Once Upon a Dream

September is one of my favorite months, and not just because it is my birthday month. I love the warm days and cool nights, I love the abundance of fresh fruit and vegetables, and I love being able to return a light blanket to the bed, for some reason it is very comforting for me.

Baker Farms

Locally, the produce stands and farmers markets are overflowing with wonderful fresh local fruits and vegetables just waiting to be introduced into my breakfasts: garden fritatta, veggie omelet, fresh fruit in the scones. Long about now I change out the flavors of my scones to include apple spice, ginger peach, corn and pumpkin. Of course you can still request your favorite.

The days are still warm enough to enjoy the Maid of the Mist, or a Whirlpool Jetboat ride, but sleeping is wonderful with the windows open to the breeze. October will see the changing of the leaves and the colors should be more vibrant this year. A great time to walk the Niagara gorge trails, a riot of colors around you.

Part of the 2 hour long Peach Festival Parade

Harvest and Craft Festival

Harvest and Craft Festival

As most of you know, Labor Day does not signal the end of the festival season here in Lewiston. The Peach Festival is September 11-13 and the Harvest and Craft Festival as well as the Power Authority Wildlife Festival are the 26^th and 27^th. Check out the Lewiston Country Fair and Community Yard Sale on September 19^th. You can start your holiday shopping early by attending these events. Remember, edible crafts make perfect gifts for those who think they already have everything and no place to put more.

Having told you all of this I have to say that there are only one or two room opening for all of September and I will be closed come October first.

  Thank you for making my bed and breakfast dream come true. With your help I have had 14 wonderful years as owner of Sunny's Roost Bed and Breakfast. Now it's time to get ready for my next dream, being near our sons and their families. I'll keep all your addresses and if I decide I need something to do and I open another B&B, I'll let you know where I am.

the Missouri extended family in our Matthews shirts

More and more often we find ourselves making trips south to be part of family celebrations.  The baton has been  handed to Robbie and Christi in Missouri.  They are more centrally located than we are and it is easier for us all to gather there.  When we move close to them we will be within a days drive from all the boys except one, as well as both Bob's and my sisters.  Getting anxious to make this move.

steaming table cloths

This year the first week of May was again time to head down.  We arrived at my sister's in KY on Sunday night, a day later than planned.  Visited with her on Monday and Tuesday headed to MO. Wednesday we attended Azia's choral concert and Bryten's orchestra concert at different schools (good thing they were a few hours apart). Thursday was Tristen's graduation from high school.  Friday we spent a day turning a gymnasium into a dining area for a wedding reception. (I steamed 30 tablecloths while others made center pieces, bouquets and boutonnieres). Saturday was the wedding of Tristen to Lacy, his high school sweetheart.  They left on their one night honeymoon and we returned the gym to it's previous state.

the Happy Couple

Interspersed with this was visiting with out of town family, guests and grandchildren.  None of the brothers were able to attend the festivities so a video was taken (now I just need to figure out how to get it off my ipad!).  Sunday (Mother's Day) we all collapsed.  The bride and groom returned to present the mothers, and me!, flowers.  They opened gifts and said good bye to departing guests before heading out to see her mothers. Monday we started our trip home.

While we were out of town and the B&B  was in guest ready condition but unoccupied, there was an open house for prospective buyers.  Our Realtor indicated there was interest and he is following up with answers to questions they had.  We are hoping this is going to prove fruitful, sale wise.  It was very difficult to return home, even knowing I had guests within days of returning.  As Azia left for school that Monday morning she asked if we could finish the sock monkey we started Sunday night and I had to let her know we would be gone when she came home from school.  So very hard.

Ride home was uneventful. and we jumped right back into the swing of things once we arrived, no rest for the travel weary.  June first Tristen leaves for boot camp and the new Mrs Matthews starts the paperwork that will allow her to go with him to his duty station.

I'm still here

Greetings, I have not fallen off the face of the earth but I have been doing more of my social networking face to face in the Village and less using social networking sites. We have also been pleasantly busy around the B&B.  For those who don't know, the bed and breakfast has been up for sale since last March.  We have had a few nibbles but nothing very serious.  If it doesn't sell by this June we will consider it a sign that now is not the time to move closer to the kids and grandkids.

Happy Easter

Most of you realize that the business end of the building has been kept guest ready at all times, well, when I am changing out the holiday decorations it is a bit of a struggle to keep things tidy , but I've had no complaints...yet.  What you may not know is the back of the house, our end, has been the
catch-all area for every mismatched piece of furniture, linen and window treatment.  The sewing area is generally a collection of things needing mending and partially completed projects.  Well, with the for sale status we had to take a hard look at things and toss, mend or complete projects.  About the time this June rolls around we may be sorry we are relocating because we have finally gotten things fixed the way we always envisioned!

our sitting area now

In the past months we have finished stripping the only painted window frames in the house sealed them and put them back in the shared bathroom window (we had storm windows and screens there most of last summer).  We have put up and painted walls, installed a closet (still need to install the door) and finished sealing off the door not in use any more (it was moved to a more convenient location) so I can move the pieces of furniture disguising it to more convenient locations.  When spring finally gets here (and the awning goes up over the back deck, this table and chairs can go back outside and we can move Grandma Lindemeyer's table (an antique that needs a bit of TLC) back here and out of the dining room.

Are you a Bed and Breakfast person?

I haven't written a blog in a long time.  I used to think writing was something I would always do, after all I used to write children's stories for creative writing class and received high praise for them. Writing a blog is nothing like writing children's stories imagine that.  However, there is something I would like my readers to know and to share with friends who might have an interest in being self-employed. Do you, or someone you know, have an interest in running a bed and breakfast?

The house may be over 100 years old but this is not your grandmother's bed and breakfast. I DO have my grandmother's doilies but they are not in use. No Victorian splendor here, with all the work and upkeep that entails. A simple craftsman four square home with comfortable furnishings and a wonderful covered front porch complete with swing.

An outside job held by one owner to cover mortgage, taxes and “spending money” is advised. The bed and breakfast is small enough to be run by one person, though part time help is not out of line. Repeat guests are the backbone and provide the best word of mouth advertising, but new people find us all the time. Work with Niagara University (NU) and Our Lady of Fatima Shrine as well as the Lewiston Historical Society and the Niagara River Region Chamber of Commerce for the majority of your guests. The Niagara Tourism and Convention Corporation (NTCC) is good at directing visitors to Lewiston as well.

Sunny's Roost Bed and Breakfast has the best reputation in Lewiston, as reported by my guests. Our guests have been wonderful and we have enjoyed having all of them stay with us. We have become facebook friends and exchange e-mails and Christmas cards with quite a few.

When you are searching for a bed and breakfast, remember “Location, Location, Location.” We are four blocks from Art Park,

perfect for Tuesday and Wednesday night concert goers as well as main stage events. Art Park has placed artists and vendors with us in the past. We are one block south of Center Street where the majority of summer festivals are held. That also puts us within walking distance of the shops and most of the restaurants and four blocks from the Niagara River.

Niagara Falls State Park is eight miles south. You go passed NU with the Castellani Art Museum and the Power Authority with their museum, Whirlpool State Park, Devils Hole State Park and the walking and bike path along the way. Go north to about six miles to Youngstown, Old Fort Niagara, and Lake Ontario, passing Joseph Davis State Park. East of us, but still in Lewiston is the Our Lady of Fatima Shrine. Farther east is the Ransomville Speedway, the Niagara Wine Trail and stops from the Underground Railroad. Oh, and the locks on the Erie Canal in Lockport. Can't get much more centrally located than that for things to do and place to see.

So why are we looking at relocation, you might ask? To be closer to grandchildren who are growing up much too fast, much too far away. So come on by and ask us about owning this B&B. Fred Blue at Great Lakes Real-estate is handling the property for us .  You may call us directly or you can reach Fred at fblue@greatlakesre.com or 716-523-9166.

musings on a summer day

the family at the marriage of Mark and Sara

Last March saw us celebrating our 40th wedding anniversary and as a "gift" Bob lost his job with a company he had been with for over 9 years. (As that company is now having stability issues it seems to be a fortuitous.) Pursuing a thought that had been in the back of our minds for a few years, we decided it was time to relocate closer to our children and grandchildren and put the bed and breakfast on the market. We then went off to #3 son's wedding in Texas.  The  event was wonderful and stressed the fact that it was the first time in 17 years the family was almost all together (one grandson was in basic training and unable to attend). While we were gone several potential B&B owners went through and expressed interest, however most have dropped out of the picture at this time.

these sisters were among my first guests and
 one of them just returned with her husband

We have been of two minds about the sale since Bob found new employment at the beginning of April as he is still working in the Buffalo area.  The nearest son and family live in Missouri.  We love Lewiston and the guests who come visit us here.  So many of our guests are return visitors and love the fact that we offer a returning guest discount.  This weekend was the Art Festival and met some new artists.   We were lucky enough to be able to offer to hold their rooms past check out (noon) so they could come back after the show to freshen up prior to their long drive home.  Being able to "make someone's day" is a big part of why I chose this profession.  I know I have succeeded when I see departing smiles and read in the guest book of plans to return and sometimes I'll find a personal gift on the bed when I go in to clean the room, be the gift a rooster, art, a hand made item or the product they are associated with (hand made goat soap, Badger Balm, homemade jam).

quilted aprons and pot holders made by a guest

Now I want to be here for these guests next year.  I am excited about our shared memories and don't want to disappoint then by not being here.  My contract with the Realtor is up at the end of September......

And then there was Spook

we are waiting for you

We are a pet friendly B&B and people who choose to stay here come as much for the “official greeters” as for my scones. They merit mention in the guest reviews as often as we do. One of the most asked for stories during breakfast is how we acquired Spook. Both of our dogs were rescues and knowing how it feels to be dropped into a new situation, both go out of their way to make our guests feel welcome. 

Maddy and JazzPurr sharing some sun

Spook came to us a year ago May. Madison had been a family member since November 2011 and came to us from a foster family with three other dogs and a cat. When Madison arrived we had Jazzpurr the cat, who passed the following October at the age of 17. Madison seemed lost without anyone to lie in the sun with. 

Spook napping in the flowers

Bob had been looking to adopt a Shepard husky mix for some time and finally decided waiting for her to come through a husky rescue group we would check at the local SPCA. The day we went down and filled out the paperwork we checked the current surrendered dogs up for adoption and didn't see any that seemed interested in us. Before we left the staff insisted on showing us a few dogs that they thought fit our profile. Despite specifying a Shepard husky mix we were shown a doberman, a pit-bull, a great dane and a beagle. Madison was with us and none of the dogs appeared to like her and she spent her time under my chair. As we were getting ready to leave someone mentioned that a Shepard had come in less than a week earlier and was still in quarantine in the back. We asked to see her. She was very quiet and hesitant around all the people but sniffed everyone, walked up to Madison and “made nice” then walked over to Bob, put her head in his lap, looked up at him and sighed. She came home with us a week later.

welcome

She was a sick girl with assorted parasites and kennel cough and made nary a sound. Her recorded history was short – found locked in an abandoned home, weight 50lbs and maybe 18 months old. She had had a litter but there was no sign of the pups, she was not lactating. Given her quiet nature, Bob named her Spook. Madison has since taught her to bark (a bit overmuch when she gets really excited about what is going on in the world around her) and I am now in the process of teaching her to stop barking on command...it is slow going since I can't get Madison to stop at the same time – they tag team the barking. She is a very loving dog who enjoys the attention of our guests. She is deferential to other dogs who come to visit Sunny's Roost. 

Why we have a little dachshund as one of our official greeters

keeping her warm

I've been telling this story to every guest who stays with us so thought I'd tell it with pictures for you today.

Madison joined our family in November of 2011. She was rescued in August from a puppy mill by our son Phillip and his then girlfriend now wife Christina. Christina was active in Tennessee's small animal rescue program and was called when fosters were going to be needed as a puppy mill was raided. Phillip convinced her that we was taking the small three week old dachshund that was there – as a gift for his mother. 

she was so tiny

It is my understanding that, to help this little critter who had already been separated from her mother, Phillip wore her inside his shirt until she could maintain her own body heat and was socialized. (I can believe that because all that first winter, every time I sat down, she climbed into my lap and under my sweatshirt, curled up and went to sleep.) When he first told me he had a puppy for me I told him I didn't want a small dog and his father wanted a husky Shepard mix. I didn't want a puppy because I didn't want to house break a puppy while running a bed and breakfast and I didn't want the dog to be teething on guest items. I didn't want a dog that would blend in with the wood floor in the entry because she would get squashed under someone's bag or foot. A N D if we got a dog it had to be a female and already spayed . ….. Well, she was female and already spayed, but that is the only part of the criteria he met. 

see how big she is getting?

He kept telling me how big she was getting, how some of her litter mates were growing too large to be show dogs even tho they were AKC mini dachshunds. Madison also is too tall to be a show dog, but at 3 years weighs in at 13 pounds, blends in with the wood flooring in the entry and I had to housebreak her. At least she didn't teethe on anything belonging to a guest. She has grown on us and the guests all threaten to take her home so I guess she is a good fit after all. 

I had been asked what I wanted to name her. I came up with Ginger or Nutmeg since we were a bed and BREAKFAST and a spice name would be appropriate (and previous dog was named Cinnamon.) He named her Madison. When I asked Christina how she came to be called Madison she told me that he was going to name the dog Madison or his first child Madison and she decided it was a GREAT name for the dog and I could always call her Maddy …...