Hi Everyone! Would you like to be in England for Remembrance Day? You came to the right place! MUSICA
I want to show you this wonderful thing that happens in England the second Sunday of November which Joe and I discovered a little bit by accident when we were visiting. 🍂 
It’s actually a lovely tradition that started in America in 1920 when the Poppy flower was proclaimed by the United States to be our national emblem of Remembrance. For Armistice Day, for never forgetting, and for the prayer of peace. See Joe? See that red poppy on his jacket?
Here he is, walking home from shopping at Blenheim Castle in Woodstock Oxfordshire, with a poppy on his jacket. Because, in November, all over the United Kingdom (Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, too) . . .
. . . you rarely see anyone who isn’t wearing a poppy at this time of year. For some reason the tradition didn’t catch on for America’s Veterans Day, but it is huge over there. I wish I’d taken a photo in a train station, so you could see how popular it is, these little splashes of red hurrying hither and yon. You get used to it, then you start to fall in love with it, and especially the idea behind it.
This is Joe and Paul ( Rachel’s adorable husband, English man extraordinaire, one of your funnier and more charming humans on the earth), both of them poppy-decked of course.
We went to a dinner, and everyone was wearing a poppy . . .
Me too . . .
And Rachel too.
For a donation to the Royal British Legion ~ a pound for a poppy, you can pin one of these to your coat. The appeal raises millions for the care of British Veterans and their dependents, and by the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, the whole country is decked in solidarity-red for Remembrance.
We read the paper and learned the significance of the Poppy.
As the years went by, other wars and more loss, “between the crosses, row on row, that mark our place…” to what was the war to end all wars, the first world war. Flanders Fields were the battlefields in France where so many were lost, the “western front”. . . is now covered in poppies for remembrance. And a beautiful heartbreaking poem was written:
The first Poppy Day was celebrated in England in 1921, and has continued every year since.
There will be no forgetting . . . the whole country shows their gratitude and old men wear their uniforms on the street with pride. I think maybe because when bombs literally fall on your house and your neighbor’s house, on your church, in your garden, you have a different relationship to war than others who were mercifully spared that experience.You turn on the radio, and there’s Vera Lynn singing We’ll Meet Again back in the day with the voices of servicemen and their sweethearts singing along, and you can feel the heart in the moment, and your own connection to it . . .
Poppies are everywhere, including pillows and sachets in the Blenheim Castle gift shop.
And we ended up with a bouquet of them for our kitchen counter.
You would find them on the street in simple little places . . .
And in the cities too . . . these are part of the Field of Remembrance, a small graveyard set up each year next to Westminster Abbey in London.
And there are remembrances in every small town . . .
This particular Remembrance Day found us in downtown Woodstock where we were staying, a small town in Oxfordshire with a population of 3,000, which is just 
around the corner from Blenheim Castle where Winston Churchill was born. Now Winston Churchill has a special place in my heart, for more reasons than one. The marriage between his American great grandmother Aurora Murray to Isaac Jerome produced a granddaughter, Winston’s mother, Jennie Jerome. That’s her in this picture. My grandmother is Irene Murray, and through her lineage I discovered that Winston Churchill is my 8th cousin! (If you go sideways far enough back, you’ll find everyone is related to everyone!)
XOXO
We came upon this solemn scene by happy accident. We were just walking back to the High Street after visiting Blenheim Castle (we stayed at the Bear Hotel ~ some parts of it 900 years old, you can see it in the video on the right), and didn’t know what was going on when we saw a crowd had gathered, families, babies, and dogs, people of all ages, clergy and soldiers too. It was 11 am on Remembrance Sunday, and the village had stopped to honor Armistice Day as they had done for 95 years, for all those who served and died in war ~ we learned that this quiet remembrance happened in every small and big town in England at this same moment every year, the 11th hour, of the 11th day, of the 11th month. MUSICA.
Tradition is such a beautiful thing. Honoring the people who built the world, who came before us is such a right thing to do. Afterwards we discovered that Winston Churchill was buried nearby, in a tiny churchyard in a small village called Bladon. So off we went through the golden air of the English Countryside with this music playing in our car to find Churchill’s grave. 🍂
When we found the tiny village of Bladon, we fretted about leaving our car parked halfway in the narrow street, 
only a bit more than one car wide, but it was the best we could do and still be in the town. How they could have had a state burial for one of the most famous people in the world in this teeny place with zero parking is a mystery. But look at that beautiful stone house. See the roof line, all curvy and crunchy from age? I always stop to marvel that they kept the beauty and history of what came before as times changed and such things as bathrooms and electricity were invented ~ how they did it is beyond me, but they did!
Nothing in the town had changed since the day the Prime Minister was laid to rest, except the people. The generations have turned over more than once.
We walked through the quiet, echoing streets of the village looking for the church listening to the birds singing . . .
. . . enjoying cottages and curtains . . .
. . . and people who brought nature inside.
We peeked in the windows at the far end of this house with the amazing vine . . .
. . . and saw these in the little panes of glass! It was the Studio of a sculptor . . . ohhh, I wanted to go in so bad!
But it wasn’t to be . . . “Open Daily 10-6” said the card in the window, but another sign said, “Closed!” Travel is all about the serendipity!
I was perfectly happy wandering the lanes, taking pictures of the stone houses with names on them . . .
and of course, the little charmers out for a walk . . .
And there it was, the flag flying over St Martin’s Church . . . where the bells had just rung for Armistice Day.
A small, rather austere church . . . an unassuming village church like so many others wherever you go.
with lovely details
And a sweet peaceful graveyard, these being my favorite, family gravestones held in nature’s embrace.
Next to Churchill’s grave were simple elegant memorials, and benches for sitting.
with rather an amazing drain in the stone path ~ I had to take a photo of it!
Churchill’s grave sort of broke our hearts. Everything so real. I couldn’t help but think of my dad who had fought in WWII and had died a few months earlier. 😢 We’d been to Churchill’s wonderful house called Chartwell and learned about him and his fascinating wife Clementine ~ and here they were, buried together. History of the world, just waiting for us to find and remember and learn.
It’s actually his family burial ground, his mother, Jennie Jerome, Lady Randolph Churchill is buried in the center grave surrounded by the hedge.
Sure and certain hope.
Afterward we stopped at a nearby pub to read our paper and eat “Sunday Roast” ~ another wonderful old tradition, served in most British pubs every Sunday,
. . . a glorious menu consisting of your choice of beautifully cooked roast beef, roast chicken or roast pork ~ with Yorkshire Pudding, stuffing, roasted carrots, parsnips, and potatoes with gravy.
And poppies on the mantle . . .
After lunch we drove to Oxford to see Carrie and Stuart, who took us on a tour ~ here we are in one of the churches.
Then back to Carrie’s kitchen which was in full-remembrance mode. We had a wonderful visit with them . . . but when we got back to our rental house, I noticed I had lost the poppy from my jacket. wah. I know, I had another four in my poppy bouquet, but I hated losing even one.
We spent more weeks in England, taking long walks under blowing leaves, enjoying the fall, and did not return to America until late November ~ celebrating Thanksgiving on the ship, going home the old way, past the statue of liberty into New York harbor, dreaming our memories in the rocking of the boat.
And finally home, where Jack was waiting, and H❤️ME was waiting, and of course we brought our poppies home with us. A few days later, a surprise arrived in the mail from England.
It was a book-gift from Carrie, along with the poppy I’d dropped at her house! She found it and sent it back to me! Total perfection!And that’s my story for today, Girlfriends . . . Celebrate November 11 … Remember our Veterans. Study history, see how we got here. With life’s vagaries it’s a pure miracle we are!
Here is my kitchen this morning, sparkling with light from the sunrise…
It’s our time now . . . and one of the gifts of remembering is the gift of knowing the real and important things of life, and passing them to the ones we love . . . 
Clothespin caught a leaf, and I got to make a wish. So I think we can all make a wish!
Ah yes, time for tea! Hope you enjoyed our trip to England! Have a wonderful day! XOXO
Thank you for that lovely post. We should all wear poppies!😊
I always learn something cool from your blog…I didn’t know about the poppies being a symbol for British Veterans! What is extra-cool is that I love poppies and have a few pieces of poppy art in my office at work so I am totally ready. Your writing is always like a warm hug. Thank you for creating beauty…and oh yes, PLEASE enter me in the giveaway.
What a cozy posting–I feel like I’ve been to England! American poppies are stiff “cloth”. Are the British ones glossy paper??
Yes! You could really make one from a paper plate and a black button and a red marker pen. Draw the shape of the flower, color it in, cut it out, sew the button in the middle and voila! But the thing is, that pound or dollar, that’s the truly important part!
A beautiful post! Love the poppies and the remembrance. Important for us to not forget the horrors of war or the noble sacrifices of our soldiers. (Side note: Paul looks like an English Nathan Fillion!)
Dearest Susan,
Thank you, thank you for this post. Hollis & I never made it to Bladon this past July, but so wanted to see Sir Winston Churchill’s grave. We saw Blenheim, but loved Chartwell more than anything we saw in England. We were truly inspired there. Wow, we never new what all the poppies were for. You are such a dear to take us there and share about everything. I am grateful! Thank you you again. Good Tidings, Dawn Jones
Hello to Hollis, Dawn!
Beautiful! just Beautiful!!!
Have you tried growing poppies in your flower garden? They are very easy to grow and sooo pretty. Corn poppy seeds will give you the pretty solid reds, but also try Shirley poppy seeds with a picotee edge. When they start to bloom and sway in the breeze next summer you will think you have tiny fairies dancing in your garden.
Shirley poppies, the closest things to Sweet Peas! Love them!
Thank you for the beautiful blog and the reminder to always honor and remember. So very important…especially in this day and time.
i remember wearing little a little red poppy on my sunday-going-to-church coat when i was a little girl … i didn’t understand why it was so important to my parents – two of the Greatest Generation
I got my Willard today! Funny story….I have dual monitors on my desk. I had the Willard up on one and was reading it. When it mentioned the Frosted Molasses Cookies I thought, “Oh, I wonder if she has that posted on her website?”. So, on the other monitor I brought up your website in preparation for searching for the recipe. While it was loading, I scrolled down to continue reading the Willard on the OTHER monitor and voila! The recipe was included! You definitely know your audience and always give us more than we need or want. Bless you!
Love this “Remembrance Day” story!💕 Love you and all the kind and lovely words you inject in your blogs and your art! 💕My heart is refreshed and filled with joy with the happiness you create in the world!
Such a beautiful story from such a beautiful village. I’ll never take poppies for granted again.
Your stories always inspire travel.
Happy Autumn! Thank you, as always, for sharing and inspiring.
Dear Susan,
What a sweet yet a powerful post. We should never forget how blessed we are and fortunate we are, because of the sacrifice of so many men and women. Before I could send this post I checked with my sister Patty to make sure I had the facts right. When I was little in School they did call it Armistice Day and then changed it to Veterans Day…I remember because I could not say Armistice as a child. My Parents had Poppies growing in our garden…In California. Now My sister and I could not recall either of them ever saying WHY. We had uncles that served in WW II and one that Died. Maybe this is why..but I SO REMEMBER THOSE POPPIES… THAT I HAVE TRIED TO GROW THEM IN MY OWN GARDEN. They start to take but really do not last..so I have searched for a picture and found not the California orange poppy….BUT THE RED POPPY BY DARREN GYGI. There is a store in Claremont called Barbara Cheatley’s that carries not only his works of art …but also your books and calendars etc etc…a great and lovely place to shop. So I have my POPPY in my home…it has permanent place…so each day as I see it I REMEMBER.
Thank you once again for a wonderful and amazing blog. IT MADE MY SOUL SOAR WITH PRIDE!!! Susan P.
😘 Susan!
LOVE Barbara Cheatley’s! I stop by the store whenever I am in the area visiting my husband’s sister. LOVELY inventory.
Dear Susan P! I love Barbara Cheatleys! I try to go there when ever I am in SoCal. I live in East bay in northern cal. It is a great place to find Susan Branch things. I literally saw the name as I was scrolling down to comment and had to read your post. Hope the heat wave lets up down there soon. Happy fall! Alisa L. 🍁🍂🐿🎃
Would you two please say HELLO to Barbara next time you see her?
Susan,
I will say hello to her for you. She just had her Christmas open house and of course I placed an order….which should be in soon. But at this time of year I am there about every other week hahahaha Someone has to do the Christmas shopping.
Our hot weather is starting to ease up and today Friday is warm not HOT and really enjoyable. Autumn are you here to stay????? We all hope. Love, Susan P.
What a beautiful post Susan !
I always have been a poppy buyer but now I’ll always think of the photos you shared as well when I have my flower. Thank you !
Thank you so much for your loveliness…
Thank you Susan for your gift of sharing Armistice Day and it’s meaning! Your words and pictures have brought the meanings not of poppies and the remembrance of that day and time so BEAUTIFULLY into our present time. With tears in my eyes, I listened to beautiful Musica and rembered my grandfathers and other courageous Americans who were part of this time. Thanks you again! For bringing it all so vividly to life❤️
Again, under your charm that makes me happy!
I would sooooo love to win these – thanks so much for the chance 🙂
Wish I was going to England with you!
Enjoyed reading about the Poppies and Remembrance Day. So many lives lost but still remembered.
What could be better? Your Autumn post, a new Willard and the evil eye from Jack! I think that look is cat-speak for “I don’t think so!” It must be so hard to think about leaving that little face.
The worst! 🙀
Thank you for the autumnal inspiration. I always feel a little sad at the end of summer, my favorite season, but your blog and Willard help me to appreciate the joys of the changing season. Instead of lamenting the end of shorts and sandals, beach picnics and clambakes, I’m going to take my new rescued dog for a walk in the falling leaves and the air filled with woodsmoke.
Perfection!
Lovely! (Please enter me)
Susan
I have been working so intently on choosing happiness and contentment and I read your blog and Willard and it just reaffirms my efforts! Keep spreading that love!
🍁🍂🍁Another lovely post and photos! Thank you for sharing this touching poppy story from your trip with us. I live in CA where the orange poppies grow. If it’s not too late, please enter me in your drawing. Thank you! ♥️♥️♥️
I, too, think autumn bring out our creativity- Bkessedly, yours runs year round! Please enter me.Maryann Spence
Love all those beautiful poppies! I keep one wrapped on my rear view mirror to honor my dad and his brother who served and my mom’s brother who, since WWII, remains missing in action. A beautiful remembrance. Thank you for sharing the pictures of Churchill’s resting place, something I wouldn’t have seen otherwise. I received my Willard this morning while snuggling with my kitty in bed at home after returning yesterday from meeting my first grandchild! Go, be, love, indeed!❤️ Thank you for the warmth of your words.
Congratulations Mer, I’m so happy for you. xoxo
Thank you for this wonderful and touching post! I remember poppies being sold and worn when I was a child. I can still remember the feel of them in my hand. I, too, will be searching for poppies to wear with remembrance. Kind regards.
Loved this post, Susan. I always lose my poppy too!
All best wishes,
Hala, nr. Bath
I’m old enough to remember when everyone wore a poppy on November 11th. Still honor veterans in my small town with a small parade, school bands, wreaths and speeches at the town cemetery. And the bugle of course.
LOVE the red and white quilt pictured in the latest Willard. Inspiration for this quilt addict! Thank you for reminding me that the greatest pleasures in life are the small things that are too often overlooked. You have a wonderful gift that you share with so many!
Thank you so much for this article today! My husband and I are lucky to have one of the 888,246 red ceramic flowers planted at the Tower of London to honour the Glorious Dead in 2014. It’s true what they say – we can never thank them enough, those who gave all.
How lovely it is to travel so frequently to England via your blog!
Thank you!
I purchase a poppy every year and have it hanging on my sun visor in my car. It is a reminder everyday of all the men and women past and present who have served dictating their lives for all.
The British do so many things just right! The 11th month, the 11th day, and the 11th hour! Something everyone can remember and stop what they’re doing to pay tribute. We visited the War Museum in London on our last visit and learned so much about Churchill. Sadly, we didn’t get to Chartwell.
Thank you for a wonderful post!
Dear Susan, Thank you for sharing your beautiful pictures, especially the poppies. This post touched my heart. My Mother sold Buddy Poppies with The VFW Ladies Auxiliary and my Dad was a veteran of WWII (The Fighting 69th Infantry Division). I love your sweet blog.
When our veterans are out selling their poppies I always get one to remember those who died so we may be free. By my bed a photo sits of my Dad & Mom, he in his WWII Army uniform and she with her hair up corsage. Both smiling for war had ended (if only it truly was our last one.) Each night I remember them and all who serve to keep freedom both here and abroad. Thank you for sharing your travels, thoughts and photos with us.
Peace & Blessings to you and yours!
Thank you Susan🌸🌸 (no poppy emoji!). You tell the best stories. Happy Fall🍂🍁🍂🍁
Such a lovely post once again, especially since Veteran’s Day draws near. Wouldn’t it be lovely if we observed a moment of silence here in the U.S. at the 11th hour on the 11th day? The Veterans sell “buddy poppies” at a family owned grocery store near me. It saddens me to see how many patrons pass them by without a thought to the price they have paid. We are so fortunate to live in a country where we have not seen war firsthand (with the exception of Pearl Harbor). By this I mean being occupied or having bombs fall from the sky. We have so much to be thankful for. Unfortunately we sometimes forget. I will continue to buy my poppies and wear them with pride. (I’ll have to see if the red poppies will grow in my area, so I can plant them in my garden. ) Thank you for this lovely post- lest we forget those who lie in Flanders Fields. I look forward to visiting England in the near future. Wouldn’t it be lovely if I could time my trip yo coincide with Veteran’s Day? I could bow my head in silence with those around me.
For those of your girlfriends who like to read, I’d like to suggest The End of Innocence by Allegra Jordan. Based on a plaque in the Memorial Chapel at Harvard, it is a story of love, friendship, survival, and so much more.
Your new dishes and mugs are lovely. I’ll have to do my Christmas shopping early- before they are all sold out!!
Love the heart dishes! So handy for all the small, cluttery stuff!
I’m swooning over your dishes that you are giving away!!! …and I’m keeping my fingers crossed while I hold my breath that I’m the lucky winner.
Have a wonderful fall day, Susan.
Diane in North Carolina
Thank you Susan! Love your blog. I saw the poppy installation at the Tower of London. The entire space around the tower was a sea of red poppies and they went up the walls as well. I think there was a poppy for every life lost in the wars. It was very moving.
So lovely, as always. Thank you for being you and gifting me with reminders of all that is true and beautiful in the world.
xo
Your post filled my heart with love and gratitude. I have quite a collection of poppies-going back to when I was a little girl. Thanks for the memories. Love you.
Hi to Susan and Joe—when I worked at the English Rose Tea Room in Carefree AZ, Jo always had a container filled with poppies around Veteran’s Day with a sign explaining their significance. Customers always donated generously to all of the wonderful causes that meant so much to Jo (some GFs may not know that Jo is from England). When the royal babies were about to be born, she had baby showers at the Tea Room and customers brought many gifts which were donated to a shelter in Phoenix. Jo hired a genuine double-decker red English bus to carry all the gifts to the shelter—yes, a company in Tempe, AZ has one to hire for parties and festive occasions! (Another tie to England is the London Bridge in Lake Havasu). Yet another annual fun event was the Kentucky Derby, where all wore flamboyant hats and played games and won prizes—proceeds went to a local horse rescue ranch. Those were fun and magical events and helped many families and animals along the way.
Hi Susan
I just read about your trip to England last year. We have been fortunate to live in England three different times and the annual Remembrance Services are so special! I love the way the British honor their war dead with everyone wearing the poppy and special parades and church services. I thought you might like to know that someone in the US, Moina Belle Michael, tried very hard to establish the poppy as a symbol of remembrance for the US war dead. She grew up very near to where we live in Georgia. Here is an excerpt from a book about her: “When American soldiers entered World War I, Moina Belle Michael, a schoolteacher from Georgia, knew she had to act. Some of the soldiers were her students and friends. Almost single-handedly, Moina worked to establish the red poppy as the symbol to honor and remember soldiers. And she devoted the rest of her life to making sure the symbol would last forever. Thanks to her hard work, that symbol remains strong today.”
As a side note… we just returned from an amazing 3 days “on” Martha’s Vineyard… now I know why you fell in love with it!! Beautiful!!!! But, sadly, hardly any leaf color change!
I’m so happy you enjoyed it . . . it’s been raining here for three days, and my garden is very colorful … but we are having what appears to be a long fall … appears to be, because tomorrow, anything could happen!
What a lovely visit. We should all wear poppies! We need more to join us and less to divide us. Remembering the important things might bring some positive glow to our outlooks. Thank you for the reminder.
I just received Willard and am making a comment to win the wonderful items you have designed.
I always feel as if I’m right there with you! Thank you for a beautiful Remembrance!
Thank you Susan for such a beautiful post. I remember people selling poppies when I was a child but I haven’t seen anyone doing that in many years.
Your stories always warm my heart. This one brought tears to my eyes. Thank you Susan.
I agree with LeeAnne (above). Thank you Susan for your inspiration! 💕 I too “feel a little sad at the end of summer…but your books, blog and Willard help me appreciate the joys of the season.” 🍂 🍁
Here’s a book idea for you, a laugh-out-loud story: Savannah From Savannah by Denise Hildreth. My favorite all-time hilarious novelist.♥️
Oh, and I’d love to stop by your front door to trick-or-treat, but it would take me 9 hours to get there…..and I don’t wear masks any longer. 😘
“Always laugh when you can. It is cheap medicine.” ~ Byron
Until we meet for tea,
Janice
Enter me!!! Pick me!!! I love your poppy photos! We saw a great deal of paper poppies at the war memorials in Australia. Wonderful to read the stories and see those old fashioned posters, etc. Thank you for letting me live vicariously through your travels. I’ll be traveling to England next fall, so I will follow your 2018 trip for tips!
Gosh, how wonderful to see an entire country embrace the act of remembrance. A far cry from what we “celebrate”here in the States. At least in my neck of the woods Veterans Day is just a 3-day weekend full of sales. We might see a handful of people at any of the venues that actually do any remembering. So sad…we do, indeed, seem to have forgotten.
I don’t think we have forgotten, maybe we’re just looking for a new way to show our appreciation where it can be seen in a bigger way.❤️
We remember all those dear ones we lost. Last week I stood at my uncles memorial stone in a country church cemetery near Claremont, Mn. Autumn colors in the trees, sunshine on the fields and prairie land, the sky so blue. Birdsong split the noonday stillness. I reflected on his goodness, fun and kindness. He died in 1942, a handsome blonde young man of 27. I was only 5 then, but I still miss him. He is not buried here, he was lost at sea, when his ship was attacked off the coast of North Africa. A great loss for our family and its future years.
Huge loss. Gone, but never forgotten. xoxo
Susan,
Thank you so much for sharing your life with us. I love to read your blog and look at all the beautiful pictures. Martha’s Vineyard is on my “bucket list” and one day I hope to visit there. Love and hugs!
Pat H
Beautiful post. I always love seeing all the photographs, artwork and quotes which illustrate your stories so well.
My daughter has recently moved to London from Texas in order to go to school. I am sending her your post in preparation for the first week of November – she will love to know about the Poppy’s! Thank you for sharing.
How fun for her! Maybe she can send you a poppy!
What a lovely story! Thank You
The poppies are really wonderful! And the reverence surrounding them. Perfect. Thank you for creating beautiful things to share with us! Your work inspires me and my world changes for the good. Thank you. Kathy
I haven’t seen anyone selling poppy’s for several years, I always purchased one.
Today is a wonderful day, Willard in my e-mail AND your post to read. I think I will save my Willard for Saturday morning!
Thank you Susan so much for just everything you do to make our little corner of the world more beautiful. xoxo
Lovely post. Thank you.
I’m so excited to win the special dishes of your creation!
How wonderful! I love giveaways! Plus I am making that delicious looking Zucchini bread this weekend. xo
So I am in my cabin in the woods by the lake in Maine. (I am so happy you enjoyed your visit here, loved that blog). I have spent most of the Autumn here since we are just finishing a renovation. The foliage is still Spectacular. We extended our screen porch and made it into a 3 season room with pine walls and a beautiful burgandy red wood stove!! We usually close her up after Thanksgiving, but this year will keep her open until December 4th so we can enjoy the Christmas Stroll where the village is lined with luminaries, horse drawn carriage rides and lots of seasonal activities. I am still on my Grammy high of spending Sunday with 3 year old Nora and 1 year old Hadley. When Nora said “Grammy I love spending time with you” well lets just say she had me at Grammy!!! So if not happy and content enough, its raining and just read your Williard. Thank you once again for reminding us how blessed we are in this tension filled world we live in. Happy Halloween. PS “He’s not just a Soldier, he’s my son. I also just received a text from Dan. Grateful.
Lovely Andrea. Happy fall!
Please enter me in your drawing as I love all you do! Your last three posts have been enlightening, inspiring, beautiful and make us all look for the signs of fall. My husband and I just returned from our search for fall in Maine! We drove by the same food stand you shared in your post and wondered about all the people lined up for food. We didn’t get any food either so will just have to go back. What beautiful colors and gorgeous scenery. Happy Fall from your Reseda Park, William Morris quilter girlfriend.
This blog was so beautiful and peaceful to my soul today. I am so glad to see people still counting their blessings. I find that unfortunately people seem to forget the past and the people who came before us. We can use them and their history to make life more peaceful. Things have changed, but so much is still the same, leaving us all the knowledge from past lesson learned. We just need to open our eyes and 👀.❤️❤️
I so delight in your comments, photos and blogs about Britain! I am afraid I will never get there myself, but I pretend richly through what you bring to us. My father, Jack, served in the U.S. Navy in WWII. Year after year he wore a poppy. We found it with other things he had tucked away, things that had special meaning for him. Looking through that box of Jack’s memories was one reminder after another of reasons to know we were blessed to have him as our Dad. We dearly loved him, miss him greatly, and have many reasons to be proud of him.
I have no doubt. My dad was Jack also, and in the Navy during WWII. How we miss our dads.
Thank you for the poppy-inspiration! I will try to have one on Nov 11!
Wow! What a generous give-away!
Thank you, Susan.
Thank you for sharing your Poppies for Remembrance! I loved reading about your trip! I will be on the lookout to be able to support our veterans this November 11th!
Poppies for Remembrance has a whole new meaning! Thank you for tracing the history and capturing the meaning in your pictures. Always thankful for Fall!
Always enjoy your blog and Willard too. I remember folks selling the red poppies when I was a kid and my Mom pinning one to my coat. I don’t see them so much here in California lately but will make an effort to look harder this year.
Please enter me in the giveaway!
The poppies on the crosses….How can your heart not be full and your eyes not of tears? Thank you for the lesson of remembrance.
Puts such a light on it doesn’t it Sharon? xoxo
It’s good to be reminded of the sacrifices made by so many.
Thank you Susan
Marjorie from PA
A wonderful post-
Hello Susan,
I really enjoy your posts and the Willards!
Thank you for all the love💕
Deborah
Thank you for an inspiring post! I loved reading about the poppy traditions.
I absolutely love reading about your adventures!Love the poppies!I just purchased one from a local veteran. Let us not forget our veterans!Thanks for the contest!
Please enter me! The dishes are wonderful!
would love to win one for each of my friends!!! Beautiful:-)
Thank you for your poppy story and all the pictures. And for Willard and the Acorn site that I never knew existed. I’ll be trying the free week to see if it’s something I would be willing to spend extra money on. I’m just finishing reading THE FAIRY TALE GIRL and wish that more publishers could use ‘hand printed’ fonts in their books, at least in decent books like yours, because they’re so much easier to read for tired old eyes like mine. I’m loving your love story and wish you & Joe many years of happiness together.
I do hope Vanna picks my name….
Oh, to be in an English village today! Thank goodness for your photos, Susan.
And yes, please enter me in the contest… trying not to decide right now which to give to whom!
I keep a poppy in my car at all times. It’s in a little niche on the dash, next to my travel Buddha.
Thanks for sharing that part of your trip. There is a display of “poppies in the field” at the World War I Museum in Kansas City!
Love the picture walk through England!
Tess
Thank you for the reminder to practice the art of gratitude. I am guilty of forgetting this too often. Among the many things I am grateful for are your posts — they always help to center me. Thank you!
As usual – you have made my heart smile!
I look forward to your words. They speak faith, love and hope!
Susan,
Love this post about the poppy. I remember when I was a little girl the veterans standing outside different stores with a can to deposit money in and giving you a glossy paper poppy to wear. My mom always got one for me and told me the meaning of it. Thanks for posting and reminding us all of all the sacrifices that have and are still being made today. You are a blessing!! 😇
Thank you for sharing your clothespin leaf wish with us!!! I think you know what my wish will be!!! Everything in this post and the Willard letter are just too perfect to list!!! I don’t know where to start and would never end if I started. So I’ll just say thank you!!! A million times thank you!!! You are a blessing!!!
😘 Sandy!
Love your posts, drawings…..
Thank you for a beautiful and educational post – I didn’t know about the poppies in England! And thanks for a chance at the give-away!
Wonderful memories you share with us. Thank you.
Wonderful blog, wonderful Willard and wonderful china! You can never have too much!
Thanks Susan
Anne in Maine – I would LOVE, LOVE, LOVE to win your giveaway!! All of the items are absolutely adorable. I would cherish them Forever!! I have loved your Fall blogs. You describe perfectly what Fall is like in New England. It’s my favorite time of the year!!
Hi Darlene!
Dear Susan , Thank you for the lovely post. My grandfather served in WWI, my Dad in WWII,Korea and Vietnam, and my husband of 46 years also in Vietnam. We met just weeks after his return. What a beautiful and non partisan way to remember veterans and the sacrifices they made. I think the American Legion gives out poppies here in the states,but not sure when .I love the pics and stories from your trip. Thanks for the lift.
Oh, the heroism of our vets overrides politics! xoxo
England, as enchanting as ever!!
Beautiful Susan~ Thank you!
Lovely post. It seems we have forgotten so many traditions, its heart warming to see this remembrance for those that have made the ultimate sacrifice.
You made my day.
Love the poppies. I hope I win something this time around.