Merry Christmas! – 2008

Lori has been cancer free for 22 months! The whole process has been a little slower than we would like, but there’s a lot of healing that needs to be done before the next steps are taken. We are awaiting the final phase of reconstruction in February. Then we will be just about back to normal.

I have become even more deeply involved in the B&B industry. I am on the local and state boards of directors and am a mentor on a national basis. I got appointed to our village planning commission. I’m still shooting hoops at noon a couple times a week. It looks like I will be very busy outside of the house next year.

Lori is back to work part time as a computer programmer at Hillsdale College. She has been solving Sudoku puzzles to sharpen her mind and has been working with her horse, Raven, who is pregnant again. We are trying to get a black foal with a white mane and tail. There are only a few of these horses registered nationally. If all goes as hoped, the offspring could be very valuable for showing and breeding.

Chris was hauling camping trailers around the country, but at over $5 a gallon for diesel fuel, his expenses were eating into his profits. He got some training and was hired as an X-ray technician for a company that inspects the welds on natural gas pipelines around the country. That work slowed down until next year, so he is patiently waiting for his next assignment.

It’s been a little slower at the B&B than what we are used to. But we are plugging away with romantic couples getaways, spa services, parties, and corporate travelers. We have had some outstanding guests again this year. I had in-depth conversations with people from India, Ecuador and Muldova, plus others. I have the coolest job and get to meet the nicest people!

Lori and I went to Vegas again this year. It is definitely our favorite place to getaway. We can leave on a whim, get decent airfare, and find a nice place to stay at a reasonable price. Then we spend what we saved at the Casinos! I took up craps this year while Lori played bingo. We both did O.K. The highlight was the Cirque du Soleil show “The Beatles Love”.

I got type cast for the lead role in the Jeff Daniels play “Escanaba in da Moonlight”. It is a deer hunting saga set in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Since two o’ my brudders and da bot’ o’ my parents are from da U.P., dey t’ought I wouldn’t have no trouble wit’ da accent, eh! We did 8 shows in front of about 1,000 people. Not bad for local theater!

We had over 600 Trick or Treaters for Halloween. We dressed up, sat on the porch, and doled out a lot of candy in our underwear!

Life is good in Jonesville. Hope all is well wherever you may be.

Merry Christmas! – 2007

This has been the toughest year ever. Lori was diagnosed with breast cancer in January. She had a double mastectomy, chemotherapy, radiation treatments, and is about to start seeing good things in her future. She is an inspiration to everyone around her and has accumulated new friends from the most unlikely places. Playing Bingo has been a fun activity that requires limited physical exertion while allowing her to gab and get excited. This has been excellent therapy for her through this ordeal.

We are about to enter our 9th year as owners of the Munro House Bed & Breakfast. Despite our illness, we are at pace to have a better year than we had in 2006. We marvel at the number of extremely nice people from all around the world that sleep over at our house.

I needed a project, so I learned a lot about landscaping. We tore out seven 40 foot tall pine trees and an old brick patio. We replaced it with trees, shrubs, bushes, a retaining wall, a private fence, and a new brick patio. Our friends came together and helped us with the project that lasted all Summer.

Chris moved back into our house again. He has a good job installing Direct TV. He has been getting all the toys that his extra money will buy. We now have a bunch of video game systems and have been thoroughly enjoying gaming at home with his PS3 and X-Box. 

Lori sold Bill Bandy and now has only one horse. Raven lost her baby, but is pregnant again and should foal in the spring. She will then be bred with a horse that carries a special gene that could throw a foal with a black body (like Raven’s) along with a white mane and tail. If this happens, it could be a very unusual and very valuable new horse.

Chris and I went to the Packers vs. Lions Thanksgiving Day football game in Detroit. We went there with cash in our pockets and the hope of finding an affordable ticket. We managed to get free club seats and had a great time. It is good to be in the right place at the right time.

I turned 50 this year and had a good time on this milestone day. After a long hiatus, I started playing noon ball with the guys again—they’re keeping me young.

Most of this year has been immersed in the trials of having a life threatening disease. You don’t want to go through this. Get your annual tests done and if there is something wrong, you want to catch it early. This goes for guys, too. A few moments of discomfort is worth the knowledge that you are healthy and you should be around for a while.

I still think that life is good in Jonesville. Hope all is well wherever you may be.

PLAID PAJAMAS (APRIL 7, 2006)

Most folks come to the Munro House Bed and Breakfast in Jonesville for a leisurely romantic weekend. Some people come here on business to enjoy our homey atmosphere. But Cheryl’s family came here to bury her dad.

It was an occasion that is dreaded by everyone, a funeral. The grandmother came back to North Adams from South Carolina to lay her husband to rest in the family plot. She was joined by her two daughters and a granddaughter. It was a solemn return to Hillsdale County for all of them.

After dinner on the night of the funeral, my wife, Lori, was walking down the hall to our quarters. As she passed one of their guest rooms, she noticed the door was ajar. She glanced through the opening to see all of them just sitting there, staring at the floor. The fireplace was warming them, but the only sound to be heard was sniffling and whimpering. Obviously, it was going to be a very long, somber evening. That’s when Lori noticed they were all wearing different colored plaid pajamas. She immediately went to her room and changed into her plaid pajamas, too. She went downstairs, made a pot of tea, and brought along skewers and marshmallows.

She knocked, entered the room, poured the tea, and passed out the marshmallows. What a sight: five women sitting around a fireplace, drinking tea, and roasting marshmallows in their plaid pajamas. Within a few minutes, they were all on their second marshmallow. The warm gooey mess made everyone smile. The sadness turned to cheerful reminiscing about the good old days when their loved one was still alive. 

About this time I walked by the open door and saw these funeral attendees with my wife. They were laughing, telling stories, and having a good time. Lori shooed me out of the room and said I wasn't allowed to join them unless I was wearing plaid pajamas, too. I went to my room, searched through my dresser, found the required garments, changed, and joined the group of marshmallow roasters.

The saddest of days turned into an evening full of laughing and sharing. The grandmother had tears in her eyes. She turned to Lori and said "I haven't roasted marshmallows with my girls in a long time. This is like it was 30 years ago. Thank you." We hugged and went back to our special roast in front of the fire in the guest room at the end of the hall.

When they checked out, we looked to see if they wrote in the journals that are in our guest rooms. Yes, they did and it said "We had a good time despite the sadness of the occasion… It ended up being more of a family reunion… We picked the right place to stay." 

One year later, the daughter and mother came to stay again with us. The subject they enjoyed talking about most, was roasting marshmallows in their pajamas. We had helped them get through a very difficult time. They remember it as an evening of celebration at a time of incredible loss. We remember it as another day we did our job to make people feel comfortable in our house. Now, every time we see plaid pajamas, we smile and think about marshmallows.

Munro House Blues by Dan & Donna (to a Blues Riff )
written following Chef Night on 3/12/2006

Been Stayin' at the Munro House.
That's M-U-N-R-O -- no E!...
Been stayin' at the Munro House
Eatin' and drinkin' everything I see. It's got a thousand stairs and toilets,
two dogs, and a big screen TV.
We spent a gourmet weekend
Cooking pasta, corn and eggplant parmesan, but no Brie.

Mike and Lori run the place
and they're nice as anyone could be.
They've got flowers on the walls,
and candy in the halls,
a baby grand piano,
and mozzarella balls.
Wine and vodka spirits
and a patio out front.
Two snow blowers and a shovel
So Mike don't bust his hump.
and best of all you just have to call
and they'll put you up.

The place looks like a museum
or your great grand ma's house, I guess.
You can forget your work day troubles
and get a lot of rest.

It's a sleepy haven for an overnight
or an escape into the past.
Unless a guy named Bruce is there.
Who knows what's happening next?

So call them down in Jonesville
and spend a couple days.
If everything goes smoothly,
you'll learn to say "HEY!"

Merry Christmas! 2005

We are happy to be running the Munro House. We get to host people from all 50 states and we are up to 43 foreign countries. There is always something happening here. Our spa business is going well. We now have 24 girls helping us out. In 2005, we’ve done 22 Murder Mysteries, over 500 spa services, and have added something new called “Chef Night”. Midwest Living magazine did a feature on that event that should appear in print during the Spring of 2006.

Chris is single, happy, and living in Las Vegas. He and I took a road trip to his new home the first week in December. He plans to substitute teach in Las Vegas, the 5th largest school district in America, and attend UNLV to complete his teaching degree. If your travel plans take you there, give him a call at (702) 466-7136. I’m sure he’d be happy to see some familiar faces.

Lori is now a state licensed cosmetologist. She has been going to school for the past 2 years and has finally got it all behind her. She is using her skills to perform manicures, pedicures and facials at our day spa. We hire out most of the work, but have her to cover in a pinch or on short notice.

She has added 2 cats to her list of pets that now include 2 dogs, 2 hamsters, fish, and a horse. She spends as much time as possible with her horse. She has trained Bill Bandy very well. She has followed the Parelli Method and can get the horse to do just about anything without using any force.

I still run the house, manage the website, and play basketball as often as possible. I play in a pick-up league at the college 3 times a week. Our 70+ players range in age from 14-52 and range in ability from novice to Division II all-star. I am one of the senior guys and try to keep the games competitive and the rules consistent. 

I attended my 30 year high school class reunion this summer. One of my classmates hosted the event at his estate, another brought his mobile DJ equipment, and another brought his videography equipment. We had a blast. 

Lori and I joined friends to see the Rolling Stones in concert. It was the entertainment highlight of my year. We thoroughly enjoyed watching these senior citizens entertain us to a degree most young people could never achieve. Mick Jagger slapped me “five”—Wooo-hooo!

My brother, Pete, finished Chemotherapy treatments for colon cancer. His recent CT Scan looks like he’s in the clear.

Hope all is well where you are. Life is good in Jonesville!

Mike & Lori

September 1, 2005

I have followed pop culture all of my life. As a very young child, I remember Lou Monte singing “Pepino, the Italian Mouse” on the Ed Sullivan show. My parents took me to see the Beatles movie “Help!” at the theater--I had to sit by myself, because there were not 2 adjoining seats left anywhere. My first 45 RPM record was “The Unicorn” by the Irish Rovers. My first cassette was Johnny Cash’s “Folsom Prison Blues.” The first 33 RPM LP I bought with my own money was “Golden Biscuits” by Three Dog Night. My first 8-track tape was Alice Cooper’s “Welcome to My Nightmare.” My first CD was Bruce Springsteen’s “Born in the USA.” All of these records still have a special place in my heart—and I listen to them often. I have music in one form or another by Billy Idol, Billy Joel, Billy Gilman, Billy Ocean, Billy Squire, and Billy Joe Royal. My collection includes Frank Sinatra, Rod Stewert, Shania Twain, Andrea Boccelli, Michael Jackson, Kid Rock, Dean Martin, Pink Floyd, Metallica, Trick Pony, and thousands of others. One of my all time favorite albums is by a guy formerly known as John Cougar. My recent music collection is filled with tunes from Eminem, Fat Joe, Usher, and Bowling for Soup.

I am addicted to TV programs like American Idol and have eagerly followed the careers of most of the contestants. I can listen to rap guys speak and can actually translate most every word. When I channel surf on the TV, I usually end up on GAC, VH-1, or MTV—I like them all. I do internet searches for lyrics to pop songs so I can sing along and get it right. My wife asked Sherisa, our 11-year-old neighbor, who the biggest kid on the block is. Without hesitation, she said “Mr. Mike”—that’s me.

Our friend, Ed, thought he was going through a mid-life crisis—he’s 44 and has a job that requires a lot of travel. To help alleviate the pressure, his wife, Peggy, joined the Rolling Stones fan club so that she would be able to purchase concert tickets to their show before they went on sale to the general public. She bought 4 tickets and asked my wife, Lori, and me to join them at the concert in Detroit on Wednesday night, August 31, 2005. This was part of her plan to let Ed know that he is not as old as he thought. He had missed a Stones concert back in college because he didn’t have 20 bucks for the show. This was an opportunity to turn back the clock for one night. The Stones have never been one of my favorite acts. They had been selling records for almost 20 years before they made one I liked. “Beast of Burden” is the one that did it for me. My local station had “block party weekends” and “2-fer Tuesdays” where they would play multiple tracks by a single artist. It was at that time that I finally started paying attention to some of their classic tunes. “Satisfaction” may now be the best rock ’n’ roll song of all time on my personal list—and I never really liked it until it was an “oldie.”

I saw the Stones on their “Tattoo You” tour back in the 80's at the Rosemont Horizon in Chicago—our seats had a “partially obstructed view”, and the sound was just awful! The acoustics were so bad that I recognized only two songs before they got to the chorus! So, when Ed & Peggy asked us to join them for an outdoor concert at Comerica Park in Detroit for $160 a ticket, I was filled with apprehensions. My expectation level was very low, so even a mediocre show would be a decent mark from me. We don’t get out much, and our work was covered for the night, so we decided to go. At worst, we would get to spend the evening in the company of good friends.

Our seats were in the 28th row on the main floor—a great location. The show was SPECTACULAR! They had an awesome stage and incredible lighting, a jumbo-tron (so everybody could see), plus pyrotechnics, great acoustics, and excellent stage presence by each member of the band. They played all the songs I wanted to hear and seemed to be truly enjoying themselves during their performance. 

When the Stones moved down the center walkway stage, I was privileged to be the only hand Mick slapped on his way back to the main stage! I became an instant celebrity with the concert-goers around me. Total strangers—most with gray hair and wearing vintage Stones paraphernalia--were high-fiving me and giving me prolonged hugs. I was some sort of hero for about a minute. That moment was my personal highlight of the evening.

Ed’s mid-life crisis is not what it was a week ago--it may be over thanks to “Mick and the boys.” Lori and Peggy may have enjoyed watching Ed and me more than the concert. I left feeling even younger than before. I was electrified by a superior performance by some of the greatest entertainers in the world. These guys are in their 60’s and have more energy than a lot of young people. I can’t wait to get old!

I have been to an NBA and an NFL championship game where my team won. This Rolling Stones concert ranks right up there as one of the "top 3" live events I have ever witnessed. If you get a chance to go—make your plan, budget your money, and go—whether it’s the Rolling Stones or another performer that makes you happy. I may have to devise a mid-life crisis so that the four of us can go to another event. In fact, we all may just have to develop some sort of crisis every year!

Life is good in Jonesville.

Mike & Lori

November 22, 2005

The votes have been counted, the city of Hillsdale, Michigan, has a new mayor, he's an 18 year old high school student! He won by just 2 votes! Michael Sessions was sworn in to office on Monday, November 21, 2005, at 8:00 p.m. He is the youngest mayor in the USA. News Media from across the country and around the world have done feature stories on his accomplishment. Hillsdale is just 5 miles from the Munro House.See related stories: Hillsdale Daily News-1; Hillsdale Daily News-2; Hillsdale Daily News-3; Hillsdale Daily News-4; Detroit News 1; Detroit News 2; Detroit News 3; ABC News; MSNBC; All Headline News; People Magazine; USA Today; The London Times; CNN; WLNS-Lansing-1; WLNS-Lansing-2; News 24 South Africa; WTVG-Toledo; Toledo Blade-1; Toledo Blade-2; FOX News; WTOL-Toledo; David Letterman Top Ten List;

January 2, 2005

Howdy!

2004 ended with a bang and 2005 started with a bang. We have been hosting a lot of Murder Mystery Dinner parties. A couple reserved a room. He asked us if we could help him out on New Years Eve. He wanted a special, memorable way to ask his girlfriend to marry him. Lori rewrote one of our scripts and incorporated a marriage proposal. She thought it was all part of the Murder Mystery because her character needed to be married by midnight. Then he got down on his knee and pulled out the ring. She was shocked! No one else at the table was aware of our devious plan until it happened. Everyone was excited to be a part of this memorable event. When everyone gathered for breakfast on New Years morning, another couple announced that they gotten engaged just after the ball dropped in Times Square at midnight. Good things happen at the Munro House.

We now have had guests from 41 foreign countries stay with us. Our good friend, and former guest, Miguel, met and married a girl from Brazil. She is number 41. They spent their wedding night with us. She speaks Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, and English. He speaks Spanish, English, and German. I never had thought that we would have so many interesting guests from so many far away countries who would spend a night with us in Jonesville.

Life is good in Jonesville.

Mike & Lori

December 2004

Merry Christmas Everyone! Our Bed and Breakfast is going well. Our weekend traffic has been tremendous. We have only had 1 empty room on a Saturday night since Memorial Day! So, you can guess what we do on weekends—Work! We have people in the house most every night, but we get a nice share of Sundays off, so we take advantage and go shopping or to the movies when we can.

We took a vacation to Iceland this year. We did an internet search for lodging and wound up spending a week at Siggy Magnusson’s house just outside of Reykjavik. We took lots of day trips to beautiful remote areas and enjoyed the culture and hospitality of an awesome foreign country.

Lori is busy all day and she’s been training her horse at night. There is a lot more going on with a horse than getting on and riding it. She has learned a lot about patience and perseverance. 

Chris just finished up another semester of college at Spring Arbor University. He’s earning a degree in education with the focus on history. He begins subbing for grades 1-12 in January. He hopes to take night classes so he can sub as much as possible, get some good practical experience, and make money!

I run the Munro House all day and all night. Actually, there are breaks in the middle of the day, so it’s not like I work 24 hours straight. I try to get to the gym several times a week, I belong to a service organization, and I regularly have lunch with my gang. I have to make time for fun.

We’ve been playing “Fear Factor” with the neighbor kids. They mix things up in a glass (pop, yogurt, vinegar, and make me drink it. Sounds like fun, eh? You are welcome to come over and play any time.

Hope all is well wherever you may be. Life is good in Jonesville. 

Christmas, 2003

Happy Holidays!

Chris is getting married! He just asked Kelly Wayland to be his wife, and we are thrilled. They are planning a sunset beach wedding in Maui in January of 2005 with a reception back here. Chris has been doing very well in school and is transferring to Spring Arbor University next semester. He is looking forward to becoming a history professor. Kelly is currently attending Sienna Heights University and is aspiring to become a pharmacist. Her dad is a chemist, so science runs in the family. Kelly drives a vehicle powered by bio-diesel fuel that she makes at home from left-over deep fat fryer oil from fast food restaurants (honest!). Her dad read about the process and is making it their “father-daughter” project. Her car smells real good as it goes by.

Our Bed & Breakfast is all decked out for Christmas, as usual. One of our four trees is Lori’s latest creation, a Snowman Tree! She bought a centerpiece of a snowman’s head and noticed it was very light weight. So she popped it on top of our tree and strung white feather boas between the branches and finished it off with red ornaments and beads. Our tree has been featured in the local paper twice! After work, Lori heads out to the stable to train her horse, Bill Bandy. She has been taking riding lessons for years, and finally decided to ride and train the same horse all the time. She’s always been an animal lover, so this is her ideal weekly getaway.

I spend most of my time at home running the Munro House. I enjoy my life here and don’t mind getting up every day to make breakfast for strangers. After I complete my domestic chores, I get busy on the PC to actively promote our B&B. Business is good. We’ve set personal bests for occupancy and revenue in 2003. I get out most every day to hang out with my friends, participate in local organizations, sit on the Community Theater Board, and do all the shopping. I can’t imagine having time for all of this stuff while having a traditional job.

I get the most feedback about stories from the neighbor kids. So, here’s my favorites from this year: Hannah, my favorite-9-year-old-next-door-neighbor and Sherisa, my favorite-9-year-old-across-the-street-neighbor, were talking about boys, when it was mentioned that when it comes to dating, girls always have good ideas and boys always have bad ideas. So I asked “what’s a good idea?” Hannah replied “It’s when the girl says ‘let’s go to the movies.’” I agreed, and then asked “what’s a bad idea?” Sherisa didn’t even hesitate when she said “It’s when the boy says ‘go make me something to eat.’” I nearly went into convulsions. The girls just started their own company. They call it Hannah & Sherisa’s Maintenance Service. We think it’s a front to extort money out of the Munro House, but we are happy with their performance. They help out doing yard work and they help inside with laundry and with parties. Hannah’s been working here for 6 years now--No kidding! They both do a very professional job (for a couple of 9 year olds).

I have been a little lax in creating and sending out my newsletters. I think this will only be my second for 2003. If you’d like to be on my list, send a note to me at Mike@MunroHouse.com. The bigger the list, the more pressure to get it done on at least a quarterly basis.

Hope all is well wherever you may be. Life is good in Jonesville!

Mike & Lori

May 24, 2003

Howdy,

Wow, it's been a while since I wrote. Actually it's been about 40 pounds ago--for Lori. She found a new diet that works. She loses weight without starving herself or taking diet pills. As a matter of fact, she's taking in about 1500 calories a day and is still losing weight. I remember some of her previous diets where she only got 900 calories a day and she was hungry all of the time. It's all about eating smart and taking in extra protein. The key is to eat 3 meals a day and take protein supplements in-between. The basic rules are a) no foods from a box or a can (except tuna), b) no fruit after 6:00 pm, and c) carbohydrates are limited to brown rice, potatoes, and oatmeal. She's eating good and losing weight. Did I mention that she looks great!

The B&B business is pretty steady despite a lull during Gulf War II. I was surprised at the definite change in business habits that coincided with the war in Iraq. Most of the decrease was from our weekday business travelers. A combination of the economy and the Middle East Conflict forced many companies to drastically reduce their travel budgets. Most of our regulars were in and out in a day rather than spending 2-3 nights with us. Weekend guests have been great. Lots of old and new friends are making their way to Jonesville to stay in our great old house. We're booking up rooms in June, so it looks like an upward swing into summer. Wooooo-hooooo!

Some of the girls basketball team from Hillsdale College have decided to join the NBA (Noon Basketball Association). We play pick-up games 3 times a week at noon. Our group is made up of about 25 players, mostly businessmen, a few professors, some students, and me. We almost always have at least 1 girl (7 girls play with us regularly). Man, they are good! When guys play, it's mostly showtime. With the gals playing, it's a lot of teamwork (I know they are making this old guy look like a better player). I am really impressed with the level of play these girls are at. There is one girl in particular, who at any given moment is the best all-around player on the court, and there are some excellent ex-collegiate male athletes in our league. A lot of people had a problem with Annika Sorenstam playing golf in the PGA tournament this week because she's female. I say, if she can keep up with the boys, let her play! She will beat a lot of them!

Sherisa is my-favorite-8-year-old-across-the-street-neighbor. It seems like she's over here all of the time. Lately, I've been helping her with her math, they're learning decimals. Last week she showed me one of the papers she had written for a another class. Apparently, we are the subject of most of her classroom conversation as the paper starts out "As you all know, I work for Mister Mike at the Bed and Breakfast across the street." She goes on to say that "my regular hours are Mondays from 3:30 to 6:00, Tuesdays from 4:00 to 7:00...." She really does help out around the house with laundry and folding and table setting. She conveys one of the basic rules "you can't just walk in any room in the house. If the door is closed, you have to knock and say 'housekeeping' before opening the door". She's so funny. 

Today the word "constipated" came up. I asked her if she knew what it meant. She replied that "It's when you sit on the toilet and you can't breathe." I nearly went into convulsions.

Noah is my-favorite-5-year-old-next-door-neighbor. He regularly helps me do yard work. One of his favorite jobs is helping me on "poop patrol." We have 2 dogs, so it must be done before I cut the grass. We were working out back when he said "I'm gonna get a sweet car when I grow up." I said "A sweet car? What's a sweet car?" He pointed to a green Corvette parked next door and said "THAT!" So I asked him "What makes it sweet?" I could see the wheels turning in his head as he thought up a reply. He came up with "It makes that 'girlfriend noise', you know, vroooom-vrooom." I could hardly contain myself. It sure is nice having interesting kids in the neighborhood.

We have hosted a score of Murder Mystery Dinner Parties this year. They sure are fun. Let's see, I was a Liberace-esque lounge lizard on a private yacht where the captain got "X-ed" .... I went in drag one night because we were one woman short of a full cast .... I was a black slave .... Lori and the girls from the Red Light District had a reunion .... Thoroughbred Horses were doped and their owners got swindled and/or eliminated .... a Soap Opera Star was murdered .... there was a baseball themed murder on the mound .... and the list goes on! Ooooooh what fun we've been organizing. We don't get out much, so our guests are our fun. We have a host of games to play, a great house to entertain in, and the expertise to organize a wonderful event. The theme possibilities seem to be endless and we try not to run the same game twice. Some of our games are played by total strangers, some have a few couples who know each other, and some are pre-organized private parties for groups of friends.

Most of the Murder Mystery Meals have been 7 courses. Our Beef Tenderloin is awesome, but so is our filet mignon, and we have the most excellent mahi-mahi there is! We searched for years for the ultimate mahi-mahi recipe...and we found it for our seafood lovers. Our appetizers, soup, salad, and dessert are all "house specialties." We have developed unique recipes to help make the entire night a memorable experience. Our guests have great food, a fun event, and don't have to worry about cleaning up or driving home. We even do Afternoon Luncheon Murder Mysteries with a lighter menu for private groups.

Howard and the gang came down for our most recent chef night party. 16 cooks + 1 kitchen = 1 feast. Chef night is such a gas, and most of us do not spend a lot of time in the kitchen on a regular basis, so a lot of us are actually just a chef for one night. Lori was the maestro for this event. She picked out the menu and assigned ingredients for our guests to bring. Each couple brought about $20 in ingredients/wine. Each person was assigned a cooking partner. Then Lori passed out the English themed recipes--16 of them. Another awesome dinner with the main course--Beef Wellington. In the summertime, we usually have a golf outing before the cooking starts. But a winter chef night required a little more activity, so we organized another Murder Mystery while we all cooked and ate, and ate, and ate. We sure do eat well around here, but we cooked in quantities where there wasn't a whole lot left over and nobody had to drive home. 

One of our regular guests, Olaf from Holland, was visiting a local business but couldn't stay with us because we had no rooms available. He was all alone in his hotel room, so he stopped by to say hi. We hadn't had dinner yet, so we went out together and had a wonderful evening with a guest we hadn't seen in over a year. We distinctly remembered him as the guy who had to pack and repack his luggage on the floor of our parlor because he couldn't get all of the Nikes and Levis he had bought for his kids to fit in his travel bags. He was repacking on the same weekend we had a Ladies Day where a bunch of women were moving from room to room getting manicures, pedicures, facials, and massages. He told us that we had a "beauty farm" going on in our house.

On April 23, Kevin celebrated his 2 year anniversary with us. He is a consultant from Fort Lauderdale who has been working for a local company and staying with us Monday through Friday. We do our best to give him the same room every week so he really feels at home. We have cable TV, movies, magazines, newspapers, internet access, laundry and kitchen privileges, plus room in the refrigerator for his groceries. Together, we regularly get together in the Library and watch American Idol and Survivor (now that Rueben and Jenna are the winners, we'll have to find something else to occupy our evenings). Kevin has really become part of the family and we have done our part to make his time away from home as pleasant as possible. He is just one of several long term guests that have stayed with us. If you ever get stuck on a long term out of town project, seek out a B&B. It could make your time away from home a lot less lonely.

I love reality TV. Well, just a few of the programs. I want to send in an application for the next Survivor. They've never had an innkeeper as a competitor, so I think I'd make an interesting contestant just by my job description. I don't know if I'd want to be away from home that long, but it sure would be the adventure of a lifetime. I could use a break from the B&B. I made breakfast on 344 mornings in 2002. I think that qualifies me as someone who could use an escape. There's an on-line application at http://www.cbs.com/primetime/survivor_application/. If you win, you get a million bucks, if you finish in the top 9 you get 5 figures in cash. Even if you get no cash, you get a free vacation and an experience for at least a few days of a place you could never visit on your own. All you have to do is be able to put up with liars, cheaters, and creeps while eating bugs and fish and getting rained on for 40 days and 40 nights....nothing to it!

Our son, Chris, turned 23 today. Happy Birthday, Duper! A few months ago, while in the Air Force National Guard, he was told to quit his college courses because he was about to be deployed to the Middle East. So he did. 2 weeks later, on the eve of his departure, he was informed that he was undeployable due to a medical condition. As it turned out, he was taking a medication that had a severe side effect if he were exposed to intense heat or sunlight. They figured that the desert was not a healthy place for him to be. So now he's going to summer school to catch up on the classes that he was forced to quit.

Chris plays a fantasy game called Warhammer at a house in Jackson. It's a kind of mixture of war and chess and video games. He's got this little figurine army of elves. They all have different powers and various movement capabilities. 2 teams confront each other on a 4' X 4' table. They take turns moving their armies until 1 team is destroyed or occupies most of the table. I guess these gaming houses are growing in popularity all over the country. You get to play games but are not locked in to your TV or computer like so many kids are these days. He actually gets out of the house and meets new people face-to-face and gets to interact a lot more than when he played Nintendo, or PlayStation, or Everquest. He's been playing Warhammer for a couple of months now and is really good at the strategy involved. He went to a big tournament in Detroit this past weekend and took 3rd place. There are national tournaments that have big prize money. He's hoping to open a gaming house or a gaming store someday. I never thought I'd see the day when all of his gaming experience would actually pay off. He has fun, mentors a lot of players, has made a lot of friends, and has the potential to make a living doing what he like to do--playing games.

I have 4 brothers who all live back in Wisconsin. Every year in February, we get together in Milwaukee for a night on the town. We stay at a fancy hotel, walk to dinner, party a little, sleep a little, then have breakfast together and head home. Most of our wives and some of our nieces and nephews join us for the event. This year it was Cowboy Night. We were decked out in flannel shirts, boots, rhinestones, Stetsons, and dusters. Heads were turning on every street corner as the posse made its way to Buca de Beppo's (an Italian restaurant). We love Buca's because the food is good and it comes in huge portions. Each dish feeds 3-4 people. So 4 entree's filled up the 12 of us. We probably didn't need that 2nd bottle of wine--I've never seen a bottle so big. We had a great time, walked "home" and had one of the best breakfasts ever (that I didn't have to cook). This place only served poached eggs, but made them 20 different ways. Man, were they good. We're already talking about next year. We may go as nerds....or we could do gangsters again. Gangsters at Buca's is a nice tie-in.

Hope to see you soon. Hope all is well wherever you may be. Life is good in Jonesville.

Mike & Lori

October 5, 2002

Howdy!

It's a hit or miss game in the B&B business sometimes. We set our all-time income and occupancy record in August then slumped to our lowest occupancy of the year in September. Now October is starting with the promise of a strong month. Woooo-Hooooo! We already have 3 full weekends because of Hillsdale College events in October and Sweetest Day. Fall Color Tours are always a good time for one last getaway before the Holidays are upon us. We like having lots of interesting people in the house.

This past week has been our biggest variety week ever. We had guests from around the country with us--Florida, Washington, Idaho, Illinois, and (of course) Michigan. Plus we had folks from around the world with us--Canada, Mexico, Denmark, Israel, Japan, and Australia! And this all happened in one week! 

Our marketing has paid off for all of these guests being able to find us. Many were repeat customers, some were recommended by our business clients, a few found us through internet search engines, one booked their room from the internet, we had a referral from another B&B, another found us through a B&B guide, and a couple found our brochure at an antique shop and decided and walked in. 

Sometimes we wonder if the time and effort we put into all of these resources is worth it, then we have a week like this past one and we find that all of the development, production, and monetary investment are all worth it. Without it, we may have been close to empty.

I've been riding my mountain bike a lot lately. The weather has been rather brisk lately, just the right temperature for a good hard ride. There's a paved path that runs from downtown Hillsdale to Sandy Beach. Then the path changes to dirt and goes all of the way out to Osseo. A helmet is required. There are lots of low tree branches that could really do some damage without some sort of protection. It's about 12 miles round trip and it's all off-road. With kids at school, and everybody else at work, I have the whole trail to myself some days. Silent, safe, and scenic--ahhh, just the way I like it!

We have four black walnut trees in our front yard. I have a yard full of black walnuts, not to mention the branches and leaves to go along with them. Every other year they produce an unbelievable amount of debris, and I get to clean it up. This is the year that they go nuts! They are quite messy. The walnut meat is protected by a shell which is surrounded by a black mucky mass which is encased in a stinky green rind. The black stuff is worse than permanent marker if you get it on your hands or clothes. The Amish will pay you $5.00 a ton for walnuts. Then they shuck 'em, dry 'em, crack 'em, and eat 'em. It's not worth my while to save up a whole ton of them to earn the five bucks, so I just fill up our garbage bins and have them picked up with the yard waste every week. I have been filling five 33 gallon containers each week. Then I have to meet the pick-up guys because each barrel exceeds the 50 pound weight limit they impose. We both grab a handle and give it "the old heave-ho" into the back of the truck--definitely a two man job.

The actual raking became a six man job yesterday. It was a great day for working outside in short sleeves, so I grabbed my rake and went at it. My 5 year old neighbor, Noah, came running over with his own plastic garden rake and began to help. Then 7 year old Sherisa from across the street asked if I had another rake. Soon 5 year old Drew and 3 year old Seth were in on the action. Then my favorite-seven-year-old-next-door-neighbor, Hannah, came out in her soccer warm-up gear (she was ready to go to practice) and decided to help. Then Noah ran home to get his little red plastic snow shovel. I thought "what the heck's he gonna do with that?" Turns out that that snow shovel was absolutely the perfect tool for getting the walnuts from the ground to the buckets. So Sherisa asked me for a shovel. I told her I didn't have one, but she could look in the shed. She came back with an edging spade, and although not quite as ideal a tool as Noah's, it was still pretty effective and we remained busy for just about 2 hours. It came time for a break and Seth had to go home, so I told the kids that I was going to go inside and call to get our pictures taken by the Hillsdale Daily News. Instead, I had Lori come out to get a couple of action shots, then we started posing. It's been a long time since I had so much fun raking walnuts! (remember that, Erin?) Attached is a photo to prove it! I'm going to have to do this every Tuesday until they are all gone. Hope my helpers come back for more! 

Lori quit working at Hillsdale College last May. She has had a history of migraine headaches that seemed to be triggered by work-related stress. She was off for about 2 weeks and her headaches were gone, when they required some more of her computer programming skills. She negotiated an hourly rate and told them she would only work Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday; and that she would only work on special projects. On occasion, she has worked additional days, but her headaches have been significantly reduced and she gets to spend 4 days a week working with me.

As of last Tuesday, we have been married for 25 years! 25 YEARS! Holy Cow! What a time to be sick. I caught a bug and spent a weekend in bed...and I'm still coughing after 2 1/2 weeks. I tried to keep it to myself, but managed to give the virus to Lori. Only Chris has been immune to it so far. After 10 days of moping around with a cough and fatigue, I decided that 'attitude' would help me to feel better. So I "sucked it up" and went about my regular routine, and whaddaya know? I feel better. I'm not 100%, but who is? Now, I take my meds, drink plenty of fluids, and wash my hands a lot. So our anniversary was real low key. We went out to dinner and made plans for our next nice vacation. I think we will take 2 vacations next year. One in January, maybe a Cruise. We will specifically celebrate our marriage longevity there. Then, we really want to go on a Baltic Sea Cruise (when the weather gets nice) and finish that voyage with a side trip to the Arctic Circle where my mom's folks are from in Overtorneo, Sweden. It's actually just South of the Arctic Circle--close enough for me! We've been trying to make this happen for years, and it has just never worked out. I think 2003 is the year, and we're going to invite my mom along!

Chris is doing real well at Jackson Community College. He's still got a high grade point average. He is tutoring students this semester and getting paid to do it! He really likes the small class size here and being able to live at home where he doesn't have to worry about room and board. The campus is about 5 minutes from our house. Plus Lori is taking him to see TOOL in concert at Wings Stadium in Kalamazoo on Friday night. It's good to live at home and get along with your parents

Hopefully, America won't do anything stupid in Iraq. Chris is still with the Air Force National Guard and could get called up, if we send troops to the Middle East. He's really on a roll in school and I'd hate to see him have to quit in the middle of a semester. He's a 22 year old College Sophomore. Because he bloomed late, academically, we'd like to see him finish rather than be called up and have to restart again. His current focus is good, his academic work ethic is where it needs to be, and our fingers are crossed.

I'm still involved in community theater. So far this year, I have had the opportunity to produce, direct, and act at our 244 seat Sauk Theater. We do about six shows a year and mix it up with drama and musicals. It's nice to have time to do this stuff. Mostly because there is not a lot of recreation choices around here, so a lot folks are able to commit to 4-5 nights a week on a local production for 4-6 weeks at a time. It's fun and I get to meet a lot of talented local people.

We've been driving an old Plymouth Van since we got here in 1999. We bought it because we were moving everything ourselves and it was the only vehicle on the lot with a trailer hitch. Recently, I figured the transmission was about shot. Whenever I would shift from 'park' into 'drive', I had to count to five before it would engage, so I could go. Same thing when I backed out of our parking lot and shifted from 'reverse' into 'drive' come to a complete stop, shift, count to five, and go. What a hassle. So we went to the local Ford and Chevy dealers to scope out a new van. Times have changed since I last looked to buy a new vehicle. We haven't had a car payment since the '80s. There's not much you can get in a van for less than $28,000 these days. So we kept looking and happened upon a pickup truck. I never had a desire for a pickup truck before in my life. We didn't need the people room that a van offers, but regularly needed the cargo room, so a pickup would fit our needs. We had it narrowed down to the Chevy S-10 and the Ford Ranger, both with extended cabs. Then we started negotiating price. Chevy had the distinct advantage because Lori's dad is a GM retiree and we qualify for the family discount. However, the Ford dealer is a personal friend of mine and he said he would give me a comparable deal to Chevy. We started talking options and I ended up getting a lease on a 4 liter Ford Ranger XLT with all the bells and whistles including a bed liner, hard cap, and an in-dash MP3 player. I never thought I would enjoy having a truck until now. And we use it exclusively for business, so the lease payment is a business expense. Wooooo-Hooooooo! I'm riding high in my little red truck! And I can burn over 200 of my favorite songs on 1 CD in MP3 format and never have to change discs!

Nadav from Israel was here alone on business and I decided to offer him a personal tour of Hillsdale County. He was amazed at the beauty of the countryside, as he and his friends had only visited New York City. He had no idea there was this much countryside in the USA. I took him to an Amish Farm and he gazed in wonder at the simple dress, plain home, and ancient ways that they practice as normal life! I took him to Kroger Supermarket where he was quite impressed at the variety of fresh and packaged foods we have in our small town. He was totally amazed when we went to the U-Scan checkout (the kind where you scan your own groceries, bag them, and pay--with no attendant present). As we were driving through the park at Lake Baw Beese he asked me if I was terrified since the events of 9/11. I had never really thought about it before that moment, so I took a breath and realized that I've never been terrified, not even on September 11th. Angry, violated, sad--yes. But not terrified. I told him that we, as Americans, are more concerned than before when we travel, especially to big cities. But we are not terrified of anything. Then I asked him about the conflict he's in the middle of in Israel. He said he avoids mass transit and is a little more cautious when in big cities. He told me that he hates to admit it, but if he hears gunfire or if a bomb goes off in the distance, it is such a common occurrence that he barely even notices. I guess it's like my old office that sat just a few feet away from the railroad tracks. Trains rumbled through town 2-3 times a day and made the whole building shake and the aluminum windows rattle in earthquake form. After my first week, or so, there, I only noticed it when someone new was in the building, and they would give me a scared look and say "what the heck is that?" It's all about your conditioning.

We had another Chef Night over here last month. Seven couples invaded our kitchen as we prepared an All-American feast. All of the dishes had their origins in the good old U.S. of A. A 7 course meal was planned that took the whole night to prepare and consume. Each of us was paired with an opposite sex teammate and given 2 recipes to prepare. Then we followed the directions, jockeyed for oven space, and prepared a most wonderful meal. We are really getting good at this as there were virtually no leftovers, again. The best part is that nobody has to drive home. We party as hardy as we want and everybody sleeps over in my big old house.

We don't get out much, so if you have some free time, invite yourself over. We'd be happy to see you, and you just never know what interesting character might be in the house!

Hope all is well wherever you may be. Life is good in Jonesville!

Mike & Lori

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