Happy to be Canadian

Send us Fan Mail

Last week Susanne went on a treasure hunt with her 12 year old grandson.

It started, as all skulduggery does, with the simple idea of spending some fun time together.

She wanted him to accompany her on a short trip to an old barn where there was vintage and other old stuff for sale. They were both surprised what they found there. 

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

Send us Fan Mail

Susanne loves to listen to audio books. It was a habit she picked up a few years ago when trying to be a faithful treadmill walker.

Her deal with herself was that she could only listen to the audio book when walking on that perpetual motion rotating mat.

She could pass an hour of uphill climbs and downhill jogs while listening to fictional plot twists and true-life stories.

It was enjoyable listening to Matthew McConaughey read his autobiography, Greenlights, in his practiced, soft, Texas drawl while sweating up a level 7 grade.

Now, everything has changed. 

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

Send us Fan Mail

Susanne's daughter started her journey to becoming a fire fighter by travelling to northern Ontario to fight forest fires almost two decades ago.

It was a series of trips and travels that Susanne was happy to make with her, and was thinking about that in mid-July when the thick smoke from this year’s fires, hundreds of kilometres away, was choking us in southern Ontario. 

Join them as they travel North America following fires and education in a truck called the Blue B*st*rd. 

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

Send us Fan Mail

A couple of days ago, I had my most terrifying moment in a combine. Over the years, there have been times when I was nervous driving in a cornfield at night thinking that a scary body could pop out of the rows in front of me; or when it feels like the edges of the wide tires are hanging off the sides of a culvert as I pass over a creek; or when I’m combining on a gentle side slope and it feels like I might tumble down its bank.

My moment of terror didn’t come in any of those moments when I would be prepared for certain death.

It was on a warm summer evening.  Please join me for the ride. 

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

Send us Fan Mail

The Canadian National Exhibition has a long history in the city of Toronto and Susanne is flattered when she receives an  invitation to  demonstrate her barn quilt painting skills.

Find out what happens when she mulls over the request and finds a connection that she had been researching for a couple of years. 

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

Send us Fan Mail

Writers and other creatives often have real or imaginary muses that help them make beautiful art.  Susanne had a make-believe muse - Lazy Larry - and he isn't always a writer's dream assistant.  

Listen to this hilarious account of her time spent with inspirational "Larry". 

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

Send us Fan Mail

On Canada Day, Susanne thinks she should make a bucket list to see all of the stereotypical symbols that are used to represent Canada in all kinds of artwork. She realizes many that she had not seen are from the far north of Canada.  

Luckily, she remembers that there is an out-of-place northern land marker not too far from her home in southwestern Ontario.  She and Manfred start out on a quest to find the roadside attraction.

As you can imagine, the journey is a winding one. Listen in, to find out what has happened to make this Canadian symbol a reality.

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

Send us Fan Mail

We had a bus tour visit Crazy 8 Barn this week. It was a mystery tour from Chicago.

That is a curated few days where the exact location and each event is a surprise to the participants.

As we waited for their arrival, we joked about them arriving at the Canada US. Border saying they didn’t know where they were going.

Could this be a hostage taking of 50 American Senior Citizens? Who would pay to get them back?

Find out how this event went and Susanne recalls the near-misses and successes of this bus tour event to southwestern Ontario. 

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

Send us Fan Mail

I’ve written often of my dad but I thought today, that I would write about his dad, my grandpa Spence.

My grandfather had a life of major heartbreaks and tragedies but he didn’t seem broken, to me as a child.

And, I've found something that immortalized what a good day might have looked like in those trying times. 

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

Send us Fan Mail

Susanne is looking for a dreamer with a destiny.  Join her on her first trip inside a rare octagonal barn to find out who will be loving this magnificent structure next.  She's also going to be asking you for a big favour ... 

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