Susan Branch's Blog, page 29
February 14, 2015
ISN’T IT ROMANTIC . . .
Happy Valentine’s Day Girlfriends! ♥ ♥ ♥ Time to click teacups 
for Romance! MUSICA It’s a day for flowers and breakfast in bed, putting hearts in the windows of your house and calling all your Valentine’s to wish them a happy day . . . and being your own Valentine by providing yourself with some romance that’s just your style, a bubble bath and a good book and some sweet memories, and maybe a potato pancake or two.
Here are some roses to start your day off right . . .
It’s still ridiculous around here and I’m beginning to think it might stay that way!
But you have to admit, 10º looks gorgeous! Look at the pale pink sunrise . . . I’m glad I like it because we have another blizzard with “hurricane force winds” coming tonight.
But let’s get to the exciting (for me) news: I have almost finished the calendars for 2016! I have two more months to do on the Blotter and that is ALL . . . I’m SO excited because I’ve been longing to get back to writing, and now painting, the new book! Two MORE PAGES ~ HOORAY! I’ve been working at breakneck speed to get them done in time . . . many hours each day. So I’ll take a couple of days off to clean my house, shoot a few rubber bands for Jack, really do nothing, just piddle around, cook something wonderful, and decorate for spring (rising above reality); then, I’ll cuddle on down and finish the new book . . .
In the meantime, this morning, Joe is still asleep, house is quiet, not a creature is stirring, the cats are curled into fuzzy piles . . . I’m surprising Joe with breakfast in bed . . . this always confuses him ~ I’m not even 100% sure he likes it ~ but he definitely deserves it!
His little heart-shaped egg (it’s easy to make, just put an oiled cookie cutter in the bottom of the frying pan and break the egg into it, cover it with a lid so you don’t have to turn it over) and heart-shaped toast on his favorite crabapple plate. Yes, I know, we are definitely still crazy after all these years.
And for you? A love bookmark . . . click below, print it on card stock and you have something to give to the one you love, or to the one I love, which would be YOU.♥
But you already knew that didn’t you?
Well, I guess that’s all for now Girlfriends, back to that calendar (I want it done so much!) ~ soon I will sing out to the wind and the sky the immortal words Free at Last, Free at Last, Thank God Almighty, Free at Last! Thanks for sticking with me through thick and thin, especially the thin! Byeee! XOXO
February 11, 2015
JUST A SHORT ONE . . .
Good Morning Girlfriends . . . MUSICA
Just a short one today ~ I don’t want you to think I’ve disappeared! I’ve finished two of our 2016 calendars and turned them in; I have just the blotter to go, and a deadline. Working at my art table like a fiend right now.
It’s still a winter wonderland here on the island . . . Every so often I look up from my work and there are beautiful flakes floating down in the wind . . . I call out to Joe (who’s starting to take apart the dining room ceiling to find out where the leak is in the upstairs bathroom) “It’s snowing!”
Snow climbs up our bedroom window and drips off the bay window…
The kitties are waiting for me when I come down the stairs to make my tea in the morning; we turn on something black and white: Betty Davis, Joan Crawford, or Susan Hayward, and get down to business.
Some people’s paths are strewn with flowers, mine is strewn with pony tail bands and I wouldn’t change a thing.
And I do this most of the day. I take time out for exercise, riding my stationary bike ~ I figure winter will end one of these days, and I 
want to be ready. We are eating healthy, exploring Netflix at night, getting up early, and making the winter count so we can be ready to GO when spring finally gets here; a fixed-up ceiling in the dining room and new calendars. I can’t tell you how it feels to turn in a calendar, all finished to the best of my ability, and think, oh boy, it’s DONE. I’m so excited to get back working on our new book . . . So off I go dear ones! Thank you for being here, I hope I do you proud. XOXO
February 3, 2015
Winter, Animal Kingdom & Downton
More winter, more animal kingdom, Downton and . . . MUSICA
Not really, just kidding.
Conflicting reports on whether the groundhog saw his shadow or not, abound. So we better enjoy this winter of 2015 while we’ve got it, because we don’t know how long it will last. But we definitely have it now, and boy do we. Boston got 40 inches of snow in the last seven days. It’s not as bad here, but more than we remember having before.
So we stay hunkered down and enjoy the show . . . because around here it’s mostly animal kingdom. (In fact while I’m writing this, I just saw the turkeys go past the window on their way to the feeders!)
Yesterday there were three squirrels chasing each other around the feeders at the same time, up and down the wisteria trunks, over the top of the arbor, vying for space at the feeders, so cute. I could only get two in my lens at once . . .
Wet and snow spattered . . .
Jack’s right there, enjoying the show . . . I put my head right next to his and we watch together . . .
It goes on all day . . .
Squirrels making themselves at home . . .
Do you see that? Are you just going to let them do that?
And then, look at the birds waiting their turn on the branches in the background . . .
Love it when I catch them in mid air . . .
There are three feeders and a suet cage outside the kitchen windows . . . the wall between the windows kind of gets in the way of photos . . . it’s like a giant fish tank for us while we cook or do dishes. Highly entertaining.
Our house “sounds like an ant farm,” says Blog Daddy, from my description of the paths Joe has dug coming from every door, to the street, to the feeders, the trash area, the barn, and the wood pile . . .
Joe loves it out there . . . here he’s pulled back the plastic to fill his apple basket with dry firewood. . .
Of course Jack misses nothing . . .
He has a well-rounded day . . .
He LOVES the fire and will sit and stare at it for hours. Like mother, like son. ♥
I sneak up on him . . .
. . . and while all this nothing is going on here in Smallville, 
I’m working on the Calendars for 2016, asking myself, as usual, on every month, “what would the Girlfriends like to see?” I’m on September of the wall-calendar now . . .
I also have the mini calendar to do, the big blotter, the purse calendar and the little magnet. I paint and write most of the day.
I’m wearing out pencils with all the drawing I’m doing. When they get low, they become “kitchen pencils” ~ they go into the jar in the kitchen ~ as opposed to drawing pencils.
You know how much Jack loves to retrieve pony-tail bands I shoot for him?
He deserves to live forever, one way or another, preferably both. This is me immortalizing Jack.
Because this guy is an original.
He could play like this all day everyday. But I have to get those calendars done!
Girl has found a new place to sleep. On the red checked pillows I got at Ikea the last time we were off-island. But as soon as I come with the camera, she leaves . . . so we are lucky to get this pose from Queen Victoria Girl Kitty.
And even though it is still like this outside (10 degrees this morning) . . .
Upstairs the hibiscus is in full bloom in an east window of the “blue room” — which could also be called “the junk room” . . .
The flowers just keep coming. We don’t do anything but water, and I think this plant is happier here than it was on the porch during the summer.
And we have a fire everyday . . . for the sound of crackling and hissing, because it’s warm . . . and to give Jack and me something to zone out on.
If I couldn’t have my own fireplace, this would be my second 
choice ~ this one in the Library at Downton Abbey . . . It’s hard to have a favorite room at the Abbey (we’re now such good friends I feel I can call it “the Abbey”), but this and the dining room are my favorite. I think it’s because of the elegant carvings over the black fireplace, but there are also gorgeous red sofas in here, it’s dark and romantic and perfect for “cocktails.”
This is why I like Lady Mary and Tom together. I know I won’t get my way, because Charles Blake is very charming and he and Mary do have chemistry ~ and maybe there is something wrong with marrying your sister’s widower who used to be the chauffeur. But times are a’changing, as we are only too well aware, and how about for the children? I think they would all be perfect together.
Did you watch? Goodbye Miss Bunting! Hooray! I thought maybe she wouldn’t go and screamed OH NO when Tom jumped up to go say goodbye; I hated it when they kissed but then, deep breath of relief, he let her go. I loved it when Mary said, “Are you happy now?” at dinner. Bye-bye, Miss Bunting, you give Bunting a bad name.
I don’t see why Julian Fellowes didn’t give Tom a perfectly lovely normal feminist to fall for, there had to be one in England at that time ~ they couldn’t all be dinner ruiners. “Feminist-socialist” does not automatically equal “no manners.”
I haven’t mentioned it, but didn’t you love it when Violet was remembering where she met her Russian Prince, the Ball at the “Winter Palace,” and what she wore . . . “powder-blue velvet with silver lace?” Made tears in my eyes. Would have loved to see Violet dancing in that. Would love to see her being courted by a Prince too. What he might lack in hair laundering I’m sure he would make up for in manners.
I’m sure she was beautiful.
She still is, just like her granddaughter. If nothing else, I would watch for these dresses and what they put in their hair, their jackets and hats. I love this show!
Poor Edith. Someone is going to see her making that phone call in Carson’s office. Probably Mister dark-circles-under-his-eyes. Have you noticed that no matter how sick Barrow makes himself, he stays mean and sneaky? No more, but no less than before. He’s on an even keel when it comes to scheming. You’d think he wouldn’t have the energy for it. One other thing. Cora suddenly looks, and acts, like an all-American Girl. Golly! Poor Robert is confused to the point of needing a time out. OK, that’s enough, now you tell me, what did you think?
Bye from cold, icy, wintry, sunny, bright-white Martha’s Vineyard, from Joe, Girl, Jack and me . . . and Smallville, USA. I’m off to get my warm pair of shoes from in front of the furnace! Be sure to try the Punxsutawney Pudding and Spareribs on the February page of the Calendar, I promise you deliciousness! ♥
January 29, 2015
Part 2, Historic Storm, Martha’s Vineyard, Smallville, US...
Part 2, Historic Storm, Martha’s Vineyard, Smallville, USA. MUSICA
The morning after, just before dawn . . .
Yesterday, the morning after/during the historic blizzard of 2015, the first thing I did when I got out of bed was pull back a curtain to look out the window. The wind was still blowing wild outside and I was excited to see what had happened overnight. I should say I tried to look out the window, but I could see nothing, they were plastered with snow. When I got downstairs I tried again; I started laughing when I saw the storm door in the kitchen. I tried to push it open, and was stopped by a wall of snow.
I couldn’t see what was happening at the bird feeders either . . .
As it started to get light, the view was a little better on the other side of the house.
But the storm was still going strong . . . terrible winds, blowing snow, cold, burrr…. just like it’s supposed to be this time of year, but hasn’t been. We wanted it and we got it.
Pefectly wonderful, heat from the furnace streaming across the kitchen floor . . .
We were lucky, we kept our electricity . . .
Inside Smallville, warm and quiet, home is paradise.
Breakfast, Irish steel-cut oatmeal, blueberries, chopped apples & walnuts with cinnamon in my favorite breakfast bowl because it holds lots of milk.
While the storm continued to beat across the island, I painted all morning, glancing up at the TV from time to time to see The Duchess with Keira Knightley (it’s available on Netflix). What a great movie, all about the amazing, sad, but interesting life 
of Georgiana Cavendish, the Duchess of Devonshire, 1757-1806, who lived at Chatsworth (Go here for lots of photos of our visit to Chatsworth); it’s where Queen Victoria went to her first grown-up dinner party when she was a sixteen-year-old Princess and that’s where The Duchess was filmed ~ I recognized rooms. (P.S. SO much history here; Jane Austen visited Chatsworth and it’s believed that she used it as the model for Darcy’s estate Pemberly in Pride and Prejudice.) Amazing costumes in this movie too.
And while all that was going on, this is what went on outside my studio windows. The first intrepid souls were venturing out . . . getting stuck, digging themselves out. People drive around with snow shovels in the car. They are smart, as one of our Girlfriends said, this is not their first rodeo. 
The birds had kicked off the wall of snow that was stuck to their feeders, and were going at it.
Don’t you just love red in the snow?
So decorative!
Time for more tea in my bird cup ♥
I’m truly a bird person from way back. (Made fabric with letters at one time, I was designing a pillow with it.)
This is the female cardinal . . . she is pretty, but mostly reddish brown, not like her bright red husband ~ Cardinals mate for life,
Soon it was our turn to venture forth . . . I wore the tall cozy comfy “Toggi” boots I bought in England that are impervious to weather. Snow lands on them, they don’t stand for it, they repel it right off; I came in with no snow on my feet! It was 22° outside. Brrrr. I would say, “Girlfriends, you owe me one for this,” but in reality, I probably owe you. Maybe I wouldn’t have done this if you hadn’t asked, and it was wonderful. So, thank you!
Look how pretty, I’m standing in front of the barn looking back at my kitchen door and windows. See Joe’s little path on the porch? See the red cardinal?
Joe did this, up to the barn and out to the street.
And here we are, in front of the house
That’s a fire hydrant.
The slippery walk to town . . . It’s not an insurmountable amount of snow, but we do think it’s the most we’ve seen here.
Icicles make nice pictures, we took photos of every icicle in town.
So pretty, sparkly, drippy . . . magical forest type stuff.
And this is Main Street in The Haven. If you’re familiar with the island you know where we are, up at the end of the street, near the stone bank
And here is our bookstore, Bunch of Grapes, Smallville, USA, an island tradition since the early 1970′s.
The guys are out shoveling in full force, like Joe, I think some guys love it. Joe can’t wait to get out there after a storm — this one wasn’t wearing gloves! While ME, my fingers are inside leather and on fire from how cold they are.
I like to take pictures of snow in mid-air.
More snow, more mid-air.
We had to dodge these the whole way. No one yelled at us, “Get home, get the #@!*% off the street, let us do our jobs,” but I’m sure some of them were thinking it. We ran when we saw them coming.
This is in front of Midnight Farm, the store Carly Simon started.
Not too many people going to work!
Cheryl (Stark) owner of the jewelry store on the left, will have a bit of a struggle before she gets through her door.
They’ve dug a narrow path to the drug store entrance on the other side of this wall of snow.
Which is being moved away by one of our island heroes . . .
Or heroines. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate these intrepid souls. Late at night, while the wind is howling and the snow is coming down in weather not fit for man nor beast, we hear the muffled sound of snowplows going by, see the beam of their headlights bouncing off the wall, and get exactly the same feeling we had as children after we went to bed and were lulled to sleep by the comforting voices of our parents talking in the living room. Safe and protected under warm blankets because we know someone is up and taking care of things. Someone brave and strong and selfless, like a hero.
Speaking of which, did you see this? It’s the finish line for the Boston Marathon. Some unknown person has kept it clear of snow. When I see something like this, it makes me so happy . . .
Walking home through the quintessential New England streets — these houses were all built in the 1800′s. Nothing very much changes around here.♥
I had to move here; I was afraid I might never get a house like these and I could not live my life without one.
My first house on the island . . . Little and perfect and all mine.
She’s going to dig out the Day Care Center at the church. Look how happy she is!
This, my darling girls, is a picket fence. Upon which gladiolus grow wildly in the summer.
Some path-diggers cut through the snow like precision jewelers. They say we got 2½ ft. of snow . . . drifts make it deeper in some places, but looking at this, it seems about right.
Yes, slippery, we huffed and puffed. It was hard work keeping on our feet!
We walked around to the backside of the house to see what it looked like from the back driveway.
For about two seconds we contemplated trying to get to the back door from here . . . but the snow was way too deep to walk through; some drifts would come over our knees . . . we had to trudge back around to the front to get in.
This block of snow was lying in the street, I tested it by first kicking it . . . when it didn’t come apart, I thought: Ooo, perfect snowball. But of course I didn’t throw it at him, only threatened.
No they are not. Some are just having fun.
And home, for another cup of tea, more watercolors of clocks, lammies, flowers and written words of love. All’s well in Smallville.♥
Nothing like coming in from the cold. Worth going out! It’s 
gorgeous this morning, the snow is so bright in the sun, people need sunglasses out there; still freezing, street still covered in snow, which seems like it may stay for awhile. We have two more storms on the way. It’s good. I have work to do, and now I don’t have to suffer wishing to get into the garden.
Oh yeah, almost forgot why I’m here:
. . . as cat-picture delivery system.♥ Everyone needs a purpose, their true calling. This is my Raison d’être ♥ (A very useful French phrase meaning “reason for existence.”)
Other raison d’être.♥ We are keeping busy. XOXO Bye for now, Girlfriends, hope you enjoyed the Blizzard of 2015!
January 26, 2015
BLIZZARD OF 2015, PART ONE, Prep.
Good Morning Girlfriends . . . Thought I better write now, because there’s a storm coming! MUSICA It just started snowing on the island, soft and light, but “an unprecedented blizzard is bearing down on the eastern seaboard,” the TV is saying, “heavy, blowing, drifting snow, even thunder snow; a catastrophic, crippling, potentially historic, rapidly-building, MONSTER of a storm, with hurricane-force winds, coastal flooding, and wide-spread power outages (for days if not weeks) that will leave millions stranded in their homes.” That’s what they’re saying. Yikes!
I took this photo out our dining room a few minutes ago just before the snow started; it’s so quiet, the sky is white and it’s 28°.
I thought I’d tell you what happens around here during a snowstorm so you don’t worry, even when the boats stop running, the planes stop flying, when the wind blows like a hurricane, the electricity goes off and we are stranded in our homes and can no longer communicate with the outside world, I don’t want you to worry. Because I’m telling you we are fine. Actually more than fine.
We’re lucky because we’ll be here at home and our house is very sturdy. It was built in 1849 . . . this is it from the front around the turn of the century . . .
Here she is, from the back, in the lovely calm after a storm. She was built by an arctic whaling captain, she’s like a strong ship in a white sea; Captain Smith gave her very thick walls; so far, she has seen 166 winters and through them all she’s kept everyone safe. We are confident that she will do it again. We love snowstorms. Especially here, it’s almost like a little party.
All magically decorated for the party . . . our world is hushed with a quiet grandeur.
Fun to watch for the whole family.
We are ready. First thing to think about: food. We’ve been turning down corners on the pages of the January issue of Bon Appétit, the “healthy issue” ~ there were so many delicious-sounding recipes to try ~ right now we have enough food in the house to feed the whole neighborhood.
we are ready
We’re set with lots of extra batteries, flashlights, dozens of candles, several oil lamps, a big stack of oak wood in the back hall . . .
How bad could it really be?
Joe brought in the snow shovel and put it in the pantry (so it doesn’t get buried) ~ he’s filling the bird feeders now ~ and most wonderfully perfect of all, we have a gas stove just when we need one. We can boil water for tea, and heat up slices of delicious Boston Brown Bread . . .
. . .(so good with butter for tea), and keep ourselves toasty in the kitchen (in case the furnace goes off). Blog Daddy just called to talk “storm-talk.” Yesterday, over the phone, I told him I’d read in Bon Appétit how to fry “juicy eggs” (which is what we called “over-easy” as kids) so the edges are really crispy. We made them for breakfast yesterday . . . they were gorgeous, edges so crisp, as Joe said, “you don’t need toast!” My dad tried it this morning and gave it two big thumbs up; he said I should give you the recipe.
SO, here you go, it’s really more method than recipe: for crispy-edged fried eggs: over medium high flame, heat a heavy skillet until it’s almost smoking, add 1-2 Tbsp. olive oil to pan, gently break an egg into the pan, s & p, and cook until it’s done the way you like. (I cover the pan with a lid ~ that way it cooks from the top too and I don’t have to turn the egg and chance breaking the yolk.) For this, you get a perfectly cooked egg, a bubbly white, edged with well-browned crispy egg white. Yum!
And while we cook and stay warm . . . just outside our kitchen windows, we are entertained . . .
. . . by cardinals, chickadees, finches, nuthatches, and sparrows
And woodpeckers . . . we can watch the birds fluttering on the feeders while the snow whirls around them.
Between the birds, the wild turkeys and the squirrels there is lots to keep track of! So you don’t have to worry about us!
We have sweaters, down blankets, books, and kitties . . .
Who could ask for anything more . . .
. . . than warm cozy fuzziness in a winter storm . . .
I have lots of painting to do which I can easily do in candlelight. I like it.
It makes me feel like Beatrix Potter. All quiet, suddenly it’s 1899, no machines can talk yet, just a lovely silence of crackling fire while the storm beats against the windows, me in candlelight, wrapped in blankets my grandma knit for me, drinking tea and eating crispy eggs. Really, how bad can it be.
This was me early this morning . . .
So don’t worry about us. We’re excited. It’s one of the reasons we love living here. We are never bored. If it lasts too long, we walk two doors over to Martha’s or Lowely’s and drink. :-)
And play mahjong or Rummy-Q. And if the snow lets us, we’ll do our favorite thing, bundle up and crunch down the middle of the street (no cars) into town and explore, maybe find something open, go in, see everyone from Smallville, out for an airing, pink-cheeked in big jackets and boots, hats with snow on them, clomp our feet to get the snow off. My prayer is that everyone is safe in their own versions of Smallville.
Joe just announced, he’s going to the market. “What for?” I said watching the fire flickering, knowing that we have more food than we need right now. ”I don’t know,” he says already wearing his beret, tying his shoes, leaning back in the chair, “just feel like browsing. Any ideas?” ”No, well, yes, I said, “I have this feeling of . . . cinnamon rolls.” He laughs and gets up to go. We are in accord. We are storm-proof.
So do not worry. We are fine. Even if the worst happens and I’m cut off from computer for a couple of days, unable to “moderate” comments. Don’t worry. I jolly well shall return!
Now, last thing, Downton? Wasn’t it GREAT last night? I mean, I can’t wait to eat cinnamon rolls tomorrow morning and watch it again! I don’t know, but the dresses just seem to get better and better . . . last night was just amazing. And the lighting! And then, Granny! Edith! Poor Edith! (Granny was so mean to her ~ I would have cried at the dinner table.) Isobel and romantic Lord Merton ~ Marry him Isobel, have a wedding, get a dress! . . . and Mary! Mary! Mary! What’s wrong with Barrow? Big dark circles under his eyes, syringes in his room? I like Shrimpy, “who hasn’t got a bean.” But 
not the nightmare dinner guest, Miss Smug Bunting. She is beyond the pale. I gasp when she speaks. Look at that expression (in the picture)! I love her, in one way, she is a character that is fun to hate! How could anyone be that rude in someone else’s house while eating their food? Bring up Mrs. Patmore? During dinner? Has she gone mad? OK, must go get work done. Hopefully, I’ll be back soon. Until then, I hope you are safe at home (I’ll try not to worry about you either!), making the best of your day, eating cinnamon rolls and crispy eggs! Stay warm! XOXO
January 21, 2015
Such a Day!
Such a day! MUSICA
Music’s playing, Vanna’s ready, (corduroy turquoise skinny pants, yellow gauze top, silver sandals, orange toenails ~ she must be freezing) ~ I’m ready too, are you?
You’ve been very patient, but now’s the time . . . Our little tea/winter/romance kit is going to one of you soon! “Silver Fish” (aka Vanna), has jumped into the vat of almost 5000 names (including 
all your wonderful comments from the Address Book Giveaway, really Girls, you are too ← much♥). She is scissor-kicking to the bottom, the names are whirling and sloshing around like the inside of a laundromat washing machine. I think she’s chosen the name because she’s breast-stroking her way straight to the top now ~ out popped her delicate little pink hand, gold charm bracelet tinkling like bells, her blue eyes looking over the top of her yellow sunglasses as she hands it over. I’ve got it! My heart is racing.
And the winner for our special Valentine’s Day Prize Package is!!!!!! . . . . . deep breath. Are you ready? I really hope it’s you, I SO hope it’s you. But be forewarned, there are other gifts coming sooner than you think, so steel yourself in case isn’t you. Ready? (I really don’t like this part, in case you can’t tell) One person happy, vs ALL PEOPLE HAPPY? (Ohhhh, to be Oprah.) But here we go . . .
Oh! (reading) This is nice! It’s a mother-daughter team, our winner is the very L U C K Y Linda Wiernusz and her 13-year-old 
daughter ♥♥Sophia! I sure hope that’s YOU! Please look for my email in your box, Linda, write me back and let me know where to send your goodies. Congratulations! I know I speak for all of us when I say we hope you and Sophia have a wonderful tea party! Everyone is happy for you . . .
See what I mean? Paul too . . . He’s thrilled for you!
And now, for everyone else, perhaps, at this point, you are thinking . . .
Because I understand, and you know I’m right with you,
. . . so, here’s some magic for you (don’t run away, because there’s more), ease the pain dearest ones by clicking HERE, 
and print out a brand new bookmark (use card stock if you can) with those “magic” words on it (you’ll remember the sentiment from your new calendar) . . . just for you ♥ ~ something to give away to the Valentine’s in your life. Everyone’s a winner in Smallville.
More cheering-up necessary? No problem, I’ve been waiting for this all week . . . Let’s take our mind off our no-teapot sorrows and go look at wildflowers in England! Forget real life, snow and traffic, let’s look at fields of blooming color . . . with nature’s MUSICA . . .
I know this does not look real, but magic never does, that’s how you know it’s magic. These are bluebells, they come to England 
every spring, see the little meandering path that goes through them? We are there, walking along and smelling the flowers. Rachel wrote and told me the bluebells are coming up now! They run rampant, I mean rampant, all over the English Countryside. This really exists, not just in this one place, but everywhere. Isn’t that shocking? I thought so too.
There is no fresher air than being in the deep woods with a mile of bluebells around you and birds going wild all around you.
These are the bluebells at Rachel’s mum’s house, grab a handful for your kitchen counter.
I had to paint one ~ I did this when we were in England on a page of one of my old English garden books, now stuck in my diary. I love that this writer calls bluebells “clever” for learning how to grow in deep shade where other flowers fail . . . thereby owning the woodlands themselves. “A carpet as blue as the sky!”
Here are some of the “thousands” of green things vying for the sunshine. People here are so lucky , they run outside and bring in the MOST amazing vases of flowers. Free, God’s gift.
Here we are driving through the Yorkshire Dales. Even now, alone in my studio, when I look at this, little screams emit (not from remembrance of Joe’s driving, but from how much I adored the Yorkshire Dales).
It wasn’t really Joe, it was road width and curvature. But look at the countryside! Rock walls, hedges, wild flowers and stone cottages . . . this is the Lake District, the place that so inspired Beatrix Potter. Gee, I wonder why. Deep breath, Ommmmmm.
ommmm
ommm
Here we are, up close with the cow parsley that lines all the country roads with frothy white flowers in May . . . it’s also called wild chervil and wild carrot, we call it Queen Anne’s lace. Of course, being magical, the story of cow parsley is filled with lore, including superstitions about the safety of your relatives if you bring it into the house. Children made whistles and pea shooters from the hollow stems; whole weddings have been concocted from it.
“Of what are you afraid, my child?” inquired the kindly teacher. ”Oh sir! The flowers, they are wild, replied the timid creature.” ♥ Peter Newell
This wildflower has the best name, it’s called a fairy foxglove ~ we saw it at the ruins of King Richard III’s castle in Middleham, which was begun in 1190 (still there, filled with the story of time, and waiting for YOU), a massive very impressive ruin with no roof, but with most walls and stone stairways intact (it’s in the middle of the Dales, a wonderful place to poke around ~ look at the picture on the cover of A FINE ROMANCE ~ We had just taken the right turn to get to Middleham).
Here’s the very next photo I took after the one I used for the book. It shows why the roads are so narrow: they were made for horses! Rock walls, stone houses, and deep hedgerows come right to the edge. You’d have to dismantle the entire country to widen them. “Slow” is right; this is a two-way street, and our side is the left side. Me? I’m really close to those walls, could reach out the window and touch them. My squeeking mantra to Joe on that trip (who was incongruously sitting behind the steering wheel on my right side) was “eeep, get over.”
I digress, back to wildflower magic . . . in this photo I’ve climbed to the top of the castle, the fairy foxgloves grow all over it, right out of the stone walls!
Proof positive, the impossible happens all the time!
This isn’t a field of wildflowers, but I had to show you the view of the countryside from the top of the castle. How is this for “real?” Works for me!
This too, this field of buttercups is at Rachel’s parents house.
That’s me, with Rachel’s nephew Will, laughing ourselves silly, enjoying the face and gleeful road-runner qualities of the happiest dog in world.
Had to bring them home some of Rachel’s Buttercups to dry them for “our book.”
This goes on and on . . . I’m not sure what town we’re in here . .
but this is the Peak District, the view from the porch of the cottage we rented in Wirksworth.
And this is the most magical of them all. OK, that’s probably wrong. Because how do you choose just one. But this is Stourhead, 2,650 acres of stunning everything, long walks in beautiful woodlands (covered in bluebells in the spring), lakes, ponds, lambs, bridges, follies, a twelfth century church, a pub, a castle . . . and this is the grass bridge. We stayed in a stone house on the grounds, walked miles every day, fell in love with it, and had a wonderful picnic here on the lawn on the left.
This is my diary from the day of the picnic in 2004, that’s Rachel and me in a photo Joe took . . . this is the diary I kept on our first visit that inspired A FINE ROMANCE ~ so I will never forget that in short there’s simply not, a more congenial spot, for happily-ever-aftering, than here in Camelot.
These are wild orchids. Wild. Orchids. And waaaaay over there, peeking around the tree, is one of the many magical “follies” at Stourhead called the Temple of Apollo.
You can see it a little better in this photo . . .
and even better here . . . you can walk up to it and sit on the porch and look at the view if you like ~ if you’re lucky it will be pouring rain . . .
XOXOXOX
just like it was in my favorite scene in my favorite production of Pride and Prejudice. Which I just watched the other day, here in Smallville, with my nap blanket. Which anyone can do.♥ Aren’t the actors wonderful? Heart palpations galore.
And that’s all for today, Girlfriends. Hope you enjoyed our little ”mini break” and feel refreshed for all that will go on in your own little Smallville today. You can tell I’m in a good 
mood! Those flowers cheered me right up! Off to paint more for our next year’s calendar (btw, some are asking, I believe there are a few wall-calendars left at Amazon!) Next time, maybe we’ll take a stroll into my small town so you can see the winter streets of the Haven. Would you like that? Plus, Downton, we have so much to talk about! Don’t forget to go back and get your bookmark! The days are longer now, have you noticed? XOXO Have a wonderful day!♥
January 18, 2015
HAPPY SUNDAY!
HAPPY SUNDAY EVERYONE! MUSICA first (we have our priorities) ~ I was going to announce the winner of our teapot now, the tea tin 
and Fine Romance book ~ and then I thought, “it’s the weekend, let’s make sure everyone had a chance to sign up.” Right? SO, if you haven’t yet, this is your chance! Scroll down to the next post to read all about our Giveaway, leave me a comment, and Good Luck! And P.S., Yes, more Swedish Hearts are on their way to our web store!
But while I’m here, I think we should get a little fun out of life! One of our Girlfriends asked to see a close-up of Ray and Paul’s Terrier collection that was glimpsed in one of the photos in the post below . . . so here they are! On a shelf in her kitchen. (Ray’s version of Beatrix Potter figurines!) When we went to visit Ray and Paul in England, Joe and I brought the little dog on the far left. He’s made of iron and very heavy for his size. Aren’t little collections like this wonderful? No two alike!
It’s not in my DNA to do such a short post, I’ll be back soon, but here’s a little food for thought for your Sunday . . .
Weather-wise we’ve had it all this winter on Martha’s Vineyard ~ sheets of ice on the kitchen porch, sleet and snow that “chill and bite,” wild winds beating at the windows ~ the temperature fluctuates wildly: 
yesterday it was 20° with a misty ice-fog in the air, the foghorn blew all day; this morning it’s 40°, grey and raining. Cars drive by, I hear their tires slapping the road. Joe made us a fire; he’s reading the paper in front of it with crackle and pop and ashes falling, tick of wind-up clock, rustle of pages turning; Foreign Correspondent with Joel McCrea is on the TV in my studio; Jack is giving himself a bath on my art table, Girl is curled on the back of Joe’s couch, and I’m saying hello to you and getting ready to spend the day painting; wending our way through life ~ ”God’s in his heaven, all’s right with the world” here in Smallville.♥
O’ Winter, King of the MOST Intimate of Delights . . .
And tonight, Girlfriends? For frosting on the cake and “continuous small pleasures?” Downton Abbey! Be there or be square! Wob you, Me.♥
January 13, 2015
Singing at the Top of your Lungs
Speaking of Smallville; here is a little thing that will make your frozen mornings
a little less so. I have two pairs of these darling sexy shoes you see above,the most comfortable shoes in the world . . . this pair is in the kitchen in front of the heat vent getting warm, while the other is on my feet, slowly (but surely) chilling up. Soon I will exchange places with them and my cold feet, as they slip into the deep warmth of freshly heated shoes, will purr the immortal words: Ooo La Wee.
Some variation of these two old cashmere sweaters and that brown shawl are my daily outfit for working at my art table. Not pretty, but cozy ~ works perfectly in Smallville. I took the picture pointed at my lap (sucking in my tummy to protect the innocent).
As you know, I’ve been doing lots of painting for my 2016 calendars, but I took a little time out and did something just for fun I thought you might like to see.
This is Paul Lucas, he is the darling husband of my good friend Rachel. It’s his birthday at the end of the month. And it’s a big one.
That’s Paul on the left, Ray in the middle,(we’re in Maine) and who’s that other guy in the picture with the beret? Oh, yeah, that’s Joe!
Some of you know Ray from Twitter, some know her from Sugar Moon Brownies, and others from her own Blog (she’s more famous every day, another hardworking girl in Smallville) . . . and,
Here’s where they live. You might recognize it because I wrote about Ray and Paul in A FINE ROMANCE; they are English and live in England and part of the reason we went over was to see them. You might remember that wonderful recipe for Ray’s amazing Lemon Butter Cookies on P. 139 of A FINE ROMANCE? (One of our Girlfriends made the cookie HERE in her Blog, in case you don’t have the book but need the recipe!)
This is Paul with Ray’s darling nephew Will. Paul is doing a one-of-a-kind birthday cello recital for Ray’s mum on her sun porch. See? he’s wonderful.
♥
Just ask the love of their lives . . . this is Ray’s and Paul’s “dog” Alice. I use the word “dog” only because I know Alice doesn’t look at blogs.
Her collar says it all.
You may have noticed that Paul is the picture of sartorial splendor, he always looks darling. As you know if you read A Fine Romance, he sometimes wears an ascot. He’s one of a kind. I love his new beard and mustache.
It’s men like this that give me hope for the world. (He’s in my pantry ironing his pants a couple of Christmases ago.) So I decided I wanted, even though I’m much too far away to do him total birthday justice, to help him and Rachel
So I decided to paint him in all his dapper charmingness, or at least as much as I could muster onto a flat piece of paper. Including the dog pin on his lapel and the brilliant scarlet handkerchief in his pocket.
The colors in that photo of him made it easy to make the decision ~ I had fun painting every single stripe, plaid and eye sparkle.
I’m almost done!
I added a few descriptive words, put on a little border, watercolored his name and then signed it. Paul is funny with words: instead of Vineyard Haven, he calls where we live “the Haven” (no one calls it that); and instead of Martha’s Vineyard which many people shorten to “The Vineyard,” not Paul, he calls it “Martha’s.” He calls Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc, “Kimmie.” And now, so do we and all our friends do too. It’s catching . . . if you like Kimmie, you’ll probably call it that from now on too. It will go viral!
Witty, Talented and Cute. Oh yes, and he raises bees in their garden.
So, while Joe reglued an old frame we had lying around Smallville, taking out all the teeny nails and framing it for me . . . I wrote a card, and went looking through my sticker collection for something Birthday-like to put on the
envelope. My eye landed on a three-dimensional pink polka-dot birthday hat, with a real, red-yarn pompom on top (no longer being made if you can imagine that sad state of affairs) I tried it on Paul. It fit perfectly. So him.
So I left it there, stuck to the outside of the glass, thinking it was kind of the cat’s meow. Joe wrapped it up in 3 lbs of bubble wrap and it’s on the way to England even as we speak.
So that’s what makes Smallville special, we’re in charge around here. We make our own fun.
And speaking of fun . . . it’s your turn! You know I can never just come out and announce the winner of a Giveaway. Oh no, must drag out the suspense like my dad used to do at Christmas, thereby almost doing his children in with the hysteria of the thought of what Santa might bring them!!! Unbearable! Hope I can do the same for you. (No, I know ~ it’s not quite the same thing!)
OK, anyway, Vanna, unlike her usual self (usually she sleeps in late, resting up because of the many Euro Trash parties she loves to attend), is actually already UP, and dressed and ready for her big moment. She wafts by me in the palest whisp of Chanel #5, wearing a gown that looks suspiciously JUST LIKE the one that Kate Hudson wore at the Golden Globes, (Vanna has no idea how she freaks out the people who live in Smallville. But her joie de vivre is so compelling I can’t bring myself to put a damper on her. I just let her do what she needs to do and get her out of here before Joe gets up!)
Our Vanna is named for Vanna White, the most well-known Game Girl of our times. Our virtual Vanna is a professional when it comes to
drawing the winning name from a huge vat of names. Nobody does it better. She’s the double-oh-seven of the Game Girl world and we are proud to call her our own. This is one of her bedroom slippers.
And so. While I was writing about her, she was busy digging deep into the well with all your names ~ she actually dives in, a graceful high dive (especially in that dress), and swims through them to mix them up, she’s like the Little Mermaid that way, a little silver fish. And she just popped up with teeny piece of paper. Let me get my glasses . . .
Ohhhh, how wonderful! Here goes: The winner is . . . drum roll please . . .
J A N H A M M O N D !!!
Congratulations Jan!
You are our LUCKY Winner! Please look for an email in your box, write me back and send me your home address so I can pop your books in the mail to you. I hope the new books help organize you and Gale (in her comment, Jan mentioned that if she won, she’d give the other book to her girlfriend Gale).
But that’s not all, there’s more . . . first of all, here comes Valentine’s Day, and Janie made us some adorable new banners! I wanted to let you know before they’re all gone . . . Kellee snuck them into the store last week and they’re already flying out.
Janie always makes the cutest envelopes to go with the banners ~ these little banners make the perfect Valentine’s gifts.
Janie made these Swedish hearts for us too, they come in both white and red and in darling envelopes of their own.
Sooooo, I hope everyone is feeling festive and organized and no one is too disappointed ~ the hardest thing I do is announce a winner! But I really wanted to thank you for the lovely, wonderful comments you left on the last post. You are an amazing bunch of Girlfriends!
I feel like we’re on some sort of roll, I hate to see it come to an end, so, because it’s almost Valentine’s Day, I thought . . . maybe . . . we should . . .
have another. . .
another what? ~ another what? . . . another cup of tea?
La-dee-da . . . la-dee-da
GIVEAWAY!! After all, winter is long, and the secret of a happy life is continuous small treats, right? . . . and a tea pot really isn’t very big . . .just the perfect size for Smallville.
Remember, you saw that teapot in A Fine Romance?
I’ve had mine for a long time ~ remember how well it mixes with my mismatched dishes?
And how cute it looked at our Valentine’s Breakfast party with the Johnson Brothers Rose Chintz dishes? I think you would love having one as much as I do.
And there’s even more, it’s a really BIG Giveaway! Because I thought it would be nice to include this ~ a tin of our own private label Earl Grey tea with Lavender and Rose Petals. Yum!
Oh yes! And one more thing, since it’s Valentine’s Day we’re talking about . . .
I thought, even though most of you already have it, A FINE ROMANCE would make a good Valentine’s present because
you could give it away to someone you love. And if you don’t already have the book, if your name is drawn, you would now have access to the recipe for Rachel’s Lemon Butter Cookies. It’s a win-win! And I hope you do! Win, I mean. My way of saying Thank You!
Kitties love it too.♥ And vice versa.
So, we’re going to have another drawing ~ after all we don’t want that silver manicure of Vanna’s to go to waste, and she adores Valentines Day more than any other . . . so, to sum up: if you left a comment on the post below for the Internet Address Books, you are already entered for the teapot, book and tea! But if not, leave a comment at the bottom of this post and tell your mom, your sister, your grammie, your BFF, your great-aunt Mary, your Twitter friends, Pinterest Peeps, and Facebook pals to come on over and enter too. 
The prizes: one of our dear Girlfriends is going to get a 4-cup, Emma Bridgewater Heart Teapot, my “Come Sit Stay” tea tin with delicious Lavender and Rose Petal Earl Grey Tea, AND a signed copy of A FINE ROMANCE.♥(And you think YOU’RE having fun! HA! When people talk about “the power of the Internet” I think this is what they mean! At least here in Smallville.)
Rubbing hands together in attack of pathological enthusiasm.
And P.S. if just thinking about this inspires you to envision having a Valentine’s Tea Party, the first thing you will need are invitations . . . so here you go!
Click there and you can print out as many as you need on card stock or heavy paper (one of our girlfriends said she used a cut-down manila envelope and it worked perfectly! Probably an interesting color too, quite creative!) ~ 
invite your best girlfriends, your sisters, your mom, your best guy, or someone who simply needs an airing (as Joe would say, usually about me when I’ve been in the house too long), and celebrate as we do so well here in Smallville. Make Rachel’s cookies and some cucumber sandwiches, light the fire and a candle or two, talk, talk, talk, solve all the world’s problems, hash over Downton Abbey, and watch the cold and snow fade away to nothing.
Ah yes, here’s Nature’s Valentine, out on our feeders . . . making the world more adorable one little birdie at a time.
Love you Girlfriends, have a wonderful day!♥
January 9, 2015
Hello from Smallville!
“Hello,” as my dad says, “from Smallville!” ’Cause that’s where I live too. And I like it 
here. Sometimes the world just seems too big ~ but the bigger it gets, the smaller I get ~ because here in Smallville, it’s always a nice day. There’s plenty to do in Smallville too … it’s not a boring place.
Things that don’t count in the big world are EVERYTHING here. When the world tries to get into Smallville and upset the smallness, I shut it out, turn on the MUSICA (listening to this now), light a fire (hearing it crackle), watch the birds busy at the feeders (peep-peep), and do what needs to be done.
Like cleaning shelves. Nothing more common sense than this, sometimes it needs to be done. I give myself a sense of purpose and accomplishment by getting the cooking juices off 
my shelves with a hot soapy cloth; washing dishes (I wash the ones with gold trim on them by hand) and putting them back on the shelves, shiny and clean. Standing back and looking at my handiwork and saying, “ahhhh, look at that sparkle!” I’m always happiest when my corner of the world is clean and organized and a new year for me always includes organization, which my mom says, is the key to success.
Some of the dishes are washed by hand, and these just came out of the dishwasher.
It’s before dawn and my audience is very quiet, just waking up, she pussyfoots around. No loud applause. Just purring.
And speaking of organization . . .
The other thing I wanted to share with you is an organizing thing that has turned out to be SO GOOD I had to tell you about it. I had this old (no longer in print) unused address book lying around, so I grabbed it and turned it into a brand new thing.
It’s now my “Internet Address and Password Log Book.” Before I thought of this, I had all my 
websites and passwords written, but not alphabetized, on four pieces of paper (adding more pages all the time) that got limper and more tattered and worn by the day; torn on the fold and messy with additions and pencil smears ~ I would have to “re-do” the whole thing every so often.
Now I have a real book I can put everything in. Like here, under C, the phone number and email address for Customer Service at my Studio.
It’s a hard-cover book with alphabet tabs that keep everything I need right at my fingertips.
For instance, under M, for Mom, here are all the websites, user names and passwords I need in order to pay my mom’s bills online. There are copies of her two credit cards, in case I need them. (These pages look a lot better in real life than they do in these photos ~ I didn’t think it would be very smart for me to show the world my passwords so I sort of squiggled them out; I knew you would be proud of me for the quick thinking.)
Under G is my Google Password, and all my contacts with the people at Gladys Taber, my Gmail and Goodreads Passwords too. Under S, I have web addresses for all the online places I like to Shop, passwords and usernames for shoes and sweaters and art supplies (sometimes I cross-reference and put art supplies under A, or U for Utrecht); under P, I have my Pinterest and Paypal account numbers . . . under C I have my Computer fix-it people, my Credit Card account numbers and contacts, and so on. I can pack this book up and take it with me no matter where I go! Very handy don’t you think? SO much better than my previous way of doing it.
I thought maybe this was something you might want to do. And, just in case you don’t have an old address book lying around . . .
I do! Two in fact, you can choose! You like yellow? We have yellow. You like blue? We have blue!
Both come complete with alphabet tabs . . .
They’re both in full color, binder style, they come with lots of pages. I blow on my fingernails, polish them on my sweater, say to myself, Brilliant! It makes me feel good to be organized.
And if you like it too, I have something for you!
A new drawing for these two “Internet Address Books,” one for our lucky winner, and one for the lucky winner to give away to her lucky friend! All you have to do is leave a comment and you’ll be entered into the drawing. (NOTE: If the blog is mailed to you, you might not see a place to leave a comment, go directly to www.susanbranch.com, scroll to the bottom of this post, look for the tiny word “Comments” at the very end in tiny grey letters, click there to comment so you’re entered into the drawing.) Vanna (she’s our virtual in-house Game Girl and “random number generator,” although she would hate to be called this) is on high alert, ready to do her job in a few days, to choose the winner.
So here in Smallville, all is well, even though it’s freezing outside . . .
And everything is coated in this crisp frozen-on snow crust . . .
The wind whistles and the shutters bang and ice crystals grace all our upstairs windows ~
Inside Smallville, it’s 72°, it’s organized (within reason) and as flowery and summer-like as I need it to be while I paint for our new 2016 calendars.♥
Last but not least, I realize there’s not enough Kitty Love in this post, in case you need a fix, go HERE, for full and complete inundation.♥
And a reminder of the best of the little things in life:
A kitty will make you laugh every day and that is simply priceless. Love you Girlfriends. ♥ Don’t forget to leave your comment. Have a wonderful day! All my love from Smallville, USA. XOXO
January 5, 2015
Downton and the Full Moon
The Full Moon and Downton Abbey go so well together! MUSICA
Did we love it? Oh yes! There are many wonderful houses on Downton Abbey; I just love going inside those gorgeous rooms, with the beautiful dishes, fireplaces, paintings, wallpaper, furniture, rugs and 
cut glass, etched glass, sparkling glass ~ it’s the reason I watch, besides the clothes, the jewelry, the views of England, the history, and the witty repartee ~ but this brick house is my favorite ~ Violet’s (the Dowager Countess’s) is the one I would take if they offered me my choice. Yes, much more than Downton Abbey itself. That’s just too much house for me. ⇢ Home darling. Let’s go home. Pull in, get the suitcases . . . Jeeves dear! Bring the tea!
By the way Violet’s wonderful house is called Byfleet Manor in real life; you can go there, have tea, and even stay there! It’s in Surrey!
One of my other main reasons for loving this show is these two:
That’s how they talk to each other. They don’t even have to talk, they manage to say everything that needs saying just with their facial expressions. Their tongue-in-cheek comments require that I see each episode three times in order to catch everything. Not to mention their clothes. Look at Isobel’s jacket, the buttons! The gloves! Their acting is wonderful but you have to give credit to the storytellers, Julian Fellowes and his team . . . something so cute last night (in the first episode of the 5th season) was the detail that the grandchildren are calling Robert (the Earl of Grantham) “Donk” (Donk, referring to Pin the Tail on the Donkey). It just has to be something they came up with from real life! No one could make that up!
These are the upstairs characters (missing is Lord Gillingham, Mary’s current boyfriend and childhood friend, and others I’m sure) ~
Here are the downstairs characters . . . Alfred has gone off to cooking school, Ivy’s gone and Edna is evil and gone too, but now we have Phyllis Baxter, who is Cora’s lady’s maid and just gave away the secret that Barrow was holding over her head.
I know not all of you are watching, so I won’t stay on this subject further, suffice it to say (about last night): I LOVED sweet Mr. Molesley’s personal make-over to attract Baxter’s interest, despite Robert’s question about him being “Latin.” And doesn’t Thomas Barrow make your skin crawl? I kind of think that if he got together with Miss Bunting (the schoolteacher rabble-rouser) they could join forces and terrorize the neighborhood. I’d be scared, that’s for sure! And I can’t wait to go on the scandalous vacation with Lady Mary and Lord Gillingham, maybe next week? ~ I hope they go somewhere in a darling car, with darling luggage,
and lovely traveling clothes to a Country House Estate with massive gardens in the beautiful English Countryside . . . if you didn’t catch it, they are going to “audition” each other for possible marriage; trying out s-e-x because they are in l-o-v-e, but afraid. It’s 1924. OMG. Oh yes, and Edith. Poor Edith. There’s always something. But last night she made me laugh out loud when she disdainfully said to her sister Mary, “I thought only imbeciles were happy all the time” in her precise English accent which turns the word “imbecile” into a kind of sausage stuffed with cheese.
I know those of you who saw it will have your favorite parts and it’s fun to hash them over ~ (I’m probably wrong about Miss Bunting; but right now I’m old enough to be firmly against change despite how good it might be, plus she was really rude to darling Robert), but, get ready for a rapid change of subject, the real reason I’m writing is this, below . . . Because I don’t want another full moon to get by without you having your New Year’s present!
TAAA DAAAAA!
I don’t want us to miss a single one! (Especially those school children who are waiting for their bookmarks!)
Outside in the summer, inside in the winter, from the beach, from the car, from the woods, in your own front yard, you get to make wishes on them all!
A pure sky miracle!
How can that be possible?
So click HERE and you can print it out . . .
And now, it’s back to work for me
I’m working on this little painting
Kind of easy to see who we’re talking about here
Jack likes it . . . he modeled for me . . .
That white spot is my favorite green plaid shawl over the back of my chair . . . and that’s what I’m about to do right now; finish painting it! Then, after Comcast comes and updates our service, we’re going for our walk; 40 degrees and clear today, turkeys pecking around in the yard as we speak. Then I take in my new computer because the Google bar has disappeared! Try living without that for a few days! Those Downton Abbey people were lucky ~ their problems didn’t include lack of Google!
Have a wonderful day girlfriends! Wob you! XOXO
