Well, for the first time, I finally sort of have everyone where I want them! Home! MUSICA
There’s my hero off to rob the grocery store! We are doing fine here, so far so good. On our third week of staying home, doing our part to protect ourselves and the brave health workers at our little hospital. Joe doesn’t LOVE going out dressed like this, but he does it for me.💞
Still dark and quiet this morning . 
. . I finished the new calendars yesterday! DONE💃! Yay! Now I get to write my Christmas Story! So excited! I put everything away and cleaned the studio to get ready ~ and now the house is smooth and quiet. Behind a chair on the floor of this room is a little machine I got many years ago … a recording of birdsong on a constant loop. Because it’s still too cold, we can’t open our windows yet, but it’s April and I, personally, am ready, READY, READY for spring. Recorded birdsong works for me till the real thing comes along. Makes me happy!
It’s getting a little lighter, a little warmer every day . . . Which is perfect because for some reason our supermarket decided the one thing they could live without during this pandemic was, wait for it, yes . . . F L O W E R S. Totally nutty. So good for the soul. They’ve been #1 on my shopping list the two times Joe has gone. But, no.
So here we are, in the NICK of time! Spring, the season of hope and rebirth.
And it’s purr-fect here! Just ask Jack!
So out comes the yellow . . . Easter is on my birthday this year! I love it when Easter’s on my birthday! And by the 12th, we’ll already be almost halfway through April. This time with pandemic feels like forever, but it will pass much faster than we think. I’ve been thinking about what I’ll have to show for it. (Besides, of course, a hundred thousand prayers.🙏)
I’m such a homebody, as you all know, that if I “HAD” to be “quarantined” ~ “stuck” on a desert island so to speak, I could not think of a better place than Home! Where all my best things are. Tea, candles, dishes in soap suds, clean dishtowels on the stove, jars with red lids, peanut butter cookies in the oven, Beatrix Potter people on the window sill, Jack in my drawer, Joe at my side. All the good stuff happens here anyway. It’s trouble out there. Home is the only place we are in charge! 
Was “Zooming” with my English Girlfriend Rachel the other day (*see Zooming below) . . . we were comparing what we’re going through to what the Brits went through during WWII, when their “pandemic” fell out of the sky and blew up houses while people were sleeping ~ which they lived through every day for SIX years. How DID they sleep? No sugar, butter, eggs, coffee. No gas. Everyone like sitting ducks. Sons and husbands in danger, far from home, not heard from in months. Ray gave me a book called Nella’s War, an actual diary of an everyday English woman during the war and what I learned: we are so lucky, even now. Staying home? Lucky us. Whatever happens, we’ll figure it out. If they could, so can we.
What if, the way this went, we were all quarantined in a 
dentist’s chair? Right? Way worse! Or a highly air-conditioned department-store bathroom, locked in with a bunch of strangers and only two plastic chairs? There is no nicer place than home especially when bombs aren’t falling. We LOVE our own beds, we LOVE the musica that plays here! No strange dentist-chair music in THIS house. I’m stealing daffodils from the garden, and forced a tiny stem of cherry tree. If I didn’t have a garden, I might dress like Joe and take a walk on our deserted street with my scissors.
We are like this. We go out to stare at the garden before we go for our walk and holler to each other. “Joe, over here!”
SO exciting! (Norman Rockwell was clearly one of us!)
SEE? Happening all over. New life. Isn’t it thrilling?
I’m so proud of everyone. The whole world is on a mission. We’re in it together. “If you can’t do what you do,” said Bon Jovi, “do what you can.” And so we do.
If we want to have breakfast for dinner, we can and we do! There is something so cozy and comforting about pancakes for dinner. Then we watch two series on Acorn, Brokenwood Mysteries, and 800 Words. We are loving the creative art of cooking more than ever. Dinner is like an event, what are we making? Let’s have PANCAKES, let’s put bacon in them … yaaaay!
I wasn’t always a good cook ~ no one is BORN that way, not even Julia Child, who said, “Before I was 32 all I did was eat.” And as you know if you’ve read my books Fairy Tale Girl and Martha’s Vineyard Isle of Dreams, I didn’t just burn up one stove, I burnt up two.😱 But cooking was right smack in the middle of the road I took searching to find my passions and the things that would make me happy in life. Cooking was like a secret way of giving. I could make people happy when I did it.❤️
It was my own little pandemic that brought me to this cottage in the woods on Martha’s Vineyard. When my life was 
suddenly thrown into reverse, I went inside, in more ways than one. And it was in that quiet where I learned most everything else that’s brought me to now. Sometimes we need a little pandemic in our lives to help us see the road. It’s awful when it’s happening, you fight it in the beginning, but later, if you survive, if you aren’t allowed out too soon, you think, Oh, thank God.💖
What helps the fear? Little things. Naps with kitties, tomato soup, scrambled eggs, a good book, bubble baths, MEDITATION, finding new recipes, cleaning out a closet, 
maybe writing that book you’ve promised yourself you would do. Are you homeschooling? You could teach history the fun way. Watch with them: Darkest Hour, Schindler’s List, Amistad, Lincoln, Amadeus, or Chaplin. Show them where on the map these heroes were born, or where the story took place. Make it all real for them. Google “Best Silent Movies” and show them the world of their great grandparents. Check out my Movie List ~ maybe you have a budding vintage-movie buff in the family. Have a Family Book Club: read out loud every night: The Diary of Anne Frank or To Kill a Mockingbird. Take questions. I have a Book List too, tried and true, guaranteed to bring a laugh
or a tear. Get online and fill out the Census. Teach good citizenship and explain how doing this makes your community strong. Teach them how the stock market works (😳I’m still trying to figure it out!). Paint a bedroom. Check out TED TALKS, so much genius free for the taking (watch Isabel Allende speak passionately, brilliantly, about Passion). Create a photo wall in your bathroom. Make a homemade pie crust. Teach kids how to iron, knit, watercolor, embroider. There are lots of embroidery kits and fill-in family cookbooks in our web store (make Christmas presents). Get out that hammer and nails and Google How To Make a Bird House. Every lesson for everything you’ve ever wanted to learn is on Youtube. Things you never thought of, things you hardly ever have time for, you do now. Who knows? You might stir up some passions!
My own personal divorce-pandemic took me here. From California to a small island and this little house . . .
Where I cried myself to sleep and healed with kittens and Potato Pancakes.
A recipe I then put in a cookbook I wrote at my dining room table . . . 
. . . that changed my life and gave me a future and made my pandemic worthwhile, all six years of it.
I never imagined this book would turn 30! But it did. And it got a makeover, not just the cover, but there are lots of new recipes. I’m thinking you or a friend or a relative may 
be needing a little extra TLC right now, a little bit of vintage charm in a topsy-turvy world ~ so I’m putting this watercolored, hand-written book full of homey recipes, 176 pages of how-to’s, and family stories, on sale ~ each with a signed bookplate inside.❤️ For the whole month. And don’t worry, I am living proof . . .
None of us know what the future will bring, we have lots of these books in stock right now, it would be better not to have them lounging in a warehouse somewhere, they should be out there, spreading their homey goodness, doing what they do best, inspiring family togetherness with potato pancake, carrot cupcakes, linguine in clam sauce, Gazpacho, my dad’s garlic bread, stuffed pork chops, enchiladas, rainbow jell-O, onion pudding, German pancake ⬇️ . . .
. . . the way to fry an egg so the yolk is
still soft, bubbled up with crispy edges . . . bean soup, cranberry tea cake, caesar salad, twice-baked potatoes, lemon chicken, bread and butter pudding, chocolate eclairs . . . and so much more…
As my parents did and taught us, if you want something bad enough, you just make it. 
I just checked my cupboard, I have three Heart of the Home’s here on the Island, which I’m going to give away to YOU. All you 
have to do to win one of these books is scroll to the bottom of this post where you’ll see a bunch of tiny little words, including the word “comments” … click there, leave a comment (anything, so the blog registers you there), and you’ll be automatically entered in the drawing which we’ll do next week. ❤️ I’ll email the winners and personalize each book before it goes out. Little something to look forward to.
Here’s another small treat you can make yourself ~ extra simple made with boxed mix, but outstanding for kids ~ and you’ll feel pretty proud too.
One of our Girlfriends sent us her version!
What else . . . Oh yes . . 
No doubt you have figured this out, but just in cases, our Mother’s Day Tea Parties in Duxbury have both been canceled, until, we think (and hope), September. I’ve been saving my old paintbrushes and pencil stubs and making bookmarks to hand out at the signing . . . which means there will be more by the time this happens! See? It’s all good. I’ll announce the new dates when I get them.
Another 2021 Calendar preview, it’s April! Just a reminder, we will be placing our calendar order with the manufacturer on Monday. Hopefully you have yours on order . . . but if not, if you are going to want either the 2021 Photo Wall-Calendar or the regular Heart of the Home wall-calendar, now is the time to get them. Nobody knows WHAT is going to happen to the stores that usually sell them, our manufacturer may make HALF as many this year as last, we just want to make sure our Girlfriends get one if they want one.💞
I’m sure you’ve heard of ZOOM, but if you haven’t let me tell you . . . it’s like an on-line conference call . . . I 
have used it twice now . . . once with seven girlfriends here on the island, (we had our TGIF, with cocktails, via Zoom) … and the other with Rachel and Paul with us here and them in England (and more cocktails). It’s free! It’s easy! If I can do it, anyone can. And it’s highly satisfying. A safe way to reach out and say I’m still here and I love you, you can see the love-light in their eyes. You can even kiss the screen. You’ll see. Excellent invention.💞 
Another especially fun family project is Ancestry.com … get your DNA done and start working on your family tree . . . my sister and I do it over the phone together . . . it’s wonderful to feel your family connected to the world, puts a new sort of foundation under you, deeper roots in a world of curiosity and investigation! Shelly finds a name from 1736, and I’m practically screaming the WOW-ness of it into the phone! We get totally tangled sometimes saying such lunatic things as this, “No that’s Irene’s DAD’S father’s brother’s OTHER son!”
Well, look! It’s light out. Blustery and cold, leafless ~ once again, have to say, right now real world is isn’t quite as wonderful as it is in this cozy house . . . look, my agapanthus are blooming in my studio window! Birds and squirrels are feeding outside the kitchen window ~
It’s as good as it can get. One last thing before I go . . . one thing you must do. Turn off the news. Do not listen to daily numbers. Don’t hear strident voices all day. If you’re at home, following the rules, and staying inside, you’re already doing EXACTLY what you’re supposed to do to protect your medical centers and your amazing healthcare workers (under so much stress it’s unfathomable), from YOU. Blessings and prayers for them, and also, for our first responders, grocery-store people, volunteers and delivery people, who put themselves on the line for us every day. Social distancing is working! Too much negativity will make us as sick as the virus does. Just keep praying, and go World-War-Twoing through to the other side. Think of magical words like delphinium (say them out loud, pure poetry), hollyhock and foxglove. Lily. Pansy. Because it won’t be long.
💞
Don’t forget to leave a comment for the book! Would love to hear how you’re doing!💞 Oh yes, I have a new bookmark for you! You can see it below. Just click HERE and print it out either on card stock, or do it double thickness. From me to you . . .
Reading your blog first thing this morning on a cloudy day brought sunshine into my house. As always thank you for your words of wisdom and for sharing your place of bliss.
Your posts are very inspiring to many. Love seeing your home photos of Joe and Jack and spring happenings all around. Am a bit jealous of your early morning walks on way to the water. Thanks for the cheer in this unprecedented time.
I have never commented before, even with your other give a ways. However, during this time of crisis, not just for us, but all the world, I felt it was time to say a simple Thank You. From the first time I stumbled upon your very first cookbook, I was enchanted. A cookbook with such lovely, hand drawn illustrations! Who knew? I have continued to collect all of your books, cookbooks and stories alike. I love them as much for the art as the content. I so enjoyed following your story as we are of the same age, and memories came rushing back of songs, times and places. Thank you again, for the the gift you give us all – Home and Serenity.
So dear Lynne, thank you.💖
Thanks you so much Susan for the sunshine sent from Martha’s Vineyard! We live on the Eastern Shore of Maryland and the flowers and dogwoods are all in bloom and beautiful. Please stay safe, you and Joe! Love from here to there❤️
Thank you so much dear Susan for lifting our spirits and lending positive and loving thoughts to our day.
Susan, thank you so much for your beautiful words of encouragement… you always seem to know just what to say! Reading your books and your blog posts always brings me comfort and makes me happy. It’s like reading a letter from an old friend. It’s great to be able to share that feeling – I can’t begin to tell you how many times I’ve shared your blog and given your books to friends as gifts. Thank you again! I hope you and your family stay healthy and happy! 😊
Thank you back Toni!
Your blog is ALWAYS and I mean ALWAYS soothing balm of love and joy to my heart….and even more so now….can that even be? Oh yes!! I too am a home haven gal and can’t think of a sweeter place I’d rather be….well…maybe perhaps at your Home Sweet Home petting dear Jack. ;). I’m so grateful for YOU in this world. Xo
Xoxoxo
Barbara in WI
Love hearing from you Barbara . . . xoxoxo
Oh hello Susan, your Blog is finally here. I read it two times, the first a quick scan, the second time slowly and taking it all in.I can just feel your excitement about spring, other times past, and what adventure is to come.
I love you make pancakes the old fashioned way, we make them that way, with lots of Maple Syrup, real Maple Syrup, not processed. Living where we do in Michigan, we watch for the buckets to hang on the trees and count the days.
Thank you for sharing everything with all of us, loving your stories and looking forward to your next one. Stay well, you and Joe and of course Jack..
Maple syrup is kind of a miracle when you think of how we get it. Imagine the settlers learning to make it for the first time. Manna from heaven. Another gift from Native Americans. 👏💞
Good morning Sweet Susan!
Our only son had his first baby March 26th!
And while we can’t meet that living doll until it’s deemed safe, we are so blessed with technology.
I thank God for FaceTime and the immediate pics Dominic can send us throughout the day. They live about 20 minutes outside of SF. And were about 90 minutes away, so I know when the time comes, we’ll be able to zoom over and love on Elio often!
So there’s another life that’s going to grow up on SB recipes. I thank you so much for giving me so many ways to spread love and joy to those who bring me, well, love and joy!
I hope you and all of those you love are healthy and safe.
❌⭕️❌⭕️,
Tawni Urrutia, in Lodi, Ca.
Tawni! I’m so happy for you! You are a grandma … 😂 This is a year you’ll never forget! Blessings on you and the whole family. 💖
Your words are like a effervescent tonic to my/our weary souls… I, too, am a 73 year old homebody– so quite frankly staying HOME isn’t painful at all. My hubby is a bit antsy, but our Georgia Springtime yard keeps him busy ! I have a beautiful watercolour of my childhood home hanging on the DR wall and I treasure it along with our Georgia home. THANK YOU Susan for always having the right words & pictures & your watercolours to soothe us….xoxo Joan
Heart of the Home was one of the first cookbooks I bought as a young woman starting out on my own. My copy is battered and well-loved, one of my favorites!
I always feel better after I’ve read your blog posts, especially now, reminded to find beauty and joy right where I am. Thank you!
Thank you Susan for reminding us just how good we really do have it. We are blessed. Your post is so uplifting and fresh. I’m sending wishes for you and Joe and the kitties to stay well and happy. I wish everyone could have a home where they feel happy and safe in spite of what is going on outside their door. You are an inspiration.
Thanks for bringing in some calm during the storm.
You make me SMILE, Susan Branch!!! I LOVE your books, your artwork, your inspiration, everything about you! You bring sunshine to my days, even when it’s gloomy. Thank you for being YOU!☀️😘🌺🌼🌸❤️
😘😘😘
Happy birthday! I’m usually a fall/autumn person but I woke up yesterday feeling so grateful and happy for spring. Thank you for the beautiful blog post. 💕
Thank you for your sweet words! They are very comforting during this time.❤️
Your blog warms my heart!
Hi Susan. Thank you for a bright post reminding us of the joys of home.
I’ve been meaning to write and tell you about a delightful Instagram account I’ve recently discovered. I think you’d love it too. The handle is @geoffreywalk. It’s an English couple in their 80s who daily share little snippets of their life, garden, home, cooking, hobbies, etc. on instagram. They are just what the world needs in this time….both having lived through WWII in England. I look for their updates each day. ♥️ Stay well and healthy!
👏👏👏
Today is my 44th anniversary. We usually go for a nice dinner out, but this year it will be a nice dinner take-out. Thank you for reminding us that home is the best place to be.
I get so happy when an email alert comes in that you have a new post! I’ve been a fan since childhood of yours when you released the Summer book. I’ve read it over and over and still find something new. Would love to win this book!
Thanks for your encouraging and uplifting posts! Helps us all get through this! God bless you!
Hi Susan,
It was so wonderful to read your words this morning.
Life sure has changed. We are doing our part and staying home. I am most grateful that my son and his family are here from New York. They arrived on March 13th for my husbands birthday, and they are still here. We are so blessed that our little grandson(5yrs old) has a place to play outside, as we live on a lake in the middle of nowhere. In new York they live in an apartment in Brooklyn . We will all get through this . Till then stay well and enjoy your home as we are doing too.
Your blog fills me with gratitude as I am so fortunate to have a home and others do not we are the lucky ones-Thankyou for reminding me!
Dear Susan, Thank you for your wonderful words. I was born in 1947 in England, two years after the end of WWII, my parents lived through it, Dad served in the British Army. Vera Lynn and all those songs are so close to my heart. My planned trip to the UK from my home here in Upstate NY has been cancelled so my family and I continue to FaceTime. Lovely to see the gardens full of spring flowers, trees bursting with green and especially to hear the birdsong. All this is very close to happening here, so much to love and enjoy. I’m a kindred homebody who thrives on gentle domesticity, with a large garden to wander and tend. My heart and prayers go out to all those who are not so fortunate and are suffering at this crazy time and bless our medical people on the front line for what they do.
Happy Birthday Susan, all the joys of Spring to you.
Elaine.
I was born in 1947 too, Susan Anne Stewart! 😄 Anne’s with E’s (Not sure if apostrophes work here, but the words looked awful without them!) xoxo 😘
I’ve been so blessed for many years by your gift of beautiful art and lovely recipes. I’ve always Ted this book yet never felt I could splurge. ❤️ May someone be blessed.
Hi Susan. Thank you for your beautiful blog. Your drawings and photos and writings are always so fun to read and look at. I would love to win your cookbook so those cute little drawings and sayings would always be at my fingertips. 🐰🐰🐰
Thanks for the uplifting post! We’ve been quarantined here for over a month now and it’s starting to get frustrating and stressful….
Remember you’re not in a department store bathroom!😂 xoxoxo😘
Thank you for the treat of a new blogpost. Ordered two mugs which make me happy each day when I have my tea or coffee!❤️
You’re right! We’re so blessed to be able to be home during this crisis! We’ve talked a lot about WWII era and what they went through. We can do it! Keep calm and stay home!
Thanks for the bookmarks, I love discovering them later in a favorite book.
Oh your squirrels must be related to mine, same acrobatics.
Yes, to pancakes in a pandemic.
What a special Joe you have to do the marketing for you dressed like that.
We will all be looking like that at the store now.
I will tell him he’s an inspiration. It will help him feel better about it!👏
I love this! Such a sweet and cheerful blog post! Stay Cozy!
Oh Susan, your blog always brings such light and life. Thank you 💕 My husband and I both are still working (I in a grocery store, him in coffee production) so a bit anxious here. Wishing for long days at home. Enjoy them!!! And happy 30th birthday to your beautiful book! The original is a go-to for us, especially the pan fried chicken and gravy with green beans and tomatoes. Yum! Excited for the new edition! Take care xo – Jen in Savannah
What would we do without our grocery-store people? Workers there are amazing, heroes who come to work despite the danger. Thank you, keep away from those shoppers! Feel free to tell them how much more comfortable you would feel if they were more covered. Many forget to think about you guys, trapped behind the counter. THANK YOU. xoxoxo Be safe.💞
Would love having your cookbook. My sister has it
I love your stories and illustrations. Your artwork is so beautiful.
I needed to hear this right now. I was checking the news and social media and felt sick at my stomach. I actually thought I might have the flu. Then I read what you wrote and it made me feel much calmer. Thank you for the soothing words. I am quarantined with the love of my life (we recently celebrated our 48th wedding anniversary). I am in contact with my three children every day via phone or FaceTime. I published my first novel right before we were quarantined. No book signings, but I am getting positive comments from those who were able to order it online. The grass is green outside, and the birds are singing. Your cookbook (and work of art), Vineyard Seasons, is on my shelf. I will look through it today when I need another dose of calm and inspiration to try a new recipe. The lemon noodles recipe is yummy! Thanks again for helping me see the positives in my life.
It takes about 3 days for the news-stress to wear off and you to feel normal again. But you will, just breathe, take a nap, consciously relax, let your shoulders settle, let your body feel heavy, and don’t let that daily grind wear into your beautiful self. Congratulations on your book.👏 I know it’s not as easy as it looks! Stay safe! 💖
Lovely words and photos….we will survive !
I love reading your posts about Martha’s Vineyard. It’s such an enchanted place.
Hi Susan, What a wonderful thing to do! A new cookbook is just the thing I think we all need❣️Thank you🙏🏼
Absolutely love your words of wisdom.
Your words, your art, your whole blog bring joy and comfort into this dark time. xo
You have a gift Susan for knowing just the right words to calm and inspire us to embrace the good things in life that matter. This morning I woke up to the song of a tufted titmouse singing its heart out on my porch railing. Nature always prides solace. Stay well. 💐
The squirrel getting to that food any way it can! Haha! I needed that smile today. Thank you 🙂
Hi Susan, I just read your blog and so enjoyed it!🥰 Everything was just what I needed to hear💗 We shall get through this. Stay safe and keep writing because I love what you have to say! Much love to you💗 Wishing you nothin but blue skies and sunshine ☀️💐
Love, Roseanne
Susan,
Thank you for your comforting post. Stay well.
Your writing was just what I needed this Saturday morning here on the west coast! We have a promise of some warming this coming week, trees and spring flowers blooming. This will certainly improve the outlook I’m sure! Looking forward to planting a salad garden and I too am a homebody doing a lot of stitching. The best to you, Joe and Jack! Having a cat is one of my comforts!
Thank you, Susan! Your blog post is just what I needed this morning. Sharing on my facebook page so my friends can enjoy it too!
Very kind Debbie! 💞
I have been waiting for one of your comforting blogs. Thank you. Am going outside to plant our vegetable garden today. Haven’t had one in 25 years since we travel up to Maine for the summer but I am looking forward to putting in all the cool weather crops that come in before July.
I love we are doing wonderful things we wouldn’t normally do! Good brain exercise! Happy gardening Alice!💖
An oasis of calm in the midst of a storm. Thank you
Have you watched This Farming Life on Britbox? One farmer profiled has Valais sheep which remind me of your Lamb cake. They’re both so sweet (no pun intended)!
Thank you for your words 😊 and art. They give me peace in these scary days.
How I love your blogs and pictures. Ive had your first cookbook for almost 25yrs. Thank you so much for your encouraging words as we manage this difficult time. Stay well and keep on sending your love and kindness to all!
Thank you, Susan- so much!! I’m due for a new copy of your book for sure.
Dear Susan,
Thank you for all the comfort and joy that you have given over the years. I want you to know that you put a smile on my face every day through your art and writing. Your calendar hangs on my pantry door in my kitchen and greets me all through the day.
May your day be especially blessed as you have blessed us all!
Thankfully,
Karen
Oh my. I agree s
With so much of what you said I’m staying in and treating this time like a holiday. One I always wanted where I can create and clean and organize to my hearts content. And yes I just check the news online once a day. Mainly for the weather.
Thank you for your beautiful words of comfort.
Susan,
Thank you so much for this. Your writing and artwork bring joy to my heart. Last year I bought 5 of your Christmas Joy books and gave them as gifts for Christmas to all of the young moms in my family. Every Christmas season I read that book over and it makes me so happy and bursting with new ideas. I have only recently discovered your blog and love it.Thanks for the joy you bring to my heart.
Very nice to have you here Karen . . . thank you for the kind words. Stay safe. xoxoxo💖
Your cookbooks and calendars have enriched my life for many years. This was a lovely post. My husband and I have cocooned ourselves and stay busy with all sorts of projects. I would love to win the 30th edition of one of my favorite cookbooks.
We all love your dreamy cottage
Thank you, dear Susan, for the bookmark. I’m hopeful for the cookbook. Your books are lined up on my bookshelf here in Australia and are cherished as much as you do your Beatrix Potter figurines. Thank you for your inspiration. X
You are a breath of fresh air. Can’t wait for your blog to show up in my mailbox! I have followed you for many years. Thank you for all the beautiful messages you send!
Thank you for this–I needed a virtual hug today! I’ve been working from home for the past few weeks and my three senior Chihuahuas are loving this new arrangement! They are all rescue pups (the best kind!). Gracie Ann is 11, Frannie is 11 and Batman is 12. Batty (as I call him) is our newest–we adopted him in December. He’s five pounds and has no teeth–in other words, absolute perfection! We are all sending much love to you, Joe and Jack. 🙂
Ohhhh, I’m so happy you’re home with them! xoxox
Thank you, Susan, for your sharing your beautiful talents with us. It brightens my days and warms my heart. I still remember your kindness 9 years ago, as if it were yesterday, when my 3 girlfriends & I met you while we were celebrating my 50th birthday in Martha’s Vineyard. It was the Sunday before Memorial Day. You had just finished making a potato salad to take to a barbecue that you & Joe were attending. Thank you again, from the bottom of my heart for spending the time chatting with us in your kitchen as if we were your girlfriends. It truly made my birthday & our trip from California to Martha’s Vineyard extra special. You are a true gem and a blessing to so many, including me.
Lovely to hear from you Julie. Thank you so much! Stay safe. 💖
Thank you for the post. I’m in the mood of some comfort reading so looking forward to a re-read of your books and the Little House on the Prairie books. Thanks for continuing to post uplifting thoughts.
Dear Susan: Thank you for your inspiring words, especially during these difficult times. I am so fond of your writing; I have thoroughly enjoyed reading your three books. Stay safe and well!
Susan, just read your blogpost which brightened my chilly, gray, rainy day here in La Grange, IL. Thanks, I needed that! My sister, Margaret, and I always text each other whenever you create a new post, (see who spots it first), and like wise old crone kids awaiting a new episode of (name your favorite TV episode), it never disappoints. Margaret and I love to cook, eat, garden, sew, take long walks, read, watch old (and new) movies, so we are kindred spirits for sure. These days, we even love to exercise….😉
Happy Easter Birthday, Susan, and many, many more!
Peace and love to all.
Everything we CAN do feels brighter and shinier when no one is taking anything for granted! Thank you so much Kathy! Spring is coming. I could see the moon this morning for the first time in days! 🙏👏😘
You inspire me! I raised my kids on your recipes … your jolly writing and luscious creations kept me sane. So many thanks … Shelley
Oh thank you for calling my writing Jolly! I just love that word!
Hello Susan, Thank you for helping us get through these difficult days with your inspirational blog. I am praying a lot and crying, too. A friend of mine died on March 21 of coronavirus. Last March she and I took a delightful train ride across Pennsylvania to see the Philadelphia Flower Show. She was a lovely soul. I am now on the ALL CARB diet which consists of the brownies, oatmeal cookies, banana bread, mac & cheese, waffles, and breads that I make daily and find to be soooo comforting. I also see the goodness in neighbors reaching out to offer to get groceries or help in any way they can as we isolate at home. This too shall pass. ❤️
Oh no, Marge, I’m so very sorry. This is so unfair. Take good care. And me too, all carb, all the time. This too shall pass. xoxoxoxo🙏💞
I always enjoy reading your letters. I wanted you to know that I started collecting Beatrice potter figurines about 30 years ago and have enjoyed looking at them ever since. Sometime I ‘ll send you a picture of my collection. 🤗
So happy to have found your blog, Susan…how did I not know you had one? This is such a lovely post! I have found a renewed love of homemaking during these days at home. Thank you so much for sharing your work and words,,,and the lovely bookmark!
Welcome to the neighborhood Linda!
What a lovely, relaxing read to start this slow Saturday morning for us. Thank you again for your gift of words and art. That bunny cake was the link that brought me to meet one of my dearest friends about twenty years ago. (Hi Lori!) Such fond memories. Thank you, too, for the opportunity to win one of your delightful books! <3
Thanks for your delightful posts. I love all your books too!!
Thank you, Susan, for another bright ray of sunshine in these dark times. I so look forward to your lovely posts. I hope you have a wonderful birthday and Easter. My son turns five on Easter Sunday, so we will have a double celebration, too! I always use your lamb cake recipe and tips when making our Easter dessert, and this year will be no different in that regard. Best birthday wishes to you!
Lamb cake makes a very special birthday cake! Hugs to you (virtual of course!)💖
Hi Susan!
As much as I love your blog I got an idea last night: You see, because of this everything going on I am spring cleaning and making gifts (for birthdays, babies to be born, and Holidays) and I like to keep myself busy. Would you do a ”radio blog” I mean you’d have your camera going and you’d talk and perhaps show quickly something or read aloud something or iron or bake…anything that we could listen to… and it would be like having your favorite aunt visiting. Some ladies are doing it already, and last night I found myself thinking Oh how I wish Susan would do that, too!
I’ve been talking about how to add that to the blog, a special area to click into, where such things would be. I’ll try!
Wow, thanks! 🙂
Dearest Susan,
Your blog is such a highlight in my day. You remind us all so very well what is important and of the things that truly bring us joy. Because of your habit of playing bird song, until you can open your own windows in warmer weather, I found a lovely birdsong loop and now this brings the outdoors inside for me.
Thank you! What a great idea!
Blessings and good health to you and all in your home!
Thank you for such an uplifting post in these difficult times! You give me so may ideas of good ways to get through all this. I’ve been sewing masks, working from home, and getting out and walking while the weather is still cool (I’m in Arizona). I’m going to try many of your ideas!
I discovered 800 Words after I discovered The Heart Guy. Love them both and will look for the other show you mentioned. I love your blog and have loved your books for decades. God Bless You for shedding light and love.
So thankful that I found your blog…a refreshing and fun way to see Martha’s vineyard through your eyes! Have enjoyed your cards and drawings through the years…thank you for your cheerful attitude and encouraging words…a wonderful refreshment as we wait for all of this anxiety to be over…
A BIG thank you from Oklahoma!❤
Oh dear Susan!
Thank you so much for enriching my life since the original Heart of the Home was given to me back in 1987 by friend Sally. Today’s blog was especially needed!
As usual, Susan, you have a comforting talent for always lifting spirits and encouraging us to be creative. In times like this, much needed. Thank you for taking the time for such an inspiring message!
What a delight you are to me today! And 30 years ago when I was first introduced to you through “Heart of the Home” by a favorite teacher. Thank you for all the joy!
Susan, Thank you for inspiring us to stay positive and enjoy all the beautiful things around us. And to think about doing all the things we have wanted to do but just stayed too “busy” to do them. And to enjoy all the ones we love by checking in with them however we can. You and Joe take care.
Joan P.
Hi Sue,
Just checked out your movie list. One you might consider is Victor Victoria with Julie Andrews and James Gardner.
Be well all,
Gayle
Love it!
This book is a treasure and you are too Susan!!!
What a lovely and encouraging post! Beauty can come from hard times. Happy birthday!
Hello from Manteca, CA!
My grandma had your books, my mom has your books and now I have a pretty nice collection of your books! For Christmas 2019 I gave me best friend your girlfriends book so she can start her collection! (Bought one for myself as well 🙈) Your calendars have hung in my kitchen for 3 years now. Your work is so comforting. It brings joy following you on instagram and reading your blogs 😊. Glad to hear you are staying safe, you truly are a gem! ❤️
Thank you for this Susan! I agree: Meditation is everything right now. Just 20 minutes in the morning and calm saturates me all day. Take care all!
It does it does it does…. It’s amazing how it works. 💖
30 years ago! Wow! I have a 1st edition, I was 37 years old! I love all your books, my favorite is the Christmas book. It has stains from making the waffle recipe in the last, how many years??? Love me some daffodils but Lake Michigan prevents growth from .
When my creative “tank” is empty I pull your books out and sit down to read. They inspire me
Thank You
Dear Susan,
May the angel’s guard you both!
Thank you, Gris
Thanks for reminding us how good it is to be home. As Laura Ingalls Wilder said,
“Home is the nicest word there is”. While we don’t have as many cases as many other places, we are in a ‘stay-at-home’ county. When it’s not raining, it’s nice to step outside and smell the earthy smells of spring. IT IS COMING! When I’m inside I enjoy making new recipes of yumminess. Also go to sewing machine and make masks for friends to wear out. As always, you lift our spirits with your blog. Keep it coming. Thanks a lot.
Your writting style makes me feel as though we’ve just had a conversation in person. I’m baking much more than usual and trading with a friend who smokes brisket. We’ll all just roll out the door later! Think I’ll start on some face masks today as I have 3 adult children in “essential jobs.” A paycheck is a good thing and an extra layer of protection a better thing. Of course I had all the sewing essentials in my stash and think it will be fun sorting thru many fabric remnants from long past projects—some from their childood, yikes! I think my vintage look face masks will be all the rage! Your photo of the limber squirrel makes me think of how we’re all stretching, growing, figuring it all out. This too shall pass.
Love this so much! You are such a treasure! I have always loved everything you have ever written, but this encouraging post at this time is just so lovely and appreciated. Happy Birthday and Happy Easter! Praying you and Joe and everyone you know stays healthy. God Bless you!
Thank you Susan for your positivity and freshness. You are the breath of spring in so many of our lives. Take care and stay well!
This post brings me joy! Home my favorite place! I like being home I don’t find it difficult at all I have my books my knitting even some sewing projects! If we think positive good thoughts we can keep our mental health in check! Thank you for brightening my day!
Hello from Arkansas! Love your beautiful words!
Take care,
Gayle
Such loveliness! Thank you Susan.
My garden is helping me to be calm and always brings me happiness. I’ve been working on projects that I never seemed to have time for, and cooking and baking more. Missing my kids and grandkids like crazy, though. We will get through this.
Sending a virtual warm hug to you for all the light you put out into the world,
Sara
Masterpiece Theater’s “World on Fire”, a WWII drama series, premieres on PBS stations on a Sunday at 9 pm. What better time for our country’s citizens to watch the shared sacrifices, tragedies, and extraordinary courage of ordinary people 80 years ago? Thank you PBS.
See you in September in Duxbury (knock on wood)!
We’re staying safe and well in Seattle. Alas, no garden but a creek runs right past our apartment building and continues across the street into a wilderness area. We see herons and mallard ducks (who nest here each year). Further down the creek, a few have spotted the beavers who have dammed themselves a lovely pond with skunk cabbage coming into bloom. All of this, right in the city.
Susan,
I hope you read this. I’m also a home lover and I always decorate for each and every holiday. I set my dining room table in the beginning of the month for each holiday. Pink depression glass plates and decanters for February, green glassware and white milk glass plates for March. My Easter table is bunny rabbits, chicks and spring flower tablecloth. For Independence Day, Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas. My problem is I seldom find interesting tablecloths and napkins. Would you ever consider designing tablecloths for each holiday? I’d snap them up.
Here in Virginia, we do have the windows open & outside one little bird is singing its sweet song over & over. My husband recorded it & sent it to his friend “the bird whisperer”
To see if she can identify it for us. Thank you for all the good cheer!
Thank you, Susan. Thank you for sharing your heart and shedding light on your home.
Home. Quiet. Connecting with my 5th grade students. Thrust into homeschooling my three children (a teen and tween longing for their friends and a first grade girl connecting through FaceTime and Zoom). We are finding space for walks and badminton in the front yard where neighbors look out windows and want to play. My 14 year old breaks down in tears (yes, a boy) crying out that he’s lost his childhood. I’m making my way with a partner—he and I carry our own scars from divorces and loss. In the midst of this pandemic: Surrender. We surrender to all of the change and loss. We feel the grief and find the joy. We paint rocks, listen to audio books, watch a myriad of films, cuddle, and talk. We are finding that the smallest joys carry the same thrill as a trip to Disneyland. It’s been a remarkably healing experience. We are grateful.