Yes, these California storms were nothing less than astounding, as you may have seen in the news, with scary words like BOMB CYCLONE (still don’t know what that was, but now I know don’t want to know), and ATMOSPHERIC RIVERS … I now know what this is and wish I didn’t! But we are fine and nothing got wet but the grass . . . there’s Joe out there making sure we’re safe. Now we know why it’s all so spectacularly GREEN around here! So! Ready for a new Willard? Let’s GO!💝 MUSICA!
Guess what arrived this morning? YES!!! Through rivers of rain, life-threatening wind, flowing mud, and flooding canyons ~ the boxes I’ve been waiting for, all the way from England ~ inspired by real life, I dreamed them, and now they’re HERE! The new cups! They made it!
LOOK! Shiny bright new. . . just in time!
Box-loads of them! As always, first come first serve, if you preordered, the first shipment will be going out this afternoon . . . we’re trying our very best to get them to you in time for Valentine’s Day!🥰
And plenty of time for Patriot’s Day in April!
And, don’t forget, we also got more of this one ~ for everyone who missed it first time around! Special for the Anglophiles in your life. Celebrating the long productive life of Queen Elizabeth II, this 16-oz. Commemorative cup! Filled with one of my private blend teas, this one is the Fine Romance Tea, Earl Grey with Lavender, rose petals, honey and cream!💖 YUM! Be your own Valentine!💞
For Anglophiles like me. I couldn’t love it more!🇬🇧
And this little cutie too . . . the Happy Birthday cup, for the Birthday friends in your life, in the smaller 11 oz size! All three of them arrived today! Won’t be long now until they come to a mailbox near YOU! Thank you for your patience!!! If you have been waiting to order until they actually got here, you can go HERE to secure yours now!🥳
This is one of MY best gifts, Kellee, she’s DEFINITELY tied to MY heartstrings!💖
Joe and I drove up to see her and the new studio yesterday . . . it was wonderful to see how Kellee has arranged everything ~ she did such a good job! ~ moving is such a good thing, we’ve unearthed things we haven’t seen in 
YEARS … like this appliqued quilt I designed for a new fabric line (new at the time) called Tea Party that Kellee hung over our cutting table. Note teapot on top shelf of appliquéd cabinet, and then I put the whole fabric collection on the shelves! And bordered it all with bluebirds of happiness because happiness, history, stories, and comfort is what quilting is all about! These fabrics are long gone, but we still have the pattern for the quilt, in case you’d like it!
The Studio is just an old warehouse, mostly furnished with shelves and tons of books, puzzles, charms, cups, tea things, vintage things, stationery things … but it does have lots of windows, lots of light, and Kellee put down cozy rugs and made a perfect office for herself and a darling little kitchen where she hung our sailboat cups.
Is that YOUR Autumn book sitting on top there?💘
I loved wandering around, seeing the products, and promised Kellee I would design more cards and notepads . . .
I got to smell our new kitchen soaps in their little wooden holders … the Genius Soap is made with Tea Tree and peppermint to enhance alertness and focus! Cute for a blue kitchen, soft and soapy. The oatmeal is the same, no rough herbs to hurt your hands, lovely soapy smell. I use the lavender all the time, but now I get to try the two new ones! Kellee and I wandered around for a while, then we went next door with Joe and Joel (Joel is the man who just brought our shopping page into the 21st century! I hope you like it!) and ate delicious Mexican food (a good Mexican restaurant next door was a BIG selling point for this space!) and discussed what good news we’ll have for you the rest of this year!💖
It’s inspiring, being here, in all new surroundings, seeing old friends, being close to Trader Joe’s😂, having so many good 
memories, getting organized ~ even when it’s raining, it’s a feast for the senses. No problem if it rains, we have a lot to do ~ mostly going through files, drawers, closets, barn, storage rooms, cleaning, and getting everything into piles . . . speaking of finding things ~ I’ve discovered so many things here, a note from my mom, a hilarious letter from my sister, childhood photos of my grandma, an old set of cookbooks, a collection of old paintbrushes . . . and bits and pieces like this:
Old pieces of art I haven’t seen in years. Been so fun discovering them and remembering doing them. See the cards I blotted my paintbrush on? I saved them from my very first 
book, Heart of the Home ~ I couldn’t throw them away! As you can see, I’ve always been trying to learn to paint people . . . either from magazine pictures, or made up, or from real photos, that’s a pencil drawing of me and my two brothers as children on the right… and that’s a portrait of our friends, the Schwiers, above it. It looks like Peggy, but definitely not Bob (except for the hair) ~ which is why it’s still here! And you can see me practicing Martin Luther King Jr. before I put him in my 2000 wall calendar! I think I spot Vanna in the center of the page, in the sunglasses, next to the baby jumping out of the egg (which never made it into my Baby Love book). That painting above is an original, painted on d’Arches paper, not even signed yet, just sitting in a box, I don’t know why! I’ll have to think of something special to do with it!🤔
Check this out. The stick people of 1988 … I started getting excited about painting clothes, as you can see from some of the paintings on the floor . . . I still have the jacket and the 
headband, my sister has the pin ~ I wore that exact outfit to a movie premier my friend Jane (who worked for George Lucas) took us to in 1988. The movie was wonderful, called Tucker, a Man and his Dream. I never see that movie anywhere for some reason, but it was great. That outfit was much cuter when the ruffled skirt flipped around! The Yuppie guy in the painting (who is not Joe) ~ his brown saddle shoes, and starry suspenders, was all made up. Thank goodness because I didn’t leave a lot of room for brains in that tiny head! Hers either for that matter! 😂 
I couldn’t give them hardly anything to drink because their hands were too small to hold it! But one does not give up. One hides the imperfect art in a box for 20 or 30 years until one feels brave enough to show it so that all her friends know that things wanted, must be worked for.💖 I have like three paintings of stick people. It’s like a collection, my stick-people period.
I’m going to paint a little more on this and you’ll likely see her in a future calendar! She doesn’t look so bad! And her puffed sleeves are back in style! I was smart this time, I hid her hands!
You’ve already seen this on a calendar page about Creativity! The original stick person! I drew it in kindergarten. One of my first adventures in drawing people! Note that I am trying out the fat arm and fat leg vs the thin arm and thin leg…six fingers vs five. It’s all about trial and error! My mom put this in my baby book! Good strong representation for the belly button!
This was folded up inside my baby book too … It’s HUGE, almost 5′ tall framed ~ it’s poster paint on kraft paper, also painted in 
kindergarten. I forgot about it until Joe found in the back of a closet. The reason it’s so tall is because it’s “actual size.” My teacher, Miss Caldwell, had the whole class lay down on paper, and she traced around us, and then we got to paint ourselves! I was so excited to see it again. I had it hanging in my studio on the Vineyard at one time, but immediately it began to fade really fast . . . so I took it down and it’s been face-to-the-wall, hidden ever since.
Here it is … how it was, the only photo I have of it as it originally was … you see the colors? So I took a trip to the art store the other day and bought poster paints, children’s paint brushes, and fixative, and if I have the nerve, I think I will try and restore it! Something interesting to think I painted it when I was five, now again 71 years later! My eyes look more like that now than then, I’ve grown into them! But I’m way better at putting my lipstick on. Note that learning to paint people takes time!💞
Found this too … never used it … I wrote “No Time For Love?” in the early ’90s, because I was irritated by my answering machine😂 and couldn’t get a real person when I called a business😬!! Ahh, the innocent 90s. I thought I could see the future and I didn’t think I liked it. The words I wrote scream out for editing, but I still think I was right!😆 Only now it’s phones! Don’t even talk to me about drones! (You see lines going off that page? Those are misspellings or grammar that I needed to fix! But since it went nowhere but into a box, I didn’t bother.)
Back to art . . . This half-finished painting is another find . . . it was here too ~ I have no idea when I started it. It was completely drawn, but only about ⅓ of it was painted … I had painted the table ~ but everything on the table was only in pencil, and the chairs were white. Then, one of our first mornings here, I woke up inspired, thinking “Brown, those chairs should be brown!” Which, as you can see, I did, and I’ve been working on it ever since! I wob it.💕
Happy Anniversary to Joe and me!💞 February 6th was the 37th Anniversary of our first date! Here we are just a couple of weeks later at Holly Oak, my little house on Martha’s Vineyard that had quilts for curtains. Talk about gifts!💝 He’s how I know God loves me and wants me to be happy.💝
I’ve had such a good time with all these California discoveries, I think I’m going to leave a treasure hunt, complete with map, as a surprise for the new owners of this house! I’ve been thinking about it . . . like a time capsule, or something. I’ll tell you more about that in the next Willard . . . Until then, how would you like a chance to own an original watercolor painting, signed to you by me? For Valentines Day, I thought maybe my girlfriends would enjoy one of my “finds.” The one with the yellow kitty! Kitchen art if I’ve ever seen it!
“April in New England is like First Love,” which it is! The painting is almost 10″ x 10″, it isn’t framed, and it’s not signed, so I can put a TO and FROM on it (for whomever’s name is drawn) and sign it! I think, by the looks of it, I painted it at Holly Oak probably in the 1980s, when I was discovering first love (in more ways than one)! Just leave a comment, and you’ll be automatically entered. (To enter: Under the last words of this Willard, you’ll see a whole bunch of tiny printed words; the last one will be a number with the word “Comments” … click there!) Happy Valentine’s Day!
One more thing, I wanted to pass you a tiny Trader Joe’s tip … get the Trader Joe’s fresh-dried pasta in little nests, probably about 6 or 8 in a package (we ate them, I don’t have them in front of me!).🥰 Drop one or two of the little noodle nests in boiling water for just one minute, toss them in a peanut salad dressing (opt), and add them to any salad, spinach, Asian, it’s all good! Makes a person so happy to have noodles in her salad!🥳🥳🥳
One more quickie, hard to stop, did you love the Grammys? Tracy Chapman!😢 Joni Mitchell!😭 Everyone! All that creativity! Like us💞, creating our lives every day! We never know if we’re inspiring others, but it’s my dream that through us, dear girlfriends, when we’re a source of the joys that bring us happiness, we’ll pass that on, inspire others, and bring us all a more beautiful world.💝 Let’s reach a tipping point for goodness! ❌⭕️❌⭕️
Joni Mitchell OMG ❣️ The words to her song made so much more sense to me than ever before….”I really don’t know life at all”…. Happy Anniversary! Ours was 41 yrs on 2/5!!!!!
Susan, sorry the weather has been so daunting while you’ve been here. Glad you’re making the most of it! What treasures you’ve found…how amazing! Hope the rest of your visit and purging goes well! Had hoped you’d surprise us with a gathering of some kind while you’re here, but you have a huge project in readying your home for sale. Enjoy sorting through your memories!
Happy Anniversary Kids !! 🎉 🥂 Both of you are adorable. 🥰 I would love to see a line of Susan Branch cards too ! Stay well and stay dry out there in sunny 🌞 California ! Bye, Bye for now, from Michigan.
Always fun to read, thanks!
Loved the continuing story of getting your California house ready to sell. That storm was truly epic even for us! Going through your memories must be bittersweet but hopefully more sweet than not! Safe travels to you and your honey.
Love all your artwork . .y husband and I will celebrate our 56th anniversary on Feb 17th.Amazing life together.❤️
Super cute to see an artist’s way from the beginning! ❤️
Thank you for another uplifting Willard. Your posts make us happy and you are a positive influence on us. Have a wonderful time in California and a Happy Valentines Day! Oh, and thanks for the Trader Joe’s product recommendation. I always try something new when I go.
Happy,happy Valentine’s Day sharing it with your honey! Aren’t you happy you got in your car sooo many years ago and drove to a new life? Who knew who would be waiting at the other end? I am coming to Sonoma in the early part of March..sure hope the rain will have stopped..ahhhh California!
Blessings to you and the gang
Cynthia
It is so fun to find past treasures! And it is great that you are finishing up and rejuvenating some of your ‘found’ art! I love the brown chairs, too!! Glad you are all safe. Cheers!
Kathy
Always a wonderful treat to read a new Willard. Thank you!
Happy Valentine’s Day! I always marvel when the little things (surprises/gifts) of life bring such pleasure and happiness. ♥️
Thank you for sharing all your ‘finds’ with us, always appreciated and never taken for granted 🌹
I agree with you about Tracy Chapman and Luke Combs’ duet at the Grammys. I sure do hope that live recording will be available for purchase. To me, having both of their voices together was like having extra instruments in the orchestra.
I had a life size self portrait too! Wearing a Smocked Poly Flinders dress with hundreds of tiny flowers. Great memories 🙂
I loved Polly Flinders dresses. I bought quite a few for my daughter, and they were always pretty and delightful.
I found you in the early 1990’s – my first book was The Summer Book and then I bought them all over the years. The other day I was thinking about a short list of the people who have been my inspiration, and your name came immediately to mind. Thank you for all the yummy recipes, the ideas, and mostly for the love in your heart that comes through to all of us.
💖💖💖💖💖
Susan
You are one AMAZING person. Look around and see the inspiration you have shared with your girlfriends. How blessed we all are. Enjoy your treasure hunt of created memories.
Happy Valentines Day ❤️
I’m glad to hear that you all are safe over there in Cali! It’s been fun going down memory lane with you! Blessings!
I love New England!
Such a great Willard, and nice to know you’re in my golden state even as I write this-
yes wild weather indeed!
Happy Anniversary to you two!
Just love walking down memory Land with you!!! I have collected your things since you first began. My husband and I have recently done what you too are doing now. Kinda bitter seeet I think. Really really do enjoy all the things you!
Sending you a hug!
So happy to see this Willard, I was so worried about you and Joe with all that rain and mudslides. I have all your books and calendars and would love to have your art work. You are an amazing artist. So much fun going down memory lane with you. Happy Anniversary to you and Joe.
Who needs a Bomb Cyclone in their lives anyhow??
What a fun idea, a treasure hunt for the new owners! They’ll love it! Happy anniversary to you and Joe! Your love and friendship is so inspiring! Love that painting! The kitty reminds me of one of my family’s old beloved cats, Elwood. He was so cool all of us kids would fight over who we thought was his favorite – but it was me of course! 😉
Such fun to read this Willard as I sit in Los Osos after surviving the storm! We even got an official Tornado Warning for our area! (NO tornados thank goodness!) I think of Susan’s store on Branch Street in Arroyo Grande, and will forever miss it! We were at TJ in SLO yesterday and didn’t check the pasta section but will next visit for sure!! And we LOVED the Grammys this year! Will you come to Cali after your home here is sold??
Happy Valentines Day💝
Until I can’t anymore!👏👏👏👏
💝😍💝
Thanks, as always, for this Willard. Wonderful to hear what you’re up at. The current picture of you and Joe made me smile out loud. :). And for the record, April in New England is like first love!!! :). Hugs.
Hello there from sunny Florida! I am so very glad that you all came through it just fine. Thank you for sharing all those wonderful treasures you found. Even though cleaning out stuff can seem daunting it always finds a way to make us smile. Happy Anniversary and Valentine’s Day❣️
How wonderful your discoveries sound and look, as you go through your California home. Thank you for the opportunity to win your gorgeous painting. Good Luck to me, and to You as you ready your home for sale.
Hi Susan,
Your trip looks so amazing! I do get emotional thinking about the selling of your home in California! Happy Anniversary ! Thank you for another inspirational Willard! Your beautiful wall calendar keeps my spirits up during this long winter!
Happy Early Valentine’s Day!!
A wonderful and joy filled Willard! One of your best, Susan! Thank you…..
Ah, the delight of a treasure hunt, among your own previous keepsakes! The memories, or maybe just an idea as to why something was kept – it still is your life and the gems have been waiting all this time to bring you a fond reminder of a life lived well.
Loved walking through all those memories with you, Susan! ❤️🥰😇 So thankful you have shared your life with us through your ART 🎨. Blessings on your day sweet friend…hugs, ❤️Suzanne
Happy Anniversary!
This drawing really resonated with me: the check flooring, rustic basket and precious yellow kitty!!! We’ve recently adopted three kittens and they have brought so much joy and laughter into our lives!! Thank you for making my day each time I receive in new Willard. 🩷
It is so much fun to see your kindergarten art. Who knew that that would be your path (super highway) through all of these years? I guess your Mom did since she saved them in your baby book. Happiness to you as you discover more treasures.
Loved this Willard, as I do lol of them! Happy Valentines Day!
Thanks for the chance! HaPpY Valentines Day ❤️
Oh Miss Susan — we just got back from SoCal. What a mess. We had to relocate due to the torrential rain pouring in from the ceiling light fixture! I’m in love with your New England print. Being from Massachusetts, it has a wonderful meaning. Thanks for all the love!
Jodi
Hello 🌹 life’s simple pleasures are always such a gift. The hidden treasures we stumble upon that take us down memory lane ♥️
Thank you for sharing…always…
I always need a tissue when I read your Willard…either from nostalgia or joy or both! Every single bit is a treasure to me. ❤️
So glad you are all safe from the crazy California weather. It is so fun to go through old treasures. Thank you for taking us along for the ride.
Such a welcome Willard to read today. Glad you both are surviving the rainy days. Ohio’s weather is warm and sunny this day. Stay well!
How fun to have found some of your early art. I teach kindergarten and can relate to the pictures you shared. We do a monthly “self portrait” so that at the end of the school year when I create books of the self portraits to give to parents, they can see the progress that happened over the school year…and what fantastic artists we have become! Cheers to Art!!
What a good teacher! 👏👏👏
There is nothing better than finding treasures in our homes! What a treat for you and Joe!
Glad all is well in California… we’ve seen such scary vision of the storms.
Adore the Patriot mugs, my Bostonian hubby would love …… Do you think they would travel ok to me here in Melbourne Australia? Joni winning a Grammy, what joy! We chose our daughter’s name from Joni’s song “Amelia”. It was the first three letters of America (for hubby) and the last three letters of Australia (for me)……. Adore her🎶
What a fun Willard — seeing all your drawing. Glad you survived the rain storms. I’m from Seattle where we see heavy rains a lot. Think I might have to order that Queen cup. I love it.
The painting is wonderful! It matches your postcards that I framed and hung in my kitchen! This would make a perfect addition.
Talk about a time capsule! Here I am, reviewing how SB (that’s you!) has kept me company for years: I first “met” you on the pages of Country Living magazine, and from that time forward, these are the SB items I have gathered and cherished: Delightful stickers (some of which I still have and those that I have continue to find their way onto letters and cards), rubbing transfers, alphabet letters and numbers, ZIG pens (I once read that they were a favorite of yours), a recipe box with cards inside for jotting down recipes, annual calendars, books – ALL of the SB books (!), a tall “hot chocolate/coffee” mug from the earliest years of your on-line store, a black beret a la Joe Hall, Garden Note cards and etc. My husband (Ed) and I prepare recipes from your cookbooks – Ed will prepare your recipe for “Steak au Poivre” on Valentine’s Day 2024. Finally, I’ll mention here that during a vacation on California’s Central Coast, I made a bee-line to your shop – only to find it had closed! Talk about a disappointment! Much Good Luck as you “close things up” in CA and step forward into the future! Thank you for providing so much joy to your faithful followers! -Linda
Susan, your words within this post resonate with me. You and I are of the same age group. Now without Monnie, remaining in our home is almost sacred to me, surrounded by the things we layered through our 47 years together to make a house a home. You have always done just that, too! I admire you and Joe, your love story, your artistic talents, and your willingness to speak your mind. Uncovering these treasures must be full of emotion. Giving up this property must be equally full of emotion, so I admire you in that regard as well. Love seeing the quilt, the kindergarten drawings, the musings of memories. As a retired educator of early childhood, I can appreciate these drawings with heartfelt love. I wish I had saved more of the art children did for me as gifts throughout the years. Hindsight! I thought I might mention as a early childhood teacher we were trained to look at children’s art as a measure of child development. It’s important to know what an individual child needs in the early, first years of formal school. Art is an indicator of a child’s sense of the world around them. Your painting shows much detail. All indicators of creative perception, and we are all aware of your amazing talents as you continued to mature and became an internationally known author and artist. I’ll forever be impressed with your handwritten text, your charming art, and the wonderful quotes you have always woven into your work. I’ve been fortunate to meet you twice, first when you and Joe visited here in Austin, and then again on Cape Cod for the celebration of Beatrix Potter’s Birthday. Both highlights that shine bright in my bank of memories. Thank you! All the best, Susan, as you and Joe continue your love story side by side.
Two amazing events I will never forget! Thank you for the kind words! ❌⭕️❌⭕️
Happy Anniversary and Happy Valentine’s Day!! Your sweet stories and buried treasures are a joy.
I would so love to have your painting. My yellow kitty named Alani, would also be happpy!
Love your Willards!
Your writing, artwork and optimism never fail to inspire and bring me joy. We are kindred spirits! It is a beautiful day in Oakham, Massachusetts. I’m sunburned after a walk in the woods with our dog! I never thought to wear sunscreen but the snow’s reflection must have enhanced the sunshine. With rosy cheeks and an uplifted heart I send my wishes for your continued enjoyment of the time you spend in California. I so enjoyed reading this Willard, as I do all the others.
Happy Anniversary to you and Joe. Stay safe and well. ❤️
Hello! I love your kitty 🐈 picture! It reminds me of my first cat. He was a ginger and I named him Theodore, after Alvin and the Chipmunks. 😂.
Loved the Willard, as always. Thank you.
April in New England was simply made for me because there is my orange kitty – Darby O’Gill. He’s now a year old. Sweetest little kitty boy I’ve ever known along with Pixie Faye, his tortoise shell sister. Bonnie and I are too excited about our mother daughter trip to Ireland on the 19th. Thank you for taking us all along to California to move and sort through your treasures. Too much fun!
Don’t you just love going through old things and discovering things you had made years ago. Sometimes I look at them and wonder how I ever did some of those things. They look so good!
Happy Anniversary of your first date. We were married 41 years ago on February 4th. Thank you so much for continuing to do what you do so well. You make it seem effortless. Oh, and Happy Valentine’s Day to you and Joe. Fondly, Barbara
Susan,
Glad you’re enjoying your time in California! Nothing better than opening a email
to fine your Willard. You are such a Talented Lady!!🩷
I live in California so reading this new Willard and all your storm cometary was wonderful. I’m near Big Bear mountain and they are simply stunning this morning in the sunlight🥰 I so enjoy reading Willard and have all the original mailed paper editions! Thank you for sharing your talents so generously. My new Patriotic cup arrives today… I’m so excited to get it in my hands. I’ve been to the mail box twice already!!!
Have a blessed day
Commenting for a chance to win a signed painting! Enjoy CA.
It’s refreshing to read your Willards. I read your books several years ago and plan to reread them again.
We visited England on our 25th anniversary. Our 62nd anniversary will arrive in June, 2024. My great grandparents came from Boston, England. I have grand-
daughters who use my tea cups and three tiered server with delight even now.
Thank you for sharing your joy of painting, walks to the beach, and writings.
Happy Valentine’s Day.
Happy anniversary, youngsters…ours will be 46 years on March 18!!! Keep on keeping on!! ❤️
Thank you for the pick me up! Just what I needed.
What treasure you are finding and what a treasure hunt . I throw a lot out but some of my stuff just stops me in my tracks. . . . . . . the sweet letter my dad wrote the night before he died (he didn’t know it – it was accidental). I’m glad he wrote it – cuz now I know how special he was -I was only 5 at the time.
Orange kitties are my favorite kitties 🙂
Loved this new Willard! I recently cleaned out a relative’s home after he passed away. I found so many treasures from the past. One of the items was a set of stickers, maybe from the 90’s that I had ordered from you. So many memories to laugh and cry over.
Happy Valentines Day. 🌷
lOVE TO READ OF YOUR ADVENTURES …..WE ARE HAVING SPRING … MAYBE AS WARM AS CALLIE.
Thank you for another fun Willard! Your art is the BEST! Love it!
Love the idea of noodles in my salad! As always, you bring joy to my days.
Thank you for being such an inspiration! When I have a tough day and need a boost, I always turn to your blog or one of your books and I start to feel better! You and Joe are the cutest! Happy Anniversary. 🙂
oh my goodness! i would so love a susan branch forgotten original! thank you for being so generous with your art. so glad you found treasures and i love that you want to leave a treasure map and some of your work in your california house. whenever we move, i always look for some overlooked treasure. found some and was absolutely thrilled. leave a little somewhere, but i’m not famous and i am sure that the little treasures i left were not treasured by the new owner.
That’s a beautiful quilt! I’m a quilt person and love seeing others’ collections.
Oh, what fun – unexpectedly finding wonderful ‘old’ sentimental items while cleaning. This post reminds me of when I first discovered your sweet books in the mid to late 1990s at the local Borders Bookstore 🙂 back when I was in my mid to late 20s! Your books were such a wonderful find, since I enjoyed everything included in your books – cozy homes, cats, cooking, baking, decorating, antiquing, having fun! And I still have each and every one!! Last week I received my recent purchase from your website…Gratitude – another lovely book to add to my tabletop collection. As always, thanks so much for all of your lovely blogs and continuing to do what you do! LOVE, LOVE, LOVE New England in SPRING!! Although I live in South Florida, I still cannot resist charming New England (perhaps since I am from MA). I suggested before but will happily mention again, would love to see you write a SPRING book (similar to your AUTUMN) book. 🙂
Love every Willard!
Happy Valentine’s Day, Susan & Joe! ♥♥♥ So enjoyed this blog seeing your early art, the new warehouse ( looks fabulous) and your SLO property. The best part of moving for me was discovering what was “hiding” in closets and drawers and corners. Since your first book came out, I’ve been a fan. XOXO and blessings for all the roads ahead!
Love every Willard!
I love Susan Branch because she brings happiness and calm in my life. I wish we lived closer and we could be friends forever. Until then I will be very happy for the monthly Willard!❤️Happy Valentine’s Day!❣️💓💞💖💗❣️
Hello Dearest Sue,
Yes! A tipping point for goodness- I am for that!
I am also glad that you are safe through the storms- those scary words such as “bomb cyclone” would have me hiding under my bed with the dust dragons. Of course you wouldn’t have such uncivilized beasties lurking under your bed. 😂
I am glad the new warehouse and office for Kellee are in a good spot. She is a gem!
It’s kind of fun to take a trip through the depths of your storage and come across projects that have been left behind. I am the Queen of cast aside endeavors- but now and then I take them up- almost as if they were seeds of creativity that have been waiting to sprout again for me. It’s a good thing.
Congratulations to you and Joe on your anniversary of your first date. You two Luckies 🍀🍀 Rick and I celebrate ours too- luckily it happened on my Dad’s birthday so I never forget the date or the date it happened. ❤😍
Take care- stay warm and dry- and cherish the days!
xxooxx
Gabi
Your red Valentine with the little kids on it remind me of the Campbell Soup Kids. When I was young (over 70 year ago), everyone told me I looked like a Campbell Soup Kid – guess I was a bit chubby.
Just a fun memory to add to the valentine celebration.
Wow so many memories of reading your books in these memories. I have always dreamed of living your creative life!❤️
YES, Tracy Chapman….brought me to tears!
Sorry about the dreadful weather out there! What a scary sight to say the least!
Enjoy your time there.
Have fun happy days!
Have been in love with your artwork since “Heart of the Home,” and it has been a special treat to meet you and Joe at book signings over the years. Happy Valentine’s Day to you and Joe.
A Wonderdul Willard! Happy Annoversary!! Happy Valentines Day!!💕💕
Hello Susan,
Rainy days and finding rays of happiness in those treasures you found and found and found, sounds like a perfect way to spend a rainy day…and a cup of hot tea. Be well💖
Happy Valentines Day from Cape Cod!
Glad that you are OK. Have checked in on my sister in law in Oxnard and she is fine. Happy Anniversary to you and Joe!
Of course, I’d love to win the painting. We had two three yellow tabbies. Simon Peter and Moses Amos. Moses became my dog and lived to 21 I think. I so loved him and made him promise to come back to me. He died at my desk – he waited for me to leave for a minute. A few months later, a little yellow kitten wandered into the yard. She immediately took to me and I named her Moselle. She lived another 20 years – and died in my husband’s arms. It sounds psychotic but she even smelled like Moses so I knew he had come back. Anyway, they are all gone to Kitty Heaven along with our Labradors. We no longer have any pets. We are retired and have moved into a new house (the old one was 130 years old). Now we just have rescue granddogs – Winston, Lucy and Ruffio. We travel a lot to see our Littles. We have 10 of them throughout the country!
Enjoy the rest of your time in somewhat sunny Cali!
xo
Please draw my name!
Happy Anniversary! It’s so nice to hear from you more often. Always look forward to hearing your fun stories! I would absolutely love your painting. I had a orange kitty who passed last year. His name was Frank, after Frank Sinatra, and I miss him every day. Hope you have a Happy Valentine’s day and enjoy your time in California.
The little yellow kitty reminds of one I loved whilst growing up in England, his name was Humbug. Happy Valentines and Happy Anniversary. My husband Joe and I celebrate our 30th this year.
What a wonderful post! And the Grammy’s!!! I sat here and sang every word to Both Sides Now right along! Best Grammy show I can ever remember. We, too, have survived the Atmospheric River here in So. Cal! 5.5 inches in South Orange County where we live. Enjoy your time here in California! Spring is coming!
I enjoy reading your Willard posts, and have appreciated your artwork for many years. It would be such a treasure to have one of your original pieces.
I think your Willards are my favorite, after books, recipes, jewelry……hmmm, I guess I have lots of favorites! How fun to find wonderful things you’d forgotten about! Hope you find lots more to make the hard work of going through boxes tolerable.
Such a fun Willard! I’m thinking of getting one of the new mugs for my sister but haven’t decided yet which one to get!
Thank you for taking the time to do these Willard’s. They are a joy to read. How wonderful that your mother, with a large family, also made time to save your drawings in a baby book. It must be good genes!
Thank you for such a lovely post Susan!! Hope you’re having a safe and magical visit in beautiful California. Happy Valentine’s Day to you and Joe!! I hope the weather is clear enough for you to have a little bubbly or tea while watching the sea. Blessing to you always!!! ❤️Love Betty❤️
Oh I love going through old memories! I too, have been delving into the past as I clean out my attic space. I had boxes and boxes of travel memorabilia, school memories, and every card, love note and poem my husband of 52 years has given to me and me to him. We should have had stock in Hallmark! All the cardboard boxes had deteriorated and crumbled so I cleaned out and repacked into plastic bins. I filled 3 large bins with just hubby love❣️ I sorted old pictures, tossing duplicates and negatives. Memorabilia from our two children’s youth sorted and binned for them to explore with their kids someday. Such fun and so many good laughs!
Happy Anniversary and Happy Valentine’s Day!
So very glad to hear from you,and how you and Joe are handling all the weather. I bet you were surprised, thinking you would be enjoying sunny California, and escaping winter only to find yourself in even more dramatic weather. I am glad to hear you are making the best of it. I always feel uplifted by one of your Willards, thank you for sharing your life’s adventures with us!
I love sharing your words of wisdom with my twenty-something daughter! I’ll be sharing this one “But one does not give up. One hides the imperfect art in a box for 20 or 30 years until one feels brave enough to show it so that all her friends know that things wanted, must be worked for.💖” Thanks for your inspiration!
We especially love ginger-colored kitties. RIP our ginger kitty, Spanky. Thank you for this Willard, and all the others for that matter. FYI – I am gifting “SWEETS FOR THE SWEET” to my sweet friends when we congregate on Valentine’s Day. Happy Anniversary to you and Joe! Party on.
I really enjoy reading your books and blog.
What a wonderful journey of memories you are taking…enjoy the ride. I, too, enjoyed the Grammy’s…Joni, Billy Joel, Jon Baptiste, etc. It was an exceptional show…for the most part. Still don’t understand rap; can’t understand the words. Funny story…for me. I wanted to see the theatre production of HAMILTON. However, I was so glad I read ahead, the story, the verbiage. Not sure I would have enjoyed it as much as I did without a real understanding of what they were saying.
I’m glad you and your property survived the terrible weather. And I love seeing all your “finds”.
So much fun to discover forgotten treasures, isn’t it! My mom kept a box of my drawings, stories, and other mementos that I look at from time to time. I have done the same for my children and grands, too. Thanks for the memories!