SO Excited!

Oh, I am so excited I don’t almost know where to begin! After a too-long deadly-quiet year… the world is waking up with a bang! with MUSICA!

I’ve been meditating every day and feel so much better!💫 (They should teach meditation in kindergarten, what a wonderful tool it is.) We put “FUN” on the calendar!💖 We’re seeing our friends!👫👭👫👭 And it’s spring!

It’s hard to be sad on beautiful days like these. Today, for the first time, we’re going to have almost 70º! It’s been a month of pink petals drifting through the spring air, the salty wind blowing up from the harbor, boat horns echoing over the island, making my heart skip a beat . . . because I’m so madly

and it seems to love me back 💖 . . . we have so much of it now . . . the dogwood is a meditation all by itself . . .

And the lilac is in bloom! In-TOX-icating smells all over the island! We just open the door and there it is! Our garden is filled with bluebells, lily of the valley, strawberries, and white bleeding heart, all in bloom now, the peonies and roses are budding . . . May is bursting out all over!

Curtains from the Peter Rabbit Room are washed, bleached, and fluttering on the line on a cool leafless morning . . .

And magnolias! Magnolias from a tree we thought wasn’t going to make it, and surprise! It was beautiful this year! Spring still comes as a surprise to me . . . the change of season brings unexpected celebrations! Who is not thrilled to see the first strawberry in the garden? You feel like you MADE something!

And the morning light ~ yes, joy unrestrained, has returned to Mudville, mighty Casey did NOT strike (totally) out!And I have to say, my joy was doubled . . .
. . . because of you . . . this is just the beginning of all the get-well, birthday cards and letters, dripping with love, empathy, hope, and commiseration I received from you darling people after my last post! How did I get so lucky? 🌷🌷🌷🌷🌷🌷

I can’t tell you how much they meant to me!💞 And if you ever want to see how kind and compassionate people can be, read the over 1000 sweet comments on my last blog post ~ and that doesn’t even count our Girlfriends on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook!🌷🌷🌷🌷🌷🌷 You know who you are . . . Thank your generous hearts forever!❌⭕️

You would think that would be enough, but nooooo, there’s still MORE to be excited about 🌸 . . . our clematis Montana is coming back and getting ready to bloom!🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸 I’m staring it into flower . . .👀

Joe put a new coat of clean white stain on the picket fence ~ look at the back compared to the front to see the before and after . . . it needed it! Making it pretty for our new dahlia garden, the tubers came yesterday! Eeek!

And where there’s a garden, there’s a kitchen…

And where there’s a kitchen, there’s me . . . it just couldn’t get much cheerier that this Trifle, except maybe for the cheeriest event we took it to . . . an INDOORS dinner party at a friend’s house, with NO masks, NO distancing ~ our darling friends around the table, together again, vaccinated thanks to the magic of genius-science which is getting us OUT from UNDER this misery!🙏 Goodbye plague, hello fun!

Simplest, prettiest, easiest dessert makes a WOW at a party that’s already a WOW from the love in the room.💞💖💞 Here’s how to make one of these beauties: layer, from the bottom, store-bought angel food cake cut into bite-sized pieces (or any cake, even brownies or cookies!), then spoon pudding or custard over the cake . . .  I made old-fashioned vanilla pudding with Agnes’s (from Holly Oak!) 1946 Joy of Cooking (could be chocolate pudding, could be lemon, could be butterscotch, could include coconut), then I placed a line of cut strawberry halves around the edge with more in the middle (instead of strawberries it could be bananas or mixed fruit), and added a layer of homemade whipped heavy cream ~ then I did it all over again, ending in whipped cream . . . so it looked like this . . .

It didn’t look like that for long . . . Grab a spoon! Strawberry Trifle makes everyone happy!😋

That’s exactly what I’ve been doing . . . arranging flowers in vases creates a happy heart!

We had a birthday party at our house and I got to do my favorite thing, set the table! At age 21 I went to my landlord’s house to pay my rent, she called “come in!” … which I did, and as I followed her voice through the dining room, into her kitchen, she unknowingly changed my life:

. . . It was the first time we had people for dinner since December 2019.💖
So much fun! I filled the house with flowers and lit the candles . . . isn’t it romantic?

It was an evening of toasting and laughing to the point of giddiness, so happy to be together, living life again . . .I made a blueberry-lemon angel food birthday cake. (I make this often to take to parties because it’s delicious, relatively low-calorie, and it’s also the birthday girl’s favorite whether it’s her birthday or not!)🎂

I also made Basil Ice Cream . . . (both of these yummy recipes are in the 30th Anniversary Edition of Heart of the Home).

. . . After a little light churning in the magical Donvier ice cream maker . . . Voila! Homemade ice cream! It doesn’t even require electricity! (Yes, you can take it outside and do it right at the table! Excellent picnic material!)

Our birthday girl loved it!

You can see we did the “ring thing,” put our rings on the cake as we always do, so there were wishes galore … she used a plate to “blow” out the candles (I had a fan, set it down somewhere, never to be seen again that night!) . . . we’ve decided in honor of the Pandemic we will no longer spit on each other’s birthday cakes!What else . . . ???

This … I took this photo through the kitchen windows over the sink, past the bird-feeders, out toward the picket-fence garden and the weeping cherry tree. See them? The lamp, roses, and just-washed-glasses from the party are on the table behind me, and reflected in the windows. So is the window behind me, so now it’s a window in a window. I see infinity in there somewhere. Blows the mind, does it not?🤣

I love it in our house just after we’ve had a party…the dishes are done, dishtowels are drying on the chairs, the house is clean (first time in a year!), it’s quiet but I can hear the laughter, there are leftovers, and I still have all the flowers! Win-win!🏡

But let’s face it ~ and I know you could tell by the MUSICA …  . . . what I’m MOST excited about is the FUN we put on the calendar! And what makes it extra fun, is that so many of you put the exact same fun on the exact same date on your (exact same 😂) calendar!

MAY 1, 2022

So, just in case you missed it, I told everyone in the last blog post that Joe and I will be sailing to England next year, on May 1, 2022 aboard the Queen Mary 2 (if you didn’t see the announcement, click on the link and scroll toward the bottom of the post for more details)  …  and if you would like to join us on the ship to call Susan Gannon at Cunard at 800-468-7752 ext. 41663 and she will personally help make your reservations and answer your questions. Mention that you want to be a part of the Susan Branch Girlfriends Group, and tell her it’s group numberTNM, voyage #M211 so she can keep track of us as a group . . .Already there are something like a hundred of us going! Together. On the ship. To ENGLAND!!! I can’t believe it! Canadian Girlfriends are coming too! I’m beside myself. (Remember in 1987 when I was wishing everyone who was writing me such wonderful letters could meet each other? But of course in 1987, how could that happen?? And now, miracle, here we are!) Susan at Cunard told me lots of our fellow travelers have never been on a ship before … and many have never been out of the country! Even more exciting! Brave Girls! I promise, I’m going to help! But look ⬇️ . . . isn’t it heaven?

If you CAN’T join us . . . don’t worry, we will take you virtually . . . you’ll feel as though you are with us . . .  I’ll be blogging too ~ I probably won’t be the only one! And it’s not too late to join us . . . although I did hear the ship is selling out fast. We aren’t the only people who want an adventure after what we’ve all been through! I mean if we’re going to re-invent ourselves, why not do it on a ship to England! And they are giving us until December 31 to cancel for a full refund! (This is a whole post of win-wins!)💝

Kellee added a travel page on Facebook in case you’d like to meet up with fellow travelers ahead of time, talk about the trip, ask questions, and get more information. Don’t plan too far ahead until I get a chance to show you some things … That’s where I’ll put the link to the tours so you can make reservations and it’s where I’ll update information. But of course, no one has to take a tour, you can make plans there to do things amongst yourselves… everything is good! We have LOTS of time. Just consider this something you don’t have to worry about anymore. Because we’re doing this together! And because we’re a group, Cunard is giving us a special “on-board credit” to spend on the ship … which means we can have a massage, or buy souvenirs or perfume, or clothes, or jewelry, or wine in the stores, or have a glass of champagne at the Veuve Clicquot Bar! I’m so happy! You know it’s very fun to share something you love with people you care about.❤️

It’s the North Atlantic, windy and wild and beautiful, so we don’t often get days like this on board the ship, but when we do, ooo, la la!

This was one of our rooms . . . We’ve stayed all over this ship and we’ve always been happy, and Petey’s not picky! It’s the land of nooks and crannies, there’s a place for everything no matter how much you bring! You will be wined and dined . . .

as elegantly or as casual as you like ~ this is the beautiful Britannia Dining Room . . . but there is also a HUGE cafeteria style restaurant with literally every food on earth, and, coup de grâce, they have Room Service . . . You will not go hungry.

They will bring you breakfast in bed (COZIEST of beds, down comforters & pillows, but of course, I bring my own pillow!), a midnight snack, or afternoon tea, whatever you like including French fries! Cuddle in and read while you eat your fries if you want to. There are no rules! It’s your voyage to do with what you wish. No need to bring a tea kettle, they have one in every room! (And in every room you’ve booked in England. We are talking civilized!👍)

I hope we get a day like this in New York when we board! Notice there are no crowds? It’s just not crowded on this ship. 

We never know, but in all our crossings, it’s never been unbearable even for a moment. It’s a huge ship and very stabilized, but if you get a little seasick, which I have done, you can celebrate by taking the tiny white pills they give you in Sick Bay, and go to bed and be deliciously happy while gently rocked to sleep in your cozy jammies, under your down covers in nature’s arms. I’m never sorry. Sometimes Miss Potter is on TV. I love to sleep. Joe brings me crackers and soup. I don’t let it stop me. It goes away. Just remember, you can never be disappointed if you keep your expectations low. Everything is good! Mostly better than good! But nothing is perfect!

 As the people who were sitting at the six tables around this nightmare can attest! The waiters light food on fire in the dining rooms, flaming Steak Diane, Bananas Foster, Crepe Suzette, etc ~ very festive . . . but this time a flame went too high and licked the fire sprinklers and SURPRISE! Very quick movement of people OUT of their chairs, flinging themselves across the room! Everyone else grabbing their cameras! Poor waiters were rushing out with buckets, trying to stop it as fast as they could . . . no one was upset, most people were laughing and feeling bad for them, and trying to help by staying out of the way! But yes, things happen. And that’s where the stories are . . . that’s what you’ll be telling about and remembering for years to come! Travel isn’t always easy ~ nothing is normal, you are not going to be able to find anything the entire time, but when you get home, you forget all that and just wallow in the fact you DID it, you enlarged your heart and soul, you found beauty, you made yourself smarter, you became an inspiration, you spread sunshine and made the English people love our country because of who you are, you saw the world!

For those of you who are wondering what you will do in England once you get off the ship, and perhaps you’d rather not drive? We have it covered! One of our Girlfriends (Thank you Janice!) told me about a travel agency that specializes in small groups and providing knowledgeable, experienced, personable guides ~ I had a long talk with them and they are putting together four or five different tours for you to choose from. They will collect you and your luggage at the ship . . . and along with other Girlfriends (and boyfriends too), they will drive you through the . . .

…English countryside to many of the places I wrote about in  A Fine Romance . . . for instance, here, to Rosemary Verey’s Garden ~ and also, depending on which tour you choose, to Bath, the Cotswolds, The Garden of England, to Blenheim Palace, Hidcote, Hever Castle, and SO MUCH MORE!!! Wait till you see! They will take care of everything, your hotel reservations and meals . . . You can choose which part of the country you’d like to see … it’s a win-win because all of the tours look wonderful! There’s so much to see! And everyone on your tours will be a kindred spirit! You will get the lay of the land, see how easy it is, and be able to do it again all by yourselves next time!

And don’t forget all of the UK (and much of the world) will be celebrating the Platinum Anniversary of Queen Elizabeth . . . the first time ever in history, beloved and longest-serving monarch 🇬🇧 … cities and towns will criss-cross their streets and homes in flags and bunting! You’ll be part of history!

You’ll dine in tea rooms and eat in charming pubs, no two alike, and see wonderful handmade houses and dovecotes, not to mention . . .

fabulous gardens, big ones and little ones, and castles too … .

And in May, the bluebells will be in bloom! Baby chicks and ducks will be running around. Lambs will be cavorting! I know some of us are in total squeeeeeee-mode right now, and I am one of them!

If you ARE planning to drive, be sure to read the Rules of the Road for the UK so you know what all the squiggly lines on the road mean. Each tour will finish in London, close to the airport for your flights home. No one should think about leaving London without riding a big red double-decker bus for a bird’s eye view of Big Ben (which was hit but not destroyed by a bomb in WWII, and only lost one second in the process🇬🇧) , and no one should go without experiencing the handmade-glory of Westminster Abbey. If an eight-day tour isn’t long enough, you could take two tours, or you can stay in London for a few days . . . So many possibilities ~ maybe a few of you would want to join together for a tour to Scotland, just ask the travel person. If enough of you want to go, I would imagine they would make it happen. I will put the tour contact information on Facebook and Instagram very soon, also on Twitter, and here on the blog … as soon as I get a few more details ~ because I just realized I want them to take you to a Waitrose Supermarket. I love seeing wonderful food stores when I travel. Great place to get “English things” to take home. But don’t worry, all the answers will be here for you as time goes by. I should tell you, I don’t personally have any connection to this travel agency, but it has been “Girlfriend Approved” and talking to them was a pure pleasure (you’ll see), they are on our same wavelength, travel-wise. Joe and I won’t be on any of the tours, we’ll be off on our own adventure . . . perhaps we will run into you along the way! We’ve met Girlfriends out on walks in the middle of nowhere on other trips, so I wouldn’t be a bit surprised! (Pic above: Across a wide field I saw this woman waving at us while we were out on a walk. She looked so welcoming! But, who was she? Did I go to high school with her? We didn’t recognize her! … We started talking and discovered she was one of us! I forget I have a familiar face to some people; tall Joe, in his beret, is like a very handsome neon sign, but it’s still always a surprise! Isn’t that fun?)

I’m also working on a ship-board schedule of things for us to do together on the crossing! Surprises you are going to LOVE. Some I can’t wait to tell you about, but some I hope I can keep to myself until the bitter end!🤐 Because surprises are good! It’s just hard for me to keep them a secret! Do bring your knitting, crocheting, or embroidery project if you have one. If you want to bring a cellphone, check with the cellphone people near you and find out how to get a Sim Card (an iphone will work just as it is, without a different Sim Card, but it will be much more expensive to make calls ~ as you know, I’m not a phone expert 🤣 ~ Google whatever you want to know about traveling with your phone in Europe ~ and ps, we’ve discovered 16th century stone houses are not conducive to cell phone use, but that’s okay, because we’ll be in ENGLAND and we can always go outside!❤️ The joy of traveling is that things are NOT the same as they are here! How boring THAT would be! Don’t forget to go to the Cunard website, click on “The Experience.” It will give you lots of information, including “what to pack.” The North Atlantic is not Florida, so be sure to bring a jacket. A warm rain jacket with hood will be something you will like on board the ship and in England too, and perhaps, the tiniest umbrella you can find for your jacket pocket. They have a wonderful big gym and a pool on the ship . . . We’ll talk about clothes probably all the way until we go! Also, are you interested in genealogy? Have you had your DNA done? It might be something you would like to do in this next year . . . It’s good to know where you come from, anytime actually, but especially BEFORE a trip like this ~ just in cases you end up in your ancestral town! You’ll want to take an extra-deep breath of that air!These are wonderful movies to watch when you’re going to England. Also, try to read or listen to The Splendid and the Vile . . . SO good ~ we loved it! Story of Churchill and England 1940 to 1941 … you need to know the kind of people 💞 you’ll be dealing with. There are more book suggestions on page 181-182 of A Fine Romance!
You can get notification of new blog posts in your email box, so you won’t miss anything if you go HERE!

This, as always when we travel, will be my only problem. We are madly in love now. He’s at the perfect age for mad love. And me too. Someone needs to tell me how we leave him! Off I go Girlfriends, I’ve talked your ear off long enough. I know you’ll have lots of questions, don’t worry, we’ll answer them all as we go . . . we’re lucky we have such a long time to prepare! The anticipation will be exquisite! If you need to hear the unofficial anthem of Great Britain, HERE you go. 
Love you!🌷🌷🌷

Posted in Blog | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 282 Comments

A WALK IN THE WOODS WITH ENGLISH STORYBOOK

Hello Everyone ♥️ . . . I’m baaaaack . . . with MUSICA!

I’v always thought of myself as a lucky girl because I was born with the happy gene . . . I’m the one that wrote:That’s probably part of the reason I didn’t recognize the overwhelming feelings of loss that descended like a black cloud early in February and left me sitting on the couch, staring into space, wondering if I should go to the emergency room. I couldn’t even express the symptoms. What could this shaky, unmoored feeling of being perched on the edge of a razor blade possibly mean? I should have known, but I forgot. Twenty years ago in Girlfriends Forever I wrote:How could I forget? This part especially ⬇️ . . . it sneaks up on you. Yes, it does.  I’d been too busy with racing thoughts, deadlines, and worrying about the world to notice the black cloud swirling until the floor suddenly dropped out from under me. Yes, I did spend a lot of time worrying, but wasn’t that normal in this day and age? My purpose in life has always been to try and spread a little sunshine in hopes of changing the world. I had the happy gene! I counted my blessings! But the other side of my coin, I was born worried. Since I was little, I could feel the despair, no matter where in the world it was, and I worried about it. Don’t tell me not to, I can’t help it … I worry about everything from starving lost people to fish choking on plastic.I cried to think of our isolated beloveds stuck in nursing homes with no hugs, and anguished about hungry, confused, innocent children left alone to fend for themselves. I lost heart wondering if the healthy, strong, and rich would ever care for the weak, poor, and vulnerable. Otherwise why did God put us here? Why do animals have to suffer because of us? I was disgusted with the sick adoration of money. These last years of turmoil and chaos, floods and fires, gunshots and death counts made me feel like what I spent my life doing didn’t matter. And of course, my mom died, and February was her birthday, my first without her. My dad was gone.😢 Too many sadnesses lead to sleeplessness and anxiety. I lost control of my brain and bad thoughts filtered through my dreams. I felt so alone. But, now I know I wasn’t. 

One gray day, I found one of my best friends standing outside my kitchen window holding this sign in her hand. 😢  Of course, I let her in. The first person in our house in a year. Joe made us a fire, I lit some candles and made tea. She sat at one end of the living room and I was at the other. We commiserated about our moms, about the constant bad news, how awful it was for children missing school, how overwhelming it was. missing everything ~ we dreamed out loud about what we were going to do when it was all over. If it was ever over . . . the light at the end of the tunnel was still very dim.I read in the newspaper that that people all over the world have been coping with stress because this dam-panic has been MISERABLE. The drip-drip-drip of bad news wears on us like a plague. Stress is too small a word ~ when your mental health starts affecting your physical health, it becomes much more than mere stress. And, if I felt like this, what about the nurses and doctors, the hospitals, and the families who had to deal with constant grief, would it ever end for them? I read about trauma. I knew it shouldn’t be like this.

My world looked like this. Hope had flown the coop.

I could not find the bright side. I couldn’t even write you. Something HAD to be done.

One day, sitting in my chair, wondering if I should tell Joe (I didn’t want to worry him) and ask him to take me to the emergency room, I said to myself, “What do people do when they don’t feel well?” I glanced over at the couch and answered, “They lie down and go to sleep.” So that’s what I did. And I felt a little better when I woke up. It gave me just enough energy to get on Google to find out WHAT IS THIS? I already knew, but I forgot. I had somehow gotten myself into this, and I learned from Google, I could get myself out. I read that if you are not sleeping well then you MUST nap. It’s not a luxury, it is a necessity. Your overall health depends on it.

And when the rain stopped we went for a brisk, wet walk through the woods and out to the sea. Every day. I turned off the news and turned on HGTV and watched everyone choose floors and faucets for their dream homes. I wallowed in the creativity of other people. Ommmmm . . .

I stopped eating lunch at my desk, and started eating it in front of an old movie. Where the music is wonderful, the rooms are gloriously romantic, and everything comes out the way it’s supposed to.I stopped going into my studio and signed up for twice-a-week sessions with my girlfriend who is an acupuncturist. At first, I got there dizzy and unsteady and lay down like a buzz saw, hovering above the table about a half inch, holding on for dear life to the razor’s edge. But when Marjorie found the first point (she said it was the “Gate of Hope”) boom, I fell to the table all at once, became grounded and calm, like someone had handed me a teddy bear and a blankie. It was life saving. She said my “adrenals” were shot. Whatever that was. I put myself in her good hands and it’s been a huge help. At first it seemed to wear off after a couple of days, but each week I got stronger, the wearing off took longer, and now it doesn’t happen at all! I have a 2 pm appt. with her today!👏 Because I am committed. I have places to go and people to see. But more than anything, my Google research reminded me . . .

I started meditating faithfully once again, every day, about two months ago. When I first started, I pictured myself sitting on top of the earth with the stars, a lovely, quiet place to be. Something else that’s cumulative, one day of meditation is definitely not enough. It’s made a world of difference to consciously stop time for a little while and count my blessings. And find, once again, that within each of us is everything we need, bravery, wisdom, clarity, gratitude, peace, healing, God. I made up my own mantra: I say an affirmation such as, I am happy, or I choose health, and at the end of each affirmation, I add “Because every cell of my body is bathed in the creative light and love of God.” It’s heaven in there. My mom and dad visit.💞 And it’s making me well . . .

If you’ve never tried meditation, or if it has seemed too hard (another word for meditation is prayer🙏), you might enjoy reading about the different kinds of meditation. My favorite is “guided” meditation . . . it keeps your mind from wandering in the most wonderful way. You can find so many guided meditations on Youtube . . . try this one, or this one. Or choose one for your own circumstances. I don’t know if I would have ever written my first book if I hadn’t found meditation. It’s so powerful. You have to do it every day, every other day is no good! Care for self comes first so we can care for others.💞

Being faithful to meditation reminded me of when I first moved to the island, feeling that loneliness and terrible loss of self . . . many of you remember me writing about discovering it in Martha’s Vineyard Isle of Dreams

It was like that, burrowing in, rebuilding, getting strong again . . . 

 Relying on others to help.

And you know I have the perfect others!

He needed me. Sort of. Not really.😹 But I can wield a mean can-opener. It’s good to be needed.♥️

And this good man. My guardian angel. He needs me too.♥️ Every day I got better.

So then I discovered these little magic things . . . AirPods, wireless earbuds. You just put them NEAR your iPhone, push NO buttons, and they hook themselves up to your phone.😲 Then you sign up for Audible, audio books you keep on your phone, and voila! A new world opens!

You put one earbud in your own ear, and the other one in Joe’s.

And off you go, into the woods, with the blue sky coming through the bare branches, the clean cold air filling your lungs with Spring, and the luv-lee sound of an English Storybook in your ears as you walk through the woods to the sea and crashing waves, the salt smell, the seagulls call.💞 Joy of life.

I’d read the book before, but Joe hadn’t ~ he loved it as much as me. Much more fun with him! Sometimes we walk all the way to the water with the book playing, then take out the earbuds, and walk back doing “book club.” 

It’s even a better book that it was a movie, and it’s a WONDERFUL movie. In case you haven’t seen it. Set in 1930s England, published first in the 1940s … Delightfully written with every word a pearl, I Capture the Castle.   We finished it yesterday and today we start a new book, The Splendid and the Vile by Erik Larson ~ everything personal and public about Winston Churchill during WWII. Another English accent to listen to while we walk! ♥️ 

Other “words as pearls” arrived this winter, beautiful letters, kind emails, and concerned comments on this blog from Girlfriends, who somehow knew, even though they didn’t really, and worried about me, and sent love.💞 Inside the watercolored rose Ann B. painted, she wrote, “Now abideth faith, hope and love, these three, but the greatest of these is love.” One girlfriend (Ellen I.) wrote, “The journey of life has ups and downs, not always easy to see the silver linings, the positives…the blessings… there’s always something to be thankful for.” Made me cry. See how connected we are?

I read that what we eat has a lot to do with overall health, even mental health, so I ate better . . . Mmmmm, split pea soup and beets. 

And after I meditated, and after our walk, and after I got home from acupuncture, it cheered me up to make ice cream sandwiches like flowers to take to friends.

And I made some for us . . . (This easy delicious recipe is in the 30-year anniversary edition of Heart of the Home ~ this time I made them with ginger cookies, pickled ginger, coconut ice cream and ground black pepper ~ yum!)

I put flowers in my tiny vases, one of my tried-and-true cures for whatever ails you.

I felt better every day, and finally cleaned the kitchen . . . the red holiday rugs were getting on my nerves, I needed to lighten up, so I changed them out for summer blues and brought down my bluebird lampshade. We opened the door and let in a little fresh air . . .

I washed everything in the open dish cupboards, made it all shine . . . stood there and stared at it, proud.Pride doesn’t have to be big, even little pride can help . . .

And noticed with joy that the sun was getting stronger and our days were growing longer…👏

We watched a wonderful movie called Two Popes . . . A must see! THIS is what I call HOPE! You don’t have to be Catholic, or even religious to love it! It’s a people movie.♥️
I finally finished the 2022 calendars! I worried I would NEVER get them done, but I did! God and nature and the whole world and the stars too. . . 

I sewed a little heart on this guy to give him as a get-well gift . . . couldn’t tie off the thread, had to leave a long one hanging inside of him . . .

This happened in the garden . . . so I brought some in …

Snow drops, the first flower to bloom here on the Island… they come up even in the snow! If that’s not a vision of hope I don’t know what is.

Then this happened in the woods . . .

And this happened in the kitchen . . .

And I made an Easter Cake . . . Domesticity always comes to the rescue with me.🌼 And you can’t beat domesticity in the spring. It’s the best! Spring cleaning to a new beginning.

But the most wonderful of all . . .

I got my first Covid-19 vaccine ON my mother’s birthday, and the second one on the first day of Spring, and then, on Easter Sunday, I was fully immune (as immune as we can be).🌺 They gave me this card and I felt like it was an “I voted” sticker! Talk about proud! Wanted to wear it on my coat! Most of our friends were in the same boat at the same time. We have experienced our first hugs now.💞 I CRIED when I got my first shot. I didn’t expect to cry but I was suddenly filled with gratitude for our amazing medical people and scientists who worked so hard to save us from another year of this misery. The joy at our hospital where they gave the shots was palpable. Everyone felt it. We’ve lost so much, but my heart tells me there’s been a shift. I even heard people talking on TV about money not being everything this morning ~ that made me very happy. Maybe, just maybe, we have learned something. Maybe we are coming out stronger, better, more loving.🙏

We celebrated on the first nice day with a picnic with the swans . . . and then we went home and took a nap. And each day I felt better and stronger and more “myself” than the day before . . . 

We planned our first Dahlia garden. Joe has always wanted one.

Soon it will be time to plant. It’s going inside the picket fence on the right side of the gate (in the center), so we can see the tops of the flowers peeking over the fence from the kitchen window. This year I want to fill that garden with  

SO  MUCH  B E A U T Y!

Dahlias, forget me nots, roses, foxgloves, Shasta daisies, white cosmos, hollyhocks, and pink petunias. You’ll see. I’ll take pictures! Don’t we all feel this way? A new start! Sweet Peas, my favorite flowers, don’t grow well here on the island . . . but if they do where you are, be sure to look for the variety “Cupani” … I hear they are more resistant to heat, and have the very best fragrance . . . and with a sweet pea, that is saying something!

Isn’t this gorgeous? We ordered our dahlias on line from Swan Island Dahlias at www.dahlias.com . . .

We chose big ones and little ones, but mostly ones that make good cut flowers . . . we got fifteen varieties . . . 

Hard to narrow choices since there are over 50,000 different varieties! Some people make a life’s work of them, finding all the rare ones … I watched a wonderful Easter Special about a Dahlia Garden in England belonging to a couple who’ve been growing them for twenty years . . .💞

I managed to make us some new cards . . . the always-needed festive Birthday Card ~ and Friendship for saying goodbye to a PANDEMIC . . . 

And these rainbow stickers! You’ll find them and the cards, along with some new sewing kits here.

And a new garden banner from our luv-lee creative girlfriend Janie! Look at that envelope, isn’t it darling? She is so good, we never know what new idea she will have!♥️

We got in a few more of my dishes including these sweet little ring plates.🌺

And two pages of bookmarks, decorated on both sides, you can cut out and give to your friends . . .💞And this is why I feel so much better . . . the grand essentials of happiness . . . Check ✔️! And yes I’m about to start designing us some new cups! I’m ready! But I saved the best for last . . .

Loving our Country Life Magazine . . . giving us hope for the future! It’s time to start dreaming! So let’s have more MUSICA, one of Queen Elizabeth’s favorite songs . . . all about dreaming . . .

So, if all goes well . . . Joe and I will go WEST to California via AMTRAK, in our room with a view, this fall to see everyone … Oh the hugs. I can’t wait. Big dream. I hope this world cooperates and doesn’t mess with us!

And then, oh yes . . . We made reservations to sail to England on the Queen Mary 2 next year, on May 1, 2022, God willing and the variants don’t rise! And wouldn’t it be fun if this time you come along with us for real? Think about it! You wouldn’t have to be crushed into suitcases and smuggled aboard and dance in the dark this time! Because yesterday I called Cunard to see what I could do to make that happen.♥️ I spoke to Susan Gannon and she said if you’d like to sail with us next year, you can call her at 800-468-7752 ext. 41663 and she will personally help make your reservations. You will have to mention that you’re part of the Susan Branch Girlfriends group, give them this group number: TNM, and voyage #M211 so they can keep track of us as a group . . . If there’s enough of us they’ll have special group pricing and other surprises. They had to cancel their entire spring and summer itinerary this year, which means that many of the people that didn’t get to go this year, will be going next year. So think fast! You would have to make a deposit, but you can cancel with complete refund if you do it by December 31, 2021, this year. It would give you extra time to decide for sure. Susan can answer any questions you have and you can call her anytime. This isn’t a tour like the kind you read about, where you have a “tour guide.” It’s more like one of our picnics, only on the ship!🚢 2022 Should be an especially WONDERFUL year in England 🇬🇧 ~ probably dancing in the street due to freedom from pandemic🤞, but that’s not all . . . bunting will criss-cross every city and village as the whole nation celebrates the Platinum Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth! It’s the first time ANY British monarch will have celebrated 70 years on the throne! She will decree an additional “bank holiday” … an extra four-day weekend for everyone! (How’s that for power to make joy?🎉) I’m sure there will be fireworks, probably in June! We were there for her Diamond Jubilee in 2012, and I can tell you, Brits know how to celebrate their Queen! Every kind of ship and boat came from all over the Commonwealth to London to honor her in a Parade on the Thames! Even rowboats and the “Dunkirk Little Ships” were there. It was beautiful.⛵️

 I stopped writing here, and when I did, I heard the sad news that Prince Philip had died at age 99.😢 The Queen’s rock. Macho man who took on the job of guardian angel.💖 A reminder that we’re losing the Greatest Generation. The Prince is a huge piece of the past, our history too, the history of the world. The Queen has “carried on” through thick and thin, through wars and Prime Ministers, natural disasters, and even worse disasters, the man-made kind ~ through every sort of challenge, always with Prince Philip at her side, but this one will be her most difficult of all, she must go it alone. I hope the UK spends all of 2022 celebrating their love.♥️ I hope they play this MUSICA . . .  it was their song when they were young. Wasn’t she lucky to have the person she loved at her side for so very long for what I think might be the worst possible job in the world!?! Sending my deepest condolences to all my UK Girlfriends …

So out we go, it’s a good time for our walk with Winnie (just found out he took two baths a day no matter WHAT was happening! Even during his darkest hours. The ultimate in self-care. Love this man.) I hope you are having a WONDERFUL DAY and taking very good care of yourself💗… now, I will go add MUSICA to this blog, and voila, fini! Finally! Happy spring dearests!🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸 Talk soon!

Posted in Blog | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1,082 Comments