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 . . .
Hello Dear Lady, Loved your post. It made me feel warm and fuzzy. You take care. Always grateful for you. Kit
Susan,
Thank you for this lovely post! I appreciate so much the joy you share in the blogs and look forward to reading them. Please keep well and safe.
God Bless!
Susan Christmas
Loved seeing the lamb cake! My grandma used to mail us one every Easter from Toledo, Ohio to California. We so looked forward to it! Happy Easter!
Thank you so much for your wonderful post . I always feel better after reading it .
Love to cook! Love to eat! Love to read cookbooks! Life is good!
Thanks so much for your wonderful post and blog!
This update..just what I needed. Sent you an Easter card today. Stay safe dear Susan. Your magic makes us happy!
You are absolutely correct about turning off the news, TV, phone,
And long chain emails & texts with the latest escalating CV19 numbers….
Noooooo! Instead, here are my antidotes: scratch a soft kitty belly, mosaic a table even though you are totally winging it, ride your bike further each day, kiss my horse muzzles-mushroom soft they are, cook lamb with olive oil, garlic & rosemary, go through old foto albums, pull out classic pix and put them in a letter to a friend, send incidental “cheer up” boxes to your kids, and….
wash like a raccoon. Then go read this happy blog, turn up the radio and dance!
❗️
Loved the lamb cake made one many years ago was my family loves coconut. Maybe it is time for another. Keep safe pray for everyone’s well being
A book? ….. A Book!! O and not just any book,
But one that deserves a myriad of looks…
One which will take this reader to
Recipes divine but also inspiration to
Develop my own style…
All from a book….and, O, not just any book but
One that will join me in my reading nook!
Thank you for the uplifting post. It is a nice break to focus on the silver lining. I am spending my time homeschooling my Nephew through FaceTime. It takes my mind away from the crazziness and allows me to be a source of comfort to him. Hope you have a wonderful Birthday. 🎉🎈🎂💐 Kim
Good morning from Rhode Island!
I am spending my days working from home, connecting with my students, my department, and helping with my grandson’s distance learning. The learning curve was steep for all of us – but what a rally it’s been, each week showing such improvements.
I am, by nature, a girl who loves to be at home, making all things homey. Truly some of this has been a blessing in disguise – taking my time to think about what to make for dinner, using hours in the afternoon to wake up my gardens, cleaning out drawers that gather all sorts of forgotten treasures, and spending time with my family at home. I do miss my students, and I am sad for all they are potentially missing out on but communication if the key to our connecting and Zoom and Google Meets are happening.
Thank you for the beautiful post and for spreading your joy, faith, and beauty for us all to find.
Take care and be safe,
Mindy
It’s been 15 days of quarantine, so we are going to get supplies in town. Tom will wait in the car so as not to take up anyone else’s place….they are limiting people in the store. Besides, I don’t want to take any chances with my Baboo. I’m gaining so much comfort in reading all the comments.
Watched first episode of World is Burning last night, and it reminds us of what our parents’ generation went through. My first trip to England, 1977, I took every opportunity to ask people we met about their experiences. Once, in a tiny pub in the Yorkshire Dales, two much older men heard our “Yank” accents, and invited us to join them. We laughed together at “Over here, over sexed and over paid”, but they said they were forever thankful for what our country had done in Normandy and beyond. The UK was just going on a decimal system with their money, and they gave me a handful of the “old” currency….that my favorite English books. Ha’penny, etc. I cherish those.
I cherish you, Dear Lady, as do we all.
Mucho love,
Debbie in Maine, which will soon be experiencing a sharp rise in cases.
Lucky! What a great memory! xoxo
Wonderful ideas and beautiful pictures of life…going on in the midst of, in spite of, this terrible virus. Thank the Lord for Spring coming over our land! Blessings on your Easter.
Once again you hit all the high notes of life! Thank you for your ruminations that always make my cup of tea that much better.
Thank you again and stay well and safe.
Dearest Susan,
Wishing you a very comfy, homey Happy Birthday! I celebrate mine on the 20th, and like you, always believe that April brings new beginnings. So, rather than make new resolutions at New Years, I make them on my birthday. I also agree that listening to the news every day is depressing. We already know what’s going on, no need to see it constantly repeated. As the saying goes “this too shall pass.” In the meantime, my Edward and I stay inside our comfy cozy home and enjoy each other’s company. Weather permitting we also go for our daily walks. Again, thank you for your inspiration, and always bringing warmth to my heart and a smile to my face.
Your beautiful words and pictures are just what we all need right now! My simple pleasures: jigsaw puzzles, grilled cheese and tomato soup, trying to re-learn how to play the piano, long walks (still chilly here), watching movies with my family in the evening, and … saving the best for last … finding a little babbling brook nearby that we had never seen before. That and birdsong are the best sounds!
Hello dear Susan,
All is well here. Knitting, reading Hilary Mantel’s new book and starting my tender plants in peat pots. Garden clean-up too. On sunny days I’m out on deck in the sunshine, watching the birds, and appreciating everything.
I have time for facials with green French clay and a slather of honey afterward. wow.
I can’t get to my studio for my clay so I’m mixing up batches of papier mache to play with…and needle-felting. The sculptor will out!
I am trying hard not to bake, but couldn’t resist making a batch of hot cross buns…I’ve stashed them in the freezer and am rationing them out…one a day.
I am just so grateful to this community of women here, online, and to all the health-care workers and first responders. When this is over I’m determined to work to see that these folks earn a living wage. I was shocked that they have to work 2 and 3 jobs to make ends meet. No way that can continue. Love to you and all the girlfriends!
We LOVED Brokenwood! Stay safe and well….
Always an uplifting post. You make my heart sing. Thank you!
Thank you for being here for us at this trying time, Susan. Thanks also for the bookmark. I love printing these out, matting & laminating them. Makes a lovely little gift for a friend. Thought I’d mention a Facebook page that I recently found called Pluto Living. Pluto is a dog that dispenses the most wise advice for getting through these days. So humorous & yet so wise! I think you’d like her. Consider Pluto my birthday gift to you. I hope you have a good day. 🍰
We are well here in southern Alberta, but anxiously awaiting Spring. Stay strong. Hugs to Jack and Joe.
Laurie
=:3
Thank you so much for this post! You have put into words what I’m feeling. I feel guilty for enjoying this time as much as I do. I know there is much suffering in the world right now and my heart aches for them and I will continue to pray. I however, am loving the family time. Have a wonderful birthday and a very Blessed Easter!
Susan enjoy your Easter Birthday! Thank you for your uplifting blog. I had encountered your artwork years ago, but lost track of it when I escaped domestic violence with my then 16 yr. old daughter, Audrey. She will be turning 23 on April 13, 2020. We both have wonderful lives with new men to love us now.
I was re-antiquated with your work through your 2019 Wall Calendar. I spoke to me so dearly after my Mom died abruptly Jan 2019, 45 minutes after I spoke to her on the phone. She and the rest of us didn’t know how sick she was and she had a heart attack in the shower. Sorry didn’t mean to go on, but your calendar spoke to me page after page. I cried looking at it and thinking of the love and joy she brought into my life. Surprisingly, I gave it to my best friend in the world. I wanted her to have the best. Lisa loved your endearing work. I thought it would be ok, but I couldn’t stand it. I ordered another one just like the other calendar and hung it by a photo of my Mom when she was 18, full of life and potential. No matter what life served her, she took those lemons and made lemonade, lemon pie and lemon curd creating a loving life with her indomitable spirit. Grateful to say she gave me mine and showed me love is the solution.
Fast forward to today finding your blog for my 1st time, I love it as well. Thank you. You see during these crazy covid-19 times of uncertainty, my darling little nut brown hare, Audrey had emergency appendix surgery. No one could visit or hold her hand; she had to do it all alone. She had a successful surgery a week ago and is home now. She felt her cherished DeeDee’s (Grandma’s) presence comforting her during the hospital stay. She and I are grateful for all the protection of the great staff and surgeon. While she is in a lot of pain, she is recovery. My daughter only lives 40 minutes away, but I haven’t seen her since the beginning of March. However, this Mom’s heart is full of gratitude. It is the remarkable times of finding gems like you. Your blog helps so very much, and we can reach down one more time to find our indomitable spirit.
She showed you love is the solution . . . and you showed us. That was beautiful, Susan. Blessings on your and yours, stay safe, and be well. XOXOXO
Susan…thank you for taking the time to write your blog. We all love seeing what is going on in your life and it gives us all hope that this too shall pass.
Happy Birthday!
Thank you. Fir sharing your wonderful story of healing w us!’
We are doing fine her in Bolton, MA. Homeschooling my 10 year old son, that’s been a bit stressful but we are all doing our part. We are doing lot’s of arts and crafts, today we colored Easter Eggs. I am so glad you blogged about the Bunny cake I haven’t made that in years, I think I will today. Stay safe, stay healthy stay inside. xoxo
Stay safe and healthy! Love your blog and enjoy reading more than ever. Do you have a suggestion of watercolor paints to use? Would like to do a little painting during this time of staying at home.
At the top of the homepage of my blog, you’ll see the words “About Me” … put your cursor there, a drop-down will come, and you’ll see “My Art Studio” — lots there in those two posts including what I use for watercolors, brushes, etc.
Thanks for the uplifting words. Your posts are so full of color and sweet things to look at and your observations are right on. You keep us going. Happy Birthday on the twelfth!
I just love your blogs and your “Willard’s”!! I have been a fan since the “old days”, when you used to send out the “Willard” on real paper, in an envelope, by snail mail . . . 🤓 Bless you, Susan, for your ability to compose such lovely posts and great artwork! Keep up the good work, stay safe, stay healthy❣️
This post was like a cup of hot chocolate for the soul. So necessary and warming. So thank you for this. Would love a copy of this to recreate “Julie and Julia” style and work my way through the recipes!
Well I hope you win Kasey!
Hi Susan, a few blog posts back you suggested “The Detectorists” I watched, it’s highly entertaining. I like the calm, slow pace and the subtle English humor, and the music is heaven. I bought all 4 seasons and I sometimes just leave it on to play throughout the day. Thanks!
Excellent background “musica!” 💖
You are a bright spot in my day. While reading your blog, I was reminded of the importance of looking outside, seeing my flowers trying to pop out of the soil and the sun trying to come out. Thank you!
👏👏👏
What a fun blog to read on this gloomy day!
Hi Susan and Girlfriends everywhere,
Connecting in love peace here today.
Love to all,
Shay
You bring such JOY to the world, which we sorely need. Thank you!
I love reading all your posts and your books. This post helped to lift my spirits and think of all the things I have to be thankful for. Thanks Susan!
Happy Birthday Susan! Gladys is smiling down on your spring comments. So glad to read your news! Chris
Your blog is so comforting when we need it most. Thank you Susan.
Thank you for keeping the home fires burning.
I enjoyed reading your post today. The bursts of yellow bring many smiles and warm thoughts. It is easy to get bogged down in all the devastation around us and to not cherish the beauty around us. I think we are all learning something about ourselves and the world as we hunker down at home. Thank you for your optimism to lift us up so that we can lift up others.
Enjoy the beauty of spring. And how generous of you to offer another book giveaway!
We’re in this together XO
💪
Love the yellow pictures. My birthday is in April too.
Happy Birthday to you!🎵🎶🎵
thank you Susan for the encouraging words, thoughts and suggestions Great reminder that staying home is our privilege! Happiest of Birthdays!! Hugs, ~patty
Thank you Susan for the brightness and hope you bring.
Joy♥️💐
What a delightful and refreshing time I just had, reading this blog entry, Susan.Thank you! I am following your instructions to not listen to the news. I am thoroughly enjoying the blessing of my home and yard and the quiet and slower pace of life. Listening to constant chatter and thoughts and opinions of others can be very draining and accomplish nothing at all. I am praying for those who are serving the public, daily, and I am trusting God in all of this. He knows what is going on and is able to do something about it! I preordered the catalog and stocked up on your tea today. Thank you for encouraging us with your cheer and the beauty you share with us in word and pictures. Congratulations on completing the 2021 calendar. Also, thank you for showing a preview of the month of April, which is my birthday month, also. A very Happy Birthday to you, dearest Susan. Paula
And to you Paula!💃
This was so uplifting to read instead of reading or listening to covid19 information!!! Thank you Susan for always brightening our days!!! Please don’t stop!
❤️❤️❤️
Enjoying my cozy home & being thankful for the little things during this surreal time. Spending time cooking & baking, reading, movies, praying, Bible study & prayers, gardening. mary Hope you have a great birthday.Take care, stay safe & healthy.
Loved your blog, as I always do! Thank you for taking the time to share your life with all of us!
Love your blog, Susan, as always! Hubby and I are “sheltering in place” here in beautiful Arizona. Several times he has commented that at least we’re not being awakened from a sound sleep and herded to the bomb shelter because the Luftwaffe is overhead. That happened to him too many times as a child growing up in Manchester, England, during WW2. Count our blessings! You and Joe and Jack, and all your readers, stay safe!!
Ohh my goodness, so he knows. Yes, counting our blessings!
Susan, bless your heart for reaching out and filling our day with uplifting words, pictures and thoughts. You make life richer, brighter, sweeter and fun. Please keep writing to us! Congrats on all the things you are accomplishing in spite of these uncertain times.
Be well……
Thank you so much for your work! I love the pictures, the color theme of yellow, and I plan to make the bunny cake with my 3 year old grandson.
Sincerely.
Jackie G
Dearest sweet Susan,
Thank you thank you thank you…..just what I needed today. I’m quarantining alone and it’s hard but I’m finding joy in art projects, yoga, walks in the beautiful mountains just minutes from my home, warm mugs of deliciousness, healthy meals, the love of domesticity, all things Susan Branch😍, and the occasional comfort food baking seems to be necessary.
Sharon
Stay safe Sharon, this will end soon. xoxo
Stay healthy and safe!
Nella’s Last’s War is now in my TBR stack, thanks!
There is also Nella’s Last’s Peace about post-war life, btw.
Imagine wanting to read a war diary to escape from current news, ha!
Thanks too for the movie list. My man and I both loved Greenfingers!
always nice to see your blog in my inbox the cutest pink flowered plant just popped up in my backyard- i believe its a bleeding heart but unsure and im patiently waiting for the peony in the front yard to go from bud to bloom ordered the kids caterpillars online to see them transform into butterflies and be released 🙂 yeah spring
It’s 12:44 am and here we are my friend. Can’t sleep, too much whizzing around in my head. The best part of today was finding new tender leaves on a tree I planted last Fall that I was sure arrived DOA from the nursery. What a wonderful symbol of hope and to never give up.
Sweet dreams to you. And please be safe.
👏👏👏 What a gift!
I love your blog. I found you on Susan McNally’s page. She is a dear friend and we enjoy the same things. She knew I would love this. Thank You!
Nice to meet you Janet! Say hello to Susan for me, and thank you!
I have been Zooming daily with my teammates and my students. I love seeing their faces. I miss them so much!
Thank you SO much!
Susan,
Happy Birthday and Happy Easter to both you and Joe (and Jack)! I’ve seen your lists of movies and books and I was wondering if you had ever considered a favorite list of Musica? I am a huge fan of your selections for each blog.
Oh thank you! I have thought about it but haven’t quite gotten there yet!
Susan, I received your book 30 years ago Heart of the Home. It was given to me by my best friend and it has been my best kitchen companion! I learned beautiful ideas on how to nurture my own nest, I learned how to cook and make fun bunny cakes which has been a tradition in our house, even though my kids are grown. Throughout the years it sits on my cookbook stand with different pages open according to what season we’re in.… As many of your cookbooks do in my home. They’re all foods stained and beautifully worn and represent a life in my kitchen with Susan Branch. Thank you for that
Thank YOU for telling me… that is a dream come true for me. xoxoxo
I couldn’t agree more that home is really the place to be! I’m in a tiny apartment at the moment, but it is still my sanctuary. I would love to win the cook book!! Hugs to you!
This is my third attempt to post, gremlins in the computer no doubt! I hope I’m not repeating myself. Amongst all the lovely things you wrote about, I was thrilled to see you mention Nella Last’s diaries. I have all of her books and it’s great to see how many others here love them as well. I think you would also love “Mrs. Milburn’s Diary”, written by another English lady who lived near Coventry, from 1939-1945.
I’ve ordered your This Old House calendar as it will fit perfectly into my 1940s-style kitchen, the Queen of which is my 1949 O’Keefe & Merritt stove, and which is the same age as me! In order to heat up the kettle for my afternoon tea, always drunk out of your Little Houses mug, I have to use a wooden match. It reminds me of my grandmother’s house. I also bought this mug for a friend of mine who like us, is an Anglophile who also loves little cottages.
Wishing you a lovely birthday!
I think I read two others… where you talked about your “pseudo” vintage kitchen? Was that you? I wrote you to say with that stove it could never be pseudo! Anyway, I’m here! And love hearing from you! Thank you! xoxo
Yes, that was me! I could never find my replies so I chalked it up to my computer! My husband bought that stove for my 60th birthday. It came from a place in Arizona which specialized in old stoves. I only have 30″ of space between two counters so I asked if they had anything that would fit. This one was a complete rust bucket and was totally overhauled to its original pristine self. The cost was $5000, pretty nice husband who knows I never cook!
🤣👏👏👏
Yea for that husband!! Happy Wife, Happy Life, Eh?
Oh that coconut lamb cake is adorable! When I was a child, my mother bought a butter lamb for Easter. It had a pink ribbon around it’s neck and cloves for eyes. It was shaped like your cake. Happy Memories!
How darling for the Easter table!💞
Thank you for reminding us about the Bunny Cake! Such FUN!
Happy home staying Susan! Thank you for your caring thoughts and for sharing little jos and blessings, to help us feel cozy at home.
Reading the trio of my ❤favorite❤ books from one of my 🌷favorite🌷 authors and inspirations to 👑keep calm and carry on👑 through this strange and confusing time.
Thank you 🍁Susan Branch🍁 for all of your love and inspiration AND for reminding us how lucky we are and that there is no place like 🌈HOME👠❤🧡💛💚💙💜
Your blog is my refuge in this storm. Thank you, Susan!
If you’re looking for another fabulous series to binge watch on AcornTV, try A Place To Call Home! Set in the 50’s in Australia, a family drama filled with everything addicting that makes us say after each and every episode, “ONE MORE!” The fashion, the music, the scenery, the best story lines and those accents!!!!! I think you’d love it!!!
Please stay safe and sound in your Home Sweet Home! xo
Oh we have seen it and loved it!!! xoxo
I am reading you from Spain,where things are getting really scary,so this post is like a glass of fresh water on a scorching day!I hope you are safe and all the girlfriends all over the world!
How I wish I could read that lovely book.
Thank you
Be safe Mercedes, it’s a scary time for the world, I hope it brings us closer and makes us better friends. Thank you for saying hello, our prayers are with you!🙏
Susan . . . love your lessons in life and living it well, generous sharings all along the way. Thank you.
Happy to see you here Linda!💖
Thank you, Susan, for reminding us of the joy to be found in our own homes.
Happy Easter, and especially Happy Birthday! Stay well! XXO
First time in over 40 years there will be no large family Easter celebration at my home.
Still decorated. Everyone enjoy your Easter. Happy Birthday Susan.
The Pollyanna way to look at this is how wonderfully GLORIOUS it will be next year!! Blessings on you and yours for a peaceful Easter. XOXOXO
I love being home too! Thanks for reminding us that if life gives you lemons then make lemonade.
Sunny days, greening grass and blooming wildflowers are making all the difference to these stay-put-at-home days.
Ahhh, Susan, your blog always makes me feel warm and cozy. You make even a stay at home order feel good. Thank you!
Thank you for being a light bearer!
God bless and keep you. My son Paddy turns eleven on the fifteenth. Happy Birthday!
Love,
Marybeth
I love your first book and would love, love, love this new one!!!
What a nice blog!
I leave a quote for you, as you share so many for all of us, dear kindred
spirit Susan.
“Sometimes I need only to stand right where I am
to be grateful.”
Hugs and love, Valerie
Oooooo, Sue, are you getting this storm? Loved your full moon picture. I kept going into the bathroom and sticking my head out of the roof window to breathe the cool, crisp air and watch the moon as it passed over the peak of our house. Got to watch it set as well, as I was up with the chickens…if we had them!
Spent 2 hours in the grocery yesterday, following the arrows on the floor, masked and gloved. $$$$ They are taking this thing quite seriously, here in Maine. Then another hour to wipe and spray and wash veggies and fruit. Tom has been the chef today, making an amazing omelet with fresh peppers, onions, cheese and a huge scoop of fresh guacamole I made last night. That with left over ham.
He made his Famous chili and it’s now simmering on the stove. A little Vivaldi on the stereo and a nice fire. T is reading some more O’Brian. We’ve hooked up the generator, as 50 mph winds along with wet, heavy snow is forecast tonight and through tomorrow. I just had a cup of herb tea with a few Graham Crackers. My mind and body are just Humming with Contentment. Is that awful, considering all the misery just in our country right now?
Thank you for more book recommendations from Girlfriends. Sending another Hunk of Love,
Debbie in Down East Maine…beautiful even in storms
You’ve been eating quite well, Debbie! Humming with contentment is always a good thing . . . it goes out over the earth and helps to heal. We’re all doing the best we can. xoxo
The fact that I am commenting here tells you that I read your blog.
I imagine that like most of your readers, I love books and cooking. It is
pretty much life as usual for us, as we live more than 60 miles from the nearest town. I do agree that too much news can be a bad thing. And I am never sure
how much to believe of what I do hear. I appreciate your uplifting and COZY feeling blog. Thank you.
Love to see you here Kathy, stay safe! xoxo
Wonderful thoughts, Susan. My heart is grateful for a safe place to be each day. But my heart hurts from missing my family so near the “usual” way. From worry that my husband remains safe and healthy as he continues his medical practice daily. He is an obstetrician and surgeon, 40 years now, and is now delivering babies in full Covid protection. God bless him and the dedication and love of his work. God bless the mothers and babies…what a memory to attach to the most wonderful moment. Prayers to everyone and thank you for a bright moment in this not so bright time.
Happy birthday! I like to re-read your previous blog posts. Like the one titled “Little Things” which contains the infamous dangling teabag incident. It always makes me giggle. What will you do on your birthday since you all are confined within your adorableness? What is your all time favorite birthday meal and dessert? Btw those pancakes are calling my name….is the recipe in one of your books?
I’ve noticed that so many of the Girlfriends are named Linda. I checked out Most Popular names and Linda was #1 from 1947-1952, it then dropped down to #2 for a few years. In my 5th grade class there were six girls named Linda. I always joke they outlawed the use of the name in 1955! 🙂 How many 20-something girls do you know named Linda? In my 50s I had a mid-life career change and worked at an assisted living community. One day I had a large group of residents in the living room and I asked them to raise their hand if they had a daughter named Linda. Yup! Most of them did! There were a lot of Susans and Kathys in my class, but Linda? Primo #1 name! We Boomer girls are still awesome! Just sayin’…
Hello Susan,
Happy Birthday Blessings to you! I so enjoy your writing, and when this is over, want to send you my published novel Being Ethel (In a world that loves Lucy). I hope I can do that with your permission. Stay safe and healthy! You always brighten my day. 🙂
Thank you for the encouraging words, as always, but especially now. Keeping everyone in my prayers to stay happy, healthy, and safe! <3
Hi Susan. I’m so glad I found you, in the beautiful Victoria magazine article a couple of years ago, about your Beatrix Potter tea party in England. Since then I have enjoyed your books and blog so much. Now lately when I call my mom, she’s been telling me how much she is enjoying your books, and they are comforting to her. Happy, happy birthday. Best wishes for a wonderful, healthy year.
Makes me so happy to hear that Melody, be sure to tell her I said hello!
When I feel most anxious and worried I turn to your blog and your books☺️ I ALWAYS feel better after spending time with you! Thank you, God bless and stay well!
It is so nice to live life through someone else s eyes. Someone who finds joy in the simple things. I have always led a quiet somewhat reclusive life, so this “stay at home” order makes me feel a little less of an oddity.
May I ask what the strange type you are using, I have never seen the unusual apostrophes and the “o”‘s etc.
Thank you for always giving Jack a place in your blog as I do love seeing him.
As a retired RN without an active license now for years, my heart goes out to all the nurses working so hard, and all the team beside her/him, from the respiratory therapists, to the unit clerks to the cleaning staff. May they be blessed and safe.
Your prayer is my prayer Kelly. As for the type… it’s a font that comes with the blog. I assume it shows up to you what I see when I’m typing, but I wonder because I’ve heard that if your computer or phone doesn’t HAVE that font in it, then it automatically chooses something else. The name of the font I’ve been using is “Terminal” and it doesn’t have funny o’s. Is it readable?
Thank you for letting me know your font. My computer does not have “Terminal”, so I guess that explains why it doesn’t always make sense to me! It is certainly readable but kind of like if someone left letters out of words, your brain just automatically fills in what is not there. In this case my brain just has to gloss over all the things that are there that shouldn’t be! It does make it interesting!
You are awfully sweet to respond! Thank you for all you do, you are a blessing to so many of us.
Hmmm, that’s not good. What fonts does you computer have? Probably a crazy question … but if this happens to you, I would imagine it happens to others … thank you for letting me know. xoxo
Kelly, this is a small world. Just by reading your post I reconized it was you. It’s me from fb. (Lana Bressler or Nani Bressler). I knew it was you. I can’t believe we both love Susan Branch. We are “Girlfriends”. Isn’t Susan wonderful..a breath of fresh air. Such a good heart. I love her so much. So…I’ll see you on fb xo
I’m sorry Lana, you have me mistaken for someone you know. I am so not on fb that it took me overnight to think of what the initials “fb” were! But I’ll be your sb blog girlfriend!
Thank you for a wonderful post. We need to take advantage of this time in our homes but we can not forget what is going on in other parts of our country and world. This will be a hard weekend for many with not seeing family. I miss my grand kids but getting lots of pictures and videos to enjoy. I know this will end and I hope we will have a renewed appreciation for all living things. Happy Easter to you. Let the sun shine!
Hi Susan,
My multi-generational family is here in Georgia. We’re all experiencing this pandemic from different perspectives. My husband & I were looking forward to traveling on our sailboat to New England this spring. Our plans are being delayed, but we still have hope that we can begin our voyage.
Our daughter & son-in-law had planned a family cruise, that was cancelled (thank goodness), and our grandchildren are missing school! This staying home is just too much of a good thing!!
Thank you for your uplifting blog including your words of wisdom. We all know we should protect our psyches from the onslaught of news around the pandemic, but with all the time on our “very clean” hands and with so many sources at our disposal, it’s almost impossible to
resist! Thank you for taking our mind to a time of hearts & homes 🏡
Reading your blog calms my mind and helps me relax. Thank you! Just what many of us need right now.
Thank you for such a lovely post! Listening to “Look For the Silver Lining” reminded me of my grandparents. Both my sister & I agree that our grandmothers would be able to handle this pandemic with ease and you listed all the reasons so very well.
I’ve been keeping busy making masks for family and friends, I’ve made 40 so far and my sewing room is a good old mess! Blessings to you & Joe and may you have a nice Easter weekend!
Love this post—as always!❤️ I recommend Jan Karon’s Mitford series books to those of you who haven’t read them. It’s a great time to “escape” to the precious town of Mitford!
Susan, I so love reading your blog. It’s a reminder of all things cozy, all things home and those things that are really the most important in life. Besides, who doesn’t smile when they look at Jack !
Loved your blog! It brightened my day!!!
Dear Susan,
God bless you for the light, love and positivity that you bring to this world (not to mention the beauty, creativity and charm also!!) ❤️ You are so delightful and such a well-needed breath of fresh air!!! Thank you for reminding us what really matters and for inspiring us all to keep looking up, counting our blessings and helping one another each and every day!!! Sending Love & Blessings to you, Joe, Jack & your family!!!!!
Dear Susan,
Thank you for another beautiful blog post.
The timing was perfect and much needed. I was in a “funk” from this
“dam-panic” as your Joe would say.
We were blessed with twin grandbabies on February 28th (August and Amelia) and have only been able to snuggle and help for about a week. Missing them and our other grandson, their 20 month old brother, Warner.
So thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Amy
Was so happy to see this new post and find out you are all well and healthy!