The smartest coon in the area lives in Plymouth and visits my yard nightly. I have put out a live trap for him/her. For the last two nights it has bested the trap. A live trap has a piece which moves forward when touched or walked on which releases the rod which allows the door to slam and capture the animal. Only if you are a smart coon you don’t push the piece forward, you bring it back toward you which does not release the rod. Then it eats the goodies which I put in the trap to lure it in and chuckles and leaves. Very smart guy or gal! The battle is not over. I don’t mind furry friends but I really hate having coons tap dance on my roof during the night.
I have run a B&B for many years and I have always enjoyed it and have met some really nice people in the process. Recently I have people email or text asking about availability. I respond and I never hear from them again. I often suggest that customers go to my web site so they can see the rooms and pick the one they like. The site also shows the upstairs bath and the common rooms in my home. The upstairs bath has a huge shower, two person sinks and a two person jacuzzi. Latest question was if it was in one of the rooms. They did not want to share a bath. I can understand not wanting to share a bath but if they checked out the book, Payne’s Modern Homes, which contains the plans for my home they would find that there was only one bath in the plans and it was on the first floor! Glad that H G Metzger saw fit to put in two baths even if they are not in the bedrooms. Then there was the call from a person who had three children under the age of nine. My website suggests that children over twelve are welcome and the law only allows two people per room so did not see how that could work out. I really hate having to tell people that there children are not welcome in my home.
Spent a couple of days this week unloading from 3rd Sunday Market and putting things away. Also got the book work done from the show. Bookwork is good, I get to sit down.
Back on the subject of my coon. I order kitty food from Chewy and they deliver it to my back porch in a big cardboard box. I did not get the box unpacked and inside before dark on Thursday and my coon made a valiant attempt to open the box. It did not get it done however. Probably I interrupted it in the process as I go in and out the back door a lot.
Pop A Top reopened this week. There have been a lot of cars parked there so I am sure that their customers are very glad to see it open once again. I believe it sold to a family member of the previous owners.
Moved my plants to the patio this week. I winter over quite a few plants in the garage so have a head start on spring plants in pots and buckets. They need to fill out and I need to purchase some more plants. I like sweet potato vines for the huge iron pots at the store and have not seen any for sale as yet. They look so pretty when thy grow well and flow over the sides of the kettles.
At the end of most columns, I ask you to “Scatter Kindness”. That is not just idle chatter. I am one of those strange people who still send out cards. I send get well cards, more sympathy cards than I like, birthday cards and sometimes just a card to tell people that I am thinking of them. I also enjoy having people stop by the store just to say hello or to thank me for something. I really appreciate that. Scattering kindness would also include responding to a requested text, email or photos.
Got a call on Sunday afternoon asking if I could open the store. Am always happy to do so if I am in town so hurried to the store to find customers that had been there before and who were also at 3rd Sunday last weekend. They had driven down from Peoria so glad that I was home. The folks are very nice and he told me about the things which they had purchased from my store over the years. They also told me about a great find at 3rd Sunday. Just really nice people!
Emptied two inches of rain out of the gage, then emptied three inches out of the gage, then emptied a bit more. Makes for a really lush lawn which I have been mowing on most of the week. Amazing how fast the grass is growing and my flowers are spectacular!
Have a teachers group coming on Monday to the antique store and then to tour my home. They are going to be surprised as one ceiling is under construction and all the things normally in that room are piled in another room. Oh well, my home is seldom perfect as I and Prince Harry are not big into dusting or washing windows. My home often has that “lived in” look which hopefully makes people feel right at home!
Picked up a crock made in Winchester at Payson. I think I have more trouble finding Payson then any other town. I must learn to use the navigation system on my phone.
Scatter Kindness. Write that note. Call or text someone. Stop by to just visit with someone this week. You just might create a bright moment in someone’s life with a small act of kindness.