Here’s Jack’s first morning home after our 10-day coast-to-coast trip, Martha’s Vineyard to the California … I had to give him “The Talk,” “I know you don’t feel like yourself, it’s normal, after all, you’ve just been taken away from everything you knew and loved. But you have to be patient with yourself. It will get better. It just takes a little time.”💞💞💞 MUSICA
Then I left him alone to do whatever he wanted to, because that’s actually how it works. . .
And went out to look at the roses and the sky …
Before it got crazy around here . . . then I ventured to the goat barn to see the array of boxes waiting for me! And that’s when it got crazy around here. I’ve been at it ever since.
I’ve always loved figuring out how to fit things into small spaces. I first discovered it as a challenge at Hollyoak, my first 
house, which many of you know from my books. It was a teeny tiny, adorable, one-bedroom cottage. I enjoyed making space from “no space” by finding it where it didn’t exist. So much fun! Made me feel victorious! Fighting city hall and winning! But I was only one person, and had a lot less stuff in those days. . . . And because we just moved from a 3,500 sq. ft. house on Martha’s Vineyard where we’d lived for 35 years, stuffing it to the gills, into an 
1,800 sq. ft. really-old double-wide in California (not small, perfect really, but now I have boxes of watercolors, an art table, file cabinets, and sooo many books ~ not to mention JOE!) I’ve been having all SORTS of fun!! Grrrrrr-ruh! (That’s the Grrrrr-ruh the Unsinkable Molly Brown gave while standing in the lifeboat (as the Titanic sinks behind her) freezing to death saying she ain’t down yet! Yes, that happy Grrrrrrrrr-RuH! I have secretly become Vickie Victorious!
For example, remember my pantry on the island? An ENTIRE room next to the kitchen, with its own backdoor and a screen door! Loved it. Total 1800s luxury, for the washer/dryer, an extra fridge, the ironing board, my tall shelf (on the left) that Carlton made for me at Holly Oak, and look at all the storage! You might think I am verklempt to the nth degree leaving that behind!
But NO! Look! Downsizing is fun! It challenges our creativity. So I made a pantry here! It has its own back door! It’s not quite done yet, but would you like a short tour?😅 (Short, get it? Ha!) 
You are standing at the door now (so don’t blink) ~ behind you is a tiny hall with 3 doors off it … one for the bathroom, one for each of the two bedrooms. The ironing board is behind the door on the left. I bought the rug of little houses on Newbury Street in Boston around 1983 for my kitchen at Holly Oak. Isn’t it perfect? Not quite . . .Still need to pound in a higher nail to get that old Martha’s Vineyard plate above the watercolor of the cover of my first book (which was never used, turned down because I didn’t make the title big enough! Living and learning!). I think a darker color curtain on the door would look better . . . There are two cupboards over the washer and dryer so, besides the iron, soap & laundry things, there’s room for my extra indoor plant pots.👏 Carlton’s wonderful pantry shelf is on the left above, (and in Holly Oak, below), giving us miles of storage space that we definitely need (I asked Carl to make it one-can-deep, so it could fit behind a door if necessary) ~ The folding wooden clothes-dryer you saw in the top pic leaning against the door fit perfectly in the little slot between the wall & the washing machine 👀 … And voila, our new little pantry is born! Vicky-Victorious!
Carlton’s shelf is now over 40 years old has now been used in 3 of my houses! He should patent it! It holds tons of cat food … all the oil and vinegar, soup and tea, cans of tuna, crushed pineapple, beans, tomato sauce, and extra cups we need ~ nothing “hidden” in the back, and fits behind a door! It’s a genius thing!
I love decorating, I feel like no matter where you live you can make it wonderful just with the things you love. I’ve been doing it all my life, even in my bedroom as a teenager, so I know it’s not about money! Especially if you shop at yard sales and antique malls. You can find wonderful deals there, and original things you love put a different stamp on every home. And don’t forget, there are so many things you can make yourself! Making a home is still my favorite thing to do . . 
. and here we are, I get to do it all over again! But this time it’s with things I’ve loved all my life. I do it all with a secret smile, because fall is coming.🍂 The fall stuff is at the ready, not out yet, but I’m feeling it here! Chilly morning today… thin fog shining behind the hedges and mimosa tree outside my “studio” window ~ all windows open and wearing a sweater. YUM.
New things I’m loving: The color green. Actually I knew it before I came and made sure to bring all the green things I love. Here’s the beginnings of my new studio. And 
green looks good with everything! Perfect for every season! The house likes orange and purple too, both excellent with green. But it ADORES black and white😺. And wood. Real wood. Old, if possible, with the patina of the old wooden spoons I love so much. We brought lots of it with us. The wooden spoon my dad made for me! We we also packed the 
dishes I thought would go with it. Nothing is done yet, when I take these pictures again, the details will all be different. Because I open the boxes one at a time, put things where I think they might go, and of course, change my mind later.
More details?
Yes! More details! But first, here’s photo that’s definitely worth a thousand words! We’re doing it! All the bubble wrap, kraft paper, cardboard, and creative wrapping bits that are still useable are folded in piles. Boxes will be flattened. This stuff is expensive! Somebody will need it! Okay, on to the fun part!
See what I mean by wood? Just little touches here, the hutch was big, but most of it is things likewooden bowls, and old trivets for hot-from-the-oven pies and casseroles? Baskets, in my eyes, just make things homey and warm. These shelves aren’t done either . . . I haven’t even opened all the boxes, we are very fluid here. Now I’ve made myself hungry. Need pie! Will settle for cookie.
Little bits of yellow and black in the kitchen… was going to be more green, but yellow is perfect with green, and we still have our avocado green sink and stove top …
Then, when I opened the box with the black check curtains that hung over my kitchen table on the island . . . I thought, ahhh black! Everything looks good with black! (This is Jack’s favorite perch so far, Lord of the Manor, overseer of all things great and small). Fog is gone! Sun is coming out! Note purple alstroemerias! Note my dad’s wooden spoon on wall, left of window.💝
I still got it!
But I don’t want you thinking that all Jack does is look at the view … he’s been a HUGE help … scrubbing out cupboards . . .
Arranging drawers …
. . . hanging up clothes, putting away shoes . . .
Not to mention all the unpacking and vacuuming! It’s been a lot to do . . . no wonder he’s pooped. But he, like me (and Vicky Victorious), wants it over with. To be settled, to spend as little time in this in-between state as humanly possible. We spent 4 months packing it, we would like to shorten the unpacking time! We want to FLY into the mystic!!! Unanchor ourselves!
His daily nap helps a lot.💤 MAS MUSICA? 💖
But look what you get! You open up a box wondering what you could have meant by “normal clothes . . .”
And it all makes sense when inside you find your old “Too Mean To Marry” t-shirt that you don’t even remember you packed.👏
Unpacking can be intriguing . . . seriously, why is a “rabbit head” in a paper cup? What Rabbit Head? And then you find out and it’s like a box of chocolates! (You never know what you’re going to get.) And sometimes it’s like Christmas, all seemingly new, falling in love with your stuff all over again!
Things you couldn’t live without. This lamp that went with me to Holly Oak in 1982 was my first grown-up lamp. Couldn’t leave that behind. I love lighting. Candlelight for obvious reasons, but lamp light can be just as beautiful ~ you light the lamp in its new place and squeal softly at the beauty. You forgot how pretty it is! . . . and little houses with nooks and crannies show them off way better than big ones do!🏡
Little bits of spark and romance perk up a dark corner.
Look at this! Remember years ago when Lowely and I learned how to make these cut and pierced lampshades from Ayn Chase, the artist I used to snap them up from on the island? Ayn made this one too. We were so lucky to have her … I do see shades like this on Etsy now and then, but just in cases, people DO make them at home, and so if you want one bad enough, you know what to do! I’d be very surprised if there weren’t tutorials on youtube.
I mean, really! But while admiring things, and being happy I decided to bring them,
There’s still a lot to do! Like where does everything GO? Don’t know what to do with it yet? Put it in the guest room! It’s kind of never-ending. But with all these new views, I think it’ll give me good stories to tell for a long time!
We brought our favorite hutch, I’m filling it, and finding places for the books . . . just think, if we hadn’t moved, I wouldn’t be getting to do all this in a starting-over sort of way, all clean and new! Yes, it’s work, but it’s creative too . . .
There’s been laundry to do, which I totally have to do myself ~ Jack can’t reach 😹. But the dryer man just left, he fixed the dryer, and we’re back in business again. But never totally ~ we’ve always been clothes-on-the-line people; because hanging things like sheets and dishtowels and quilts out to dry is one of the simple joys of life. You get to be outside with the wind and sunshine and trees. And the smell of fresh air permeates everything. And then you are overwhelmed with all the gratitude that those things provide. Because we’re . . .
Plus we have new artichokes to plant, because I know some of you are wondering, did they get to eat the artichokes they planted last March? Practically the first thing I did when we got out of 
the car from our 10-day, cross-country trip to California, was go and look for the artichokes. Was really hoping for our OWN for our first dinner. Sad to say, all we had were two artichoke flowers, artichokes gone to seed. Not that sad actually, they are so pretty. So we just dug a better bed, and mixed it with compost, and planted four more plants, and these guys will definitely get much more TLC (i.e. water) and we expect a better outcome. In the meantime, the flowers, green and purple, fit it perfectly! Another win-win! They just keep coming!
Yes we are! Especially Joe, who got his first delivery of the NY Times last Sunday … with his beloved crossword puzzle in it. I 
loved this headline and keep the paper open on the table! I think of all we went through with that pandemic, how it interrupted life in such a weird way, how it changed us in so many ways, how hard it was, like some sort of world trauma, and all we learned (that nobody really needed), and think how glad I am that it’s over and want everyone that still feels the effects (like I sometimes do and maybe always will, not physical, “just” mental, some kind of PTSD) will feel freedom and lighthearted in the sunlight and the wind and be happy again. Like I told Jack, we just have to be patient with ourselves, this too shall pass. It’s already so much better! (Above was written and illustrated by our girlfriend Maureen Carmichael after the bookstore zoom we had during the pandemic…)💞
Happiness has been kind of a theme here, because this was the first Angel Card I chose when we got back! I closed my eyes and really fished around, tried to feel for the one that made my fingers buzz, it was important because it was the first one, I hoped it would set the tone . . . and I got this!!! Wanted to shout it to the world. And I just did!😘
We’re definitely settling in. Note: green and wood. Looks excellent with black and white.
The new fall napkins I ordered arrived and I love them soooo much I got them for you too! They’re soft woven cotton! Wash, dry, no iron!!! They’re huge too, 21″ square …kinda perfect! If you love them on sight like I did, go HERE for some of your own.
I hope they go with your dishes! I’m looking at Thanksgiving right here! They’ll be my go-to forever!
Jack loved them on sight too.💖 Arbiter of good taste.😻
Part of my new little studio, which is actually a corner of the living room. It’s tiny, but I LOVE how it’s coming together! It’s little and perfect and Vicky has been massively victorious space-wise! I’ll show you more next time! Until then . . . here are some
Things I’m told you must know.
#1. FYI. Kellee says we are no longer sending Martha’s Vineyard Isle of Dreams to Amazon, we are saving the 80 we have left for our Girlfriends, in case you want one for Christmas this year. Our prices are lower than theirs, so we’re better anyway.😁 And the new printing should come in around February …
#2. Judy wants me to tell you that if you have a favorite local gift, kitchen, antique, or bookstore who you would like to carry my things, you can suggest they go to Faire.com and look for Susan Branch Studios, or you could please send the name of their store to [email protected] ~ include their city, state, 
and/or email address of the store or owner and she’ll Judy will in touch. As you know, because we’re small, and don’t have agents or lawyers, we run very much under the radar, and are not in many stores … lots of people don’t even know we exist.🫣 Which is fine, we love our little world, but that’s why word-of-mouth has always been our best thing ~ otherwise I wouldn’t get to do what I love!! So we’re happy to write and introduce ourselves. We just need a little help from our friends. If it’s easy!💞
Also, Kellee would like me to tell you we have cards and cards and more cards ~ like 3 pages of them in our shopping site now ~ and more are coming everyday!🌺
When she put up our welcome home banner,👏 Kellee left me this happy little bag to find when I got home. Isn’t it cute?👏 It’s got a cork bottom, and a fabric top with cork handles! Really sweet, perfect for me! I asked her to get a few more in case you’d want one too.💖
Fits phone (as you can see), notebook, pen, lipstick, comb, keys ~ all the little things we need when we leave home.
So that has to be it for today, there’s a Vickie whispering in my ear … But here was our first view coming down the driveway after 10-days crossing our beautiful country! I need to show you more pics of that! But one of the best things, 
just as I hoped, has been this amazing California weather . . . cool mornings, cool evenings, soft sun touching your face, more like a caress, during the day … and still the smell of ocean air, not all that far away . . . Listening to the crickets as I fall asleep at night, my California childhood comes back. Every door & window open, cozy under the covers, quiet, inspiring, awake-
dreaming, so contented it brings yearning… it can send me out to look at the stars. I’ve never had the right word for that feeling. But I believe kindred spirits know what I’m talking about. Bye for now girlfriends . . . enjoy the last of the hazy crazy days of summer, because as I mentioned earlier . . .
…aww, Susan ! This is the post we’ve been waiting for ; ‘ so happy and grateful you, Joe, and Jack arrived back home in California ! ❤️ …and Jack seems so content; ready for new adventures ! ☺️ .. I have to ask..have you made it to Trader Joe’s yet , you lucky girl ? We’re so excited for you and, of course, thank you for sharing your new adventures with us all..we love you guys ! 😘❤️☺️
Yup! Got me some of that coconut whipped cream first thing.🤣 I have a whole list of things to get when I go back!!!😘
Hello Sue B!
Welcome Home to Arroyo Grande! 🏠♥️😍
I’m so happy you made it back, safe and sound! ♥️♥️
We have moved so many times, all of your stories are so familiar! I love the picture with the pile of boxes, ha ha! I think the best part about moving is falling in love with all of your favorite things again! I also love decorating, and setting everything up in a new home is so much fun! And then, when the seasons change,and you can do it all over again!
I wish I still lived up the hill so I could see you! 😍♥️🤩
But, we love where we live, and we love this San Diego weather! You will love it when winter time comes, and Joe won’t have the shovel anymore snow!
Enjoy your new journey, and give Kellee, Sheri, and Judy, hugs from me, and of course, keep one for you as well! xoxo 😘
Hi Bonnie! Would be nice to run into you at an antique store again! We’re already loving Fall! It’s been gorgeous here! I will hand out your hugs freely . . . lovely people! xoxoxo
Your words to Jack are so comforting.” I know you don’t feel like yourself, it’s normal, after all, you’ve just been taken away from everything you knew and loved. But you have to be patient with yourself. It will get better. It just takes a little time.”💞💞💞”. Felt like you were speaking to all of us. Wonderful blog Susan. I’m so happy you are creating home for Joe Jack and you to enjoy. There is no place like home! Sending love and happy home hugs.
Beverlee
Thank you Beverly!
Happy housewarming to you and Joe! Wishing you all good things as you begin this new adventure. Your stories are so helpful and happy as each of us faces change on the daily in some way or another. Thank you! This came at just the right time for me today as I had just waved goodbye to my daughter as she headed out for college after a great summer at home. I needed a good girlfriend letter to bolster my spirits. 🌸☺️
Awwwww. 💞
Oh my goodness, what familiar sights! Luckily, we landed in a place with a 1500 sq ft empty basement! No laundry or oil tank like so many homes in New England, so my husband spent many days stacking the flattened boxes and straightening out the piles of packing paper! Your new (old) home looks lovely and I know you will be so very happy there. One of the things that brings me joy every day, is my adorable new curtains in my breakfast nook, with your beautiful illustrations of our favorite places on the Vineyard! Found them on Spoonflower and couldn’t be happier! Love to you, Joe and Jack (and yes, please do a post of your cross country trip!)
I know just which fabric you mean! Happy new house!
My wonderful, kindred spirit friend, Sharon, made a beautiful shawl for me from that fabric, which I wore when I went to England! It is a kindred spirits collaboration creation! 💞
Welcome back to the Central Coast! We are happy that you are back in our corner of the world.
I really enjoyed reading this on a somewhat feeling like fall Friday afternoon. Loved seeing your handsome kitty, Jack.Now, I must check out those cards.
Welcome home Sue & Joe,
I saw a peak of Petey in the photo of your studio on the shelf above your books. I work occasionally at Friday Harbor Gallery here on San Juan Island and guess what I found? Petey’s brother! So happy to see you both enjoying your new (old) home! Aloha 🌺
What a lucky find!!! Thank you Mary!
We moved last year and I’ve been enjoying decorating our new space too. We moved our family of 9 (2 adults and 7 children) from our 900sq ft home, to a 3000+ sq ft home! No more being squished! It’s a beautiful home, built in 1951 with lots of quirks. Gorgeous and heavy Robin’s egg blue front door. A laundry chute! Original 1950s kitchen with porcelain drainboard sink! Such an old beauty. I find myself constantly counting my blessings ❤️
Fantastic!!! That’s a lot of children in 900 sq ft! Now you have bathrooms!!! Fun! Enjoy!
Welcome home, Susan, Joe, and Jack!
Loved watching you unpack in this blog and seeing the familiar things you brought with you.
Seeing your dear mother’s picture on the window sill gave my heart a little tug. She was a beauty.💞
Looking forward to your next post and hearing more of your adventures!
Nancy (from Bakersfield)
Welcome Home! So glad you, Joe and Jack made it safely to California and are now unpacking, and settling in. So much work to be done, but hey, it is fun to fit it all in and make new memories. Wishing you all the best as you find a new normal back home in California.
Terri
Hello Joe & Susan,
I have been looking every day for a blog to say you made it safe and sound! I was thrilled to see this today. Welcome Home, dear ones!
Your new home will be perfectly perfect when you are settled. Thank you so much for checking in….
Much love,
Debby
Remember to rest. You are teaching us all a lesson in how you downsize and still be happy! I do hope Joe can make the transition to California boy😘
Barbara in Lodi (missing your perfect weather as mine is a bit too hot in the daytime in San Joaquin valley)!
I do take a nap every day and LOVE it. Joe is working on the transition. He really does like it here, so that helps! Stay cool Barbara!
You’re so productive! Will you get a new kitten for the move?
I have the two kitties that were living here before, living in the goat barn. I go visit them and feed them, I love them so much, but Jack is a nightmare with other cats! Today I was on the phone with Diane and Jack SAW one of them and went into a FIT. Yowling mercilessly, making horrible noises … when Diane and I got off the phone she said, well I have to go, and you better go take care of Psycho Kitty. 🤣 Jack now has a new nickname!
I too wondered about that scenario! 🤪
ox
Margot
He’s getting better! Sometimes the other kitties are there, and Jack ignores them!!! I hope someday they can come in and live in peace together!
I expect he wanted to make sure they heard him and that the house was his territory and they were not welcome. Kitties are so funny sometimes. But he had Girl Kitty out at MV….Hummm…? He has certainly become possessive of you. lol 🙂
Welcome HOME SWEET HOME to CA💕❤️💕 Was there a delivery on August 14??
A-lo-ha-ha💕🌸💕Evie
And YOU!!!!! Thank you darling, what a beautiful surprise, the white flowers glow under Joe’s lamp! SO romantic and beautiful!! XOXOXOX
💕🌸💕🌸💕🌸💕
YOU!😘
Welcome home 🏡 ❤️!
Happy unpacking and decorating/enjoy the late summer and drift into fall 🍂 !
Blessings on your sweet forever home.
We too have done the downsizing. It is amazing how you can fit things in just like your did in your new laundry room. Decorating a new place can be such fun, and you have a tremendous eye! I think of when you first saw Agnes’s house on the island and could look past what was there to what could be there 💕 Thinking of you! Looking forward to hearing and seeing what emerges.
Me too!
Susan, it’s so wonderful to see you getting settled in and Jack starting to feel more at home. Since the home is smaller he stays with you and Joe more, doesn’t he? I enjoyed reading you newsletter and look forward to the next one. So glad it’s getting closer to Fall here in Vieginia. It’s been a miserable summer with heat and humidity.
Susan – I’ve also experienced that pull…. that undefined feeling which makes me get up at night. Sometimes just a walk through the house and a look out the windows can settle me. It’s not a bad feeling at all – just something necessary.
I’m so glad you’re getting settled and that your “arranging” is a positive, fun experience.
It’s all about making your home and your life comfy and safe. But you know that.
Looking forward to seeing how it all comes about.
And, yes, green is good!
Looks like you’re making great progress! Your home is beginning to look very cozy, and Jack seems to be settling in! I’ve never heard of a “double wide”. Can you take a picture of what you home looks like outside? I’m assuming it’s like a ranch where everything is on one floor, just longer horizontally… I’d love to see it… Soon you will be all settled in just in time for fall and the holidays! Can’t wait to see what you come up with when you decorate! 👏🏻
Yes, that’s it! I think I have some pictures . . .
I know exactly the feeling you are talking about at the end, it sent me out to look at the meteor showers in the middle of the night this week! 💫
God bless you, Joe and Jack in your new home sweet home! 🏡 ❤️
Welcome back to the West Coast! I have been checking each day to see if you three made it safely home to California, and found this today. Settling in will be continuing a while, but how great to be on one level and breathing air with some sea goodness in it! Hugs from Oregon, Suzette
I am always so sorry when your writing ends for this time. Happy to hear you are settling in and Jack is well. One of our favorite trips is up the coast to your area. When you have a chance you must visit the antique shops in Cayucos. And Harmony Glassworks on Highway 1 just past there, although I am sure you have been there before! And you must go for pie at Linn’s in Cambria! I had the best Tuna Melt that I have ever had there this last spring! And the pie is wonderful!
I need ALL that! Haven’t made time yet, but my Angel Card was “spontaneity” today!💖
Welcome Home! So happy to see Jack adapting to his new surroundings. Change is not easy but he looks as irresistible as ever. Just takes a little time like you said. I can’t believe how much you have already accomplished. Well Done. You have always been such a wonderful little worker Bee. You inspire us. It must be so nice to be able to do all the arranging and decorating with such perfect weather. Here in RI, we are finally getting cooler nights and not such stifling days. We are savoring these last Summer weeks yet also so looking forward to Fall after such a humid Summer. Our cabin in Maine is small. When we bought it they called it the Doll House. We love it there. The kitchen is a fraction of the size of our kitchen in RI. I am so happy in that cottage style kitchen with pretty Martha Stewart cabinets with a color called Rainwater. We updated it a few years ago and it is small and PERFECT. I have made Thanksgiving dinners out of that small kitchen and big family celebrations in the Summer with lobsters and steamers. Five young grandchildren running around catching fireflies, swimming in the lake, and fishing with their Grampy. I never feel cramped in that smaller house. Chores are a labor of love up there. Watching the hummingbirds, listening to the Loons and sitting by the fire outside toasting marshmallows all far outweigh the lack of storage space and tight quarters when we have company.
You are going to be so happy there. Thank you so much for updating us on your progress. xo
It’s funny how some of us are just in love with small spaces. Is it the coziness? Or how easy it is to make it perfect? Where one roll of wallpaper or a pint of paint is enough to do a room! My sister could literally live in a doll house. That’s exactly what I’m feeling now, unpacking, decorating, moving things around, cleaning, it’s all a labor of love! Would you ever move there? It sounds perfect! Going to look up “Rainwater.”😂❌⭕️💞
Well done!! I have watched you every step of the way. So much fun. Did chuckle when you encountered the bikers and then saw how close you were to Sturgiss. You must have passed quite a few? The festival was that weekend. You went from the truly godly people (your Amish friends) to the ungodly (I am assuming there were a few Hells Angels on the way to Sturgiss) I really love what your doing, my favorite thing to do is decorate my house, and I have a million questions but after reading the blog and Twitter, I have one big question. How in the world does Joe give Jack two shots a day?? My kitty won’t have anything to do with me for hours after he gets meds. Joe must be the cat whisperer. Black and white and green, you can’t go wrong. Enjoy every minute. You deserve it. Debby
I don’t know. Jack doesn’t seem to feel it. In fact he will jump on the counter when it’s time, remind us, and it’s not a problem. And he is not your normal lazy day cat. We’d expect him to give us more trouble. But we think he likes the attention. Do you give your cat insulin? Joe gives it to Jack in the scruff of his neck. We could NEVER give him a pill unless we hide it in food he’s not even allowed to eat!!!
No insulin, he was a stray that found us and had to have several teeth pulled to make him healthy again. It was a nightmare, several different pills a day for awhile. He was mad at me all the time. Cats crack me up.so tell me about the bikers you saw. The one in the picture didn’t look like he wanted his picture taken. What a coincidence to go exactly where they were having their yearly get together. Also where is your fine romance van? I have two large porches and a gazebo that I decorate seasonly. I have black and white pillows and then add pink, or red, or green or orange. All seasons covered. Black white red and green are my favorite.
I did the same in my Island house. Mostly white living room furniture, and then any colors for the seasons. We’ve seen biker meetings in the midwest almost every time we’ve passed. It feels almost the same as seeing lots of Amish in the Chicago train station … they clearly identify themselves by what they wear and have a life style I am completely unfamiliar with. So it’s with interest I look at them. I thought the two I took a picture of looked rather normal … like guys I might have known who’d gotten dressed up for the event! But there were a bunch at a gas station that were a bit disarming. I forget their name (on their jackets) but I looked it up after we got out of there, and I was glad I didn’t know who they were while I was flitting (a little nervously) off to the McDonalds and Joe was out there filling the gas tank, flapping in the breeze next to them all alone! We drove our Fine Romance Van . . . it’s just black now, we finally peeled off the decoration since that’s what it clearly wanted us to do!!!
Welcome Home to California! Glad you made it safely. Love how you are decorating your home, your pictures are worth a thousand words. Can’t wait to see pictures after you finish unpacking everything.
We have the best weather along the Coast don’t we? It’s starting to feel like fall in the Bat Area as well. The leaves are starting to turn already in places.
Happy Decorating!
Sounds like you, Joe and Jack had a good adventure heading out west. It was quite an undertaking. I know what you mean. I moved from a 5,000 square foot Victorian house to a much larger ranch. It is 300 acres. It has 3 huge barns, a massive hay barn, a work shop and 2 story stable. However, it had a 1200 square foot home. We tried to make it work but we had so many antiques and belongings we added on and increased it to 2,500′. We had to get rid of so many things we loved. Now all these years later we are content. We abandon the idea of building a larger home. It is so much easier to keep things up. Here’s a bit of a secret. One of the barns still has some of the beautiful antiques we couldn’t part with. LOL. Where you live now sounds wonderful.
Treese/Colorado Cowgirl
As long as I’m not paying for storage for things I’m not using, I’m good! Barns on your property! Yay!😂
Welcome back to California! I love your descriptions of the weather in CA. I love your Glad game. The stories I read growing up, the same as you, greatly influenced me! I find the same joy! I love literary quotes too!! The very last one at the very bottom is a great one! Thanks for the downsizing inspirations!! Thanks for being you, Sue! 🌹
What would we be without the Glad Game? I don’t even like to think!!!😘
Me either! I would be a different person!❤️❤️🌹
Having moved numerous times over the many years of marriage, due to my husband’s work, I know the feeling that comes with decorating a new home. I have found that my tastes in decor have changed over the years. I now love the antiques that we have inherited from family, and I would love to be able to say that I have lived in New England. Never meant to be, though. Living on the West coast is about everything that I love – mountains and water, so I feel blessed. I hope your new home continues to be a source of pleasure for you, Joe and Jack.
,Welcome back to Arroyo Grande!!! Hope to bump into you and Joe in Traders one of these days!!! I know the feeling of moving. I sold a house I had lived in for 30 years, and 3 family members had move out of, leaving me with all the stuff they didn’t want. It wasn’t easy, but somehow I managed, while working full time, planning a wedding and planning a new house. Glad I was younger then! Be patient, take naps, and have a glass of wine, or two!!!
Excellent Advice!
If I ever ran into you at Trader Joe’s, I fear I would act like Will Ferrell’s Elf when he thought Santa was coming to the department store. I wouldn’t mean to, or even want to, it would be involuntary! Mildly embarrassing for you, and tremendously embarrassing for me. Especially as I’m escorted to the car and informed I’m banned for life from TJ’s state wide!!😂
Welcome home to California! We’re an even better state because you and Joe are in it!🧡
Thank you for sharing your travels and talents ! Sending best wishes from Saginaw Michigan
So happy to see you made it safely to your new (old) home in CA. Jack seems to be settling in nicely — supervising your unpacking and decorating! I give you a lot of credit for undertaking such a huge move! Thanks for sharing so that we all know that you’re settling in nicely. We care! ❤️ Looking forward to your next blog!
Your “friend” from rural northwest NJ.
Susan as always you lead the way. I’m moving too the spring of 25, from 3500 sq ft in Oregon plus office 1500 sq ft so close to CA which I love and my husband is from, to a tiny 1200 sq ft house on the gulf coast of MS. I’m so happy to think of you in the soft weather of CA. I love New England too but hard weather. I am releasing and letting go right now. I like you am a collector! All my books, garden things influence my artwork. But I’ve seen you do it! I can do it. I ask myself will this fit in my new life? Thanks for sharing your journey it means more than you know❤️❤️❤️
It’s hard to leave behind so many things you love in order to fit into your new life, but the GREAT thing is, when you do it and get to your new house, you find yourself surrounded by the creme de la creme, all your very best, most important things. My house looks more like a museum now! And I love it! It actually makes be giggle to walk around here. And the things you leave behind end up with friends, family, still within your community, and your history lives on in the place you loved so much. You get to feel yourself in the circle of life and just feel lucky and grateful.💖 Good luck! ❌⭕️
Hi Susan, Welcome home! So glad you are back, safe and sound! I loved seeing the pictures of your “new” home, the best for me, was psycho Jack the little helper…What are Angel Cards?
Happy belated birthday to Joe and happy unpacking, and settling in!
Lots of love from Nicoline
xoxo
They were popular here in the 80s, a little pack of cards with a different word on each of them … Words like HOPE, TRUTH, SPONTANEITY, COMPASSION, CLARITY, SIMPLICITY, and so many more … All the perfect words. The idea is to draw a card each day and have thoughts around it, practice it, look up the definition and then define it for yourself, things like that. Here, I’ll draw one for you now . . . First I’ll turn into Nicoline … give me a moment . . . ommmm . . . 😌. . . ok ~ Got it! My fingers tingled, the card demanded that I take it, I did, and it’s “CREATIVITY.” Obviously it could TELL it was you! ❌⭕️ Now I’ll do me, haven’t done one yet today, deep breath, ommmmm . . .Oh Boy … I got “SPONTANEITY!” I need some of that! Happy Day Nicoline!
Oh wow, thank you deary, that’s great! I think these kinds of things help you appreciate the good/pretty/happy things in life!
Heading back to the quilt I’m working on, hoping that little miss Kitty (naughty ginger one, who doesn’t listen to her name…) will move…and NOT pretend she’s fast asleep…
Happy sunday!
xxxxx Nicoline
Thank you Susan for this most wonderful update! Been so anxious, wondering…
Are they there yet? Has Jack been going mad in the car? etc. So happy you are having so much fun figuring out the best way to arrange every little thing you love. Oh the pleasure of opening a box of one’s own dear treasures!
“Making a home is still my favorite thing to do.” Me too! Like you I discovered this as a girl in my bedroom in my parents’ house, and have continued to LOVE it at each dorm room, apartment, house, and even hotel room I’ve called home for a little or a long time. It is SO much fun to solve the little puzzles a new space, and old beloved things to be arranged in it, always gifts us with.
The first morning picture of Jack is priceless!!! Hope he settles in and achieves detente with the two kitties already in residence in the goat barn. Do we have goats as well???
Lots of love to you and Joe and Jack. Thank you for SHOWing us how to face life’s challenges with a positive attitude, enthusiasm, and creativity.
xoxox love Coco
“The little puzzles!” Perfect words . . . No goats! I do love them though ~ we used to have them living next door! The family who lived here before us raised goats, that’s why it’s called the goat barn, but it was just a roof and cement floor. We enclosed it to use it as a warehouse to ship books and other things from when my business was in this house … it’s still the goat barn!💖
The little puzzles in a little house are more like a Rubic’s Cube! Slide one box out of the way to move the right box 📦 into the group you are currently unpacking; then …what way is the new kitchen rhythm stirring with the right hand so the spoon crock goes there and plates on the same side or the other. 😵💫
Unpack the pretty quilts first and take a nap! 😴
I love your father’s spoon! How special that you have that. It reminds me of the Welsh love/marriage spoons that I have seen on the British Antiques Roadshow. It’s an old Welsh custom for a young man to carve a beautiful and unique spoon for his bride. There’s lots on Google about the custom too. Was your father of Welsh descent by any chance?
Most of all, wish you and Joe many years of love and joy in your California home!
Irish! Pretty close! All hand-carved too … he was a very talented man. 💖 Thank you!
I’m so happy to read you’ve arrived safe and sound and are busy settling in! Your “new” home sounds and looks lovely. It’s terrific how we humans can adapt and change as our lives and circumstances unfold. Blessing to you, Joe and Jack as you continue to unpack and begin this new chapter!
Oh how truly lovely your new laundry room is!! It’s like a mini version of your Martha’s Vineyard one, you’ve captured the very essence of it. I love hearing your joy at getting to decorate and make your place feel completely home with all of your fave things around you. We recently moved and my new home is more modern than I’d like. I’m more about old cottages with wooden floorboards, bullnose verandahs, antique furniture and plates on walls so I’m not quite sure what to do with our current home. I have a feeling there’s a country style home in my future so I’ll wait for that. I have been making a lovely little garden out the back. The fam and I are living in the tropics in Australia so I’ve been planting a succulent garden and incorporating drought tolerant plants. It’s a different style of gardening but hearing the checkout lady at the hardware store tell me how happy she was I’d chosen a Dessert Rose plant and all about how she’s gotten her daughter to fall in love with them and at there’s even a fan club for other avid Dessert Rose growers/gardeners out there made me think I could definitely enjoy this new change. I look forward to seeing more of your lovely home and your amazing driveway (I’d move there simply for that driveway, what a beautiful entrance) and hearing all the tales of your settling in and Jack’s adventures. Thank you for blessing us with this amazing Willard xoxoxoxo
You’re Australian, Melissa? Or, or did you move there from somewhere else? Sounds like such interesting surroundings! This is one of the things I LOVE about having a blog! Other lives, other surrounds, other seasons, other countries, and all kindred spirits!! Yes, a garden and connection to nature, that’s the real thing! ❌⭕️
G’day Susan (I should have lead with that in my message earlier 😄) yes I’m a true blue Aussie. My fam and I just moved back to Australia (aka the Land of Oz as Aussie’s affectionately call it) after 16 years in the US. There is SO much I love about the US that it really is a part of me. My hubby is a Texan. Two of our sons were born in the US while we were there and my eldest was born in the Outback of Australia but is a dual citizen as are his brothers). I brought all of my precious “Susan books” with me. I miss being able to pop into my grocery store in Michigan (Meijer) and buy your Calendar, mini calendar, handbag size calendar, desk top jotter calendar (and not just for myself but multiples for friends and fam) like I used to but that’s ok I still have your blog and still have your beautiful books filled with your art plus I have a sweet little photo frame by you that sits on my desk. Truly your blog has been such a lovely staple in my life and reading it reminds me of all the wonderful things about the US and brings back beautiful memories of our time there. I’m a fan for life. You’re a true blessing to all of us ladies no matter where in the world we are. Do you know of any other Aussie Susan blog girlfriends? (It’s ok if I’m the only one representing the girlfriends down under 🥰) 🐨 🦘 🇦🇺
Isn’t it amazing how we can connect now from everywhere? Just a gift! I’m pretty sure we have other Aussies checking in! I’m going to watch more closely! xoxoxo
Welcome back to California! We just downsized and made the big move from Minnesota back to the warm, sunny weather of Henderson, Nevada last September. We wanted to spend our 70’s and beyond in the warmth. I am looking forward to more of your decorating and settling in blogs. Jack is home!
Welcome home! Your approach to life while transitioning and downsizing to one home is inspiring. Happy discoveries as you unpack and place each item where it wants to live is something that helps to mask the work part of moving. Keeping what you love, all the stories they hold and the emotions they bring helps with the changes by being familiar and comforting. My favorite of “the keeps” is the pantry shelf that Carlton made for you so many years ago. It’s Holly Oak forever no matter where it roams – I wonder what your first home on the island looks like now. Thanks for sharing your home and garden stories as you settle in, it’s good to see and hear how well things are going. Such a delight to sleep with windows wide open. Love that!
I’m so happy, Susan, that you’re happy here in California at the beautiful Central Coast! You’re making great progress unpacking and “Susanfying” your beautiful home. I’ve been thinking of you lately and the positive influence you’ve had on me and no doubt many others. I’ve gotten into watching Cottagecore vlogs. The vloggers all seem to be millennials and Gen Zers. While I applaud the fact that so many of them have awakened to the fact that the home arts are something to appreciate and practice such as living a slower life, gardening, sewing, crafting and realizing that food doesn’t have to come out of a box but can actually be made at home from scratch (imagine that!), it seems as though they think they invented Cottagecore. You were living it before it even had a name! And the Girlfriends responded with open arms, finally feeling we had a kindred spirit who continually assures us “We’re the normal ones!”. I’m holding on to my doilies with pride and never letting go! Thank you, Susan, for showing us it’s okay to free ourselves from societal norms and trends and to accept ourselves for who we truly are. Girlfriends Forever!
So very happy you are settling into California life.I assume you left the large buffet .I loved the way you decorated it for Christmas.Can’t wait to see how you decorated for Christmas in California.I wish you so much happiness in your new life. Mary in Gloucester,Va.
You sound so happy, joyful, content in this blog. I am so pleased for you, Susan. May you always feel so blessed. Thank you for sharing all of this with us. I cannot wit to see more decorating and how you make this house cozy and yours. You make my heart happy.
Hi Susan,
So happy to see your new blog – I have been checking daily for a new one; I was starting to get worried! So glad Joe, you and Jack are there safe and sound. Your new home, even though it’s not all together yet, looks wonderful! I actually envied you getting to find new “homes” for all your precious cargo!
I wish you the best for all the years to come…….keep your blogs coming, they keep me having “warm fuzzies”!
Wendy
It’s so nice to hear that you’re happy in your “new” home and getting settled in. Jack is such a big help! 😉 I love cats 🙂 I know you’re from California, but making such a big move from Massachusetts back to California just blows my mind! A little intimidating to think of but I love your adventurous and positive outlook on things 🙂 Grateful for all the small things along the way just makes everything better, doesn’t it?
Also, it’s helpful to hear that you still have moments where everything that we all went through during the pandemic comes back in a flash of memory. I, too, have those moments and it makes me panic for a second….but you’re right – it also helps us to recall the people and things that are most precious to us and remember our priorities. I still have to have a little medicinal help managing anxiety and depression – the pandemic ended up being a little too much for me to handle mentally and I wasn’t quite as resilient as I thought. But I’m working on it 🙂
I was sad that you were leaving Massachusetts (probably because I liked to live vicariously through your posts as I’ve always wanted to live in that part of the country); however, I now look forward to hearing/seeing California adventures through your talented writing, photos and art. Who knows what kind of new inspiration will hit – it’s all a wonderful, magnificent journey!
Best wishes in your new adventures, Susan, Joe and Jack! <3
Wow!!! Impressive progress Girlfriend. And you got caught up with the blogging too. We
If you know of any antique stores in your area, they love the packing paper and some boxes too. That’s what I did, because the movers don’t offer a box pickup anymore. I also have young Air Force neighbors moving. The Base recycled the cruddy ones.
Loved that pantry shelf from way back!
TJ’s is over 2 hours from me. All Interstate.
Glad you kept the purple Johnson dishes! So great for Thanksgiving, and how about mixing with Forest Green for Christmas!
OXOX ox
Margot
I have been anxiously waiting and checking everyday for this Willard! I will miss Martha’s Vineyard but am looking forward to experiencing California through your wonderful blogs. I think you and Joe should give yourselves a HUGE pat on the back for your achievement in transplanting across the country and I sincerely hope it is the beginning of a new and fabulous chapter of life- I’m sure it will be! But one thing worries me….what will your new daily walk be?? ☺️
Can’t wait to see and hear more…..even more beautiful as you and Joe put your home together. I’m sure it my take a bit, but Jack will make this home his castle too! The gardens are amazing as well.
Thank you, Susan, for sharing your cross-country adventures and the creative ways of decorating your “new” home! You shared your daily walks back on the island, but my question is, do you and Joe have a new “daily path” and destination to walk, talk, and listen to the audio books? Best wishes for love and joy in your new abode!
Been anxiously looking for your blog letting us know you arrived in california!! Finding it today was such a great surprise!! Great to know Willard will keeping coming!!
Long distance moves are a challenge especially with downsizing along with it!!
You have the healthy way of dealing with the challenges!!
We moved from ne Ohio to nw Florida 8 yrs ago!! Downsized from 4000 sq ft to 1200 sq ft !!
Fortunately our 3 adult dtrs and 6 grandkids wanted alot of the 40 plus yrs of collecting !! Now when we visit them it is a pleasure to enjoy our items again!! Especially the Christmas ones!!
We are blessed that they requested the items!!
Looking forward to pics of the cross country adventure!!
Stay positive and enjoy the feathering of your california “nest”!
Nurse Nancy
I forgot to mention, there is a wonderful Cambria Nursery and Florist on a hill in Cambria with wonderful plants and a couple of gift shops. Check it out!
Welcome home! So happy to share your adventure across country, and for sneak peeks of how Heart of the Home comes to life. I recently redid my bookshelf and enjoyed rereading my collection of all of your books. I recognized that some of my favorite habits and pleasures were learned from your books – keeping houseplants, little vases filled with flowers, many little collections of special things – my kitchen has a collection of copper baking tins and chicken wire baskets, pretty dish towels as curtains and on the oven, so much of your influence. Excited to watch you renew your space. Enjoy and much love to you and Joe.
Welcome back to California! Yes, it’s a lot of work unpacking, but what fun finding new homes for everything you love. I so agree with you. It’s challenging but rewarding to make your new space home-y. You are doing a great job so far. I got a kick out of your blog and how Jack has been helping you!
I find myself constantly rearranging things in my semi-small home (1471sf). I just love changing things around. Each time it’s like I’m living in a different home. I keep only things I absolutely love. Keep up the good work. Your home will be absolutely adorable when you are all finished.
And suddenly thought of another thing. You should follow Floret Farms if you aren’t already. She is a master at gardening and they have books (one about dahlias) and workshops online and all kinds of resources. floretflowers.com/
Dear Susan,
Would you consider creating a pack of angel cards to sell on your site? I’d buy them for myself and friends! As if you aren’t busy enough! Just a thought 😇
As overwhelming as it can be, it is a joy to unpack and put your new home in order. I can say that now, whereas ten years ago when we downsized to our vacation home in the mountains and had to combine two houses worth of stuff into one smaller home, I broke down when confronted with the guest room where we had stuffed all the boxes yet to be unpacked. I can remember wondering in despair where it would all go. That was after we had filled a new rented storage unit where the movers had delivered a lot of the stuff. Our vacation cabin had been built for that – not for a year-round home with lots of storage. No basement, no garage, no accessible attic, and only 1440 square feet. But we got it to work and hid things like paint cans and tools in a crawl space. This year we finally had our primary bed and bath addition built and we were able to empty out the storage unit. Won’t miss that bill (nearly $200/month for 100 square feet!). It was so wonderful after ten years to meet up with our boxes of books (had two bookcases built in our addition), family mementos, and a couple of pieces of antique furniture (and then things like the ancient exercise bike which we ended up taking to the dump). We’re enjoying re-organizing and shuffling things around, and doing some more purging (really we didn’t need to keep everything we’d saved). It’s a lot easier this time around. So, I know how rewarding it can be to re-create your home. Glad to hear how you’re settling in, and the weather sounds divine!
Dear Sue,
Glad your trip went well. Wishing you all a happy home and a great new adventure
Lillian O,
So glad you and Joe (and Jack!) are settling in. I bet Jack is enjoying inspecting EVERY inch of the new place!🐈⬛😊
I love all the tiny adorable details! Every inch of your house… and every item in it, seems special and lovingly arranged. I just LOVE it!
And I love green… 💚 and orange, too… 🧡and yellow and golds 💛etc. The colors of Autumn are very warm and inviting.. and that’s your house! And that’s you! 😊 Enjoy this new adventure!
I moved home to upstate NY in 2017…remarried, have 7 kitties and a blessed life. One of my boys is diabetic also, he’s the 3rd one I’ve had on insulin. One of the others has diabetes insipidus and is on another medicine, and another one has hyperthyroidism. I love them all. So glad you’re there safely. I know what it’s like to feel like you’re home. 😊 If you liked Lilac Girls, Sunflower Sisters is by the same author and one of the characters is an ancestor of a character in the other book. I think there is one more book, Lost Roses.
Oooh Susan! It’s looking beautiful! I get very emotional… I feel like I’ve lived on Martha’s Vineyard all these years with you too… the dinner parties… the gardens… the quilts on the line… blowing in the breeze… the birds… the sunsets… the full moons… everything… I’ve walked the trail with you and Joe down thru the woods to the sea… I’ve played morning science… sigh… and now a new place to make memories! Did Petey make the journey ok? Where will all your Beatrix Potter things go? So many things I’m anxious to see again! Is there a place for you and Joe to walk each morning? I know your magic touch wil make it your home 🏠 sweet home 🏡❤️ Sending love! Now I’m off to order some things from your shop, xo Julie Marie
Petey is on my dresser looking “mahvalas” as my mom would say. Some of my BP friends are on the kitchen window sill, there’s one in the guest room, and the rest are in my studio. If we walk around our property 9 times, that’s 3 miles! It isn’t in the woods or at the shore, but maybe we’ll plant some trees and make a real path so it will be better!
You just make my day every time I see a new post! I tell everyone my favorite blogger posted today! So glad it is going well with you and it is so encouraging – this downshifting and creating new can be done with joy. Thank you for sharing it all with us.
So glad you made it! So many girlfriends with good thoughts for a smooth transition for you, Joe, and Jack!
My birthday is a couple of days before Joe’s and so I’ve been in birthday mode and doing a few fun things in spite of the 100+ degree weather here in North Texas. I did get a wonderful cake this year made from scratch. A brown butter funfetti cake. It was delicious. The brown butter made it amazing and the sprinkles made it party worthy! So fun!
Did I miss reading Vicki Victoria? Hmmm, fill us in?
She’s new to the team!🤣 Or actually, new again! Was so settled in our last house, I haven’t really noticed her for a very long time! Not as much as now!!
So happy for you and for settling in! Love to see Jack getting acquainted with California and laughed at his reaction to the barn kitties. Have fun with settling in (no, really!) and looking forward to hearing more.
Where’s your box of abnormal clothes, LOL? 🙂
Must be all the rest of them!!!
Welcome ‘Home Sweet Home,’ Susan, Joe & Jack!!💕 You have been on our hearts as you traveled across the country making your way back home. “Life takes us to unexpected places, but love brings us home.” (We have a pillow with these words… and they ring so true!) Your home is looking so nice and cozy already, Susan! I’m so glad that you began setting up your studio area right away! It won’t be long until you and Joe have time to explore some of your favorite places along the Central Coast. It might even feel like you are on vacation for a while. I’m so intrigued by your goat barn. Do you have any special plans for it?
Heartfelt thanks for being a wonderful role model for all of us who will be making the wise decision to downsize in the coming years! 💕
Sending huge hugs from Illinois!
🩷 Dawn
We might make it into an office for Joe, OR make it into a little rental house, or maybe a VRBO or whatever they’re called. One day at a time! Always love hearing from you Dawn, thank you for the sweet words!💖💖💖
Artichokes bloom??!!?? AB FAB, one of my favorite color combos. Thank you for giving us this Wonderful peek into your California Dream. We can see that Jack has been Very helpful. Of course, making time to try out all the perches and make them his own. What a Good Boy!
The artichoke brought back fun memories of the Summer of 66, when my college roomie and I drove cross country, FL to California. We entered by way of a very Southern route. Stopped for a picture of a billboard in a town claiming to be The Artichoke Capitol of the World. Also stopped at a garlic festival. Names of towns escape me, but I have the Brownie Box Camera pictures to Prove it. We were 20 and totally clueless about being adults. We now share being 79 and getting Hearing Aids!!! 😉
Love you So Much, Dear Heart. Happy Fit to Burst!!
Thank you for this tour. We’re looking forward to watching everything find its resting place.
Debbie in Maine…having the nicest, coolest August we can remember…Windows and doors wide open, snuggled under a prized quilt given to me by a friend, master quilter, in the Utah mountains.
Nice to hear about your August!!!!! 👏👏👏👏👏💞
I am so glad you made it safely! Jack will settle in and your words of comfort are so true. Change is hard- giving up your old way of life for a new one takes courage. I would bring you salt, herbs, bread and wine for luck in your new home but I’ll just have to send my blessings virtually.
xxooxx
Gabi
❌⭕️
Oma ( still in rehab) and I enjoying your newsy Willard. What joy you bring and we are beyond grateful for it. Oma blowing kisses to Joe….hope you don’t mind 😳😆😘
No, I think he’s LUCKY! XOXOXO
Oh, Susan,
the old range! Did you leave that too? I love love love that old stove like my mum had when I was little! I hope you don’t miss it too much. Jack’s face is so expressive, says it all! Love ya all! And bless your hearts, I need to get rid of so much of our stuff, soon! Our 1800 foot space is too full!
God bless from AZ.
We did leave it. Because we think we want to switch over to electricity … and in this house, being a double wide, everything is built in. No room for a free standing stove. I don’t miss it. I was gifted to have it as my own for all those years. I just feel lucky! one you Dezi!
So happy that you all are home again!!!!!! Well done, and inspiration for the rest of us!!!!!!!!!
Hugs & Kisses
Susan, So happy you all made it safely home to Ca. Jack seemed to enjoy the road trip too. I hope you brought his ironing board! lol
Sue, I have 2 items to recommend from Trader Joe’s !. jar of Bruschetta about $3. I think maybe less (over near the spaghetti sauces, and 2. pkg of marinated artichokes for 1.29 delicious in salads . I always have those 2 items. they are usually near the jarred artichokes. Blessings to all of you. Your home looks beautiful and you are radiating happiness. x0
Thank you! We have the artichokes, totally agree, yummy . . . will try the Bruschetta!
Do you know that your Jack looks like Hercule Poirot? Been on a Agatha Christie reading kick lately and just had to comment. I’m glad you are home and getting settled and no matter how long it takes there is joy in the journey. We started redoing the main floor of our house in Feb. (new flooring, paint etc.) and it has taken us til now Aug. to finish. So I so understand the need to be done, but the journey has been fun and I love cleaning out and deciding what’s relavent to my life now and disposing of the rest. Our local rescue mission will probably need to bring a truck just for my donations. 🤣🤣🤣 Enjoy!
So happy you are settling in. What a good feeling it must be to have the deciding done and the moving behind you.
Everything looks so lovely. You have the magic touch. It reminds me of the novel, The Secret Garden I am reading aloud to my daughters (21 & 17… I say “if you live here in the summer, you get read to”!) In the book Colin talks about a ‘magic’ in the garden that is making him come alive. Bit by bit, breathing in the garden air, eating, talking, getting earth in his hands is magic in his legs and in his heart. Your post reminds me of that. As you decorate you create magic in your own world.
Thank you for showing us. It looks amazing.
I also love how you ended the post with that ‘back to school feeling in the air’. This Connecticut 4th grade teacher is working on getting her classroom reading for the start of school. It smells like construction paper in the school… I love that smell!
Well, that’s it for now. Blessing to you Susan and to Joe too! Keep bringing us along for the magic.
Love, Tara
All the back to school smells in the air! So true! From brown bag lunches, baking cookies, to pencils and notebooks, all so delicious! You can tell, I loved going back to school, loved my teachers! Have fun with your kids!!! Thank you for what you do! xoxoxo
You are such an inspiration Susan. I love you and hearing all about your positivity on your move to California ♥️ 🏠 ‼️
Always love the Willard’s! I can just feel your joy as I read. So glad your Jack is adapting. Our Jack just celebrated his first year with us. We love him so. All the best to you and Joe and Jack. I’m happy you will have milder winters and be closer to others you love. Donnie
I just can’t get my head wrapped around the Reality of your Move.
I know its Right and Just On Time…an Exchange of one Beautiful Spot of Heaven for another…an Acceptance of all that we knew would be One Day…perfectly executed after Rational Reasoning Together and many Tears…
…BUT I’m really having a hard time processing the Change. I don’t do Transitions well. Too close to my own life stirrings and needs. How EVER have you coped with it all??? I feel like Im one step behind you…
THANK YOU for being Real and sharing the Hard and Good! HYGGE!
Things are looking lovely! Etsy might be a good choice for Susan Branch products as well ✨
Oh gosh, I totally know that must-go-look-at-the-stars feeling! I wake up at 2am and find myself compelled to go outside and look at the stars. I looooove watching the Big Dipper rotate on its axis over the course of the night. And I always expect to see a shooting star. The night sky is a miracle!
It is. Did you ever sleep outside in the backyard when you were a kid?
So good to see you settling in to your home. Jack seems to be involved in the decision making and enjoying it. We need to see a picture of Joe; surely you didn’t leave him behind on Martha’s Vineyard! I’m like you and love to decorate and organize. I feel better when there is a sense of order. I’m so happy for you, Joe and Jack! I’m looking forward to many more posts about your home and the surrounding landscape and towns.
That feeling … I call it wonder. The night crickets, cool breeze through open windows, summer thunderstorms with rain pounding the tin roof, synchronous fireflies, first chirp of a morning signaling bird o’clock. Those ephemeral moments of wonder are balm for the soul. Happy nesting Susan.
As always, Susan, your Willard is a delight…a “cuppa” comfort. I always look forward to it showing up in my email…it is… special. I can so identify with walking out into the night air, to take in the starry sky…breathing it all in…filling my senses. I wish you the blessings of returning to your roots, so to speak, but also the new adventure you are on, settling in, making things yours. I too had relocated -back to MA- as a widow, however- and downsized from our CT Victorian to a single wide in an over 55 community, ten minutes from the Cape. Gotta have the ocean nearby. Having visited Iceland just before the pandemic, I have embraced “hygge”- living simply, going for cozy, creature comforts…lots of candles and throws, fairy lights on an indoor ficus tree, etc…. making things my own as you are making things your own. Enjoy this newest part of your journey! Exciting! My mantra: Be blessed. Be kind. Cherish.
How much easier our decorating and fitting – into – spaces would be without books….. but I’d rather be “cluttered” and comforted, than face life without books!!
Do you guys over the pond have any worries about the mpox virus yet? I pray it wont break out… I dont think we could all take another round!
I haven’t heard of it, but there’s a new vaccine. We’re going to get it … sorta like flu now! Good luck, stay safe!
Thank you Susan for giving us a glimpse of your place in the midst of unpacking and finding nooks and crannies for your things! I love your driveway, by the way! I wish you, Joe and Jack great (continued) happiness.
PS: My daughter and grandchildren are in West Tisbury right now, dealing with the remains of Ernesto and hoping for a better day tomorrow and the rest of the week, before school starts at home in Vermont.
Been thinking about you and wondering where you were in your move across country, making this a most welcomed Willard! Loved seeing the opening chapter of your new life in California. I am an East Coast girl myself, same age as you and on the threshold of selling the home I built with my husband (now gone) and relocating to a smaller cottage setting. For me, mid-coast maine. I’m just at the beginning of sorting through all of my things and your posts are inspiring to me. I know all the sacrifices that you made to leave the vineyard were huge, but you have the right attitude. Because we are kindred spirits, we both know that happiness doesn’t always mean “where” we are and “what” we have. It’s what we draw from within ourselves. Looking forward to your updates and sending East Coast love and best wishes to you and Joe and Jack!
Welcome home, we miss you here on the East Coast but are so happy that you are settling and finding all your treasures. I’m still opening boxes of goodies after a year and can relate to your sentiment that it’s like Christmas! I love all Jack’s expressions! He surely has a fabulous personality! Take things slow and can’t wait to hear the next Willard! xoxoxox
I love that settling in feeling you get when you unbox all your favorite things. The weather sounds wonderful there. Jack is adorable!
I WAS SO EXCITED and happy to see new Willard. Jack is happy. I can tell. He has his spots to nap, great yard views to watch birds, butterflies and trees. I love you have so much green around you. Also I LOVE MIMOSA trees too !! I also (as a Navy brat and moved twice a year all night childhood) I love moving and a new nest to create. an adventure that will bloom with new opportunities. Wonderful. home, as you know, does not have to be big..and. KNEES don’t really like stairs. bless you both
And I’m so happy that Jack seems to be acclimating quite well, also 🙂 !!!!!!!!!!
We have 4 kitties!!
Jealous!!!
Such a lovely letter to us. Jack is always adorable and hope he’s settling in more each day. I love your positive words and the way you are looking at this move. I imagine unpacking is much like when I unpack the ornaments at Christmas but on a bigger scale. So fun!
I’m working on downsizing, but it’s going very slowly. I too am in California, but I am in the Inland Empire where the heat has been brutal for 2 months. Can’t get much done in the yards or get through the boxes in the garage. Hoping to move as well but I need to get downsized first. My husband is disabled, so I’m doing it on my own, which I’m not complaining, it’s just slower going. How did you do it with so many things that you loved and had to part with?
I can’t wait to see the garden photos, but love what you’ve shown of the driveway, artichokes and flowers in the kitchen. And those lampshades! They are soooo beautiful! I’m so enjoying seeing your treasures. I always loved them in the MV home, now we get to see some here on the West Coast.
Lovely to see and hear from you, although I do follow you on Instagram and FB. Take care, enjoy the journey and hugs to you, Joe and Jack.
Blessings,
Maureen from SoCal
I was lucky because I decided that I wanted my decor in the new place to be mostly green. So I just took everything green, and other warm colors to go with it. I figured we were going to move into 1/3rd of the space we were leaving, so I only took 1/3rd of my cups, pillows, etc. And it worked, we mostly fit. It’s way harder when you do it alone. We had a friend who was such an organized packer come and work for us every day. I would gather things on the dining table, trying to keep like with like, and she would pack them, and mark the boxes with everything inside. It worked really well. I did pack some of the boxes myself, but I don’t think we could have done it without her! Good luck Maureen. I hope you get out of that heat! xoxoxo
Your Mom is watching over you. She’s glad you’re home 💖 safe and sound.
💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖
The blog was so full of joy! Could feel the excitement of opening boxes and loving old things all over again and then finding just the right place for each one. Loved playing house with you!
Yay for your safe travel/move across the country! Jack will settle in more and more, just as long as those he loves best are near! I hope you’ll share a mailing address in order for us to continue to send you fan mail!
Kellee is getting our mail for now💞 … send to me
Susan Branch
℅ Kellee Rasor
7489 El Camino Real
Atascadero, CA 93422
❌⭕️❌⭕️
Carlton’s shelving unit reminded of the one my dad built when I was a kid. It fit on the first step up to the attic, and it was hinged so we could go up there when we needed to. It was our linen closet!
Dear Susan, it’s cheering and hopeful to read about your move and the settling in. I’m glad Jack made the trip okay, and you too. What a change. And I hear you about the lingering post-pandemic stress, possibly ptsd. To go through the pandemic and suddenly lose my husband during that time… well… it’s been the hardest chapter of my life and I’m still in it. I’m seeking therapy for ptsd to see if that could help my sad tired mind and spirit. I hope your heart is healing from that time, and you and Joe are loving life as it is now. I wish you well always, and look at your beautiful books often. Love from Hodge the cat and me in Maine. xxoo Sarah
Oh yeah Sarah, so much harder. I’m so sorry. Your “sad and tired spirit”😔 … I have felt that too. Love that you are getting therapy, I know you can bring it all back again. Sun on my face has helped me a lot. Arms wrapped around you in a big warm hug. Any chance of extended vacation somewhere faraway, quiet, and sunny? xoxoxo
So very lovely to see your perfectly imperfect new home. I moved from California to Ohio 7 years ago and I remember all those darned boxes. In fact, I just gave one of my neighbors the last of the bubble wrap as she is downsizing from a 5 bedroom home to a condo! OMG!
We’re feeling a little pre-fall weather today, but rest assured, summer isn’t over yet! It’s supposed to be 93 degrees next week!
Looking forward to seeing more of how your home is shaping up!
Yeah, if we think WE have it hard… 5 bedrooms into a condo! Yikes. 😲
That’s quite a scowl on Jack’s face in the first picture 🤣❤️
Welcome home to California! Have fun decorating the smaller home. Looks great so far! Have you ever heard of Jerusalem Artichokes? They grow them here in Lompoc – one of the few places in the country! Fields of them! Lots of good wine tasting between here, Solvang, Santa Ynez, and Los Olivos too. Looking forward to new Willards from the West Coast perspective! Jack looks content just to be with you & Joe:)
My precious little 16 month old granddaughter truly shows her appreciation of impressive things both big and small with a sparkly eyed and delighted from her toes, “WWWWOOOOWWWW!” While I am humbly impressed by allll the decisions you’ve made to find your lovelies a home, I have to admit I uttered an impressed from MY toes, “WWWWOOOOWWWW!!” when I saw the room of emptied boxes. 🥳🎉 💐 What an accomplishment! Congratulations and thank you for taking time to touch base with us. You are simply the BEST!
Happy Housewarming! Love following along and I stole some ideas from your pictures. wink wink I hung up my sieves by my sink and the wooden spoon my Dad made me by my stove! Genius! Thank you! You have inspired me to take Saturday and make it a clean up and get the sh*& out day! Time to organize and get ready for FALL! xoxo Lisa Hay in Texas 🙂
Hi Susan,
I’m so happy to hear that you arrived safely after all the miles that you traveled. I enjoyed this posting very much . . . you had me at that first picture of Jack…what a classic! He looks a bit cranky, but I’m sure he’ll adapt to his new home in good time . . . his time of course!
I’ve moved several times in my life and each time, I have always enjoyed unpacking and settling in. It’s always been a joy to make a house and/or apartment a home. Rediscovering treasures that bring comfort and memories from days gone by and finding the perfect spot for them is all part of the fun. It looks like you are having a lot of fun! I beg to differ with Thomas Wolfe . . . you can go home again! Welcome home! Franny