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Shopping local is a movement Susanne bought into from Day One. It fits into her way of life with little effort.

She likes small shops where you can wander around and see most of the offerings in a few minutes and then be surprised by many hidden gems that you didn’t know you needed. 

She doesn’t like big grocery stores that sell fashion and furniture amongst the food. She finds comfort in stores that know her name or, at least, her face.

So imagine her surprise this week when a local wanna-be first time municipal councillor suggested that businesses should stop making people feel guilty by suggesting they shop local. 

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. 

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My website to join in our barn quilt painting experiences is www.crazy8barn.com

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This week Susanne saw a great photograph of the circular staircase at the Crazy 8 Barn. She's seen and taken many pictures of those steps, but this one stunned her/

The photographer must have splayed out on the concrete floor with their head tucked beside the bottom newel post. The inner stringer swirls, up, up up and looks like it soars up through three storeys to the top of the cupola.

In reality, the stairs turn up only one flight. 

Getting them that far was a mountain she and Manfred climbed during the reconstruction of the barn. And that story is also told in a funny little picture. 

Join Susanne to find out how these miraculous steps came to be. 

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. 

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My website to join in our barn quilt painting experiences is www.crazy8barn.com

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There is no better time to enjoy being in the garden than the fall.

It is Susanne's favourite time to garden.

Join her as she notices the evolution and experimentation of the garden at the Crazy 8 Barn including bad decisions and defeats, survivals and successes.

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. 

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My website to join in our barn quilt painting experiences is www.crazy8barn.com

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This week, Susanne woke up in the middle of the night. It was raining.

She could tell from my nest under the blankets that it was an autumn rain. A warm autumn rain.

The rain was like the showers of October 2011 when Manfred and Susanne began reconstructing their historic eight-sided barn in Palmyra.

Join her on that soggy month of concrete construction.

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. 

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My website to join in our barn quilt painting experiences is www.crazy8barn.com

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Susanne was overwhelmed with choices when she buying an Air Fryer at Canadian Tire this week.

You'll laugh at what brought her here and will be surprised by how it all ends.

Join her on this exploration of trendy and useful kitchen gadgets. 

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. 

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My website to join in our barn quilt painting experiences is www.crazy8barn.com

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Susanne had a dream about her dad the other night.

It was a night or so after he would have celebrated his 93rd birthday had he lived through a devastating bout of pneumonia almost two years ago.

They were driving home from some unknown location when they stopped to buy pizza to take home for supper.

Find out what happened, because her dad was not a pizza guy.

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. 

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My website to join in our barn quilt painting experiences is www.crazy8barn.com

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There are some students that can’t wait for school to begin and others dread it.

Those feelings are shaped over years of experience, good and bad and indifferent.

Susanne has a memory of her earliest days in grade one, whether it was the first day of school she cannot say, but join her and the three other little grade one students as the navigate the terror and the relief of that day.

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. 

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My website to join in our barn quilt painting experiences is www.crazy8barn.com

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Susanne and Manfred go on a road trip to research the life of a manager of the rail in Brockville in 1870. Seeing as much of the city, was important. Today, things have changed. Tourists and locals now walk the rail tunnel as coloured lights illuminate the brick-stone and blasted-stone walls. A cute, miniature electric train engine pulls little, multi-coloured railroad cars where belching steam engines used to haul loads of logs and lumber.

Depending on where he lived, this historic man may have walked by their house-turned-hotel on his way to the station.

History comes to life as they wander through this town that is different, but oh so similar to their home.

Please join them on this adventure. 

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. 

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My website to join in our barn quilt painting experiences is www.crazy8barn.com

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It was in summer of 2019 that Susanne started to wonder, just how many tarts her staff at the Crazy 8 Barn had sold since starting to make them in the fall of 2013. She scoured through seven years of month end reports and realized they had made 32,000 tarts.  Production had started at a few dozen in the first year, more than a thousand in the second year and then their reputation for the "best buttertarts in the world" exploded.

At that point in 2019 she estimated that it would be close, but wondered could they sell their 50,000th tart by the end of the year?  Join her and her former café staff has they struggle to maintain their strength and determination to reach a big, buttertart goal.

What could be more Canadian?

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. 

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My website to join in our barn quilt painting experiences is www.crazy8barn.com

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Susanne started covering municipal politics when she turned 19 years old.

Her college professor asked if she would accept a full-time position at a small weekly newspaper a few weeks before her fellow students started their co-op placements. He promised her straight A’s in all classes if she would agree to go early.

What followed was quite an education in old-time newspaper reporting and municipal politics. 

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 painting experiences is www.crazy8barn.com