Posted in acting, beauty products, costumes, directing, Family, Fiction, humor, Jansen Schmidt, success, theater, theatre, tv, watching tv, writing, tagged actors, balance, chase, comfortable shoes, costumes, fashion, feet, female police, flat shoes, foot wear, high heels, Hollywood, jobs, legs, police, posture, ridiculous shoes, sensible shoes, shoes, Sketchers, stilettos on August 28, 2017| 14 Comments »
I don’t know about you, but I love shoes. Always have. I’m somewhat of a collector, or at least I used to be. Since high school I’ve had office jobs and since high school I’ve worn high heels. Used to be, the higher the better. Shoes make a statement and I was bold. (more…)
Posted in acting, Caribbean, costumes, dessert, desserts, Disney, Disneyland, drinks, Family, food, friends, Holidays, humor, Jansen Schmidt, love, vacation, Walt Disney World, writing, tagged actors, Captain Jack Sparrow, Disney, Disney geek, Dole Whip, Johnny Depp, magic, Magic Kingdom, magical, magical places, pirate ride, Pirates, Pirates of Caribbean, video, Youtube on June 5, 2017| 9 Comments »
I subscribe to a lot of Disney related websites, blogs, newsletters, etc., because, hey, I am a Disney geek. That’s right, I love all things Disney. Well, almost all things. I’m not a fan of Dole whips. (more…)
Posted in acting, Baer House Inn, camera, Fiction, humor, Jansen Schmidt, musical theater, singing, Vicksburg, writing, tagged A Great Big World Cover, film crew, filming, historic inns, music, music video, on-camera, say something, thestorytellers, thestorytellersmusic, videos, Youtube on April 10, 2017| 13 Comments »
About a month ago, I posted this: https://jansenschmidt.wordpress.com/2017/02/27/when-life-throws-you-challenges-musings-from-an-exhausted-innkeeper/ which included some photos of a video crew shooting a music video. It was an interesting day and fun to watch the behind the scenes stuff. The crew wasn’t here very long and really didn’t have that much equipment. However, the final product turned out pretty dang good, in my opinion. (more…)
Posted in acting, beauty products, blogging, directing, driving, Family, humor, Jansen Schmidt, success, words, writing, tagged ad campaigns, advertising, Beyonce, celebrities, celebrity endorsements, energizer bunny, famous people, Flo, Gary Busey, Geico, Jennifer Aniston, Matthew McConaughey, TV ads, TV commercials on December 5, 2016| 8 Comments »
We’ve all seen commercials and magazine ads with beautiful famous people using their charms, good looks and famousness, to help sell products. I ask you dear readers, does this strategy really work?
Posted in acting, Birthdays, blogging, dancing, Disney, Family, Fiction, friends, humor, Jansen Schmidt, love, romance, roses, singing, Walt Disney World, watching tv, writing, tagged Be Our Guest, Beast, Beast castle, Beauty and the Beast, Belle, Cinderella, Disney, Disney movies, Emma Watson, Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, movie trailer, new movie, Walt Disney on November 21, 2016| 10 Comments »
By now it’s no secret that I’m a Disney freak. Yes, that’s right, I love all things Disney. I never get tired of visiting the parks, reading the blog sites, flipping through the glossy magazines, watching the movies, wearing the t-shirts, all of it. (more…)
Posted in acting, authors, Baer House Inn, blogging, dessert, desserts, drinks, Family, food, friends, humor, Jansen Schmidt, love, success, words, writing, tagged Detectives Comedy Dinner Theater, dinner, dinner theater, improv, improvement, improvisation, improvise, melodrama, melodrama theater, planning, plans, unexected on October 10, 2016| 13 Comments »
Improvisation: noun: the art or act of improvising, or of composing, uttering, executing, or arranging anything without previous preparation. (Musical improvisation involves imagination and creativity.)
Posted in acting, authors, Baer House Inn, blogging, bucket list, costumes, drinks, Family, Fiction, food, friends, goals, humor, Jansen Schmidt, love, musical theater, resolutions, singing, theater, theatre, vacation, Vicksburg, writing, tagged cabaret show, Dancing, Detective Comedy Dinner Theater, dinner show, dinner theater, historic Vicksburg, murder, murder myster, murder mystery dinner theater, mystery, tourism, tourist, tourist season, whodunnit, zany fun on August 22, 2016| 18 Comments »
Well, it’s been a year now and we’re getting to know the bed and breakfast routine pretty well. We’re also becoming familiar with the highs and lows of tourist traffic patterns here in Vicksburg. Vicksburg is very much a tourist town, but I think it’s pretty accurate to say we definitely have a tourist “season,” and thank the good lord for that.
Posted in acting, blogging, Family, Fiction, friends, humor, Jansen Schmidt, love, Mythology, Paranormal, short story, watching tv, words, writers, writing, tagged Baer House, basements, Germans, ghosts, Jews, kitchens, Kobold, kokopelli, Lazarus Baer, pranks, quadriga, trickster on December 14, 2015| 12 Comments »
Last week I gave you a smattering of the kinds of paranormal activity we currently experience here at The Baer House Inn. Never anything sinister or malevolent, just little noises to let us know that “we are not alone.”
This week, I’ll delve a little deeper into some lesser know types of ghosts or ways that ghosts manifest themselves.
First, let’s talk about the trickster, the kokopelli if you will.
Image courtesy Google Images
According to http://listverse.com/2013/03/27/10-little-known-mysterious-ghost-types/ – “Unless one is German, then the “Kobold” is not exactly a household term when it comes to the paranormal. Like a poltergeist, the kobold is a mischievous little spirit, playing tricks on humans and doing things to unsettle whoever is occupying its space. Kobolds can be malevolent or benevolent, depending on circumstances.”
Well, I for one only want to experience the benevolent type.
Photo courtesy Google Images.
Former innkeeper, Doug, had a first-hand experience with a Kobold while he was doing some remodeling work in the basement. You see, the basement (the inside one, we also have an outside one), used to be the Baer House kitchen. I know, I know – weird that a home built in the late 1860’s, early 1870’s had a kitchen inside the house. Unheard of at that time. You see, kitchens had a tendency to burn down and burn down fairly frequently. That’s because people still cooked over open fires or with open flames in cook stoves. Fire, my friends, can be very destructive if one is not careful.
Well, Ms. Leona Baer insisted that her kitchen be built right inside her home. After her original kitchen house “mysteriously” burned down (that’s a whole different blog post), her construction workers began building the basement kitchen. At that time, people thought Leona was a little off her rocker. Why risk burning down your big beautiful mansion just to have the convenience of an indoor kitchen?
Photo courtesy Google Images.
Fast forward to 2005 when Doug bought the home and decided to turn that unused old kitchen space into a work-out room. During the initial remodel phase, quite frequently his tools went missing. On more than one occasion, he remembered putting a tool in a specific place only to have it disappear the next morning when he went to resume his work. Several days, or weeks, later, said tool would reappear in a very bizarre and out-of-the way place.
I’m thinking that’s a Kobold at work suggesting to Doug that perhaps a work-out room was not such a good idea. In fact, he never finished that room.
That basement was not completed until 2015, when we turned it into a downstairs family room (aka a place to store our stuff). We go down there just about every night to watch t.v. and I have a very small craft/sewing room down there. There’s also a very nice, very modern half bath.
Oh sure, the shenanigans continue, but mostly in the form of electronic equipment going wonky (ie, the television turning itself off or the dehumidifier suddenly stopping for no reason). Occasionally we’ll come home and the lights will be on. Nothing dangerous or scary, just the little trickster letting us know he’s/she’s around.
Photo courtesy Google Images.
Now, it makes perfect sense that a Kobold would choose to inhabit this house. You see, this house was built by a very devout Jewish family, the patriarch of which immigrated from Germany. Remember the opening quote? Well, Lazarus Baer was a Jew from Germany, so . . . there you go.
Have you ever heard of Kobolds? I know a lot of you paranormal fans probably use that term every day as part of your regular vocabulary, but I had never heard of it. Until now. So tell me readers, would the presence of a friendly Kobold frighten you? Ever been on the receiving end of a paranormal trickster’s prank? I’d love to hear your experiences.
As always, thanks for taking the time to stop by and for your continued support. I love to read your comments, so keep them coming.
Word of the Day: Quadriga
Fun fact about me: I’m an avid fan of Dancing With the Stars.
Original post by Jansen Schmidt, December 2015. Photos and images courtesy Google Images.
Posted in acting, authors, Autumn, blogging, Family, Fiction, friends, humor, Jansen Schmidt, love, moving, short story, words, writing, tagged Arlington, cemetary, Home, hometown, Mississippi, monuments, national cemetary, National Military Park, small town, Tiffanys, Vicksburg, visiting, Youtube on October 19, 2015| 14 Comments »
Time was short this week my friends so I’m posting this quick blog about my new home. This video accurately reflects the feeling of Vicksburg and I’ve been to many of the places shown in this video. I hope you all get a chance to come visit. You won’t regret it.
Old courthouse, Vicksburg, Mississippi. Photo courtesy Google Iimages.
A couple of quick facts about the Vickbsurg National Military Park; 1) it is the most monumented military park in the nation with over a billion dollars in monuments including stuff from Tiffanys, real gold, bronze, granite and crystal. 2) It is the second largest national cemetary in the nation, second only behind Arlington. 3) Over one million people visit the park every year.
Bonus for me, it’s just over a mile from my house.
Please enjoy this walk through my home town and, as always, thanks for visiting.
What’s cool or unusual about your hometown? Do you enjoy taking a stroll down the street where you live? I’d love to see some fall foliage videos of your home town.
Word of the Day: Impecunious
Fun fact about me: I’ve only lived here 3 months, but it feels like home.
Original post by Jansen Schmidt, October 2015. Video courtesy YouTube. Photo courtesy Google Images.
