THE LIGHT IS CHANGING

Posted on August 23, 2017 by sbranch

Welcome! How about some nice cool MUSICA? Oui! I imagine lots of you are just coming over from your 

It just started going out today (Wednesday), and it now takes about five days for it all to go … if you don’t already get it, sign up now and maybe you’ll be in time to find a letter in your box. It’s a fun one! It has announcements!  I thought today, in celebration of the coming change of season ~ I’d make us Zucchini Bread for tea! But before I do that, a reminder about the new Fall Giveaway I mentioned in Willard! When you get to the bottom of this post, look for the tiny word “comments” ~ click there, leave a few words so you’ll automatically be entered in our drawing . . . for this . . .

Not one, not two, but three books ~ all of them signed to the winner (or if you’ll be giving them as a gift, to whomever you like!), Autumn, Heart of the Home, and Gratitude ~ in addition, for complete celebration, I’m including one of our new Autumn cups along with a bag of Gingerbread Cake Black Tea.👏 Just leave a comment, and keep your fingers crossed! It could be YOU! It really could! Much better odds than the lottery. And we ship, so no matter where you are, if you win, you win!

Speaking of fall … this is one of my favorite things, a harbinger of the changing season, the way the light dances on my kitchen walls as the wind blows through the leaves outside ~ it’s mesmerizing!

It actually shimmers all over the house . . .  there is something very cozy about it . . .

I’ve been taking pictures of it for a long time. This was the porch of my first Island house, called Holly Oak, during my first fall on the Island (my first “real” fall, period). For those of you who don’t know ….I had moved to the Island from California and had only lived there for a few months, but I could feel the season changing, and I knew then I was falling in mad love with this place. It’s been the same every year since, watching the light and the way the colors change is magical. 🍂

Joe and I walk down this dirt road each morning, through the dappled woods, trees and thickets are still green, but we’re  starting to see tiny pops of color (you can see some at top, over the road).

I even take pictures of other people’s shadows!

The solar eclipse was only partial up here in New England, but it made the shadows even more fun … you could see the moon in them. Making me realize for the first time, that when you see a splotch of sunlight through the trees, you are seeing the entire sun in that one bit of light. Because here, the moon is blocking part of it … and so you get these little scalloped moons dappled under all the trees. Isn’t that wild?

So much moon and sun, they almost made tulips!

This little one … the moon in the sun … quite an amazing bit of sweetness.

They even made it into the house… sparkled down the kitchen counters and across the floor. I wonder how many times this has happened in this house, and what the other people we’ve shared these old rooms with must have thought about it.

There’s Joe, my hero, outside washing the specks of spaghetti sauce and bacon grease off the windows and filling the bird feeders for me . . .

We visit through the windows while I set the oven temperature for 325° and find my recipe for Zucchini Bread. Ah yes . . .

 I’ll show you how to make this delicious seasonal yumminess  . . . and don’t worry, I’ll put the recipe at the bottom so you can print it out. First we need a couple of  bowls and a loaf pan.

This recipe is as fast and easy as any packaged mix ~ I make it at least once a year. You get two big loaves from it, one for you and one to give away or freeze. In one of the bowls, whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt and baking powder. Set aside.

In the other bowl, whisk eggs, then add sugar and vegetable oil and whisk well.

whisking well.

The you grate zucchini . . .

and stir it into the egg mixture . . .

The birds keep me company while I work, always a good thing!

Stir well.

Add the dry ingredients,

along with the chopped walnuts,

and the vanilla . . .

And voila! Mix well and pour into buttered loaf pans. Bake 60 minutes until a knife in the center comes out clean.

While the cake was baking, I took Jack and we went into the wood room to put up our feet and watch a good old movie.

See? His feet are up.

Our movie starts out all nice and sweet … with Cary Grant and Joan Fontaine ~ Perfect! In this movie, she’s wealthy and shy and he’s a charming playboy without a penny to his name, but she doesn’t know that yet. She’s falling, hook, line, and sinker.

Boy meets Girl, it must be love . . . and I’m settled in, happy as a clam ….

“Have you ever been kissed in a car?” he asks her, and she says, “no” and he says, “would you like to be?”  . . . and then they go on an amazing honeymoon and waltz all over Europe to this MUSICA  … so delightful ~ they come home to their new house that I would like to own and he immediately puts on “their song” and they dance around their new living room from happiness!

And she is now Mrs. John Aysgarth … sooo happy. But, I forgot to mention, this is an Alfred Hitchcock movie, so it comes with a twist. ⚡️

 . . . Which I’ll show you in a moment (not giving anything away, even though I’m pretty sure you’ve seen this movie ~ it came out in 1941, but just in cases) ~ this film has everything I love . . . it’s set in Sussex, England, so there’s already plenty of unspoken history and gravitas, there are darling cottages, and cute cars ~ they have tea, there are quirky characters, and a wonderful scene on a train…

. . . plus it’s mostly British actors, Dames and Sirs, and there are things like riding to the hounds . . . (… just about now, that cake in the oven was starting to smell so good, all cinnamon and sugar!)

. . . and little village churches. Alfred Hitchcock was English so he knew about these things.

The hair, the clothes, the architecture, are all perfection. Everything I love. Love the little bow ~ a bit of 1941 Diane Keaton.

Wonderful romantic curtains, and look, leafy shadows on her windows!

The buzzer just went off, my zucchini bread is done! YUM! Out it comes to cool . . . back I go to the movie . . .

SO, yes, Alfred Hitchcock, which means that besides the charm in every scene and especially the charm of the wonderful actors, there was another character in this “romantic psychological thriller” that got no billing at all . . . Bwaaaaaah! It’s the shadows! Look at them! They aren’t mentioned in the credits, but they are a definite presence in this movie and tell you everything you need to know. I don’t think the shadows in my house are sinister at all, but here, they definitely are! First thing I would do if I was her is get a dog. She actually has a dog but I would get another one with bigger teeth.

Because this movie is called Suspicion, and you don’t have to say it twice, it’s in every scene.  Look at those shadows . . . I feel suspicious right now.

For example, what fresh hell is HE up to, lurking around the bar .  . . we don’t know, but we know it’s something!

Oh, Alfred, you are so good! Slashed with a shadow! They don’t make ’em like they used to!

Even here, she goes into this office (in the adorable little English town that’s actually probably some place in Hollywood) and look what he’s done with the light ~ I have no doubt that he controlled every corner of this movie.

Cake’s cool, time for tea! No problem, I can watch TV while I make tea! My biggest problem? Which cup shall I use? I take turns.

My shadow’s right with me … lotta shadows in this blog! But this one is the best. Back to our chair we go . . .

Uh-oh — Cary and Joanie play Scrabble with Beaky (Nigel Bruce, naive friend), and we get another rather huge clue . . .

And as time goes by, it becomes more obvious that this lighthearted movie isn’t as lighthearted as we thought (or is it?). Here comes Cary with the poison milk! We know it’s poison milk because it’s all lit up! And we are very suspicious, because of the sinister shadows from the moonlight through the conservatory roof. We can see that milk coming up the stairs a mile away! Bang with the shadows! 💥

OMG, he’s in the bedroom, don’t drink it Joanie!!!  (Love the satin pillow on the left. And whatever is behind it. Love everything in this house.) I better stop. I’m going to give the whole thing away. You are just going to have to watch it yourself! Make a loaf of Zucchini Bread first, it’s moist and nutty, and all chewy on the edges ~ it adds  a lot to the ambience.XOXO

Joe’s feeders are emptying fast but the windows look so much better! The birds outside our kitchen windows are constant entertainment ~ they bring their babies, fight for footholds, and sing their hearts out. We keep a bird book nearby, to identify possible strangers.

In my next blog post, besides announcing the winner of the drawing, I’m going to write: “How to Travel: the Tricks of the Trade.”  We are getting to be experts. Only thing we haven’t figured out yet, how to take only one suitcase!  Getting us ready for our virtual and real trip to the other side of the pond. So excited … love all these months in front of us for planning and “looking forward!”One more shadow . . . we were downtown over the weekend, walking home after dinner, and looked up to see one of my favorite sights, a kitty in the window!Today I get to plan the menu for the winners of the Possible Dreams Auction that was held here on the Island a couple of weeks ago ~ they’re coming on Friday! You might remember, I mentioned the auction in one of my recent posts, and just in case anyone is interested, here’s the update: I’ll be making lunch and spending the afternoon with the highest bidder and three of her friends (I heard it went for $4,000, which all goes to our local Community Services so it was a wonderful thing for someone to do 💗). What shall I make, what SHALL I make . . . going to get out the books. I’m thinking we should eat outside under the arbor … I want this to be GOOD.

We went to the nursery yesterday, where everything is on sale, it’s end of season! We wanted to freshen the garden, get some fall color . . . and look how pretty, that’s our cart!

It’s a good time of year to get plants. They’re less expensive, you can see how big they are and know for sure what color the flowers will be. And then next year? Oooh, la wee!

Love you Girls, I’m still singing Dancing Queen from the Willard, 🎶 You can dance, you can jive, havin’ the time of your life … 🎵 See that girl, watch that scene, digging’ the Dancing’ Queen . . .🎶 … Have a wonderful day! Don’t forget to leave a comment to win our Giveaway! XOXO

Z U C C H I N I    B R E A D

Preheat oven to 325° Makes two 8″ x 4″ loaves

  • 2 c. flour (unsifted, lighten by stirring with fork, then measure)
  • 2 tsp. baking soda
  • 2 tsp. cinnamon
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 1/4 tsp. baking powder
  • 3 eggs, beaten
  • 2 c. sugar
  • 1 c. vegetable oil
  • 2 c. grated, raw, unpeeled zucchini
  • 1 c. chopped walnuts
  • 2 tsp. vanilla

Preheat oven to 325°. In a lg. bowl, whisk together first five ingredients and set aside.  In another lg. bowl, beat eggs, add sugar and oil and beat well. Stir in zucchini; then add the dry ingredients along with the walnuts and the vanilla and mix well. Pour into two buttered loaf pans. Bake one hour until knife in center comes out clean. Cool completely before turning onto serving dish. 💖

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In the Good Old Summertime

Posted on August 8, 2017 by sbranch

Another beautiful day in Paradise and lots to share in celebration of the good old Summertime!  And a drawing-winner too! Plus MUSICA! 

From the land of swaying flowers and fat bumblebees . . .

I bring you the glory of summer . . . starting with ripe tomatoes . . .

This was our first taste, one of our favorite days of every summer, the ripening, the picking, and the eating of the first tomato . . . we shared it, very simple, sourdough toast, mayonnaise, sweet, vine-ripened, still-warm-from-the-garden tomato, salt & pepper … heavenly! Summer joy.

Now this is the part of summer I could really live without. We get humidity sometimes (that’s not rain out there), and it’s so heavy and thick, you actually have to chew it before you can breathe it.

This is how I feel on those days. Hideously inelegant.

So, I turn on the air conditioner, and read in my chair with Jack, my kitty, next to me, while the sun flitters over me, and count my many blessings.

Because soon . . . these summer days will just be a memory . . . even on our walk, the leaves are starting to show the strain of having to hang around for much longer . . . 🍂

So we are intent on getting everything out of these summer days possible. This is my great-niece Maggie who came to visit … she’s nine ~ she would say hello, but she’s busy. We loved enjoying a little bit of summer through her eyes!

And my here’s grand-nephew Wyler… he’s 7 . . .

This is Eliza, who just turned 13 … Look how brave they are… jumping off this bridge is a right of passage in a Vineyard summer.  I don’t think I would do it, but they all did! Their parents too!

There goes Eliza!

Family came to visit! From New Hampshire, my niece Jess, her husband Cory, and their two girls …  and from Durango, Colorado, my nephew Ben, and his wife Paige, and their two boys.💞

And so it was . . . we did all the Vineyard things . . . like clamming … this is Paige, married to my nephew Ben, with their youngest son, Beckett, who’s four ~ he’s got clams!

This is Ben, Ben is Paige’s husband, my nephew, and Jess’s brother …😘

Ben and Jess are the children of my brother, Jim. This picture of Jim and Ben has hung on my wall for years, I LOVE it. Colorado, with snow on the high mountains and wild flowers under their feet, and two good boys. Have I confused you enough name-wise? Well, there will not be a test, ignore everything . . .

That’s Jim, next to me (with rollers in my hair) … back row on right… closest to me in age, he was my partner in crime crowing up … 💖

So, it was wonderful to have his children here . . . this is Jessica, Jim’s daughter, Ben’s sister, my niece, and the mother of these two . . . .❤️

. . .Eliza and Maggie, who’s father, Cory, you’ll meet in a moment.

There he is, in the back row, in pink with the hat on! Here they all are. Lovely people! So much fun!

They brought home lots of clams and Uncle Joe showed the boys how to shuck them. Fascinating!

Then Joe taught them how to make stuffed clams (kind of lost the boys here, but definitely not the rest of us!).

I showed them how to make my Dad’s famous garlic bread (their great-grandfather, hard to believe!). Almost ready for the broiler! (P.66 the new Heart of the Home!)

Of course we had the Island food of choice . . .

Bowls full of steaming lobsters . . . Paige demonstrates, while her son,

Brave Beckett, touches lobster (of course, already cooked).

And me and Jess, we’re just happy!

We ate outside every night. Paper plates, candles, and twinkle lights! Corn on the cob rolled in the butter stick, watermelon chunks, hot bread, crispy potato pancakes, fresh swordfish and juicy pink steak. We had it all!

If you’re happy and you know it, say “Rawr,” and show us your watermelon!

My backyard never looks like this. Ever ever.

But I liked it. They told me this was a “rocket ship to the moon!” Looks pretty good! Excellent imagination and creativity! They got an A!

Inside was a human sacrifice. Somebody had to do it. We’re talking science here, the furtherment of mankind. Three cheers for Beckett!

And here? The proud sisters of Mission Control, Eliza and Maggie.

The first morning, while everyone was still asleep, I peeked out my upstairs bedroom window like I always do to see what the weather is like, and was shocked! Where was I? What’s all that stuff on the lawn? Blink-blink. This can’t be my house!

I went downstairs to find the victim taking his revenge on the girls of Mission Control …

Off we go on an Island tour in the Fine Romance Van! Turn up the MUSICA! Because

We drove all over, had lunch with a fabulous view at the Aquinnah Shop above the Gay Head Cliffs. (That man over there, standing, wearing the hat, really liked us!)

And I can see why . . . Ahhh, family!

Here comes the french fry thief …

This is where we were eating. Very good view from the roof for the french fry thieves. See the three jars down there,  on the left on the railing?

Sun tea. My kind of restaurant.

Here we are in Menemsha (where Jaws was filmed) … walking the jetty, looking at the boats …

Joe got us a plate of ice-cold oysters to share . . . (Jess and Cory again, who run five miles a day or so, even in the humidity!).

Delicious! Icy, shivery, like liquid silver! (If you’ve never had them, don’t worry, they taste MUCH better than they look!)

Here we are, Paige, Joe, Cory, Ben, Beckett, and me … al fresco eating at it’s very best!

While Maggie and Eliza looked for buried treasure . . .

. . .and found it, tiny little shells and beach glass, the best sort of Island souvenirs. (Love the color on Eliza’s nails!)

One day we were looking for these two…found them leaning against the washer and dryer in the pantry. Why? We don’t know . . . Wyler’s T-shirt says “Shark Proof.”

Little pile of sweetness ~ Cousins! Maggie, on the right, is going to be a writer. She was telling me about the Warrior book series she’s been reading (by Erin Hunter) … all the characters are kitties in clans (such as Riverclan or Thunderclan), with names like Tigerstar and Squirrelflight.  She was SO excited and animated telling me about these stories, now I want to read them!

We so enjoyed every moment with them . . . and then as quickly as they came, it was over, poof! and off they went …  but the memories, along with summer, stayed …

So we went looking for some more

Freshest air in the world, salty, windy, lovely sound of the waves . . .

We went to visit Joe’s niece Jennifer and her husband Mark … they live in New York, but they’ve rented this “camp” by the water every summer for years. We had gazpacho (con tomatoes!), salad, and quiche! When I see Jen, I think of this quote . . . ❤️

You get to their house by a very (very!) long dirt road through the woods and scrub oak . . .

The house is unfinished inside, has no insulation, it’s the opposite of fancy, but really comfortable, perfect for reading and dreaming . . .  this is the view from the kitchen window . . . there’s nothing out there but the wind . . . I could barely keep my eyes open!

It was a perfect day for a walk on South Beach ~ that’s Mark and me and Jen, Joe has the camera.

Looking back from the beach to the house …

Can you picture yourself here? Deep breath of ocean air, feeling drowsy? . . . ommmm . . . .

Sometimes people ask me what to do when they come to Martha’s Vineyard, and honestly, this is more or less it. You listen to the screen door slam. It’s the opposite of what to do, it’s more like how to be!

And so, you know Girlfriends, it’s time . . . you have been so patient . . . but Vanna has arrived in all her glory . . . and it’s time to give away the luv-lee journal of Beatrix Potter.

And my story of finding her in the English Countryside, at the end of a very long path I began to walk when I was around 22.

Don’t forget, you lucky winner, about the secret that’s hiding in the back of the Beatrix book!  SO, who shall it be darling Vanna? I want you to know, Vanna’s toenails are polished gold, they’re shiny, like earrings, and she is now perched, toes curled and clutching the edge, on top of my art table. Now she’s up, graceful as a swan, and over, and INTO the vat she dives, with all your names, swirling down and down and down . . . scissor-kicking her way to the bottom, a whirlwind of papers, flying around and through the air now . . . and . . . here . . . she . . . comes . . . clutching one fluttery piece of paper, and now, handing it to me . . . the winner of our luv-lee little giveaway, chosen especially by Vanna from over 2,000 entries from all of you darling kindred spirits, is YOU, dear KERRIE FOLEY, (but only if you promise not to DIE if you win, like you said you would do in your comment!). Because you just did win!

CONGRATULATIONS, KERRIE! I’ll email you; you can reply with your address ~ I’ll sign both of your books and pop them into the mail for you.💞

AND, now it’s almost time for me to go write a new WILLARD, because by the time I’ve written it, and you receive it,  it will almost be September, we will be feeling it (eeek with joy), and I have new news to share.  Make sure you and the ones you love are signed up for this little bit of “All Good News” celebrating the change of season, that starts off a little like this (in case you’ve never seen it):And, oh my goodness! Just as I was about to sign off . . . UPS pulled up outside my window, be still my beating heart … I grabbed my camera . . .

. . .  and ran to the kitchen door, because I feel like I’ve been waiting forever, and now, Hooray! It’s my turn! So many of you have been writing on Twitter and Facebook to tell me you got your cups! And I’ve been whining and moaning because mine hadn’t come yet!!! But just as I was finishing this post, here they are! (Yes, three boxes, I told you I was doing my Christmas shopping!)  Sorry, I was too excited to hold the camera still . . . and then I took a big time-out for the grand opening of the cups …

Ta-daaa! First box I opened turned out to be the Bluebird of Happiness. How appropriate! I love it! 

(‘Course the moment I grabbed the camera and began to run to the door, my shadow was right behind me!) What is it, what is it? A cup? Are you kidding? All this for a cup? 🙀

And then, more appropriate timing . . . the next one out was the Martha’s Vineyard cup!  Then the Santa cup, and then the darling new smaller size, Autumn. Which means, I am SET! 💙What a nice note to end on! Blessings to you all…. I hope you are loving these last lazy, crazy, hazy days of summer, these ARE the good old days!  Thank you for all your sweet comments, Girlfriends. More fun for us to come soon. And now . . . I’m going to make a cup of tea! XOXOX

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