Hiiii! We’re home!! MUSICA? Yes! It’s great to be here, and we had a WONDERFUL time in California! It was soooo good to see everyone. And I did bring home that special giveaway I promised ~ you’ll find it at the bottom of this post . . . but W A I T, don’t go yet . . . because getting home was the BEST. Here we are racing toward New England in our train room with awesome view . . .
. . . Hoping the whole way that we might still have some leaves on our trees. It was the end of October and normally by then they’re gone. But the way things were looking, we were thinking m a y b e . . . 🍂 🍁🍂🍁
Speeding through upstate New York, I was heartened by the color! Nothing like leaf-peeping from a train window.
We got off the train on Sunday in Albany, rented a car (so we could make the last ferry to the Island that same night) and drove through the gorgeous Berkshires, feeling more and more positive there would still be leaves on our trees at home.
We made the last boat but didn’t get home until after 10, so we couldn’t SEE the trees! Sleeping that night, when we finally got in our very own bed for the first time in a month, was as exciting as the night before Christmas! Would there still be fall when we woke up?
Dawn, from our bedroom window, assurance, and every dream come true.
I raced from window to window upstairs . . .
And down . . .
Then out to the side garden . . .
And around the house to the back . . . soooo
Then all the way back for the long view! Fall waited for us! Leaves blowing down, chill in the air, smell of the sea, sound of the ferry horn, church spire to the sky, sturdy house that has seen it all, everything that says Home. Thank you God. Ommmmm.
My own kitchen, and no noise or rocking, just me and the benevolent ghosts of time gone by. And since I’d done a lot of decorating before we left, we were pretty much ready!
AHHHHHHHH…. Home ~ our bed is pure heaven, cold rooms at night, snuggled under covers, mooshing the comforters around my ears, dragging my cozy flanneled legs out in the morning, stuffing my feet into wool slippers, throwing on an old sweater, padding down the stairs, Jack leading the way, tail high in the air, filling the tea kettle, deciding which cup. We are sitting, and we are staying. So this was Monday, our first day home. On Tuesday the dining room curtains came. On Wednesday it was Halloween. So let’s start with the curtains! Ready?
And of course, I know what you’re waiting for, in the category of “everything that says Home,” Jack, furry soft petty-pet and perfect decor. He seemed really happy to see us. Presented himself upside-down, in wiggle formation, for belly rubs, and gave me a very Loooooong forehead butt, a meeting of the minds, the brain exchange. So here are the new curtains for the dining room. And where does Jack choose to sit?
On them. And why not. King of the World can do no wrong. Reunited and it feels so goooood! 🎶 He’s still my shadow, he still brings back the hair ties, he still cuddles next to me when I read. Now Joe and I aren’t going anywhere for the next year and a half, we are 
I peeled Jack off and we hung the new curtains . . . (Jessica, who made them, with Lowely, my darling friend and neighbor)
And so voila, here they are! What do you think? I’m thinking the flowers make up for the ones we lost when we took the wallpaper down.💞
I’ve wanted “real” English curtains for sooooo long! They make you feel like you live on the inside of a marshmallow! We are now padded head to toe. I couldn’t wait for dark so I could light the candles!
They’re extra cozy because they’re completely lined in heavy flannel (just like the ones in England). They keep your house warm too.
Okay. So here was the problem and the reason I waited so long to show you the living room. I know you won’t think of this as a “problem.” With problems like this who needs enemies? Or whatever that phrase is. These are the curtains we got before we left and I’ve been pondering ever since. They are also very beautiful, thick and cozy, but for me, for the House of Creativity, for US? They feel a little much.
A wee bit too Duchess of Devonshire. I adore the fabric and love the pillows Jessica made to match, and I love the curtains too, they are glorious, but I was afraid after a while I might start doing the circular queen’s wave when I leave the house.
So we tried to tone it down (ps, they look pink in this photo, but they are really a soft beige with pink hydrangeas) . . . the first thing we did was take the decorative trim off the hems of the valances. Which softened things a little and took away some of the formality. This old house is your basic farmhouse with a barn and uninsulated pantry, the bathroom used to be a “three-holer,” and there are rooms you have to walk through to get to other rooms (i.e., no hall). It’s not a fancy house. It has “good bones,” as a dear friend said a long time ago, and also that New England simplicity I love. You have to give a house what it wants. And I try. But I think my imagination was bigger than my stomach, or what ever that saying is.
So next we tried removing the valances all the way. And I liked it SO MUCH BETTER. Back and forth we went, throwing out ideas, me, Joe, Jessica, and Lowely, with the tape 
measure, up the ladder, down the ladder, measure and pin and hold it up, stand back to see what it looks like, what if we get rid of the floral chairs? What if we change the lampshades? No stone was left unturned . . . and what we sort of decided is to keep the valances but bring them down so they aren’t all the way up to the ceiling, and then shorten the valance skirt by about 6 inches so it just covers the wood trim at the top of the window, to the first panes of glass. Make the valances lower and shorter is basically what we decided. And the other end of the room?
Here they are, the same fabric, but these are simpler and quieter.
Maybe I’m just bad at change! But I have to say, we’ve now been living with them for six days, and they’re growing on me. Most of my life I’ve made my curtains, so I’m used to unlined, crooked, half finished, a bit wrinkled, mostly made out of tablecloths, which is probably the problem! These are too good!
Jessica also made me a curtain for the guest room . . . Which I LOVE. Just a simple little thing, and pillows to match with a tiny blue and white stripe piping.
Just sweet and simple.
So then it was time to get ready for our Halloween party!
It was a pot-luck Halloween neighborhood Open House we were having, after the trick-or-treaters had gone home. Lowely brought cold slaw, Martha made a big pan of Corn Pudding, Carol brought a bowl of Dry Bones, Jaime came with a big green salad, and Barbara brought Brownies. I made Touchdown Chili and
A Pumpkin Trifle
Broken up chocolate cake on the bottom, then pumpkin mousse, then crushed oreo cookies, whipped cream, more chocolate cake, and more pumpkin mousse with a Hershey’s Syrup spiderweb on top!
While I was doing that, my boyfriend for life was outside in the driveway on that perfect fall day, carving away!
Making my favorite star pumpkins for our front porch.
offering me pumpkin seeds . . .
I came back in and did the dishes . . .
. . . then watered plants to stuff into baskets for arrangements for the house, swept the leaves off the porches . . . made sure all the votives and candle holders were filled . . . put Jack’s food and toys upstairs and locked him in our bedroom where no Halloween Cat thieves could find him . . .
We lit the fire,
And lit our ghost in the upstairs window . . . Casper is our “neighborhood watch,” he has a great view all the way up the street.
Bowls were filled with candy ~ We had hot spiced-cider for the moms and dads. We were READY! Bring on those kids! And here they come!
I love this tradition. Parents bringing their kids, waiting behind them, most of them in costume too … Look at this pink princess . . . Adorable or what?
We have friends who live so far out in the country they don’t get any trick-or-treaters ~we invite them to our house to give out candy at our door ~ we share the wealth ~ because, we definitely get kids! From all over the island . . . we are one of the few neighborhoods where the houses are close enough together for kids to get to without walking a mile in the dark! Halloween is huge on our island.
Is it ever! Early in the evening, at dusk, they’re very young, some even babies, in the cutest costumes, cows, and trees and bunnies, oh my!
As the night gets darker, the kids get older . . .
We stop them to take their picture, and they put up with our 10,000 questions!
By 6:30 our neighborhood is in full Halloween mode. The police close down the streets to cars. It’s not just us, up and down our street and around the corner, its a mad house! 🍁
I got my camera and came around out front to take photos of the door … loved the tree shadows on our house from across the street, whoooo! To see the pumpkins Joe made, I had to wait until the everyone moved aside . . .
Which took a little while . . . everyone running in the dark, superheroes and angels, clowns and unicorns, with bags of loot, laughing, chewing tootsie rolls and eating M&Ms!
Other than the one partially finished pumpkin I saw when Joe was doing them, I hadn’t seen what he’d done. I looked at that one in the middle! Whaaat?
And I got closer, laughing all the time. Went inside and Joe got a big KISS for this good surprise! Doing his part to make a cuter neighborhood, and a better world!
We had about thirty people for Chili dinner, and I was so busy eating and talking (receiving compliments on my new curtains!!!) I forgot to take pictures, but it was wonderful seeing everyone (remember, we just got back!) and it ended in the living room, where a girlfriend with a ukulele played while the dregs of the party (which would be us and some neighbors), had a sing-along. 🎃 It was a wonderful ending. And since it’s party season, here are a few ideas to make giving a party a bit easier. No matter if it’s a small party or large, formal or casual, Thanksgiving, tea party, book club, or election night party.
And, speaking of election night parties . . . Here are some delicious recipes, all tried and true, perfect for a roller coaster ride which this night is bound to be. Won’t it be FUN when
it’s over? Then we’ll all live with the results and can stop thinking about it for a while. And then we’ll get to do it all over again in two years! Politics seems to be America’s newest sport! I remember when I was in high school, I didn’t even know what I was! Or anyone else. I think my mom was a Republican and my dad was a Democrat, but they never argued and they both LIKED IKE! ‘Course the two political parties were 100% different then, and we didn’t have as much to worry about as kids do now, we were safe at school. It was a simpler and I would say a rather happier time. One of the many, many things on which we are all in perfect agreement, we all LOVE to eat . . . so let’s start HERE:
Yummy, from my Autumn Book . . . in case you have it at home, otherwise you can print this out!
These recipes are from Heart of the Home . . .
Wonderful spiced nuts from my Autumn Book . . .
. . . which I just made! I use them all season long!
Deliciousness from Heart of the Home. We’re going to my girlfriend Lowely’s house on Tuesday night to watch the results come in, I’m bringing Cheese Bites!
Opened my eyes from meditation, and across from where I was sitting, Jack was asleep on the sofa. 
I got the evil eye when I put the camera close . . . I SEE YOU, it says in green technicolor.
When we were in California, I picked up a box of my mom’s papers to bring home ~ I went through some of it this morning ~ it was a treasure trove! Saved birthday cards, old letters my grandma wrote, yellowed birth certificates and fancy engraved marriage licenses, hand-written report cards, and certificates of baptism, priceless to my mom, and priceless to me. Above, is a 91-year-old brushed LEATHER ribbon-tied folder with gold lettering, four pages of names and this . . .
. . . my Grandma’s Sioux City, Central High School Diploma from 1927. That’s her, below, on the left. Her class graduated only three weeks after Lindbergh flew the Atlantic non-stop to France! Those 
kids must have felt like their generation was going to own the world! Just a few days after they graduated, Lindbergh’s ticker tape parade was held in New York, which they listened to as a family on a radio the size of a refrigerator. I’m sure my grandma and all her 18-year-old girlfriends shortened their skirts, bobbed their hair, and danced the “Lindy,” . . . they were teenagers during the Roaring Twenties, Calvin Coolidge was president, F. Scott Fitzgerald was the literary star, The Jazz Singer came out in 1927, the first movie with sound! Only two years later, when she was 20, the Great Depression started. She’d already had one World War to deal with as a child. The cards were being dealt. Life was unfolding. And before she fell asleep in her house with a music room on the 3rd floor and nine brothers & sisters, she listened to the most popular song of 1927. I love history, and picturing people in their times. My Grandma shared the planet with Mark Twain for two years. She shared it with Anne Frank, and then she shared Anne Frank with me.💞 Now I have her diploma.
And this! It’s my great grandmother’s 1925 application to join the Martha Washington 
Chapter of the Daughters of the American 
Revolution in Washington, DC. Four pages of family names, births, and deaths back to 1710, all in her lovely handwriting … with “Ancestor’s Services” that tells that her 5th great grandfather (and I guess my 7th), Captain Asa Foster of Andover, Massachusetts, was appointed in 1765 to “oppose the arbitrary measures of the British Government.” Eeeek. My grandma had given me a copy of this when I was in my 20s (part of my dreamscape for New England before I’d ever been here), but it was very different to hold the real thing in my hands. After recently reading a biography of George Washington (Ron Chernow), I 
realized just how dangerous it was to come out against your government back then. If they’d lost (and there was no reason on EARTH they should have believed they could win against the British Empire!), they would have all been hanged! But hey, ya gotta do what ya gotta do and he believed in his cause. His son Abiel graduated from Harvard in 1756, was a minister who represented New Hampshire in the first Congress. I could write a book about these people! We found both of their graves, in Old North Parish Burying Ground in North Andover and in the Canterbury Cemetery in New Hampshire.
And this little slip of paper was in there too, written in my great grandfather’s hand, showing the 
dates of birth for his parents (my great, great grandparents), and their children. I met Merrill James 
Orr, born in 1871, the man who wrote this, the father of my grandma ~ that’s him holding me, my mom’s on the right, my grandma’s on the left. I feel the generations behind me, and I see younger members of my family going on into the future. Such a connection. And the threads of that connection go on and on, out in all directions. Pretty soon, as you research your family tree, you start thinking you’re related to EVERYONE. Then you get your DNA done and find out you absolutely are!
And now it’s my turn to save little old pieces of paper, tiny fragments of a lifetime of memories. I guess I got that from them! 💞 Like here, in the England diary I’m now illustrating and rewriting in my “good 
handwriting.” You can just imagine how much I revel in the magic I feel when I write, spellbound in the dream of it (hours and clocks mean nothing), about the history we found in Enchanted England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. My pages will be peopled by spirits of the past, Winston Churchill, Beatrix Potter, Jane Austen, hill forts, stone circles, and fairy winds . . . all that and Rachel too! I’ll do it as the leaves blow, as the snow flies, as the cat naps, and when the daffodils come again, I’ll still be here in my old house, fireplace glowing, shawl pulled tight, pen noises scratching, paint brush ringing on the side of the water dish I bought in Disneyland before I knew I could paint, Jack at my side, living the dream with my boyfriend for life, loving the road, because
I kept Joe’s pumpkin for our front window . . . like keeping a light on! Never forget our fathers and grandfathers fought for this right, so that today, no matter how we came to this country, we get a say in the kind of government 
we want. It was EVERYTHING to them, their lives were on the line, and there’s nothing quite like it in the world. The right to vote. Honor our ancestors. Go vote, and take someone with you. Don’t think you don’t know what you’re doing, because believe me, you probably know more than most! The world has fought for civility since time began, fought to overcome human nature prone to barbarism, it hasn’t been easy, but despite all, we keep bringing it forward, so families everywhere can live in peace and prosperity. They’ve told us that we have nothing to fear but fear itself, and proved it time and time again. Because we can solve all problems when we come together. I know they’ve made it hard to tell truth from 
lies, the water has been muddied, even on Facebook, where we put our family photos, and share recipes! But it’s not impossible. No source is perfect but we can find a balance. When I have specific questions, I go to websites like Politifact, a Pulitzer Prize-winning fact-finding website. They can answer almost any question, “Did such and such REALLY happen, Did he REALLY say that, Does America have open borders, What is the Caravan made up of, Which members of Congress take money from the NRA, Who IS (fill in the blank)” ~ even old questions, like “Did Iraq have weapons of mass destruction, what was the Fairness Doctrine, what happened when the banks failed?” On and on, they have researched it all. Huge help for lovers of history like me.
“All shall be well, all shall be well, all manner of thing shall be well.” 💞Julian of Norwich, the first woman in recorded history to write a book. And aren’t they the perfect words!
SO, we’re going off for a walk to the water, but before we go, as promised, last but not least, NEXT Saturday, Joe and I hop on the ferry to the Mainland for the day, where I’ll be at the West Falmouth Library answering questions, signing books, and reading the first chapter of Enchanted, just like I did at the Apple Farm in California. If you’re coming, or even if you’re not, click here and please print out this name tag/bookmark. Write your name on the bottom so we’ll know each other! And yes, for everyone who’s going to be there, you each will be getting a copy of your own first chapter. I’m sorry tickets for this event are sold out, but I promise I’ll be out again in the future, and we can try again. And if you remember, waaaaaaay back when I started this post, I promised YOU a giveaway! So here she is! To win, just leave a comment at the bottom of this post (you’ll see tiny gray words that say, “comment” ~ click there and say hello, and you will automatically be entered. And if your name is chosen, you will receive your very own signed copy of the first chapter my new book!
In fact, Kellee made me FIVE 23-page booklets, all just for you💞 . . . so, this time, there will be five winners! Yay!!! I hope one of them is YOU!
I wanted to start at The Beginning with a love story, like I did with A Fine Romance, so I did! I hope you enjoy it!
That’s it for today darling girlfriends. I shall return! Have a luv-lee evening. Keep the home fires burning!
Welcome home Susan and Joe! I loved looking at all the trees on your property, and happy that the leaves waited for you. Loved your photos of the trick o treaters and your carved pumpkins!🎃🎃
I hope you are feeling well rested and enjoying your home with the beautiful curtains.
Thank you for sharing your family photos and memorabilia.
Wishing you and Joe a great week!
Lucy in California
You’ve outdone yourself with this lovely piece that shows a gracious way to live and be in the world. Joe is so clever and thoughtful, hope everyone takes his advice today.
Love your home and the curtains are lovely. Halloween looks like a wonderful party on the Island. Can’t wait to read your new book. Thanks for sharing.
Today is election day. I am up so early because my mind won’t let me sleep. Looking ahead to what may or may not happen as a result of how votes are cast today, I am especially appreciating your wonderful post, Susan. It is a soothing and inspiring balm. Thank you!
Susan, a wonderful blog post, as always. My Gram had one of those fridge sized radios I remember listening to it back in the 70’s when I would visit she always had it tuned to KUMU radio station. Their slogan was “with oceannnns of beeaautiful musiiiccc”!
I have just finished reading Martha’s Vineyard and A Fine Romance for I think, the fourth time…… I would have read Fairy Tale Girl as well but that’s on loan to one of my daughters :). Every time I’ve read them I find I’ve forgotten parts and enjoy having my memory refreshed.
Enjoy nesting for the next few months as your weather gets colder. I SO miss the autumn of my youth and younger self now that we live in this sub tropical climate x
As Miss Austen said … “Ah! There is nothing like staying at home, for real comfort.”
― Jane Austen
Glad you both are home safely and for a longgg….time. Snuggles to Jack. Looking forward to reading your blog all Winter long. Happy Holidays !! ♥
Love your new curtains, but love Mr. Joe’s “Vote” pumpkin the best. Thank you for your generosity in your sharing your creativity.
Hi Susan, Enjoyed your blog! Would love to be a winner! Waiting for your new book of course! But to win a copy of the first chapter would be sooo special! Have a blessed Thanksgiving. Love and hugs from Linda in Boise, Idaho!
So glad u r back home!
Your home is beautiful, no matter how it’s decorated. Genealogy is wonderful, I enjoy it so much. You and Joe have a Happy Thanksgiving.
I usually see a ‘waiting for moderation’ tag on my posts until it’s ‘official’ but I can’t see my post at all this time. ??
WordPress seems to have taken that away, confusing everyone! But the comments are coming through.
Good Morning Susan
What a fabulous blog post, as it always is. Love all the photos you share with us. Love the Vote carved out in the pumpkin, how fun. You sure get a lot of kids for Halloween. Love the curtains, all of them. They are so pretty and so cozy.
enjoy your Fall weather Susan
deezie
Hi Deezie!
Isn’t it great to be home! It’s especially cozy this time of year when we feel the need to nest, cook comfort food, find a good book and get comfortable by the fire. I find such comfort, joy, and a kindred spirit in your writings and illustrations. I’m rereading A Fine Romance for the third time!
I so look forward to Enchanted! I will be heading to England next year to visit my dear friend (all because of you!). I feel I’ve become familiar with the English countryside thanks to you!❤️ You are a joy!
Here’s to a great voter turnout and results that instill hope!
Love hearing from you Karen!! Excited for your trip. Thank you for saying hello!
Enjoyed your blog, welcome back to New England, was so disappointed not to be able to see you at the West Falmouth library due to sold out tickets. I enjoy your books so much!
Love traveling with you Susan. It is always so amazing to me that I have the same feeling of coming home when virtual traveling with you, as I do if I was actually traveling in person. It must be your all inclusive way of writing, that makes me feel like I am actually there with you, Joe and all the girlfriends. Your pictures are the best! Thanks for sharing all that you do, and love your curtains! I also have voted by mail in ballot, my husband and I mailed ours in last week, will be watching tonights results and hoping for the blue wave!! Glad you and Jo are home safe on your island.
I love your photos of “fall” which my daughters in California don’t have and miss so very much so I will forward your blog to them! I also LOVE your curtains.
Been missing you! Autumn is the best season, the color, the smells , the food and your Autumn cookbook is one of my favorite, It captures the feeling, Love the curtains, I am making my own living room and dining room curtains and this inspires me to continue , I too was going for the English cozy floral look, I went to see Martha’s Vineyard this fall. What a beautiful island and so much green space! How wonderful! Welcome home!
They’ll be beautiful, and you can say, I made those! xoxo Thank you Kathy!
Reading your blog is as comforting as being wrapped in a warm blanket. Your joy is infectious!
Welcome home! I love reading your blogs. For some reason while reading them you so much remind me of Anne of Green Gables. I don’t know why but that’s who I think of while reading them.
Love you Susan!
Anne of Green Gables always makes me think how brave our hearts are, all of us. Because bravery is a part of every one of our days. Thank you Brenda!
I am so happy that you have arrived home safely, and I am so happy to read that you will be home for a good long while now. I treasure your journeys and all that you share – mostly, I think because you are brave enough to undertake all that they entail and I am not, so in a round-about way I get to go along – but I love most the day-to-day when you are home, the stories of your island and home and garden. What an exciting year you have had, and without a doubt, the next year will be spent with you writing it all down, drawing it all out to share, in lovely detail with all of us. I cannot wait; I cannot wait. Thank you for such beauty!
I love to show our girlfriends if I can do it they can too, but that doesn’t work for everyone, so the next best is being able to take everyone with us. So happy to have you with us Susie, much more fun WITH you than just on our own. Makes me see everything better and in more detail. xoxoxo
Such a wonderful sight to return to from your trip! I can smell the wood fire and the yumminess coming from the kitchen! The drapes are beautiful and your New England home is ready for the season of Thanks. Enjoy your home with your love and your kitty, we certainly enjoy you sharing it with us!
Well, today is a BIG day for our country. We should buckle our seatbelts as we may be in for a bumpy ride! I will be waiting with bated breath and fingers crossed until we reach the finish line, as I know so many other fellow Americans will be doing, too. This is such an historic moment–it cannot be overstated. I pray we can turn this ship around and bring it back to a safer and kinder harbor. I so appreciate your political postings, Susan, as they have been balm to my soul in these uncertain days. Thank you so very much! P.S. I loved the pictures of Jack napping on your couch. I love his cute, little white paws–I want to kiss them!
Seat belt buckled! Roller coaster getting ready to take OFF!
I love your curtains, both posh and simple! The pattern is so soft and lovely. Your Halloweens sound so ideal. It’s how the neighborhood I grew up in used to be, and now it is a scary place, where no one trusts anyone. It’s sad. We just moved to the country out of metro Atlanta, and it is taking me back a bit to that time – great neighbors, very few riding my bumper at 60 mph, friendly folk in the shops. Our new town has only about 900 people!
I am so looking forward to your next book! I love all of them. It’s so hard to wait! Thanks for all you share, and then even take the time to respond to so many messages. You really care about your followers, and that means a lot! I’ve hungered to go to the UK my whole 58 years, and you have helped me feel so much closer! And your story is so inspiring, and your art so perfect. You are appreciated!
Susan, Glad you and Joe(BFFL) made it safely back to Home Sweet Home. Awesome blog as usual!!!!
So wonderful to see your new post and read all about your Halloween. As always thanks so much for sharing your heart and soul with us.
Some days I really need a boost and there you are with a new newsletter. Jack always bring me back . . . to a simpler time when we didn’t have cell phones or bashing of each other just because we are different. So, I thank you and Jack for that. Happy Fall!
Dear Susan,
So wonderful to have you back! Nice to travel but there’s no place like home.
Love the curtains. Enjoy being home again.
Kathy
Glad you made it home for fall ~ lovely. Love your trick or treaters too.
I just love your blog posts! Your home is beautiful. Your boyfriend for life is beautiful. Your cat is gorgeous! And you make this introvert want to throw a party! How do you do that!?!
Believe it or not, I’m an introvert too. But it’s the gift part that appeals! And life would be a drag if it was just US out there, it’s our job to perk it up for others! xoxo Or, not! 😍
Welcome home. Enchanted. Hi Jack.
Your post was exciting to read. It’s the middle of the night where I live and I’m hungry for Red Chili Onion Rings!
Your dining room curtains are beautiful!! She did a lovely job on all of the rooms’ curtains – looks romantically cozy.
Thanks for sharing your world with us. You are a real treasure for me.
Ah! Home and cozy, the best way to enjoy Fall. As always, your blog is wonderful!
Inside of a Marshmellow?….hehehehehe
Your homecoming was described so beautifully. It’s all about those enchanting leaves, isn’t it? The world changes for those of us in areas where we enjoy the four seasons. Autumn is so very colorful with the splashes of color across the landscape. I’m so happy that you are able to tag onto the season and able to enjoy Halloween on the island!
Welcome back!
Welcome home!!!! I can’t wait to read Enchanted. I’ve been waiting, and waiting, and can’t believe it’s almost here. I love all of your books. I display your last 3 on my coffee table nestled in between vintage rose colored bird bookends.( say that 3 times fast….lol) I just received your calendar for 2019. Best wishes…keep up the wonderful things you do. Love, Donna
Welcome home! The curtains are lovely. Looking forward to the new book. Chris
Thanks for sharing your life with us! Love to read and see pics of it:)
Dear Susan, the words that you write touch my heart in so many ways. I often think to myself, wow, that is exactly how I feel! I love the simplicity of the little things in life, we need to stop and appreciate how blessed we are. Thank you so much for sharing and for putting in words what I could never express!
Home. No other words necessary😘
Welcome home Susan! Oh how I would love to win but even if I don’t I will be sure to own the entire “Enchanted” in the near future…can’t wait! Your Halloween pics are so much fun! I LOVE Joe’s pumpkins…such a creative, smart boyfriend for life. Halloween is the best. This year I thought I was going to miss all the fun because my fridge crapped out and I had to go buy a new one later in the day (after work). Fortunately, it was a pretty quick purchase with a very friendly fridge-salesman and then off to Trick-or Treat land I went. Every year I go to my “ghoul” friend Debby’s house for Halloween fun with her kids…the tradition is pulled pork and coleslaw afterwards…yum! Oh…thanks for the Jack pics…they never disappoint! I just want to smooch that mustache- faced adorable tuxedo boy!! Have a wonderful Election day (my vote was sent in the mail weeks ago)…fingers crossed for something wonderful to celebrate tomorrow – you and I both agree on what that would be 😉 My love to you, Joe and Jack xoxoxox
The perfect post to read today, Election Day in the USA! Wonderfully worded & so very home sweet home, which is what this country is…it is home & should be filled with history, civility, tolerance, love & hope for the future. So very glad you & yours are back on your beloved island.
PS Love the new curtains & the revamped ones in your living room.
From your lips to God’s ears, to all of our hearts. xoxoxo Well said Teresa!
So glad you enjoy your home as much as I enjoy mine. Sunday was just so lovely here in Pennsylvania with the Sun shining and leaves slowly dancing in the sky as they tumble off the branches. And then watching them skip across my backyard so merrily. The colors of the leaves are so magical.This is what I love about Fall.
Your blogs make my day!!
As always, loved reading your post. Somehow you put into words what autumn is all about and its captured just how I think it is, lovely. Cute pumpkins and kids”
Thank you for brightening our days with your fabulous posts! I was rummaging through some bins of “ memories” recently. Imagine my surprise when I came across a treasure I had saved. Tucked inside a delightfully decorated enveloped, covered with watercolor roses, postmarked Nov. 24, 1998 (!) was a copy of “ Willard 5” from back in the day when such things were snail mailed by you! Also included was a card announcing your line of quilting fabric.
Interestingly, you wrote that October 28, 1998 issue of Willard on a train for your return trip home-almost exactly 20 years ago, where does the time go?
Thanks for the memories 🙂
Denise
I wonder how many of those letters might survive into the future! xoxo
Welcome Home and Thank you for sharing…Julian of Norwich was known to keep a cat. I recite All shall be well quite often. She was pretty awesome!
I love ready about your adventures and enjoy reading your books. Looking forward to your new book
Thank you for sharing not only yours and Joe’s adventures, but your gift of writing and painting. You make the world so much brighter, for so many. I often feel like I am a19th century woman, living in the 21st…..like Alice, falling down the rabbit hole, where the world seems chaotic, uncivil, and angry. You and your readers make me realize I am not alone….that good people who care for others more than themselves, still exist. Blessings!
You are not alone! xoxoxo
Always such a pleasure reading your wonderful (& extraordinarily artistic) blog entries while drinking my morning coffee. The most important message though was your hunny’s “VOTE” pumpkin! Thank him for his contribution please!
Hi Susan,
I too recently read the Chernow book on Washington. Extraordinary life and sacrifice, like so many of the leaders of our country. It makes you truly appreciate the risks they took for their fellow man. We have no choice but to participate in our country’s direction. Thank you for sharing your sentiments and love for your fellow man and WOMAN! I love reading of your travels. Well done!
So enjoyed reading your posts again. Love the curtains. I made your Touch Down Chili for my wine group. I tweaked recipe a bit. there was not a thimble full left over. Saturday night, having friends over for your Harvest Stew. Love that one too! Those recipes are the BEST for this time of year. Understand your love for home. We moved to N C from Morro Bay. Left wonderful friends behind, but could never move back. Our hearts are embedded in watching all the trees turn brilliant colors. Seasons!!
Yeah, once you know, it’s hard to turn back. People move to CA for the weather, I live in New England for the complications!
Oh your house is So beautiful….I love the curtains …they even looked great before you changed the pelmets…it must be because I am English! I dream of coming back to New England and seeing the colours again…..one day maybe.
I hope all of you Voted….its your future and So important to have your say.
Take care…x
We’re doing it today! Polls just opened in several states. Election parties in the making! xoxoxo
Welcome Home! You have been missed! I love your new curtains and your new dining room paint. Beautiful! I believe I could go on and on about your new ‘things’ but right now I am so centered on this election that I seem to be a one dimensional woman.
I hope we can get this country back to where it belongs with its eyes wide open to helping ALL of its citizens achieve a more perfect life. This election is so vitally important.
I also enjoy your Twitter feed. It seems so personal. I seem to be on the same wave length as you.
So here’s to a grand Thanksgiving! This is a year of thanksgiving we seem to need more than other years, perhaps.
You bring happiness to many
By your yattitude and enthusiasm.
Love reading your blogs. They always put me in the holiday spirit!
As always a glimpse of my beloved New England. I live in beautiful Annapolis Maryland but raised my babies for quite a few years on the coast of Maine. While I love Annapolis…… I miss so many things about Maine. You always share the things I miss so I can relive those precious years again. The Halloween party was especially fun as my friends and I would do the exact same thing. Your new curtains are beautiful and I can see that Jack is so happy to have you home. Thank you again for always making my day.
Smiles….. liz
Dear Susan –
Welcome home to you and to Joe!
You did well with the curtains and decorating – it’s homey and wonderful – just like opening a page of your books.
Wishing you a wonderful autumn and holiday season to come –
Mary S
Welcome home dear Susan and Joe! That Jack looks very pleased your back as well! I love this blog! Your new curtains are lovely and I’m sure you’ll enjoy them even more when you decorate for the holidays! I once had a pink living room, it was so sweet! Finding your grandmothers DAR papers is so cool! I have mine which were submitted in my hand, hopefully my daughter’s will appreciate that. It was a pleasure to have early voting here in Massachusetts, I voted!!!!! Wish I had thought to carve a VOTE pumpkin! I’m so excited to be seeing you and Joe this Saturday! Yeah, I won’t even enter in the giveaway because I’ll get one then! See you soon and safe travels!
Such a beautiful autumn ! The leaves were striking in color this year in Missouri.
So glad you were able to see your leaves when you got home.
There’s no place like home!
What a pleasure to read your “diary” of life. I always smile while reading what you write.
I think your curtains look great! Life is good! 🙂
Hi Susan. As always, I enjoyed your latest lovely post. You look remarkably like your grandmother in the bathing suit pic! Enjoy this grand, fall day.
As I read this on Election Day, I rejoice that I live in a world that HAS elections and beautiful autumns and Touchdown Chili and YOU! So glad to know that your trip was filled with family and discovery. I’m beyond excited about your new book–the Anglophile in me is pacing the floor, waiting . . . waiting . . . waiting. Happy Holidays–ALL of them.
The same to you Becky!!! Thank you dear! xoxoxo
I love Joe’s “Vote” pumpkin!!!
Thanks for all the great pictures! I love to follow your story.
Happy Holidays!
Love everything you do, I have been a fan for years!
So glad you are back in your cozy home! Thank you for the lovely post. Looking forward to your new book about your adventures in the UK.
Just love all of your work. Excited for the new book coming out.
Always, always enjoy the artwork.
Here in Texas we are still going back and forth between summer and fall so reading your post I felt like I was really experiencing fall. This is the time of year I wish I lived in New England. I can’t wait to read your new book.
I was so happy to see a new post from you! Your new curtains are so lovely and make the rooms look so cozy. The hollow, empty sound of a room with no curtains makes me sad and the poor things just look naked! I can just hear the crackling fire and imagine all the wonderful aromas coming from your comfy kitchen. Have a wonderful winter season writing your (our) new book, I can’t wait to read it! Meanwhile, I’m starting Isle of Dreams for the third time 🙂 Welcome home!
I didn’t know you until my daughter gave me A Fine Romance, and now I feel I have a new friend. I am a bundle of nerves today, on this Election Day. But the balm of your blog and knowing I am going to see my beautiful grandson, Harry, are just what I needed. I wish you were my neighbor!!
Welcome home! Love the journeys you take us on. What fun. Anxious to read your new book. We visited Martha’s Vinyard three years ago and loved it. I get a feel for the way you live there. Loved, loved the vote pumpkin in your window. Thank you for sharing your life with us. Have a great week. ….. Sharon
A friend of mine just introduced me to your books. Have read the first two of the trilogy. Just love them. I’m your age so can relate to everything. Now, visiting Martha’s Vineyard is at the top of my bucket list. Hope you have a wonderful fall and winter.
Eunice Hasselbring
So good to read your words again and happy that you had a wonderful trip. Welcome home. As a fellow New Englander I’m also happy that the autumn leaves have stayed. Remember how late spring was this year? Enjoy nesting and getting ready for winter.
Welcome home Susan and Joe! Love your new curtains, looking so English! Happy Election Day!
Welcome home! Our fall colors were late in Michigan, too, so I’m glad the colors on the island waited for you. Your curtains are beautiful and I love how you decorate your home – so warm and inviting. What a treasure you have in the box your mother kept of family memories! My mother had a cedar chest she filled with her treasures, family things, and I have many of them now. She kept a small box of baby clothes from both my brother and me. I found little woolen booties that were mine. 68 year old booties! I am currently sewing lace and vintage buttons on them to create little Christmas stocking ornaments. Thank you for sharing your home and history with us.
Glad you made it back for the drama of the leaves changing, my favorite time of year!
Oh sweet joy to start my day reading your blog. I just moved to a house with trees and I too am loving the colored leaves.
Just catching up on your last few posts, welcome back! Thanks for all the autumn inspiration, I enjoyed your process with the curtains, sometimes you have to keep tweaking until it’s just right! Love Joe’s pumpkin, heading out to vote now!
Dear Susan, I am so glad you and Joe are back at home, safe & sound. The ideas for your new curtains were interesting and solved your dilemma. As far as Joe’s special pumpkin: yes, I just voted when the polling place opened up. It was fascinating to read stories of your family at various times of our American history. Happy Fall, lovely “friend”.
Welcome home! Love your new curtains 🙂
Home for Fall ! Nothing better !! 🎃🍁🍂🌾
Sharing your happiness at being ‘home sweet home’. Makes me miss the fun of east coast Halloween festivities! Going to try those recipes too.
What a great trip to California & back you had! And your Halloween party was exciting! Glad you are home & will keep inspiring us with your posts.
Thank you for this lovely inspring blog! 🤗😍👏🏻 I really like the curtains all of the ways you have tried. Maybe save the valances and change them around occasionally? Joe was so dear to make your VOTE 🎃! Yesterday I was able to spend a few more hours knocking on doors to remind folks to vote. It felt good and I am hopeful for Democrats everywhere today. I’m also glad I work today because I will be distracted from the l o n g wait for the voting results.🤦♀️💙🌊 I hope you have a great girlfriends’ visit at the bookstore on Saturday. I’m getting my house ready for my goddaughter’s arrival on the 17th. She’s from Rutland, the smallest County in England & her mother & I were Fulbright exchange teacher in 1981 & 82. We will visit her friends, spend a couple of nights in Asheville, NC, and she will be Christmas shopping. It’s so funny because I love shopping in England & she loves shopping here! ❤️😍🇬🇧🎁 I hope you are enjoying fall and fingers crossed for the election results we need. 🍂🍁☕️
Hi Susan,
I’m so happy you share your adventures with us. Your descriptions take me along and are always such a wonderful read. Reading your details of your family history made me want to dive into some of the boxes in the garage that hold some of our family treasures. I’m looking forward to your next book! Happy autumn.
Karen
I love your record of family history and your new drapes and your home and ……….my new Susan Branch Apple mug and…….
Susan, hi, I’m new to your blogs and I love them. They are little books filled with goodies. I have your other books and can’t wait for the next one to become available. Thank you for your many talents which are gifts that lift my spirits. Blessings to you!
I have loved all of your previous books. Looking forward to the next one!
So glad you are back in your cozy home. And I am excited about going to vote today. Voting for compassion and kindness in our world. 😘
So glad you and Joe are home! And it sounds as if you had a fantastic time! We just returned from our first real vacation in five years. It was wonderful and packed with blessings, but I was so happy when we arrived home! Such a lovely autumn we have had this year and I’m so glad that it waited for you to come back! I like to think of this is “Nesting Season”, when we’re planning on being here though the winter months, so we work to arrange our homes just so, with delightful surprises and special events. Thank you for this delightful post!
This election is so exciting — and kudos to Joe for the Vote pumpkin — such a nice idea. Thank you for the fall theme — my favorite time of year — and welcome home. Isn’t it great to be back with Jack? He’s such a sweetheart!
Sharon in Houston
P.S. Our fall is full of humidity — I keep telling myself it’s good for the skin…
Love the latest post, as always. I was SO surprised to see your Grandmother’s diploma from Central HS in Sioux City! My Grandma attended & graduated from there as well in 1918! She was born & raised in Sioux City, as was my mother, aunt & uncle. My mom & aunt also attended Central HS but they moved to California in 1941 so they graduated from Burbank HS. What a great coincidence! My mom & grandma always talked about how the school was called “The Castle” & how much they loved the old building.
Welcome home Susan, to glorious New England in the fall. I love your stories, they wrap around my heart and soul like a blanket- cozy and warm my heart. Halloween is huge in my neighborhood too. The mayor of Boston lives across the street AND gives out candy 🙂 I am the school nurse for a neighborhood school. SO the mayor and the nurse are “celebrities” wall to wall (or street to street) children and their parents. It is such a festive time.
I love you Susan Branch! Thank you for sharing all that is good in the world.
PS I love your VOTE pumpkin Joe! <3
You are all that I could possibly dream of and can never be – God bless you for sharing your life in this most gracious manner. This whole post is so special in every way (really they all are) that I can’t even think of a comment! Thank you from the bottom of my old heart! If I’m not picked, please know that I’m one of you biggest fans. May you and Joe live happily ever after!!
I LOVE the first picture of your living curtains in all of their fringy-balled glory. And then I love them in every picture in all of their transformations! I think they would not look as formal if you changed the matching pillows to something more casual. The two matching patterns does give a more formal feel to the room.
But they are BEAUTIFUL!
Now… I need to start looking for some floral fabrics. So lovely!
Well my girlfriend and I really enjoy talking about your books, it’s very special to me to talk over your beautiful trip to England and your life with Joe. Thanks for your warms stories
What a coming home! You have the perfect house and location for all of that partying and socializing and homemaking! Lovely! Welcome home.
What a wonderful blog post! Cozy comfy read while our midwest leaves are falling outside. My favorite time of year! Thank you for sharing your world…..