Green is the emblem of optimism. Like a green traffic light, setting us free to GO! It’s also the color of Spring! This will put you in the mood even if spring is coming in on little duck feet where you live! MUSICA!
IT’S SO CLOSE!
Still a lot of attitude out there! (Dark cold short days do that to a person!)
But, as we know . . .
JUST SING!
This is our idea of OH MY GOD IT’S SPRING!!! SHOUT IT TO THE ROOFTOPS. Daffodils!
JOE! COME LOOK, TULIPS!
So we walk under leafless gray trees, through the woods to the gray sea . . . breathing clean ocean air, listening to the most 
wonderful English accents reading us the most wonderful books, still a little bleary-eyed from jet lag caused by daylight savings time, but too absorbed in The Last Bookstore in London to care. And THAT’S how you fight reality! Which I know you know. And P.S., that book was wonderful, you would love it! We get inside these stories and don’t want to come out. On the rare days we decide to just listen to the wind, the stories are now in the woods and wrap themselves around us as we walk. We fed the woods and the woods feed us back.🥰
We commune with the sun, when it comes out, we lap it up ~ and my watch says, “Good Girl, you walked 23 miles this week,” and I give myself a gold star, and my dad whispers, “Good work.”
And all the while, I know this dreamy thing is coming . . .
I’ve been getting lots done. Staying close to home, watching some fun TV, just BEING. I’ve so enjoyed this period of quiet, of rebirth I believe, just in time for spring, I’ve been deep in the throes of what I call the 
foundation for the creation. It’s working, I feel excited, my head is filled with ideas, I’m always grabbing note paper, writing in my diary, or typing out a quick paragraph of ideas … I can’t wait to see where they go. You might remember that during the Pandemic I shredded most of my diaries, freed them, is the way I like to think of it. (You can read about the philosophy of shredding HERE) . . . I kept a few pages, but let most of them go. I still have several diaries, my dinner-party diary of course, my England diary, a couple of others . . .
and this one (above) . . . it’s a long diary, it goes from 1992 to 2007! It comes from pre-internet days, before digital cameras ~ before phones, or blogs! When we still shopped in actual stores! So much good stuff in that book, almost the entire 90s! Little notes, bits of art, photos, plus, I didn’t say anything quite as moronic as I did in those first books.
Of course, I saved this page. So funny, asking that question while I’m writing! I just didn’t know yet. But I imagine that even Shakespeare asked himself this question when he was young. It’s got to be a question every dreamer asks themselves in some way or another. Which makes me think, for my own little world, that maybe I wasn’t a late bloomer like I thought, I was probably right on time.
Anyway, back to this diary, only one problem: Poor thing was dragged onto too many trains and is now coming apart. It had a cloth spine… what was I thinking!
It’s a very fat book . . . but the pages are still holding together,
. . . they’re stuffed with all kinds of bits and pieces, a newspaper clipping when Frank Sinatra died in 1998, my first national book tour schedule for Girlfriend’s Forever in 2000 (by train), a note from me to God thanking Him for not “letting me have arthritis,” lovely bits of fan mail, a recipe card from my mom for Green Bean Casserole, a ticket stub for Miss Potter ~ and so much more, making this diary even fatter . . .
This is how the happy gene manifests . . .Good old 1999!
I don’t want to lose this book . . . so, yesterday it went off to Mitzie Pratt, a bookbinder here on the Island… she will put it back together for me, and give it a brand new spine! There are a few blank pages left in the back . . . so maybe I will give it a 
little 2023 update.
And other things I’ve wanted to do have also been checked off my list ~ I finally got our wedding rings in to be engraved ~ I’ve always wanted to do that, and it’s finally happening.💞 Sending some of that love out into the world all alone someday. Also, I found a 1923 dime on my dad’s grave the first time I visited, I took that in too, to make a pendant out of it. He was born in 1923! And it’s 2023. So this is the perfect time. I’m having them put a gold ring around the outside, with a loop for the chain.💖 For forever. And, guess what just came in? ⬇️ Samples!
Our cups!!! They arrived from England for approval, which they definitely got! Color turned out great! They do such an amazing job!❤️ They’re being made now and, as promised, will ship at the end of April. I just wanted to show you. I can’t give an exact arrival date right now, because once anything is shipped these days, no one is ever quite sure when it will get to its destination. But never fear, we will stay on top of it, as I receive notices and more information, I will share it with you!!! I’m thinking May . . . but we will see.
Aren’t they wonderful? I’ve already had tea in all of them! Took ’em on a test run! ❤️ We haven’t sold out yet, they are all still available, but I should say if you want the Queen Elizabeth cup, you probably need to order soon.
My book, Fairy Tale Girl has been hard to find anywhere but on our website, and we’re down to just a few, saved just in cases, for Girlfriends. . . because we sold out everywhere else! So now, it’s being reprinted . . . the printer sent me the entire book so I could check the pages for color and layout, be sure the cover is right, and make sure it has that new book smell. I am still getting thank you letters for this book, warming the cockles of my heart.
And not just one book reprint this time . . . two!
Because A Fine Romance, Falling in Love with the English Countryside has also been missing in action! Thank you so much for liking them! You know it’s all you . . . your word of mouth that has made this possible. Mom’s to daughters, sisters to sisters, girlfriend to girlfriend ~ and so many of you took that word of mouth to Amazon.💖 Such a huge help! Word of mouth, my very favorite thing. Who do you trust more than your mom or BFFs? No one! I love it for my books, for movies, restaurants, exercise, for EVERYTHING actually, and feel just the same about it for the books I read … We are a sharing bunch aren’t we!?! Kindred spirits!
Oh yes, they sent the ribbons too! All approved and I bet we get them in the next month or so.
And yes, we also ran out of our fine art giclee prints . . . they are all being reprinted and will be coming to the Studio any day now! Beautiful reproductions on heavy watercolor paper ~ the color is so good it’s very hard to tell the difference between them and 
the originals! I left enough white paper on the sides and top so you can frame them if you like. I will sign and number them before sending them to the Studio for our webstore. And SURPRISE! See the geranium there on the right? That is a print of the very first painting I ever did, when I was 30, before I even knew I could paint. Painting this geranium with my brand new Birthday watercolors was a real awakening. I have one here in the house and I thought it would be fun as a giveaway ❤️❤️❤️ . . . I’ll personalize it to whoever turns out to be the winner of our drawing … so leave a comment (you’ll see where to do it directly under the end of this post… click on the word “comment.”) I just want to show how much …
And that’s the truth! You’re family! One of my favorite things about winter is how quiet and hushed it is here on the island. Tourists aren’t here yet, ferries sometimes stop running due to the weather, otherwise I can hear the boat horn echoing every time it leaves the dock. We have church bells clanging and ancient sad sound of foghorn too. All we need for perfection is a train whistle! Dark quiet mornings before sunrise, just me and Jack, a cup of tea, and my watercolors, are a pure gift to my life.
I’ve been painting . . . so fun to watch a piece of art come to fruition … the smell of the paper, the pencils, it’s back to school time for me. I start with a sketch, decide where her shoulders should be, what her hair might be, hat or no hat, what groceries should she have, what colors, everything . . .This is where the eraser comes in handy. I think of my eraser the same way as I do my seam ripper . . . tools I could not live without.
Once I like the basic idea, I redraw it on the “good” paper . . . Then comes the scariest part . . . putting on the first paint. Still scary after all these years!
Then I begin adding the layers of paint, trying not to hurry, enjoying every hair in my two-haired paint brush! Right here is where I sometimes want to stop! I love it right now! But then, I think, those lips, gotta do them! I’m trying to get ahead of next year’s calendars with some new art. And while I paint, thoughts and ideas pop into my head, so I write them down before I forget, sometimes it’s just a few lines, sometimes I have to stop because the idea takes pages . . . Everything seems so inspiring to me! Must be the longer light in the day, Spring! Or maybe the books we “read” while walking, I think about them, the magic the authors portray with their words, those wonderful wonderful words . . .
So in honor of St. Patricks Day AND the first day of Spring, I thought I’d give you some GREEN. I file my photos in lots of different ways, and one of them is by color! For all of you suffering from constant storms, and for everyone else living on the edge, ready for some green, I give you . . .
Almost time to mulch and dig my picket fence garden . . . and I can’t wait!
Green, most wonderful quilt, and Jack, one happy cat, make my kitchen a little bit of heaven.
Slippers warming next to the heating vents. So I can take off the cold ones and put on the warm ones. Foxy, don’t you think?🤠
The green rag-rug collection getting a little fresh air.
Luv-lee green glass, antique store find.
From my 2020 English Countryside photo Calendar…
. . . I should have included this miniature car covered in artificial grass in that calendar! Must totally disappear driving through the hedgerows! English people have the best sense of humor!
Green!
My happy cutie in the English Countryside, wearing his Scotland scarf.
In honor of Girl Scouts Week, my cooking badge. Didn’t quite make it to the sewing needle, still pinned on my sash where my mom put it.❤️
A window in a cottage in the Cotswolds. Kitty curtains framed in Green!👏
Driving through Vermont in the snow.
And the reason I LOVE clover and let it do anything it wants. But what I really need are sheep!🍀
Here we are at Carrie’s house in Oxford. As you can see, she has the charm decor gene in spades ~ loves green too!
Here’s how to make them: Cut stem flat against artichoke. Rinse it in water. Boil a pan of water, enough to cover artichoke. When it boils, add 
all ingredients except lemon juice … Check it after about 20 minutes to see if fork slips into stem easily. It’s done when it’s soft. Drain, and squeeze on lemon juice just before serving. It’s good hot or cold. Pull off a leaf, dip the wide end in mayonnaise, or mix mayo with lemon juice, or try melted butter ~ and pull “meat” off with your teeth. Keep going this with each leaf until the leaves are too flimsy. Then scoop out the center choke, dip and eat the “heart!” Yum. Fun to grow and they make the perfect dinner for losing that last 10 pounds, or the first 20. Here’s why they’re good for you!
Me, on a walk in the New Hampshire woods!
Needlepoint pillow. Goes with walls, lamp shade, green in chair, little Irish house roof on hutch. Goes good with Christmas too!
Me, way back when I lived at Hollyoak, when the cows escaped into my backyard from the farm next door, and I ran outside to see them, paintbrush in hand!
Beach booty. Heart shaped rock for the collection.
This is the color we get in spring . . . I call it “screaming New England green.” It’s like the day green was born! So green it even reflects on the gray roof of the house and turns it green!
Despite what this camera says, this is green . . . and it’s our dining room the way it was in 1989 a few days after we moved in ~ I’m playing house, setting the table for our first dinner party in our new home, which, I can tell by the bowls, nutcrackers, and lemons, was lobster! I’m pretty sure I bought the white paint for the trim and started tearing that wallpaper off the next day!🤪 That’s Girl Kitty. Jack isn’t born yet.
First thing I noticed about my first house on the island, when we drove into the driveway ~ it had a name. On a green sign nailed to a tree.
Black beret, but a green jacket and green pants . ..
And this, soon we will be drying our sheets and tablecloths in the salty wind and dappled light of the green-drenched island. It’s gonna happen!!!
ART, my dears, is what you THINK IT IS. Which is almost everything!
So book-time, walk-time for me and Joe . . . off I go. Wishing you a wonderful weekend! If you’re in California, you’ve had SUCH a 
tough winter, but I envy you your lupin and poppies that will be popping up any day. Hillsides and beach walks full of them, your reward, and you deserve every bit of it! Texas bluebonnets too . . . probably something to look forward to every where! Here’s to us Girlfriends! Don’t forget to leave a comment if you’d like a chance to win the Geranium giclee!
Your pal for life,
It is always so refreshing and delightful to read your blog entry and bask in the art, photos, quotes, and written word! Thank you!!
Geraniums remind me of my mom. She would bring her pots in for the winter, let them “live” without water in a cold room, and in Spring return them to the porch for another season of bloom. Your picture captures that skinny plant getting set for another year!!
Both my mother and grandmother grew geraniums in their small yards. It always made me happy to watch the new blooms emerge every Springtime. I try to pot a new color yearly for my patio. Your geranium print has always been one of my favorites. There should be a geranium emoji, don’t you think??
Every time I read your newsletter I just feel good. I think that is the highest compliment for a writer!
Happy Spring!
It’s always so good to see a new Willard from you! Ah, Spring! I can’t wait for warmer temps here in Colorado.
Susan, your blogs are gift enough for us. Your talent and insight are really enjoyed and appreciated! Thank you!
Hooray for another Susan blog! Thank you. It’s wonderful.
🍀 I especially love the bit about your green clover. 🍀
We have tons of it in our back yard. It is thick, well over my ankles, and green, green, green! The dogs and bees love it. It’s one of the first signs of Spring in my little corner of the world each year.
Thanks for sharing the latest Willard with all your springtime inspiration! I have the happy gene too, and I can totally relate.💚
Donna
I look so forward to reading your”Willard”. It lifts my spirits. We all know Spring is coming but your artwork makes my heart fill with love.!!
I thoroughly enjoy it when you do colors and especially green, my favorite. It’s always fun to read your goings-on! We’re chilly here in Tennessee. Certainly can’t wait for warm, green, wonderful Spring weather!
LOVE the kindergarten art 🥰. Sorting your photos by color is an interesting idea.
I would love to be the winner!
It’s been a week of power outages and loss of connectivity due to the latest atmospheric river that came through. Thanks for some cheer. Hoping the Geranium giclee comes my way.
Would love the geranium print! Thank you
Be Patient with the never ending snow, for within in comes the wonderful green of Spring.
Always a happy time to see a new blog. Thank you. You are a treasure. Your pal from NE Ohio, Ellen
Dearest Susan,
You are such a blessing to all of us! We all love your posts so much and look so forward to them. My dearest Mee Maw loved green. I still remember the day she went to buy a new car and she said I want a green one. The salesman took us on the golf cart to this one lone green car on this huge lot and by golly MeeMaw bought it. To this day I think the salesmen celebrated after she left and said we finally sold the green one. But MeeMaw loved that car and drove it till she could drive no more. I will always cherish every memory with her and that ole green car. Happy St Patrick’s day! Thank you for bringing sunshine to all of us! Good Tidings, Dawnie Jones☘️🍀💚
I love your artwork! Your calendar makes everyday special!!
Lovely Susan,
Even before I read further about the geranium drawing being your first, it was the one in the photo that caught my eye. My grandmother used to keep red geraniums. It made me smile. I’ll be in line to purchase one of the prints if Luck decides to smile on someone else! x
That Geranium is sensational!
Denise
Please enter my name in the drawing for your geranium giclee print.
Thank You
Darlene North
Dear Susan, Thank you for my treat today! Willard is like my special dessert, waiting for me, a treat I try to save until evening after dinner, but usually open it right up and dig in when I see it. Thank you for all the green, I’m looking around my house now for some, might need to find some beautiful plates with green landscapes on them, blue willow only green. I also think I need a green quilt. Can’t have a kitty-allergic, but have 2 golden retrievers dozing by my feet as I read this. Love to you always!
Ah, the green! Thank you, Susan – I just loved this post. The pictures and the word pictures are lovely. Your declaration of giving us “the green” reminds me of a poem written by one of my former husband’s 2nd grade students. The title is “Brown” and the entire poem is “My heart is dying for brown!” I’ve never forgotten how it made me feel. So, yes, I was ready to receive “the green.”
Love the heart-shaped rock collection and all of the other cute finds and treasures that you post here!
Happy Spring!
What a delight to find a Willard in my email box! Winter is hanging on here in Nova Scotia and it is so helpful and hopeful to read your words about the promise of Spring and green, green, green. Spring will come to you a bit earlier than here. But, I know it is coming. So “hope springs eternal” is oh, so true. Thank you, Susan, for reminding all of us of the simple beauties around us.
Hi Susan!! Thanks for sharing all of the green. It’s so inspiring when we’ve had the winter we’ve had here in Utah this year. Crazy!! You are the best. Willard came at the perfect time!!
Will you be writing a book of the trip Joe and you took to Ireland and Scotland? The green pictures you shared made me think of the green of Ireland. Happy Saint Patrick’s day!
What a cheerful blog post from you today, Susan! I do envy those walks to the sea, and it would be grand to be on MV during non-tourist season! You have been busy taking care of the past, present, and what is yet to come. I’ve never attempted to prepare a fresh artichoke. I think the time has come to try it! My best to you, Joe, and Jack! Spring is on the way!
Just a thank you for all your writing and inspiration. The last decade has been particulary challenging on many levels and I am always encouraged to fight back against the struggle with all the things you mention….tea & coffee, books, gardens, meals with friends, outdoor time, candles, celebrating the seasons….and on and on. Creating beauty is an antidote to despair and I am so grateful for your reminders. To give to a soul a bit weary from the battle a breath of fresh air is such a gift. Thank God for you.
What a great Willard!!!! I would love the geranium print. They are my favorite plant. Geraniums remind me of memories of all those who came before ‼️‼️‼️
Love the sharing of the GREEN! I had pretty much banished green from my present home because it had crept up on me in every room of my previous home.
But now, I think I want it back – so clean, so upbeat, so cheerful! I’ll start with English Ivy carpeting (that’s the color) and replace my washed out, beachy sand color carpet. You have inspired me, girlfriend!
As always, your blog is like reading a letter from a good friend. Thank you.
Happy Green! Happy Spring! Makes a happy heart!
Green is my favorite color, though I think it’s prettiest when accompanied by other colors. My sister-in-law joked that we will probably have a green room in every house we live in. Why, yes, we probably will. There are three green rooms in our current house! Your geranium is so sweet. I couldn’t believe when I read about your beginnings in painting! That was after I fell in love with A Fine Romance, and I was just amazed! Happy almost spring!!
Love the “dime”, Girl Scout badge pinned by you mom and your cups! Please consider doing a cup with a VW convertible on it!
Yes! My VW convertible is named Betty😊
Hello Susan and hello girlfriends!!! first before i forget, Happy St. Patrick’s Day, may the wee leprechauns be good to you all. and second Happy St. Joseph’s Day ( march 19th) and that is the day the swallows come back to Capistrano, an early harbinger of Spring. been busy getting my spring cleaning and decorating done. mostly i just swap out the Fall and Winter flowers for spring and summer bouquets. and been busy beating rugs and cleaning floors and getting rid of a few cobwebs for spring cleaning. we have had snow and rain and are expecting more of the same next week… YIKES!!! the ducks and chickens are busy getting nests ready for egg laying season, hopefully more broody hens and later lots of peeps to raise and enjoy. our snowdrops are coming up but the daffodils and tulips were buried by the snow so they are a bit slower to pop out. soon though …. i hope!! the cats have been enjoying some sunny days, sitting in sunny windows and sleeping in any spot that is warm and sunny. i even got around to opening some of the windows a bit to let in some fresh air, just enough to get rid of the stuffiness. i still have curtains to clean and wash, and i may just break down and get some new ones for the living room and the bedroom, especially the bedroom as socks and mittens used to swing off of them and you can see tiny little holes left by their claws. time for a change. well off to chicken house to check on water and feed containers and refill if needed. plus gather some eggs and get dinner preps under way. have a good evening everyone. Happy St. Patrick’s Day everyone. hugs ….. 😀
Hello Susan and Happy first day of Spring. we are seeing our snowdrops coming up and the birds have been having a good time with all the big puddles, bath time for the flock. plus the cats have been enjoying watching all the activity, more Kitty TV. also today is a bit sad for me, 1 year ago today we lost our beloved Midnight, he died on the first day of Spring so i get a little teary thinking of him. he was adorable, our little black cat and quite a character. he loved to sit in the front windows and chatter to the birds, especially the blue jays who were building a nest on our motion sensor. he loved chasing this one toy, a ball that would light up and make noise, the more he went after it the more it lit up and made noise. almost have my spring cleaning done, just have a few curtains to take down and wash and iron, and replace 2-3 sets as they desperately need replacing. mittens and socks swung on them and left little holes where the claws had been. also have floors to wash and 2 more rugs to take outside and beat the dickens out of, an old tennis racket works very well in this job. also time to get the garden started, well the ground rototilled and the plastic on top to cook the weeds out, we do this every spring and it works like a charm, the seeds cook and are useless in terms of growing more weeds. also time to start planning lighter meals and salads for the season and through the summer. i just love it because now we can roll out the barbeque and i get some relief in the cooking department. Happy Spring everyone, and Happy Spring cleaning and gardening. stay happy and stay warm. hugs ….. 😀
Thank you for your beautiful art work and wonderful books. The experiences you provide in your stories brings me back to my own childhood. Apparently you and I had similar experiences even though we grew up on opposite sides of the country(the bomb shelter, the neighborhood filled with other kids to play with, Christmas with all you have shared and the list goes on). I grew up in Connecticut, and currently live on the west coast and will be visiting San Luis Obispo again next month. I understand why you love it there. When I read your books, it brought it all back home to me and reminded me of the wonderful growing up years I had. Thank you for that.
Judy Newman
Love this blog! I’m so looking forward to spring.
I love your song reference too. I watched “Seven Brides. For Seven Brothers” yesterday and enjoyed singing along with the song about spring. We have daffodils coming up in the front flower beds and the back yard. YIPPEE!!!
Here’s to warmer weather, open windows and enjoying everything Spring has to offer.
Dear Susan,
How lucky we are to have you Susan! You give us a reminder that Spring is coming and a fresh look at the buds bursting out of the ground. Not everyone has that just yet, but knowing it’s coming is welcome news!
Our family also had welcome news just yesterday. We found out we are expecting a new family member. It will be the first born for my youngest son and he’s wife. They have been trying for a very long time. We are filled with joy! October can’t come soon enough.
Happy Spring!
Barbara Kuzdzal
My best friend gifted me Christmas From the Heart of the Home many, many years ago and we have exchanged SB books and gifts ever since. We have been best friends since 3rd grade and both just turned 60! You take my thoughts to happier places and remind me of all the good on even the most challenging days. A million thanks to you, and Joe, for love, laughter and all the little things that remind us to make the very best of life! Happy Spring
Your post and all the GREEN made me feel happy, at a time when I’m 6 weeks into caregiving my dear husband after his challenging surgery knee replacement surgery
I also feel hope this hard time will end sooner than we expected. Thank-you, Susan!.
As it rains on top of our 2′ of snow in northern WI, it’s lovely to think about all things green!!!!! Spring will arrive here eventually! Thank you for so much positive news! Happy Saint Patrick’s Day!
Love all your Willards, but this one definitely spoke to me.I love the rebirth of the earth that Spring brings! I just painted my bedroom a soft sage green and it’s so refreshing.
I love geraniums and remember how I was impressed with your first attempt at painting and the story that went with it, so I would be so happy to win your print. 🤞 Thank you Susan for sharing your happy gene.
What a delightful read! I love all the green photos. Thank you for sharing all the pretties!
My favorite color is green. Thank you for the gree collage. I love your happiness and optimism despite life’s bumps and bottom outs. I always think your geranium painting is an encapsulation of hopefulness especially in difficult times.
I have to say you don’t blog often enough! It is always such a pleasure to read and get my head in such a dreamy state of wonderment. Hoping for spring soon here in Wisconsin.
Hi Susan,
It’s a dreary day in Texas but your Willard brightened it up! I love green (and green loves me – my best color). And I love geraniums. 🙂
Have a lovely day! – MJ
I would be over the moon if I won the geranium giclee! Good luck to everyone.
Your green theme was so joyous for this time of the year. I live in Alberta, Canada, and winter is still very evident. We are enjoying some sunny days, as you must be as well.
Loved the quick look at your development in learning to draw and paint. I think your paintings look exactly like you. It shows what you love, what colors you love, and your beautiful personality shines through.
Thank you for giving me so much joy over the years, as I have all your books, except Fairly Tale Girl. I love every one of them.
Looking forward to next month’s Willard.
Caran McKenzie
Dear Susan,
It’s always so nice to hear from you! Love the green. Sending Happy St. Patrick’s Day to you and Joe. Spring is just around the corner….
I love you. That’s all.
Oh yes, glorious spring. I could never live somewhere that doesn’t have spring, my favorite season.
Love, love, love Willard. Such a nice surprise today.
Thank you so much, Susan.
Much love, gwen
I just finished your first book, The Fairy-Tale Girl, and enjoyed it so much! Already checked out the second from my library. Unfortunately, my library doesn’t have the third but I already ordered it from your website. Looking forward to reading more of your adventures.
Dear Susan,
Your Willards always brighten up my day & I sure enjoyed all the green Spring colors you shared.
You are so right about the poppies that are blooming here in California from our big rain this year.
Continue to enjoy your quiet beach walks & I look forward to hearing from you again.
Laureen
Love your posts. I would sure like that geranium picture! 🥰
I love the wallpaper in the dining room picture! What a fun surprise to see Willard in my inbox! It brightened my day!
Susan, your WILLARDs always cheer me! Thank you!
Greetings from East Tennessee-where we had spring in February -days in the 70’s- and now winter in March -down in the 20’s at night and highs in the low 40’s. Forsythia has bloomed and is pretty much past its peak. I noticed today there are buds on the Redbud trees. Right before Christmas, we had several nights and days of single digit temperatures. My poor beautiful Rosemary bushes are all dead. Hydrangeas and azaleas don’t look too good. My yard would be very sad if it weren’t for the irises that are green. Ah well, real spring will be here soon enough. I have a question about your fox slippers. Are those LLBean? They look like my panda ones,. Stay warm and as always, thanks so much for your wonderful letter. h
I love green, too! A friends daughter just painted the walls of a room with the best shade of green. Inspiring! Spring is beginning to show itself here in Western Washington. Cannot wait for picnics outside! BTW, I’m going to try growing geraniums from seed.
Love everything about this post. Spring is my favorite time of year and I love your pictures of “green”. Your picket fence garden is perfect in every way! Thank you for sharing.
Oh Susan, you make my heart smile! I escape into a Susan Branch world with so much happiness and delight, when I read about all of the inspirations and experiences you share with all of us. Thank you! You are such a special encourager to all of us. We live in California, and it’s been a very wet and depressing winter. We are not used to this! We need the sunshine! I know that my rose garden will flourish this year! We have over 100 rose bushes! They are on their way!
Happy Spring to you and Joe, and Jack too.
XO
So many wonderful green things for like-minded people, thank you! Thank you for the information and reminder about artichokes. There is too much to comment on, but in regard to ‘shredding’, that is a very ‘green’ thing to do. Don’t burn papers, or anything else much, but I’ve found that shredded papers make wonderful packaging material. It keeps precious Susan Branch cups safe in boxes when mailing, NOT using styrofoam or inflated plastic. I believe that some diaries should be saved and some shredded, let’s not do away with too much that is original, especially your brilliant art, words, quotes, recipes and photos.
Anyway, your post is another delight to get us through the early days of jet-lag. Blessings to you, Joe and that gorgeous Jack.
No matter what is going on in my life, finding Willard waiting for me makes it hundreds times better! Thank you Susan!
Loving the green theme ☘️ So fresh & clean – just like Spring! And loving your blog entries as always! All the best to you, Joe and Jack for a happy Spring 2023 ☘️
I love your geranium! It reminds me of my mother, she passed away in 2017 at 92. She loved flowers but could never keep them alive! EXCEPT geraniums!
Every time I see a geranium I think of her and how much she loved flowers.
A new blog post about Spring – just the ticket on this freezing day in the Midwest! Thank you for sharing your happy gene 🙂 Alexandra
reminded to be thankful for small things and tell our family and friends how much we love them
Good evening Susan, love Willard as always. Your 1923 dime that you are making into a pendant fascinates me because I inherited a 1851 $1.00 gold piece from my grandfather. I was born in 1951 many years ago I had a pendant made just as your described. I cherish it and wear it all the time. I hope you will share with us how yours turns out. I know you will enjoy it. Love Sonja
Thank You!
Thank you Susan. What a treat. Just what I needed before bed. ♡
What a wonderful posting from you to read while winter hangs on in our area!!! It was delightful to read about all the greens and to think where they appear in my house. Many, many thanks for your postings!
Spring weather arrived today on this west coast. How lovely that sun felt!
Thank you Susan for all the beautiful green! My eyes are tired of the brown and the snow! It’s always a good day when Willard shows up! I love your drawing and paintings!
Susan, So many things a love about you I could go on and on. However, one of the most important things is I have Lucy and Pippa my tuxedo kitties because of your Jack. What fun they are! Blessings to you and all you do to make our lives more lovely.
Always enjoy reading your blogs! My husband also gets them in his in box!
We didn’t have a bad winter here in NE New Jersey, but I’m glad Spring is around the corner.
We love you, too, Susan! And you are right, love IS all that matters!
Lovely post, Susan–I love green too. In fact, I once wrote in my scrap book on a lovely page full of green things: “I’m always happy with green.” Because I always am 😀
Thanks for reminding me about arranging photos by color. I’ve always wanted to do that!
Love as always and happy spring, Ginny
Geraniums always remind me of my grandma. A very sweet water color. 🙂
Love the “green” and all your books! Looking forward to warm days on the back deck that I
call “. Morning breeze and evening shade”.
Sooooo much inspiration, Susan! I can feel the excitement in your voice!💕 You have been very busy, my dear. I’m delighted to know that there are book reprints on the way! I have been introducing a sweet, young Girlfriend to your books, one by one. What a treasure your Geranium print is! Susan, just thinking about your first painting inspires me to keep practicing. Springtime is is my favorite season. My heart sings as I discover tiny, green foliage popping up in my Zone 5b garden. Yesterday I spotted a single, purple Crocus in bloom in my white picket fence garden. An early bloomer!
Heartfelt thanks for coming to visit us in Illinois last August! Sending big hugs!💗
Thank you, Susan, for staying in touch and for the chance to win your pretty geranium picture. ❤️
Dear Susan,
Thank you for springing into my snow falling day with this Willard, I am weary of winter and so hoping for a delightful spring. It was fun to hear Bing & Fred serenade the season into view for us. I once, long ago, and far away, owned that album. Memories marching through brighten this very grey day! Tomorrow I’ll be putting together a wee 4×4” album honoring the Irish holiday. Green, Irish foods and beverages, movies and song; parades and all the Irish folks who were and are part of my own story. Photos are printing and supplies are waiting to play with a friend. Irish coffee will start us off with a slice or two of Irish soda bread. And the day will end with a corned beef supper, and a wee sip of a single malt whiskey to celebrate the day and a project completed.
Oh, and I received a lovely compliment from a young artist acquaintance. I wrote her a note of appreciation and she wrote me back that my writing style reminded her of you; natural, warm and authentically filled with love and kindness. What a sweet treat for both of us. I did then let her know I’ve been a “girlfriend” for a long time and enjoy my arm chair travels when you head to the British Isles, or take the train to and fro California.
May your days be blessed and you see rainbows and find four leaf clover throughout the spring! Lorna
Your Willard’s never cease to bring a smile to my face. 🙂 I’d love to win a copy of your art print. When I turned 30, it was an awful year for me (I got a late stage cancer and I had a baby and 2 year old at the time). However, I made it! I’m almost 35 now and slowly starting a much happier chapter of my life. I’d love the print as reminder that new beginnings can happen…even in your 30’s!
Dear Susan, thanks for another wonderful “Willard”. I’m green with envy of your many talents- painting, writing, decorating, and inspiring all us girlfriends with your encouraging words!
Wow, I would love to hang this in my home! Thank you for always being so generous and providing opportunities for your people.
Just beautiful…the whole blog takes me out of a mind fog, at least for a time. Thanks so much. You really inspired me with your drawing. Think I’ll give it another try — I do love the water colors too. Keep up the great work .
Linda d
Love the new Willard and your optimism for Spring! It’s bound to get here sooner or later!! You live such a charmed life and always seem so happy and positive. That’s the way to live each day! And your talents are amazing. I just love everything you love in your home, your books, your travels to England! Thank you so much for sharing your wonderful work, ideas and thoughts with us.
Regards,
A Girlfriend
Great post, Susan. Just finished Still Life after you recommended it. Loved it and didn’t want it to end.
So wonderful to catch up, thanks for all the lovely green pics.
Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Thank you for a cheerful post on this cold grey snowy day in Kansas.
I absolutely love green, and the geranium painting. If you can learn painting at 30 and have it transform your life, there’s hope for me!
As always, I love, love, love your blog posts! So very inspiring! Happy Spring, Susan! xo
I love red geraniums!
This post speaks to my heart, Susan. Here in Western Washington, signs of Spring are popping up in our gardens. At a close-by nursery, we have a hanging basket with geraniums planted in it, and I can hardly wait for it to be ready for pick-up. I can picture your painting hanging in our house. Would love it, and the reminder of the story of when you first began to paint.
Happy Spring, Susan, Joe and Jack
I love the joy you spread in your words and pictures. Thank you Susan.❤️🙏🏻
I always look forward to your blog!! I get very excited to see what you’ve been up to and what you are planning. Such an encouragement!❤️
Hello! Love love love your Willard! You inspire me to love all the little things every time. I was on the vineyard with my daughter last week and we saw your hubby walking across the street. I said to my daughter…I know him… that’s Susan Branch’s husband! Lol, we laughed as if he was a good friend but you bring us into your world and I feel as if we are! Thanks for all you do! Xo
thank you 🙏 and bless you 2 and yours
I love the painting of your geranium! Each Spring here in Iowa I buy geranium seedlings to plant and then watch flourish in the beds from my kitchen window. Maybe I should try a painting! Is 82 too old to try?