Happy to be Canadian

Send us Fan Mail Episode 37.  This is something different.  It is a short excerpt from a longer historical fiction piece that I am writing.   It is based on the true exhumation of the largest skeleton of mastodon that happened near my home in southwestern Ontario in 1890.  There are an interesting cast of characters and the outcome is beyond anyone's imagination.  This story occurs as the bon...

Send us Fan Mail When all of Susanne's great Aunts moved to the United States looking for work in the 1930's in made a big shift in her family's history.  Today, with the uncertainty between the United States administration and Canada, those relationships may be fragile but are worth protecting.  If you would like to receive my weekly Saturday morning email that contains my original...

Send us Fan Mail Knowing a little bit about food handling safety procedures can make you uneasy when you are making sausages at home.  Join Susanne and she and her family try to make venison summer sausage with a meat grinder and a thermometer. Oh, and scalloped potatoes are involved.  If you would like to receive my weekly Saturday morning email that contains my original stories, Canadian book re...

Send us Fan Mail The Night Before Christmas was first published over 200 years ago.  Reading it is one of Susanne's favourite Christmas traditions.   Please take a few minutes, sit back with your family and remember this charming rhyme that has remained popular for two centuries.  If you would like to receive my weekly Saturday morning email that contains my original stories, Canadian book re...

Send us Fan Mail After the hubbub of the holiday passes, memories and meals are mixed with loss and laughter to create another Christmas surrounded by family and pets.  Susanne reflects on Christmas 2024 and many other memories get thrown into the mix.  If you would like to receive my weekly Saturday morning email that contains my original stories, Canadian book recommendation, new barn quilt desi...

Send us Fan Mail Years of worry ended in nine seconds when all the stars aligned for the new cupola to be installed during the major reconstruction project of the Crazy 8 Barn in Palmyra, Ontario. Let Susanne take you through the anguish and the joy that rebuilding history can be.  If you would like to receive my weekly Saturday morning email that contains my original stories, Canadian book recomm...

Send us Fan Mail Can you imagine finding a heritage home filled with the gigantic fruit of an Osage Orange tree?  Well, Susanne did and you can find out here how that adventure turned out.  If you would like to receive my weekly Saturday morning email that contains my original stories, Canadian book recommendation, new barn quilt design and a recipe or cycling route (depending on the season), sign...

Send us Fan Mail You can conjure up that old Christmas feeling anytime if you have an old Victrola and a group of rangy kids.  Hear how Susanne and her friends and family brought an old snowman back to life on every summer vacation.  If you would like to receive my weekly Saturday morning email that contains my original stories, Canadian book recommendation, new barn quilt design and a recipe or c...

Send us Fan Mail When the Tamarack trees turn gold in the cool days of November, Susanne recalls the days when private pilots were plentiful and friendships were formed through flight and food.  You'll hear about a little yellow airplane and how it changed the lives of many local residents.  If you would like to receive my weekly Saturday morning email that contains my original stories, Canad...

Send us Fan Mail Artists from around the world collaborated to make one of the most cherished Christmas animation movies from the past half century.  It was one of Susanne's favourites.  Find out how it came together, and watch out, there's singing. If you would like to receive my weekly Saturday morning email that contains my original stories, Canadian book recommendation, new barn quil...

Send us Fan Mail When harvest rolls around, we want to show our appreciation.  One autumn Susanne and Manfred created a Corn Queen to honour the bounty of the harvest.  This week you'll hear how they accomplished it.  If you would like to receive my weekly Saturday morning email that contains my original stories, Canadian book recommendation, new barn quilt design and a recipe or cycling rout...

Send us Fan Mail Susanne has plugged the combine while harvesting corn.  Listen where she wanders to as she reflects on the dangers that have faced farmers in the past and how they coped with them.  If you would like to receive my weekly Saturday morning email that contains my original stories, Canadian book recommendation, new barn quilt design and a recipe or cycling route (depending on the seas...

Send us Fan Mail Susanne takes you into the combine with her as they race against the weather and the setting sun to finish up a soybean harvest.  If you would like to receive my weekly Saturday morning email that contains my original stories, Canadian book recommendation, new barn quilt design and a recipe or cycling route (depending on the season), sign up here .  Follow me on Facebook and Insta...

Send us Fan Mail Susanne re-imagines how her family could have come together to make a safe landing spot for her parents who were trying to get home in their small aircraft before dark.  It's a unique look at rural families who flew private aircraft from their own farms in the 1960's.   If you would like to receive my weekly Saturday morning email that contains my original stories, Canad...

Send us Fan Mail Creating stories and fairy tales comes naturally to children as Susanne realizes when 11 year old her grandson describes his new experiences making his first stop-motion animation film. It's where the real stars are created.  If you would like to receive my weekly Saturday morning email that contains my original stories, Canadian book recommendation, new barn quilt design and...

Send us Fan Mail When Robert Redford died last week, Susanne thought about the lessons she had learned from the movie star who "wasn't her guy". You'll also find out why she chose the jaunty theme music for this podcast. So join her as she re-enters that golden age of film making with Newman and Redford.  If you would like to receive my weekly Saturday morning email that contai...

Send us Fan Mail When a grandson's graduation gift flies out of sight, Susanne and family are on a misadventure to the soybean field.  Will they find the misguided gift or return with only scratches and  bad memories?  Find out by listening to Doomed Maiden Voyages.  If you would like to receive my weekly Saturday morning email that contains my original stories, Canadian book recommendation,...

Send us Fan Mail Manfred and Susanne delight over the beauty of the barn swallows that take up residence every summer in an old dairy barn on their farm. Follow the turns and tales that have kept these beautiful little birds housed here for almost one hundred years.  If you would like to receive my weekly Saturday morning email that contains my original stories, Canadian book recommendation, new b...

Send us Fan Mail Susanne has been on some surprising horse purchasing adventures with her daughter. Hi ho .....  If you would like to receive my weekly Saturday morning email that contains my original stories, Canadian book recommendation, new barn quilt design and a recipe or cycling route (depending on the season), sign up here .  Follow me on Facebook and Instagram My website to join in our bar...

Send us Fan Mail Susanne makes a shattering discovering about the rebranding of Pyrex and its offspring.  If you would like to receive my weekly Saturday morning email that contains my original stories, Canadian book recommendation, new barn quilt design and a recipe or cycling route (depending on the season), sign up here .  Follow me on Facebook and Instagram My website to join in our barn quilt...

Send us Fan Mail Susanne is surprised when she answers her cell to  hear Manfred shouting that she is one fire.  Follow their frantic efforts to squash the fire in the field.  If you would like to receive my weekly Saturday morning email that contains my original stories, Canadian book recommendation, new barn quilt design and a recipe or cycling route (depending on the season), sign up here .  Fo...

Send us Fan Mail Coyotes populate southern Ontario and when we are outdoors we see them often, but not as often as they watch us.  Listen as Susanne is surprised by a voice from the darkness.  If you would like to receive my weekly Saturday morning email that contains my original stories, Canadian book recommendation, new barn quilt design and a recipe or cycling route (depending on the season), s...

Send us Fan Mail Do you ever wonder why you love or loath foods that were popular in your family when you were a child? In this episode, Susanne tries of her dad's favourite treats, one that she found repulsive in her childhood. Will her taste buds have matured?  Will she still find this food yucky? Listen to find out.  If you would like to receive my weekly Saturday morning email that contai...

Send us Fan Mail Over the years, Susanne has had some delightful brushes with real and suspected Ukrainian heritage.  She has learned that all is not as it first appears but also treasures the remarkable tastes she encountered.  If you would like to receive my weekly Saturday morning email that contains my original stories, Canadian book recommendation, new barn quilt design and a recipe or cyclin...

Send us Fan Mail When a local club hosts a Frog Legs Supper, Susanne remembers a frog fishing fiasco from a childhood vacation on a Northern Ontario lake.  If you would like to receive my weekly Saturday morning email that contains my original stories, Canadian book recommendation, new barn quilt design and a recipe or cycling route (depending on the season), sign up here .  Follow me on Facebook...