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!
Awesome Autumn pictures, recipes, decor, memories, and inspiration. So glad to have you back home sharing with us! although I live in California and particularly enjoyed reading some of your tweets from the train trip. A friend and I stayed in the Berkshires and also went on a New England Fall Color Tea Tour about a year before you drove through. We are plotting a quick trip to SLO to stay at the Apple Farm (special senior deal just started!) and buy an apple tea mug, since we couldn’t get up there for your appearance. (But we met you previously at Vroman’s.) Thank you for enriching this gorgeous fall day with your gift of words and photos!
Susan, Welcome home. I know what you mean about fall. I just got home from Ireland on Sunday and was so happy that the leaves were still so brilliant. I have one oval window in my house and right outside is a yellow leaf tree. It’s like seeing sunshine every day no matter what the weather is.
Happy Winter!
I am so looking forward to your new book and would treasure a sneak peek! 🙂 You are a complete delight!!
So excited for your new book! Yay!!! You truly bring enchantment into this world.
THANK YOU from the depths of my being for shining your light brightly & beautifully. I do not have a Twitter account, but I must say that because I’ve been “news-averse” for the last few years, I view your account almost every morning, so that I may is receive “the news” in a gentler, kinder manner. Thank you for that Susan. I L-O-V-E ALL of your books & turn to them often when events in our nation are frazzling; your writing / illustrations are so comforting. I often think of one of your quotes, from Isle of Dreams when you were referencing meditation, ” I choose to be true to myself.” So empowering. Helps me feel “rooted” and hopeful. Thank you.
Cannot wait for Enchanted to be published! 🙂
Hello, love your blog!
I love every tiny element of this post, down to the pom-pom fringe on your curtains. My family, too, are “savers of bits.” We have a treasure trove of papers and objects to ooh and aah over. I thought you would like to know that my Grandpa’s name was also Willard. His biggest brush with fame was that while stationed in England during WWII, he ate lunch at the mess hall with Churchill’s daughter. He was quite impressed!
Reading one of your blog posts does my soul such good! Thank you for sharing about your travels (one of life’s great joys) and sharing about your home (home is another of life’s great joys). It’s amazing how you can be so happy for others…such as those who have visited with you and received an early copy of your first chapter of Enchanted (a most fabulous book title)…happy for them but also admittedly envious but in a good way. One day I will get to attend one of your events…how fabulous will that be! In the meantime, I will enjoy and savor each of your blog posts. Looking forward to a cozy winter…isn’t cozy one of the most delightful words!
Hellooo! Welcome home!
So happy to hear from you and how wonderful
all has been.
Cheers, as always!
Nina
Hi Susan,
I love reading you’re blog, thanks for your beautiful words that make me feel good every time.
Your words are always a joy to read.
Hello Susan and Joe.
Loved seeing your cozy home which reminded me so much of my roots. We are the same age and were privileged to grow up in that time period. Thank you for the link to the songs…I remember hearing my grand mother play Glen Miller on her record player while she set up her card table for her lady friends, complete with appropriately sized tablecloth. I recall Canasta being the game she enjoyed.
Ah the curtains…lovely fabric…thanks for sharing, I would love to entertain in such a warm dining room, so welcoming.
We live in a shaker type home that we attached to an antique log cabin, reclaimed by us. I love the look of primitives and combine them with more contemporary Pottery Barn over stuffed chairs as you have done. A group of us do rug hooking, Nantucket style….I suspect you would enjoy our artistic attempts to paint with wool. Looking forward to a quiet afternoon reading your next book. Kim
Love your blog. Love “Mom, tell me your story”. I have started writing in it for my boys when I am gone. You just gave me few ideas as what documents I should put in the book.
Hello…..isn’t that what you said we should say? Always love reading anything from you…..you have such a lovely way with words!!
Hi Susan, welcome home. Glad you had a safe journey home and that the leaves waited for your return before falling away. What a joy it is for me whenever I see a new blog posting from you in my email.!!! 🙂 It truly lifts my spirits. I can’t wait to open it to see and read all about the things you generously share with us who love your recipes, art work, books, sewing items, tea cups and other fun stuff. I am an animal lover and love that you include Jack in your sharing. Jack is so adorable. Love your husband’s VOTE pumpkin too-it’s so important. I already voted! My parents were from N. Ireland and so I’m attracted to your love for all things English, as do I. (and Irish too!) I have all your books, even the ‘Original snail mail Willards” booklet you put together. There’s a great sense of peace within all your creations which is a lovely gift for you to share. Crossing my fingers that I am one of the lucky 5 to receive your signed first chapter. Blessings & Peace.
Welcome Home
Love the new curtains. And I do like the flowered ones with and without the valance. Thank you for sharing your travels and your home and your wonderful Halloween decorations. I look forward to the day when I can travel in leisure instead of for work. So enjoy your blog!!!
Hello to Jack!
Welcome Home ^;^ I love your new curtains. Love the colors and the print. A most beautiful room! My aunt moved to Florida a couple of years ago and every time she travels back to Michigan she brings me old items from my grandma and grandpa and great grandma’s and grandpa’s. Birth certificates, Christenings, weddings etc., all in German on those beautiful printed certificate document paper. I will be having them preserved and new frames if necessary. I love family history too !! Happy now to be catch up with the happenings on Martha’s Vineyard !
On my walks along Heights Beach in Falmouth, looking across the sound the Island seems brighter. I figured its because you were back.
My daughter and I can’t wait to meet you on Saturday .
Have a great trip across.
Mary
Susan—Welcome home! All of your windows are pretty but Put those valances in the living room back up——they are Gorgeous!! If you don’t want them—-send them to me down here in the South!I think they are so elegant & I love them hung high —- but I guess that’s why they make chocolate & vanilla! Of course, you could always use them sometimes —-I’m sure Joe would love taking them down & putting them up!! Your trees are beautiful—I envy you your autumns. Hope to make it to the Vineyard this next year.
Welcome! No matter how much fun and how enjoyable the trip, it is always so good to be home. What a homecoming with all those gorgeous trees just waiting for you. You should always bloom where you are planted, but I yearn for the north in the fall.
The new curtains are lovely. You have such great taste!
So glad to get this fabulous post today, thank you.
So glad you are home for a long stay. How wonderful fall waited for you. Halloween looked magical and such fun.
And I have to tell you I am in love with Jack! He has to be the cat with the most personality ever! Cuteness at it’s best.
I’m keeping my fingers crossed that I might be one of the 5 winners!
Welcome Home!! I can’t wait to read the new book!!
Welcome home Susan and Joe…now is the time to breath deep, warm your toes, enjoy the smell of a hearty soup cooking on the stove, and take in all the joys of the upcoming holiday season. Hope we hear from you more often as you settle into book writing mode. Wishing you happy hours of inspiration!
Such a lovely read!!
Thank you for bringing such sweet joy to so many especially in these unattractive times…and you are right, life was simpler when we were younger, but glorious. A Forever Fan!
Thank you so much for sharing your pictures, your home, your journeys, your thoughts, your friendship!! Your blog brightens my day and inspires me to be positive and uplifting for others, too! I am putting your books on my Christmas list this year. And maybe some day, I will just have to venture north east to see this Wunderland of Martha’s Vineyard. For sure, a long train ride is on my bucket list! Oh, the many places to see and people to meet!! Gratefully, Christine
Thanks for another lovely post! So glad that you had a nice visit to CA and took us along. Looking forward to your new book!
I understand how you feel about being home again. Home is one of my favorite words. If “Home” is in a book’s title, I will definitely be reading that book! I’m so glad you chose those wonderful florals for your curtains. They are gorgeous. I agree that shortening the valances will be just what will make you happy. Thank you for a wonderful read today.
Your newsletters are lovely. Such a delight to read with my evening meal! What an interesting way to refer to Joe — boyfriend for life, very clever.
So glad you are home. I love your curtains. I love all things English. Very busy and comforting looking. Have a wonderful fall.
Welcome home! So nice to check my blog list and find your post – warms up my evening. Love your home, so full of contentedness.
Welcome home, Susan! Squeal!!! I am so excited over your giveaway! I would love to receive the first chapter of your new book! I have ALL your others and relish them. Keeping my fingers crossed.
Hi Susan, I started a post to you a few minutes ago and was interrupted and it disappeared!!Anyway, so glad you are home and love your curtains . I am like you and don’ Want too much formality in the house. Your home looks so inviting.
Missed seeing Jack while you were gone. Loved the pumpkin reminder to vote. I did early voting.
Looking forward to your Thanksgiving and Christmas posts.
Welcome Home, Susan and Joe!!!
So happy Autumn waited for y’all,…seems the leaves hung on a little longer this year. I’ve been admiring their lovely color here in North Carolina, as we’re at peak leaf peeping season right now.
Love your blog and all the sweet photos of your beautiful home and precious kitty, Jack.
So glad to read your latest blog after returning home. They are always so special to read and see. Glad you will home for quite a while! Best holiday wishes coming up very soon for Thanksgiving! Jean Rosenfeld in St. Louis, MO
We are taking the train to California in January. I hope the snow is here waiting for me to get home like the leaves waited for you.
Thank you Susan, reading your post is like catching up with an old friend, 🙂
Glad you are back in your cozy home to STAY for a bit!
Love the fabric of your new drapes!!!
Have been using my new pumpkin mug, and I just love it. I sympathize with your curtain issues. I had embroidered crewel curtains for a house we built back in the 80’s. Three houses later I finally got them back up again when I had Roman shades made for this house. Sometimes it just takes us awhile to get things done. Have a wonderful Fall and a cozy Winter.
Welcome home! So nice to read your post and see all of your pictures. Always enjoyable!
Welcome home, Susan! Autumn has long been my favorite season of the year, so I loved seeing how have been doing it up right, from the sweet decorations in your house, to the VOTEing pumpkin. Good stuff!
I will vote!! 👍🏻
The new curtains are beautiful! You have a very lovely home!
So glad you got home in time for a fabulous Halloween party! And I got my “I Voted” sticker today 🙂 so glad!
Dear Susan,
Isn’t home just the best? I was away at a wonderful teachers conference this weekend… My colleagues and I had such a great time! However, there is something so wonderful about being home again tonight and sleeping in my own bed… Susan, I’m always blessed by your posts. And this one was no exception!!
I already voted, and so did my special friend. We sat together to discuss our opinions about all the propositions and the stories behind each candidate. It’s a wonderful time of the year… We can be so hopeful that our voices will be heard.
Thanks for inviting us into your world! I love the floral draperies so much, you’ve inspired me to reconsider my green velvet ones, which my friend Voni always says reminds her of that Carol Burnett sketch when she is pretending to be Scarlett O’Hara from Gone With the Wind and is wearing a curtain rod! 😊 We will be watching closely and perhaps having an election viewing party… Love your food suggestions!
Thanks for the great post (and all your tweets!)
MM
Welcome Home! There is nothing better than sleeping in your own bed 🙂
Love the pale pink walls.
Hello🙋🏼♀️
I love to imagine your trips across our country by train. Such adventure!
The vote pumpkin is perfect!!🧡🧡🧡
Hi!
As usual your blogs come when we need them most.
Please enter me in the drawing!
Welcome home Susan and Joe! I must say I loved having you in golden Cali, my home state! I was sooo happy to receive my Pumpkinhead mug a few days before my Halloween birthday 🎃! I love it! Thank you, thank you. Your Halloween bash looked exceptional, loved the VOTE pumpkin, and your new curtains are all beautiful! Enjoy your time settling in back home. Xoxo
Such heartfelt memories shared. Thank you for your wisdom and tenacity! Blessings always! Help change the world!!!
Your Maine friend,
Jane
Lovely post❤️ as usual you made my day😊. Thank you! I love your Autumn book it’s one of my favorites! Actually all of your books are my favorites! 😂😂. Love your Curtains!!! They make your already beautiful home even more beautiful. Thank you for sharing your world with us! Hugs, Love and prayers, Tricia B. XOXOX ❤️😍😘
Hi Susan,
Another wonderful post. I hope you consider putting the trim back on your shorter valances. I think it is very elegant. Looking forward to your new book. I would love to have the first chapter.
Darlene
A Post from you; embraced as a visit with a friend. Over the summer I read Isle of Dreams and was beyond enchanted with how life works out along the twists and turns on the journey. Your art and words are cherished gifts!
Welcome back love to hear of your travels. It feels a bit like I coming along
Thank you
Thank you, as always, for your words and art work. They continue to warm this old lady’s heart!
Welcome home!! Thanks so much for sharing things with lovely pictures and wonderful quotes!! I always feel so uplifted after reading your blog!! Thank you for all you do and for all you say!!
My New England Heritage is “alive” since becoming girlfriends with you. I grew up “going to the Cape” for the summer; ferry rides to “Martha” or “Nantucket” were common. Ah, to do it all again and be aware of the gift in my own backyard. Your talents with art, words … I am full of delight of the gift of memories.
Wish I was in Falmouth for your book talk; what a special evening it will be!
I posted an email earlier but have not seen it here. I do hope it pops up soon; however I will add this in just in case.
Loved your post! The VOTE pumpkin is priceless.
Welcome home! I’ve always loved returning home even from a weekend trip, there truly is no place like home! Love your new curtains, all of my curtains are plain, I’ve never liked the flower curtains for my home, but I love seeing them in other homes, go figure! Can’t wait for your new book to come out! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Glad to know you and Joe are snugly home for awhile. What a great train trip you had. I love the new draperies. And its so fun to see how much like your grandmother you look. A spitting image. So happy Fall waited to welcome you home. Enjoy, enjoy.
So happy a taste of Autumn waited for you. We have been delighted by our Fall colors this season here in Missouri. So excited about your new book. Each one is a treasure.
As usual, this was so welcomed. I am so happy fall waited for you. Last week the days were so beautiful that I just wanted to walk in leaves.
Hi Susan, I too love the colors of Fall! I think the leaves this year have the most vivid color! I am so happy that you were able to see the leaves when you got home. I live in upstate New York and if I knew you were on the train, I would have waved! Love your books and blog!! Happy Fall!!
Welcome home, Sue and Joe! Jack must be delighted. Love the new curtains, the Vote pumpkin, the new mugs, all the great photos and the recipes. Sorry I will miss you in West Falmouth. I will be on that side but it’s sold out. Have fun!
xoxo Robin
What a special treat to see your family paperwork Treasures. You are so fortunate to have these documents. Love the drapes, even with the valances. Thanks for the pumpkin mousse
Recipe and welcome home. I have voted! Your giveaway is packaged with your usual
Flair.
Your home looks absolutely beautiful and so cozy Susan. Very Hygge indeed! I think it is more important than ever to make our homes a warm and loving refuge for our loved ones. I love how you are discovering so much of your family history. I am absolutely obsessed with pictures of my grandparents from the 30’s and 50’s. It’s so fun digging through boxes of mementos like you mentioned wondering what our ancestors were thinking and feeling. I especially love how pretty everything was back then, even diplomas like you showed.
Many blessings to you, Joe, and Jack.
Welcome home Susan, I’ve missed you and your blog! Love the pictures and your new drapes are absolutely gorgeous. It’s finally fall here in the Pacific NW, the colors are just wonderful this year, almost as good as New England.
I love vicariously living your life…thanks for sharing with us! After moving to Central FL from the Cape, I really enjoy seeing the Vineyard in the Fall and Winter that we don’t really have here. Especially loved the photo of Jack with his paw over his eyes and the one of him on your curtains. Like my cat, Cy, they obviously rule the roost as they should. Welcome home!
Hello Susan. Your curtains are gorgeous, you did a beautiful job! Nice you are cozily home in your beautiful house on Martha’s Vineyard. We used to live in West Falmouth, and one year there was ice all the way to Martha’s Vineyard! Sorry I will miss you at the library. Love the VOTE pumpkin, I have my fingers crossed and everything else! So much fun to see your trick or treaters as we don’t get even one! I put out my ceramic pumpkin 🎃 I painted but didn’t light the pumpkin pie candle this year. Also hung my bat in the window and arching cat! But your house felt more like Halloween. Love the way you decorate and make life so special. ♥️ Of the Home.
Susan, I look forward to all your posts and reading about what goes on in your life at your home on the island and California. My daughter had been to the island and I hope to one day. I have bought all your books for each of us and it would be so great to be a winner of this 1st chapter of your next book. Sandi in Texas.
Love the curtains, trim and all! Welcome back, reading your posts always cheers me up.
Hi! I love hearing about your family history. I am the saver of little pieces of paper in my family, too!
You look like your grandmother! I love old pictures and things that remind me of all my loved ones who have gone before. My parents got married right at the beginning of the Great Depression and I heard so many stories about it. I voted early as many have done and will be watching excitedly for the results. I love election days. Maybe I’m crazy, but it’s the one time we all have a say. I have not always been happy about the results, but it’s not for lack of trying.
Ha! Know the feeling!
We recently returned from an East Coast Fall Leaf viewing trip where we also spent a day in MV. All of it was lovely and the color of the leaves from MA to NH to Vermont and Maine were incredible. It’s nice you, too, were able to arrive home in time to enjoy the season’s change.
Hello from Harpers Ferry, WV! So excited for the book giveaway! Happy Fall!
Really enjoyed your long, detailed and beautiful post today….here’s hoping to win a copy of your first chapter =^..^=
We are taking the train to California in January. I hope the snow is still here when I get home like the leaves were for you!
Welcome back to your favorite place…HOME. We hold our breath for our next correspondence from you and your colorful world. Would like for you to enter my name in the most recent drawing…..thank you.
Meanwhile back in California it’s still hot and we are looking forward to one day being cold. 😉 My daughter in CT sent me a photo of her Japanese Maple in gorgeous scarlet finery. The next day most of the leaves had been blown to the ground – it was still beautiful just lower. 🙂 I am so eager to experience a New England Autumn and will be spending a year there starting in May 2019. Can you hear the excited squeals?!!!
Oh Susan! I so enjoyed sharing in your anticipation and excitement as you saw that the colors were still there when you returned home! The wonder of fall is as magical as nature gets, providing us with seasons so that we never take for granted or tire of its beauty! I love your delight in Halloween and wow! You sure get lots of trick-or-treaters! Such fun! The “vote” pumpkin was my favorite, but all your seasonal decorations were a treat for me! Thanks for sharing your love of life with us!
Chris
I’m so glad you and Joe are home again, and I know Jack is too! I love this post, filled with things that you love, and the fun of your new English curtains and Hallowe’en and the VOTE pumpkin is the Best Idea! Well done, Joe.
I love history, and research, so thank you for the Politifact website. I’ve already voted but will walk with my daughter when she votes after work tomorrow in our little Vermont village.
Thanks again for a beautiful post, as always.
Hello! Thank you for taking us along on your adventures! I love your curtains and know you’ll enjoy them for many years to come.
Welcome home!! Those are such wonderful words, aren’t they? Thank you for your posts filled with excitement, enthusiasm and a multitude of details! Each one is a joy to read! I’m looking forward to reading your next book! Rebecca
So glad you are home again! When you share your home (Jack, pumpkins, curtains, etc.) I feel like I am part of it too. Thank you! ♥️
It’s so much fun, this vicarious adventure you’ve taken us on!
Reading, drawing, stories- what a treat!!
XXOO
Welcome home Susan!! Such a wonderful blog! Love your new curtains and beautiful home. Can’t wait for your new book and I know it will be fantastic just like all your others..I love them all!💝
I love your posts! I feel as I am visiting your lovely home when I read them. The curtains are lovely! I have a similar print throughout my home. I chose to use valances and blinds to let the sunshine in. I love looking out at the wildlife in my yard. Thanks for sharing your ideas and photos.
Welcome home! Your curtains are fabulous! Here in Michigan the leaves are mostly gone but the fall was gorgeous. I enjoyed hearing about your ancestors and how important their papers are. Loved the vote pumpkin! And your pics of the trick-or-treaters. Here’s hoping I am a winner of your first chapter!
Welcome home! I know how good it feels to sprawl in your own bed and wake to familiar sounds and sites after so long away. It is a perfect comfort. I am thrilled the leaves waited for you and the ride through the Berkshires must have been breathtaking. That area is one of my most favorite places of all. Massachusetts is without a doubt my favorite state…and I live clear across the country from it. I think you look like your grandmother. Isn’t it wonderful how we skip generations and one generation seems to show up on our face. She’s a beauty and so are you.
awwwww, that is very sweet Jenni!
Welcome home Califotnis girl.Like The Beach Boys sing we we all could be California girls lol
Welcome Home and Happy Autumn ~~ I love your dining room curtains but I really miss the flowery wallpaper. I have to keep telling myself, Change is Good although I find it hard to do when it comes to decorating my house. Autumn lingered for all of us a bit longer than usual but with the wind and rain from the other day the maples out back gave up ALL their leaves. I’m working at the election polls in our District tomorrow so no matter which way the ax falls Girlfriends GET out there and VOTE!
so very glad your home safe and sound with tons of happy memories!!!!! it’s so nice to travel across this wonderful country but ever so nice to be home !! can’t wait for tomorrow ——voted in every election since i turned 21 (i’m 75 now) and this is the most evil in OUR white house i have ever seen. why in the world people don’t vote i’ll never understand.
love
grandma glenda
Thank you so much for your lovely posts! It lifts my heart to open my e mail and see a message from you waiting there. Enjoy your leaves while they last-ours have already fled!
Hi Susan
I am so glad that you are home! I love this post! It makes me renew my fall spirit.
Have a beautiful Thanksgiving! I can’t wait for enchanted!
Best
Elyse Adams
Oh so happy to have you back! Been missing your blog. Loved the new curtains. Love all the fall and Halloween decorations! Love everything about your home. Can hardly wait for the new book to be finished and in my hands. Sure hope I get one of the previews! 🙂
Loved the 4 generations picture and striking family resemblance!!
Hi Susan,
Loved the Halloween post. So many little Tick a Treaters. What fun it must have been.
Looking forward to your new book. I read all 3 books of your life twice. Each time it was a joy.
Thank you for sharing your amazing life and stories to so many.