Let me begin this post by saying WordPress automatically “upgraded” my software and I find myself floundering a wee bit while trying to get this blog ready. I apologize in advance for any wonky parts. Please bear with me while this old dog learns some new tricks.
I’m not overly fond of repeating myself. I never knew this about myself until I owned an inn. I have the same spiel memorized that I tell every guest at check-in. It’s not bad if there are only 1 or 2 rooms checking in, but when we have a full house and everyone checks in at different times, I’m forced to repeat the spiel several times a day.
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Folks it’s been slim pickings here at Casa Baer. I’ve been trying to keep my chin up throughout this pandemic but some days it’s really hard to find the silver lining. Since the beginning of March we’ve only taken in just a smidge over six thousand dollars. Usually we bring in double that 
So many people are reeling, angry, and despairing these days. It’s no wonder. We’ve all been thrown into a situation that we’ve never been in before. It’s extremely disorienting, confusing and challenging in many ways. In the face of intense and prolonged stress, this new syndrome has emerged. But don’t despair, there’s a cure and hope. 
Over the past few months, like so many other people, I’ve been doing a lot of extra eating. Mostly stress eating. I’m sometimes careful with my food choices, but usually I don’t give a fig how much butter, sugar, carbohydrates and chemical preservatives are in the food. Hand me a bag of chips and that’s the last you’ll see of them. Give me a can of cashews, those babies will be gone. Dill pickles are devoured like candy. I guess you see the trend here – salt! It’s all about the salt. 
I don’t know how long it’s been for you folks, but here at Casa Baer we’ve going into our seventh week of self-isolation. According to our Governor and our Mayor, it looks like we’ve got at least two more to go before “we re-evaluate.” I’m hoping that by the second week of May we’ll be able to enter Phase I and start to see some movement toward “normal,” around here. What that means for my business remains to be seen, but I’m hopeful I’ll be able to welcome guests again in the near future. I’m hoping for June, but only time will tell. Right now I’m an innkeeper with nothing to keep. 
Our local leaders advised us last week to try to stay home for just one entire week. Don’t go anywhere, including the grocery store. We were strongly encouraged to NOT go anywhere unless it was an absolute emergency. We were given a 2-day notice that law enforcement was going to be cracking down on folks just randomly out and about. I’m not really sure how they intended to actually police that, but I did my best to comply. 
I don’t know about you, but I’m so tired of seeing COVID-19 or Coronavirus. It’s everywhere and it’s getting old. It’s ruining my business and my attitude, which at the beginning of the year was pretty darn good. Remember, I was resolved to stay focused only on the positive. That’s getting really hard to do when every day I get at least 3 cancellations and no new reservations coming in. 
