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!
Good morning, Susan,
So glad to read your return home. Loving your curtains…..everything takes getting used to. The leaves here are turning later. Still beautiful….not so cold. North Carolina is still just sweater weather.
Would love a copy of the first chapter. I think I will rewind this blog and reread the posts you made during your trip.
Take care and blessings always, Lee
I was fascinated to see your ‘English’ curtains and read your worries about them. I think we would describe them as Country House style in England and they looked wonderful. It’s all about what you feel about the style of your house.
By the way it was wonderful to read your diary when you are in England, and the things that you found to be of interest, like Remembrance Sunday and the poppies we wear. The village I live in has huge poppies on the lamp posts this year in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the end of the first World War.
I’m watching your celebrations, Linda, our poppy collection is on the kitchen counter, Remembrance Sunday is my favorite of all your luv-lee traditions. Never to forget. xoxoxo
Hello Susan! Happy Election Day! Welcome Home! Love, love, love every corner of your post, and in between! Your drapes are perfect for all 4 seasons, and when there is 12 inches of snow on the ground……….you will still have your flower garden inside to make you smile!!! I am going to steal your idea of the heavy flannel backing for the next time I make drapes for my little bungalow. Perfect for Michigan winters. Pat little Jack on the head for me, he seems so content with you and Joe finally home!!! My daughter is coming after work this afternoon so we can go walk to the polls and vote together. I woke up early to cook carrot soup and gluten-free, dairy free cornbread for lunch.(She is 24 and has certain diet restrictions. So, I find it rather fun and creative to convert old recipes into her new way of eating!) Take care. God Bless. Byebye, from mild & cloudy Dearborn, Michigan!
So glad you are home, safe and sound. Your curtains are beautiful. Seeing the Halloween pics remind me of my New England upbringing in RI, how I still miss it after leaving over 50 years ago. Enjoy being home!
Welcome home! Your Halloween looked like a blast! I voted before work, and our lines were long! Have a wonderful day!
Welcome home, Dear ones! I love your newly decorated house, curtains and all. And that special pumpkin Joe carved for you gives me an idea..It’s not just for Halloween : ) Of course, Jack is the real centerpiece of it all,
lol.
Welcome home 🏡 and so glad u were able to still enjoy the changing leaves 🍁
And truck or treaters 🍂🍭🍫! Fall is beautiful ! Enjoy your happy home – the curtains are perfect ! and so sweet that u share all The good things with us girlfriends! Thank u ! 🌻u never cease to Inspire goodness and positivity! It is the seeet simple things in life that are the real ones / after all! 😉as another sweet lover of books and nature once said ! Luv to u from ca! God bless America ❤️. Like your Bbffl says ! Vote 🎃
Ps excited for the new book to come out!
Welcome home! Happy Fall! Glad the leaves were able to lift your spirits and shine in all their glory!
Thanks for sharing your Halloween visitors and your lovely decorations. Please enter me in the drawing. Wonderfully charming post and thanks for renewing my faith in my fellow voters today. We can be the change…..
Love your pictures of the Fall colors around your home!
Love your curtains and dining room color. I’m inspired to make some changes, too! I also liked Joe’s pumpkin.
I’m looking forward to your beautiful new book Susan!
Welcome home! I’m so glad the trees waited for you. We’ve had a lovely, colorful fall here in Idaho. Our weather has been so good I almost feel guilty! What’s not to love about autumn, the most perfect season of all!
Hi Susan, welcome home to you and Joe – and thanks so much for sharing your trip, great details! Happy November–
Wonderful Blog! Glad you & Joe are home safe. 🍁🍂
Susan this blog reminds me of one of my favorite songs! In fact your pictures could have inspired the song or vise versa. The song is When Fall Comes To New England by Cheryl Wheeler. Worth a listen (or 50!)😉
I was very happy to see a new blog post from you today, and even happier to think I might have a chance to win the first chapter of your new book! I’ve been patiently waiting for this book since you first mentioned going back to England. 🙂
HELLO!
I’m sure Jack is glad you’re home and plan on staying put for a while!
Thank you again for bringing your bit of Heaven to earth and blessing all of us. Five stars to your boyfriend for life for the “vote” pumpkin – wonderful job!
No place like home! The noises, the smells, the light. Xox. Jerilynn Lijewski
As always, inspiration for something new! This time it will be to call my husband of 45 years from here on out “my boyfriend for life!” Love you and Joe. Off to light the candles and eat some creamy oatmeal before rushing into the crackling leaves on the ground in our Colorado neighborhood.
Welcome Home, girlfriend! Vanna, pick me, pick me!
Happy Voting Day! Exercise the right to vote that so many before us put their lives on the line for!!!!
Welcome home! I am so glad that you and Joe get to stay home and just “be” for the holiday season and beyond. Takings long walks, cozying(is that a word?) up to the fireplace, kitty cuddles. Nothing in the world is better. Enjoy every quiet moment.
Thank you for your upcoming book. I cannot wait to enjoy the magic that you put inside those pages.
Have a magical holiday season and stay warm and cozy.
Welcome back to Jack, he must have been over the moon! It’s always so nice to come home. I can see why the curtains took such a long time to come to a conclusion because they look good, formal or not. It’s interesting that as creative as you are you enlisted the opinions of so many others. And it was fun reading about it too!
Being California born but living most of my growing years in Maine I can appreciate your love of both Coasts. Your last blog had a loving tribute to your parents which made me think of the Brandi Carlisle song “Most of All.” She is a folk/Americana singer if you are not familiar and I thought this song might resonate with you. Joe’s pumpkins are lovely. I have a special needs daughter who takes pride in voting every season and his Vote pumpkin made us both smile. 🙂
Beth – now in Virginia
Welcome home! So glad you got to see the beautiful, colorful leaves. Some of my trees are getting a little bare, but still green. Grrrr…..Happy nesting!!!
I wish today, on Election day, that EVERYONE could read your beautiful post! My Abuelita was from Chile and they lost their right to vote for 17 years under the dictator Pinochet. I curled up on the couch with her every day I was with her and squeezed her softest hands, and absorbed her stories, and her wisdom. She said you must vote, good people must stay engaged in politics or all is lost. This Catholic woman, whose faith brought her so much joy and comfort that she wold ride her horse down a mountain to go to Mass every day and change from riding pants to a skirt, once put her hand up in the air and ticked off her fingers saying “catholic, protestant, buddhist, muslim, jewish”…. closed her fingers together and said, “It is all the same.” Beautiful beautiful soul! So off I go to vote! Bless you Susan; a light who keeps a divisive America more together!
Dearest words from you, so aptly named “Care,” thank you for important reminder. So many, like your grandmother, with first-person understanding of what can be so easily and quickly be lost, have left testimonials to our privilege, and what it requires to keep it. It’s more than just voting, it’s history, it’s looking deep, especially in these days. We have a billion dollar industry interested in dividing us.
Hello!
Hi Susan, love your blog, love your artwork, love your books, and that Jack….he’s a cutie!!
Your blog always grounds me ……..which I need in todays world. I have grown up with you. Thank you…now Im going out to VOTE!
Welcome home!! Would love to hear more about the train ride, thinking about the train for a trip to Texas in May. Our Grandson will be graduating.
Thank you Susan for a great post. The “vote” pumpkin was stellar!!!
Thank you for your post! I do hope you will consider returning to Williamsburg for a visit–that would be a trip I could manage. Until then, I will enjoy your pictures and words. Thankful for you!
Have been sooo anticipating this months news…was sad to think of the dining-room changes but WooHoo, Love the New..
While sorting stored stuff to make room for Family moving in, found your 2007 calendar which matches 2018…SoFun!…Wonderful Reminder of how much I enjoy reading your Story.
Thanks for Sharing your Home, Cat, Joe, Neighborhood, Recipes, and Love ! Wish we could be Neighbors.
Welcome home Susan. Loved the fall pictures. I’ve been enjoying watching my favorite tree in my own yard here in Michigan. It’s a lovely maple and if the wind doesn’t blow on the day she decides to drop her golden leaves, they fall in a circle like a skirt under her canopy. It has been my favorite thing to watch over the years as we prepare for the long winter. I’ve been recovering from knee replacement surgery for the last 12 weeks. So glad I did it and have had the opportunity to slow down for just a bit before returning to work. I too have some renovations being made to my home and look forward to decorating for Christmas this year. We are completing a 3 season room for year round use. It overlooks the gardens in my back yard with lots of windows to enjoy the view. We are a blended family so over each of 4 windows I will have shelves representing 4 families. Memorabilia from each will be reminders of those we have loved and lost. I can’t wait. Happy fall.
Helllooo Susan & Joe! Happy Fall Homecoming🍁🍂. Loved seeing all the fallness as you traveled, & when you arrived home. Being a Chicago girl, now living in SoCal, there isn’t much fall color along the coast (as you know}. So THANK YOU for sharing! Also, I do LOVE your new curtains. Your home is beautiful & cozy. You will have a Spring in your home all thru Winter!
Love all your work & books! As I do not like to cook, I just enjoy looking at the ones I have! Love the artwork. Unfortunately, my daughter does not like to cook either. (Wonder why???) Maybe one day you will write an “easy” cookbook for those of us that fall under the “hate to cook” title. Please keep writing!
Being that this is Election Day, hopefully we can all respect the choices of one another.
Tomorrow is the first day of the rest of our lives (just like today and yesterday!).
Susan, you are truly extraordinary! Welcome Home 🙂
Love the “VOTE” pumpkin!!
Thank you for writing!
Home. No other words necessary😘.
So loved every bit of this! Your curtains are beautiful!! Happy Fall!
Everything is beautiful! Your Halloween Party looked so fun! I remember when I was a kid more than 55 years ago (YIKES), trick or treat was the best – everyone was out and having a good time! Glad to see it still happens that way in many parts of the country! Most important, as your pumpkin says, VOTE! Now is the time to make your voice heard and make a difference!
PS-Excited for the new book!
Always a nice surprise when you touch kindred souls….I found the Julian of Norwich quote a lot of years ago w hen my life was very difficult, and I hung on to it….seemed like it was written for me!. I am now 88 years, and life is so very, very, good…… but I still quote Julian….. and feel very appreciative for “finding” you!
Happy to have you here Nell!
Susan – Election Day…..last night I worked at Democratic HQ, phone banking….one of our Congresswomen, Pramila Jayapil, spoke to the roomful of 100 or so volunteers …. mostly young people, all ages, shapes and sizes….inspiring are those young people..my favorite call on the phone bank was to a 91 year old woman, who voted 2 weeks ago, and is fed up with negative ads ….she is thrilled, however, that she just learned how to use the mute button on her TV remote!
So let’s all be in touch after today….lots of love, strength, hope,
Regina , Seattle
LOL! Oh so wonderful, that human connection, just adorable!
Welcome home! Enjoy the fall as winter is just around the corner.
I love seeing all of your posts! The cute fall garlands and other nice touches that bring the fall indoors. I’m down in South Florida, so those little touches are all I have to make it feel like lovely fall. I’ve even made some fall garlands and such similar to what is in your kitchen 🙂
I became a huge fan due to my Grandmother sharing all of your cookbooks with me growing up. And your book, Fine Romance, helped inspire my honeymoon plans next year in Great Britain! I can’t wait to go to the Lake District myself, and see all the cutest sheep 🙂
I hope I’m lucky enough to win the giveaway this week <3!!
Honeymoon in Great Britain, cutest sheep! You will love it! xoxo
Trying to comment. You are such a ray of sunshine in an otherwise all too often dark and gloomy world. Thank you Susan.
Thank you for being here Debbie!
Thank you for always brightening my day.
You are such a ray of sunshine in an otherwise all too often dark and gloomy world. Thank you Susan.
Dear Susan
You “nailed” the curtains! With all of the adjustments you made, they are beautiful!
I am also exploring family history and just delight in all of the gems I find. Can’t wait to see your new book
So happy you made it home in time to see the leaves. And that you could share it with us. What an exciting year you’ve had, and now a new book-yay! xoxo
Really like the new curtains.I bet you are glad to be home. In the Fall home [ Ohio] is the best for us too. What a great picture of Jack with his paw in front of his “face.”
Absolutely love hearing about Fall on your Martha’s Vineyard home. Fall comes to sunny San Diego in such subtle ways; a slight change in the air, some rustling leaves (many of our trees are confused when weather starts to cool and then warms up again), Santa Ana winds (pray for no wildfires), cutting back on yard watering (a good thing for our drought conditions). It’s still a beautiful place to be!
Can’t wait for your next book. My husband and I have added the Lake District to our bucket list, and are waiting for your insights.
Another wonderful blog post, Susan. Autumn is my favorite time of year. There is beauty in every season, most of the time you don’t even have to look for it. And through your writings and recipes, those seasons are spectacular!
Hi Susan
Having some difficulty posting so will try again. Simply saying, love your curtains and your love of family history. It is a beautiful fall.
Susan,
So glad you and Joe are back safe and sound and that you had such a wonderful trip. First, the curtains, love, love,love the fabrics! I do like them better with out the valances – less fussy and it shows off your pretty woodwork at the top. Second, all the papers and photos from your mom’s family – memories are lovely and I was getting so excited as your story unfolded. I too am a lover of history and find it very interesting. You have some fantastic documents to keep your family’s memories alive for the future generations. Thirdly, your Joe is the best to carve the VOTE pumpkin. Along with you I hope everyone gets out and votes today. It is so important to the future of our democracy and our country as a whole. Fun pics of all the trick-or-treats – Halloween is such a fun holiday. Enjoy the beautiful fall foliage while it last. Thanks for bring some love and sunshine into all us girlfriends lives!
Hiiii! From Tulsa! Simply put Susan, you make life so easy and fun and fantastic! You share an abundance of happy ideas and experiences and engage us all to enjoy! So inspiring, Thanks ever-so-much!
Love your wonderful post! A little while back I was pondering my grandparents. We lived with my Mom’s parents for 12 years. They were born in 1887 and 1893. The next three generations were born in the 1900s. Of the third generation 4 are my grandchildren. The other 5 were born in the 2000s. As a teen I thought I’d be too old to see the 21st century. Ha! In my 50’s I moved into my second century and my second millennium!! These connections to other centuries and eras is mind boggling, and I love to be so connected to them. It is also interesting that both my grandparents and my grandchildren were born near the turn of centuries.
Can’t wait for your next book! Now I’m going to spice things up with your pecan recipe!🍂💛🍁❤️ Pat
Love this post. LOVE the VOTE pumpkin. Our country is desperately in need of sane minds and positive hearts in leadership. Thank you for speaking to truth and balance.
100 new women to Congress . . . a wonderful start!
Thank you for all things happy! You are a great source of happy. That’s how I feel after I read your blog!
I so look forward to reading your story. Thank you for reminding us of the good things in life, the best things…family, friends, the seasons, laughter, creativity…Love every word…and can’t wait for the next chapter!
Susan, thank you. I love “visiting” your home even for a little while. Welcome home!
I always enjoy your blog because it is upbeat in spirit and beautiful to the eye. Your work makes us smile!
❤️❤️❤️ this post! Great VOTE pumpkin!!
Thank you Susan for keeping our spirits uplifted during this very trying time. Here in Oregon we vote by mail which allows us time to study our voter’s pamphlet and vote when we’ve made our decisions. I treasure your blogs as I know so many others do. Thanks for letting us into your life and thoughts… ;0)
Love, love, love the pictures of your trees, your home and Jack. I too like more simple curtains, now making some drapes from Painters drop cloths.
Praying that the right people for our country wins today.
Hello! 🎃🍂🍁 Keeping my fingers crossed x
Hi Susan, just received the new series of cups, still smiling. Thank you for being an inspiration to all of us! Fall says it all doing the Happy Dance.. I look forward to the new book!
Susan, I look so forward to your posts about your travels, your books, recipes, and so much more. Love your calendars. I feel so grateful you are a part of so many of our lives. Thank you for ALL you do!
Hello from British Columbia, Canada
Do you know how blessed you are to have family history written in their own hand? Genealogy is my “thing” which leads to interest in their surroundings and history in general. Yes. You should write a family history, too. Next project 😅. And you look like your Grandma in that early photo of her. 💕 Can’t wait for the book. Your post is lovely. Glad you’re home.
Absolutely, I’ve treasured all the bits of family handwriting I’ve gathered, but this was a particularly good day!
Susan!!!
Your blog is s owonderful! It is so cozy, and always makes me feel warm and happy. I had to share with you my RED LETTER DAY! My birthday was the Saturday before halloween this year. My sweet kitty that I adopted about three weeks ago was heavily pregnant, and had her kittens on my birthday, first thing in the morning! She came up to me and had the first kitten right at my feet! The moment I saw her, I felt so so bonded to her, and it made me think of you and sweet Jack. My best friends are all adopting one of her babies, and I’m keeping one as well. It was such a sweet and beautiful day, and I felt compelled to share it with you. So glad you made it back safely!
And what a RED LETTER DAY it was!! You’re making me cry, how sweet! Happy Birthday! Congratulations new mommy! How fun you’ll be able to keep track of the kittens. Thank you for sharing Carlie, I love it!
Hi welcome home !
I voted early this morning! May the good will of many put this country back on track again! Welcome home!
YAAAY! I was so happy to see a new post!!!! Your curtains are lovely, sooooo you! Looks like Halloween was a blast and I just LOVE the VOTE pumpkin. Great job Joe! The cursive handwriting on the old document that you found is absolutely gorgeous!! Isn’t it a shame they aren’t teaching cursive in schools anymore?? Sad…. Anyhoo, I can’t wait to watch the polls tonight too! Go BLUE!
Welcome home! Thank you for writing today!
What a lovely, fun, dip into the past and present post! Loved it. So sorry to have missed you when you were in Cali! But fun to see it in the post! Happy holidays!
Welcome home, Susan. I live in the Pacific Northwest in the midst of a sea of evergreen and colorful deciduous trees near the Canadian border. I am so inspired by all your decorating and cooking ideas, and now can hardly wait to read “Enchanted “. I have cleared a space on my bookshelf right next to your other three books in my studio. All your cookbooks hang out on my cookbook shelves in the breakfast nook. Take care and keep warm. Blessings to you and Joe and your fur baby.
Thank you Priscilla, so nice to hear from you!
Love the light pink walls in your house. I have new pale pink paint for my guest room that’s waiting to be rolled on. Then a vintagey roses border for the wall will be put up. This guest room will be my rose garden. I’m itching to get started. Maybe tonight ❣️
Always good to be home!!!!! Thanks for all your warm memories…
Today’s the big day…good luck everyone!!!
Another hopeful blog! have been reading your books for over 25 years. Just came back from a trip to New Hampshire and MA visiting relatives – miss the area as I grew up there, but not the snow and cold. As I have grown older (71) your writings remind me of Gladys Tabor (whom you have mentioned many times), but your sentiments are updated for these times of ours. I have been very fortunate to travel over seas and around our country and am hoping for a more inclusive way of living in our 52 states. Thanks again from a small barrier island off of NC. Follow your tweets also!
Traveling is such an eye-opener … a tree falls in Connecticut, they feel it in China. xoxoxo
Welcome Home, Susan! And you’re right, everyone IS apparently related. If you had an ancestor in Massachusetts named Foster during the early days of our country, we are surely distant cousins. My middle name is Foster, and my father’s first name was Foster, to keep the name going after the previous generation had no boys to pass on the surname. The family seat was in Hingham, MA and there was once a summer home in Blue Hill, ME. Can’t wait ’til “Enchanted” is available at bookstores everywhere … thanks for keeping the magic travelogue going!
So glad to see the new curtains and to hear about the hanging decisions, valance or no valance, and just plain going back and forth! I have the same problem. I had to laugh because I too usually make my curtains (a little short, crooked, etc.) but turn out OK.
Now, out for a walk wearing my “I voted ” sticker.
Welcome home and now to “nest”! I’m sure Jack agrees. Love the curtains and think they are smashing! The new book looks like it will be a winderful addition!
Happy Election Day! Thank you for all of the beautiful pics of Fall. Texas is warm today and the trees are still very green. It’s nice to see all the colors in your post today! Welcome home!
Great blog! Love your English curtains, I agree with the shortening of the valances. I rather like the curtains without them, it is a shame to cover up the lovely woodwork at the top of the window. Is that wide enough to set things on? A pretty plate would look lovely in the center of each. I am a person that believes less is best.
Isn’t it wonderful to have of that family history in your hands.
I came across 2 old bibles that somehow came into my care. Inside one there were prayers clipped from newspapers. I would like to share one with you, i think it is appropriate for today.
Prayer to the Nation
I know three things must always be
To keep a nation strong and free:
One is a hearthstone fright and dear with busy, happy loved ones near.
One is a ready heart and hand to love and serve and keep the land.
One is a worn and beaten way to where the people go to pray.
So long as these are kept alive Nation and People will survive.
God keep them always, everywhere. The hearth. The flag. The place of prayer.
Author Unknown
Luv-lee. xoxo
Welcome home, Susan, and Happy Election Day! I voted early in Wells, Maine, and the polls are crowded – a good sign! Your post is wonderful, and the new book looks incredible. Can’t wait to see the completed edition and add it to my growing collection of your wonderful books.
Thank you, Susan…love your blog, books and all you do to help make the world a better place.
Enjoy fall!
Nancye T., Wells, Maine
I think you made the right decision on taking the valances off . . . they kind of overwhelmed the room (just a bit). Such nice curtains for New England winters. But I do miss wallpaper:) An off the subject question: Do you have a tick-tock clock in any room in your house? I inherited my Grandmother’s mantle clock that had the most wonderful tock – for years. It recently stopped and it would cost almost $400 to clean/fix. The room is NOT the same without that mellow sound . . . I’m SO happy you had some Fall left!
I love ticking clocks too, have one in the living room and one in the dining room . . . so in the morning, when I walk through the dark house with my tea, or light the fire, I do it with the ticking of a clock! This house asked for ticking clocks the moment we moved in!
Hello and welcome 🏡 home! 🙋🏼♀️
Hi there
I just love..love the curtains..the dining room looks amazing…so beautiful, restful and perfect. Well done for the gorgeous fabric you chose..it’s gives a definitely elegant English look to the room
Thank you too for all the lovely photos and stories..
I love pumpkins so my House and mantle piece are decorated with them and my Autumn display in the window..it for everyone to enjoy.
Sending love and grateful thanks to you both..and kitty of course.
Happy Fall
Sandra..from Birmingham…xxxx
Welcome back, Susan.
Thanks for your wonderful post and reminding us to vote. I cast my ballot early in Wells, Maine, where it’s raining and still crowded at the polls – a good sign.
The book looks fabulous and I can’t wait to add it to my collection of Susan Branch books.
Take care! Happy Fall and Happy Hunkering Down for Winter!
Love,
Nancye T., Wells, Maine
Welcome Home . . . And Thank You for ALL of Your Inspiration !
There’s no place like Home for the Holidays !!!
With Love from So Cal,
Linda C. : )
Welcome home! Always love reading about your travels & glad that you made it home in time to see the beautiful fall leaves. I have enjoyed all of your books, and am anxiously awaiting your new one!
Susan I really think we are soul mates, from GladysTaber to loving all the items you create! You look like your grandmother. I too treasure everything related to family, and I have created Memory Boxes for the pictures, post cards etc…. You are an amazing woman. I am so looking forward to buying your new little vases/ pitchers in January.😀☃️⭐️ Sincerely, Sarah Malchoff
They’re coming! In the hopper now! I can’t wait either!
Love your post. Enjoyed all the pictures of trick or treating. Sure brought back memories of trick or treating when I was younger.
Susan,
I’ve just spent the loveliest hour reading and savouring your new post. Thank you! It was perfect reading for a snowy, grey day here in Alberta, Canada.
Loved all the photos — That was a sweet surprise for you with Joe’s Vote Pumpkin. I noticed in his carving pumpkins photo that he had his glasses hanging round his neck. No teabags, I see, and no punkin seeds strung up either.
Your curtains are lovely — I do like your toned-down version. Had a good chuckle about your house not being the Duchess of Devonshire’s, but a farmhouse with a bathroom where a three-holer once stood.
You make your posts so much fun and companionable for us. We love it. Thank you for the opportunity to enter your draw.
Wishing you so much joy…
Bren xox
@wordfromhome
For your comments about Joe’s glasses, the word that came to my mind was, “Yet.” 😃 Lovely to see you here Bren!
I am sending a copy of your wonderful book, “A Fine Romance”, to my pen friend in Derbyshire, England. She is an avid Beatrix Potter fan, and will love your book. Can’t wait for the new book to be published!!