We finished our wonderful book just this morning! I told you about it . . . Still Life by Sarah Winman ~ we loved every wonderful word of it, it’s ALL about love as all the best books are. All about the pursuit of love. As most of you 
know, Joe and I listen to the same book while we walk (one iPhone, two ear buds), and this book ended a few hundred yards before the end of our walk so while we were sighing and sad our book had ended, I said to my phone “Play some Italian MUSICA” and it did and we listened to this all the way home. You HAVE to either read or listen to this book. It’s too wonderful! Valentine #1 to you from me with love.🌷 La Festa di San Valentino began in Italy!💘💞 Perfetto! And so we turn to the real reason we are here . . .
In the 1950s, where I grew up in California, Spring began on Valentine’s Day.💝 The lupin and California poppies were in bloom, the roses were budding, days were warmer, winter was over, afternoons were spent roller skating, and on Valentine’s Day we went to school with a fist full of Valentines like these, carefully signed on the back in pencil “To Janice from Sue.” Nothing too flowery. We were just little kids. “To Pete W. from Sue S.“
The small die-cut Valentines came in cellophane-covered boxes we bought at the dime store, twenty-four assorted valentines for 99¢ so we could give one to every friend in our class, and one for the teacher. One of my favorite days at school. How could we NOT 
love school ~ we made Valentines for our mothers ~ in our starched dresses, that hot-iron fragrance still lingering on peter pan collars, essence of Mother and home, our saddle shoes and mary janes skipping carefully over the cracks in the sidewalk as we walked to school together. Another sunshiny day in
The month of love
But in New England, Valentine’s Day arrives in the dead of winter. That came as kind of a shock when I first moved here. Snow on Valentine’s Day seemed so strange. But the middle of February is NOT spring here on the island. It’s very often wet, one way or the other. Never are flowers and a celebration of love more appreciated. And in that frame of mind, my darling Valentine’s, I made you something! Guess what it is?
Yup, Valentines! You are so smart!
Two of them! With an envelope! Aren’t they cute? They stand up! With little hearts and flowers on them! And they aren’t just for 
Valentine’s Day… inside they are blank! You can say anything because flowers and love are everything!❣️ They’re free, your only job is to print them out on card stock (use lighter paper for the envelope), fold them, (I hope you’re enjoying being in Italy while we talk!) cut them out just inside the lines, and write something pretty inside. You get them here: the I LOVE YOU CARD, the FLOWERS CARD, & ENVELOPE. And if you’d like to get cardstock that will go through your printer (80 lb for the cards), they have it HERE! (They have it everywhere, just Google “cardstock.”) I hope you love them!
So, little February is jam-packed with love in more ways than one for me and Joe!💓 Monday, February 6th was the 36th Anniversary of our first date! We find that as the years go by we want to celebrate MORE!💃🏼 No romantic restaurants with cozy dark Italian bars are open for dinner on a Monday night in February on Martha’s Vineyard, we tried to find something ~ we finally gave up, and decided we like LUNCH just as much! And, because apparently no one goes to lunch on Mondays, we had the place to ourselves and chose the darkest corner table. Which wasn’t very dark. And no Dean Martin . . . No Arrivederci Roma . . . we had to rough it.💖💕💖
We brought along this shoe box filled with our old photos. We thought it would be fun to eat and talk about the places we’ve been together. We’ve never done this before, taken photos to lunch, but I highly recommend it! Good thing no one was there, the 
memories were bouncing off the walls! I had an ice-cold Cosmopolitan, Joe had a day-glo Aperol Spritz, we shared a great big Caesar salad, and this restaurant has an open-fire pizza oven and makes the best thin-crust pizza EVER, so we split a pizza too, molto bene, and then split a piece of Lemon Cake with lots of whipped cream. Bellissimo! So it was perfect! Want to see some of the pictures? One by one, out of the box they came. The most used word of the day was . . . “Remember?”
So, as a little bit of background for you who don’t know unless you’ve read my book A Fine Romance, before I met Joe, I was living alone in my house called Holly Oak, minding my own business . . . and fairly truly through with men (I thought), it hadn’t been working out❤️🩹 I was a little wounded . . . and happy enough . . . I kinda had it all . . .
sleeping with my three darling kitties. . .😻😻😻
Kitties, always true blue and trustworthy. So, here we go, pop into the way-back machine, let’s go even further back, to 1982 … In a nutshell, after a shocking (to me) divorce, followed by an unplanned cross-country move, accidentally buying a little house on an 
ISLAND where they had this thing called winter, followed by a few years of flailing, learning, figuring things out, then writing my first book, quite a few forays into the weird world of dating (in those days we actually had to GO with the person, there was no 
looking anyone over online, no police reports or dating reviews ~ we were on our own). A bit distrustful, and nearing 40, I thought that “alone” was probably the way I was going to stay. I was fine with it. They told us back then then we had a better chance of being kidnapped by terrorists than falling in love after 40 which seemed about right to me. (Now I laugh! 40 is only the beginning!!!) I loved my little house, my kitties, and this beautiful island separated from the real world by a big blue moat, ringing with church bells, the smell of salt in the air, little white farmhouses, shingled cottages . . . but even after all that good stuff, I still had a bit of an attitude. “Too Mean to Marry” ~ was the t-shirt I wore to the supermarket. I was definitely NOT going to fall in love again.
Then one day . . . almost exactly 36 years ago . . .
This guy showed up! Too handsome, I told myself, and too young. But he persisted and I forgave him. We put the camera on the staircase, set the timer, ran back into position, and took our first selfie together ~ at Holly Oak, all dressed up to go to a dance 36 years ago, in one of our first public appearances as a couple.👀 Seems like just yesterday.🥰
Mi sono innamorato di te.💕❤️💕❤️💕
So, I digress, back to our lunch ~ there we were tucked into our corner, all settled in to celebrate our anniversary, and into the photo box we dove, pulling out picture after picture . . . 
Here I am on the boat on our way home from our first date in Boston . . . bewitched, bothered, but mostly bewildered, had no idea if he would “follow me to my house,” despite assurances by Doris Day that this was the way things go … nor was I sure I wanted him to!
But, slowly, as you can see, Joe revealed his adorable self to me. 
My first Valentine from Joe came when my mom was visiting . . . (I pulled this card from the photo box and we said awwwwww . . .) 
By Christmas, I knew . . .
Maybe it was the hat . . .
Or that we fit together like two pieces of a puzzle.
I could now thank all the things in my life, even the hard ones, even the lonely ones, even the ones I wanted to hide in the bushes and wait for so I could scare the peewaddin’ out of them ~ now I could be grateful for all of it, to everything that lead me here. It took a while, but I had come from a long, long way.💝
Worth every step of the journey to find this guy at the end of the rainbow. Such a surprise.
Isn’t his hat cute? I like that little tail. No guys in California wore hats like this! He was an original!
Joe’s 40th birthday was a luau … in our back yard under a tent! Aloha-ha!
It must be love when you still like each other after putting together a yard sale!
Whatever I do, he wants to do, “Where are you going today?” says Pooh: “Well, that’s very odd ‘cos I was too. Let’s go together,” says Pooh, says he.” 💕 A.A. Milne
My first selfie with a cell phone, we were in a field in England, I needed four tries! Not quite realizing yet it was all in the arm, as in how long is your arm.
I had a hard time getting my face in it! Look at him, all calm and collected… (When I tell him I’m writing about him, he always says the same thing, “Make me look thin.”🥰)
I blamed my glasses for getting in the way.🤓
Fourth time was a charm…
How we love sailing across the Atlantic.
In 2001 we became Auntie Mame and took our two nieces, Holly 12 and Heidi 11 on the Queen Elizabeth 2 to England and France for the joy-trip of our lives. We started planning when they were around 7. Worth every fun second of it. A true-life adventure for all of us! And proof that . . .
How could we not high-five after climbing this hill and discovering this amazing view of the green and pleasant land we’ve come to love . . .
Could never have done it without Map Man . . . It took a very small village: him + me = we can do this!
The British supermarket, no matter what part of the country we are in, is so fun. Perusing unfamiliar goods, commenting, laughing, questioning, figuring out … I love milk, I always have, the first time we went to a market in England, I found “Breakfast Milk.” The name was all I needed. Actually tasted just like milk, but BREAKFAST milk, just HAS to be better! I think you will understand if you say it three times in a row!🤣
But if I’d ever leave youIt couldn’t be in autumnHow I’d leave in autumnI never will know ~I’ve seen how you sparkleWhen fall nips the airI know you in autumnAnd I must be there 🍂🍁🍂
Good way to give cards, just show it to her in the store! Make her cry!
If ever I would leave youIt wouldn’t be in summerSeeing you in summerI never could go.🤩
And could I leave youRunning merrily through the snow?Or on a wintry eveningWhen you catch the fire’s glow?
NO Way!
Remember the day Joe came into my studio to show me that while he was busy on his computer, his tea bag had wrapped itself around his glasses and flipped out of his cup without him noticing? And lived there for a while, swinging back and forth? I wrote a whole post about it. He made my day with that one!
I still laugh.
Thank goodness I discovered I didn’t like to fly, otherwise I never would have discovered how much I LOVE the train. 
Another Valentine’s Day, and a horse-drawn sleigh ride in the snow.
He’s in Wales and I’m in England, but as always, we’re together!
If ever I would leave youHow could it be in springtime?Knowing how in spring I’m bewitched by you so?Oh, no! Not in springtime!Summer, winter or fall!No, never could I leave you at all!🌷
Up in Maine. Not leaving him here either.
“The world is full of happy people but no one ever hears of them. You have to fight and make a scandal to get in the papers. No one knows about all the happy people.”💖 💖 💖 Gene Stratton-Porter
Well, that’s enough of that! You get the idea. Very difficult to 
cover 36 years of collective camera mania in only one lunch! We’ve had 36 Christmases just for starters! And 36 Summers! 36 years of kitty loving. Plus, we left our shadows on all those walks to the sea on a dirt road 
through the woods that we plan to haunt one day. Altogether we’ve had 13,140 sunrises and sunsets, over 432 full moons, and all the good ones are in my photos. And despite all this focus on memorable photos, can you believe it? I FORGOT to ask the waitress to take our picture at lunch!🤣 I only remembered as we were leaving…
Downstairs, there was this decorative door at the entrance with mirrors in it . . . caught a quick glimpse of ourselves and suddenly remembered! So we took our 36th anniversary pictures here! I could barely get my head into this selfie, we’re both standing on our toes!
At least we got a picture! And it’s not like we are lacking in recorded history! My favorite thing about being 75, about aging is being able to look back and see how it all came together. Much of my youth I worried, not knowing that things would all work out with the magic ingredients of time, determination, and a lot of luck. Remember that if you are in your twenties or thirties and uncertain. It’s normal. I fretted the entire time. But try not to worry, it’s all going to be okay. Pray to God, continue to row toward shore, and . . .
Life is short . . . But it’s never too late for you to make it exactly the way you want it. Start small. Put a flower in a vase and on your window sill. Wasn’t that easy? Isn’t it pretty? See what I mean? You just made your life a little better. That’s how it works. You are in charge.💖 
And to top off a perfect day, waiting for us on the porch when we 
got home from our Anniversary lunch was a box with THIS in it! I unwrapped Joe first, recognized him immediately ~ the beret! They were made by darling friend and Valentine Elf, Karen Courtney! Look at the details, my glasses, our ears (squee!), Joe’s hat, my dress, JACK with his green eyes. . . what a great job!
Even my book! My sister has already tried to steal them from me!
So what else do kindred spirits need at this time of year?💝 Oh yes, decorating! Spring (ish) is such a good time for that!
And a few romantic recipes . . . 
If any of these recipes sounds good to you, just click ON THIS, and then put your cursor on the recipe you like, and click! Voila!😋
But, most important of all . . . be sure to 
You deserve a chocolate mint coffee, a champagne cocktail, some flowers, and a hug . . . and can give it ALL to yourself, you can take your book to lunch, and later, you can have a long bubble bath! And if you can’t do it on Tuesday, do it on Wednesday! You can have a red letter day!
See you next time! ❌⭕️❌⭕️💃🏼💃🏼💃🏼💃🏼💃🏼
Another post to lift my heart! Another fairie tale……
Susan, thank you for the Valentine post! Thanks for the printable Valentine cards also. I picked up a Valentine gift for my daughter and daughter-in-law and forgot to get a card so…thanks to you Voila! I have a penpal I got through you, you didn’t know? true story. somewhere (your blog? your FB page?) you had a place to find a penpal and we did! We are kindred spirits in many ways, and SHE lives in your “neighborhood” (Cape Cod) which is soooo marvelous and I lived in wild Michigan which has more wild weather than she does = crazy heat, tornadoes, snow like nobody’s business. We each wrote a letter at the same time telling our story to each other and there you go! we were “meant for each other” Thank you for my penpal 🙂 I will be baking something red/pink for the grandchildren today – cookies? cupcakes? not sure what, and then delivering them later on. Happy Valentines Day to everyone 🙂
Makes my day when penpals find each other! xoxo
Thank you, needed that this morning – moment – Thank you.
Thank you for this delightful post, Susan! There is so much love in the world- thank you for helping us to see it everywhere. Happy Valentine’s Day to you, Joe, and Jack!
Well this post made me cry! As a recently-turned-40 single lady I’m afraid I’m getting very cynical about the chances of finding love. Reading your and Joe’s story always keeps a tiny spark of hope alive <3
Thank you for this joyful,uplifting, DOLCISSIMO post ! Such a precious gift to celebrate the magic of LOVE with our partner, friends and pets…You always find just the perfect words to say what we need to hear right now.
That was wonderful!! Thank you 💝 Rereading your trilogy while my husband recuperates from surgery. They always fill me with joy ☺️
Beautiful! Thanks for the lovely romantic atmospheric blog.
Thank you Susan for this delightful beginning to my own Red Letter Day and week.
Happy Valentines Day to you, Joe and Jack!
Linda Z.
…. Goodness !!!…what a dearest, sweetest love story, Susan !! thank you so much for sharing this with us !! Happiest of Valentine’s Day to you and your sweetheart Joe !!!…with love as always..
Happy Valentines Day and Anniversary. Thank you for sharing.
Further proof that some things are just meant to be, things happen for a reason…etc., etc., “Happy Valentine’s Day!” ~Lots of love, Charl
Happy Valentine’s day you dear couple! What a wonderful Willard and just the thing to set my day off with hearts and smiles! It was fun seeing your photos and now I have to gather up some of my own for our Valentine celebration! Happy Anniversary from across the moat!
A lovely post indeed!
Goosebumps reading this one Susan. I miss the Richard Harris😢Lovely tune that makes my heart go pitter patter every time I hear it. Thank you for this love note♥️Happy Valentines Day to you and Joe. With love from Carol
Wow! Just WOW! The most beautiful love letter to your friends ever! Thank you Susan for your beautiful heart, your loving ways and your fabulous talent. We are so blessed to have you for a friend. (This coming from your “conservative” friend)🥰😊❤️🥰 Sandy
Oh how lovely, thank you Susan! I love flowers, inside the house and outside… I love chocolate, no other candy. I love that you love England, land of my birth. I love your Ascot Hat! There is nothing in the world like the English countryside, especially in Spring (or summer, autumn or winter)! Have you climbed the Glastonbury Tor, which might be in two of your photos? Have you been to the Royal Observatory in Greenwich and put a foot on each side of the Prime Meridian? Fun to do.
My husband prepares a grapefruit for me every day (that’s love) that he picks from empty homes around the golf course. Even occupied homes don’t eat them (they are told it interferes with medication that we are lucky enough not to need). Kumquats too, which I make into marmalade with too much sugar (necessary). I am so lucky and I know it! You are too, such lovely messages of love! Thank you for the cards and for being you.
Happy Valentine’s Day Susan & Joe! Loved seeing all these great photos, thanks for sharing! Happy Galentine’s Day Girlfriends! 🎶 Love is all we need 🎶
Those little knitted dolls are just too cute. Great job, Karen!
Happy Valentines ….. life’s adventures with the one you love. I met My forever valentine when I was nineteen and he was twenty five. Seemed so old, and he felt like a big brother. My heart was broken because I had just lost my father. The shock and sorrow overwhelmed me. All of my friends were unfurling wings and tasting life. I was broken and it hurt to see their joy. Then this big brother like friend shared that he had lost his dad about the same time I had lost mine. We could grieve together and then find peace together. Now celebrating 48 years together. I did not understand why God took someone I loved so much, but then God provided someone to share grief and then endless love. Life is such a journey. Thank you for sharing yours. Praying we have chapters and chapters more to share ❤️
This is my favorite post, forever and ever ❤️. I LOVE your love story! Happy Valentine’s Day Joe and Susan.
Happy Valentine’s Day to you and Joe! I hope your day is filled with sunshine and sweetness just like you bring to all of your gal-pals!! 💞💘
Beautiful memories over so many years! Pure contentment, pure love! Happy Valentine’s Day to Sue and Joe. Thanks, as always, for a walk down a lovely lane.
This was a wonderful Willard!!Thank you for the valentine’s gift.Definitely going o print them 🙂 Our weather is odd-supposed to hit 69 today-average is 60 yet still COLD at night. Sort of fits–seems like our world has gone crazy. So much tragedy in the news daily so your uplifting news and photos and fun stories are doubly appreciated.Thanks for being YOU Susan Branch. Love you, Gail PS Did I miss the MUSICA?
Middle of the first paragraph!
Happy Valentines Day to Susan and Joe! What a romantic story you have retold here. It just makes my heart sing, gives me goosebumps, and hope. Our own little corner of the world in western North Carolina is our little bit of heaven. Four glorious seasons to enjoy. Romance fills each corner just the way we like it to be in our cozy home. It overflows with projects – every one gives us satisfaction and pride when completed. We CAN do it in our own way and in our own time. We never stop learning and growing. Bonnie and I are blessed to be mother and daughter in a solid team. Compatible, capable, inventive, and inimitable in our own style. Definitely originals. We are content, fulfilled, and enjoy life. We have planned our third trip together to the British Isles – this time to Ireland in February 2024. Very exciting adventures await! Time to plan and dream! Thank you Susan for being our friend, muse, inspiration, and keeping us creative and satisfied. We are all truly Blessed!
You are the most romantic person ever! It is “written” all over you!❤ Thanks for reminding me life can be wonderful. Love all your books and am looking forward to the next. Thanks for putting it all out there for us to share! A former Reseda resident. We were there at the same time! Shirley Ave school!
Oh, My Dear!! I had to run find the lip balm, as my lips were cracking from the impossibly wide grin on my face. Thank you for taking us with you along Happy Memory Lane.
I believe I’ve said before, our stories are so similar, except no cross country journey. I’ve even told my first husband Thank You for dumping me at just the right time!! He likes The Lovely Tom as well.
What a great idea!! Take a box of pictures to lunch. We have a favorite place nearby, Mad Dogs and Englishmen, where you can always snag a table outside under the bougainvilla…if you arrive after the lunch rush. I’ve planned a dinner at home for tomorrow, steak and all the trimmins. Restaurants too crowded at night on Valentine’s Day.
Mucho Love,
Debbie in very sunny Tampa
Thank you for bringing LOVE to Valentine’s Day! You’re such an inspiration.
Oh Susan, what a delightful and lovely post! Thank you for sharing your love story of your beautiful life with Joe! Everyday a sweet gift ❤
What a lovely blog! I’ve had your sticky notes for years, just too pretty to use 🙂
Loved reminiscing with you! Your first date was on my Birthday but several years later! Love the Willards!❤️🏡🎚🏡❤️
Oh, Susan…what a wonderful post and a great idea to go through all of your photos. I had to smile when I saw Joe as “Map Man” – that is my John, too. Everywhere we travel ( Paris, Rome, London, little towns all over..) I tell him where I want to go and he gets out the map to figure it out…and we have a photo of each trip with him holding a map and checking out our route! He also knows I like to go one way and come back another so we can see “new stuff” and he always does that, too ! Yes, we are older, together over 46 years, and still find ourselves saying ” I am so glad I found you ! What if I did not find you ???” and love “doing life together”. Valentine Day will be dinner here at home (lobster ravioli) and then a show in our community – Love Letters. PERFECT! Wishing you and Joe a wonderful, romantic day…and many more years of love!
How great is it to see another “couple of a certain age” still madly in love?!
Debbie in Tampa
What a beautiful True Love Story! See, fairytales CAN come true! It was just the right way to share a Valentine’s Day with us. ❤️
What a wonderful Valentine’s post – thank you! And thank you for the reminder that sometimes all it takes to make life a little better is to put a flower in a vase and place it where it will make you smile every time you walk by. So easy, we can all do it! Wishing you a wonderful Valentine’s Day too but not stopping there: Here’s to a wonderful year!
Thank you for such a wonderful valentine. What a joy your post was to read. I wish you and Joe a very Happy Valentine’s Day!
P.S. Loving my coffee this morning in my 2019 Susan Branch red and white hearts mug. Sure am glad I bought one. It is still my Valentine to myself!
Thank you for allowing us to time travel along with you and Joe. Happy Valentine’s Day to you both. Beautiful life …. beautiful story. The best ending to any fairy tale… “and they lived happily ever after”.
Love every word you write!
Judy in cold Wisconsin
Perfect. That is all. 🙂
What a wonderfully sweet and nostalgic post! You remind us that every day is a treasure and that happiness and contentment can be found with awareness of and gratitude for the simple pleasures of life. Happy Valentine’s Day!
Wow love this! Thanks for sharing and bringing joy to my day!!
Susan, I loved all those photos of you & Joe! Thank you for sharing. Sending valentines wishes out for that book called Home you’ve mentioned, with many more pics and heartwarming stories about you two in the heart of the home! ❤️🙏🏽😊
Happy Valentine’s Day Susan and girlfriends, Happy Valentine’s Day!!! well we are in for a monster winter storm for Valentine’s Day, 6-10 inches of snow and then more snow on Thursday. the cats are loving the activity out here, the birds are feeding at the feeders like crazy, the squirrels are chowing down and the deer are eating like crazy. they know the weather is going bad and they are all getting ready for it. the chickens and ducks are eating quite heavily, and laying eggs by the ton. the cats love all this activity, their brand of kitty t.v.!!! but best of all they love napping in their nice warm basket by the wood stove. talk about spoiled, but i love it. they look so adorable snoozing in their basket all snug and warm. i’m just taking a breather from yesterday (super bowl Sunday) and cooking super nachos for the game snack along with beer margaritas. got hubby a box of Belgian chocolates, they look yummy, hope they are as good as they look. nothing fancy for tomorrow, it all depends on the weather and if it snows or not. if it does snow hopefully we won’t have a massive blackout like the last time in 2016, that lasted over a week of no electricity. very frustrating and very inconvenient since it shut off our pumps and we could not get any water or flush toilets, YUK!!! i have no desire to repeat that experience. well off to go fill the feeders and water containers for the chickens and ducks, and refill the feeders for the birds and squirrels. plus stockpiling water just in case we need it. this is going to be interesting to say the least. have a Happy Valentine’s Day everyone, be well and stay happy. hugs …… 😀
Hello Susan, girlfriends. boy did we have snow on Valentine’s day, it was wonderful and fun, nothing like a good snowball fight to keep you hopping. well this week we are expecting more snow ( yes you heard me right .. more snow coming in) by tomorrow and through the week, we are expecting 10 inches or better for here. that means no school if it is that heavy and more shoveling for me to clear the driveway. i usually cheat, i have a little plow i put on the riding lawn mower and move the snow out of the way. keep your fingers crossed, this is going to be fun. hugs …. 😀
Stay warm Pat!
we are, the storm is over for now but more is expected by Sunday. we got 6 inches of snow so far. and California is getting hit with this mess, try snow in San Francisco and Los Angeles!! unbelievable!! wonder what this next round of snow storms will bring???? great for reading and for our neighborhood battles with the fire dept, or i should say snowball fights but those poor guys have been hopping these days … to many drivers forgetting to drive slowly in this weather. but this weather is great for games, we have neighbors over when the power goes out ( we have a wood stove and gas stove to heat water and food on) we have a great game we play, someone creates the mystery and the folks act out their parts and whoever solves it gets their favorite meal cooked by the cast members. its a ball. and a great way to spend time with the neighbors during a blackout. heck we do that around Halloween or in the Summer and BBQ. got to go fill the water and feed containers and get some more firewood for the stove…. have a great day and stay warm. hugs … 😀
Quick question: what are the shades of blue and white paint used in your kitchen? It makes me so happy!!!
Happy Valentine’s Day! How lovely to see your photos through the years – you can clearly see and feel the love! I’m making Valentines with my 3 yo daughter while my 7 month old naps! Lots of love from this home to yours! ~ Breanne
What a wonderful Valentine’s gift this Willard is! Full of inspiration, and love. The pictures of you and Joe over the years were so fun to look at. I can only imagine how much the two of you enjoyed reminiscing over them. Thank you for sharing them, and your world with us. Happy Valentine’s Day to you, Joe, and Jack!
What a lovely post. I adore your love story! Shared history is such a special thing. I married my soul mate when I was 18 and he was 19 and we are now 63 and 64, so we have tons of history. We just recently retired, and are starting a whole new and exciting chapter of our own! I love the idea of looking over old photographs, I think we will do that. Thank you for bringing beauty into this world.
Thank you! I loved the pictures of you and Joe and finding true love at 40. I was divorced with 3 children and a full time job at 40. Friends tried to fix me up with several men but it was hopeless. Finally a co-worker wanted me to meet her brother. I originally said no, I’m dome with men. She kept asking and I finally said yes because I liked her and didn’t want to offend her. Her brother was 6 years younger than I so I knew he wouldn’t be interested in me, he probably wanted someone younger to build a life with. We’ve been married 30 years. He is truly my soulmate, He’s kind, responsible, focussed, a great father to my children and I adore him still to this day. I’m truly blessed.
You just never know. How wonderful!💖💖💖
What a beautiful, generous post. Your words, your writing, your art…it just brightens my day, I read from your blog or your books at least once daily. It just replenishes my soul. Happy Valentine’s Day to you & darling Joe. Jack, too!
Happy Valentine’s Day Susan and Joe ❤❤❤
Happy Valentine’s Day to you! I will be making your world famous lemon chicken from Heart of the Home, that I have made for my husband for over 20 some years because it’s his FAVORITE meal!
Thank you for such wonderful recipes!
👏👏👏❌⭕️
Wonderful photos, recipes, and ideas. Thank you for the uplifting commentary and quotations, too.
I’m making a baby quilt for a friend’s first granddaughter and the happy fabrics are such fun to use! The pattern is Rail Fence and am using 5 squares of Beatrix Potter’s well dressed characters from Peter Rabbit and family to Mrs. Tiggiewiggle diagonally from upper left to lower right and Jemima Puddleduck is right in the middle of the quilt.
Hugs!
I must say I loved your first four attempts at a selfie – they reminded me of photo both pictures where you and your friend cram in and try to figure out if it’s started yet and jockey for better positions and finally on the fourth click get it right! They were lovely AND fun!
And thank you for including a Gene Stratton-Porter quote. I went through a phase of reading her books and a lot about her when I was a young teen; I even got my parents to drive me to see her Indiana home (which is a state historic site not too far from where I grew up)! But I hadn’t thought about those books for quite awhile. Now I want to dig them out and share them with my daughter; it’s always nice to rediscover old friends!
I hope you and Joe have a splendid Valentine’s Day!
Dear Sue
I don’t know if you realized it as you were writing this post, but what you actually wrote was a love letter to Joe. A beautiful love letter. I feel privileged to have been allowed to read it. I wish everyone in the world could be worshiped in such a way by their significant other. It is also obvious that he feels the same way about you. Happy Valentines Day… Love Sue
He read it too… very self-satisfied look on his face when he kissed me! 💖
I loved this!! The pictures were wonderful! The beauty of this blog brought tears to my eyes. Thank you so much! Happy Anniversary, and many more to come!
You are adorable, and the two of you together are magic. I grew up in CA the exact same time as you, and in this post you captured exactly what being a school child in the 50’s was like, especially on Valentine’s Day. I can remember spending alot of time deciding which card to give my current grade school crush, because there was always a crush. Thank you for the book recommendation! I can’t wait to listen! Happy Anniversary to you both.❤️
Happy Valentine’s Day and Happy Anniversary to you both! Thank you for the cards and envelope. I just love all your creations, Sue.
Thank you Susan and Happy belated Anniversary to Joe and you!
My husband and I just celebrated our 25th anniversary on Tuesday, February 7. I dragged out all the cards, the album, and even found the business card of the judge that married us. We didn’t take them to the restaurant though.
Seeing your love story in pictures was like a gift. We need it because we live in Philadelphia and are SuperBowl disappointed today. This and Valentine’s Day tomorrow really make a difference!
What a sweet lovely post. I have enjoyed seeing all of the photos and reading all the words. You and Joe are so blessed to have found each other. What a treasure. Happy Valentines Day from me and the Kit Kats! xoxo
I’m feeling overwhelmed by this beautiful post. Thank you so much, Susan for the adorable valentines but most of all for your love story with Joe. Happy Valentine’s Day – I love the way you celebrate your life! Christine
Why did I foolishly assume that I’d already seen all the pictures?!? 🙄 This little walk down memory lane (your memories but who’s counting?) was absolutely delightful and I thank you for it. Happy Anniversary 💌
Mary
XOXOXOXOX. That was absolutely wonderful! Happy Valentines Day to you and Joe and Jack too!
Such a wonderful post. I love hearing other couple’s stories. You and Joe do romance so perfectly! We just celebrated the 40th anniversary of the day we met in l983 when he sauntered into my university office (all of 24 and finishing his MBA) wearing a camel colored overcoat and fedora. Like you, I was thirties and was NOT looking for a man. Besides he was 8 yrs younger. Maybe it was the fedora, but within 2 mo. we were dating and 9 mo. later I followed him out to DC where he’d found a job. 38 yrs of marriage, many moves, and 2 boys later, we’re still muddling through. We have always had kitties too (I think he tolerates them for me). Anyway, thanks for sharing your beautiful story.
K.
PS – those pictures of Joe before he went gray make him look just like Siegfried in the newest “All Creatures” on PBS now.
What a wonderful post! It had me crying, you see I lost my husband last April. We had been married for 57 years and we had a love that was as special as yours. It’s been very hard but it was so wonderful to see that other people share the same kind of love that we did. Although you were 40 when you found your love I was 17 and he was 21. When we got married everyone said it wouldn’t last but we knew it was going to be a lasting love and it was until the day I lost him to cancer.
May you and Joe enjoy every moment together and I wish you a Happy Valentine’s Day!
Oh Brenda, I’m so sorry! What a lucky girl you were to have him when you were so young. I will take your advice and give Joe an extra hug tonight for you! Sending love.❌⭕️❌⭕️❌⭕️
It made me tear up to read about you and Joe and see your love through the years. It’s so joyful to see someone you like with a partner who seems equally as wonderful. A very happy anniversary to you both! And then what really made me cry was “Remember that if you are in your twenties or thirties and uncertain. It’s normal. I fretted the entire time. But try not to worry, it’s all going to be okay.” I really needed to hear that. You are an angel. Taking a screenshot of that to keep on my phone and look at when I am feeling down. ❤️
Lovely! Happy V-Day and anniversary. Offshore Ale?!!! Enjoyed all the photos.
Delightful❤❤❤❤
What a wonderful gift in the email.
Thank you, Susan.
I so enjoyed the blog this evening.
♡
Rejena
Oh, Susan! What a beautiful Valentine love story!!! Thank you so much for sharing this and your wonderful pictures!!! I am so happy for you & Joe!!! The love you have for each other is so apparent…you both just radiate love and joy in all your pictures!!!
So…speaking of love stories…My husband, Van, & I were interviewed for a local TV show here in Reno, called “Aging and Awesome” (aired on Feb 11th). The interviewer, Erin Breen, is a friend of ours, so she was familiar with our story: how Van & I met in college (1974), fell in love, and then after graduation chose to go our separate ways in order to pursue our individual dreams & goals. All thru the many, many years we always stayed in touch (handwritten letters, occasional phone calls, a few visits, & emails), and we always stayed friends. Then after 33 years we got back together, romantically💗 and had a “long-distance” relationship for several years before getting married in July 2014, on the 40th anniversary of our first date!!! It has, and continues to be, an amazing, wonderful journey!
I will try to find a way to send you the link to our interview, I think you might get a kick out of it! It’s only 4 minutes long and I said to Erin, “I don’t know how I’m going to condense 40 years into 4 minutes! Usually it takes me at least 20 minutes just to tell about our first date!”
I keep saying…One of these days I’m going to write a book. I think it’s important for people to know: Love is always possible, no matter how long it seems to take; no matter what hurdles you have to go over, under or around to get there; if you keep your heart open it *will be* filled up with love!!!
Sending lots of love & hugs and wishes for a
Happy, Happy Valentine’s Day, to you Susan, Joe & Jack!!! 💕🌹❤🌹💕
Barbara in Reno
Thank you for your valentine Willard and sharing the photos through the years!
I can feel your love and joy together! (I did laugh out loud at your first cell phone selfie pics. I’m still practicing.)
Happy Valentine’s Day to you and Joe and your big smooshie kitty Jack! I wish you many more years together!
Happy anniversary to you both! 🙂 I’m taking a leaf out of your book and we’re taking my two oldest nieces (18 and 16) to England on the Queen Mary 2! Stopping in Paris for a day, too! Wouldn’t have thought it could be possible until reading your books. We can’t wait – thrilled to pieces and constantly texting each other all the fun stuff we’re going to do. Thank you for always being an inspiration. With love, Nikki from Minnesota. 🙂
Swoon….adored reading all about your love story. Sure wish the movie would have worked out! Happy Valentine’s Day dear Susan…❤️
Oh, you and Joe are just so CUTE together, then and now! And my parents used to share cards while in the store, then put them back on the shelf, too. A cost-effective and clutter-free way to express your love. Happy Valentine’s Day!
Oh how I needed this post! Pure happiness…nothing but smiles! I was so sorry to miss you at RJ Julia a few weeks back~ but reading this and hearing Camelot in the background! Magic! Lunch….Photos…..pure happiness! (We love lunch and look at past travel pics and memories on our phones, but same idea, right?)
Happy Valentine’s Day and happy anniversary to you and Joe! Hope to meet you again– maybe on an Atlantic cruise one day! Cheers!
I‘ve loved your books….and loved your story….and now it’s such fun to see the photos that go with them. Thank you for the pictorial train.
Thanks, also, for the cards….I’m rushing off to print them now, as I have some card stock in my stash. Good timing!
That was a wonderful blog…happy…..Spring….Valentine’s Day all in one.
Happy Valentine’s Day 💘to you and Joe, from Wally and I….up here in the foothills of the Canadian 🇨🇦 Rockies
How absolutely lovely!! Thank you for lifting me up today, and Happy
Valentine’s Day to one of my favorite couples!
Happy Valentines Day Sue, Joe & wee Jack. Thanks for the valentines day downloads. I thought this year I would send some Valentine cards off last week after I saw all the assortments at Target, so cute! My faves were the the penny valentines you gave out to your classmates in school. You had to be so careful on what was written on the cards because you didn’t want the boys to get any ideas that you liked them or didn’t, and the girls in class wouldn’t find some hidden meaning in them. It was nice in later years they made funny ones, it got you off the hook. Thanks for the Dino Martino link on YT as a kid I thought they were mushy songs, but decades later I would be sing along with him this afternoon. In the Dean Martin vein 2 movies you and the girlfriends might wanna watch again Cher’s Moonstruck and my ultimate fave Minnie Drive’s & David Duchovney’s Return to Me. Happy Valentines Day one and all.
I’m pleased you have discovered the concept of a celebratory lunch. It is nice to have the afternoon and evening to reflect with pleasure on the experience. I’m sure you and Joe had some photos you wanted to look at again that day after the restaurant.
Reading this was abolute bliss. I am going right now to get a little flower to put in the vase on my windowsill! Happy Galentine’s Day!
💖💖💖💖💖💖
I’ve read your books so I know some of your dating history, but I loved going down Memory Lane with you and Joe. The photos of you two made me smile as I was reading.
Those gifts you received from your friend are absolutely darling! The detail is fantastic. Looks just like you, Joe and Jack.
Much love to you…thanks for your beautiful stories and blog posts.
What a wonderful, well deserved love story!
Thank you for sharing the story and pictures, as well as the darling cards!
I’m using them for sure. Have a beautiful Valentine’s Day.
Thank you for the fun trip down memory lane. What a life. I am so happy you can still make each other laugh after all these years. Same with me and my love of 43 years. Happy Valentine’s Day!
The words from Camelot’s “If Ever I Would Leave You” are perfect here. Thank you for sharing all the memories with us. You two are still so cute together. It’s easy to see the love that you share. ❤
I have a wall of framed pictures of early us, married us, all the kids little and grown, and now grandchildren. I look at our wedding picture from1983 – where we are surrounded by his children and mine, then ages 6,5,4,3 – and say “Remember when we looked like that?” Tom always says…”We still do!” And we laugh.
I have already printed the cards and envelope. Thank you.
❤ Happy Valentine’s Day❤
All that love you two have has overflowed and filled my cup too. Happy Valentine’s Day to you both.
A darling post, Susan. It exudes love! Happy Valentines Day to you, dearheart!
Happy Valentine’s Day to you and Joe.
Love 💕 this post.
Thank you Susan for the sweet Valentine!❤️ you & Joe are the cutest couple. The pictures are wonderful.
Happy Valentines Day to you 💕❤️💕
Marilyn
Thank you so much Susan, I absolutely love this post! I loved seeing the photos of the two of you over the years. And your “anniversary” dinner sounded very special. After 56 years of marriage, each Valentine is more precious than the last one. I will celebrate tomorrow with a minor surgical procedure and my honey has already gifted me with a pot of orchids and anthurium. He knows how to reach my heart. One thing that touches me most on special occasions is when I see special gifts brought to the residents where I work. Tomorrow rooms will be filled with flowers, candy and whatever else is a favorite for these residents. It makes my heart happy. Thank you for sharing so many things that resonate with me, touching me deeply. Happy Valentine’s Day to you, Joe, and Jack, with love from across the miles.
A beautiful post as always! I just finished the book Still Life !!! Absolutely wonderful..I savored every word and didn’t want it to end. Thanks for bringing joy to all.
Thank you, Susan! What a lovely tribute to your 36 years together. My husband asked me to marry him 44 years ago tonight, February 13, 1979. We celebrated our “anniversary” tonight with a delicious meal, plentiful flowers, and a slide show of us together over the last 44 years. Then your Willard comes, and I am reliving your life! Very wonderful of you to share. Here’s to another year of loving and caring for each other for you and Joe and me and Ron.
PS I grew up in San Fernando Valley and went to the Westside Branch of the Public Library just as you did, although I am 3 years younger. Funny how God brings us all together!
🥂🍾 Here’s to all of us young lovers! xoxo
Hi Susan,
Oh wow, what a LOVELY Valentine surprise!! I didn’t get a notice you had written a post, so “just”clicked and there it was, YEAH!! Happy anniversary to you both and happy Valentine’s day to you too!
I loved seeing those fun photo;s of your memory box. Great idea to put them in a box and take them to lunch! I have pictures in book, and envelopes that are in
all different drawers, but a box is better,,,,
Do I see a card hanging by your window, made by darling Rachel? I’m just thrilled for her that you put it up still….
Happy Valentine’s day, hope the sun will come out for you! Snowdrops are popping up here, so spring is on the way, yeay!!
Lots of love
Nicoline
xxx
What a beautiful post! I got teary seeing all the photos of you and Joe. Oh and the tea bag photo made me laugh! The happiness and love just pours out of the photos! As a 27 year old, I found great comfort in your words that everything will be fine and to keep praying! I shouldn’t put pressure to have it all figured out by now. I love your blog posts so much! Happy Valentine’s!
Oh my goodness, the story about Joe and the tea bag made me burst out laughing! That was so funny! Laughter is the best medicine … thanks Susan! :o)
Thank you for this wonderful Willard! It touched my heart and was a great beginning for Valentine’s Day! Happy Valentine’s Day to both of you!
Happy Anniversary Sue and Joe. I LOVE that you quoted Gene Stratton-Porter. I work at her cabin (historic site) in Rome City, Indiana. She too was a late bloomer, writing her first book at 40. She believed in all things good and wholesome. She was one of the first environmentalists of the times trying to save the wetlands and forests. She saw the beauty in nature and her garden was a collection of thousands of wildflowers she would collect during her field studies.
What a perfect “Willard” for Valentine’s Day! ❤️❤️❤️
I have followed you on this website for years and have enjoyed it so much. Everyone is complimenting you on this lovely blogpost, which it usually is. But the last two times you have sent one, I see all the text, but no art and no photos – just blank white. The other websites that I follow are just fine, but I’m really missing yours. Do you have any idea why this is happening? Please look into it for me, if you will. I hope you don’t have other readers experiencing the same problem.
Oh dear, try refreshing, that is usually all it is! Let me know!🌷🌷🌷
Happy Valentine’s Day to you and Joe! Thank you for this wonderful post so full of love. It was heartwarming to read your love story and see all your photos. I’m so happy in this big wide world you two found each other!
I’m originally from WI and my husband of almost 41 years is from OH. We meet in Riverside, CA and got married four days after he proposed. It still amazes me how we met and we’re more in love with each other every day!
👏👏👏👏
So sweet.Loved seeing all these charming pics:)Have a beautiful love day.
Quelle belle vie.
Took my Love book out to admire as I do every Vday:)
Happy Valentine’s Day to you and Joe. I am rereading Isle of Dreams for the umteenth time. I’m in the part of the book where you are starting to do work on your first cookbook. Joe hasn’t showed up yet, I am always happy to know he does eventually. You get your special love and happy ending. I am rambling on now but I enjoy all your books. I feel inspired and makes me relish my own dreamy heart.
Love that Michelle! Thank you!💝
Awwww… So sweet to read, so wonderful to see those pictures of the two of you. You really found the perfect partner! I wish you both a Happy Valentine’s Day!