Winter blues and spring anticipation

After clearing snow and ice over the weekend, this sunshiny day is welcome, though it's still cold. Early Sunday morning one of my guests asked if he could shovel off the sidewalks for me. Permission was granted! He lives in a sunbelt state, but grew up in Boston, so he knows how to wield a snow shovel. I think he got downright nostalgic about it. And what a treat for me to have the entry and sidewalks cleared by the time my other guests were ready to leave. Small kindnesses like that are what's best about life.

So how did I prepare my guests before sending them back out into winter? With premium, piping hot coffee, of course (no tea drinkers that day). They had juice and some fresh winter fruit--citrus and stuff--to wake up their taste buds and give them a shot of vitamins. Then came the comfort part: my own special gingerbread pancakes with real maple syrup. Always a winter favorite. And the perfect accompaniment, local bratwurst, nicely browned.

I keep thinking that we will soon have a day here and there warm enough to work on cleaning up the flower beds for spring. But I haven't seen any bulbs up yet, and I'm sure they know what they're doing. This morning I did hear birds singing in the arborvitae; that was a welcome sound. Maybe when I return from Texas next month, and after the Kansas Bed & Breakfast Association's annual meeting (more about those later), I can put on the garden gloves and get down in the dirt.

Hope winter has not got you down too much. It's been a long one in most places. It IS still February, though, which means....

Valentine's Day specials are still available through next weekend! (See January 14 post.) I'd love to see you here.

Two degrees of separation

More confirmation of what I said in my last post! The other day I had a guest, here for the first time, who said she thought she knew my mother. Turns out they grew up in the same little town, and my grandmother used to babysit her! Her last name was the same as some distant relatives I remember visiting with my grandmother as a child. "Do you think we're related?" I asked. "Probably," she shrugged.

Switch to the paternal side of the family: last night another first-time guest arrived asking if I knew certain other Stramels. They turned out to be two of my first cousins, whom she'd known through mutual friends. Like I've been saying ever since I moved to Hays in 1997, the most degrees of separation possible here are two.

Perks

Of all the perks that come with innkeeping, the best of all has to be having the opportunity to meet and get acquainted with all sorts of people I wouldn't otherwise meet. The Tea Rose Inn breakfast table serves as a nexus for common interests and experiences astonishingly often.

Then there are the guests who return again and again, becoming friends in the process. The pastor whose congregation gives him and his wife a Tea Rose Inn gift certificate each year. The local couple that spends each Valentine Day here, the eastern Kansas family that stays here once or twice a year on their way to Colorado, and many others. Then there are those whose jobs keep them travelling to Hays on a regular basis, sometimes for two years or more. It's so gratifying to me that they choose the TRI over all the other choices in Hays, and it's great to welcome them back each week.

Last weekend I had a visit from an African boy who stayed here with his father last summer, as he was getting settled into boarding school in Hays. We shared a pot of tea and caught up with each other. I keep in touch with the father by e-mail, and his son knows that, besides his school community so far from home, he has one more friend and haven to count on in Hays.

These are the rewards that I never expected to reap when I began innkeeping, but they are at the top of the list of why I've been doing it for nearly 11 years!

February is for Lovers!

The Tea Rose Inn is offering a special package during February, along with all our existing packages described at http://www.tearose.net/.

Chocolate Surrender
Heart-shaped chocolate cups filled with chocolate mousse, strawberries and a champagne split will be waiting for you in your room. Enjoy homemade hot cocoa before bed. The next morning, breakfast will feature quiche puffs and cherry-chocolate cream scones. Decorated chocolate cupcakes to take home. Add $40 to room rate.

You can also order:

4 Valentine cupcakes $6
4 heart-shaped chocolate cups filled with chocolate mousse $8
6 chocolate-dipped strawberries $8

Choose any one of the above limited-time Valentine treats as a bonus when you make a 2-night reservation during February!

Baxter's big adventure

If you have been my guest at the Tea Rose Inn in the last six years, you probably remember my dog Baxter. He's my auxiliary doorbell and constant companion. After driving to southwestern Colorado for the Christmas holiday, I decided to fly back instead of riding home with my sister. That meant that Baxter had to take a trip to the local veternarian for a health certificate declaring him fit to fly, and I had to buy a carry-on dog carrier that would fit under the seat. Baxter had not been inside a crate or carrier in over five years, so he was not happy about that part of the adventure. But he was with me every second, and enjoyed a nice long nap during our smooth flight. Now I know I can fly with Baxter, and I'll be ready for the next time!

Welcome to the TRI blog

Welcome to the TRI blog! Watch this space for favorite recipes from the inn, guest comments, Hays events, and new stuff at the B&B. I'll be talking to you soon.