So Much Sensitivity Nowadays

I feel about cars how I feel about computers: They’re great when they work, they suck when they don’t. Before we moved to Mississippi I leased a Nissan Rogue, which I loved. My lease was up right about the time we sold our house, so everything worked out almost perfect in that regard. For about the first year of our innkeeping experience, we only had one car. It’s all we needed. But then my husband took a job outside the home and it wasn’t convenient for me to drive him to work every morning and pick him up every evening. Neither was it convenient for me to be stuck at home without a vehicle.

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It’s Not the Wattage, It’s the Whitage

Let’s talk lightbulbs. We use a lot of them here at the inn, especially those little specialty ones for the chandeliers. Those fancy ones that come in individual little boxes and cost a fortune. Yeah, those. I have 14 chandeliers and each one has at least 10 bulbs. We spend a LOT of money on lightbulbs.

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I Still Wanna Believe

There are so many dishonest people in the world today. So many people with harmful agendas. So many people out to make a buck. I think you’d be somewhat foolish if you weren’t always a little leery of people selling stuff. There are thieves who will take your money and disappear. But I also choose to believe that there are still good people out there too. People who are just trying to make a living. People who come by their money honestly. People who aren’t trying to trick you into buying something they have no intention of delivering.

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Innkeeping Rule #1

It’s been almost 7 years since we set up shop here in Vicksburg. Hard to believe right? We’ve had lots of ups and down, highs and lows, expected and unexpected things happen over the past 80 months, not the least of which has been a 2-year pandemic that almost bankrupted us (it actually still might if things don’t pick up pretty soon). But, that’s not the point of this post. The point is, I’ve learned a few things since I started being an innkeeper.

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What’s Your Inn Guest FICO Score?

The other day I had a guest experience that I wish I would have handled differently. Hey, sometimes it happens. But you never know UNTIL it happens. And we all know that sometimes all it takes is one person to screw things up for everyone else. Here’s what happened?

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I Just Wanted Some Pants

I’ve been in a “getting rid of” phase here at Casa Baer. I’ve unloaded some unwanted things and given away some things I still want but never use (can you say good-bye to about $1,000 worth of gorgeous high-heeled shoes), and made my jewelry box about ten pounds lighter. It was time to donate these items to new homes and people who will – hopefully – enjoy them the same way I did for years.

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I Know Where My Time Goes

We’ve all heard the expression: “Where has the time gone?” I’m sure a lot of us have probably used that phrase. I used to wonder all the time how time got away from me. The other day I had an epiphany about why I lost so much time. The more I thought about it, the more I realized I was right and, sadly, there’s not a darn thing I can do about it in some instances.

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The Dangers of Seeing It All

I’m pretty confident that at some point in each of our lives we’ve all said, at least once, “Now I’ve seen it all.” I know I’ve said that a few times. It’s a popular expression as sometimes there are simply no words to describe some oddity that we’ve just seen. So, we just fall back on this catchphrase, which implies that there is nothing weirder than what we’ve experienced. But, as I’ve discovered in the world of innkeeping, I’m pretty sure the universe sees those five words as a challenge.

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My Christmas Wish For You

I’d like to take the credit for the poem below, but alas I cannot. In fact, my creative well has been a bit low lately and finding the right words to express what’s in my heart right now has not been easy. So, I spent some time on the internet trying to find the exact sentiment that I can share with you this holiday season.

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Thanksgiving Greetings From Vicksburg

The holiday crush is upon us. It’s time to pack on the pounds and dole out the dollars. With a mad dash here and a mad dash there, here a dash, there a dash, everyday a dash, dash. In other words, it’s the holidays. November and December are always such special months of the year. But ultimately, the hustle and bustle culminates in the sharing of relaxed meals with loved ones and cozy nights by the fire.

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