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 . . .
Thank you for your encouraging words of hope and wonderful ideas. As a fellow artist I am taking this time to create and tackle some projects I have not had the time to get to. Stay safe and prayers for you and yours.
I know we will get through it but the other side of this scares me. I am a nurse and we are starting to see patients dying of this. I am grateful that I have a home to come home to, and hold tight to my cocker spaniel Sam, sit by the fire and knit. Thank God for those small comforts. Hoping I can stay well and continue to care for my patients. Blessings to you Susan and for the joy you bring every day.
Lori, I can NOT imagine. Thank you 😢 so much for what you are doing, so selfless, so heroic. Just doing what comes naturally. Virtual hugs, kisses to Sam. xoxo
Thank you, dear Susan, for this blog. My husband and I have always been a happy homebodies, with many hobbies to keep us busy, so sheltering in place is not difficult for us. Hard, though, not seeing our children and grandchildren. We do Facetime with them. (Isn’t technology wonderful!) And, my husband and I moved my 99 year old mother in with us to keep her safe. I love being able to care for my mom, the way she cared for me when I was young. Stay safe and healthy, Sue and Joe. ❤
I’m so glad she’s with you. What a relief! xoxoxo
Glad you and Joe are well! As a nurse I can’t stay home but after work, in addition to your posts, I have been enjoying Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Instagram. You might enjoy them if you have not already watched.One day at work I hummed Any Dream Will Do my entire shift! Guess I won’t get to meet you in May and in fact it may be quite sometime before we can travel anywhere outside of Canada. And here I was looking forward to reading the first chapter of your upcoming book! Thank you for cheering us on! In World War II they had Bob Hope to entertain, but we have Susan and a Branch to grab hold of in times of struggle may be exactly what we need! Stay well! 💗
Nicole, thank you so much. I hope the medical staff everywhere are hearing the constant gratitude coming from the whole world for what you are doing. It will be okay soon, sooner than we imagine. Every scientist in the world is working on a cure. 💞 Best of luck to you, thank you again. xoxo
Thank you for the hope and calm your writing gives. You are appreciated!
Thank you for your uplifting message today…It’s so good to be able to connect with others in times like these. Love the pictures of your cheery home! This makes us all appreciate the comfort and safety of our homes…
Thank you Susan for your giving spirit! ‘ Have turned off the news, ‘staying at home, and just watching SPRING unfurl…. bit by bit each day- SPRING is NOT Closed Down! ‘Smiled at Joe’s dapper look! Take care and Be well–
I’m betting on that squirrel.
Made 5 quilt tops, a pair of socks and am now making masks for distribution. Staying busy is better than doing nothing.
I love your pencil stubs! The kids at school never have an eraser left with that short amount of a pencil left! I miss my volunteering and tutoring at our school so much. But I’m helping out by correcting uploaded assignments on Zoom and keeping a logbook of page numbers, incorrect answers, and the count for each unit/lesson. My 3/4th grader teacher gal pal thinks I’m a bit nutty, but I tell her I NEED to do this to keep things normal. It’s easier because no school, public or private (like our school), in the state can be open for kids to come. So it’s teaching online with a laptop, whiteboard, and kids coming to class over the Internet. Who woulda thunk it! (She corrects Language! I do sometimes, but she has 30+ years under her belt and adds things to make it interesting/helpful for the kids. I mean she has to do something after getting home at 8 pm or later! Long days but it gets the job done.)
So I am using Zoom, and my #Heartie group (for our favorite Hallmark series When Calls The Heart) will be setting up a PNW Hearties zoom group soon. Over the past 6 seasons we’ve gotten together at homes for watch Heartie Parties and at restaurants to meet up with Oregon Hearties. We have fun getting to know each other.
Enough of that! I’m off to watch Andy Griffith for the umpteenth time, continue knitting on baby sweaters as I can’t get in the mood to piece quilts lately, and then correct some papers in that Dropbox!
Love to you, Joe and Jack, moustache kitty extraordinaire!
Thank you for this blog on this day. After the last 3 weeks of worrying and anxiety, tonight reading it gave me a warm and cosy sense of peace. I have loved Gladys Taber’s writing since I first started reading her columns in the old “Family Circle” magazine years ago in the 1960’s. Her writing, like yours, always brought me that same sense of peace and happiness. The fact that you are also a Gladys fan is kismet.
Thanks for your message. Be safe.
Agapanthus, Agapanthus……I LOVE saying that word!!!💙💙💙 It was so soothing to hear your words and advice for these trying times. I’m also a homebody so it’s not so hard for me to isolate. I can sew or write or paint to keep me occupied. It’s true what you say about the news….only brings you down. I would love to give my granddaughter (who is just on her own) one of your books!!! Keeping my fingers crossed!!! PS….what in the heck is onion pudding? Never heard of it in my life🤷🏻♀️
A little bit of heaven… comfort food. xoxo Of course.
Zooming and FaceTiming are really a help, especially who have to shelter alone. There is so much to do and so much hope in the spring, it helps with this hard time
Our spring is already going strong in Georgia. Very pretty here. I definitely need to turn off the news!!
Thank you Susan. I’ve been working my way through your old posts. So much happier reading your words than checking the news reports incessantly like I was doing.
Amen! We can do this. We can get through this with faith, friends, the comfort of family and friends and your uplifting blog. Thank you. It lifts my spirit. ❤️
Oh, Susan…be sure to read all the books in the Nella’s War series. They filled my heart with the spirit of this indomitable woman, one of hundreds of thousands who survived that awful time, as well as filling my mind with so many rich details.
I really needed to read your blog tonight before going to bed. It is so uplifting. Like you, I no longer watch the news very much. Only in the early evening. Stay safe and have a Happy Birthday! Thanks again.
Loved the Bunny Cake! Used to make it when my children were young, my mom made it for us, and I have modified some for my grandsons (one is allergic to flour, and coconut, but loves jelly beans!). I am glad that you and Joe are well and safe.
Blessings and prayers for all as we go through this together.
Oh my goodness, reading this post – soothes my soul. i wish it could be shared to every single person in the world-it is THAT good! it brought comfort, i can breath easier and my soul feels a bit lighter. remember the Calgon/bubble bath stuff – “take me away” commercials? this blog post was like that! it “took me away” and gave me a respite from everything “out there” i can assure you, i will read this countless times Susan, and share it with friends and family. such a gift and talent you have….thank you for sharing this post. my mental and emotional well being needed this tonight.
the bunny cake-i made this several times when i was in high school for friends (1970’s) it was so fun and everyone loved it. pancakes for dinner-oh yeah! the squirrel picture is adorable. i’m glad hubby is wearing the bandana for you when he ventures out, i’ve never seen a brown one-very cool! we’ve been using Instacart for groceries, i never imagined i would ever allow a stranger to buy/shop for groceries, but….i must say, it has been working well for us. once the person begins shopping, they text, send pictures, ask questions about replacement options. it’s almost like a treasure hunt. you never know if the items you’ve purchased, will really be in stock. today i was directing my shopper around the store (since i shop there all the time) she wasn’t sure where to find something-i knew right where to have her look and bingo! she found it!
the store was out of our favorite maple syrup, but she did find a ginormous bottle of Mrs. Butterworths-lol that brings back many good memories growing up. i think it’s a terrific service for the times we are in, we don’t want to venture out, and are still able to get most of the things we want and/or need. check it out if you think it might be an option for you.
i think i’ve rattled on long enough. it’s been such a lovely escape, just chatting away….. sending good thoughts to all, blessings and wishes for good health, and much peace. we will come out on the other side of this 🙂 oh! one last thing. i stumbled upon a youtube channel last night of a woman who lived thru the Great Depression, i believe she has passed away, but her channel is still very popular (i will share the link if it works) she is so sweet, i think you would enjoy watching a few of her videos. blessings and thank you so much, for this post, for the comfort it gives me, for the cookbook giveaway and for the book mark!! you are a treasure, a gift in my life!!!
youtube.com/user/DepressionCooking/featured
Thank you for this inspirational post. I miss my children and grandson so much, but I count my many blessings every day. Your letter always brings such cheer. Thank you for being you!❤️
carol
What perfect timing. Had an especially hard day today (it seems to correlate with how much news I watch/read), and then I saw your post. Wonderful. Thank you for your inspiring quotes. I love reading your positive words and seeing the beautiful pictures of your home and yard. Thank you, Susan! Happy Spring!
Thank you so much for all of the beauty that you share!!
One thing for sure is I don’t get bored in the heart of my home. Face masks and cooking and prepping garden beds and raking up the end of winter and prepping for spring and jumpstarting straw bales for a new twist, and sewing robes for the grandkids.
But people are sacrificing for me, for our communities, so our home fires can keep burning. May we each continue to serve, love, give to one another. Thank you Susan for doing what you do to give us joy and smiles.
I always enjoy your newsletters and have almost all your books. Do you still knit? Knitting is my therapy! Stay well.
I do knit, just for that very reason, it’s therapy . . .
My four young adult sons came home, to shelter in place, instead of their city apartments. My husband said “enjoy this time with your boys” I’m loving the conversations and laughter! Not the food bills! Part of their payment to mom and dad… they do the cooking! I’ve trained them well!
Hello dearest Susan,
This “stay home” time has been filled with prayers for many loved ones, helping others with groceries, support, cards, phone calls, texting and learning how to junk journal.
I count my blessings every morning!
May you and Joe be safe and healthy!
Blessings,
Lydia Alejandro
Always enjoy your beautiful and positive emails!
Thank you, Susan, for your rays of sunshine! I loved the photos of the forsythia (don’t see much of it in California) and the lamb cake like I had for my 4th birthday–I was in AWE! Hugs to you!
Thanks for bringing some light heartedness to my day. It was much appreciated.
Thank you for the spirit brightening news letter. No matter what else is happening, I feel happier after reading your letter. I read them over and over.
Such a cheery post! This is our first week after Spring Break and I’ve been on a very steep learning curve learning how to teach online! My little brain is whirling madly. Daffodils, hyacinths, and little lawn daisies are blooming here on Vancouver Island. Spring is popping out all over! Take care. Stay home.
Thank you, always a ray of sunshine to read!
Thanks for the hope of spring and the comfort of home.
Hi Susan!
My husband and I work for our local hospital and as you can imagine, it’s been a little stressful for us. Your blog is a wonderful escape for me and pancakes for dinner, sound just like what the doctor ordered! Stay well! Xoxo
You too Shannon, and all our thanks to you and your husband, and your family, for your service in this difficult time for so many. You make the world a better place. Just your existence provides hope and light where there is so much darkness. XOXOXOXO 🙏😘
Dear Susan,
Thank you for sharing those encouraging quotes and your wonderful words. My dear big sister who is petite but mighty introduced me to your cook book 30 years ago when she was working at Marshall Fields in Chicago. She is a great sister and is sort of my son and daughter’s fairy God mother. She adores them and they are devoted to her. I’m a preschool teacher and have been home for a month. We all miss our students but we know this is for the good of us all. I have been going through family pictures and found our Dad’s typed letter home from the end of WWII. He gives an account of where they landed in Scotland and moved through out Europe until the war ended. So brave and humble. Thank you again for sharing your talent. Take care!
Susan another awesome post thank you. Early Hsppy Birthday! From one Aries to another . God Bless stay safe.😚🥳❤
Have you noticed? Springtime hasn’t been stopped by the pandemic. Look for those signs of spring!
You are a rock. And a soothing breeze in all this chaos. Thank you for your beautiful pictures and words and pep talk. We needed it! Enjoy your lovely spring.
You are a gem. Thank you a million-billion!
Joe looks quite distinguished in his neckerchief and beret as he heads to the grocery. My DH also has been bringing home the bacon, dressed in his denim jacket, at the early morning ‘grandpa hour’ before the store opens to the general public. So appreciate our men taking good care of us. And a sign of spring today, here in northern CA, our golden poppies opened their cheery blossoms along the curb strip. Love them. Stay the course! We are what we think.
We are safe and cozy at home too. And I adore all that you create❤️
ohhh dear, i just left a loooong comment but seems like it didn’t post 🙁
this blog post has brought me so much comfort Susan, thank you….. blessings and good health to you-to all xo here is a youtube channel i think you might enjoy, of a gal who grew up during the Great Depression….
thank you for the giveaway, the bookmark, and for this comforting post. bless you.
youtube.com/user/DepressionCooking/featured
Every blog reminds us that Home is truly where the heart is!!!! Thank you.
Extra hugs and kisses to Jack. Love seeing pictures of him.
We are cozy and patient here, trusting God to completely end the virus. You, Susan , are so right! Turn off the news and don’t allow fear to have any part of us.
I love to cook and bake bread. Quilting, darning socks is so gratifying!
Happiness is a choice. Love and hugs
Stay safe and healthy! My home is happier right now because my new stove arrived just hours before we were ordered to stay home. The oven is larger, so clean, so pretty. The stovetop has 6 burners and they all work. Thank you for a calming, loving post.
I have all your books in a nice little stack. First one I bought years ago was Heart of the Home. Would love to win the newest version to start my granddaughter on her own little stack of your wonderful books and charming watercolors.
Hello lovely lady. You are a bright spot in my sometimes dark day. I am trying to stay positive & busy. Busy is the easier of the two I have to admit. My husband is a newsaholic! I crocheted a chick in an egg half. It turned out so cute. Makes me smile. The chick can come out of the egg! I love baby chicks. I went to our local feed store before all this virus stuff got so serious & viewed the newly born baby chicks. I wish our association allowed a chicken coop. Some of those babies would have been coming home with me. I have your summer book on my coffee table as we “speak”. Very cute picture of you on the back with your arms full of garden veggies. I am currently bookmarked at the raft story on page 52. I want to try the cocktail cheese biscuits. I love biscuits. Especially biscuits & gravy. Anyway, before I turn this into a book I’ll say ta-ta. Thanks for the chance to win. Stay well friend. Joe too.
Oh another wonderful blog that brings a smile and a restful pause.
Thanks so much,
I’ll bet your readers would also like the 1926 short story by Agnes Turnbull called When Queens Ride By. Can be found online on several websites.
Your posts always make me smile.
I loved your blog as usual!! I have been cooking up a storm! Zoom is great!❤️
You bring such a sweet gentleness to daily life! What a blessing!
Currently a retired Floridian with a husband working at Publix Grocery store. I worry everyday for him, and then me. He feels he is doing his part to help out. It is crazy busy for him.
Thanks for the post tonight. It was just what I needed ❌❤️❌❤️
Oh my, your words have hit a spot that needed a touch. I have been grieving I think for the hero’s, for the sick, for the dying, for our kids, for small businesses and the large ones, for decisions our leaders have to make, for those who are alone, and on and on….Too much news has been breaking away at my spirit and my heart. But….Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers!!! My mom took me out of school early (I loved that) once a month to go to our Fox Theater to see the wonderful, floating dancers. I wanted to grow up and be as beautiful and dance as lightly on my feet as Ginger. The dance clip you shared renewed something in me and brought me back to life! Along with the encouragement and the little bit of correction that I needed. Thank you always!
“Every storm runs out of rain.” Maya Angelou
Enjoyed this post as always … happy and comfy … just like we are feeling in our home right now. As someone on FB said, “we aren’t STUCK at home, we are SAFE at home”.
Stay well, you two.
What a treat your latest blog entry before bedtime! Good thoughts, lovely pictures and delicious food ideas to sooth the mind before sleep.
Glad to hear you and Joe are well and hope the recent off-islanders who escaped to MV and Nantucket don’t bring the covid-19 with them and burden your neighbors and medical community. Such a selfish act to flee their hometowns to come to yours! Shame on them!
I was looking forward to doing some baking with my son while we are isolating ourselves but my 30 yr old 6 burner Viking oven has bit the dust and is not repairable. I’ve admired your vintage stove and wondered how well it bakes and if it is very efficient to use? I am an avid baker so this is a hardship to be without an oven!
Thank you, Susan for reminding us to stay positive and be hopeful. Your words are a soothing balm for the soul!
Dear Susan,
April 12th is a special day in my life too…my father was born at home in Philadelphia on Easter Sunday, April 12th, 1914. Dad passed in 2006, but I still cherish my memories of him.
I send you best wishes for a wonderful birthday and for a year filled with health, happiness, and peace.
Keeping all of us in prayer.
Fondly,
Debbie from Eastampton, NJ
Ah German pancakes! My dad used to make Apfelpfannkuchen (German Apple Pancakes) on weekends. Good memories. Now I’m going to have to make them ’cause they are so good.
In Texas we have agapanthus blooming outdoors in our flower beds. I didn’t know they could be indoor plants. Very pretty!
Your post made my day in the depressed world we are living in right now.
Dear Susan,
You are the breath of fresh spring air. Thank you for throwing open the windows and letting the breeze flow through. As I was reading, I thought I could smell the flowers – and then I remembered I purchased a tiny bouquet of spring flowers for my table.
A memory popped to the forefront when I spotted the forsythia. When we were children and spring would arrive, my mother would tell us how much she loved the yellow sunshine of the forsythia bushes when they bloomed. In fact, she loved them so much that she told us she wanted her ashes sprinkled under the bush. She passed away 5 years ago and it took us 4 years to gather the family in one place. California. Not a forsythia bush in site. We decided to release her ashes in the ocean with my dad’s. The siblings each wanted to take a moment with each pillow box of ashes and say their good byes. But one of us held on to Mom’s ashes knowing that this spring they would find their way underneath the “sunshine” bush as we called it. I may have forgotten that without seeing your photos.
I am always amazed at the connections I find in your emails – movies, meals, celebrations, laundry on the line, music, cozy moments, and people, places and things. After a decade or more I shouldn’t be surprised, as that’s what makes reading your newsy notes such a delight. And thanks for The Silver Lining – a song my grandmother loved.
I pray that we all stay safe, and calm and kind to each other.
Air hugs and love from a Pollyanna called Lorna, who just hung up her spring lamb banner.
😘😘😘
Your blog posts are always a joy, but never more so than now. Stay healthy and safe 💕
Hi Susan! This blog is filled with so many wonderful ideas. I am forwarding it to both of my daughters who are now homeschooling their children. I love your homeschooling suggestions!
I am working on many forgotten sewing and crochet projects during this time. I love staying home, too.
We are planning pancakes for dinner one night soon, we’ve not done that in years.
Thank you. Stay well.
Thank you, Susan, for your absolutely beautiful words, the sweet pictures and the sense of comfort that you impart.
Love this post with recipes, lovely quotes, uplifting words, a free bookmark and zoom!
Thank you!😘
Stay healthy and safe.
Yellow is my spring color too.
Please continue to make wise choices, you bring joy.
Love the bunny cake Susan! Thanks for sharing recipes 🙂
You cannot know how you lift my spirits. Thank you for all you do and share and are.
Thanks once again, Susan, for your cheery blog!! You are right, stay at home, don’t listen to the news, enjoy this special time!! It was great to see your reminder of the Bunny Cake. I made that quite a few years for my three kiddos many years ago. They always loved it, also their friends! Great to think on the Lovely Things!! God bless your home and loved ones.
Susan:
Thank you for being you. You always have a way to bring us out of the darkness and into the light. I also have been very grateful for this pause of the world. In a strange way it has brought me peace from the speed of light we seem to live.
Stay safe and well. The world needs you 🙂
I’m a home body too, so staying home is fine with me. I laughed out loud about being thankful we’re not stuck in the dentist chair, oh boy that would be a nightmare. Stay safe!
DH & I loved the pictures in today’s post, especially the squirrel and Jack watching you bake.
Thank you for the cheer. Wish you could send one every day; they are very much appreciated!
I have admired you and poured over your books for years. I have your prints hanging in my kitchen and your old calendars safely stowed away for future perusing. Thank you for sharing your wonderful creativity with the rest of us. Stay safe!
Love spring and your blog!
It’s always so good to read a new Susan Branch blog post, especially now. Take good care!
I’m also enjoying being home and I don’t think I could ever get bored at home. I’ve been cooking, reading, doing Ancestry and watching Acorn – all things I love to do, but never have time for.
But I also found a huge project to keep me busy until the cows come home – my husband’s father passed away just before we all needed to stay at home and my husband brought ten large boxes of pictures and memorabilia to our house collected by many generations of his family. I have been sorting through them and making scrapbook albums that tell a story of the very interesting people in that family because my kids and/or grandkids would take one look at all of those boxes and throw them out. I have always loved making scrapbooks, but I’m keeping these pretty simple; I just want the best of the pictures and clippings with names, relationships and a few short anecdotes. The millennials can get bored so easily, so brevity is important. If I didn’t have time to do this, it would be a real shame.
I’m so sorry for all of the suffering that is happening and prayer is paramount at this time, but you are so right – we need to do things besides look at the news. The little online concerts that different performers are providing are just wonderful! I like the daily ones by David Foster and his wife, Katherine McPhee and also Dr. Brian May has some little guitar concerts with occasional words of wisdom. So good for the soul, as are the things Jon Bon Jovi is doing that you mentioned. We will get through this.
What a GIFT you are making!
You’re posts are so very wonderful-poignant, happy, sad, encouraging, I could go on. As I read I feel as if I’m having a visit with a new/old friend, someone I’ve just met that I seem to have known forever! Thank you for taking the time to write this blog and sharing so many lovely things with us. We too have daffodils, crocus, forsythia, Japanese quince blooming but the weather report says rain and snow mix through the weekend!! It’s still cold but the sky was blue and the sun was warm for a time today…small blessings that mean so much<3
Beautiful agapanthus!
I agree that tough times cause us to pause, reflect and see what’s really important.
This homebody sends a prayer of safety to all of you.
Happy April! I will also be celebrating a birthday, on Palm Sunday, and on Eadter my husband and I will mark 51 years together! Life is good in spite of our trials and tribulations. I too say ‘This too shall pass’. Be joyful in the moment. Tomorrow will take care of itself.
Now to make those yummy looking pancakes! Happy birthdsy!
Thank you for sharing your corner of the world and adding some much needed cheer today! A simply wonderful reminder of what’s important and how we’re all really blessed to be spending time at home. And if we’re lucky we get to share it with those we love.
Blessings and continued good health to you and Joe!
I am forever grateful to my dear friend, Katha Chamberlain, for introducing me to everything SB when she came for a visit so many years ago and brought “Heart of the Home” as a loving gift to me! She is a true example of “a good woman and cheerful spirit”. Whenever I take any one of my many SB books or calendars from the shelves to reread, I am reminded of the value of “sisters” and true friends in life. Thank you for sharing your own life with all of us!
Girlfriend to girlfriend, it’s always the best!💞
Needed to check on you. Your words and photos are always a balm to me. So glad you both are well!
Hi Susan
Love to read your posts, especially the great quotations you find and your beautiful watercolour illustrations. A joy to read!
Thanks
Praying for a miracle of grace 🙏. Thank you for your cozy, caring, warm, and sincere thoughts. May you and Joe and your lovely, peaceful home embrace you through these trying times. God bless you both 💕
Am I ever glad you sent this today. I needed a calm, sane voice. Thanks for
every single word. :-} We all just must keep on keepin’ on. xox
It’s so simple isn’t it?
Your blog brings so much happiness to so many. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Such a lovely post. I am state essential personnel so off to work I go. Thank you for your slice of a beautiful life. ❤️
Healthy at home in Washington State. I have a 95 year old Mom to check on and a son who’s wedding date has to be postponed. We will get through this. We just have to keep counting our blessings and ride out the storm.
🌷So nice to hear from you…Home Cooking Is The New…(fill this in)!<3
Could never choose one word! It’s always been a wonderful way of giving . . . 💞 of bringing people together, of love.
Hi Susan,
I loved the photo of your agapanthus!! I’m a California transplant to Ohio and I miss those gorgeous blue flowers. I had planted them everywhere in my old yard. I had never thought about growing them indoors. Thanks for the inspiration!! I’ll make this place feel like home, yet!
love, Denise
Last year was the FIRST year I ever saw them on the island. I never thought they would winter-over inside, but they most definitely did, and soon they will go to the garden for another summer. I missed them too . . . they grow like weeds in California! xoxo
Wonderful to be reminded of Isabel Allende and that delightful Ted talk. And also how I love to make potato cakes with leftover mashed potatoes. 😋 will be trying my hand at German Pancakes. Love from Umina Beach NSW Australia. 💕
Watch the magic that German Pancakes have as they come from the oven, it’s fleeting, but wonderful!
Your blog makes my heart so happy ❤️. Thank you.
Thank you so much – this brightened my day so much! Some days I just get lost in the noise and jumble of my kids and all of their needs, especially without the outside interactions they are accustomed to. It helps to think of the beauty all around – I love how you always do that. Thank you for reminding me to stop and look and listen and remember the simple treasures all around me. Bless you both! 💚
Thank you for the lovely post! We’re doing fine at our house. Following the rules and actually getting some enjoyment out of not having a calendar filled with appointments and things to do. Pretty casual these days. Which is fine with me because I’m a homebody type also. I was reading a list someone posted on FB today – about things to teach your children if you run out of activities. They are all “old fashioned” by today’s standards, but excellent ideas. The first one was “teach them to write a letter.” What a wonderful thing to start with. For myself, some of my precious memories of family, mother-siblings-grandparents- are letters I received from them. I’m turning off the news as much as possible too! Stay well Susan & Joe. Enjoy each moment!
I think all the time what it means to be human. 💞
Susan ~
Happy almost birthday and Easter!
Stay well and know Spring is on its way and the virus will hopefully, be a nightmare that will end sooner rather than later.
Thank you for your wonderful wisdom.
Xo Corky
Thanks for the pep talk, coach.I needed it!
🏈👏💖