests away. And two more things, I love the Durrells! They’re hysterical! Can’t wait for your cross-stitch patterns. Cross-stitching helped me maintain my sanity through nursing school.
Oh I so miss the bittersweet…I loved it in wreaths, on the doorways and all along the table and at Thanksgiving too.
Thanks for all the color…my favorite season!
Your post is so very heart warming, I really appreciate the joy you give your readers, thank you for your loving kindness.
What a wonderful post. Fall is truly a glorious season, we need to enjoy each moment since winter will be here before we know it.
I am looking forward to your stitching kits. Needlework along with a good cuppa tea makes for a peaceful moment in the midst of our hectic days.
Peace & blessings to you and Joe!
At the mention of cross stitch, it reminded me of knitting….another lovely winter time activity. I just picked it up again and I CAN STILL DO IT!! Your muscles just remember I guess. There is something so therapeutic about knitting with a soft yarn and listening to George Winston….the click, click, click just seems to set a lot of things in my life back in place.
Your photos are absolutely breath taking…they bring happy joyful tears to my eyes!
I love fall!!
Hugs to you
Hi Susan! Today in the mountains of Asheville, NC it FINALLY feels like fall…59 degrees- perfect. I understand perfectly what you mean about the wonders of Fall, I lived in the tropics of South FL for 15 years. Originally from CT, I hated the never-ending summers and missed Fall terribly. When hubby and I made the decision to move to NC, we were called “half-backs”- definition: Move from New England to South FL, then move “half-way back”. Perfect. 4 seasons, really mild winters and heaven. Happy Fall to one of my favorite artists- YOU! xoxo Jacqui
Oh, I love fall! I’ve lived on a farm for most of my life and Halloween is the only day of the year I wished I lived in town. I’d so love to do up my house and treat the trick-or-treaters! The ash trees in my yard have already lost all but a few leaves and the lone maple is just turning crimson red. The cottonwoods along the river are completely gold. It’s all stunning! Happy fall, Sue and Joe and all the girlfriends here!
Dear Susan,
Thank you so much for sharing your Autumn with all of us, I so wish I could jump on a plan today and come visit Martha’s Vineyard again ! : )
I had already decorated our home here in Sunny So Cal, but after reading your Blog today I was thinking a yummy Beef Stew sounded great for this evenings dinner so I went through my Susan Branch Cookbooks and had my plan all together until … I went outdoors and worked for awhile in our silly 95 degrees !
I now feel it best to hold off on that Beef Stew idea and perhaps BBQ some Chicken for dinner instead , so back to your cookbooks I go for some Chicken inspiration ! : )
Also thank you for sharing the Vintage photo of your current home . What a great picture ! “Meet Me In St Louis” is one of my favorite movies and it looks like your house would have been perfect for that movie . : )
Happy Autumn,
Love from Linda of So Cal
What a nice surprise to find a new blog post today. I always enjoy reading.
Today’s was no exception – a bit of Autumn for this desert dweller. Thanks.
Hi Susan!
Thanks for sharing your beautiful world. I truley enjoy reading about your lovely home and your Autumn traditions. So Cal this time of year is just hot and dry but we can bring in the loveliness of fall by following you on your blog as you transport us to all the beautiful colors of Fall. Joe is really a great pumpkin artist. Kudos to him! Enjoy all of your new projects and have a wonderful Autumn.
SUCH a great post; thanks SO much!!!! Everything about Autumn is so gentle on the heart and soul; I look forward to it every year. And I hear ya on those Garnet Hill pajamas. They are perfect, in fact all their sleepwear is. Add a down pillow and comforter and there is very little reason to leave the bed! Have a wonderful and full season and thank you for your sunniness.
Another great blog. Having grown up in CT I really miss autumn since we now live in FL. I always loved raking up the maple leaves in our yard and we had tons of them. My great-grandfather had planted about 8 Maple trees on our block, with a really, really big one in our backyard. That tree held my swing and we would hold our family 4th of July picnic under its shady boughs. Lots of fond memories regarding Maple trees and I went to Maple St School, as did my father and grandfather. New England is chock full of memories. I really miss it at this time of year. Kisses to Jack.
Hi Susan!
I sent you an email a week so about our recent 3 week visit to England totally inspired by your trips! I was wondering if you saw it because I wanted to let you know about a couple of places in the Cotswolds that I know you would love to see on your next visit. If you did not get it, let me know and I will resend as a reply to this latest blog post!
Thanks,
Nancy
Sometimes emails get away from me, although I do try to respond. Sorry Nancy … please resend it!
I can understand how emails can get away from you! Here is what I wanted to share with you – we just returned from 3 weeks in England entirely taken upon inspiration from you and A Find Romance! Two of the weeks were spent in a cottage in Stow on the Wold. All of the things I read in your book/blogs came alive for us! Loved it all – the people were SO nice, the pubs, the adorable sheep along the public paths, coffee and scones, their accents (“lovely and brilliant”). The only awful part was the driving!!!! Could totally identify with you on that!
I wanted to tell you about a few of the gems we found just a few miles from Stow that I know you would absolutely love – Daylesford Farm is just fabulous. Google it and you will learn all about the farm. While we were there, they had their Harvest Festival with a Country Brocante which was so wonderful. So much to see there – great shopping, , bakery, cooking demos, wonderful restaurant offerings. It is an organic farm where they raise the most beautiful cows and sheep – they have preserved the breeds from way back. We bought some of their meats which were outstanding (the grocery store in Stow was definitely not what we are used to in the USA!) Not sure where you are staying the next time, but if possible, I would suggest going there – it is your kind of place!
Another beautiful little village we found near Stow is Lower Slaughter. The Slaughters Country Inn has a wonderful restaurant, pub, and outside dining. Just one little gift shop there, but a great one with small cafe and outside dining next to the river with views of the fields beyond dotted with those cute little sheep!
If you are in Stow on the Wold, go to The Hive for scones, lunch, etc. Very cool!
Thanks so much for providing the inspiration to take this trip.
Have you watched Very British Problems on Netflix? Gotta love those Brits!
Cheers!
Nancy Kilner
You can’t even know how much I love hearing all those lovely English places . . . we must have been right where you were because our friend Siobhan took us to Daylesford, we wandered and shopped and had lunch and I know just how wonderful it is! Isn’t it great how organic so many of the British restaurants are? There’s such a focus on healthy good food from small farms. Joe and I had a wonderful Sunday afternoon, drinking tea, reading the paper in a Country House restaurant in Upper Slaughter! We’ll have to get to Lower next time! I’m so happy you had such a nice time, of course I would not expect less . . . Stow is such an amazing place. You are back in time in the prettiest of them all! Thank you Nancy!
Yes, Nancy, please post your favorite Cotswolds places here as well!
Dear Susan, Your art makes me so happy! I’ve been a fan for many years and have a couple questions for you. Did you, at one time, have checks with your artwork on them? If so, would that ever happen again? Secondly, would you ever do a weekly desk calendar? I have all the others, like every year, I buy extras and cherish their beauty, unwritten on! But a weekly desk calendar would be the “bees knees!”
Happy fall to you and Joe….and Jack too of course! Is your girl kitty still around?🙏🏻
Thanks and best wishes!
I did a book of Days . . . and I did have checks for a little while. But I don’t anymore . . . not sure about the future, I’d love to have them again!
Fall has always been my favorite. I think because it’s my birthday month. Living in the south, I’ve never seen a bouquet of beauty in the trees , so thanks for sharing. Yes PBS was great last night, but, if you aren’t watching Outlander you have missed the icing on the cake. Maybe you can catch up in January. Thanks for sharing my favorite season!!
Autumn. Fall. Fluttering, flying, crackling leaves. Pumpkins, squash & gourds. Apples & sweet tender pears, Wood smoke in the air. Firewood adorning the woodshed. Cozy quilts and smooshy pillows. Air so crisp, all the smells of childhood. Restful evenings to sit and read…Tasha Tudor, C.S. Lewis, Ralph Moody, Stephen Bly and Susan Branch. Ah, yes. My favorite time of year. Thank you for being…YOU..and sharing with us!
love it, sign me up!
Fall is so grand! The colors are just now coming on here in northern Indiana–a bit late this year but we have been LOVING the temperatures this year. Loving my morning tea in my Autumn Mug. I can’t wait for the cross-stitch kits. The new blog was just what I needed as I enjoyed my supper of meatloaf and sautéed zucchini with onions and the last of the cherry tomatoes from my garden. Thank You Susan for the lovely Fall blog!
What a lovely post this is. When the world seems crazy it is a joy to read about you and your life. So uplifting and positive. Smiles
My perfect life experience would be to spend time in a small cottage by the eastern shore of Martha’s Vineyard (aka “My Island”) during a wicked winter storm. Honest! The little cottage in the photo during your walk looks perfect!
I’ve done that, and it’s magic!
Thanks for giving me a respite from all of the heartbreaking catastrophes in
our world. Out here in California, the fires have been on everyone’s minds.
Heartbreaking.
Autumn is my favorite month, so I loved this (actually I love everything you
write). Happy Fall!
The fires are on my mind too. I really find it hard to believe all the destruction. My prayers are with you and everyone there…heartbreaking what’s going on in our world, so many made homeless from this wild and crazy weather. xoxo
I read in the paper over the weekend that the creator of “Peanuts”, Charles Schultz’s home was burned to the ground in Santa Rosa. all the memorabilia in his home was totally destroyed, his widow made it out and is with her kids in San Francisco. imagine all those vintage cartoon clippings, books, films and music gone forever… how sad.
What a devastating loss! I’m happy he didn’t see it.
so am I but I can imagine Charlie Brown, Linus, Snoopy, Lucy and Schroder shedding some tears. so sad!!! 🙁
Thank you for this little slice of heaven today. I grabbed a cup of tea, and sat reading the blog. Thank you for sharing fall with us. Growing up, I lived in a small little town in California, but we had the 4 seasons and fall is always my favorite. I love the cool crisp nights, and the beauty in the leaves as they change. I no longer live in the little town and am now in the city. While I long for the shorter days of fall and watching the leaves change colors and eventually break off the trees and glide to the ground, I don’t get that luxury. As I write we are dealing with Santa Ana winds and heat. Your blog post today took me away to a world I am missing at this moment, thank you!
Still Summer here is Southern California (96 degrees today). Yearning for Fall, but, alas, it has not arrived. Was supposed to attend an artist’s retreat in North Carolina but had to cancel due to one of my best friend’s husband taking a serious fall. He’s fine and we are on for next year and I can’t wait to travel through the yellows, oranges and browns of Fall. Your newsletter gives me such joy season to season and I can pretend I can smell the Fall wind blowing through the trees.
Thank you.
Oh, dear Bittersweet! I wish I could find it out here in the Pacific NW! I had a special off-road patch I would plunder all the years I lived in MA, but have had to do with (gasp) the fake stuff all these 20 years of west coast living. There’s nothing like the real thing! It’s a good enough reason to move back east when we retire! Now to persuade my husband….
Good luck!!!
Hi Susan
Oh how I adore Fall, it is my absolute favorite. Love snuggling in with a cup of tea on a windy, chilly day. Flannel PJ’s are the best. We get flannel bed sheets for the winter also. Loved seeing the picture of your house so many years ago. I always love all your pictures Susan
have the best day ever
deezie
I so adore reading your beautiful words. I first prepare a cup of tea, using one of your mugs of course, get my softest afghan then curl up in my recliner and have you take me on a journey. You evoke all sorts of wonderful, soothing thoughts that relax me more than I can express. Your photographs are splendid! Thank you so much! God has blessed you with super duper talent in so many areas. I love that you share them with us.
Oodles of love and admiration,
Diana
Thank you Diana, I feel so lucky to be able to do my blog and connect with so many wonderful people! No time to answer everyone today, although I’m reading them all . . . gotta go write that Willard. Where is cloning when we need it?! 😁
Really looking forward to the needle craft. I love doing needle work in the winter by my fire place. I have been a big crewl fan for years, ever since my first surgery. It’s very difficult to find any kits at present. Here in NC we are just starting to feel Fall. I love the colder months.
Thank you for sharing your beautiful autumn colors. We live in Texas and our leaves just turn brown and fall to the ground around the first of the year. I enjoy everything you do but your photos take my breath away. Thank you!
Happy Autumn from the central coast of California! Looking at your darling window ghost I had a thought as to how to recreate him, a tomato cage for the wire frame, and I would use a string of LED lights (no heat, and plastic bulbs) so less chance of being a fire hazard, and of course as you said a starched to the max cotton fabric. I am inspired by your friendly ghost, and his little pumpkin too! 😉
Brilliant!! Much easier!
I know you are busy these days, but here is an idea you might consider, why not make a ghost for Halloween decorating, and decorations in your style for Thanksgiving, Christmas and so on???? just an ornament or a figurine maybe. just a thought. 🙂
Happy fall! Lovely post…I enjoyed seeing the old picture of your house. Is there a tower or is it a house in the left side of my the photo? So interesting. I have never lived in an old house…mine is only 15 years old…wondering who will live here a hundred years from now?!
There was a tower! Good eye! It’s so pale in the photo, but that is the ONLY photo we have of it. It was obviously an add-on ~ doesn’t match the original house at all! I WANT to know what was in it! Us too, we feed our house for the people of the future, so that hopefully they will feel what we feel when we are here. xoxo
Perfect timing, it just turned fall here for real in NJ! Love your decorated sweater, my Mom and sisters always collect leaves, and acorns, on our walks, never thought of your lovely trick! 😄🍁🍂
Yes, how to make yourself invisible in the fall woods! xoxo
My husband and I are in Concord, Mass. for our 14th anniversary for 10 days. This is where Autumn feels like perfection. The beautiful, old homes right near the sidewalks, the colorful leaves falling over picket fences, pumpkins on front porches and scarecrows on front lawns holding handmade signs of the names of the original owners of the home 100 years ago. Beautiful. Today was a stroll around Walden Pond. Tomorrow, Orchard House, Louisa May Alcott’s home.
It is all so wonderful. A gift from heaven.
Concord is heavenly. Louisa May Alcott! Go to her grave, it’s in Sleepy Hollow Cemetery right there in Concord. I don’t have to tell you to have a good time! Happy fall!
The Colonial Inn is across the street from Sleepy Hollow. We always take a quiet walk there and say a “thank you” to Louisa. Amazing the talented people who blessed this town.
I wish they wouldn’t leave stuff on the graves there. I know they feel they are honoring their heroes, but it’s hard to look at!
Jack, by sitting on your map, is trying to tell you NOT to leave him again! He misses you too much. <3
I do get that. Hardest part of traveling. I want more pets, but I can’t bear the separation!
Hi Susan, what kind of bread do you use for your grilled cheese sandwiches? From the picture you posted on the blog it looks thicker than the usual sliced bread. Thank you and happy autumn!
Josephine
Here’s the story of the Grilled Cheese! Enjoy Josephine!
Thank you so much for the lovely post. I will take any kind of fall I can get since I live in Houston! Just beautiful! One day, I am going to take a fall leaf tour up north! It is #1 on my bucket list! I love how your sweet kitty always photo bombs your pictures. He is so silly! It was so neat to see a picture of your house back in the day! I wish I could live in a house with so much history! Fall is my favorite season. I wish it would last longer! But at least I have your Autumn book that I keep on my coffee table so I can enjoy it year round!
Happy Fall Susan. My girlfriend and I just left your amazing island this morning. Such a blessing to witness all you just wrote about. We actually drove by your beautiful special home the other night and saw your sweet little pumpkins on your door ledge.
We absolutely love your island and can see why you do too
Fall blessings to you and Joe
Thank you for showing us the bittersweet growing in the wild! I’ve never seen it in its native habitat. Autumn is my favorite time of year because it finally cools off in southern Texas! Since there’s not much color outside, I bring the color inside with many Fall decorations.
Hi Susan and thanks for the lovely post about Autumn which we also enjoy here in Kansas City! The leaves are just beginning to “crunch” when I take my dog for a walk. Your homemade pie crust is on my bucket list to make. And did anyone ever tell you that your photography is simply outstanding? Happy Fall!
Dearest Susan,
You have a real talent for reminding us all of the simple, beautiful, heartwarming joys in life! Thank you for making my day! Bless your heart!
The weather here has been strange, but after an 8″ deluge over the weekend, it finally seems to be fall! Our village planted maple trees last spring in our parkway, and as I sit looking toward the windows in front of the house, I can see one of the tree in all its red leafed glory, centered almost perfectly in the middle window! I am also so happy to report that I read the blog and then hurried to the website and got my Autumn mug ordered! Thanks! My favorite season, always and forever! Best time to go on vacation, best time to cook and bake, best time to antique, best time to eat apples, and I could go on…..
You are so right! And how lovely that your village planted trees! Something real to last forever! Making beauty. I couldn’t love that more!
I also love autumn…and New England is a great place to experience it. Here in western PA it is slow to come this year. My daughter went to UCLA and she missed the seasons after growing up in the mid west..now she is in PA as well. My favorite to bake in the season is chocolate chip pumpkin bread…all the family loves it and I send it to my brother in Santa Cruz CA and my son in NJ. My neighbors here LOVE it…I’m going to keep this post and look back at it all season. thanks for sharing..
I would like to order the Autumn Cup please.
You can do that in our web store, or ask [email protected]/~susanbs3/susanbranch/ to help you… But hurry, because they are almost gone, and this time, they will stay gone!
Dear Susan,
Thank you again for your lovely visions, words and inspirations. You are a treasure!
I was surprised to read a comment indicating that Hallowe’en wasn’t a Christian holiday, because I had grown up with the tradition in my mainstream, Christian church that it was. We called it All Hallow’s Eve and celebrated it with costumes and apple bobbing. I looked on Wikipedia (which I love!) and found that the word ‘hallow’ means ‘saint’, how much more Christian can you get? And many Christian congregations around the world celebrate with special services on Oct. 31st, even with lighting candles on the graves of the dead. Yes it has been commercialized, but there is a solemnity to it if one looks a little. One of my favorite anthems ( I was a choir director for the UCC Church for 36 years) is ‘For All the Saints’, arr. by R Vaughn Williams, which we sang on All Saints Day. In fact I think I’ll go check that out on UTube right now.
Thanks again, Susan, for making us feel and THINK.
Jeanne, From Iowa
In your newest post “Inspired by Autumn”, you share a delicious picture of what appears to be a grilled cheese sandwich. The bread looks divine! I had to ask if it was homemade or who makes it because I’d like to try it! Mmmm! I started making my grilled cheese sandwiches with muenster cheese, my fav! I love this new post, it’s so festive and hopeful! I love your blog so very much. My mother and I always talked about your blog and she always sent me your calendar every year. She passed away last year unfortunately but I can still feel her presence around whenever I catch up on your blog or read your books. Thank You for being you & sharing all your beautiful art for us to see & enjoy!! ❤️🌸👒
I understand that connection . . . I get it when I watch anything with Shirley Temple in it ~ my mom LOVED her. I’m so sorry for your loss. So shocking, it seems so impossible. Sending love. 💞 HERE‘s how to make the perfect grilled cheese sandwich…(the way my mom taught me!) Thank you Sarah.
Hi again, Just adding a P S about ‘For All the Saints’./ If you would like to hear it the way my choir sang it go to Pearland HS A Cappella Choir for the unaccompanied version. Quite nice. Bye
Jeanne , From Iowa
Thank you!
I got the pajamas! And am way too excited about them haha! It’s the little things in life.
You will love them! They are that thick, old fashioned flannel we dream about. You won’t be able to take your hands off yourself! 😊
I want that ghost!!!!
Quick comment…..
Now I’m really keeping my fingers crossed someone finds a hidden case of “Little things” mugs! Your post left me soooo much more relaxed and grateful for, yes, the little things.
I’m my friends source for bittersweet (It sure is invasive!). It’s one way to stay connected with my working friends (I’m retired.). They are teachers and autumn is a very busy time for them. Wait, they’ll correct me on that. They’re busy all school year.
You are such a blessing for so many of us. Thank you again, Susan.
Ahhhh, Autumn. It is glorious. Your blog is always so cheerful. So much to share. I am so eager to see those plates and cute cross stitch project. The mugs are darling. I am not to chatty tonight…it is cool tonight, nice and bedtime. Thank you.
Ahhhh, Autumn. It is glorious. Your blog is always so cheerful. So much to share. I am so eager to see those plates and cute cross stitch project. The mugs are darling. I am not to chatty tonight…it is cool tonight, nice and bedtime. Thank you.
Oh, to live in the eastern half of the country and experience autumn in all it glory. As you well know, Southern California usually gives us a call filled with stops and starts where temps are concerned. Today it was 90+ degrees. Thanks for sharing some of your autumn treasures.
So,
Karen
Dear Susan Branch, YOU are my happy place. (as I’m sure you are for all of us who follow you). Thank you for all you do to bring sanity to our current chaotic world. XOXO
Beautiful post! I love everything about Autumn! Must get down your Autumn cookbook and see what I need to make first. Enjoy every moment of the season with your man.
Lovely, lovely autumn. Since I am a good bit farther south than you, our official autumn generally comes a little later. However, today was the most glorious mid-60s during the day and 40s-50s tonight. Which, of course, has everyone pulling out sweaters and reaching for kindling. Seasons truly are such a gift. It probably won’t last, but it is so wonderful to sip hot tea and with warm woolly socks keeping my toes toasty… and actually NEEDING to wrap up in a blanket. Just jumped over via your link for the short ribs recipe… YUMMM! I will have to make it without the red pepper (glad it’s optional!) as I have a very difficult time with heat/spice. Thank you once again for your generosity in sharing your delicious recipes and even photos for those of us who are visual learners! I sat reading your post while watching a wonderful oldie, “Love Letters” (Joseph Cotten and Jennifer Jones), from my DVR. Tea + blanket + SB blog post + black & white movie = a perfectly lovely evening. We have also recently subscribed to the PBS portion of Amazon Prime video, so I see new Poldarks, Durrells, and Victorias … and also looking forward to Willard… in my future. 🙂 🙂 🙂 Sigh…
Susan, these are not my own words, but they are on loan to me, and they seem to belong in your collection of the loveliest thoughts:
“She taught me to hold on to things passed on to me, whether the object suits my current taste or not, and that there is untold value in something well loved by someone you love well. She is not particularly sentimental, but holds dearly to things given to her by those she loves—tokens well wrapped in layers of invisible memories.” -Brittany Williams, Victoria, May/June 2010, p. 68.
Lovely. xoxo
Ooooh… I love that quote (and Victoria magazine)! Thanks for sharing, Carolyn!
Ahhh What a Wonderful Way to end my Day….Reading a Susan Branch Newsletter, Thank you you have Inspired me to Decorate for Fall/Halloween…Karen Seward….
Lovely, lovely, lovely, bright spot in my day…you always leave me smiling….anticipating cross stitch and new mugs…..small pleasures. Hugs sent your way!
And back to you Barbara!
Isn’t it interesting that the cool time of year brings out the warmest colours? In my “neck of the woods” here in the Pacific northwest, the trees are mostly still green but some are brilliant yellow.
Such a pretty blog post, Susan. I envy your daily walk to the water.
Was a lucky find. Sure didn’t know about it when I got here! Happy fall Wendy!
Hi Susan. Tried to buy more bottles of amour de Paris at trader joes and found out discontinued. Were u aware of this. I know u liked it so wondering if you know where else to buy it. Great blog as usual. At the beach drinking tea out of my autumn cup!! ❤ joan
Yes, here too! And I’ve never seen it anywhere else.🙄 Wrong on every level! Have a wonderful day Joan!
Hi, Susan. Another winner! I love when I discover another post from you. 😘 I was thinking that a good substitute for a ghost frame could be a wire lampshade. At least for a start. I can picture some white cloth flowing from one that is suspended. A couple of wire coat hangers could shape the arms. Just a thought for some creative person who would like to try this. 👻👻🎃🎃
Nancy (from Bakersfield)
Yes, that would work! That’s what I figured, people would get the general gist and begin to create something that works for them! Nice to hear from you Nancy!
Dear sue and Joe
Thank you so much for the beautiful blog. It looks like you are getting fall before us, as we have very few leaves on the ground yet. How do you preserve your leaves to keep them flat, yet colorful? I can never accomplish that. Can’t wait to make the marmalade cake.
If Welsh debs is reading this, I hope she stayed safe during the recent hurricane, and would share her recipe for Bara Brith, my grandparents families were from the snowdonia area, and I can still remember the Bara brith my Auntie Annie made. Diolch yn fawr in advance.
Your blog was the perfect representation of an east coast fall. Thank you for brightening up our day.
Love Sue
I’ve heard from Deb . . . she’s safe and good. I hope she reads your thoughtful comment . . . have a wonderful day!
Loverly, as usual. Every year I want to “eat” the turning trees, they look so sherbety.
Yes, they look like Thanksgiving dinner!
Thank you for reminding us that, unlike the 6:30pm nightly news reports, the world is not all bad and goodness remains. We just have to focus on it 💞.
Yes! Much more goodness than not, and it leaves us all feeling so helpless. Focus on the drama and the negative gets a little old, don’t you think? xoxoxo
As Rachel said earlier , a strange feeling over UK yesterday, yellow skies and red sun. All added to the magical Autumnal season. The sea sounded so rough from our warm cosy little bungalow last night. Twinkling candle light, helped set the scene! Defiantly a HYGGE post Susan, thank you!! Happy birthday for Thursday Rachel xx
Gill UK
They’ve been showing photos of your red sun on our Morning Shows today … we aren’t the only ones experiencing weird/destructive weather! It’s a world thing. Have a wonderful day Gill … xoxo
Dear Susan, you can’t imagine how much I needed your post. I didn’t realize it until I started reading. The past year my family has endured loss and health issues and I feel like I’ll never get my spark of creativity back.
After reading your post, I see there is hope and I thank you for that.
Blessing to you and Joe
That has happened to me too, but it’s there, it just needed a little rest. Which your inner heart knows, because life is to be lived. xoxoxoxo 😘
Hi Susan,
Like you, I love everything Autumn. Its gorgeous in Vermont right now with every fall color you could imagine. You and Joe with your watercolors would be in heaven. Im going to look through all of your cookbooks and find that tea cake you keep writing about. I have them all and Ive never made that one so today is the day. Cant wait. Might even do a little pumpkin carving so I can sprinkle the cinnamon……never would have thought to do that. Its going to be a jammie day for sure. Have a luv lee day and give that spoiled kitty a pet for me!!!!
Hi Rhea … I put a link to the Marmalade Cake in my post because that’s not in one of my books yet. Have a wonderful cozy Vermont Day!
YAY. Got it. Thank you!!
I liked that post! Just everyday stuff, fun and pretty things, nothing political. Anxious to see your needlework patterns as I have been doing needlework for many years. I have so many, but I love to see new ones too.
Oh how I loved reading this post!!!!! I could live in autumn longer than it’s here but then our souls do need something to yearn for!!!!!
Thank you for the tip on the jammies. Susan I don’t want to sound like a mush-ball (which I most certainly am,) your writings and musings and photographs fill my soul so deeply I thank God for you.
We moved in the last year from No. CA., to TN and I’m lonely……it takes time to build friendships, let alone meet ladies!!!! This post truly made me feel filled up today. Blessings to you sweet lady.
So true, yearning is part of it, part of everything, it gets us going! I’m so sorry, I know that loneliness. It’s the most awful thing. I watched a girlfriend assimilate when she first moved here and it was genius. She volunteered for a Hospital Fund Raising Committee, and in no time at all, she had friends, made organically, by working together, shoulder to shoulder, in a common cause. If I were ever to start over again, that’s what I would do. All my very best to you . . . come see us often!
I agree, Susan, Fall is magical! I grew up in California, too, (Northern) and didn’t realize what I’d been missing until I moved to South Carolina three years ago! I love how the leaves seem to dance as they fall. Autumn in the Southeast is the best! (Except for those dang hurricanes, of course!)
They dance! And when you catch one in midair, you get to make a wish, and then let it fly! So happy you’re enjoying it!