Well, hello. How are you? Things here – well, let’s just say that time flies even when you aren’t having fun.
I’m going to get this out of the way: 2020 just sucked. For almost all of us. I hope that you and yours have had a better beginning to 2021, and are looking forward to brighter days. We are for sure.
We finally reopened fully on Memorial Day weekend, after being almost completely closed from March 15, 2020. We took the time to make some needed repairs and upgrades (yay new stove!), and to binge watch 1990’s era SciFi series. (Seaquest DSV and Stargate, if you must know).
We also took the time to grieve. Even though being closed was difficult, it was actually a blessing in disguise. Many of you know that my dad was very ill for several years – he passed away on June 23. Then we lost Brian’s father at the beginning of July. And because 2020 wasn’t through with us yet, we lost both Moose (our Corgi) and Angus (our shepherd mix) in August. I say being closed was a blessing because I cannot imagine having to go through that string of losses while mixing blueberry muffins with a brave face. As much as we missed all of you, we needed that time. Sometimes the Universe gives you what you don’t know you need.
Things are looking up now. For Christmas, Brian gifted me an adorable, headstrong Corgi puppy who we named Barnaby. He is a handful, and I can’t wait for you to meet him. You will definitely hear him. We have most weekends between now and the end of October fully booked, and many of the weddings that were postponed are going forward with joyful exuberance. I’m getting my cookbook project back on track and hope to have that out this fall.
We are eternally grateful to all of you for your continued faith in us and kind messages, and also to the State of Vermont, who recognized early on that small businesses – especially those in the hospitality industry – were not going to survive without help. So they helped. And we are here.
Sometimes I wonder if I overshare on this blog. If you feel that is the case, I’m sorry. But I feel like it would be dishonest not to acknowledge the events of the past months because they inform who we will be going forward. We are going to keep welcoming guests, having awesome events, and being involved in our community. But we will do so with the experiences of the past year in our hearts. And we are looking forward to seeing you soon.
Thank you for this post. We laughed and appreciated your sharing of so many hard losses. Here’s to better days for all.
Thanks, Bailey – and here’s to me checking our website more often :-/
Thank you for sharing! I am sorry for all the loss and heartache last year. I’m glad that you are open, and I cannot wait to see you in October. I’m excited about your cookbook project and can’t wait to try your fabulous food!
Hi Sandi – can’t wait to see you in a couple of weeks!
Wow! You have really endured alot. We stayed with you last month n really loved the Inn and your tour. We talked about the Travel Channels experience there. Im patiently waiting to see the show and what they filmed there. Guess I will keep checking your website for those details.
Happy October to you!
Tracie Stone
Yes – it has been quite a year for us, and for a LOT of people. We heard from the producer of Kindred Spirits last week, and he is hoping to send us an air date sometime very soon. He said it would be “this winter” – which is coming up fast!
We just watched your episode of Kindred Spirits. Are you allowed to give us an update on what’s been going on since then? Did you find out who the guy in the carriage house was and is he still with you? I am glad Adam and Amy were able to help you. 🙂
I’m about to write a new post about the experience, and give updates … but in short, we haven’t found out who he is, and he is still active. Never a dull moment 🙂